Battlesage Alpha Thread v2.0

[Kirikami]

Battlesage Alpha v 2.0
Wisdom based Martial Artest that focuses on the idiosyncratic applications of their martial powers. Slightly more versatile in and out of combat, the Battlesage explores the use of their techniques to the limits, fighting in a style that is truly their own.

HD: d8
BaB: Medium
Good Save(s): Ref, Will
Skills: 6+Int
Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (martial) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis) and Stealth (Dex).
# of Disciplines: 6

1st Martial Powers, Focus Pool
2nd Battlesage's Flurry I
3rd Sage Talent
4th Deft Intuition +1
5th Dual Arte
6th Sage Talent
7th Focus Recovery 1/day
8th Deft Intuition +2
9th Sage Talent
10th Dual Arte
11th Battlesage's Flurry II
12th Sage Talent, Deft Intuition +3
13th
14th Focus Recover 2/d
15th Sage Talent, Dual Arte
16th Deft Intuition +4
17th
18th Sage Talent
19th
20th Deft Intuition +5, True Battlesage


Table: Battlesage Progression

ML	FP	AK	PB	PL	PM	PH
01	03	06	1r	1r	1r	1r
02	06	07	--	--	--	--
03	09	08	--	--	--	--
04	12	09	--	2r	2r	2r
05	15	10	--	--	--	--
06	18	11	--	--	--	3r
07	21	12	2r	3r	3r	--
08	24	13	--	--	--	4r
09	27	14	--	--	--	--
10	30	15	3r	4r	4r	5r
11	33	16	--	--	--	--
12	36	17	--	--	--	6r
13	39	18	4r	--	5r	--
14	42	19	--	--	--	7r
15	45	20	--	--	--	--
16	48	21	--	--	6r	8r
17	51	22	--	--	--	--
18	54	23	--	--	--	9r
19	57	24	--	--	--	--
20	60	25	--	--	--	--

Battlesage Progression Table Key
ML: Mastery Level
FP: Focus Pool per day
AK: Artes Known
PB: Barest Rank Progression
PL: Low Rank Progression
PM: Modest Rank Progression
PH: Highest Rank Progression
#r: Indicates highest learn-able Rank


Proficiency
Battlesages are versatile warriors who are proficient with simple and martial weapons, as well as light armor and bucklers.


Martial Powers
Battlesages are Martial Artests, practitioners of extraordinary physical, mental and sometimes supernatural abilities. They choose six Disciplines that define their fighting style and begin at 1st level knowing six artes. They gain a new arte known every level thereafter and attain access to higher ranking artes as indicated on Table: Battlesage Progression.

Depending on your GM's preference, the Battlesage may have access to varying ranks of artes as she levels up. Barest or Low Rank Progressions should be considered for GMs who are not comfortable with high ranking maneuvers but still want to use/allow Martial Artests in their setting. Modest progression puts the Battlesage on par with partial casters like magus and inquisitor, while highest progression pushes them further as they level up.

Should the Battlesage be allowed to obtain a discipline and she does not have the associated discipline skill as a class skill, she may swap one of her other skills for it (GM permitting).


Focus Pool
The Battlesage's reservoir of inner energy, represented as Focus Points (FP). FP are used to initiate Artes. Using other abilities may also require the expenditure of Focus.The number of Focus Points a Battlesage holds per day can be ascertained on Table: Battlesage Progression

Spent Focus is restored after 8 hours of rest, and could potentially be restored in other ways (class features, magic items, etc). The Amount of Focus necessary to use an arte can be ascertained via the Table: Cost of Artes below.

Rank	Focus Cost
1st	1
2nd	3
3rd	5
4th	7
5th	9
6th	11
7th	13
8th	15
9th	17

Battlesage's Flurry
At 2nd level, a battlesage can make a flurry of attacks as a full-attack action. When making a flurry, the battlesage can make one additional attack at her highest base attack bonus. This additional attack stacks with the bonus attacks from haste and other similar effects. When using this ability, the battlesage can make these attacks with any combination of unarmed strikes and weapons of a weapon group of her choice. She takes no penalty for using multiple weapons when making a flurry, but she does not gain any additional attacks beyond what’s already granted by the flurry for doing so. (She can still gain additional attacks from a high base attack bonus, from this ability, and from haste and similar effects).

At 11th level, a battlesage can make an additional attack at her highest base attack bonus whenever she makes a flurry. This stacks with the first attack from this ability and additional attacks from haste and similar effects. She also chooses a second weapon group to use her flurry with.


Sage Talent
Every Battlesage is tried and tested, each experiencing combat in different ways and fighting for different reasons. Sage Talents are the tricks of the trade that further help define a Battlesage from her fellows. At 3rd level, and every three levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th etc) a Sage Talent is chosen. [See Post Below For List]


Deft Intuition
Able to read her surroundings with trained acuity, a 4th level Battlesage enjoys a +1 insight bonus to initiative and dodge bonus to Armor Class and Combat Maneuver Defense. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels of Battlesage thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th etc).


Dual Arte
At fifth level, and every five levels thereafter, the Battlesage learns how to combine her artes. She must choose one of the following Arte Forms: Strikes, Boosts, Counters or Auras. The rules on each of these features are written below:

SPOILER: Click to show

Dual Strike
The Battlesage can initiate two Strike Artes in a flowing, fleeting act of martial prowess. Both must take the same type of action to initiate, if both require attack rolls they are rolled separately and both costs must be paid plus an amount of focus equal to the highest rank in the combination. The Martial Artest decides which effect to resolve first, which may effect the second outcome.

Example: If you combine a 1st and 3rd rank, that is 1fp + 5fp + (1x3) = 9 fp
This example applies to all the Dual Arte options.


Dual Boost
The Battlesage can initiate two Boost Artes in a focused, flowing display of martial resolve. Both must take the same type of action to initiate, both costs must be paid plus an amount of focus equal to the highest rank in the combination. Both effects take hold for the shortest duration between the two.


Dual Counter
The Battlesage can initiate two Counter Artes in an elegant and flowing riposte. Both counters must have the same activation conditions, if both have attack rolls and/or skill checks they are rolled separately, and both costs must be paid plus an amount of focus equal to the highest rank in the combination. The Martial Artest decides which effect to resolve first, which may effect the second outcome. Otherwise each counter is resolved normally.


Dual Aura
The Battlesage can initiate and embody two Aura Artes in a skilled eminence of energy. She gains the benefits of both auras while they are active, though like bonuses don't stack as normal, and damage die of the same type (fire, frost, bonus weapon damage etc) cannot stack. Upon activation she pays both costs plus an amount of focus equal to the highest rank in the combination.

Example from previous systems: Punishing Stance from Tome of Battle could not stack damage dice with Stance of Aggression from Path of War. However Punishing Stance could stack with Fiery Assault from Tome of Battle, since their damage is different (weapon damage and fire damage).

Focus Recovery
At 7th level the Battlesage learns how to meditate deeply, calling forth her inner reserves of focus. Once per day, when she takes the total defense action, she use a swift action to regain a number of focus equal to her mastery modifier.


True Battlesage
At 20th level the Battlesage has become a potent force of martial perfection, her artes reaching peak levels of efficiency to the point of innate artistic beauty or even sheer overwhelming terror.

Dual Artes no longer have an additional cost, each attack made during Battlesage's Flurry can be substituted with a strike arte (standard action artes only, resolved in the order they were made).


Misc Info and old stuff

SPOILER: Click to show

ML FP AK PB PL PM PH
01 03 06 1r 1r 1r 1r
02 06 07 -- -- -- --
03 09 08 -- -- -- --
04 12 09 -- 2r 2r 2r
05 15 10 -- -- -- --
06 18 11 -- -- -- 3r
07 21 12 2r 3r 3r --
08 24 13 -- -- -- 4r
09 27 14 -- -- -- --
10 30 15 3r 4r 4r 5r
11 33 16 -- -- -- --
12 36 17 -- -- -- 6r
13 39 18 4r -- 5r --
14 42 19 -- -- -- 7r
15 45 20 -- -- 6r --
16 48 21 -- -- -- 8r
17 51 22 -- -- -- --
18 54 23 -- -- -- 9r
19 57 24 -- -- -- --
20 60 25 -- -- -- --



Table: The Cost of Artes
Rank Focus Cost
1 1
2 3
3 5
4 7
5 9
6 11
7 13
8 15
9 17

[Kirikami]

Battlesage Alpha v2 Sage Talents


Adaptive Style
(Requires a Style Feat and at least one Aura Arte)
The battlesage can activate both her Style feat and an Aura with the same swift action. While under the Aura's effect Style Feat effects gain a +1 circumstance bonus to any DCs, to damage rolls while using the style, and to combat maneuver bonus checks.


Battlesage's Bladed Dash
(Requires 6th level or higher)
Legend tells that once a Battlesage fought along side a mighty Magus. She noticed a certain spell that he used, and felt that she too could find use for such a technique.

The battlesage gains the Bladed Dash Magus spell as an Arte without a Discipline. It is considered 2nd Rank, and she uses her Mastery Modifier instead of her Intelligence modifier to determine the bonus to the attack roll.


Battlesage's Greater Bladed Dash
(Requires Bladed Dash Sage Talent, at least 12th Level)
As the prerequisite talent except it is Grt. Bladed Dash, and it becomes a 5th Rank Arte.


Battlesage's Hustle
Once per day, as a swift action, the battlesage gains another move action during her current turn. She can use this talent one additional time per day for every five battlesage levels.


Combat Training
The battlesage chooses one combat feat and acquires said feat. She must have the proper prerequisites. The battlesage can only take this Talent once.


Discipline Focus
The Battlesage has come to some idea as to which of her diciplines she favors and learns how to improve their performance. The DCs of Artes in her selected discipline increase by +1 (where it applies) and she adds her wisdom modifier to damage rolls with Strikes from the chosen discipline.

Every time the Battlesage gains this Talent she may choose the same discipline (DC bonus stacks, increase damage further by +1) or another discipline focus on.


Discipline Skill Focus
(Requires Discipline Focus talent)
Discipline associated skills tied to your Discipline Focus(es) gain a +2 insight bonus, which increases to +4 at 10th level. Also, once per day you can choose to reroll a check with said skill(s) and take the better roll.


Esoteric Practice
(Must be 6th level or higher)
The Battlesage learns to intuit the use of her inner bodily energys in a different way, figuring out how to pull off otherwise monastic techniques.

She chooses a Ki Power from the Quiggong Monk list, counting her Battlesage level as her Monk level. She uses Focus Points in place of Ki Points, 2 focus points equals one ki point.


Focused Athleticism
(Requires 1 rank in either acrobatics, climb or swim)
The battlesage learns to channel the work potential of her focus towards athletic ends, at the risk of tiring herself quicker.

When making a check with the prerequisite skills, as long as you have one rank, you can wager a number of focus points equal to your Mastery Modifier. Each point wagered adds a +2 insight bonus to the check. If you succeed you don't lose the points. If you fail, you lose 1.5 times the points rounded down.


Fortify Focus
The battle sage learns gradually how to draw more inner energy forward, giving her more breathing room with her Focus. She gains the Focus Recovery feature if she doesn't have it already, or gains an addition use of it per day if/when she has it.


Maneuver Training
The Battlesage uses her class level in place of her Base Attack Bonus when calculating her Combat Maneuver Bonus. Base attack bonuses granted from other classes are unaffected and are added normally.


Martial Skirmish
(Requires 6th level)
Not as fortuitous as her fellow Martial Artests, the Battlesage learns how to get in and out of a skirmish, dealing blows as she moves. The battlesage gains the Spring Attack feat as a bonus feat, not requiring the prerequisites.

She may initiate a Strike Arte instead of using a normal attack with this feat by spending a number of additional spell points equal to the Strike's Rank. The strike is resolved first, than the remaining movement for the feat.

Ex: Skirmish into Garnet Lance, a 2nd rank Arte from the previous system. That is 3 FP + (1 x 2nd) = 5 fp.


Practiced Unarmed Strike
The Battlesage's gains Imp. Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat; her unarmed strike deals damage as a Monk of half her class level.


Signature Arte
(Requires 9th Level)
Some artes just feel right. To a martial artest, artes are both techniques on the battlefield and subtly a means of expression. Some battlesage practice specific techniques over others, making sure there is no wasted effort while adding in their own flair to the technique.

The battlesage chooses one Aura, Boost or Strike arte she knows. She can initiate it at the cost of an arte that is one rank lower a number of times per day equal to her Mastery Modifier. 1st Rank Artes chosen for this talent costs go to 0 that many times per day instead.

Should the arte be swapped during a level-up, it takes two weeks of training in her spare time for the battlesage to choose another signature arte.


Stalking Sage
The battlesage can move full speed while using the Stealth skill to avoid detection without penalty (But still takes the penalty for running while stealthing).


Stalking Sage, Improved
(Requires Stalking Sage, 9th level)
The Battlesage has almost become s shadow in the night. She may half the penalty to stealth while running, and can reroll a stealth check once per day, taking the better result.