As a sword saint gains experience, he learns a number of talents that aid him and his allies. Starting at 2nd level, a sword saint gains one sword saint talent. He gains an additional sword saint talent for every 2 levels of sword saint attained after 2nd level. Unless noted, a sword saint cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Table: Sword Saint Talents
| Sword Saint Talent | Prerequisites | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Practiced Skill (Ex) | Practiced Skill class feature | The sword saint may pick a swordskill to gain its Practiced effect. This talent can be selected multiple times. |
| Antagonistic Personality (Ex) | Antagonize feat | You gain Provoke as a bonus feat. |
| Area-Focused Swordskill (Ex) | — | When a sword saint uses a swordskill that affects multiple enemies, he can choose to reduce the number affected equal to his Charisma modifier. For each enemy ignored this way, increase the DC of the swordskill by 1. |
| Armored Confidence (Ex): | — | While wearing armor, the sword saint gains a bonus on Intimidate checks based upon the type of armor he is wearing: +1 for light armor, +2 for medium armor, or +3 for heavy armor. This bonus increases by 1 at 7th level and every four sword saint levels thereafter. In addition, the sword saint adds half his armored confidence bonus to the DC of Intimidate checks to demoralize or antagonize. |
| Athlete (Ex) | — | A sword saint adds half his sword saint levels as a bonus to all Acrobatic skill checks. A sword saint is considered always taking 10 on any Acrobatic skill checks. The sword saint can also take 20 in half the time. |
| Charismatic Swordplay (Ex) | — | A sword saint may use his Charisma modifier instead of Dexterity for any ranged attack rolls of his swordskills. |
| Combat Feat | — | A sword saint may select any Combat feat instead of a talent. A sword saint must still meet all prerequisites for this feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums. This talent may be selected only once. |
| Defensive Training | — | A sword saint may take this talent to gain one of the following feats as a bonus feat: Armor Focus, Armor Specialization, Bodyguard, Combat Expertise, Covering Defense, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Greater Armor Focus, Greater Armor Specialization, Mobility, and Stand Still. This talent may be taken more than once. Each time, a different feat must be selected. The sword saint must meet all prerequisites for the feat chosen. |
| Extreme Effort (Ex) | Strength 15 | A sword saint that selects this talent may perform feats of extreme physical effort. When making a Strength check, the sword saint doubles his Strength bonus. At 11th level, triple the Strength bonus, and at 16th level, quadruple the Strength bonus. The sword saint may always take 10 on any Strength checks. |
| Fast Movement (Ex) | — | A sword saint that selects this talent increases his base speed by 10 ft. |
| Focused Strength (Ex) | Sword Saint 8 | A sword saint with this talent adds his Strength modifier to his Focus Sword damage in addition to his Charisma modifier. |
| Hardened Fortitude (Ex) | — | A sword saint only requires half as much sleep or meditation as normal and can survive twice as long without food and water before needing to make checks. In addition, the sword saint gains a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion; Constitution checks made to continue running; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march; Constitution checks made to hold his breath; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst; Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments; and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation. And the sword saint may sleep in medium or heavy armor without becoming fatigued. This talent counts as the Endurance feat for feat/talent requirements. |
| Improved Swordplay (Ex) | Sword Saint 6 | A sword saint is able to produce an additional swordskill at a -5 penalty to attack rolls as a full-round action (if a swordskill doesn't have an attack roll, it instead suffers a -1 to DCs). |
| Melee Defense (Ex) | — | When wielding a melee weapon, a sword saint gains a +1 shield bonus to his AC. This shield bonus stacks with that granted by any shield he wields. If fighting with two weapons and no shields, he gains a +2 shield bonus to his AC instead. |
| Melee Power (Ex) | — | A sword saint with this talent adds +2 to damage with all melee weapons he wields. |
| Melee Tenacity (Ex) | — | A sword saint with this talent may reroll 1s for damage with all weapon dice with all melee weapons he wields. |
| Mighty Swordskill (Ex) | Melee Power sword saint talent | A sword saint with this talent adds +2 damage to his Focus Sword damage. |
| Offensive Verbiage (Ex) | Antagonize feat | When using the Antagonize feat, you can use the same check against all enemies within a 30-ft.-radius as a full-round action. Talents or feats that reduce the action cost of Antagonize have no effect on this ability. |
| Parry (Ex) | Sword Saint 4, Melee Defense | The sword saint can negate a melee attack by rolling an opposed attack roll, DC = the opponent's attack roll. This uses one of the sword saint's attacks of opportunity (if he has more with Combat Reflexes) for the round in which it is used. He receives a -5 penalty to his attack roll every time he uses this after the first. He must have a melee weapon in hand, and he must be aware of his foe and not flat-footed. |
| Provoke (Ex) | — | A sword saint that selects this talent adds half his sword saint levels as a bonus to all Intimidate checks to antagonize. This also reduces the DC check by 2. |
| Reaching Form (Ex) | — | Select a swordskill form. The sword saint increases the range of all swordskills of that form by 15 feet. This talent does not affect the size of burst effect swordskills, but does affect line effect swordskills. This talent can be selected multiple times. Each time it’s selected the sword saint chooses a different swordskill form. |
| Riposte (Ex) | Sword Saint 6, Melee Defense, Parry | Once per encounter, as an immediate action, a sword saint may make a melee attack against an opponent whose attack the sword saint successfully parried this round. |
| Specialized Form (Ex) | — | Select a swordskill form. The sword saint increases the DC of all swordskills of that form by 1. This talent can be selected multiple times. Each time it’s selected the sword saint chooses a different swordskill form. |
| Stand Still (Ex) | — | A sword saint with this talent gains the stand still feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. |
| Steel Headbutt (Ex) | — | While wearing medium or heavy armor, a sword saint can deliver a headbutt with his helm as part of a full attack action. This headbutt is in addition to his normal attacks, and is made using the sword saint’s base attack bonus – 5. A helmet headbutt deals 1d3 points of damage if the sword saint is wearing medium armor, or 1d4 points of damage if he is wearing heavy armor (1d2 and 1d3, respectively, for Small creatures), plus an amount of damage equal to half the sword saint’s Strength modifier. Treat this attack as a weapon attack made using the same special material (if any) as the armor. The armor’s enhancement bonus does not modify the headbutt attack, but the helm can be enchanted as a separate weapon. |
| Tempered Will (Ex) | — | The sword saint may reroll a failed Will save. This power is used as an immediate action after the first save is attempted, but before the results are revealed by the GM. The sword saint must take the second result, even if it is worse. This power can only be used once per encounter. |
| Tenacious Swordskill (Ex) | Melee Tenacity sword saint talent | The sword saint may reroll all 1s for damage from swordskills. |
| Threat Control (Ex) | — | You gain the Antagonize feat as a bonus feat. Additionally, if you fail an Intimidate skill check with the Antagonize feat, you may attempt the check again against the same creature. |
| Uncanny Dodge (Ex) | Sword Saint 6 | The sword saint can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A sword saint with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him. If a sword saint already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead. |
| Unexpected Strike (Ex) | — | The sword saint can make an attack of opportunity against a foe that moves into any square threatened by the sword saint, regardless of whether or not that movement would normally provoke an attack of opportunity. This power can only be used once per encounter. |
Sword Saint Advanced Talents
Starting at 12th level, a sword saint gains one advanced sword saint talent or can pick a sword saint talent. He gains an additional sword saint talent for every 2 levels of sword saint attained after 12th level. Unless noted, a sword saint cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Table: Advanced Sword Saint Talents
| Sword Saint Advanced Talent | Prerequisites | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Adaptable Training (Ex) | — | The sword saint can use his base attack bonus in place of his ranks in one skill of his choice from the following list: Acrobatics, Climb, Disguise, Escape Artist, Intimidate, Knowledge (engineering), Profession (soldier), Ride, or Swim. The sword saint need not be wearing armor or using a shield to use this option. When using adaptable training, the sword saint substitutes his total base attack bonus (including his base attack bonus gained through levels in other classes) for his ranks in this skill, but adds the skill’s usual ability score modifier and any other bonuses or penalties that would modify that skill. Once a skill has been selected, it cannot be changed and the sword saint can immediately retrain all of his ranks in the selected skill at no additional cost in money or time. In addition, the sword saint adds all skills chosen with this option to his list of class skills. A sword saint can choose this option up to four times. |
| Additional Perfected Skill (Ex) | Perfected Skill class feature, Additional Practiced Skill sword saint talent | The sword saint can pick an additional swordskill that he has chosen with the Additional Practiced Skill sword saint talent and now gains its Perfected effect. This talent can be selected multiple times, each time selecting a swordskill selected by Additional Practiced Skill sword saint talent. |
| Advanced Specialized Form (Ex) | Specialized Form sword saint talent | Select a swordskill form chosen with specialized form. The sword saint increases the DC of all swordskills of that form by an additional 1. This talent can be selected multiple times. Each time it’s selected the sword saint chooses a different swordskill form from which was chosen with specialized form. |
| Advanced Swordplay (Ex) | Improved Swordplay sword saint talent | The sword saint is able to produce a third swordskill at a -10 penalty to attack rolls (or -2 to Dcs if no attack roll). |
| Armed Maneuver (Ex) | — | The sword saint chooses one of the following combat maneuvers: bull rush, dirty trick, grapple, overrun, or steal. He adds his Charisma modifier on all combat maneuver checks he makes with that maneuver. In addition, if the sword saint has the Improved maneuver feat associated with that combat maneuver, he can make use of certain weapons to aid him when attempting such a maneuver. When wielding such a weapon he adds the weapon’s enhancement bonus to attack rolls on the maneuver check. The maneuvers and weapon types are listed in the table below: • Bull rush or overrun: Any shield the sword saint can shield bash with, two-handed weapons, or one-handed weapons wielded in two hands • Dirty trick: Light weapons, weapons the sword saint can use with Weapon Finesse, or weapons with the distracting special feature • Grapple: Weapons with the grapple special feature • Steal: Weapons with the disarm special feature The sword saint can choose this option more than once, each time it applies to a new maneuver. |
| Armor Specialization (Ex) | — | The sword saint selects one specific type of armor with which he is proficient, such as chain shirts or scale mail. While wearing the selected type of armor, the sword saint adds one-quarter of his sword saint level to the armor’s armor bonus, up to a maximum bonus of +3 for light armor, +4 for medium armor, or +5 for heavy armor. This increase to the armor bonus doesn’t increase the benefit that the sword saint gains from feats, class abilities, or other effects that are determined by his armor’s base armor bonus. A sword saint can choose this option multiple times. Each time he chooses it, he applies its benefit to a different type of armor. |
| Armored Sprint (Ex) | — | The sword saint gains Run as a bonus feat. If the sword saint is proficient with heavy armor, he treats heavy armor as if it were one category lighter for the purpose of determining how fast he can move while running in armor. |
| Critical Strike (Ex) | Improved Critical feat | The sword saint can choose to take a cumulative –2 penalty on all attack rolls to gain a +1 bonus onto his critical threat range on all attacks with a weapon he wields for to a maximum of +5. This bonus is applied after doubling the critical threat range of the weapon from the Improved Critical Feat. |
| Devastating Melee Smash (Ex) | Melee Power sword saint talent | Once per encounter, before making the sword saint's attack roll, he may choose to add his sword saint levels to damage with a melee weapon. If he misses, this attempt is wasted. This talent may be selected multiple times, each time granting one additional attempt per encounter. |
| Ferocity (Ex) | Diehard feat | A sword saint that selects this talent may continue fighting without penalty until his hit points reach -10 + his Constitution score. |
| Hustle (Ex) | Fast Movement sword saint talent | Whenever the sword saint would be allowed to take a ‘5 ft. step’ he may take a ‘10 ft. step’ instead. Any ability, effect, feat, or rule that applies to a ‘5 ft. step’ now applies when he takes a ‘10 ft. step’. |
| Improved Fast Movement (Ex) | Fast Movement sword saint talent | A sword saint that selects this talent increases his base speed by 10 ft. |
| Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex) | Uncanny Dodge class feature or sword saint talent | The sword saint can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a thief the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more thief levels than the target does. If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum thief level required to flank the character. |
| Indomitable (Ex) | Hardened Fortitude sword saint talent | This talent allows a sword saint to add his Constitution modifier to his Will saving throws instead of his Wisdom. |
| Item Mastery | — | The sword saint gains an item mastery feat as a bonus feat, which functions with any magic weapon he wields, even if the magic weapon does not meet the feat's normal requirements. He must meet all of the feat's prerequisites. |
| Knockout Training (Ex) | — | The sword saint takes no penalties on attack rolls when attempting to deal nonlethal damage with a weapon he is proficient with that normally deals lethal damage. In addition, whenever the sword saint deals nonlethal weapon damage, he deals additional damage equal to his Charisma modifier on the damage roll. |
| Reactionary (Ex) | Hardened Fortitude sword saint talent | This talent allows a sword saint to add his Constitution modifier to his Reflex saving throws instead of his Dexterity. |
| Riposte Mastery (Ex) | Sword Saint 14, Melee Defense, Parry, Riposte sword saint talents | As per riposte, however, the sword saint may make an additional riposte for each attack he has successfully parried, however, all ripostes after the first receive a -5 penalty to his attack roll for each time used after the first one |
| Second Wind (Ex) | — | Once per encounter, as a standard action, the sword saint may regain a number of hit points equal to twice his sword saint level plus his Constitution modifier. Any hit points he would gain from this ability over his maximum total are lost. |
| Staredown (Ex) | Provoke sword saint talent | The sword saint may attempt the Demoralize action on all opponents within 30 ft. as a movement action. |