Blade Magic

Chapter 1: Blade Magic

Base System

Blade Magic: What is it?

The uncanny power of the Sublime Way springs from a blend of physical skill, mental self-discipline, and adherence to distinct martial philosophies. Many of the maneuvers of the various martial disciplines aren’t magic at all—they are simply demonstrations of near-superhuman skill and training. Although many of the maneuvers and methods taught by the Sublime Way are mundane in execution and effect, their results can sometimes rival spells.

The warriors who study the nine schools are capable of battlefield feats beyond those that a traditionally schooled and trained warrior can hope to accomplish. The typical fighter might display great skill in a weapon’s basic cuts, thrusts, and parries, but a student of the Sublime Way believes that mastering a weapon requires self-discipline and spiritual austerity in addition to learning the correct physical postures and movements.

Using Martial Powers

Martial powers fall into two broad categories: stances and maneuvers (which include boosts, counters, and strikes). A martial maneuver is a discrete extraordinary or supernatural effect that is temporarily expended after use. A stance is never expended and is always available to you.

You can use a particular stance or maneuver as many times as you like in a single day, but each time you use a maneuver, you temporarily expend it—you lose a little of your mental focus, you exhaust some small portion of your personal ki or energy, or you simply finish the move out of position and can’t immediately launch the same attack again without assuming the proper posture and mental state first.

In other words, you can’t use an expended maneuver again until you rest for a brief time or perform a specific action in combat that allows you to recover one or more expended maneuvers. The type of action necessary depends on what type of martial adept you are; see Chapter 2 for details on each class’s maneuver recovery mechanism. As a result, you can normally use each of your readied maneuvers once per encounter, but sometimes you can recover one or more maneuvers you used earlier in the encounter and use them again. You never expend or use up your stances, so they are always available.

Readying Maneuvers

You do not need to ready your stances ahead of time. Every stance you know is always available to you. However, maneuvers require preparation in the form of exercise, prayer, meditation, or simple mental rehearsal. Therefore, you must choose a selection of readied maneuvers from all the maneuvers you know. Only your readied maneuvers are available for immediate use.

The number of maneuvers you can ready at one time depends on your class and level. If you do not have any levels in a martial adept class (for example, you learned a maneuver by means of the Martial Study feat), you can ready each maneuver you know. For example, if you have chosen the Martial Study feat two times and know two martial maneuvers, you automatically ready both those maneuvers.

To ready maneuvers, you require a brief period of practice, exercise, meditation, or prayer. The exact nature of the exercise or meditation depends on your martial adept class, but each class requires a short rest to ready maneuvers.

Since each martial maneuver requires a precise combination of techniques for gathering inner energy, training muscle memory, speaking prayers or catechisms, and even focusing the mind on specific concepts or analogies, most martial adepts can’t keep every maneuver they know at the forefront of their minds.

Initiating Maneuvers and Stances

To initiate a maneuver or a stance, you must be able to move. You do not need to be able to speak. You initiate a maneuver by taking the specified initiation action. The process of initiating a maneuver is similar to that of casting a spell or manifesting a psionic power. You can only choose to initiate a maneuver that is currently readied and unexpended.

Multiclass Characters

Even when you gain levels in a class that does not grant martial maneuvers, your understanding of the martial disciplines still increases. A highly skilled fighter has the basic combat training and experience needed to master advanced maneuvers.

If you are a multiclass martial adept, and you learn a new maneuver by attaining a new level in a martial adept class, determine your initiator level by adding together your level in that class + 1/2 your levels in all other classes. Look up the result on the table below to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can take. You still have to meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it.

Character Level	Maneuver Level
1st-2nd	1st
3rd-4th	2nd
5th-6th	3rd
7th-8th	4th
9th-10th	5th
11th-12th	6th
13th-14th	7th
15th-16th	8th
17th+	9th

Martial Powers and Magic

In general, martial maneuvers and stances that create supernatural effects are transparent to magic or psionics. However, martial maneuvers rarely interact with spells or powers. Once a maneuver is initiated, the effect lasts only for your turn unless otherwise noted, giving an opponent little opportunity to counter it.

Antimagic Fields?

Stances and maneuvers work perfectly inside antimagic fields, though no one can explain why. Even overtly supernatural effects still happen in these areas.

Detecting Martial Manuevers

Most maneuvers don’t create persistent or long-lasting effects, and the results are obvious to any observer. However, identifying a specific maneuver, stance, or discipline requires use of the History skill.

Multiple Effects

Martial maneuvers and stances usually work as described in Chapter 4, no matter how many other powers, spells, or magical effects happen to be operating in the same area or on the same subject. Whenever a maneuver or stance has a specific effect on other maneuvers, powers, or spells, its description explains the effect. Most martial adepts can use only one stance at a time, but some high-level adepts might be able to use two stances at once.

Stacking Effects

Maneuvers or stances that provide bonuses or penalties on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and other attributes do not stack with each other unless specifically noted within their descriptions.

Discipline Weapons

All martial disciplines can be used unarmed, or with any weapon, but each has several weapons they resonate with. If you are not using a disciplines preferred weapon, you do not add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls or skill checks needed by that disciplines maneuvers.

Maneuvers and Stance Descriptions

The various martial maneuvers available to practitioners of the Sublime Way are described in Chapter 3: Maneuvers and Stances. The description of each power follows a standard format, which is explained below.

Name

This entry is the name by which the maneuver is generally known. However, it’s fairly common for various schools or traditions of the Sublime Way to bestow their own names on maneuvers. For example, the swooping dragon strike maneuver might be known as the dragon’s pounce, the gentle reminder, or something as esoteric as Liam falling down the mountain.

Martial Discipline

Each maneuver belongs to one of nine martial disciplines. The maneuvers in a discipline are loosely linked by common effects, philosophies, or functions. The second line of a maneuver or stance description provides the name of the relevant discipline, along with its type (see below).

Just like maneuver names, the names of martial disciplines vary widely from one locale to another. In fact, the term discipline is not universally used. Disciplines might be known as schools, traditions, philosophies, regimens, teachings, paths, or styles. For example, the Desert Wind discipline might be known in some areas as the Green Naga style or the Wakeful Dreamer philosophy.

Each discipline is tied to a skill that might be used in the execution of some of its maneuvers. In addition, various weapons lend themselves to the philosophy or maneuvers of different disciplines.

The nine disciplines include the following;

Desert Wind

Speed and mobility are the hallmarks of the Desert Wind discipline. Desert Wind maneuvers often involve blinding fiurries of blows, quick charges, and agile footwork. Some maneuvers from this school, however, draw power from the supernatural essence of the desert and allow an adept practitioner to scour his foes with fire.

The key skill for Desert Wind maneuvers is Acrobatics. Weapons associated with Desert Wind include the scimitar, light mace, light pick, falchion, and spear.

Devoted Spirit

Faith, piety, and purity of body and mind are the wellsprings of a warrior’s true power. Devoted Spirit maneuvers harness a practitioner’s spiritual strength and her zealous devotion to a cause. This discipline includes energies baneful to a creature opposed to the Devoted Spirit student’s cause, abilities that can keep an adept fighting long after a more mundane warrior would fall to his enemies, and strikes infused with vengeful, fanatical power.

Intimidation is the key skill for Devoted Spirit. Devoted Spirit associated weapons include the falchion, greatclub, longsword, and maul.

Diamond Mind

True quickness lies in the mind, not the body. A student of the Diamond Mind discipline seeks to hone his perceptions and discipline his thoughts so that he can act in slivers of time so narrow that others cannot even perceive them. A corollary of this speed of thought and action is the concept of the mind as the battleground. An enemy defeated in his mind must inevitably be defeated in the realm of the physical as well.

Insight is the key skill for Diamond Mind. The rapier, shortspear, bastard sword (katana), and trident are the associated weapons for Diamond Mind.

Iron Heart

Absolute mastery of the sword is the goal of the Iron Heart discipline. Through unending practice and study, the Iron Heart adept achieves superhuman skill with her weapons. Iron Heart maneuvers are demonstrations of uncanny martial skill—weaving patterns of steel that dizzy, confuse, and ultimately kill with no recourse.

The key skill for Iron Heart is Acrobatics, since a perfect understanding of motion is essential to maneuvers in this discipline. The bastard sword, dwarven waraxe, longsword, and two-bladed sword are the associated weapons for Iron Heart.

Black Seraph

The secrets of the Black Seraph discipline are taught by possessing fiends and demonic tutors to their pawns as a way of enticing fools who desire power into learning their secrets or the occasional few with wills strong enough to tear those secrets from their infernal prisoners. Not ones to blanch at the thought of fighting dirty, Black Seraph disciples are quite content to injure their foes in any way that they can to ensure their victory. This discipline focuses on powerful, straightforward two-handed strikes and vicious counters as well as intimidation, pain-infliction, and dirty fighting.

Intimidation is the key skill for the Black Seraph discipline. The associated weapons for Black Seraph are axes, flails, and pole arms .

Shadow Hand

Never show an adversary what he expects to see. The Shadow Hand discipline emphasizes deception, misdirection, and surprise. The most effective blow is one struck against an enemy who does not even know he is in danger. Because the study of deceit as a philosophy often leads into darker practices, some Shadow Hand maneuvers employ the supernatural cold and darkness of pure shadow.

The key skill for the Shadow Hand discipline is Stealth. Shadow Hand associated weapons include the dagger, short sword, sai, siangham, unarmed strike, and spiked chain.

Stone Dragon

The strength and endurance of the mountains epitomize the Stone Dragon discipline. The methodical and relentless application of force allows a student of this philosophy to defeat any foe. Strikes of superhuman power and manifestations of perfect, idealized force make up the Stone Dragon maneuvers.

Athletics is the key skill for the Stone Dragon discipline. The associated weapons for Stone Dragon are greatsword, greataxe, heavy mace, and unarmed strike.

Tiger Claw

Consciousness is the enemy of instinct. The Tiger Claw discipline teaches that martial superiority can be achieved by discarding the veneer of civilization, along with the higher thoughts that fetter a warrior’s actions. Tiger Claw maneuvers emulate the strikes, leaps, and pounces of animals. When infused with ki power, some Tiger Claw maneuvers also allow a martial adept to take on animalistic characteristics, speed, and bloodlust.

Tiger Claw emphasizes strength and speed, so Athletics is the key skill for this discipline. The kukri, kama, claw, handaxe, greataxe, and unarmed strike are the associated weapons for Tiger Claw.

White Raven

No warrior fights in isolation. Cooperation, teamwork, and leadership can give two warriors the strength of five, and five warriors the strength of twenty. The student of the White Raven masters maneuvers that combine the strengths of two or more allies against a common foe. Shouts and battlecries infused with ki are the signature maneuvers of the White Raven discipline.

Persuasion is the key skill for White Raven. This discipline’s associated weapons are the longsword, battleaxe, warhammer, greatsword, and halberd.

(Type)

Most martial powers fall into one of four categories: boost, counter, stance, or strike. Some maneuvers don’t fall into any of these categories, but these are exceptions to the rule.

Boost: This category covers maneuvers that allow a warrior to focus himself, summon his ki energy or other source of power, and unleash it through his melee attacks. A crusader who draws a deep breath, shouts an invocation to his god or cause, and then unleashes a mighty attack is using a boost. Boosts require bonus actions.
Counter: A counter is a fast, usually defensive maneuver that you use to foil your opponent’s actions. A swordsage who dodges to just beyond a rampaging minotaur’s reach is using a counter. Counters use reactions.
Strike: A strike is a maneuver that allows a special attack. A warblade who delivers a single blow that slays an ogre is using a strike. A strike imparts some advantage or bonus over a standard attack, such as extra damage, an additional effect such as blinding a foe, and so forth. Strikes use actions.
Stance: A stance is not a maneuver, but a specific fighting method that you maintain from round to round. So long as you maintain a stance, you gain some benefit from it. A swordsage initiate of the Shadow Hand school who creates a concealing shroud of shadow energy while he moves is using a stance. Stances require no action.

[Descriptor]

Some maneuvers have descriptors that further define them. These descriptors appear on the same line as the discipline of the maneuver.

The descriptors that can apply to maneuvers are cold, electricity, evil, fear, fire, force, good, mind-affecting, teleport, and sonic. Most of these descriptors have no game effect by themselves, but they govern how a maneuver interacts with other maneuvers, powers, spells, or abilities.

Level

This entry gives the level of the maneuver within it's style.

You can learn any maneuver you like by choosing the Martial Study feat, regardless of class. However, you must still meet the prerequisite of the maneuver.

Prerequisite

In addition to meeting the class and level requirements before you can learn a maneuver, you must meet a certain set of requirements to be able to choose that maneuver as one you know. Stances are considered maneuvers for the purpose of meeting a prerequisite to learn a new maneuver.

You can’t learn a maneuver unless you gain a level in a martial adept class or you take the Martial Study feat.

Maneuvers Known: Some of the more powerful maneuvers require you to learn one or more other maneuvers in the same discipline before they can be selected.

Range

A maneuver’s range indicates how far from you it can reach. Many maneuvers are treated as Personal-range effects, because you initiate the maneuver to give yourself a special bonus or capability for the round.

Standard ranges include (but are not limited to) the following:

Personal: The maneuver affects only you (but might give you an unusual power or ability that affects others for the rest of your turn).

Touch: You must touch a creature or object to affect it. A touch maneuver that deals damage can score a critical hit just as a weapon can, although you do not multiply the extra damage from a maneuver on a successful critical hit.

Melee Attack: The maneuver affects any creature you make a successful melee attack against.

Adjacent: The maneuver affects creatures within 5 feet of you. Sometimes you only affect adjacent creatures at the beginning of your turn or at the end of your turn, but other maneuvers might affect any creature you move adjacent to during the course of your turn. See the specific maneuver descriptions for details.

Range Expressed in Feet: Some maneuvers have no standard range category, just a range expressed in feet.

Duration

A maneuver’s duration tells you how long its effect lasts.

Description of Effect

This portion of the maneuver description explains what the maneuver does and how it works. It begins with a sentence or two of italicized “read-aloud” text that gives players an image of how the maneuver does what it does. If one of the previous lines in the maneuver description included “see text,” this section is where you find the explanation.

Chapter 2: Classes

Crusader, Swordsage, Warblade

The Crusader

A human in heavy armor charges down the ramp, his bravery and martial skill inspiring the villagers behind him. Cheering, the follow the man into battle.

A half-elf bearing nothing but a mace and her faith stands tall against the demon. His power is overwhelming, but her skill and discipline bring her victory.

A halfling man sighs, before picking up his scythe. The modron hesitates before charging, never realizing that the dimunitive humanoid is a champion of chaos personified.

All of these heros are crusaders, exemplars of alignment and champions of divinity.

Heroes and Villains

Devoted knight, divine agent, instrument of vengeance, peerless fighting machine - the crusader is a warrior dedicated to good, evil, law, chaos, or some other cause. She seeks out and destroys the enemies of her chosen faith. Strengthened by prayer or absolute devotion to a principle, armored by unshakable faith, and driven by her convictions, a good crusader is a mighty weapon against injustice and malice. An evil crusader, on the other hand, is a cruel and fearsome warrior of darkness.

Natural Skill at War

A crusader who embraces a religion or holy faith is similar to a paladin in that she commands a number of holy (or unholy) powers. However, a crusader has no skill with divine spellcasting; she is a martial adept whose maneuvers are unpredictable gifts of divine power.

Trusting in the power of her chosen deity, she allows faith and intuition to guide her through battle. Many crusaders receive the call to their cause early in life, but never study formally at a temple or monastery. These warriors are gifted with a natural ability to channel the divine energies of their cause, but in a raw, untamed manner. A crusader has absolute faith in her ability to draw on the source of her power, but she never quite knows how that power will manifest.

First and foremost, a crusader is a competent combatant. She fights as skillfully as a fighter, paladin, or ranger does, relying on heavy armor and a good selection of weapons to gain the edge over her opponents. To this basic fighting prowess, she adds several abilities derived from her absolute faith and devotion to her chosen ideal.

When fighting for her cause, a crusader becomes an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Terrible injuries might send less dedicated warriors running from the fight, but a crusader transforms such setbacks into martial fury that enables her to fight on long after other warriors would have been overwhelmed.

A crusader masters a small number of martial maneuvers as she gains levels. Derived from her extraordinary self-discipline, these maneuvers include catechisms of faith, spiritual devotions, and the ability to strike spectacular blows in the service of her patron or cause. Armed with the power of her faith, she can shatter boulders, shrug off enemy attacks, or rally an army with a single act of bravery.

___ > ##### Multiclassing > You must have a Wisdom score and a Strength score of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.

Class Features

As a Crusader, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Crusader level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per crusader level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light, medium, and heavy armor, and all shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None

Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, Perception, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

(a) a simple weapon or (b) a martial weapon
(a) a shield or (b) plate mail
(a) scale mail or (b) a longbow and 20 arrows
(a) a priest's pack or (b) an adventurer's pack

Crusader

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Maneuvers Known	Maneuvers Readied	Stances Known
1st	+2	The Sublime Way, Steely Resolve (5)	5	5 (2)	1
2nd	+2	Furious Counterattack	5	5 (2)	1
3rd	+2	Crusader's Order	6	5 (2)	2
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Steely Resolve (10)	6	5 (2)	2
5th	+3	Zealous Surge (1)	7	5 (2)	2
6th	+3	Crusader's Smite	7	5 (2)	2
7th	+3	Path Feature	8	5 (2)	2
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	8	5 (2)	3
9th	+4	Steely Resolve (15)	9	5 (2)	3
10th	+4	Die Hard	9	6 (3)	3
11th	+4	─	10	6 (3)	3
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	10	6 (3)	3
13th	+5	Steely Resolve (20), Zealous Surge (2)	11	6 (3)	3
14th	+5	Path Feature	11	6 (3)	4
15th	+5	─	12	6 (3)	4
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	12	6 (3)	4
17th	+6	Steely Resolve (25)	13	6 (3)	4
18th	+6	Path Feature	13	6 (3)	4
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	14	6 (3)	4
20th	+6	Steely Resolve (30), Indomitable Soul	14	7 (4)	4

The Sublime Way

At 1st level, your devotion has unlocked the secrets of the Sublime Way to you. You may learn and ready a number of martial discipline stances and maneuvers as shown in the Crusader table above. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you may exchange any maneuver you know for a new one you meet the prerequisites for.

You may learn maneuvers and stances from the Devoted Spirit, White Raven, and Stone Dragon martial disciplines. Some maneuvers may call for a saving throw to be made by a hostile creature. When they do so, use the following formula to determine the DC for these saving throws.

Maneuver Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Wisdom modifier

Steely Resolve

Also at 1st level, your supreme dedication and intense focus allow you to temporarily set aside the pain and hindering effects of injuries.

You have a delayed damage pool that allows you to forestall the effects of many injuries. This pool begins at 0. This pool has a maximum based upon your level, as shown in the Crusader table above.

When you are attacked, any hit point damage the blow deals is added to your delayed damage pool. At the end of your next turn, you take damage equal to the total stored in your delayed damage pool, which then resets to 0.

Any healing you receive can either increase your current hit point total as normal or reduce the total damage in your delayed damage pool. When you receive healing, you choose whether it affects your damage pool, your hit points, or both (you can split the amount of healing as you wish).

Furious Counterattack

At 2nd level, you have learned how to channel your righteous fury into martial prowess. Whenever your delayed damage pool reaches it's maximum, you may choose a number of expended maneuvers that are recovered instantly. This number is shown in parentheses in the Maneuvers Readied column of the Crusader table.

Crusader's Order

At 3rd level, you choose an order that shapes the expression of your devotion. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 14th, and 18th levels. These Orders are detailed at the end of the class description.

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.

Zealous Surge

Your boundless energy and dedication to your cause allow you to throw off the effect of a special attack, spell, or other attack that would otherwise hinder or harm you.

Beginning at 5th level, you can opt to reroll a single saving throw. You must abide by the result of the new, second saving throw, even if it is lower than the first.

This ability does not require an action. You simply decide to use it after seeing the result of your saving throw roll but before the DM tells you if it fails or succeeds.

Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again. You gain an additional use of this feature at 13th level.

Crusader's Smite

At 6th level, you have learned to harness your devotion to make your strikes harm your foes. As long as you have damage in your delayed damage pool, you may add your Wisdom modifier to all weapon and maneuver damage rolls.

Die Hard

At 10th level, your faith in your cause keeps you conscious even when others would fall. Once, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you do not fall unconcious until the end of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.

Indomitable Soul

At 20th level, your faith protects you from hostile magic that would harm you. You have advantage on saving throws against spells.

Crusader's Orders

All crusaders walk their own path, but two orders of zealous warriors in particular are common among the multiverse- the Ruby Vindicator, and the Deepstone Sentinel. These orders teach disciplines that aid in their goals, and all crusaders honor venerable Sentinals and Vindicators.

Ruby Vindicator

The Ruby Knights are a crusader order in the service of a mysterious goddess of death and magic. Inscrutable and mysterious, these secretive warriors serve as the militant arm of their faith. They protect the temples of their goddess, guard important leaders of the church, aid powerful sorcerers and necromancers sworn to the service of the Ruby Goddess, and help to train novice clergy.

They travel the world, performing their duties, often as knight-errants, and in this capacity they can be found anywhere. When called upon, they also serve as spies and assassins.

Knight-Assassin

Beginning when you select this Order at 3rd level, you may choose maneuvers and stances from the Shadow Hand martial discipline.

Stealth Proficency

Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Stealth skill. If you are already proficient with Stealth, you become proficient with 1 other skill instead.

Ruby Vanguard

At 7th level, you have proven your devotion to the Ruby Goddess enough to earn one of her hidden blessings. Whenever you receive magical healing, you may add your Wisdom modifier to the hit points healed.

Hammer of the Witch Goddess

At 14th level, you have embraced your role as a holy assassin.

Whenever you deal damage to a creature from concealment, you may exchange a maneuver you do not have readied for one that you have readied. The new maneuver becomes readied for use, and the former maneuver is no longer readied for you.

You may only benefit from this feature once per long rest.

Vindicator Supreme

At 18th level, whenever you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points or less, the Witch Goddess smiles upon you, allowing you to recover an expended maneuver.

Deepstone Sentinel

The Stone Dragon discipline traces its roots back to an ancient order of dwarves that used the power of the earth to enhance their combat style. A deepstone sentinel immerses himself in these ancient teachings to link himself to the power of stone. Most deepstone sentinels use this power in the defense of their fellows, though some take a more active approach battling the enemies of their people.

Bonus Stance

At 3rd level, you gain a bonus stance that must be chosen from the Stone Dragon discipline.

Mountain Fortress Stance

Also at 3rd level, you learn to make yourself as impenetrable as a mountain fortress. While you are in a Stone Dragon stance, you can forgo its normal benefit with a bonus action to gain the effect of mountain fortress stance.

When you use this ability, you can choose to create a fortress of earth or rock, provided you are standing on earth, stone, rock, or a worked surface.

The 5 foot space that you occupy forms a pillar of earth or rock 5 feet tall, with you on top. The terrain surrounding you becomes steeply sloped and rocky, causing the ground within 10 feet of you to become difficult terrain.

Crashing Mountain Juggernaut

Beginning at 7th level, you have learned how to leverage Mountain Fortress Stance in battle. While in Mountain Fortress Stance, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level, and you have advantage while use strike maneuvers against creatures currently in difficult terrain.

Indomitable Redoubt

By 14th level, you have been trained in the art of using Stone Dragon stances in conjunction with Mountain Fortress Stance.

While you are in Mountain Fortress stance, you can also initiate and gain the benefit of one additional Stone Dragon stance. You must otherwise follow all the normal rules for entering and maintaining a stance.

Awaken the Stone Dragon

At 18th level, you have unlocked the final technique of the Deepstone Sentinels. While you are in Mountain Fortress Stance, you may cast earthquake without using material components once. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.

The Swordsage

An elf in exquisite robes faces their challenger. Drawing their blade, they know that this will be the duel of their long life.

A human dances between columns, avoiding spells and arrows alike, before rising into the sky on superheated air, fire trailing from her sword.

A firbolg runs through the forest, blades in hand, leaping off of trees to evade his attackers. They do not know he is leading them into an ambush.

All of these warriors are swordsages, experts bladesmen and scions of knowledge alike.

True Blade Magic

A master of martial maneuvers, the swordsage is a physical adept - a blade wizard whose knowledge of the Sublime Way lets him unlock potent abilities, many of which are overtly supernatural or magical in nature.

Depending on which disciplines he chooses to study, a swordsage might be capable of walking through walls, leaping dozens of feet into the air, shattering boulders with a single touch, or even mastering the elements of fire or shadow. Whatever his specific training, a swordsage blurs the line between martial prowess and magical skill.

Versatility Incarnate

Of all three martial adept classes, swordsages learn and can ready the most maneuvers. This advantage gives them unparalleled versatility in a given encounter. In one battle, a swordsage might fulfill the role of the rogue, lurking in shadows and striking when foes are least prepared.

In another, he might be scorching enemies with area attacks, much like a wizard. In still another fight, he might tear an enemy apart with his bare hands, matching a barbarian's ferocity with his own distinctive style of bloodthirstiness. Whatever the occasion, a swordsage is able to contribute, often in completely unexpected ways.

Multiclassing

You must have a Dexterity score and an Intelligence score of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.