Sylvan Blades share many of the same affinities as their Ranger and Druid cousins, combining a deep spiritual connection to nature with martial prowess. Their origins are believed to be connected to a exchange between elves and several druid circles (who were primarily human). Whether driven by necessity or just mutual interest, the elves began teaching the Druids their natural affinity for the sword, bow, and dance, and the Druids taught the elves the ways of their circle, which would eventually spread to other demi-human races, as well.
In the Forgotten Realms, Sylvan Blades are most often followers of Mielikki, Sylvanus, or any deity connected to nature.
In Tarias, Sylvan Blades almost always follow the goddess Tatyana.
In other realms, they follow the dominant nature god(s) of that realm.
Alignment: | Any non-evil |
---|---|
Hit Dice: | d10 |
Skill Points: | 6 + INT modifier / level |
Armor Feats: | Light Armor, Shields |
Weapon Feats: | Simple, Scimitar, Light Hammer, Hand Axe, Kukri, Shortsword, Rapier, Longsword, Longbow (including composite), Shortbow (including composite), |
Class Skills: | Acrobatics, Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Perception, Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival, Swim |
Class Level |
BAB * | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Wild Empathy, Track |
2nd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Leaf Dance, Talon Strike, The Sylvan Paths |
3rd | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | |
4th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Nature's Blessing, Initiate of the Path |
5th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Woodland Stride |
6th | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Adept of the Path |
7th | +7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Swift Tracker |
8th | +8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Nature's Blessing |
9th | +9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Evasion |
10th | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | |
11th | +11 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Master of the Sylvan Path |
12th | +12 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Nature's Blessing |
13th | +13 | +8 | +8 | +4 | |
14th | +14 | +9 | +9 | +4 | |
15th | +15 | +9 | +9 | +5 | Nature's Blessing |
16th | +16 | +10 | +10 | +5 | |
17th | +17 | +10 | +10 | +5 | |
18th | +18 | +11 | +11 | +6 | Nature's Blessing |
19th | +19 | +11 | +11 | +6 | |
20th | +20 | +12 | +12 | +6 | Nature's Blessing |
Class Level |
Spells per Day | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |
1st | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
2nd | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
3rd | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
4th | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
6th | 4 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
7th | 5 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
8th | 5 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
9th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
10th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
11th | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
12th | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
13th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
14th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
15th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
16th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
17th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
18th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
19th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
20th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Abilities and Feats specific to the Sylvan Blade class will not function while wearing medium or heavy armor. Also, when casting spells in medium or heavy armor, you suffer a 30% spell failure rate. You are unable to use tower shields.
You cast divine spells, which are drawn from the Druid and Ranger spell lists.
Your alignment may restrict you from casting certain spells opposed to your moral or ethical beliefs.
You must choose and prepare spells in advance.
Your daily allotment of spells and effective caster level are given in the table.
You receives bonus spells per day if you have a high Wisdom score.
To prepare or cast a spell, you must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level.
The DC for a saving throw against your Sylvan Blade spells is 10 + the spell level + your Wisdom modifier.
You may not spontaneously convert your prepared spells into summon spells, as a Druid does.
This functions identical to the Wild Empathy ability of Rangers and Druids. Any existing Ranger and Druids levels count towards the effective level of this ability.
At 2nd level, you have learned a style of fighting that flows like an elegant dance, which grants you benefits when fighting with two weapons, based on your skill in Acrobatics.
You may activate this ability as a Move action. If you have at least 2 ranks trained in Acrobatics, you may instead activate this ability as a Swift action.
While active, you may strike a single target with both your primary and offhand weapons as standard attack. You count as having the Two-Weapon Fighting feat for this attack.
You may end this ability at any time as a Free action. In addition, anything that temporarily incapacitates you or impairs your movement immediately ends the effect.
You may not gain the benefits of this ability while using a shield.
At 2nd level, you have learned how to enter a heightened state of focus, which grants you benefits on ranged attacks, based on your Survival skill.
You may activate this ability as a Move action. If you have 2 ranks in Survival, you may instead activate this ability as a swift action.
While this ability is active, you may fire 2 missiles at a single target as a standard attack, taking a -2 penalty to hit. Each missile deals their damage separately, but critical strikes and precision-based damage (such as sneak attacks) apply only to the first missile.
You may end this ability at any time as a free action. In addition, taking damage immediately ends the effect, unless you makes a successful Survival check (DC = 10 + the damage taken).
At 2nd level, you choose a path as part of your training, which reflects your attitudes and affinity, and will determine the abilities you gain as you advances. Only one path may be chosen, and you may not switch to another path once you have chosen a path.
Path of the Tempest
At 4th level, you improve along your chosen path.
You may choose one of the listed bonus feats available to your chosen path,
provided you meet all the requirements for the desired feat.
At levels 4, 8, 12, 15, 18, and 20, you are granted a blessing, gaining one of the following extraordinary abilities of your choice.
Ranger abilities:
Your Sylvan Blade level must be at least as high as the level requirement of the chosen ability.
*Hide in plain Sight requires Camouflage.
A Thousand Faces and Timeless Body require
Path of the Oak.
Starting at 5th level, you may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at your normal speed, and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect you.
At 6th level, you improve yet again along your chosen path.
You may choose one of the listed bonus feats available to your chosen path,
provided you meet all the requirements for the desired feat.
Beginning at 7th level, you can move at your normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty. you take only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.
At 9th level, you can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If you make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, you instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if you are wearing light armor or no armor. While rendered helpless or incapacitated, you do not gain the benefit of evasion.
At 11th level, you have mastered your chosen path. You may choose one of the listed bonus feats available to your chosen path, provided you meet all the requirements for the desired feat.
Path of the TempestWhile Leaf Dance is active, you add your full STR modifier to the damage of your off-hand attacks (instead of half).
While Talon Focus is active, your ranged attacks do not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Otherwise, you gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC (+2 when fighting defensively).
As a swift action, you may imbue your melee weapons or natural attacks with the power to embed painful thorns in your target's wounds. On a successful hit, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level), or it suffers a -1 penalty to hit and AC. This affect can stack up to 2 times, and persists for 10 minutes, or until a successful Heal check (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level) is performed on the target.
This ability has no effect on creatures who are immune to bleeding (constructs, oozes, most undead, etc.)
This ability lasts 1 minute, and may be used up to 4 times per day.
As a swift action, you may imbue your ranged weapons so they bypass the damage reduction of creatures.
This ability bypasses 2 points of damage reduction at 4th level, and another 1 point for every 4 Sylvan Blade levels thereafter.
This ability lasts 1 minute, and may be used up to 4 times per day.
You strengthen your bond with nature.
Your caster level increases by 1 for every 4 Sylvan Blade levels you have (rounded up).
You cast spells, and receive spells per day, as if you were a Druid equal to your caster level.
If you took the Path of the Oak, you may increase your caster level by 1 for every 4 ranks you train in Knowledge (Nature). Your effective Druid level may not exceed your Sylvan Blade level.
You gain an Animal Companion (as per the Druid ability), if you do not already have one.
For this ability, you are treated as a Druid equal to your caster level,
plus any existing animal companion levels gained from other classes.
You may select from the alternative lists of animal companions just as a Druid can,
though you cannot select an alternative animal if the choice would reduce your Effective Druid Level below 1st.
For every 4 ranks you train in Handle Animal, your effective Druid level for this ability increases by 1. Your effective Druid level may not exceed your Sylvan Blade level.
While Leaf Dance is active and you have trained at least 4 ranks in Acrobatics, you may treat any 1-handed weapon as if it were a Light weapon.
If you chose the Path of the Tempest, you gain the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat.
Talon Focus now allows your to fire 2 missiles at a single target on your first attack of the round. The missiles use a single attack roll at a -2 penalty, but deal their damage separately. Critical strikes and sneak attack damage apply only to the first missile. Note that if Rapid Shot is also active, its attack penalty is also applied.
If you chose the Path of the huntress, your attack penalty for firing into melee is reduced by 1 for every 2 ranks in Survival while Talon Focus is active.
You gain Wild Shape, as per the Druid supernatural ability.
For this ability and related feats, your effective Druid level is equal to your caster level.
While Leaf Dance is active, you count as having Uncanny Dodge (as per the Rogue ability). you may also avoid being flanked by succeeding at an Acrobatics check (DC 15 + 1/2 flanking opponent's HD).
You fire a single missile at your target as a full-round action, gaining a bonus to your attack roll equal to 1/4 your Survival skill (rounded down), and applying 1/2 your Survival skill (rounded down) as precision-based damage to the attack's damage.
This attack cannot miss due to concealment or cover (except total cover). If the attack roll exceeds the target's AC by 10 or more, it counts as a critical strike.
You further strengthen your bonds with nature,
completing your magical training in the ways of the Druids.
Your caster level is now equal to your Sylvan Blade level for all related abilities,
and you gain a +1 innate bonus to your Will save for every 4 Sylvan Blade levels (rounded down).
You have mastered the art of the Leaf Dance, becoming a fluid whirlwind of steel.
You gain the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat.
While Leaf Dance is active, you may attack with your offhand on any main-hand attack that would normally not grant your an offhand attack, by succeeding on an Acrobatics check at DC 20. The DC of the check increases by 5 each additional time it is attempted in a given round.
You gain the Improved Precise Shot feat.
While Talon Focus is active, your ranged attacks deal 1 point of precision-based damage for every 4 ranks you have trained in Survival.