Among more esoteric swordsages is practiced the art of drawing and attacking with a weapon in the same perfect, fluid motion. A master of the art can kill with a single stroke, and they are feared and respected throughout the land for their skill. Seeing such a master in action is akin to watching a dance, even though it is one that leaves a trail of bleeding bodies behind. Such masters are highly sought after as guards and mercenaries, and ones attached to noble families are much sought after as husbands or brides, as they bring honor to any family they enter or bring new blood to.
Many masters take to wandering, as their profession sees many young warriors seeking to prove themselves in the eyes of their peers by defeating such a dangerous opponent. Those who are taught the way of one strike are trained by solitary masters or else enter dueling schools and excel above their peers such that their masters show them the secrets of the dueling edge.
To qualify to become a Master of One Strike, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +4.
Skills: Concentration 9 ranks.
Feats: Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Weapon Finesse, Blade Meditation.
Maneuvers Known: One 3rd-level Diamond Mind maneuver.
The following information pertains to the Master of One Strike prestige class.
The Master of One Strike gains 1d8 hit points per level.
The Master of One Strike’s class skills are as follows.
Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history, local, nature, nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table: The Master of One Strike |
|||||
Class Level |
Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special |
1st |
+0 |
+0 |
+2 |
+1 |
Uncanny Finesse |
2nd |
+1 |
+1 |
+3 |
+2 |
Uncanny Speed |
3rd |
+2 |
+1 |
+3 |
+2 |
The Warrior is Always Prepared |
4th |
+3 |
+1 |
+4 |
+2 |
The Perfect Cut |
5th |
+3 |
+2 |
+4 |
+3 |
Strike With No Thought |
The following features pertain to the Master of One Strike prestige class.
Class Level |
ManeuversKnown |
ManeuversReadied |
StancesKnown |
1st |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2nd |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3rd |
1 |
1 |
0 |
4th |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5th |
0 |
0 |
1 |
At 1st, 3rd, and 4th level, you gain an additional Iron Heart or Diamond Mind maneuver. You add your Master of One Strike and other initiator levels together to determine your total initiator level and the level of the most powerful maneuvers you can learn.
At 3rd level, you can ready an additional maneuver.
Stances Known
At 5th level, you learn a new Iron Heart or Diamond Mind stance.
At 1st level, the Master of One Strike can apply the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat to the bastard sword, weapons to which that feat’s benefits cannot normally be applied.
Uncanny Speed
At 2nd level, you add your Charisma modifier to your initiative, as well as your Dexterity.
The Warrior is Always Prepared
At 3rd level, you may draw a bastard sword as an immediate action instead of a free action. You may combine this action with a counter (this is an exception to the rules regarding immediate actions).
The Perfect Cut
At 4th level, when you are wielding a bastard sword and use a Diamond Mind strike that uses an application of the Concentration skill, you may add twice your class level as an insight bonus to your Concentration check.
Strike With No Thought
At 5th level, if you begin combat adjacent to an opponent, you may take an immediate surprise round before initiative is rolled. The only action you may take in this round is perform a Diamond Mind strike that affects only a single target and has an initiation time of 1 standard action.