Tempest

Tempest

The tempest is the point of calm within a whirling barrier of deadly blades. Poets use colorful terms such as dancer to describe the movement of a tempest and her two blades, but mastery of this fighting style is not about dancing. Nor is it about impressing anyone-least of all poets. The tempest focuses on learning the ultimate secrets of two-weapon fighting for a single purpose-the destruction of her enemies.

Typically hardy individualists, tempests rarely learn their skills through any sort of formal training. Instead, they master their art though constant application of its disciplines and experimentation on their foes. Similarly, no matter how famous tempests become, it's rare for them to take on students. Their art, they say, is one that can be learned but never taught.

This prestige class is open to all classes and races. Though tempests are rare, every humanoid race has boasted at least a few. Elves make for nimble, clever tempests whose dexterity works to their advantage. Dwarves, perhaps because they favor heavy armor and heavy weapons, are the least likely characters to become tempests. Even members of the smaller races can find the tempest's path appealing.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify as a tempest, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +9.

Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, and Weapon Finesse (any) or Weapon Focus (any).

Class Skills

The tempest's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Survival (Wis). See Chapter 4 of the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are class features of the tempest prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Tempests gain no weapon or armor proficiencies.

Improved Two-Weapon Fighting : Beginning at 1st level, a tempest can fight with two weapons as if she had the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat when she is wearing light armor or no armor. She loses this ability when fighting in medium or heavy armor, orwhen using a double weapon (such as a two-bladed sword).

Off-Hand Parry: At 2nd level, the tempest gains Off Hand Parry as a bonus feat. As she gains tempest levels, her AC bonus from this feat increases, rising to +4 at 4th level and to +6 at 6th level.

Greater Two-Weapon Fighting : At 5th level, a tempest can fight with two weapons as if she had the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat when she is wearing light armor or no armor. She loses this ability when fighting in medium or heavy armor, or when using a double weapon (such as a two-bladed sword).

Absolute Ambidexterity: Beginning at 8th level, the tempest's attack penalties for fighting with two weapons lessen by 2 when she is wearing light armor or no armor. Thus, if she fights with a light weapon in her off hand, she suffers no penalties on her attack rolls for fighting with two weapons. (If the off-hand weapon is not light, she suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls with both her primary hand and her offhand.)

Supreme Two-Weapon Fighting: At 10th level, a tempest gains an additional attack with her off-hand weapon when she is wearing light armor or no armor. In addition to the three attacks she already has each round with her off-hand weapon (for improved Two-Weapon Fighting and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting) at penalties of 0, -5, and -10, respectively, she is also entitled to a fourth attack with her off-hand weapon at a -15 penalty (see Table 8-2: Two-Weapon Fighting Penalties in the Player's Handbook). She loses this special ability when fighting in medium or heavy armor, or when using a double weapon (such as a two-bladed sword).