Axe

A band of warriors sent to wipe out the enemy forces. Ruthless, bloodthirsty, and worst of all; tactical. The Axe is more than a mindless brute, he is a force to be reckoned with.

## Abilities

### A Cut Above (Ex)

At 1st level, 5th level, and every 5 levels thereafter; the Axe follows a series of paths to becoming his own warrior. He may choose the Path of Slaughter, the Path of Survival, or the Path of Courage at each given level. He doesn't need to stay on the same path, able to change paths midway to mix and match his improvements.

At 1st level, he gains the following bonuses from his path:

*Path of Slaughter I*: HD becomes D10, Gain Power Attack as a Bonus Feat. +1 Str

*Path of Survival I*: HD becomes D12, Gain Heavy Armor Proficiency as a bonus feat, +1 Con

*Path of Courage I*: HD becomes D8, Will Saves become Good (Matching Fort), +1 Cha

At 5th level, he gains the following bonuses from his path:

*Path of Slaughter II*: Gain Cleave and Greater Cleave as bonus feats. If you already have either, gain Fighter Bonus Feats in their place. +1 Str

*Path of Survival II*: Gain Natural Armor equal to Constitution mod. +1 Con

*Path of Courage II*: Successful Saves against Berserker's Call cause the subjects to become Shaken. +1 Cha

At 10th level, he gains the following bonuses from his path:

*Path of Slaughter III*: Add 2 to the crit range of Slashing Weapon of your choice. +1 Str

*Path of Survival III*: Berserker's Call antagonize and DR lasts 1d2 rounds. +1 Con

*Path of Courage III*: Berserker's Call AOE increased to 25 feet. +1 Cha

At 15th level, he gains the following bonuses from his path:

*Path of Slaughter IV*: Increase Counter Helix damage to 2x Strength mod. +1 Str

*Path of Survival IV*: Gain Fast Healing equal to Constitution mod. +1 Con

*Path of Courage IV*: When the Axe successfully kills a creature, all creatures within 30 ft are subject to the effects of Berserker's Call. +1 Cha

At 20th level, he gains the following bonuses from his path:

*Path of Slaughter V*: No one, not even creatures lacking a discernable anatomy, can be immune to critical hits from the Axe, as they represent a surge in strength rather than a well-aimed strike. +1 Str

*Path of Survival V*: Berserker's Call Damage Reduction becomes 25/epic. +1 Con

*Path of Courage V*: No one, not even mindless creatures, can be immune to berserker's call. +1 Cha

This replaces Fast Movement, Martial Master, and the 10th and 20th level rage powers.

### Counter Helix (Ex)

At 2nd level, the Axe learns to transfer the force of their enemies' attacks into a cleaving, spinning counterattack. Any time an enemy makes an attack roll against the Axe and gets a natural roll (without modifiers) of 3 or less, regardless of whether or not the attack actually hits the Axe, the Axe spins 360 degrees and slashes at all creatures within reach. All creatures within reach roll a Ref Save DC 10 + 1/2 level + Strength mod for half damage. Failure results in damage equal to the Axe's Strength modifier. Counter Helix counts as an attack of opportunity for the purposes of combat reflexes feat, etc. The Axe must be wielding a slashing melee weapon to use this extraordinary ability.

This replaces the 2nd level rage power.

### Berserker's Call (Sp)

At 3rd level the Axe learns how to perform a spell-like war shout that enrages their enemies and protects the Axe from harm. As a standard action cause all creatures within 10 feet who are already hostile towards the Axe to roll a Will Save (DC 10 + 1/2 level + Charisma mod) or go into a berserker-like rage in which they may not cast spells, manifest powers, or use certain skills (see Rage) and they are antagonized towards the Axe for 1 round. The Axe may use Berserker's Call a number of times per day equal to their Charisma modifier + 1 and after being used, the Axe must wait on a 2d6 +1 round cooldown before using it again. Enemies who cannot hear or are immune to mind affecting or rage would be unaffected by Berserker's Call.

This replaces Always Ready.