Spellblade

The Spellblade Guild is one of many that resides in Galedyr, training those who are magically-inclined new ways of using magic and providing martial training to them to supplement their spellcasting. The Guild is split into 3 different houses. The Vasselle House trains Flame Fencers, and is headed by Therious, who is a noble born and raised in Galedyr. The Yan House trains Raikouken, and his headed Sorus, who was a sailor that invented the fighting style which he derived from the training is father taught him. Finally, the Sakama House trains Rime Phantoms, and is currently headed by Nijo. The history of the Sakama House traces its roots to a ninja clan that specialized in Elemental Ninjutsu, and later branched off into specializing in Ice Ninjutsu, before migrating towards Galedyr.

## Spellblade Abilities by Phase

 Phase 2
 Phase 3
 Phase 4
 Phase 5

## Phase 1

### **Spellblade Tome**

Upon being accepted as an apprentice Spellblade, you are given a specialized tome to store your spells. This tome is required to be on your person in order for you to cast your Spellblade Spells (unless you naturally know these spells), and is also needed to be on your person for many of your Spellblade abilities. This tome can serve as a casting focus, and if you are playing a class, such as a Wizard, which relies on a spellbook, this tome can also serve as your spellbook. As a one-time courtesy, the Spellblade Guild will freely copy the spells in your current spellbook to your Spellblade Tome once you become a Spellblade. If your class is capable of adding spells to a spellbook, they may use this Tome for that purpose. The Spellblade Casting Ability Modifier is the same as your spellcasting class' Casting Ability Modifier. If you have multiple classes that can cast spells, you must choose which class to associate with the Spellblade for its casting modifier and certain feats. Your Spellblade Tome is magically immune to the elements of Ice (cold), Lightning, and Fire. Additional blank Spellblade Tomes can be purchased for 100g each. Remember, it's always a good idea to keep backups.

### **Mentorship**

When deciding to become a Spellblade you must select a Mentor to train you. This selection must be made before any Spellblade abilities can be unlocked or used, and is a permanent choice. The mentor you decide on will determine which element you specialize in, what special techniques you get, and your Spellblade Spells. Your mentor will also immediately train you to use their style's "specialty weapons," granting you proficiency in them. Specialty weapons may be required for certain features or abilities. The choices are as follows:

*Therious (Fire)* - Therious Vasselle teaches the Flame Fencing style. Under his guidance, you specialize in Fire elemental magic, and your specialty weapons are longswords and rapiers. Therious' techniques support a duelist fighting style, able to go toe-to-toe with a few enemies while standing their ground and releasing flurries of slashes or stabs with a single-handed blade.

*Sorus (Lightning)* - Sorus Yan teaches the Raikouken style. Under his guidance, you specialize in Lightning elemental magic, and your specialty weapons are shortswords and scimitars. You also gain proficiency in Short Bows and Long Bows, though they are not considered Specialty Weapons. Sorus' techniques support a hit-and-run fighting style, offering great mobility to get in and out of melee when needed, and some linear area attacks for poorly positioned opponents. They are also known to occasionally pull out a bow for a quick lightning-imbued shot.

*Nijo (Ice)* - Nijo Sakama teaches the Rime Phantom style. Under his guidance, you specialize in Ice elemental magic, and your specialty weapons are quarterstaves and halberds. Nijo's techniques are versatile, making those who employ them tricky to pin down. This is fitting, as Rime Phantoms are actually a clan of ninja who originated from a clan that specialized in elemental ninjutsu many years ago. They can create ice sculpture imitations of themselves and can create shuriken or kunai out of ice so that they always have a thrown weapon on hand.

### **Infuse Weapon**

One of the first abilities you are taught is the ability to use magic to enhance your weapons with elemental energy. As a move action, you can imbue any nonmagical weapon you hold with elemental energy, causing that weapon to deal 1d6 extra damage. If your mentor is Therious, this is dealt as fire damage, if it is Sorus, it is dealt as lightning damage, and if it is Nijo it is dealt as cold damage. If the weapon leaves your possession it loses the enhancement. If used on a ranged weapon, it will imbue the ammunition with the enhancement shortly before firing it. You must have your Spellblade Tome on your person in order to use this ability. This ability lasts one hour and can be used twice per long rest.

### **Spellblade Fighting Style**

Your mentor trains you in the basics of their fighting style, granting you bonuses depending on your mentor. These styles are as follows:

*(Fire) Flame Fencing* - If Therious is your mentor you will be trained in the Flame Fencing style. You learn how to assume "Fencer's Stance": whenever you are in combat and are wielding a weapon in one hand and holding your Spellblade Tome in the other hand, and are not prone, grappled, or incapacitated, you are considered to be in the proper Fencer's Stance, granting you a +1 bonus to AC and an additional reaction, though you cannot use your additional reaction to make an opportunity attack on a specific creature more than once per round (you can still use it to make opportunity attacks on other creatures). In addition, you gain Defensive Duelist as a bonus feat and can utilize this feat with longswords.

*(Lightning) Raikouken* - If Sorus is your mentor you will be trained in the Raikouken style. To properly utilize the Raikouken stance and its Techniques and Feats, you cannot wield a shield or a second weapon. Your Specialty weapons gain the Versatile property, dealing 1 die higher damage when wielded with two hands (for example, with base weapons, 1d6->1d8). If you use the Disengage action, you can use a Bonus action to make a single melee attack with a specialty weapon before moving, though this must be used as a single-handed strike. In addition, your move speed increases by 5 feet.

*(Ice) Rime Phantom* - If Nijo is your mentor you will be trained in the Rime Phantom style. You gain proficiency in stealth and acrobatics, and you have advantage on acrobatics checks and Dexterity spell saves made to avoid slipping on ice. You gain Sneak Attack with 1d6 sneak attack damage, which is added to your current sneak attack damage if you have a class that uses Sneak Attack. If the attack is made with a specialty weapon that you have Infused, this sneak attack damage is dealt as cold damage. In addition, quarterstaves gain the Reach and Finesse property when they are wielded with both hands.

## Phase 2

### **Spellblade Spells**

Your mentor teaches you a set of Spellblade Spells to complement their fighting style. These spells must be scribed to your Spellblade Tome to be used. When you first reach this phase, your mentor will scribe these spells into your tome for free. For 400g, you can purchase a new Tome from your mentor which has your Spellblade Spells prescribed to them (unlike the Tomes purchased from the guild, which come to you blank). If you have your Spellblade Tome, you can copy these spells to another spellbook for 300g over the course of 8 hours, doing so will allow that spellbook to be considered a Spellblade Tome (though it does not gain immunities that a guild-issued tome does). Spellblade Spells are always considered prepared if you have the appropriate spell slots to cast them without contributing to the maximum number of spells you can have prepared. These spells are as follows:

(Fire) Flame Fencing Spells
 3rd
 5th
 7th

(Lightning) Raikouken Spells
 3rd
 5th
 7th
 9th

(Ice) Rime Phantom Spells
 3rd
 5th

### **Novice Techniques**

You learn various Techniques, or active abilities, that your Spellblade Fighting Style uses. Some of these Techniques require Technique Points to use. The amount of Technique points you have is equal to your Spellcasting Ability Modifier+6. These are replenished after a short rest. Most techniques require you to be wielding your specialty weapon and in the proper stance.

#### **(Fire) Flame Fencing Novice Techniques**

**Ember Flurry**: While wielding a specialty weapon and in the proper Fencer's Stance, you can make a quick barrage of fiery slashes from your weapon. You can make three melee weapon attacks, either against the same target or across multiple targets in range. The damage of these attacks is dealt as fire damage. A creature damaged by the Flurry must make a Constitution Spell Save. If it fails the save, it burns the creature, causing it to take 1d6 fire damage for each hit of the flurry it was subjected to at the start of its turn for the next minute. The target takes this save at the start of its turns while it is burning, and a successful save removes the effect after damage. If you hit a creature with Ember Flurry that is already burning from a previous Flurry, the new burning effect will replace the old one. You cannot move during the Flurry, if you move before doing all the attacks, then the attacks you didn't use are wasted. Costs 1 technique point.

**Riposte:** If an enemy attacks you in melee and fails to beat your AC, you can use your reaction to immediately make a melee weapon attack against the creature. Requires you to be in the Fencer's Stance and wielding a specialty weapon.

#### **(Lightning) Raikouken Novice Techniques**

**Lightning Draw:** As an action, you can sheath your specialty weapon while charging it with lightning, and unleash it in a drawing slash that releases a conical wave of lightning energy. You may make an attack against a creature in melee range (or you may target nothing if you desire), dealing weapon attack damage to the creature and releasing a 15-foot cone of lightning energy in the direction of the attack. Each creature (including the creature struck by the melee attack) in the cone must make a Dexterity spell save or take 3d6 lightning damage (save deals half damage). You can also use this ability in a surprise round in which you are surprised. This ability costs 1 technique point.

#### **(Ice) Rime Phantom Novice Techniques**

**Frigid Substitution:** As a reaction to being targeted by a melee attack, you can teleport a small distance before the blow hits, leaving an ice sculpture imitation of yourself in your place. When you use this ability, you can teleport up to 10 feet away in any direction, provided no obstacles are in the way between your current and target positions (though you can move through creatures with this ability). You leave an ice imitation behind where you stood, which becomes the new target of the attack, and it has 10 AC and half of your current hit points from the time it is created. The ice imitation takes up space, cannot be in the same space as another creature, and cannot be moved. It has immunity to cold damage and resistance to piercing damage but is vulnerable to fire and bludgeoning damage. This technique costs 1 technique point to use. You cannot use this ability if there are no suitable locations to move to, or if an ice imitation cannot be placed at your previous location (for example, if a creature moves into your square as part of their attack).

**Pole Vault:** You can leverage your specialty weapon to leap in the air. You can use this movement action to jump as if you had a running start and at twice your normal jump distance. Initiating this jump provokes at attack of opportunity from creatures in melee range, but the movement itself does not. If you take damage from an attack of opportunity as a result of this jump, the jump fails, and you must make an Acrobatics check (DC = 10 or the damage of the attack, whichever is higher) or fall prone. You can leap over most obstacles and creatures with this ability. While in the air from this leap, you can make an attack action with a throwing weapon at advantage.

**Frost Stars**: As an action you can prepare up to 15 shuriken made of ice. These shuriken can be thrown without readying, and you are proficient with them. These weapons are finesse throwing weapons that deal 1d4 cold damage with a range of 25/60. These shuriken melt quickly after leaving your possession, and when you use this ability, any Frost Stars that are still in your possession immediately melt. This ability costs 1 technique point.

### **Novice Feats**

As part of your Spellblade training, you learn Spellblade Feats, which are typically passive bonuses, depending on your Mentor. Most techniques require you to be wielding your specialty weapon and/or in the proper stance.

#### **(Fire) Flame Fencing Novice Feats**

**Slashing Grace:** You learn to swing your blade in new ways. When you attack with a specialty weapon while in the proper Fencer's Stance, you can decide whether the damage type of the attack will be slashing or piercing.

#### **(Lightning) Raikouken Novice Feats**

**Static Jolt:** If you miss a melee attack with your infused specialty weapon due to not meeting AC, you deal 1d6 lightning damage. If the creature is wearing metal armor, you instead deal your full Infused Weapon additional damage.

#### **(Ice) Rime Phantom Novice Feats**

**Whirling Barrier:** When equipped with your specialty weapon and not prone, grappled, or incapacitated, ranged attacks against you that are not at advantage have disadvantage.

**Ninjutsu Casting:** You learn an alternative way of casting your Spellblade Spells. When you cast a Spellblade Spell, you can choose to cast it as a Ninjutsu. Spells cast as a Ninjutsu are silent and do not require Verbal components, but always require Somatic components, and both hands are needed to fulfill the Somatic component requirement (you may sheath your weapon or hold it between your arm and torso as a free action in order to accomplish this).

**Precision:** You become more skilled at locating weak spots in your opponent, granting you one additional sneak attack die.

## Phase 3

### **Deep Infusion**

You gain one additional use of your Infuse Weapon ability.

### **Spell Shape**

When you cast offensive Spellblade Spells or use Spellblade Techniques, you can now designate any number of creatures to not be affected by the spell or technique.

### **Intermediate Techniques**

Further training has allowed you to unlock more advanced Techniques

#### **(Fire) Flame Fencing Intermediate Techniques**

**Specialty Infusion: Firebrand:** The additional damage granted by Infuse Weapon changes to 2d6 fire damage when you infuse a specialty weapon. In addition, when you attack and deal damage with an infused specialty weapon while in the proper Fencer's Stance, you brand the target for 1 minute. A branded creature that is not resistant to fire damage becomes vulnerable to fire damage. At the start of a branded creature's turn, it can make a fortitude spell save to remove the brand.

**Flame Orb: Consume:** When you cast the Flaming Orbs spell, you gain the *Consume* command for that spell. This causes a Flaming Orb to be absorbed into your body, granting you immunity to fire damage for 1d3 rounds and healing you for 2d6 hitpoints immediately.

**Volcano Strike:** Strike your weapon down with a surge of lava, dealing an attack to an enemy in melee range and dealing 8d6 fire damage to creatures in a 20 foot long cone in front of you, including the creature hit by the melee attack. A dexterity spell saves causes the cone to deal half the damage. This technique costs 2 technique points.

#### **(Lightning) Raikouken Intermediate Techniques**

**Specialty Infusion: Magnesis:** The additional damage granted by Infuse Weapon changes to 2d6 lightning damage when you infuse a specialty weapon. In addition, when you attack and deal damage with an infused specialty weapon and are not using a second weapon or shield, you cause the Magnesis effect on the enemy for one minute. When a ranged attack with a weapon or ranged spell attack that deals lightning damage targets a creature with Magnesis, that attack has advantage. At the start of an effected creature's turn, it can make a fortitude spell save to remove Magnesis.

**Lightning Stride:** As an action, you can move up to 60 feet in a straight line. You may make a single melee attack against any number of creatures that are in your path, dealing an additional 4d6 lightning damage to each creature hit. You can only use this ability with a specialty weapon. Alternatively, you can use this action to move up to 30 feet and fire a lightning imbued shot from your bow, dealing a piercing attack in a line up to the weapon's maximum range without disadvantage, dealing an attack to every creature in the path as well as an additional 4d6 lightning damage. You assume the form of a lightning bolt as you move, causing this movement to not provoke attacks of opportunity, and allowing you to move through creatures. This costs 2 Technique Points to use.

#### **(Ice) Rime Phantom Intermediate Techniques**

**Specialty Infusion: Iceshape:** The additional damage granted by Infuse Weapon changes to 2d6 cold damage when you infuse a specialty weapon. In addition, when you infuse a specialty weapon, you can change its damage type by affixing ice to the ends of the weapon. If the weapon is a staff, you may choose to attach blades shaped with ice, causing the weapon to deal slashing damage instead of bludgeoning damage. If the weapon is a halberd, you may choose to encase the blade in a lump of ice, causing the weapon do deal bludgeoning damage instead of slashing damage. You make this decision when infusing the weapon, and cannot change it without reinfusing the weapon.

**Buffeting Cyclone**: As an action, you can spin your specialty weapon about you in an area attack. Make a single attack roll, this attack roll is made against every creature in a 10 foot radius centered around you. In addition to dealing attack damage, this Technique deals 2d8 cold damage to any creature hit. You can choose to exclude any number of creatures from this attack. This ability requires you to be wielding a specialty weapon and costs 2 Technique points.

**Kawarimi Bomb:** As an action, you can designate one of your standing Ice Imitations to explode in cold energy, destroying the Imitation and dealing 4d8 Cold Damage to creatures within a 10 foot radius. This technique costs 1 Technique Point.

## Phase 4

### **Spell Penetration**

When you deal damage of the element that your Spellblade style is specialized in against a creature that is immune to that damage type, you deal half the damage of that type instead of no damage. Effects that halve damage, such as a successful Dexterity spell save, against such creatures deal 1/4th of the damage. This effect does not stack with similar effects.

### **Mana Battery**

You learn the ability to utilize your mana stores to fuel your abilities. You can sacrifice spell slots to use techniques instead of Technique points. The total level of spell slots consumed to use a technique is equal to twice its technique point cost (for example, to use a technique that costs 3 technique points, you can sacrifice a level 6 spell slot, or two level 3 spell slots, and so on).

### **Intermediate Feats**

Further training has unlocked more advanced Feats.

#### **(Fire) Flame Fencing Intermediate Feats**

**Infernal Brand:** The Brand effect from your *Specialized Infusion: Firebrand* ability now also causes targets that are resistant to fire damage to become nonresistant to fire damage (they take full damage). In addition, damage from your Flaming Orbs spell applies Brand.

**Flashing Parry:** Your Defensive Duelist reaction now grants you a 4 AC bonus, and you gain one additional reaction, subject to the same rules as your Flame Fencing training's additional reaction.

#### **(Lightning) Raikouken Intermediate Feats**

**Aftershock:** If you deal damage from a Smite-type spell (spells with the word "Smite" in their name) as the result of an attack action dealt with a specialty weapon while in the proper stance, you may take a bonus action this round to make one additional attack as a one-handed attack. If the attack lands, it also triggers the effect of the specific Smite spell used again.

**Divine Arrow:** You can now use Smite-type spells to enhance a Shortbow or Longbow. The spell used will enhance a single shot of ammunition fired from the weapon, and in the case of piercing shots will only enhance one attack.

#### **(Ice)Rime Phantom Intermediate Feats**

**Snow Hunter:** If an area is heavily obscured due to heavy snow or a blizzard, you are not blinded while inside of it, instead being able to see up to 30 feet into it or while inside of it. Creatures inside your field of vision are not considered to be concealed by the snow. Ranged attacks with weapons or ranged spell attacks made into an area obscured by snow can only be made at their first range, and are made at disadvantage, even if the creature is within your vision.

**Cold Kunai:** Your Ice Knife spell is now capable of dealing sneak attack damage to its primary target when it is cast as a Ninjutsu. The sneak attack damage is dealt as cold damage. Also, the damage of your Frost Stars is increased to 1d6 and their range is increased to 50/90.

**Ninjutsu Mastery:** You can now use Ninjutsu Casting to cast any spell you have prepared from the spellcasting class you tied to this calling as a Ninjutsu.

## Phase 5

### **True Infusion**

The damage bonus of your Infuse Weapon ability increases to 3d6 damage when you infuse a specialty weapon, and you can use this ability one additional time per long rest.

### **Master Techniques**

You have mastered your Spellblade Fighting Style, unlocking the epitome of their Techniques.

#### **(Fire) Flame Fencing Master Techniques**

**Denouement:** The closing act: as an action you read a powerful spell from your Spellblade Tome before closing it. When the tome closes, every creature in a 60 foot radius that is affected by your Infuse Weapon's Brand effect spontaneously combusts, taking 12d8 fire damage, or half as much on a successful Constitution spell save, and removing the Brand. This ability costs 4 Technique Points.

#### **(Lightning) Raikouken Master Techniques**

**Lightning Dance:** You zip and dart around the battlefield in an intangible assault. Select one point up to 60 feet away. You dash to and make a single melee attack against every creature within a 30 foot radius of that point before returning to your original location. In addition to the attack's effects, the attack deals 10d6 lightning damage. This technique costs 4 Technique Points.

#### **(Ice)Rime Phantom Master Techniques**

**Thousand Phantoms:** All of your ice imitations become phantoms and charge through a single point to barrage it with cold energy. Select a point up to 60 feet away. All of your standing ice imitations within 50 feet of that point will become ethereal phantoms and dash to the selected point in a straight line, disappearing after they reach the point. Each creature that the phantom passes through on its way there must take a Dexterity spell save, taking 6d8 cold damage or half as much on a successful save. A creature can be struck by multiple phantoms if they are in the path of multiple phantoms, and a creature that is directly on the selected point will be hit by all the phantoms. This technique deals damage to creatures both on the ethereal plane and the plane the imitations resided in. This technique costs 4 Technique Points.

### **Master Feats**

You have complete knowledge of your Spellblade Fighting Style, enabling you to utilize their strongest Feats.

#### **(Fire) Flame Fencing Master Feats**

**Fire Spirits:** If you roll a 16 or higher on an attack roll with a specialty weapon in the Fencer's Stance and deal damage, you summon a single Flaming Orb as a result of the attack. This orb is the same as those summoned from the Flaming Orbs spell, and can be commanded in the same ways.

#### **(Lightning) Raikouken Master Feats**

**Resounding Blade:** When you use Lightning Draw, Lightning Stride, or Lightning Dance while your weapon is charged with a Smite spell, the Smite spell's effect will apply to all creatures hit.

#### **(Ice)Rime Phantom Master Feats**

**Snowsight:** Your vision is no longer hampered by heavy snow or blizzard, and you can make ranged attacks and spell attacks to their full effectiveness and range in areas obscured by heavy snow.

**Reaping Touch:** You have mastered the Rime Phantom's assassination techniques. You gain an additional Sneak Attack die.