Elven Bladesinger
	Practitioners of the Bladesong, or Graceful Blade, fighting style, Bladesingers are an elite group of elves.  They are masters of combat, magic, and combining the two into one.  Their fighting style is graceful and fluid, like a dance rather than a fight.  Anyone who has seen one in action will tell you it is like seeing master artwork.  
	Bladesingers are considered the high protectors of elven beliefs and its’ people.  They normally adventure only in parties that have other elves unless the adventure itself is for an elven cause.  It is not unheard of for a high-ranking elf with access to bladesingers to place one or two in a hired adventuring band to act on the elf’s behalf, and to make sure all goes smoothly.  They are often the personal guards of royalty, political envoys, and other important elves, especially when traveling to other lands.  They seek to promote elven society in all its’ forms and protect their fellow elves at all cost, even death.  Any bladesinger would die to save the life of another elf and be remembered as a hero for all eternity.  A bladesinger who fails in his duty in order to save himself is seen as a selfish coward by his brethren and treated so.
	Though bladesingers are all equal among one another, they operate in guilds, each wielding its’ own favored weapon.  Members show their guild symbol proudly, and tattoos are popular.  Symbols are often an animal, somehow reflected in the by the weapon.  Snakes will represent the whip.  Leopards, because of their elegance and grace, may represent rapier.  Wolverines, small but still deadly, could symbolize short sword.  Bear for battleaxe, wolf for long sword, and so on.  The DM should feel free to adapt the relationship to his own world and let the player use his or her own imagination as well.
	Since they must have access to arcane spells, bladesingers will usually be part wizard or sorcerer, though bard could conceivably work as well.  Since it is the favored class of the elves, wizard is by far the popular choice.  They must be great fighters as well, so potential bladesingers often multi-class in fighter, ranger, or paladin.  Barbarians probably would not make great bladesingers, since they concentrate on raw power rather than grace, though ex-barbarians may work.  Since they concentrate on bare-handed combat, monks are rare if not unheard of, as are druids.  Rogues are also rare but not unheard of.

Hit Die: D8

Level	Attack bonus	Fort. Save	Ref. Save	Will Save	Special
1	+1		+0		+2		+0		Elven Protector
2	+2		+0		+3		+0		Uncanny Grace (Combat										Misdirection)
3	+3		+1		+3		+1		Battle Mage
4	+4		+1		+4		+1		
5	+5		+1		+4		+1		Uncanny Grace (Dodge										multiple opponents)
6	+6		+2		+5		+2		Masterful Finesse
7	+7		+2		+5		+2
8	+8		+2		+6		+2		Uncanny Grace (Dodge										Criticals)
9	+9		+3		+6		+3		
10	+10		+3		+7		+3		Perfect Pair

#Spells per day are standard for a prestige class (see Assassin, Blackguard, or Rage Mage).
Requirements
Race: Elf (at DM’s option, only Grey and High)
Skills: Perform (Dance)-5 ranks, Concentration-8 ranks
Feats: Combat Casting, Dodge, Weapon Focus or Finesse in a melee weapon usable in one hand
Base Attack: +5
Spell Casting: At least 2nd level arcane spells.
Special: A bladesinger must defend elves at all times, even at the risk of his own life and limb.  Also, a bladesinger chooses his principle weapon at first level (the one she has Weapon Focus/Finesse in) and trains in it exclusively, using any other weapon only if she must.
Class Skills (2+int. modifier)
Balance, Concentration, Craft, Jump, Knowledge (arcana, nobility and royalty), Perform, Spellcraft, Tumble.
Class Features
Proficiency:  All small and medium simple and martial.  No armor, no shields.
Elven Protector: Bladesingers are first and foremost protectors of elves.  If a bladesinger sees another elf in mortal danger (or at least believes she does), she immediately gains a free partial action, and jumps up or down to that point in the initiative order for the remainder of the encounter. This may happen before or after her own action, or during another person’s.  She then takes her normal action for the round if she has not gone yet. The partial action must be to aid the elf in danger even if it leaves the bladesinger open to attacks from others.  If the threat continues, the bladesinger must continue to aid the elf.  It is commonly used for casting spectral hand, in conjunction with a quickened touch spell.
 This is similar to having a constant readied action, so takes place before any other action occurs.  If it is during another person’s turn, that initiative count is also the bladesinger’s for the remainder of the encounter, and they go in order of dexterity.  This ability is usable a number of times per day equal to the bladesinger’s charisma modifier.  This is a supernatural ability.
 Uncanny Grace: The dance-like form of the bladesong is comprised of very unpredictable moves and becomes a nuisance for opponents of a bladesinger.  At second level, she may use her dance skill just as the bluff skill can be used to feint in combat, but to greater effect.  When engaging an opponent in melee, she may choose a number of attacks equal to half her dexterity modifier each round and make a free dance skill check, opposed by the opponent’s sense motive skill, prior to each attack.  If she has 5 or more ranks in bluff, she may gain a +2 synergy bonus.  If a check is successful, the opponent loses his dexterity modifier for that attack.  This can not be used along with an attack of opportunity.  Furthermore, if she is fighting defensively, using the total defense action, or casting on the defensive, she gains a higher AC bonus just as tumbling grants.  If she also has 5 or more ranks in tumbling, the effects stack for fighting defensively and total defense.  These two benefits can not be used in the same round.  At 5th level, their dance becomes so effective and unpredictable, the +1 AC bonus from the dodge feat is effective against any number of opponents, as well as invisible opponents as long as she is already in combat, and she can not be flanked as per the Uncanny Dodge ability.  At 8th level, the bladesinger’s movement may throw off critical hits.  Anytime an opponent rolls a critical threat, he takes a penalty to the second roll equal to half the bladesinger’s reflex save bonus (including bonuses from ability modifier, feats, etc.).
	Uncanny Grace is only usable in light or no armor.
Battle Mage: Bladesingers often find themselves in the front lines of combat, swinging their weapon one round, and casting one-handed the next.  Because of her experience in casting in such situations and using her sword in defense, a bladesinger of 3rd level or higher who is casting on the defensive while defending with her weapon gains an armor class bonus equal to half her level, rounded down.
Masterful Finesse: When wielding her chosen weapon, a bladesinger of 7th level and higher receives one of two benefits depending on the weapon.  If it us usable with weapon finesse, she now doubles the bonus to attack from her dexterity modifier.  If it is not usable with weapon finesse, the bladesinger may now stack her dexterity modifier with her strength modifier on attack rolls.
Perfect Pair: At 10th level, the bladesinger becomes perfectly tuned to her chosen weapon.  She may use up one available attack of opportunity (and only one) as an extra attack if she is using a full attack action, or does not move in the round if she casts a spell.  This attack is at her highest bonus, and comes in her natural rhythms during combat, almost unnoticed until it strikes.  The opponent does not applies his dexterity modifier to his AC against this attack unless he has uncanny dodge as gained by a 3rd level rogue, and the attack is treated as a keen strike, stacking with any other threat range augmentation.

Bladesinger Spells
1st: Burning Hands, Chill Touch, Color Spray, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Magic Weapon, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield, Shocking Grasp, Sleep, True Strike.
2nd: Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Bull’s Strength, Cat’s Grace, Endurance, Hypnotic Pattern, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Spectral Hand, Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter.
3rd: Displacement, Flame Arrow, Greater Magic Weapon, Haste, Hold Person, Keen Edge, Vampiric Touch.
4th: Confusion, Enervation, Stoneskin.