Blade Dancer; Class by BCons
This character class is a work in progress; Any text marked with '##' is temp/placeholder, many of the features need to be spruced up with flavorful language, etc. This is my attempt to make a more competitive two-weapon fighting character class without changing the base TWF rule set.
| Level | Prof | Features | Adrenaline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Fighting Style, Reprisal | - |
| 2 | 2 | Adrenaline | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | Archetypes | 3 |
| 4 | 2 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 |
| 5 | 3 | Extra Attack, Swift Step | 5 |
| 6 | 3 | Acrobatics Expert | 6 |
| 7 | 3 | Evasion | 7 |
| 8 | 3 | Ability Score Improvement | 8 |
| 9 | 4 | Archetype Feature | 9 |
| 10 | 4 | Ambidexterity | 10 |
| 11 | 4 | Adrenaline Rush | 11 |
| 12 | 4 | Ability Score Improvement | 12 |
| 13 | 5 | Archetype Feature | 13 |
| 14 | 5 | Irrepresible | 14 |
| 15 | 5 | Endurance | 15 |
| 16 | 5 | Ability Score Improvement | 16 |
| 17 | 6 | Archetype Feature | 17 |
| 18 | 6 | Blade Dance | 18 |
| 19 | 6 | Ability Score Improvement | 19 |
| 20 | 6 | Beyond Limits | 20 |
Class Features
As a Blade Dancer you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Blade Dancer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Blade Dancer level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Stealth, Perception, Intimidation, Insight, Persuasion, Deception, Performance
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background.
• (a) two shortswords or (b) two scimitars or (c) any two light melee weapons
• (a) 20 darts or (b) two daggers
• (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
Fighting Style
At 1st level, you adopt the Two Weapon fighting style. You Cannot take a Fighting style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. If you already have the Two Weapon fighting style you can instead take the Defense fighting style.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus action attack.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Reprisal
Starting at 1st level, when a creature you can see within 5ft of you makes an attack against you, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against them with an equipped one-handed melee weapon.
Adrenaline
Starting at 2nd level, you are able to energize yourself with a rush of adrenaline, your ability to do so without tiring yourself is represented by a number of Adrenaline points. Your Blade Dancer level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Adrenaline points column of the Blade Dancer table.
You can use Adrenaline points to perform various martial feats; you begin by knowing three such features: ##Push, ##Prone, and Swift Parry, which are detailed below. You learn additional Adrenaline features as you gain levels in this class. When you spend an Adrenaline point it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you have recovered your stamina.
Any Adrenaline feature that offers benefits equivalent to that of a spell is self targetable only, and is not activated by spell casting (no components required, cannot be counterspelled, cannot be affected by metamagic, etc.), but otherwise follows all the same rules as the equivalent spell.
Some of your Adrenaline features will require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Adrenaline save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your dexterity modifier
##Push
When you attack and hit another creature with a one-handed melee weapon as part of an attack action or reaction, you can spend 1 Adrenaline to attempt to push the creature. The target must succeed on a strength saving throw or be pushed 10ft directly away from you.
##Prone
When you attack and hit another creature with a one-handed melee weapon as part of a bonus action or reaction, you can spend 1 Adrenaline to attempt to knock the creature prone. The target must succeed on a strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Swift Parry
When a creature you can see hits you with an attack you can use your reaction to increase your AC by an amount equal to your Dexterity modifier against the triggering attack. Immediately after using your reaction in this way, you can choose to spend 1 Adrenaline point to gain an additional reaction, which is available until the start of your next turn.
Archetypes
When you reach 3rd level you focus your training, deciding between fighting styles you wish to emulate. These fighting styles grant additional features at 3rd, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels, as outlined at the end of the class features list.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn.
Swift Step
Starting at 5th level you can use a bonus action and spend 2 Adrenaline to teleport up to 30ft to an unoccupied space that you can see.
Acrobatics Expert
Beginning at 6th level, you add your dexterity modifier to any calculation to find your jumping height or distance. You can also spend an action and 1 Adrenaline point to gain the effects of the 'Jump' spell, or a reaction and 1 Adrenaline point to gain the effects of the 'Feather Fall' spell.
Additionally, you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics skill. If you are already Proficient in Acrobatics you instead gain proficiency in a skill of your choice from the Blade Dancer skill list.
Evasion
Beginning at 7th level, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Ambidexterity
Starting at 10th level, when you are holding two different weapons that qualify for two-weapon fighting you can use your bonus action to make a single attack with an equipped weapon at any time on your turn, rather than requiring the attack action be made first.
If you attack as a bonus action using this feature and wish to also take the attack action on your turn you must still do so with two different weapons as is required for two-weapon fighting, unless another feature allows otherwise.
Adrenaline Rush
Starting at 11th level, as an action you can spend 3 Adrenaline points to grant yourself the effects of the 'Haste' spell.
When forced to make a constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on this effect, you may choose to spend 1 Adrenaline point to roll one additional d20, and keep the result of the d20 of your choice. You can choose to use this feature after the saving throw is initially rolled.
Irrepresible
Starting at 14th level, as an action you can spend 4 Adrenaline points to grant yourself the effects of the 'Freedom of Movement' spell.
Endurance
Starting at 15th level, you gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Intelligence or Charisma saving throws (your choice).
Blade Dance
Starting at 18th level, as an action you can spend 8 Adrenaline points to begin Blade Dancing for up to one minute.
During the Blade Dance all ranged attacks against you have disadvantage on the attack roll. Additionally, any time a creature starts its turn within 5 feet of you, or the first time it moves within 5 feet of you on its turn, you can choose to attack it with an equipped one-handed melee weapon as a free action. If you do so and the attack hits you can choose to use the '##Push' Adrenaline feature at no cost.
The Blade Dance ends early if you are incapacitated, or you can end it at any time as a free action.
Beyond Limits
At 20th level, as a bonus action you can choose to suffer one point of exhaustion and recover 5 Adrenaline points.
Blade Dancer Archetypes
As a 3rd level Blade Dancer you are able to choose between the following Steelstorm and Primordial Dervish archetypes.
Steelstorm
Focus on unleashing a flurry of attacks with blinding accuracy and speed.
Twin Weapon Master
Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, any time you make a melee attack while holding two different weapons that qualify for two weapon fighting, you may always choose which weapon to strike with. This allows the use of the following two-weapon fighting techniques:
Leaf in the Wind: Your rapid assault leaves your foe unable to defend themselves. When making at least 2 melee weapon attacks on your turn against a single target you will gain a +1 bonus to hit and +2 bonus to damage for each strike after the first when striking with alternating weapons.
This effect stacks when making several successive strikes against a single target (i.e. a 3rd attack would get +2 to hit and +4 to damage, a 4th attack would get +3 to hit and +6 to damage, etc.) so long as you continue attacking the same target, and alternate which weapon you are striking with.
Turn the Blade: You leave one weapon available to parry your enemies' attacks. When making 2 or more one-handed melee weapon attacks on your turn you gain a +1 AC bonus until the start of your next turn for each attack you make after the first, so long as you have made no attacks with an equipped one-handed melee weapon since the start of your turn.
Flurry
By 9th level you are able to control your Adrenaline in bursts, offering a more focused assault at will. As a free action on your turn you can choose to perform one of the following:
Focused Flurry: Spend 1 Adrenaline; gain one additional attack during your attack action this turn, and cause all attacks until the start of your next turn to score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
Cleaving Flurry: Spend 1 Adrenaline; all attacks you make until the start of your next turn deal half their damage to up to two additional nearby creatures. This effect cannot target the same creature as the attack, and the targets of this effect must also be in range of your melee weapon attack. If there is no appropriate target you do not have to select a target.
Flow
Starting at 13th level, you are able to get the most out of your Adrenaline, gaining a lasting effect each time you draw upon it.
On your turn if you have used an Adrenaline feature in the current turn or at any time since the end of your last turn you gain 20ft of additional movement and enemies cannot make attacks of opportunity against you until the end of your turn.
Steelstorm
Starting at level 17 any time you make a melee attack as part of a bonus action you can make one additional melee attack as part of the same action.
Primordial Dervish
Imbue your weapons with elemental power to grant increased protection or additional damage with each hit.
Imbue Weapon
Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level you are able to focus arcane energy into your weapons for extended periods of time. By spending 15 minutes focusing on any one-handed weapon you are able to temporarily imbue it with elemental magic.
Pick one of Acid, Thunder, Fire, Lightning, or Ice, and the selected weapon will deal additional damage of that type with each hit. The amount of additional damage is equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). Alternatively, you can choose to instead imbue the weapon to grant +1AC.
When you first gain this ability, you are only able to focus the enchantment on one weapon at a time. At level 5 you can enchant up to two weapons at a time, only one of which can be imbued to grant additional AC. The enchantment lasts for up to 24 hours or until the enchanted weapon leaves your possession for any reason.
Weapon Flare
By 9th level you are able to use Adrenaline to fuel your elemental weapons and make them burn brighter. As a free action on your turn, you can choose to perform one of the following:
Focused Flare: Spend 1 Adrenaline; until the start of your next turn the effects of your 'Imbue Weapon' feature are increased. Weapons which are imbued with elemental damage gain an additional 1d6 damage of the same element, and weapons which are imbued to grant AC grant an additional +1AC.
Explosive Flare: Spend 1 Adrenaline; until the start of your next turn, all elemental damage from your 'Imbue Weapon' feature is dealt to all creatures within 10ft of the target of the original attack, excluding yourself.
Blink Strike
Starting at 13th level, you are able to get the most out of your Adrenaline, gaining a lasting effect each time you draw upon it.
On your turn if you have used an Adrenaline feature in the current turn or at any time since the end of your last turn your equipped melee weapons gain the reach property and you are able to teleport up to 10ft to an unoccupied space you can see before each melee attack you make until the end of your turn.
Primordial Weapons
At level 17 the weapons you imbue are no longer metal, they embody the elements themselves.
Elemental imbued weapons now deal an additional 1d6 elemental damage on every hit, and the additional damage from the 'Focused Flare' feature increases to 2d6. Weapons Imbued with AC now grant +2 AC.
Additionally, any time you use the 'Weapon Flare' feature you can choose to spend an additional Adrenaline point (2 total), if you do so you may instantly change the effect of your 'Imbue Weapon' feature on one or both of the weapons currently imbued.
Afterthoughts/Concerns
• Multiclass/magic adept to get on-hit damage effects like hex/hunters mark would likely be extremely strong, even with the current concentration requirement for the 'Adrenaline Rush' haste effect. Perhaps Adrenaline uses will need to force concentration checks (or cancel concentration outright) on non Blade Dancer effects.
• The AC stacking the current blade dancer can achieve with certain combinations of skills is also a concern and may need to get looked at... Is swift parry OP?
• Blade dancer might come across as 'just a higher damage monk'? It definitely will do more damage than a monk at higher levels and has a near identical resource, but monks in general are likely to still be more tanky thanks to their late game perks like Diamond Soul and Empty Body, more mobile, and have better support skills (stunning strike). Blade dancer is meant to be a fairly self sufficient striker with consistently high DPR, but offers very little in the way of party utility.
• Constitution save proficiency from a class perk may be a little strong, but I always feel like resilient: con is kind of a feat tax on any melee character who needs to concentrate on something, especially an important buff such as haste.
• The damage may be a little on the high side in some level ranges, but this class was designed and is intended to be able to compete in DPR with some of the more prolific great weapon master builds while utilizing a significantly underused weapon type (TWF).
By my calculations and as currently designed, the blade dancer has a lower POTENTIAL DPR than a standard GWM fighter, but will generally be more accurate/reliable, and therefore in most situations where accuracy is taken into account will be relatively competative. That said, given an ideal situation a GWM fighter will likely still outpace a blade dancer. Still, this kit might be a little too strong 'out of the box', in that it doesn't take much to keep up with an optimized build, and will likely therefore feel very strong for casual players who do not normally min/max their builds.