Prestige Classes

INVISIBLE BLADE

Who is this fool who dares to challenge you in the arena? You brandish a greatsword, and he whips out a dagger. You unsheathe your longsword, and he throws off his armor. You advance menacingly, and he only smiles at you - a big, maniacal grin. Is he mad? Does he have a death wish? No, he is an invisible blade, and you have made the classic mistake of underestimating his prowess. As you fight, he seems almost relaxed, stepping lightly to the side, dodging your blows easily. His eyes note your every move, as though taking mental notes about your style. Then, in the split second when you lower your guard, he exploits your error, plunging his weapon into your heart. Invisible blades are deadly fighters who prefer to use daggers and related weapons in combat. Their training and techniques with these weapons make them just as lethal as any well-armed fighter. Invisible blades enjoy cultivating misconceptions about the level of danger they present, and they relish any chance to demonstrate that the most unimposing weapons can be the most lethal. Thus, invisible blades are rarely impressed by how mighty their opponents appear. An invisible blade specializes in fighting with the dagger, kukri, or punching dagger. He is not penalized for using other weapons with which he is proficient, but every class ability he possesses is tied into using one of these three weapons. The typical invisible blade was once a rogue, who chose this path because his sneak attack ability dovetailed nicely with the abilities of this prestige class. Bards and monks are also good candidates, as are barbarians, fighters, and rangers who are willing to exchange their arsenals of weapons for a less cumbersome approach. Clerics and druids seldom choose this class, perceiving its members as faithless, while paladins ironically view invisible blades as too self-absorbed. Sorcerers and wizards rarely become invisible blades because they don’t appreciate the class’s lack of offensive options and tight focus on weapon use. NPC invisible blades are silently egotistical gladiators who regard their fighting style as superior to all other martial philosophies. They place enormous emphasis on making a single decisive strike, thereby hoping to end a bout in a single round. Most invisible blades pick up their skills in a guild. A few, however, learn from seasoned professionals who expect a potential gladiator to practice fanatically with the dagger until he can pass the required rite-of-passage combat (see Requirements, below).

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements

To qualify to become an invisible blade, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Skills: Bluff 8 ranks, Sense Motive 6 ranks.

Feats: Far Shot, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (dagger, kukri, or punching dagger).

Special: The candidate must defeat a worthy opponent in single combat using one or more daggers, kukris, or punching daggers in any combination as his only weapons.

Class Skills

The invisible blade's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: The Invisible Blade

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the invisible blade prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Invisible blades gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Dagger Sneak Attack (Ex): An invisible blade gains the sneak attack ability (see the description of the dark hunter, earlier in this chapter) if he does not already have it, but the extra damage applies only to sneak attacks made with a dagger, kukri, or punching dagger (the DM may allow other similar weapons). When making a sneak attack with one of these weapons, he deals an extra 1d6 points of damage at 1st level, and this increases to 2d6 at 3rd level and to 3d6 at 5th level. If he already has the sneak attack ability from a previous class, the applicable bonuses on damage rolls stack.

Unfettered Defense (Ex): An invisible blade benefits from an increased survival instinct during combat. Because of this sixth sense, he adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per invisible blade class level to his Armor Class in addition to any other modifiers he would normally receive. If the invisible blade is caught flat-footed or is otherwise denied his Dexterity modifier to Armor Class, he also loses this bonus. Unfettered defense functions only when an invisible blade is not wearing armor and is armed with one or more daggers, kukris, or punching daggers as his only weapons.

Bleeding Wound (Ex): An invisible blade of 2nd level or higher who makes a successful dagger sneak attack can choose to deal a bleeding wound, sacrificing 1d6 points of the extra damage from the dagger sneak attack. Such an attack deals damage as normal in the round when the attack hits. Thereafter, the wound caused by the invisible blade’s dagger bleeds for 1 point of damage per round. Multiple wounds from the weapon result in cumulative bleeding loss (two wounds for 2 points of damage per round, and so on). The bleeding can only be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any cure spell or other healing spell (heal, healing circle, and so on). Creatures immune to sneak attack damage are immune to bleeding wounds as well.

Uncanny Feint (Ex): At 3rd level, an invisible blade gains the ability to feint in combat (see page 68 of the Player’s Handbook) as a move action rather than a standard action. At 5th level, the character can feint in combat as a free action. An invisible blade can use uncanny feint only when armed with a dagger, kukri, or punching dagger. Only one uncanny feint can be made per round.

Feint Mastery (Ex): At 4th level, an invisible blade armed with a dagger, kukri, or punching dagger becomes so sure of his ability to mislead opponents that he can take 10 on all Bluff checks when feinting in combat (see page 68 of the Player’s Handbook), even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so.