Invisible Blade

Description

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.

Invisible blades are silently egotistical gladiators who regard their combat style as superior to all other martial philosophies. They place enormous emphasis on making a single decisive strike, thereby ending a bout in one combat round. Most invisible blades pick up their skills in a guild that loans out its members for the games. 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.

Requirements

Skills: Bluff 8 ranks

Feats: Feint (which requires combat expertise), Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus in dagger or kukri

Class Features

Hit die: d6

Proficiencies: None

Skill points: 4 + Int modifier

Class skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Bluff, Escape Artist, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Parry, Perform, Sense Motive, Spot

Base attack bonus progression: High

Saving throws	high:	Reflex
	low:	Fortitude, Will

Class Progression

Level	Features Gained
1	Unfettered Defense, Bleeding Wound 2/round
2	-
3	Bleeding Wound 4/round
4	-
5	Feint Mastery, Bleeding Wound 6/round

Bleeding Wound

• Invisible Blade Bleeding Wound now bypasses DR*

At 1st level, when an Invisible Blade hits with a successful Sneak Attack, he inflicts a bleeding wound that deals 2 points of damage per round for 3 rounds. This damage stacks with previous damage caused by a Bleeding Wound attack. He must be either unarmed or wielding only light weapons in order to inflict a Bleeding Wound. At 3rd level, the damage increases to 4 per round, and at 5th level, it increases to 6 points per round. Each level of Bleeding Wound counts as one die of sneak attack damage for purposes of class and feat prerequisites.

Regardless of the class prerequisites, an Invisible Blade can use any light weapon to cause a bleeding wound (i.e. a handaxe or shortsword can be used, but not a rapier).

Unfettered Defense

An Invisible Blade benefits from an increased survival instinct during combat. Because of this sixth sense, he adds 1 point of his Intelligence bonus (if any) per Invisible Blade 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 not wielding a ranged weapon. This does not stack with Canny Defense from the Duelist.

Feint Mastery

At 5th level, an Invisible Blade armed with a light weapon becomes so sure of his ability to mislead opponents that he cannot roll less than 5 on his Bluff check when using the Feint feat.