AD&D Classes: Blade Mage

Compatable with all editions, and other RPGs (if you tweak it) originally plotted for 2nd edition D&D. This is an original class created by Earl S. Wynn that has been officially game tested.

Blade Mages belong to a loose order that trains young women and men in the arts of the blade and, upon graduation, sends them into the closest chosen area considered to be a wasteland with only a knife (and nothing else, not even clothing) to survive. If they make it out alive, they are acknowledged as a fully fledged Blade Mage and can find work in any Elven settlement doing almost anything they wish, and their employers are always honored to have them, no matter how bad they might be at whatever their chosen trade is. Not that this respect is often abused- Blade Mages that prove themselves unworthy of the respect that the title demands are often stripped of it and eviscerated in the night by a secret council of Blade Mage Inquisitors. As a character class, Blade Mages are unique-- their skill lies somewhere between the flowing realm of magic and the hard reality of the blade.

Only Elves may be trained as Blade Mages.

Prime Requisites: DEX/WIS

Equipment Restrictions: No Armor heavier than soft leather (unless of Elvish manufacture.)

Weapon Restrictions: Edged weapons only.

Hit Dice: 1d4

Blade Mages gain a -1 to THAC0 when using any edged (i.e. blades, disks, swords, etc.) weapon, and gain the following spells by spending an entire day in silent meditation, reaching out to the divine with their mind. (First level spells are automatic- the meditation has already been done)

First Level: Blade Hands (1d6 damage) & Summon Throwing Blade (1d4)

Third Level: Hatchet Hands (1d8 damage) & Summon Throwing Disk (1d6)

Fifth Level: Axe Hands (1d10 damage) & Project Blade (up to 50 feet)

Seventh Level: Cleaver Hands (1d12 damage) & Enchant with Sharpness (1 round/lvl)

Ninth Level: Flaying Hands (1d20 damage) & Water to Steel (1 cubic foot/level, reversable)

Eleventh Level: Death's Hands (1d30 damage) & Flesh to Steel (1 cubic foot/level, reversable)

Thirteenth Level: Summon Avatar of the Blade (HP = level x3, AC -1, hits 5x for 1d6, of sharpness, with a THACO of 1. Unsummons after 2d10 rounds)

Further Development:

Level 20 Blade Mages that are chosen to undergo additional training by representatives of the highest order of Blade Mages may become Blade Mage Inquisitors and gain the following additional spells:

Summon Blade Demon: (Stays until slain - only one can be summoned at a time, and no more than once per day) HP = level x10, AC = -5, hits five times melee (of sharpness) and two times ranged for 1d8, with a THAC0 of 1

Obsidian Oblivion: Opens the ground and summons a storm of obsidian blades that do 5d30 points of damage to everything within a 50' radius of the target. (Cannot be learned without learning at least 3 "Storm" spells first.)

Excision: Allows the Blade Mage to cleanly remove a target organ from a creature, leaving a bleeding gap that does damage = to 1d4 / fourths of the target's HP and, if not healed, will ultimately result in the target's death. Removal of brain results in immediate death.

Other Spells and Skills:

Being essentially a modified form of Magic User, Blade Mages may of course learn other spells and skills, but they do so as if they were two levels lower, with the exception of "storm" spells (Blade Storm, Disk Storm, Needle Storm, etc.) which they may learn at the appropriate levels.

If you're a player, it's always a good idea to check with your Dungeon Master or Referee before creating a character using classes from outside his or her normal sphere. However, if you thought this class was interesting, or even if you just want to see more character classes, please feel free to follow the links at the bottom of the page to check out all my other RPG friendly classes. Check back often-- I add new classes all the time!