Swordmaster (PFRPG)

4.70/5 (based on 3 ratings)
Swordmaster (PFRPG)
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Meet the swordmaster!

This deadly base class renders Dexterity a viable option on the front lines of combat. His cunning compounds of sword arts emulate dynamic swordplay, requiring players to think several moves in advance and rewarding well-conceived assaults with devastating finishers. A swordmaster's blade is his partner, not his tool, and it awakens as his prowess grows.

This class brings swordplay to life and has been thoroughly playtested.

Design Goals:

  • Render Dexterity a viable option for front-line combatants.
  • Create a flexible system of compounds evocative of swordplay.
  • Imbue dynamic gameplay into melee combat.
  • Foster a compelling relationship between a player and his weapon.

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Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

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4.70/5 (based on 3 ratings)

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Pure Awesome

5/5

The Swordmaster class is not a class for the faint of heart, but for those willing to test their mettle this is the class for you. There are so many ways you can combine the different sword arts together in this class it's insane I love it.

If you've ever wanted to play a lightly armored character who fought with a big blade this is your ticket to doing so. Don't take my word for it they've even got a free preview of the class take a look.


Not for beginners

4/5

The Swordmaster is the Swashbuckler you've all been waiting for!
The Swordmaster is the Kensai you've all been waiting for!

I'm not going to delve as deeply as EZ did in his excellent review, because that would be redundant. But I will say that this class is the first Dreadfox product I've ever seen, and I was very impressed. I really believe the work and playtesting that went into the class' development was thorough, and quite likely, exhausting.

Now, to business. This class is not for the faint of heart or most novice or inexperienced players. Although the instructions to use the sword arts are clear, it's just the sheer amount of bookkeeping that's necessary. If a player doesn't stay on top of the action in a combat session he might slow the battle down having to look at the character sheet and decide which art to use on his next turn. These actions need to be worked out as soon the player's turn ends, otherwise this will result in the dreaded "bored player dice stacking" phenomenon while they wait for the next dazzling display of death dealing.

But for a player willing to take the time and set up the character sheet beforehand, this is a brilliant class. It's the acrobatic fighter so many others have tried to develop (with varying degrees of success). A lot of the sword arts, in particular the advanced ones, call to mind some of the maneuvers found in the Tome of Battle (a book I love, by the way). The moves are easy to visualize, as well, helping paint a picture of a dashing, darting warrior cutting through foes like stalks of wheat. It's a class that really fits both the Western and Eastern styles of play, making it easy to be a swashbuckling musketeer or a wuxia master of the deadly arts.

The layout and look of the pdf are really well done, too. Parchment toned, with heavily decorated borders and good interior art. While truly only cosmetic, interior design and artwork plays a large factor in my decision to purchase a product. To me it shows the publishers wanted to go that extra step to cap off a really good effort.

I wanted to give this a 3 and 1/2 stars review, because of the complicated nature of this really flavorful, powerful class. But with great power comes great responsibility, so the player of a Swordmaster must be ready at the beginning of each turn with his chosen sword art. But I'll round up to a 4 star rating, simply because I am so impressed by everything that went into the product's creation. And now that I've seen my first example of Dreadfox's craft, I hope to review more of them.

Have at thee, varlet!!


An Endzeitgeist.com review

5/5

This pdf is 23 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1/2 empty page, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 19 1/2 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Dex-based combatants have always been popular in style, but it is a fact that in d20, the fencing/duelist/swashbuckling characters often felt a bit off. Dervish Dance might be powerful, but it is limited in both fluff and execution and does not manage to offset the investment when compared to a similar str-based build. The Swordmaster seeks to remedy that by providing a dex-based front-line fighter. Does it succeed?

Mechanically, the class comes with d8, 2+Int skills per level, proficiency with all simple and martial swords and the quarterstaff as well as light armors, but not shields, full BAB, good fort- and ref-saves and two values - the intelligent value and the magic value, with the former beginning at 500 GP at second level and going up to 42K GP and the latter starting at 2000 GP at third level and going up to 200K GP at 20th level. These values are crucial, since swordmasters use a partnered blade. They start play with a masterwork sword of their choosing that gains sentience. While usually in line with the swordmaster, it may up to 3 rounds subvert actions of the swordmaster (and vice versa). Changing partnered blades results in 2 negative levels that cannot be cured (but also don't kill the swordmaster). As soon as it becomes intelligent, the blade also gains enhancements to mental attributes whenever its magical "plus X bonus" is enhanced. The blade also gets an ability akin to rite publishing's enhancement of the bladebound archetype, to have the blade devour magic from items it destroys- the second value I mentioned before reflects the blade's capacity to store this power and translate it into enchantments. Also rather interesting is the fact that the swordmaster may, starting at 5th level, treat all swords as intelligent items (There's a hidden darkness in this blade...).

If d8 and the minimalist list of proficiencies were not ample clue for you, swordmasters also start the game with two abilities that are designed to keep them viable on the frontlines, both tied to wearing light or no armor and no shields and only a single sword (sorry, no two-weapon fighting). Tactful Deflections allow the swordmaster to add +1 to AC per swordmaster level as a deflection bonus, up to a maximum of his Int-modifier. This bonus does not work when flatfooted or stack with the duelist's canny defense, though. Tactful strikes allow the swordmaster to use his dex-modifier instead of his str-modifier on attack rolls with swords. Instead, the class may not add their str-modifier to weapon damage, though if they incur a str-penalty, half of that is applied to attack rolls. It's an interesting choice to not have dex apply to damage as well - at least to regular attacks. Sword Arts deal additional damage equal to dex-mod or in the case of a 2-handed sword, 1 1/2 times dex-mod and may not apply str-mod/power attack bonuses to their sword arts damage.

The true meat of the swordmaster-class, though, would be his sword arts. At first level, they start with three of these special attacks and every level after that, they learn a new sword art (or advanced sword art starting level 8). Sword Arts require different actions, from none to a full round and some, though not all, require a trigger to be set off and/or a performance on your part, i.e. for example a 5-foot step, an attack with a -2 penalty etc. Many of these sword arts also have a window, that is upon meeting the performance criteria, they have to be used in a specific window of time. Now the sword arts per se are interesting - they are grouped in three different categories: Openers, Sequiturs and Finishers. Unless otherwise noted, to perform a sequitur, the character must have successfully hit the opponent to be targeted with an opener, and to perform a finisher, he has to follow up on a sequitur. To give you an example, let's take a look at the initial three sword arts every swordmaster starts with: The opener allows as a move action to feint a creature within reach that can see you. This opens a window for you until the end of your next turn to follow up with a sequitur that is an attack versus the feinted opponent and deals the sword art's damage (i.e. with the dex-modifier). Succeeding at the sequitur allows the swordmaster to have another window until the end of his next turn and follow up with a finisher as a full-round action that is resolved as an attack that deals double the sword art's regular damage.

Attentive readers may glean where this is headed - openers are usually weaker than regular attacks, sequiturs are usually on par with them and finishers are more powerful than regular attacks to offset the requirement of setting them up via two attacks.
Design-wise rather interesting, especially due to the fact that the 10 openers provided include ways to get the opener out of the way faster: Opportunist's Feint, for example, allows the swordmaster to feint a creature hit by an ally that flanks it with the swordmaster as an immediate action. Cunning Swordplay allow you to make an opposed intelligence check versus a foe - if the target attacks you or provokes an AoO from you, you may execute a readied sequitur against the foe before the attack is resolved. Another interesting one is "Press in" - as a reaction to being hit by a creature within 10 foot, you may opt to make the hit a critical hit against you to move 5 foot towards the target. It also counts as a opener as a free action, allowing you to perform a sequitur versus the enemy. Also interesting: If you manage to use move actions for 2 rounds to talk with a foe and bait a foe, you may on the third round execute an immediate sequitur, while still allowing you to perform other sword arts while talking to the foe. Also interesting: "Whirling Defense", while not stacking with combat expertise or total defense, allows you to use a standard action to gain +4 deflection bonuses to AC and an additional +4 AC against the creature that missed you. Have I mentioned the option to throw swords?

Among the 10 sequiturs, we have the option to move half your speed through threatened squares of a target with a bonus of 1/2 class level to acrobatics, allowing for quick repositioning that does not provoke AoOs. Measured Strike also features an interesting tactical choice - attack foes at +2 and increase the critical modifier by +1, but only inflict half sword art damage. Another sequitur allows you to react to killing a creature to make 3 5-foot steps toward another opponent. Shallow Cut is yet another intriguing sequitur - upon a successful hit, the target may opt to take a 5-foot step to avoid the damage, but if he/she/it does so, you gain +4 to atk and AC against the target until the end of your next turn. A thus dodged attack can still counts as successful, meaning it can be followed up by finishers...
10 finishers are provided and allow e.g. to do an attack that deals half sword art damage as a free action, add half class level bleed damage to your hits and if you manage to drop 10 feet on your target (Up the walls-psionic warriors will love this) ad incur an AoO from all except the target, you may deal triple damage, but also become staggered for one round. Other finishers allow you to make a bull rushing finisher that doubles as a sequitur for yet another finisher. There are also full attack-based finishers that allow the swordmaster to stack +2 damage bonuses, CMD & CMB, AC and initiative-increase, with the latter potentially allowing you to act twice, by coming in at the bottom of the initiative-ladder.

Among the advanced sword arts, we get 11 openers, 11 sequiturs and 11 finishers - and they are interesting and advanced for a reason. The arcing draw opener for example allows the character in question to draw the partnered blade from a sheathed position to make an attack roll and apply the results to up to 3 creatures, then make a 5-foot step. And just as I get ready to yell "unbalanced", I read that the opener only does half damage. Also damn cool: The opener deathless resolve lets you stand up and arm yourself with a slashing/piercing object in range, allowing you to ignore the disabled, unconscious and even DEAD conditions until you fail to hit and deal damage to the target. Again - the potential for abuse is offset via clever balancing - during this time, you cannot regain hitpoints! Have I mentioned the option to impale foes with a sequitur (potentially abducting them via shadow walk etc.) and allowing them to inflict con-damage to themselves to break free from the impaling? Where I'm honestly not 100% comfortable is with Keen Strike - the sequitur must follow a critical threat or hit and increases your weapon's threat-range by your int-mod. This is slightly too much for my conservative tastes when combined with wide threat-range builds, at least for a sequitur. The more powerful advanced finisher Dance of Storms feels more appropriate for this benefit - it grants the same crit-range enhancement as well as the bonuses from the non-advanced Dance-finishers, provided you have them.

The pdf also offers advice on choosing sword arts, has an expansive two-page table of the sword arts and a sample page to show how to organize sword arts.

Conclusion:
Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to Dreadfox Games' 2-column standard with its thorn-covered borders and the pdf comes extensively bookmarked. The original full cover artwork and two 2 b/w-line drawings are nice.

This pdf is not a cheap supplement for a new class, but the Dreadfoxes have learned - we get more content than in e.g. the Gypsy and Ritualist-supplements - though comparatively still not that much. I didn't expect to like this class - I bought the Tome of 9 Swords back in the day and loved the idea, but hated the execution. The Swordmaster is not as mystical, being in fact rather down to earth and potentially fitting for low-magic settings (just get rid of the blade's intelligence) and honestly impressed me: The building on attacks, the sequence of openers, sequiturs and finishers should make the swordmaster not only immensely fun to play, it also brings added tactics to melee you wouldn't expect, making it closer to how actual sword fighting works - and I happen to have some experience in that regard, so kudos indeed!
Better yet, the sword arts lend themselves to further expansions that should make adding more to the fray to represent different schools easy. I could e.g. see more magical schools as their very own book beyond the upcoming supplement for this class and the puppetmaster. And then there's the fact that only one of the numerous arts rubs me the wrong way, meaning that I actually not only consider this class a rewarding and intriguing gaming experience, but in fact also consider it balanced. This is, hands down, my favorite Dreadfox Games-product so far, offering a long overdue, smart and complex melee class that should fit the tastes of many players out there. My final verdict will reflect that I consider this class not only smart, but in fact brilliant and clock in at a well-deserved 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.


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How to navigate the PDF:

Click a sword art's type at the top of its description (opener, sequitur, finisher) to travel to that section of the sword art table.
Click the name of a sword art in the sword art table to travel to that sword art's description.


I am not a fan of Dex to damage.

But I am interested in seeing how you pulled this off and may recommend it to those who are a fan of that.


Cheapy wrote:
But I am interested in seeing how you pulled this off and may recommend it to those who are a fan of that.

This is our first product to be requested by 100% of its playtesters (every playtester gets any Dreadfox product for free after an open playtest).

Hopefully that is an indication of responses to come.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

You mean having Dervish Dance wasn't enough?


LazarX wrote:
You mean having Dervish Dance wasn't enough?

It was not.

The swordmaster was an opportunity to do a lot of really cool things (listed in the design goals).

Among our goals was make Dexterity a viable option for melee combatants. Even with Dervish Dance, Dexterity-based melee combatants are second class citizens. Having to choose between foregoing Power Attack (-50% damage in many cases) or wasting 3 ability score points, foregoing 2-handed and dual wielding damage while not using a shield and spending 2 feats on basic functionality combine to make Dexterity-based melee combatants much weaker than equivalent Strength-based melee combatants. The perks (+10 ft. speed, skill bonuses, high initiative, high Reflex) don't compensate enough to make the trade-off worthwhile mechanically in most cases, and the scimitar restriction renders it a poor choice for many characters in terms of flavor.

The swordmaster makes Dexterity and Strength competitive with each other. Neither a Dexterity-based swordmaster or a Strength-based fighter is clearly better than the other. We hope you will agree, however, that the Dexterity-based swordmaster is clearly more fun to play.


Reviewed first on Endzeitgeist.com, then submitted to GMS magazine and Nerdtrek and published here and on OBS. Cheers!


I really like the idea of a DEX-based fighter. Think about so many fantasy movies where a finesse swordswoman can pretty much hold her own against a much stronger swordsman because she's able to dance and parry much better, and usually, inflict more albeit lighter damage continually. It sounds like that is exactly like this new Swordmaster offers.

That said, I recently created a BladeBound Magus that has some of the interesting characteristics described for Swordmaster. I have a lot of learning to do due to the Magus magic-capabilities, and my unfamiliarity with PFS magic. I wish I could have the Swordmaster's benefits as a fighting class, without all the magic to learn, as well.

However, I'm relatively new to PFS and so totally unfamiliar with if and how non-Paizo products may be used within PFS play. Can a PFS character take on SwordMaster class?


PFS - no, sorry, not a chance of a snowball in Acheron.

Not even all Paizo-products are PFS-legal.
That being said, the class is the best take on a dex-based, intelligent front-line fighter I've seen in any publication.


Dreadfox Games wrote:
The swordmaster makes Dexterity and Strength competitive with each other. Neither a Dexterity-based swordmaster or a Strength-based fighter is clearly better than the other. We hope you will agree, however, that the Dexterity-based swordmaster is clearly more fun to play.

Presuming of course you prefer Dex-based characters at all... I've always been more fond of a heavily-armored Strength-based smasher myself. Not my cup of tea, but at the very least interesting for those who do.

That said, if you're in to Dexy characters, this appears to do the job.


Endzeitgeist wrote:

PFS - no, sorry, not a chance of a snowball in Acheron.

Not even all Paizo-products are PFS-legal.
That being said, the class is the best take on a dex-based, intelligent front-line fighter I've seen in any publication.

Thanks for the response! Bummer!


I do believe I have discovered my next purchase....


Orthos wrote:

Presuming of course you prefer Dex-based characters at all... I've always been more fond of a heavily-armored Strength-based smasher myself. Not my cup of tea, but at the very least interesting for those who do.

That said, if you're in to Dexy characters, this appears to do the job.

You make a really good point.

We hope you agree that the mechanics are clearly more fun; not necessarily the concept.


Just wondering but what exactly are the swordmaster's weapon proficiencies? It says all simple and martial swords....but what exactly are those. As far as I can tell you get no simple weapons except for the quarterstaff. So what is considered a sword for the purposes of proficiency. Since there is no "sword" weapon group.

Dark Archive

I love this class. I could do without the partnered blade but the swordplay mechanic is fantastic.

One question though. Maybe I'm just missing it but why is the Int bonus to AC a deflection bonus instead of untyped? It's already stated that it doesn't stack with the Duelist's Canny Defense (untyped) ability, so it seems that all you are doing is limiting the Swordmaster's ability to use a deflection bonus from another source.


havoc xiii wrote:
Just wondering but what exactly are the swordmaster's weapon proficiencies?

We used "swords" as opposed to a specific list to accommodate future Paizo material, 3.5 material and other 3pp material.

Definite Inclusions: cutlass, dogslicer, falchion, gladius, greatsword, longsword, rapier, scimitar, short sword, sword cane.

The GM is the final arbiter of additional inclusions. Some weapons straddle the fence between sword and something else (kukri comes to mind), making their inclusion a matter of opinion more than common sense. When in doubt, always consult the GM.

Adding this to our FAQs right now. Great question.


So the swordmaster is proficient in no simple weapons then...I was going to make a swordmaster who throws daggers as his semi "ranged" attack. Oh well its not going to stop me from buying the full PDF this Wednesday.


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Zenlike wrote:
Maybe I'm just missing it but why is the Int bonus to AC a deflection bonus instead of untyped? It's already stated that it doesn't stack with the Duelist's Canny Defense (untyped) ability, so it seems that all you are doing is limiting the Swordmaster's ability to use a deflection bonus from another source.

Short answer: Yes, this exactly.

Long answer:

It was untyped at first, but as we continued to playtest the class, we changed it. It was a simple solution for a lot of convoluted issues.

1) Nerf Maximum AC. We want swordmasters have a slightly higher AC and slightly fewer hit points than Strength-based fighters. Emphasis on slightly. This change reduces a swordmaster's maximum AC by 5. 5 points may seem insubstantial, but not so much when phrased as "a 25% chance to hit" - especially when that brings an epic monster down to just 5%. The bottom line is that the -5 AC cap makes a defending optimized swordmaster difficult for epic monsters to hit as opposed to untouchable (requiring an attack roll of ~17 instead of ~22 in most cases).

2) Encourage Active Play. Swordmasters can get huge bonuses to AC from sword arts. Active and dynamic play are the foundation of the class. The only 2 AC bonuses we have control over are the Int and sword art bonuses, and we didn't want to tone down the sword art bonuses in order to keep the class as dynamic as possible.

3) Reliable AC. Swordmasters would be very soft front-liners in low-magic campaigns without a secondary AC bonus. With only mundane items, Dexterity is a ~4 AC disadvantage to Strength. Again, we wanted swordmasters to have a higher AC and fewer hit points than most Strength-based fighters, so including a secondary armor feature was an important way to standardize those strengths and weaknesses across all campaigns.

4) Balanced Defenses. We wanted the Int bonus to apply a small buff to CMD and touch AC - two of the most important defenses - to help compensate for lower hit points. Circumstance, deflection and dodge were the only types that a) apply to both of these and b) could be sensibly derived from sharp swordsmanship. But, because of maximum AC issues, something had to give, and both circumstance and dodge bonuses always stack.

5) Reduce Dependence on The Big 6. Every player in their right mind buys a ring or protection if one is available. Deflection is the best bonus to AC (applies to AC, touch AC, flat-footed AC and CMD) and the ring is cheap for what it is. But it's terribly boring when every player buys the same 6 items, over and over again on every character. By putting this bonus at odds with a ring of protection, we gave swordmasters the option to free up some gold (and a ring slot) to explore new and more exciting items. Int also increases a swordmaster's damage in many cases, so it's not often optimal to ignore this feature, dump Int for Con and buy the ring at a net -1 AC anyway.

Ultimately, the change brought all swordmasters closer to the same place on the power curve, encouraged active play and made itemizing more fun.


havoc xiii wrote:
I was going to make a swordmaster who throws daggers as his semi "ranged" attack.

There are lots of ways to gain a solid ranged attack at level 1. You could be a tengu, gnome, half-elf or elf, or you could take the Heirloom Weapon trait. Only tengu or gnome will grant proficiency with multiple daggers, but half-elf could grant proficiency with starknives, which are pretty similar.

Dark Archive

That's a lot of information to digest. My initial reaction is that I don't think it would have been overpowered to make it an untyped bonus, so long as it didn't stack with the Canny Defense ability.

I could make a Kensai Magus, take Arcane Armor Training and wear light armor (what the Swordmaster can wear), get my Int bonus (untyped) to AC and still wear a ring of protection. All of which would give me a higher AC at the cost of a single feat. What I'm saying is I'm not sure it's worth the cost.

Also, the reliance on the Big 6 is inherently built into the game, and while I admire your effort to make a character less dependent upon it, i believe, in fact, it simply weakens the character for the wrong reasons (i.e. how the game COULD or SHOULD be as opposed to how it is).

Having not yet played the class I can't say how the swordplay bonuses will interact. Perhaps once I roll up my character and put him through the paces all my fears will be alleviated. Either way I love what I see and can't wait to give it a try.

Thank you for your time.

zenlike


What exactly does Appel do....?


havoc xiii wrote:
What exactly does Appel do....?

Mechanically: It enables a sequitur. It's a conservative opener that trades your move action for a 100% chance to advance the compound, but has no additional effect.

Thematically: It's a short and quick step that distracts your opponent, breaking their guard enough for you to advance. Here and here are videos of it in practice.


With Forceful Slash do you move with your target or do you send them away like a baseball?


You get to choose.

Upon a successful bull rush, "You can move with the target if you wish but you must have the available movement to do so."


Awesome cause I'm going to be playing Tiefling Swordmaster for Wraith of the Righteous. Loosely based off of Dante from Devil May Cry. Cliche I know but I don't care I like it.

A lot of the arts allow me to pull off some of his attacks. Winged death makes a great helm breaker forceful slash is stinger and so many more. :)


Overwhelming Assault, the attacks do they use normal iteratives or are all the attacks at your highest BAB?


havoc xiii wrote:
Overwhelming Assault, the attacks do they use normal iteratives or are all the attacks at your highest BAB?

They're all made at the swordmaster's highest BAB. Also, the number of attacks a swordmaster can make during Overwhelming Assault is not limited by his BAB. That is, if he has 28 Dexterity, 9 unique targets and never misses, he could make 9 attacks.

How's the class working out for you so far?


I haven't had a chance to use him yet but I've to an upcoming Wrath of the Righteous game that I'm going to play him in. :-D

Should be lots of fun, I've already got some interesting combos built in my head using the champion path.


For what it's worth, I have a swordmaster in my game - and elven wielder of curved blades who is a former bodyguard and a superb "tank" - in spite of having less hp than any other character in the group, including the psion.

The class works great for the "agility/mastery"-angle seen in fiction - hard to hit, but not too tough. It also doesn't hurt that being missed can actually turned around towards offensive means. I still, after more than a year of active gaming experience, stand by the review: This class rocks incredibly hard.

Wasn't there an expansion in the pipeline? "Secrets of Sword and String", if I recall correctly?


Endzeitgeist wrote:

For what it's worth, I have a swordmaster in my game... I still, after more than a year of active gaming experience, stand by the review: This class rocks incredibly hard.

Wasn't there an expansion in the pipeline? "Secrets of Sword and String", if I recall correctly?

Glad to hear it!

There is, although it's pretty deep in the pipeline right now. Other work has gotten in the way (meticulous improvements to our existing body of work before we take it to print), but we will definitely expand the swordmaster and the puppetmaster. Secrets of Sword and String should be third or fourth in line as soon as our revisions are finished.


Dreadfox Games wrote:
Secrets of Sword and String should be third or fourth in line as soon as our revisions are finished.

I'm glad it's still coming and hasn't been canceled and look forward to it. :-D


Dreadfox Games wrote:
havoc xiii wrote:
Overwhelming Assault, the attacks do they use normal iteratives or are all the attacks at your highest BAB?

They're all made at the swordmaster's highest BAB. Also, the number of attacks a swordmaster can make during Overwhelming Assault is not limited by his BAB. That is, if he has 28 Dexterity, 9 unique targets and never misses, he could make 9 attacks.

How's the class working out for you so far?

One more question regarding Assault. Does every attack need a fresh target or could you hit one target 5 times drop him and switch to a new one or is it more like a mop up attack when you e got 5 enemy left all at fairly low hitpoints?


havoc xiii wrote:
One more question regarding Assault. Does every attack need a fresh target or could you hit one target 5 times drop him and switch to a new one or is it more like a mop up attack when you e got 5 enemy left all at fairly low hitpoints?

Every attack needs a fresh target.


That's cool, sorta an AoEish attack for a melee class. Though I'd only use it if you can drop your main target with one more attack.


Errr another question if you have a feat/ability/whatever that turns a 5ft step into 10ft does it affect the once given by this class?

Edit: can sword arts count for the "any attack" clause some have?


havoc xiii wrote:
Errr another question if you have a feat/ability/whatever that turns a 5ft step into 10ft does it affect the once given by this class?

Can you give me an example? It'll depend on the wording of the ability that modifies 5 ft. steps. We didn't know of any within Pathfinder at the time that the swordmaster was created, but I don't doubt that one exists.

havoc xiii wrote:
can sword arts count for the "any attack" clause some have?

No. "Unless otherwise stated, only one sword art can be performed at a time."

"Action: Any attack" means a sword art can be made as part of a full-attack, as an attack action, as an attack of opportunity, as an attack granted by a spell or effect, etc., but only if you're not already performing a sword art with that action.

Tactical repartee and cunning swordplay are the only exceptions I can think of (their descriptions both state otherwise).


Shadowglide (Su): A shadow assassin with this style never treats any terrain in dim or worse lighting conditions as difficult terrain. At 6th level he may, when in dim or less lighting, move 10 feet whenever taking the “5-foot step” action.

Its part of an another 3pp class. I don't even plan on finding a way to extend the 5-ft step its already awesome but this had just occurred to me. I don't know if there are other ways I'm sure there are but that's the only one that I remember off he too of my heart.

Also the any attack that's what I thought it meant but it popped into my head and I was curious.


Is there a chance the Swordmaster is useable on Hero Lab?


havoc xiii wrote:
Shadowglide (Su): ... he may, when in dim or less lighting, move 10 feet whenever taking the “5-foot step” action.

By RAW, this doesn't apply to sword arts.

By RAI, I would definitely apply it to sword arts. It reads like it was written to exclude both 5-foot steps granted by external sources (spells, allied abilities, etc.) and movement that covers more than 5 feet (regular move actions). But it suits my sense of continuity that as long as the character with Shadowglide is providing a direct, physical impetus for his own 5-foot step, it should apply regardless of the type of action that step takes. That's just my opinion, but it's definitely worth discussing with your GM (and possibly the developer of Shadowglide, as well).

havoc xiii wrote:
Is there a chance the Swordmaster is useable on Hero Lab?

Soon. Before 2014 (don't have an exact date yet...).


I just purchased the pdf and noticed that their is not a watermark on it listing the order number, date, and my email address. Is that a glitch?

Webstore Gninja Minion

eakratz wrote:
I just purchased the pdf and noticed that their is not a watermark on it listing the order number, date, and my email address. Is that a glitch?

No. The publisher has opted not to use the watermarking feature on the PDF.


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Liz Courts wrote:
eakratz wrote:
I just purchased the pdf and noticed that their is not a watermark on it listing the order number, date, and my email address. Is that a glitch?
No. The publisher has opted not to use the watermarking feature on the PDF.

This.

Long story short, I'm a big believer in promoting goodwill between a developer and their audience rather than trying to strong-arm piracy :)


Cool. I hope this philosophy works out well for your company. I was just surprised, that's all.

Oh, and the class looks good so far. I haven't read the whole thing I'm up to my ears in stuff.


Dreadfox Games wrote:


havoc xiii wrote:
Is there a chance the Swordmaster is useable on Hero Lab?
Soon. Before 2014 (don't have an exact date yet...).

Awesome! You know what'd really be awesome? If it came out on 9/25 my birthday. ;)


1 person marked this as a favorite.
havoc xiii wrote:
Dreadfox Games wrote:


havoc xiii wrote:
Is there a chance the Swordmaster is useable on Hero Lab?
Soon. Before 2014 (don't have an exact date yet...).
Awesome! You know what'd really be awesome? If it came out on 9/25 my birthday. ;)

No promises, but I've moved a few things around to try and manage a little present for you.


Dreadfox Games wrote:
havoc xiii wrote:
Dreadfox Games wrote:


havoc xiii wrote:
Is there a chance the Swordmaster is useable on Hero Lab?
Soon. Before 2014 (don't have an exact date yet...).
Awesome! You know what'd really be awesome? If it came out on 9/25 my birthday. ;)
No promises, but I've moved a few things around to try and manage a little present for you.

....0.o seriously? I was joking, but if you manage that it would be amazing. :D


Hero Lab file sent! Happy birthday :)

It's not 100% finished, but the functionality is all there. We just need to trim some of the scripting fat.

Shadow Lodge

Hmm, Hero Lab support?


TOZ wrote:
Hmm, Hero Lab support?

Soon we'll offer Hero Lab support for all of our products. It's one of the things coming in our huge update.


Late comer to this, but darn do I love this class! Just fantastic! Had a few things I wanted to clarify quickly:

1) When it says you get 1-1/2 times Dex bonus to damage when using a two handed sword...is that only for weapons like the greatsword (classified as two handed and must be used in two hands) or weapons you can wield in two hands (like katana for example) and you get that bonus when doing so?

2) Power Attack it says doesn't work, is it the same for Piranha Strike?

Thanks for publishing this!

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