The elven race has practiced the arts of sword fighting for millennia. Masters passed on the art of fighting with all kinds of light or heavy blades to their pupils until the pupils became masters themselves so that sword fighting became one of the most important of the elven arts.

Elven Swordmasters are perfectionists in proficiency with the long sword.

In long years of practicing they gain extraordinary abilities if they fight with any long sword until all of their moves are perfectly performed. At higher levels they can motivate their allies and demoralize their enemies just with the performance of their art.

Playing an Elven Swordmaster

Elven Swordmasters are always ambitious and disciplined. They spend many hours a day with training until every of their moves are perfect and graceful. In most cases they are very self confident but they never overestimate themselves even if they do not fear struggle with strong opponents just to test their abilities. They do not miss any chances to prove their abilities. There are quite a lot of single players within the eleven swordmasters but many of them are loyal comrades as well who can drive their allies to tremendous deeds.

Becoming an Elven Swordmaster

Most elven swordmasters are fighters or swashbucklers who forced training with the long sword. Bards sometimes become elven swordmasters in order to show their excellence in handling a long sword. Rangers and rogues also qualify for his prestige class.

Spell casting classes hardly ever become elven swordmasters because it's very difficult to do magical and fighting training as well although there are some sorcerers known who took the path of an elven Swordmaster.

Eleven Swordmasters in the world

Elven Swordmasters are well-accepted members of the elven society. They are an important part of elven armies and are often used as elite troops in heavy battles to show the might and power of the elven forces. Other Elven Swordmasters are eremites who spend their day perfectioning their arts.

Elven Swordmasters go for adventures to collect practical experience in Sword fighting. Good aligned Elven Swordmasters offer their skills to those ones who need help. Evil Elven Swordmasters often use their abilities to suppress others or to take personal benefit.

Other classes

Elven swordmasters have great respect with all of their kind. They like all fighters and fighting styles who rely on dexterity but they are suspicious of combatants who just work with strength and rage such as barbarians.

Elven Swordmasters are not interested in arcane powers or divine magic, but they know the benefits of healing magic or similar. Most of time they reject magic which increases their fighting abilities, because they think that only their own powers should decide between victory and defeat.

Elven Swordmasters are friendly to every honorable fighters such as paladins and to every agile type of adventurers such as rogues and rangers.

Requirements

To qualify to become an elven swordmaster, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

Race: elf or half elf

Alignment: any

Base Attack Bonus:A +6

Skills: Perform (Weapon Drill) 4 ranks

Feats: Dodge, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (long sword)

Class features

All of the following are class features of the elven swordmaster prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Elven Swordmasters gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Elven Sword Artistry (Ex): Elven Swordmasters have perfectioned their moves with the long sword. An elven swordmaster uses his Dex- modifier instead of his Str- modifier for every attack roll using a long sword.

He can only use this feature when he wears no or light armor and neither a weapon nor a shield in his offhand.

Sword Artist (Ex): When an elven swordmaster wants to take one of the feats Weapon focus (long sword), Improved Weapon focus (long sword), Greater Weapon focus (long sword), Weapon specialization (long sword), Improved Weapon specialization (long sword) and Greater Weapon specialization (long sword) his levels as an elven sword master are cumulative with his fighter levels.

Bonus Feat: At 3rd level an elven swordmaster gains the feat "Improved Critical (long sword)" as a bonus feat.

AC-Bonus (Ex): Whenever an elven swordmaster holds a long sword in his main hand (and nothing in the other hand) he gets the AC- bonus listed in the table below. He can only use this feature when he wears no or light armor. The Bonus is treated as a dodge bonus.

Sharp Strike (Ex): Because of his excellent Dexterity an elven swordmaster always strikes his opponents with the edge of his blade. He can add his Dexterity- bonus to every damage- roll using a long sword.

He can only use this feature when he wears no or light armor and neither a weapon nor a shield in his offhand.

Long sword Artistry (Ex): Whenever an elven swordmaster holds a long sword in his main hand (and nothing in the other hand), he can spend a move action to make a perform (Weapon Drill) check against DC 15. If he succeeds, allies within 30 ft, who could see the performance, gain a +2 morale bonus on their attack and damage rolls and their Will- saves for a number of rounds equal to the swordmaster's Charisma- modifier(if any) + 3.

Sure Critical (Ex): Elven swordmaster's know how to strike an opponent, where it hurts most. Whenever an elven swordmaster holds a long sword in his main hand (and nothing in the other hand) he gains a bonus of +4 on checks to confirm a critical hit. He can only use this feature when he wears no or light armor.

Awesome Long sword Artistry (Ex): Whenever an elven swordmaster holds a long sword in his main hand (and nothing in the other hand), he can spend a move action to make a perform (Weapon Drill) check against DC 20. If he succeeds, all enemies within 30 ft., who could see the performance, are shaken for a number of rounds equal to the swordmaster's Charisma- modifier in addition to the effects of his Long sword Artistry feature. Creatures with less than 5 Hit dice are panicked instead of shaken. The victims can make a Will- save (DC 10 + class level of the elven swordmaster + Cha- modifier of the elven swordmaster) to negate the effect. In any case after the effect's end creatures are immune to the Awesome Sword Artistry of this elven swordmaster for 24 hours.

Creatures with immunity to fear or creatures with an intelligence- score of less than 3 are immune to this effect.

Unbelievable Quickness (Ex): Whenever an elven swordmaster holds a long sword in his main hand (and nothing in the other hand) and chooses full attack as an action he gets an additional attack with his highest attack bonus. When he does so, this and all other attacks in that round suffer a penalty of -2. He can only use this feature when he wears no or light armor.

Table: The Elven Swordmaster

Hit die: d10

Class Skills (2 + Int- modifier): Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex) Swim (Str).

Sample Elven Swordmaster

Miriel Thael'erem was born as the eldest daughter of an elven nobleman. From her early days as a juvenile elf, she was interested in the art of sword fighting. She was so ambitious and talented that she exceeded all her masters within a few years so that no one in the total princely household could match for her.

When she reached adult years, she decided to leave the court. She gave all her heritage to her younger brother Celabor and joined a group of adventurers. Most of all Miriel is interested in becoming better in sword fighting. She meets every challenge and does neither fear pain nor death in order to reach her aims.

Miriel of Thael'erem CR 12)

Female Elf, neutral, medium size humanoid, Fighter 6, Elven Swordmaster 6

Init: +7 Senses: Listen +1 Spot +1

Languages: Common, Elven, Orc

AC: 28 touch 20, flat footed 18; Dodge (+7 Dex, +5 armor)

HP:88 (12 HD)

Immune: sleep

Fort +13, Ref +19, Will +6

Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)

Melee: +23/+18/+13 Flaming long sword +2 (1d8 + 12 + 1d6 fire)

Ranged: -

BAB: +12 Grapple: +13

Atk Options: Combat expertise, Power attack

Abilities: Str 13, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 14

SQ: able to notice secret doors

Feats: Cleave, Combat expertise Dodge, Greater weapon focus (long sword) Improved critical (long sword), Power attack, Quick draw, Weapon finesse, Weapon focus (long sword), Weapon specialization (long sword),

Skills: Perfom+12, Diplomacy +2, Jump +17, Climb +27, Ride +27

Possessions: flaming long sword +2, cloak of resistance +2, studded leather armor +2, amulet of natural armor +3, bracers of dexterity +2, potion (cure moderate wounds +3), potion (neutralize poison)

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Miriel is proficient with every simple weapons, every martial weapon every armor and every shield including tower shields.

Sword Artist (Ex): When Miriel wants to take one of the feats Weapon focus (long sword), Improved Weapon focus (long sword), Greater Weapon focus (long sword), Weapon specialization (long sword), Improved Weapon specialization (long sword) and Greater Weapon specialization (long sword) her effective fighter level is 12.

Elven Sword Artistry (Ex): Miriel has perfectioned her moves with the long sword. She uses her Dex- modifier instead of her Str- modifier for every attack roll using a long sword. She can only use this feature when she wears no or light armor and neither a weapon nor a shield in her offhand.

Bonus Feat: As an elven swordmaster of sixth level Miriel gains the benefit of the feat "Improved critical (long sword)".

AC-Bonus (Ex): Whenever Miriel holds a long sword in her main hand (and nothing in the other hand) she gets the AC- bonus of +3. This Bonus is treated as a dodge bonus.

Sharp Strike (Ex): Because of her excellent Dexterity Miriel always strikes her opponents with the edge of her blade. She can add her Dexterity- bonus to every damage- roll using a long sword.

She can only use this feature when she wears no or light armor and neither a weapon nor a shield in her offhand.

Long sword Artistry (Ex): Whenever an Miriel holds a long sword in her main hand (and nothing in the other hand), she can spend a move action to make a perform (Weapon Drill) check against DC 15. If she succeeds, her allies within 30 ft, who could see the performance, gain a +2 morale bonus on their attack and damage rolls and their Will- saves for 5 rounds.

© by Peter "Mervin Silberschlag" Hofer