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Path of the Specialist
Some take up arms for glory, wealth, or revenge. Others do battle to prove themselves, to protect others, or because they know nothing else. Still others learn the ways of weaponcraft to hone their bodies in battle and prove their mettle in the forge of war. Lords of the battlefield, followers of this Path are a disparate lot, training with many weapons or just one, perfecting the uses of armor, learning the fighting techniques of exotic masters, and studying the art of combat, all to shape themselves into living weapons. Far more than mere thugs, these skilled warriors reveal the true deadliness of their weapons, turning hunks of metal into arms capable of taming kingdoms, slaughtering monsters, and rousing the hearts of armies. Soldiers, knights, hunters, artists of war, unparalleled champions - woe to those who dare stand against them.
Key Skills
Upon selecting the Path of the Specialist, you gain the following Key Skills:
Weapon Training
- Requirements: BaB 4, 10 EXP
You become increasingly adept at using your chosen weapon group to make openings in an opponent’s defense. When you buy this Talent, you may choose a specific weapon group (light martial, simple one-handed, exotic two-handed, etc). By spending 1 TP as a Free Action, you gain a +1 bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls with weapons of your chosen group for a number of rounds equal to your Secondary Attribute modifier.
For every additional 4 points of BaB you possess, this bonus increases by 1, to a maximum of +5 to attack and weapon damage rolls at BaB 20. You may purchase this ability multiple times - each time you do, select a new weapon group. The EXP cost of this Talent doubles every time you select it (for example, your second weapon group costs 20 EXP, your third costs 40 EXP, your fifth costs 80 EXP, etc).
Deflector’s Trail
Cut From The Air
- Requirements: BaB 7, Weapon Training with any Melee weapon, 25 EXP
When a ranged attack is made against you or a target adjacent to you, you can spend 1 TP to cut the weapon (or ammunition) out of the air, deflecting the attack so the target takes no damage. As an attack of opportunity, make a melee attack roll at your highest bonus. If the result is greater than the attack roll total of the ranged attack, the attack is deflected. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed, and you must use a weapon with which you have Weapon Training for this Talent. Unusually massive ranged weapons (such as boulders or ballista bolts) and ranged attacks generated by spell effects cannot be deflected.
Smash From The Air
- Requirements: BaB 9, Cut From The Air, 40 EXP
You may now use Cut From The Air against unusually massive ranged weapons (such as boulders or ballista bolts), as well as ranged attacks generated by spell effects, such as rays. Spells which do not require attack rolls may not be deflected.
Spellcut
- Requirements: BaB 11, Smash From The Air, 50 EXP
By spending 5 TP as an Immediate Action, you may use your BaB in place of your total saving throw bonus for a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability that either allows a Reflex save or is not a melee attack and targets only you.
Relentless Trail
Cornering Swings
- Requirements: BaB 5, Weapon Training with any Melee weapon, 20 EXP
When you make a full attack with an appropriate melee weapon, you can force creatures to treat squares adjacent to you as difficult terrain until the beginning of your next turn.
You can choose to allow any creatures you are aware of to ignore the difficult terrain you effectively create with this Talent.
Devastating Assault
- Requirements: BaB 9, Cornering Swings, 30 EXP
As a full-round action, you can bat aside all of your foe’s defenses to ensure you make a single, especially effective melee attack. You make a single melee attack using a weapon with which you have Weapon Training against a single target, but make as many attack rolls as you could in a full-attack action using that weapon. You make the attack rolls in order, from highest bonus to lowest, as if you were making a full attack. If any of the attack rolls hit the target, your single attack is considered to have hit and you roll damage normally.
If one or more rolls are critical threats, you confirm the critical hit only once using your highest base attack bonus. If you hit with two or more attacks, the target must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your base attack bonus + your Primary Attribute modifier) or suffer a condition for 1d4 rounds. If at least two attacks hit, you can choose from deafened, entangled, or shaken. If at least three attacks hit, you can also choose from blinded or staggered. If at least four attacks hit, you can also choose the dazed condition. Once you have forced a foe to attempt a saving throw to avoid suffering a condition via this feat, you cannot attempt to inflict that condition on it again with Devastating Assault for 24 hours.
Miscellaneous Talents
Captain’s Throw
- Requirements: BaB 6, Weapon Training (Any), 25 EXP
When you make a ranged attack with an appropriate thrown weapon, the weapon returns to your hand immediately after the attack is resolved.
This ability does not allow bullets, thrown ammunition such as darts or shuriken, or thrown splash weapons to return to you. Improvised thrown weapons don’t return to you unless you have the Throw Anything Talent.
Weapon Master
- Requirements: BaB 5, Weapon Training (Any), 20 EXP
You become progressively more dangerous with your chosen weapon group in two ways. Choose one Weapon Group which you have Weapon Training with for this Talent to apply to.
Firstly, you gain a +1 bonus to your CMD against all sunder and disarm attempts made against you whilst you're wielding a weapon of your favored group. This bonus increases by 1 for every 4 points of Prowess you possess, to a maximum of +5 at 20 Prowess.
Secondly, you may make devastating attacks with your weapon at the cost of accuracy. You may spend 2 TP as a Free Action to take a -1 penalty to all attack rolls made with a weapon of your Weapon Group for that turn to gain a +2 bonus to all damage rolls until the end of your turn. In addition, you increase in strength as your Prowess increases: for every 4 Prowess you possess, the penalty increases by 1, but grants 2 additional damage in return, to a maximum of a -5 penalty to attack rolls and a +10 bonus to damage rolls at 20 Prowess.
This bonus damage is halved for off-hand weapons and secondary (or tertiary) natural attacks.
Material Mastery
- Requirements: BaB 8, Weapon Training with any Melee weapon, 25 EXP
When you select this ability, choose which Weapon Group it applies to, if you possess multiple groups. Next, select a specific material as listed below - you may spend one extra TP when activating your Weapon Training to gain the listed ability for the same duration as your Weapon Training, as long as your wielded weapon is composed of the material in question.
You may purchase this ability multiple times. Each time, it applies to a new Weapon Group and/or metal type.
- Adamantium - Your critical hits ignore the target’s DR, regardless of type.
- Mithral - Double your Weapon Training bonuses against any creature affected adversely by silver. This includes creatures with DR/silver or vulnerability to silver, or similar abilities.
- Cold Iron - When you successfully hit a creature which is benefitting from magic of any kind (such as enhancement or transmutation effects) with your weapon, roll a d20 and add your BaB. If the results of this roll meet or exceed the creature’s caster level, all magical effects on the creature are suppressed for a duration equal to your Secondary Attribute modifier.
