Class Summary

Prime Requisite:	DEX and WIL
Requirements:	STR 9, CON 9, and CHA 9
Hit Dice:	1d6
Maximum Level:	12

Shulassakar Sword-Sage

Shulassakar class — see Classes for the full list.

Shulassakar are a race of humanoids reminiscent of feathered serpents. While some of their race are transcendent, winged creatures with serpentine tales for legs, many can pass for human at a glance, with only forked tongues and serpentine eyes to give away their nature. Whether directly trained by House D’Neith or independently developed, some Shulassakar of the “bloodsworn” caste practice the arts of warcraft, a study of blade magic. These warriors are known as sword-sages among their people.

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Shulassakar Sword-Sage Level Progression / Shulassakar Sword-Sage Warcraft Details

Experience	Title	Level	Hit Dice	Melee Damage Bonus	Techniques Per Day	Technique Level
0	Knife-Novice	1	1d6	+1	1	1
2,525	Anlace-Acolyte	2	2d6	+1	1	1
5,050	Machete-Master	3	3d6	+2	2	1
10,100	Edge-Exemplar	4	4d6	+2	2	1
20,200	Gladius-Guru	5	5d6	+2	2	2
40,400	Wind-Whisperer	6	6d6	+3	3	2
80,000	Fang-Flame	7	7d6	+3	4	2
160,000	Scythe-Speaker	8	8d6	+3	4	3
315,000	Sword-Sage	9	9d6	+4	5	3
470,000	Sword-Sage, 10th level	10	9d6+2	+4	5	3
625,000	Sword-Sage, 11th level	11	9d6+4	+4	5	4
780,000	Sword-Sage, 12th level	12	9d6+6	+5	5	4
935,000	Sword-Sage, 13th level	13	9d6+8	+5	6	5

Shulassakar Sword-Sage Saving Throws and Attack Bonus

Level	Paralysis	Death	Blast	Implement	Spells	Attack Bonus
1	11+	12+	13+	14+	15+	+0
2-3	10+	11+	12+	13+	14+	+1
4	9+	10+	11+	12+	13+	+2
5-6	8+	9+	10+	11+	12+	+3
7	7+	8+	9+	10+	11+	+4
8-9	6+	7+	8+	9+	10+	+5
10	5+	6+	7+	8+	9+	+6
11-12	4+	5+	6+	7+	8+	+7
13	3+	4+	5+	6+	7+	+8

Combat Characteristics

Combat Proficiencies: Sword-sages are proficient with light and very light armor as well as all tiny, small, or medium melee weapons and all missile weapons. They are trained in the two-weapon fighting style as well as the two-handed fighting style, but not in the weapon and shield style.

Combat Progression: Sword-sages advance in attack and saving throws as fighters, by two points every three levels. They can cleave after felling a foe up to once per round per class level.

Starting Class Powers

Focused Discipline: The sword-sage is trained to use cunning techniques. At first level, they choose one of the following two benefits:

• Ferocity of Spirit: By channeling her spirit energy, the sword-sage can make up for any lack of physical might by insightful perception. The sword-sage may, if desired, add her WIL bonus instead of her STR bonus to damage rolls with melee attacks.
• Weapon Finesse: The sword-sage fights with lissome speed and cat-like agility. The sword-sage may apply her DEX modifier instead of her STR modifier on her melee attack throws when using weapons with which she is proficient.

Graceful Fighting: The sword-sage fights in an agile and acrobatic style that resembles a choreographed dance. If a sword-sage is wearing light armor, very light armor, or no armor, and carrying 5 stones or less encumbrance, she gains a +1 bonus to initiative and a +1 bonus to Armor Class. At 7^th level, the AC bonus increases to +2, and at 13^th level the AC bonus increases to +3.

Graceful fighting can be stacked with Swashbuckling proficiency to increase the AC bonus, but the bonus from Swashbuckling is capped at +1 unless the character is unarmored.

Manual of Arms: The sword-sage is highly experienced in military discipline, physical fitness, and weapon drill. She can automatically identify the battle standards, equipment, great captains, military slang, and rank insignia of her homeland. She can identify those of other realms with a proficiency throw of 11+. She can fight as a regular (rather than irregular) in formed and loose units. She can begin play as a member of a legion, mercenary’s guild, or other military organization (Judge’s discretion). (This class power is equivalent to one rank of the Manual of Arms proficiency.)

Quick to Act: The sword-sage gains a +1 bonus to initiative in all circumstances.

Specialized Damage Bonus: Sword-sages gain a +1 to damage with melee attacks. The damage increases at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th levels, as shown on the chart above.

Speed of Thought: Shulassakar sword-sages are swift as the wind. The character’s base speed is increased by 30’ when wearing medium or lighter armor and carrying 7 stones or less encumbrance.

Spiritual Resistance: The sword-sage’s spirit cannot be denied. The target numbers for all saving throws is reduced by 2 (already included in the chart above).

Warcraft: The sword-sage may learn and perform martial techniques. The sword-sage can perform a number of techniques per day equal to the number shown on the Sword-Sage Warcraft Details table, and her repertoire can hold at most that many techniques, plus her INT modifier. Sword-sages keep a book of strategy, filled with guidelines and diagrams outlining techniques and allowing them to change out their repertoire in a fashion similar to the manner in which mages may learn and swap spells. For purposes of costs, each new technique is considered a spell of level equal to the sword-sage’s technique level. Initiating a technique is equivalent to casting a spell, and must be declared before initiative is rolled. See Warcraft for full details and Technique Index for a list of techniques.

Additional Class Powers

Tactical Research (8^th): The sentinel may research new techniques, at the same cost and time as a mage would spend researching a new spell. Treat the sentinel as having a caster level of ¾ his character level, and the technique being researched as having a spell level equal to the sentinel’s technique level. The character needs access to a library of war of an appropriate value (at the Judge’s discretion, 25-50% of the value of an arcane library might be applicable).

Monastery (9^th): When a sword-sage reaches 9^th level, she can establish a monastery, attracting up to 5d6 x10 0^th level soldiers and 1d6 shulassakar of 1^st-3^rd level. These followers will serve with complete loyalty (+4 morale). While in the character’s service, they must be provided food and lodging but need not be paid wages. The monastery is otherwise similar to the cleric’s fortified church as detailed in Campaigns.

Racial Traits

Private Tongue: Shulassakar have a private language of hisses and body motions that is difficult for other races to hear or even recognize as speech.

Serpentine Appearance: As a “bloodsworn” Shulassakar, the sword-sage’s snakelike features are minimal, but still disconcerting to most humanoids. The character suffers a -1 penalty to reaction rolls with most humanoids but instead receives a +1 bonus to reaction rolls with devotees of the Binding Flame, all snakes, and many birds.

Spell Abilities: All Shulassakar can cast remove fear once per hour, and bewitch beast once per 8 hours, as the spells of the same name, without expending any spell slots or having the spells in a repertoire.

Snakeform: A Shulassakar can shapechange into the form of a silvery, feathered pit-viper once per day per character level. Note that changing back also consumes a use of this ability, so a 1^st level character must wait one day before changing back!

Class Proficiencies

Proficiency Progression: At 1^st level, sword-sages select one class proficiency from their class proficiency list and one general proficiency from the general proficiency list. They select an additional class proficiency at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th level. They select an additional general proficiency at 5^th, 9^th, and 13^th level.

Shulassakar Sword-Sage Proficiency List: Acrobatics, Alertness, Ambushing, Battle Magic*, Blind Fighting, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (disarm, force back, knock down), Command, Contemplation*, Diplomacy, Endurance, Expanded Repertoire*, Fighting Style Specialization, Healing, Intimidation, Knowledge, Leadership, Manual of Arms, Martial Training, Precise Shooting, Quiet Magic*, Sensing Power, Skirmishing, Swashbuckling, Unarmed Fighting, Unflappable Casting*, Weapon Focus

* Modified to apply to techniques rather than spells.

Shulassakar Sword-Sage Templates

Templates

3d6	Template	Proficiencies	Starting Equipment
3 – 4	Wrestler	Unarmed Fighting Endurance	Clean loincloth, simple belt, low boots, 2 daggers, padded armor, book of strategy with stonefoot stance, backpack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin (enc. 3 1/6 stone)
5 – 6	Trapper	Ambushing Trapping	Tunic and pants, dark green cloak, leather belt, high boots, hunting spear, curved dagger, leather armor, book of strategy with cloak of deception, backpack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, tinderbox, 6 torches, 6 iron spikes, small hammer, 2gp (enc. 6 3/6 st)
7 – 8	Tumbler	Acrobatics Performance (acrobatics)	Tunic and pants, leather belt, high boots, 2 sinuously curved short swords, daggers, padded armor, book of strategy with leaping flame, 1 week’s iron rations, backpack with waterskin, tinderbox, 6 torches, 50’ rope, grappling hook, (enc. 5 4/6 st)
9 – 10	Scout	Alertness Signaling	Mottled green tunic and pants, leather cloak, leather belt, high boots, 2 sinuously curved swords, dagger, leather armor, book of strategy with desert wind, backpack with 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, pennant flag, 20gp (enc. 4 3/6 st)
11 – 12	Hurler	Precise Shooting Gambling	Colorful tunic and pants, leather belt, high boots, 2 kamas, great axe, leather armor, comet throw, 1 week’s iron rations, backpack with waterskin, tinderbox, 6 torches, 47gp (enc. 6 2/6 st)
13 – 14	Cleaver	Fighting Style Spec. (two-handed) Intimidation	Black armiger’s tunic and pants, embossed belt, high boots, black leather gloves, horned heavy helmet, sinuously curved two-handed sword, leather armor, book of strategy with shadow cleave, backpack with 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, tinderbox, lantern, 2 pints common oil, 39gp (enc. 6 3/6 st)
15 – 16	Archer	Weapon Focus (bows and crossbows) Survival	Green armiger’s tunic and pants, fur-lined cloak, embossed belt, low boots, sinuously curved two-handed sword, long bow, quiver with 20 arrows, leather armor, book of strategy with raven’s mark, backpack with 2 weeks’ iron rations, waterskin, 53gp (enc. 7 st)
17 – 18	Armsmaster	Martial Training (swords and daggers) Riding	Templar’s tunic and pants, embossed leather belt, low boots, sinuously curved two-handed sword, polished leather armor, book of strategy with mountain hammer, backpack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, medium riding horse, riding saddle and tack, saddlebag, 54gp (enc. 5 5/6 st or 4 5/6 st with rations on horse)

Notes: The hurler’s kamas are a type of hand axe.