While working on a rewrite for monk & samurai, a friend asked me to try rewriting the battle dancer class for an upcoming campaign. Of course I had to oblige, and incorporated some of the ideas I had for fixing monks into it, as the two classes have some interesting similarities. But, there is a new system I am building for the monk and samurai that I did not feel would suit this class, so I went a little more traditional, and instead built the class around having special dances that could create supernatural effects, in addition to its original design as an alternate to the monk class.
Battle DancerHit Die: d10
Alignment: any chaotic
| Saves | | Unarmoured | AC | Unarmed |
| Lv | Base Attack Bonus | Fort | Ref | Will | Class Abilities | Speed Bonus | Bonus | Damage |
| 1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Improved Unarmed Strike, AC Bonus | +0 | +0 | d6 |
| 2 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Uncanny Dodge, Hypnotic Dance | +0 | +0 | d6 |
| 3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Dancer's Flurry +1 | +0 | +1 | d6 |
| 4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Dancer's Strike (Magic), Bonus Feat | +0 | +1 | d8 |
| 5 | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Dancer's Weaponry, Charming Dance | +10 | +1 | d8 |
| 6 | +6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Acrobatic Agility, Evasion | +10 | +1 | d8 |
| 7 | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Featherlight Step, Bonus Feat | +10 | +2 | d8 |
| 8 | +8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Improved Uncanny Dodge, Aerial Dance | +10 | +2 | d10 |
| 9 | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Elegant Extension (30') | +10 | +2 | d10 |
| 10 | +10/+5 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Vexing Strike, Bonus Feat | +10 | +2 | d10 |
| 11 | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Dancer's Strike (Material), Concealing Dance | +20 | +3 | d10 |
| 12 | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Dancing Assault | +20 | +3 | 2d6 |
| 13 | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Dancer's Flurry +2, Bonus Feat | +20 | +3 | 2d6 |
| 14 | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +9 | +4 | Confounding Dance, Elegant Extension (60') | +20 | +3 | 2d6 |
| 15 | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +5 | Improved Evasion | +20 | +4 | 2d6 |
| 16 | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Chaotic Mind, Bonus Feat | +20 | +4 | 2d8 |
| 17 | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Heroic Dance | +30 | +4 | 2d8 |
| 18 | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +11 | +6 | Dancer's Strike (Aligned) | +30 | +4 | 2d8 |
| 19 | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +11 | +6 | Elegant Extension (90'), Bonus Feat | +30 | +5 | 2d8 |
| 20 | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +12 | +6 | Ultimate Dance | +30 | +5 | 2d10 |
Class Skills (6+Int/lv): Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Nobility & Royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex)
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Battle dancers are proficient in all simple weapons, plus short sword, whip, flail, heavy flail, kusari-gama, glaive, kau sin ke, war fan, shuriken, chakram, claw bracer, and bolas. They also start with Improved Unarmed Strike. Battle dancers are not proficient in any armour or shields, as several of their class abilities are reliant upon remaining unarmoured and unencumbered.
Improved Unarmed Strike (Ex): Battle dancers are highly trained in using their body with unprecedented skill. While a battle dancer starts with Improved Unarmed Strike, she may use practically any body part - head, elbow, knee, fist, foot - with lethal force. Any magic item which would add levels to monk for determining unarmed strike damage (or any other class feature which battle dancers share with monks) increase the battle dancer's effective level instead.
AC Bonus (Ex): A battle dancer has expertise at avoiding attacks through her mesmerizing movements. She adds her Charisma bonus to AC so long as she is unarmoured, carrying no more than a light load, and not using a shield. At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter (7, 11, 15, and 19), the bonus increases by 1.
This bonus applies against touch attacks and when the battle dancer is flat-footed, but she loses it whenever she is immobilized or helpless.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, a battle dancer can react to danger before her conscious mind registers it. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses the bonus if immobilized.
If a battle dancer already has Uncanny Dodge from another source, such as levels in another class, she automatically gains Improved Uncanny Dodge instead (see below).
Hypnotic Dance (Su): Also upon reaching 2nd level, a battle dancer learns her first special dance. Special dances have a save DC of 8 + ½ her ranks in Perform (Dance) + her Charisma modifier, require a move action to initiate and a swift action to maintain each round. A battle dancer may use special dances a number of times per day equal to her class level. She cannot use any special dance if she wears any armour or shield or carries a load heavier than light. She may also only use one special dance at a time. A special dance may be maintained for a maximum number of minutes equal to her Constitution score.
When the battle dancer initiates her Hypnotic Dance, all targets within 30' that can see her become fascinated unless they succeed on a Will save for as long as they can see her dancing. This is a mind-affecting effect. Once someone shakes off the fascinate effect, they cannot be affected by this use of the dance again. However if the battle dancer starts the dance over again, they must make a new save.
Dancer's Flurry (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a battle dancer may launch a flurry of blows in combat. Whenever she makes a full attack using unarmed strikes or a battle dancer weapon, she gets one extra attack at her highest bonus.
Battle dancer weapons are: dagger, quarterstaff, short sword, whip, flail, heavy flail, kusari-gama, glaive, kau sin ke, war fan, shuriken, braid blade, and rope dart.
At 13th level, the battle dancer's flurry improves to 2 extra attacks, each at her highest bonus.
Dancer's Strike (Su): A 4th level battle dancer gains the ability to breach certain forms of damage reduction with her unarmed strikes. Initially, her unarmed strikes bypass damage reduction as if it were a magic weapon. At 11th level, her unarmed strikes count as if it were a single special material of her choice, which she can change as a swift action, and finally at 18th, it becomes aligned according to her own alignment.
Bonus Feat: At 4th level and every 3 levels thereafter, battle dancers gain a bonus feat. It can be any feat from the following list, but she must still meet all requirements in order to take it. With regards to monk levels, battle dancer levels are equivalent, for all feats.
Acrobatic, Acrobatic Strike, Agile, Alertness, Athletic, Blind-Fight, Clever Wrestling, Close-Quarters Fighting, Combat Acrobat, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Melee Evasion, Combat Reflexes, Hindering Opportunist, Stalwart Defense, Vexing Flanker, Adaptable Flanker, Defensive Throw, Cunning Evasion, Dash, Defensive Sweep, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Bounding Assault, Rapid Blitz, Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Grapple, Deflect Arrows, Snatch Arrows, Stunning Fist, Extra Stunning, Fiery Fist, Fiery Ki Defense, Water Splitting Stone, Earth's Embrace, Fists of Iron, Freezing the Lifeblood, Pain Touch, Rapid Stunning, Weakening Touch, Improved Natural Attack, Leap of the Heavens, Lightning Reflexes, Master Manipulator, Negotiator, Quick Draw, Run, Snap Kick, Stealthy, Superior Unarmed Strike, Versatile Unarmed Strike, Weapon Finesse
Dancer's Weaponry (Ex): At 5th level, a battle dancer's improved unarmed damage begins to carry over to battle dancer weapons as well. She may roll her unarmed damage at her battle dancer level - 4 with battle dancer weapons if it is higher. Battle dancer weapons are the same as the ones she can flurry with. For instance, a short sword normally deals 1d6 damage, but in the hands of a 12th level battle dancer, it instead deals 1d10 damage. Sources which alter a battle dancer's unarmed damage, such as Improved Natural Attack, do not apply to the weapon's damage, unless it only modifies her class level for determining what damage to use, such as a Monk's Belt. The weapon still uses its critical threat range and multiplier, instead of using the battle dancer's unarmed critical range and multiplier. Any bonuses from masterwork quality, special materials, or magic enchantments upon the weapon still apply to all attacks made with them.
Charming Dance (Su): Also at 5th level, battle dancers gain a new special dance. She can charm a single living creature within 30' unless it makes a Will save, as the spell
Charm Monster. As long as the battle dancer maintains her dance, the creature remains under the charm effect. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Unarmoured Speed Bonus (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a battle dancer begins moving faster. She gains a +10' bonus to her base speed. This increase improves to +20' at level 11, and to +30' at level 17. She loses the bonus if she wears armour or a shield, or carries a load heavier than light.
Acrobatic Agility (Ex): A battle dancer of 6th level gains the ability to tumble at full speed without penalty. She can also tumble at up to double her speed with only a -10 penalty to her tumble check. She loses this ability if she wears armour or a shield or carries a load heavier than light.
Evasion (Ex): At 6th level a battle dancer gains the ability to avoid large blasts and other unusual attacks with panache. If she makes a successful Reflex save against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as
Fireball), she instead takes no damage. Evasion can only be used if the battle dancer is wearing no armour or shield, and is not helpless.
Featherlight Step (Su): Upon reaching 7th level, a battle dancer's step becomes so light that she can literally stride on water. She can stand upon any surface, solid or liquid, even if it would normally be unable to support her weight. If the surface is hazardous, she still suffers from it, such as burning from walking on lava. If she should wear any armour or shield, or carry a load heavier than light, she cannot use this ability.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Upon reaching 8th level, battle dancers gain Improved Uncanny Dodge, meaning they can no longer be flanked. This defence denies rogues from being able to flank the battle dancer, unless the rogue has at least four levels more than her.
Levels from multiple classes that can grant Improved Uncanny Dodge stack for determining the level a rogue needs to flank the battle dancer.
Aerial Dance (Su): Also at 8th level, the battle dancer gains her next special dance. As long as she maintains the dance, she can move in the air as if under the effects of
Air Walk.
Elegant Extension (Su): A battle dancer that attains 9th level gains the ability to channel her attacks through her dancing movements, focusing them into a ranged strike. She may now deliver melee attacks against targets up to 30' away. This provokes attacks of opportunity just like any other ranged attack, and suffers a -1 penalty to the attack roll for every 10' away the target is. Upon reaching level 14, the range increases to 60', and to 90' at level 19. A battle dancer cannot use this ability if she is wearing armour or a shield or carrying a load heavier than light.
Vexing Strike (Ex): At 10th level, a battle dancer learns a new combat technique. If she successfully tumbles through a foe's space and then attacks him, the foe is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC. If the battle dancer hits, the foe then is rendered flat-footed until the start of his next turn.
Concealing Dance (Su): Once she reaches 11th level, the battle dancer learns her fourth special dance. With this dance, she obscures her actual position, granting herself concealment. She must make a Perform (Dance) check as a part of this dance, and half of the check is the concealment percentage she gains, to a maximum of 50%, for as long as she maintains her dance. For instance, a battle dancer using Concealing Dance rolls a 35 on her Perform (Dance) check, and gains a 17% concealment as long as she keeps the dance going.
Dancing Assault (Ex): A battle dancer of at least 12th level may now make multiple attacks after moving. As a full-round action, the battle dancer may move up to her speed and make a full attack after. She takes a -1 penalty to all attack rolls made in the Dancing Assault for every 10' of movement she travelled. She cannot use this ability if she is wearing armour or a shield or carrying a load heavier than light.
Confounding Dance (Su): Upon reaching level 14, a battle dancer learns her fifth special dance. When she uses this dance, pick one target within 30' that can see her, which must make a Will save or become confused, as the spell
Confusion, as long as the dance is maintained and he can see the battle dancer.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 15th level, a battle dancer gains Improved Evasion, which functions like Evasion, except that on a failed Reflex save against a spell or effect that allows a save for half damage, the battle dancer takes half damage. If she cannot use Evasion, she cannot use Improved Evasion.
Chaotic Mind (Su): A battle dancer of at least 16th level embraces the chaos of her thoughts and actions to the point where she becomes immune to mind-affecting effects. This is a continuous ability.
Heroic Dance (Su): A 17th level battle dancer is able to utilize the penultimate special dance. With this, all allies within 30' of her when she starts the dance gain the effects of
Greater Heroism for as long as she maintains the dance and they are able to see her. The battle dancer does not gain the benefits of this dance, however.
Ultimate Dance (Su): Finally, a battle dancer that attains level 20 learns this final dance. With it, she may combine any two dances simultaneously. Both can be initiated with the same move action, or one may be used and a second added later with a separate move action. Both dances are maintained with the same swift action, and the battle dancer may end either one as she chooses. Each dance used in the Ultimate Dance uses up one of her daily uses, so activating two dances at once with Ultimate Dance uses up two uses.
