Blind Swordsman - Prestige Class

[Cabral]

After reading about a nifty character concept in the D&D rules forum, I decided to try my hand at making a Blind Swordsman prestige class.

Note: I couldn't find the rules for trying to pinpoint foes while blinded.

Blind Swordsman
Although the name of the prestige class is Blind Swordsman, it is open to anyone who meets the prerequisites, regardless of their weapon of choice.
Hit Die d8

Prerequisites:
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Listen 5 ranks
Feats: Alertness, Blind Fighting, Combat Reflexes, Skill Focus (Listen), Weapon Focus
Special:Must be blind or effectively blind. If a character blindness is offset by innate racial qualities (such as a Grimlock's Blindsight ability), that character may not qualify for this Prestige class.

Class Skills
A Blind Swordsman's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Jump (Str), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Tumble (Dex)
Skill Points: 2+Int modifier per level

Table x-x: The Blind Swordsman
Class       Base           Fort      Ref       Will     
Level   Attack Bonus       Save      Save      Save     Special
 1st         +1             +0        +2        +0      Precise Hearing (Move Action), Defensive Awareness
 2nd         +2             +0        +3        +0      Uncanny Dodge
 3rd         +3             +1        +3        +1      Blindsight 5'
 4th         +4             +1        +4        +1      Precise Hearing (Free Action)
 5th         +5             +1        +4        +1      Blindsight 15', Improved Uncanny Dodge
 6th         +6             +2        +5        +2      Blindsight 30'
 7th         +7             +2        +5        +2      Blindsight 45'
 8th         +8             +2        +6        +2      Blindsight 60'
 9th         +9             +3        +6        +3      Blindsight 75'
10th        +10             +3        +7        +3      Blindsight 90'

Class Features
The following are the class features of the Blind Swordsman

Weapon and Armor Proficiency A Blind Swordsman gains no weapon or armor proficiency. A Blind Swordsman who wears heavy armor or carries a tower shield loses access to some of his class abilities.

Precise Hearing (Ex) At first level, a Blind Swordsman's hearing becomes precise enough that he can pinpoint a foe using his hearing. As move-equivilant action that provokes an attack of opportunity, he can make a DC 15 Listen check. If successful, he pinpoints the location of opponents adjacent to him. For every 1 point he beats the DC by, he can pinpoint foes up to 5 ft further. This awareness lasts for 1 round per blind swordsman class level. A Blind Swordsman applies double his armor check penalty to this roll.

A Blind Swordsman may substitute a Listen Check whenever he is required to make a Spot check. In addition, the Blind Swordsmen does not suffer speed reductions from being blind.

At fourth level, a Blind Swordsman can attempt to pinpoint foes as a swift action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Defensive Awareness (Ex) A first level Blind Swordsman no longer suffers any penalties to his AC from being blind as long as he can hear.

Better than Sight (Ex) Starting at 2nd level, a Blind Swordsman adds his class level to an Listen check he makes, except to pinpoint foes with his precise hearing ability

Uncanny Dodge (Ex) Starting a 2nd level, a Blind Swordsman retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (He still loses any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.) If a character gains uncanny dodge from a second class the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below).

Blindsight Starting at 3rd level, the Blind Swordsman's hearing is so acute that it provides Blindsight 5'. At 5th level the Blind Swordsman's Blindsight improves to 15'. Every additional level after 5 improves the Blindsight range by 15'.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex) At 5th level, a Blind Swordsman can no longer be flanked, since he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the Blind Swordsman. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the Blindswordsman can flank him (and thus sneak attack him).

If a character gains uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge, and the levels from those classes stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Ex-Blind Swordsmen A Blind Swordsman who regains his sight loses his Precise Hearing, Better than Sight, and Blindsight abilities as long as they can see. An Ex-Blind Swordsman retains all other class abilities.

I wanted the listen to pinpoint mechanism is clutzy at best, but I wanted to protect the class from being cherry picked for the blindsight. At the same time, the Blindsight progression allows this class accomplish scary awareness at epic levels

What do you think?

 

[Lopke_Quasath]

Looks pretty cool.

Change the Precise Hearing to "For every 5 points he beats the DC by, he can pinpoint foes up to 5 ft further."
Otherwise it's too powerful, even with the armor check penalty. As written, this ability could also be used for ranged attacks. Was that implied?

Listen check instead of a Spot check? No. Too unbalancing. Have to tighten the way it's written for distance factors.

Where is Listen as a class skill?

All for now.

Still, a cool idea.

 

[IamTheTest]

I rather like the idea. I dont think that the blindsense is that overpowering considering a thunderstone (read: any deafening noise) ruins this guys day. As long as you adjust DCs for any kind of disrupting noise a la dare devil all should be in balance.

 

[Cabral]

Yes, it was intentional that Precise Hearing was usable with ranged attack. First level is meant as an upgrade to blind-fight. I'm considering a limitation for range attacks, but not sure of the mechanic ...
What I'm thinking of right now is when the Blind Swordsman (Archer), makes a ranged attack, he suffers -1 to the attack per 10 ft offset by 1 per class level or or the normal range increment penalties, which ever is higher, this only applies to foes he can pinpoint, that are outside of the range of his blindsight.

For example: A 5th level Blind Swordsman fires an arrow from a shortbow (Range Increment 60') 80'. The normal range penalty would be -1. Because his blindness is only partially offset by his class abilities, he instead suffers a -3 to hit (-8 for 80' +5 class levels). If the same sowrdsman throws an throwing axe (range increment 10) 80', he'd suffer a -8 to hit from the range.

The mechanic is a bit clutzy here too :\

It was also intentional that the Blind Swordsman be able to get some decent range with it... maybe +5 ft per every 2 over the DC?

Hmm. Let's see... assuming a 16 Wisdom (+3 bonus) with the minimum 5 ranks in Listen plus Alertness (+2) and Skill Focus (+3), that's +13 Listen at level 5, now with Listen as a class skill (See below), and 1 rank every level ....

Table x-x Nerfage Reference Table
                        Max Distance
         Listen     +5'/5         +5'/2         +5'/1
Level*   Bonus      10  20        10  20        10  20     Class Blindsight
  6       +14       5'  15'       20' 45'       45' 95'    -
  7       +15       10' 20'       25' 50'       50' 100'   -
  8       +16       10' 20'       25' 50'       55' 105'   5'
  9       +17       10' 20'       30' 55'       60' 110'   5'
 10       +18       10' 20'       30' 55'       65' 115'   15'
 11       +19       10' 20'       35' 60'       70' 120'   30'
 12       +20       15' 25'       35' 60'       75' 125'   45'
 13       +21       15' 25'       40' 65'       80' 130'   60'
 14       +22       15' 25'       40' 65'       85' 135'   75'
 15       +23       15' 25'       45' 70'       90' 140'   90'

*Level 5+Class Level

Okay, so the Precise Hearing becomes mostly subsumed by the class Blindsight at level 5 (entirely at level 6) with the +5' every 5 pts over the DC. If Precise Hearing pinpoints foes out to +5' per 2 pts over the DC, it becomes partially subsumed by level 7 and completely subsumed at level 9. I like the fact that you no longer roll dice to see if you can target your opponent earlier with the +5' per 5 over DC, but I also like the greater utility from the +5' per 2 over DC.

Yeah, on second thought it's unnecessary to have Listen substitute for a spot check ... Just make a Listen check with a really high distance penalty.

Listen was intentionally removed as a class skill. I had intended to make more Listen based abilities which were going to have lower DC offset by lack of a listen check. When I decided/couldn't think of any appropriate one, I forgot to put Listen back in.

 

[Cabral]

I rather like the idea. I dont think that the blindsense is that overpowering considering a thunderstone (read: any deafening noise) ruins this guys day. As long as you adjust DCs for any kind of disrupting noise a la dare devil all should be in balance.

If he's deafened he goes back to being blind, so yeah.

As for the DC for distractions, all the normal Listen modifers (except for distance) apply to Precise Hearing (It's just a Listen check after all).

On a side note, at what point can a character progressing through this class make Attacks of Opportunities?

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Hrm. I like the idea ('course, I'm the guy that started the original thread), but I think it may be a little too situational for the abilities this guy gets.

Basically you've got a guy who has to wear light armor (ACP) and take AoOs until 8th level to "see" and then only gains effective Blindsense at 5'-20' or so until 10th level, when he starts to ninja-out pretty nicely with hugely-expanding Blindsight.

Yet still gets totally hosed by an alchemical item available to 1st level mooks.

What I'd suggest is a feat for blind-only characters that gives Blindsense 20'/Blindsight 5' that requires Blind-Fight. This would, effectively, allow for somebody to play a successful Blind Swordsman from 1st level (as a human, using Blind-Fight and New Feat X for starting feats).

Then make that new feat a req in place of Alertness (which is really hosing a blind guy, since he's incapable of making Spot checks). Add to that feat that a character can attempt a Move Silently check to become effectively invisible to the blindsight of the feat-holder, and that the Blindsight is ineffective if the character is blinded.

I'd then lower the entrance requirements a tish so that Monks can get in before 10th level, since I imagine alot of people will want to do a Zatoichi-style asian themed guy. Especially given the light-armor aspect.

--fje

 

[Cabral]

Well, the armor check penalty to the listen check is only there because it seemd to make sense that you can't hear your foe 60' away if your full plate is clanking every step you take. I suppose you could replace the foe detection ability of Precise Hearing with Blindsight 5' at 1rst level, Blind sight 15' at 3rd level and +15' every other level then move Improved Uncanny dodge to 6th level.

The blindsense then becomes:

Level Blindsight
  1       5'
  2       5'
  3      15'
  4      15'
  5      30'
  6      30'
  7      45'
  8      45'
  9      60'
 10      60'

This makes it much less viable for blind archers ...

 

[Fieari]

I'd specifically add the cavat that the blindsense doesn't work when deafened, and that the Silence spell is the equivelent of Deeper Darkness or Mass Invisibility to him. But I think a blind archer would be cool...

 

[IamTheTest]

What I'd suggest is a feat for blind-only characters that gives Blindsense 20'/Blindsight 5' that requires Blind-Fight. This would, effectively, allow for somebody to play a successful Blind Swordsman from 1st level (as a human, using Blind-Fight and New Feat X for starting feats).

I like the idea of having Blind-Fight as a prerequisite. I imagine this to be a PrC for newly blinded PCs to enter into so that they dont need to retire. It should be a little tough at the early stages, but effectively darn good by the end. Maybe (by lvl 10) if deafened the PC goes back to the effectiveness of the first level of the PrC. That would make him not completely crushed by a thunderstone, but still affected.

 

[Cabral]

The only problem with a blind archer is that only example of one I can think of is from Robin Hood, Men in Tights ...(tight tights)

The blindsight ability already has the deafening caveat built into it in the Monster Manual, but I can add it here for clarity. I'd prefer to leave the Silence (and similar)effects to GM descretion. What happens if Silence is cast on the Blind Swordsman?