Sounds good, but I just wanted to run another idea by you. Talking with my friend about the duo game, I started to look a bit more at stuff. The Kensai also fits the flavor, I think, possibly better than the Pious Templar. And since I like the Pious Templar anyway, I might use it for the duo game. Anyway, the Kensai class:
Kensai
[sblock]
Kensai
The kensai masters body, mind, and will. He devotes his strength and his life to the service of a master or an ideal he accepts as greater than himself. Some kensai become masters in their own right, but even one who becomes an emperor sees himself as a servant of some h igher power.
Most characters who become kensai aspire to the class from the beginning of their careers. Often, ofther kensai or elite military organizations train likely young men and women in the principles of ervice, the arts of war, and the purity of mind and body ncecessary to become a kensai. Even those who do not qualify at the end often become powerful adventurers.
A kensai can become a lone adventurer, erving an ideal or attempting to fulfill a lifetime goal. Some kensai swear fealty to great lords and rise to become trusted bodyguards, warlords, or leaders in the lord's service.
(that's most of the color, the rest of description upon request)
Hit die: d10.
[smallcaps]Requirements[/smallcaps]
Alignment: Any lawful.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Skill: Concentration 5 ranks, Diplomacy 5 ranks, Ride 5 ranks.
Feats: Combat Expertise, Weapon Focus (any weapon).
Special: Must complete an oath of service (see sidebar) to either an overloard or an ideal.
Sidebar:[sblock]OATH OF SERVICE
A kensai's oath of service must be sworn in front of witnesses and must be upheld for the kensai to continue advancing in levels. Typical oaths include swearing service to a powerful lord of the kensai's alignment, to an organization with the same alignment and goals of the kensai, to the kensai's deity, or even to an ideal or principle the kensai upholds.
These oaths are not trivial, and prospective kensai who attempt to enter the prestige class with broad oaths or ones deliberately easy to fulfill find themselves spurned and cannot join the class at all, even if they meet the other requirements.
A kensai who breaks his oath, for whatever reason, loses access to his kensai special abilities and must receive an
atonement spell from a cleric or druid of his alignment to get them back and to continue advancing in the kensai class. A kensai must also strictly adhere to his alignment. A kensai who intentionally and seriously violates his alignment also breaks faith and endures the same negative effects.
This dual requirement can pose a serious conundrum at times. If a lawful good kensai swears service to a lord who them orders the kensai to perform an evil act, the kensai is caught between his oath and his alignment. He must violate one to fulfill the other, and either way he needs to atone. If the kensai chooses his alignment, he can break his oath, gain
atonement and swear a new oath (often one relating to "correcting" his former lord). He can then advance as a kensai again. If the kensai chooses his lord, he changes alignment and must gain
atonement from, in this case, an evil cleric.
A kensai who changes his alignment from lawful loses his kensai abilities and cannot advance further in this class until he gains
atonement and switches his alignment back to lawful.
Fulfillment of the Oath of Service: If a kensai fulfills an oath of service, or if the terms of the oath no longer apply (for example, if a kensai swears service to a king who then dies of old age, or if a kensai swears to defeat an enemy power and then in the course of adventuring defeats it), the kensai must reflect and then swear a new oath. In general, a kensai can be "between oaths" for no more than one week per class level. A kensai who does not swear a new oath before the grace period expires is treated as if he broke his oath of service.
DM Note: The idea of the oath of service does not exist to punish a player who chooses to roleplay a kensai, but to challenge that player. The kensai is a powerful prestige class, and the oath of service is one of the costs that goes along with it. You should work with the player to come up with an oath that fits into your campaign--one that provides the player with roleplaying opportunities and you with a hook you can use to motivate the entire party.[/sblock]
[smallcaps]Class Skills[/smallcaps]
The kensai's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy, Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local and nobility) (Int), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Code:
The Kensai
Class Fort Ref Will
Level BAB Save SaveSave Special
1st +1 +0 +0 +2 Signature Weapon
2nd +2 +0 +0 +3 Power Surge
3rd +3 +1 +1 +3 -
4th +4 +1 +1 +4 Ki projection
5th +5 +1 +1 +4 Withstand
6th +6 +2 +2 +5 -
7th +7 +2 +2 +6 Ki projection
8th +8 +2 +2 +6 Instill
9th +9 +3 +3 +6 -
10th +10 +3 +3 +7 Ki warlord
[smallcaps]Class Features[/smallcaps]
All of the following are class features of the kensai prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Kensai gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Signature Weapon: The kensai chooses one of his weapons (it ust be one for which he has the Weapon Focus feat) to become a signature weapon. Most kensai choose either a sword or bow for this weapon, but even a kensai's natural weapons can be chosen. If the weapon is a manufactured one, it must be of at least masterwork quality.
Upon qualifying for the class, a kensai gains the ability to establish a link with his signature waepon. The character focuses part of his life energy on the weapon, making it more effective in his hands and his hands alone.
The process for imbuing a signature weapon with power is a simple one. The character must find a quiet, safe spot to meditate (and pray, for those kensai who serve deities) for 24 hours. At the end of this meditation, the kensai sacrifices a number of experience points, essentially shifting some of his life force into his signature weapon. The signature weapon then becomes a magic weapoin (if it wasn't already) and gains an enhancement bonus and/or special abilities. His current class level limits the amount of enhancement a kensai can place into his signature weapon. A kensai cannot create a signature weapon if doing so would cost enough experience points to reduce his character level.
Use the table on the pervious page to determine XP costs and class level limts.
If the ritual is interrupted, it can be begun again at any time, but it must run for a full 24 hours for the signature weapon to be imbued. The kensai pays the XP cost as soon as the ritual has been completed.
A kensai's signature weapon has a caster level equal to the character's class level + 10.
Imbuing Double Weapons: (skipped, given upon request)
Imbuing Natural Weapons: (skipped, given upon request)
Losing a Signature Weapon: If a kensai's signature weapon is lost or stolen, the character must strive to recover it by any means that do not violate his oath or alignment. A kensai who knowingly abandons a signature weapon is treated as if he broke his oath of service (see the sidebar). A kensai who abandons a signature weapon and atones for the deed can begin to create a new signature weapon.
If someone destroys a kensai's signature weapon, only the kensai can repair it. If enough is left of the waopn to salvage (the shattered shards of a sword, for example), the kensai can reforge the weapon as if he were using the Craft (weaponsmithing) skill to make a masterwork weapon. If he takes the reforged weapon and then meditates for 24 hours, he may pay the appropriate XP cost to restore his weapon to full strength.
Should nothing remain of the weapon, the kensai must begin anew with a weapon that has never before been imbued. The character, however, has not failed in his oath--the destruction of a kensai's weapon in service of his oath is not shameful, and other kensai are likely to show even more respect to a comrade whose weapon is destroyed in oathbound service.
Losing Natural Weapons: (skipped, given upon request)
[sblock]Signature Weapons
Code:
Class Weapon Minimum
Level Bonus XP Cost**
1st +1 40
2nd +2 160
3rd +3 360
4th +4 640
5th +5 1,000
6th +6* 1,440
7th +7* 1,960
8th +8* 2,560
9th +9* 3,240
10th +10* 4,000
* A weapon can't actually have an enhancement bonus higher than +5, but it can have special abilities that are the equivalent of additional bonuses. Use these lines on the table to determine the XP cost when special abilities are added to a signature weapon.
Example: A 6th-level kensai who has a masterwork longsword can imbue it with the power to be a
+5 keen longsword at a cost of 1,440 XP, since the keen special ability is equivalent to a +1 bonus.
** The XP cost presented here assumes that the weapon being imbued does not already have an enhancement bonus. If it does, the cost to imbue it with additional powr is reduced. For instance, if a kensai has a
+1 longsword and wants to imbue it with the power to be a
+3 longsword, he may do so by paying the difference in XP cost between creating a +1 weapon and a +3 weapon (360 minus 40, or 320 XP).[/sblock]
Power Surge (Ex): At 2nd level, a kensai gains the ability to make a DC 15 Concentration check as a move action to focus his energy and spirit. If he succeeds, he gains +8 to Strength for a number of rounds equal to one-half his class level. Each time after the first that a kensai successfully uses this ability in a single 24-hour period, the check DC increases by 5.
Ki Projection: At 4th level and higher, a kensai adds one-half his class level (rounded down) to any Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, or Intimidate checks he makes. At 8th level and higher, then kensai adds his full class level to such checks.
A target that realizes it has been fooled by a kensai's successful Bluff check gains a +10 bonus on any check or saving throw involving the kensai's use of Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, or Intimidate against that target in the future. The kensai can regain the creature's trust by changing its attitude from unfriendly to friendly (see Influencing NPC Attitudes, page 72 of the
Player's Handbook).
Withstand: When a kensai of 5th level or higher is forced to make a Reflex save to avoid damage from an area effect spells (such as
fireball), he can make a Concentration check instead of a Reflex save to resist taking full damage. If a kensai has the evasion or improved evasion ability, those benefits apply on this Concentration check as well.
Instill: Once per day, a kensai of 8th level or higher may take a full-round action to make a Concentration check (DC 10 + target's HD or character level) to impart some of his own ability into a willing ally he can touch. The kensai then transfers some of his power into the ally: He subtracts up to 1 point per class level from his base attack bonus and/or any or all of his base save bonuses and transfers the same amount to the recipient. The kensai regains the instilled power 1 hour later, when it transfers back out the ally. If the ally dies before the instilled powr is transferred back, the kensai must make a Fortitude save (DC 5 + target's HD or character level) or die as well. If he succeeds, he immediately gets his instilled powers back.
Ki Warlord: When a kensai attains 10th level, he gains great notoriety and becomes known as a ki warlord. Other kensai of the same alignment revere the ki warlord, and even those of differeing alignments treat him with some measure of respect. If the ki warlord has an NPC master, this mater likely assigns the ki warlord more responsibilitiy and authority within his domain (perhaps giving him a castle, monastery, or mility school). If the ki warlord serves a deity, that deity may take a personal interest in giving the ki warlord more responsibility, perhaps actually contacting the ki warlord directly or through intermediaries and making the deity's wishes known.
In addition to this added responsibility, a ki warlord gains some tangible benefits. He has the right to petition other (lower-level) members of the prestige class for assistance on adventures or in the fulfillment of his oath. As long as the ki warlord's requests do not violate the other members' own oaths of service or alignment, the lower-level kensai have a responsibility to assist a ki warlord in any resonable manner--such as providing food and shelter, access to minor resources, and other things another character might have to barter for.
Ki warlords inspire those around them. When fighting within 30 feet of a ki warlord, allies gain a +1 morale bonus on Will saves, Concentration checks, and attack rolls. Lawful allies gain a +2 morale bonus on these checks.
Multiclass Note: A samurai, paladin, or monk who becomes a kensai may continue advancing in his original class.[/sblock]My oath would be to Crian, the Order of Crian, or to one of his ideals.
