Dervish of the Sublime Way [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dervish of the Sublime Way [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
blood_of_the_ancient
04-27-07, 10:35 AM Sublime Dervish

Requirements
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Perform (dance) 3 ranks, Tumble 3 ranks
Feats: Combat Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Focus (any slashing melee weapon)
Maneuvers Known: Must know at least one maneuver or stance from the Desert Wind or Tiger Claw discipline.
Stances Known: Must know at least one stance from the Desert Wind discipline.

Among the wild nomadic dancers known as the Dervishes, a rare few train in the Sublime Way to gain even great skill with their slashing blades. These Sublime Dervishes strike with greater speed and power than their mundane counterparts, but lose a bit of the traditional grace of their dancing style. Even still, they are a force to be reckoned with.
HD: d8

Class Skills
The Sublime Dervish's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features
Dervish Dance (Ex): A sublime dervish can become a whirling dancer of death a certain number of times per day. As a free action the sublime dervish can fore go the normal benefits of the martial stance she is currently in to enter a Dervish Dance. While in this Dervish Dance, she can take a full attack action (for melee attacks only) and still move up to her speed. However, the sublime dervish must move a minimum of 5 feet between each attack when using this ability, and she cannot return to a square she just exited (though she may return to that square later in her full attack). The sublime dervish is subject to attacks of opportunity while dancing, but may tumble normally as part of her move. A sublime dervish prevented from completing her move is also prevented from finish her full attack.

If a sublime dervish wields a slashing weapon that is among the favored weapons for the Discipline of the stance she is currently in, she gains a bonus on her attack and damage rolls. This bonus is +1 at 1st level, and it increases by an extra +1 at every odd-numbered level thereafter.

A sublime dervish may only perform a dervish dance while wielding a slashing weapon (she may use a double weapon, or multiple weapons, only if both ends of the weapon or all weapons are of the slashing type). She cannot perform a dervish dance in any armor heavier than light or if she is using a shield. While dancing, a dervish cannot use skills or abilities that involve concentration or require her to remain still, such as Move Silently, Hide, or Search. A sublime dervish with the bardic music ability can, however, sing while she dances, and a sublime dervish can also use the Combat Expertise feat while in a dance. A sublime dervish cannot perform a dervish dance while under the effect of a rage or frenzy ability.

A sublime dervish cannot change stance or regain the benefits of her stance in any way during a dervish dance, but she can use martial boosts and strikes (as long as the strike is activated as part of a full attack action).

A sublime dervish can perform a dervish dance only once per encounter. A dervish dance lasts 1 round for every two ranks of Perform (dance) that the character has. At the end of a dervish dance, the character becomes fatigued for the duration of the encounter.

Movement Mastery: A sublime dervish can become so certain of her movements that she is unaffected by adverse conditions. As a swift action the sublime dervish may fore go the normal benefits of her current martial stance to gain the benefits of this ability for 1 round. When making a Balance, Jump, Perform (dance), or Tumble check, she may take 10 even if stress and distraction would normally prevent her from doing so, and gets an additional +2 bonus to these checks when doing so.

Slashing Blades: A sublime dervish chooses a one-handed weapon that is favored by the Desert Wind, Iron Heart, or Tiger Claw discipline. She treats this weapon as a light weapon instead of one-handed for all purposes, including two-Weapon fighting.

Speed of Dust: Starting at 2nd level, whenever a sublime dervish initiates a Desert Wind boost or Strike, she gains a boost to her land speed during her round. This boost starts at +5, and increases by an additional +5 at every third level after 2nd.

Dance of Death: At 3rd level, a sublime dervish can, as a swift action during a dervish dance, gain the benefit of the Cleave feat for one round, even if she does not meet the prerequisites for the feat. She does not have to move 5 feet before making the extra attack granted by this abilities.

Improved Reaction: When she attains 6th level, a sublime dervish gains a +2 bonus on Initiative rolls.

Tireless Dance: When a sublime dervish reaches 9th level, the character no longer becomes fatigued for the duration of the encounter at the end of a dervish dance.

A Thousand Cuts: When a sublime dervish reaches 10th level, once per day she may use A Thousand Cuts as a part of a full attack action (she cannot use any martial strike in conjecture with this ability). This doubles the number of melee attacks she makes while performing a full attack action during her round (whether in a dervish dance of not). If a sublime dervish uses this ability in conjecture with a dervish dance, she can make up to two attacks between moves.

The sublime dervish also gains the benefit of the Great Cleave feat with slashing weapons while performing A Thousand Cuts, even if she does not meet the prerequisites. She does not have to move 5 feet before making any extra attacks granted by this ability.

A sublime dervish using this ability can receive an extra attack from the haste spell, but the bonuses provided by the spell do not stack with the bonuses granted by the class.

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
01 +0 +0 +2 +2 Dervish Dance 1/day, Movement Mastery, Slashing Blades
02 +1 +0 +3 +3 Speed of Dust +5
03 +2 +1 +3 +3 Dance of Death
04 +3 +1 +4 +4 Dervish Dance 2/day
05 +3 +1 +4 +4 Speed of Dust +10
06 +4 +2 +5 +5 Improved Reaction
07 +5 +2 +5 +5 Dervish Dance 3/day
08 +6 +2 +6 +6 Speed of Dust +15
09 +6 +3 +6 +6 Tireless Dance
10 +7 +3 +7 +7 A Thousand Cuts, Dervish Dance 4/day

|Maneuvers Known | Maneuvers Readied | Stances Known|
Lv. 01 1 | 1 | 0
Lv. 02 2 | 1 | 0
Lv. 03 2 | 2 | 1
Lv. 04 3 | 2 | 1
Lv. 05 4 | 2 | 1
Lv. 06 4 | 3 | 1
Lv. 07 5 | 3 | 2
Lv. 08 6 | 3 | 2
Lv. 09 6 | 4 | 2
Lv. 10 7 | 4 | 2
Patinho_Amarelo
04-27-07, 10:46 AM Why Dervish? You kick almost everything wich become a Dervish a good class.

The dance still there? bonus to attack and damage?
blood_of_the_ancient
04-27-07, 10:53 AM I like Tome of Battle, I like the Dervish class. I thought, "Hey, why not?"

They still have...
Dervish Dance
Movement Mastery
Slashing Blades
Fast Movement (while in a Desert Wind stance)
Dance of Death
Improved Reaction
Tireless Dance
A Thousand Cuts

All the coolest abilities (in my opinion), they still have. The abilities they lost can be made up for my using the Sublime Way tricks they have gained.

Is it balanced?
Karla
04-27-07, 11:14 AM (Edit: comments refer to original post before update - that's why they might look odd now!)
As a Dervish about to take some Warblade levels I think the concept is extremely cool - but it does look overpowered to me. Alas! :)

Okay, you're losing a hp and some BAB relative to Dervish - but in return you're getting Swordsage maneuver progression, albeit with fewer disciplines (though you get Iron Heart which is one of the best)? Too good.

Or from the other perspective, you're losing the (not Earth-shaking) bonus abilities of a Swordsage in order to get Dervish abilities? Again, too good IMO.

I think you might do better basing it around a Warblade progression, d10 hits and losing some of the Dervish abilities - OR - and this actually gets quite interesting, try replacing some of the Dervish abilities with maneuvers. Movement mastery/slashing blades could be a stance - Dervish dance could be a strike...
blood_of_the_ancient
04-27-07, 11:52 AM Interesting idea. It's maneuver progression isn't quite as good as Swordsage, but, I like your idea. I want to keep the original (very cool) abilities and still get martial adept tricks, so, let's give this a whirl...
blood_of_the_ancient
04-27-07, 12:30 PM Alright, I changed up the class a bit, added limitations to the best abilities to make them more like you are using an exotic sort of boost/strike/stance.
Karla
04-27-07, 05:20 PM Ooh, that's definitely looking interesting now. Wonder what my DM would say... :)

I think having movement mastery as needing a swift action would be too limiting, no least because you'd really want it available for Sudden Leaps - I'd either keep it as a class ability or make it a new PrC stance. Doh, plus it's just occurred to me that you'd really really want Movement Mastery available whilst Dervish Dancing for the tumbling which I don't think you could do in this version...

Now I'm reminded, the thought I'd had previously was that just as Iron Heart has different level versions/variants on Whirlwind Strike (Steel Wind, Mithral Tornado, Adamantine Hurricane) so Desert Tempest looked awfully like one version of a Dervish dance maneuver. Which begged the question if that's what the level 6 version looked like, what would versions at say levels 1, 3 and 8 look like?

(At about which point I was caught unable to decide whether it'd work better as new maneuvers or a PrC and gave up thinking about it until I read this thread!)
blood_of_the_ancient
04-27-07, 09:41 PM You would want Leaping Dragon Stance, too. I'll make sure you can just activate it as though it were a stance.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
blood_of_the_ancient 04-27-07, 10:35 AM	Sublime Dervish Requirements Base Attack Bonus: +5 Skills: Perform (dance) 3 ranks, Tumble 3 ranks Feats: Combat Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Focus (any slashing melee weapon) Maneuvers Known: Must know at least one maneuver or stance from the Desert Wind or Tiger Claw discipline. Stances Known: Must know at least one stance from the Desert Wind discipline. Among the wild nomadic dancers known as the Dervishes, a rare few train in the Sublime Way to gain even great skill with their slashing blades. These Sublime Dervishes strike with greater speed and power than their mundane counterparts, but lose a bit of the traditional grace of their dancing style. Even still, they are a force to be reckoned with. HD: d8 Class Skills The Sublime Dervish's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex). Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier Class Features Dervish Dance (Ex): A sublime dervish can become a whirling dancer of death a certain number of times per day. As a free action the sublime dervish can fore go the normal benefits of the martial stance she is currently in to enter a Dervish Dance. While in this Dervish Dance, she can take a full attack action (for melee attacks only) and still move up to her speed. However, the sublime dervish must move a minimum of 5 feet between each attack when using this ability, and she cannot return to a square she just exited (though she may return to that square later in her full attack). The sublime dervish is subject to attacks of opportunity while dancing, but may tumble normally as part of her move. A sublime dervish prevented from completing her move is also prevented from finish her full attack. If a sublime dervish wields a slashing weapon that is among the favored weapons for the Discipline of the stance she is currently in, she gains a bonus on her attack and damage rolls. This bonus is +1 at 1st level, and it increases by an extra +1 at every odd-numbered level thereafter. A sublime dervish may only perform a dervish dance while wielding a slashing weapon (she may use a double weapon, or multiple weapons, only if both ends of the weapon or all weapons are of the slashing type). She cannot perform a dervish dance in any armor heavier than light or if she is using a shield. While dancing, a dervish cannot use skills or abilities that involve concentration or require her to remain still, such as Move Silently, Hide, or Search. A sublime dervish with the bardic music ability can, however, sing while she dances, and a sublime dervish can also use the Combat Expertise feat while in a dance. A sublime dervish cannot perform a dervish dance while under the effect of a rage or frenzy ability. A sublime dervish cannot change stance or regain the benefits of her stance in any way during a dervish dance, but she can use martial boosts and strikes (as long as the strike is activated as part of a full attack action). A sublime dervish can perform a dervish dance only once per encounter. A dervish dance lasts 1 round for every two ranks of Perform (dance) that the character has. At the end of a dervish dance, the character becomes fatigued for the duration of the encounter. Movement Mastery: A sublime dervish can become so certain of her movements that she is unaffected by adverse conditions. As a swift action the sublime dervish may fore go the normal benefits of her current martial stance to gain the benefits of this ability for 1 round. When making a Balance, Jump, Perform (dance), or Tumble check, she may take 10 even if stress and distraction would normally prevent her from doing so, and gets an additional +2 bonus to these checks when doing so. Slashing Blades: A sublime dervish chooses a one-handed weapon that is favored by the Desert Wind, Iron Heart, or Tiger Claw discipline. She treats this weapon as a light weapon instead of one-handed for all purposes, including two-Weapon fighting. Speed of Dust: Starting at 2nd level, whenever a sublime dervish initiates a Desert Wind boost or Strike, she gains a boost to her land speed during her round. This boost starts at +5, and increases by an additional +5 at every third level after 2nd. Dance of Death: At 3rd level, a sublime dervish can, as a swift action during a dervish dance, gain the benefit of the Cleave feat for one round, even if she does not meet the prerequisites for the feat. She does not have to move 5 feet before making the extra attack granted by this abilities. Improved Reaction: When she attains 6th level, a sublime dervish gains a +2 bonus on Initiative rolls. Tireless Dance: When a sublime dervish reaches 9th level, the character no longer becomes fatigued for the duration of the encounter at the end of a dervish dance. A Thousand Cuts: When a sublime dervish reaches 10th level, once per day she may use A Thousand Cuts as a part of a full attack action (she cannot use any martial strike in conjecture with this ability). This doubles the number of melee attacks she makes while performing a full attack action during her round (whether in a dervish dance of not). If a sublime dervish uses this ability in conjecture with a dervish dance, she can make up to two attacks between moves. The sublime dervish also gains the benefit of the Great Cleave feat with slashing weapons while performing A Thousand Cuts, even if she does not meet the prerequisites. She does not have to move 5 feet before making any extra attacks granted by this ability. A sublime dervish using this ability can receive an extra attack from the haste spell, but the bonuses provided by the spell do not stack with the bonuses granted by the class. Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 01 +0 +0 +2 +2 Dervish Dance 1/day, Movement Mastery, Slashing Blades 02 +1 +0 +3 +3 Speed of Dust +5 03 +2 +1 +3 +3 Dance of Death 04 +3 +1 +4 +4 Dervish Dance 2/day 05 +3 +1 +4 +4 Speed of Dust +10 06 +4 +2 +5 +5 Improved Reaction 07 +5 +2 +5 +5 Dervish Dance 3/day 08 +6 +2 +6 +6 Speed of Dust +15 09 +6 +3 +6 +6 Tireless Dance 10 +7 +3 +7 +7 A Thousand Cuts, Dervish Dance 4/day \|Maneuvers Known \| Maneuvers Readied \| Stances Known\| Lv. 01 1 \| 1 \| 0 Lv. 02 2 \| 1 \| 0 Lv. 03 2 \| 2 \| 1 Lv. 04 3 \| 2 \| 1 Lv. 05 4 \| 2 \| 1 Lv. 06 4 \| 3 \| 1 Lv. 07 5 \| 3 \| 2 Lv. 08 6 \| 3 \| 2 Lv. 09 6 \| 4 \| 2 Lv. 10 7 \| 4 \| 2
Patinho_Amarelo 04-27-07, 10:46 AM	Why Dervish? You kick almost everything wich become a Dervish a good class. The dance still there? bonus to attack and damage?
blood_of_the_ancient 04-27-07, 10:53 AM	I like Tome of Battle, I like the Dervish class. I thought, "Hey, why not?" They still have... Dervish Dance Movement Mastery Slashing Blades Fast Movement (while in a Desert Wind stance) Dance of Death Improved Reaction Tireless Dance A Thousand Cuts All the coolest abilities (in my opinion), they still have. The abilities they lost can be made up for my using the Sublime Way tricks they have gained. Is it balanced?
Karla 04-27-07, 11:14 AM	(Edit: comments refer to original post before update - that's why they might look odd now!) As a Dervish about to take some Warblade levels I think the concept is extremely cool - but it does look overpowered to me. Alas! :) Okay, you're losing a hp and some BAB relative to Dervish - but in return you're getting Swordsage maneuver progression, albeit with fewer disciplines (though you get Iron Heart which is one of the best)? Too good. Or from the other perspective, you're losing the (not Earth-shaking) bonus abilities of a Swordsage in order to get Dervish abilities? Again, too good IMO. I think you might do better basing it around a Warblade progression, d10 hits and losing some of the Dervish abilities - OR - and this actually gets quite interesting, try replacing some of the Dervish abilities with maneuvers. Movement mastery/slashing blades could be a stance - Dervish dance could be a strike...
blood_of_the_ancient 04-27-07, 11:52 AM	Interesting idea. It's maneuver progression isn't quite as good as Swordsage, but, I like your idea. I want to keep the original (very cool) abilities and still get martial adept tricks, so, let's give this a whirl...
blood_of_the_ancient 04-27-07, 12:30 PM	Alright, I changed up the class a bit, added limitations to the best abilities to make them more like you are using an exotic sort of boost/strike/stance.
Karla 04-27-07, 05:20 PM	Ooh, that's definitely looking interesting now. Wonder what my DM would say... :) I think having movement mastery as needing a swift action would be too limiting, no least because you'd really want it available for Sudden Leaps - I'd either keep it as a class ability or make it a new PrC stance. Doh, plus it's just occurred to me that you'd really really want Movement Mastery available whilst Dervish Dancing for the tumbling which I don't think you could do in this version... Now I'm reminded, the thought I'd had previously was that just as Iron Heart has different level versions/variants on Whirlwind Strike (Steel Wind, Mithral Tornado, Adamantine Hurricane) so Desert Tempest looked awfully like one version of a Dervish dance maneuver. Which begged the question if that's what the level 6 version looked like, what would versions at say levels 1, 3 and 8 look like? (At about which point I was caught unable to decide whether it'd work better as new maneuvers or a PrC and gave up thinking about it until I read this thread!)
blood_of_the_ancient 04-27-07, 09:41 PM	You would want Leaping Dragon Stance, too. I'll make sure you can just activate it as though it were a stance.