General Prestige Class : Orc Blademaster - Warcraft III
by Clifford Horowitz, Dragon #299
The scattered survivors of the Burning Blade Clan, blademasters come from a legacy of demonic corruption that shattered their past. Their clan fell long ago, among the hardest hit by the destruction wrought by the Burning Legion. Once nothing more than wretched refugees, the blademasters have again found a home within the Horde. They are unusual fighters for orcs, preferring the bastard sword to heavier weapons, and grace and speed to raw power. Combining unsurpassed skill with focused magical ability, they are a fierce parallel to the elven bladesingers. Despite this comparison, they are every bit as savage and vicious as any orc, and they have become elite foot soldiers, bringing fear and death to the enemy like few others can.
Fighters are natural choices to become blademasters, but barbarians who manage to pick up the requisite feats make very effective blademasters as well, combining fierce rages with precision strikes. Rare half-orc paladins and clerics (often with a few levels of fighter) are also likely candidates for the class, and their single-minded pursuit of evil often makes them the most deadly blademasters. Because of their concentration on a single weapon, weapon masters (from Sword and Fist) specializing in the bastard sword also make excellent blademasters, finding that their old training compliments their new skills. Even rogues, provided they multiclass to gain a few fighter levels, make effective blademasters.
Requirements
To qualify to become an Orc Blademaster, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Orc, half-orc
- Skills: Knowledge (religion) 5 ranks
- Feats: Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Mobility, Spring Attack, Expertise.
- Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Class Skills
The orc blademaster's class skills are Balance, Climb, Concentration, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (religion), Move Silently, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the orc blademaster prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The orc blademaster gains no new proficiency in weapons, armors, or shields.
Focused Strike (Ex): The first lesson of the blademaster is one she will spend the rest of her training perfecting. Blademasters learn that raw strength is useless if not properly applied. A titanic strike against thick steel plating is nothing compared to a subtle slice that finds soft skin. When using a single bastard sword in one or two hands, the blademaster may add +1 point per orc blademaster level to damage (+5 maximum) on any successful strike. In order for this to be effective, she cannot be wielding anything, be it weapon or shield, in the other hand. The orc blademaster does not gain this bonus damage when attacking creatures immune to critical hits.
Invisibility (Sp): Taking respite from pure martial training, the blademaster begins to learn to commune with the spirits of the air and wind in a limited fashion. At 2nd level, this mastery is sufficient to ask the spirits to cloak her in their embrace, effectively rendering her invisible for a number of minutes equal to her blademaster level + Charisma modifier. Because the wind spirits are cloaking the blademaster, she is also rendered effectively invisible to creatures with the scent ability. The effects are otherwise identical to the spell in visibility as though cast by a sorcerer of the orc blademaster's level. An orc blademaster can cast invisibility once per day.
Mirror Image (Sp): As her relationship with the wind spirits increases, the favors she can beg of them increase in potency to match. At 3rd level, she may call on these spirits to create duplicates of herself in the midst of combat. The effects are identical to the spell mirror image as though cast by a sorcerer of the orc blademaster's class level. An orc blademaster can use this ability once per day.
Critical Strike (Ex): At 4th level, the blademaster's precision with her blade sharpens, and she gains +1 to her threat range with the bastard sword. If the blademaster gains this bonus from another source (such as the weapon master's ki critical ability), these bonuses stack. However, this bonus is applied only after any multiples have been applied to the threat range. For example, a 4th-level blademaster wielding a +1 keen bastard sword would have a threat range of 16-20.
Whirlwind Attack: The orc blademaster gains the Whirlwind Attack feat as a bonus feat.
Bladestorm (Ex): At her final level, the blademaster finally melds what she has learned of the sword and wind, and becomes a hurricane of sharp, ripping steel. At will, she may launch into a whirling torrent of spinning slashes, decimating all around her as she sweeps across the battlefield. On any round that she uses the Whirlwind Attack feat, the orc blademaster can make two whirlwind attacks as a full-round action. She can take her 5-foot adjustment before making either whirlwind attack, after using one and immediately before the other, or after both. She need not move in order to make the additional whirlwind attacks if she does not wish; she can simply stand in place and make two whirlwind attacks. Although incredibly effective, this ability does not come without cost. A physical body was not meant to withstand the whirling torrent of a hurricane, and even with the shielding of the wind spirits, the blademaster is incapable of fully handling the strain. Each round she performs a bladestorm action (makes two whirlwind attacks within one round), the orc blademaster must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 5 per bladestorm performed during the encounter) or become fatigued. The blademaster remains fatigued until the end of the encounter, and she cannot make a bladestorm attack while fatigued.
| Orc Blademaster | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Focused strike |
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Invisibility |
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Mirror image |
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Critical strike |
| 5th | +5 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Whirlwind Attack, bladestorm |
Source: Dragon #299