Kensai

---

---

Class Features

Honor System

If a Player is willing, they can apply a Honor System to their Kensai, allowing for more in depth roleplay in the environment Kensai come from. This system gives both benefits and penalties depending on the Honor of your character. When applying an Honor System, roll an additional 4d6 during character creation  

Martial Discipline

As a kensai you commit yourself to follow a particular martial school or philosophy known as a martial discipline. Choose between the wise and deadly Blademaster, the mystical Master of the Unseen Hand, the honorable Samurai, or the shadowy Shinobi. Your discipline grants you features at 1st level, and then again at 6th, 10th, 15th and 18th level.

• Blademaster Discipline
• Master of the Unseen Hand Discipline
• Samurai Discipline

   

Unarmored Defense

While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier. You can not use a shield and still gain this bonus.  

Ki

Starting at 2nd level, your training and spiritual connection with your bonded weapon grants you access to a pool of spiritual and martial energy that you may draw upon to infuse your attacks. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of Ki points. Your kensai level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki column of the Kensai table.   As long as you are wielding your bonded weapon, you can spend these points to fuel various class features and kensai maneuvers.   A single attack can only be empowered by one feature or maneuver that has a Ki cost.   When you spend a Ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended Ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 1 hour on weapon meditation with your bonded weapon to regain your Ki points.   You use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a kensai ability or maneuver you execute.   Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier   Maneuver attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity or Strength modifier  

Weapon Bond

The core of the kensai is the connection she shares with her weapon. Often an heirloom or somehow important to the kensai in a personal way, this blade typically has no innately magical or special properties until it is in the kensai’s hands. Without a bonded weapon, many class abilities cease to function, and you can neither use maneuvers nor regain Ki without a bonded weapon.   Starting at 2nd level, you learn a ritual that creates a magical bond between yourself and one weapon that deals slashing damage. You perform the ritual over the course of 8 hours, which can be done during a long rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond.   Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, If it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand.   Only one weapon may be selected as a bonded weapon at a time, and if you lose your bonded weapon or it is destroyed, you cannot use maneuvers until you have it reforged, or you bond with a new weapon.   You need to meditate for 1 hour with your bonded weapon every day, or the bond is broken, and you must yet again infuse the weapon with your spirit. The meditation can be done during a short rest. Beginning at 9th level, a bonded weapon is treated as magical for purposes of overcoming damage resistance and what effects can damage it, even if it is a non-magical weapon. Additionally, after one hour of meditating with your weapon, any damage it has suffered is magically repaired.  

Grace

Starting at 3rd level, if you have advantage, and disadvantage, on an attack with your Bonded Weapon, you may spend your bonus action to negate the disadvantage effect for that turn. For example, if you have advantage on an attack, and some circumstance gives you disadvantage, instead of the two canceling each other out, you can use this feature to negate the disadvantage effect to retain your advantage. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest. At 13th level, you can use this feature twice between rests.  

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.  

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.  

Clash

Starting at 7th level, once per turn, you can empower your bonded weapon with spiritual energies, allowing you to deal an additional 1d4 damage whenever you hit a creature with it. At 11th level, this bonus increases to 2d4 damage, and at 17th level it increases to 3d4 damage.  

Battle Clarity

By 14th level, you are able to enter a state of perfect mental clarity on the battlefield. Whenever you are charmed or paralyzed, you may expend 1 Ki point as an action to negate the effect.  

Iaijutsu

Through intense training, understanding of an enemy’s movements, and inhuman speed, you have learned to land your strikes reliably. Beginning at 20th level, you can make opportunity attacks with your bonded weapon against hostile creatures that enter your reach, you can add a d6 to all attack rolls made in this way.
 

---