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Shadow Scout
Dexterity AC modifications, positive modifiers are lost when the iaijutsu master is caught flat-footed .
Lightning Blade (Ex) : An iaijutsu master of 2nd level or higher adds her Charisma modifier to her initiative checks, as well as her Dexterity modifier .
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Bonus Feats : At 4th level, then again at 9th level, the iaijutsu master gets a bonus feat in addition to her normal feat progression . These bonus feats must be drawn from the following list : Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Skill Focus (laijutsu Focus), Toughness .
Strike from the Void (Ex) : An iaijutsu master of 5th level or higher adds her Charisma modifier to each extra damage die gained from using the Iaijutsu Focus skill .
One Strike, Two Cuts (Ex) : At 8th level and above, an iaijutsu master can make two attacks with a katana as a standard action . This means she can strike twice and move in the same round, or attack twice in the strike phase of an iaijutsu duel .
Strike with No Thought (Ex) : If an iaijutsu master of loth level begins combat (not an iaijutsu duel) within melee range of an opponent, she gains a free surprise round, even though her opponents are aware of her presence . The only action the iaijutsu master can take in this surprise round is an attack action using a katana . For example, if the iaijutsu master Kakita Timoshiko and Bayushi Koro are standing on the street hurling insults at each other and the situation erupts into combat, Timoshiko can attack with his katana before Koro even rolls initiative, catching his opponent flat-footed .
This ability reflects the iaijutsu master's ability to apply the principles of the iaijutsu duel in normal melee combat. It does not give the iaijutsu master any additional benefit within an iaijutsu duel .
KISHI CHARGER
Kishi chargers are cavalry soldiers trained to make the greatest possible use of a horse's speed and a rider's agility . Kishi chargers share a special bond with their mounts-though not to the extent that battle maidens do-and are capable of truly devastating attacks when charging .
Kishi chargers tend to come from the samurai and barbarian character classes . In Rokugan, they are drawn exclusively from the Unicorn clan, where they are trained in the Shinjo school .
NPC kishi chargers like to seek out new places and experiences, and their penchant for exploration makes them especially suited for scouting and hunting . They do not like to be contained and would rather sleep under the stars than in a tent or a castle .
Hit Die : d10 .
REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become a kishi charger, a character must fulfill all the following criteria .
Base Attack Bonus : +6 .
Skills : Ride 9 ranks .
Feats : Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge .
Weapon Proficiency: Lance (uma-yari) .
CLASS SKILLS
The kishi charger's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Iaijutsu Focus (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and Wilderness Lore (Wis) . See Chapter 4 : Skills in the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions . The Iaijutsu Focus skill is described in Chapter 4 of this book.
Skill Points at Each Level : 4 + Int modifier .
CLASS FEATURES
The following are class features of the kishi charger.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Kishi chargers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor.
Ride Bonus (Ex) : A kishi charger gains a competence bonus on all Ride checks . The bonus is +2 at 1st level and increases by +2 every three levels thereafter (+4 at 4th level, +6 at 7th level, and +8 at 10th level).
Expertise : At 1st level, a kishi charger learns the "Shinjo parry," giving him the Expertise feat for free, even if he doesn't have the prerequisite intelligence score .
Deadly Charge (Ex): When mounted and using the charge action, a kishi charger of 2nd level or higher deals triple damage with a melee weapon (or quadruple damage with a lance), up to the number of times per day indicated . This ability supersedes the Spirited Charge feat .
Burst of Speed (Ex) : At 3rd level, the kishi charger can urge his mount to greater than normal speeds . This ability doubles the distance of the mount's normal charge movement. This ability can be used once per day without penalty to the mount . Each additional use of the ability in a single day requires the mount to make a Will save (DC 20) immediately after the conclusion of the additional charge ; failure results in the mount taking 2d6 points of damage .
One Spirit (Su) : A kishi charger of 5th level or higher has a spiritual bond with his mount . Once per day, while mounted, the kishi charger can make any one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check using his Ride skill modifier in place of all other modifiers. For example, he could roll a melee
TABLE 3-8: THE KISHI CHARGER Class Base Fort
Ref Will
Level 1 st 2nd 3rd 4th Attack Bonus Save Save Save +1 +2 +0 +0
+2 +3 +0 +0
+3 +4 ? +3 +4 +1 +1 +1 +1
5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 Special Ride bonus +2, Expertise Deadly charge 1 /day Burst of speed Deadly charge 2/day, Ride bonus +4 One spirit Deadly charge 3/day, full mounted attack Ride bonus +6 Deadly charge 4/day Dancing with the Fortunes Deadly charge 5/day, Ride bonus +8