“One down, three to go.” — Tivel Gavrail, a partisan, after his first encounter with his newest mission
MAKING A
PARTISAN
The partisan is primarily an offensive character, specializing in guerrilla warfare that favors hit-and-run tactics, crippling and debilitating enemies, and secondarily in ambushes, stealth and shock tactics.
Abilities: Dexterity and Intelligence are the most important abilities to a partisan, as these will enhance the effects and DCs of their class abilities. Constitution is their next most important ability, which improves their chances of survival in the event that they are targeted by an enemy. Strength is a lesser concern, but necessary for Power Attack, which all partisans benefit from very heavily. Wisdom will shore up their weak Will saves and, lastly, Charisma is of limited value to the partisan, as no one needs to be pretty or persuasive to jump out of the bushes and stab someone.
Races: Humans, half-elves, gnomes and drow are the races most likely to become partisans, although orcs and half-orcs native to woodland and jungle regions may also sometimes take up this class.
Alignment: Any.
Starting Age: As fighter.
Starting Gold: As barbarian.
Table 1–1: The Partisan Hit Die: D8Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, x4 at 1st level): Balance, Craft, Hide, Iaijutsu Focus, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Open Lock, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Swim, Tumble
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A partisan has proficiency with all light and one-handed simple and martial weapons, and with two weapons of their choice. They are proficient with light armor, hide armor and scale mail, and with bucklers and light shields. Armor and shield spikes are common options taken up by partisans.
Maneuvers: A partisan begins his career with knowledge of two martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to him are Placid Lake, Shadow Hand and Steel Crow.
Once he knows a maneuver, the partisan must ready it before he can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by the partisan is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. The partisan’s maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and he do not provoke attacks of opportunity when he initiates one.
The partisan learns additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on Table 1–1. He must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See Table 3–1 in the Tome of Battle, page 39, to determine the highest-level maneuvers a partisan can learn.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered partisan level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), the partisan can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one he already knows. In effect, he loses the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. He can choose a new maneuver of any level he likes, as long as he observes his restriction on the highest-level maneuvers he knows; he need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 10th level, a partisan could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- or 4th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 5th level or lower, as long as he meets the prerequisite of the new maneuver. The partisan can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: The partisan can ready both of his maneuvers known at 1st level, and as he advances in level and learns more maneuvers, he is able to ready more, but he must eventually choose which of his maneuvers from among the ones he knows to ready. He readies his maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers he chooses remain readied until he decides to exercise again and change them. The partisan need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready his maneuvers; any time he spends 5 minutes exercising, he can change his readied maneuvers.
The partisan begins an encounter with all of his readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times he might have already used them since he chose them. When he initiates a maneuver, he expends it for the current encounter, so each of his readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (unless he recovers them, as described below).
The partisan can recover all of his expended maneuvers by using a full-round action to quickly rest and clear his mind. Doing this does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The partisan cannot initiate a maneuver or change his stance while he is recovering his expended maneuvers, but he can remain in a stance in which he began his turn.
Stances Known: The partisan begins play with knowledge of a single stance from any discipline open to him that his initiator level gives him access to. At 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level, he can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and the partisan does not have to ready them. All the stances the partisan knows are available to him at all times, and he can change the stance he is currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description. Unlike with maneuvers, the partisan cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one he already knows.
Advance (Ex): A partisan’s training allows him to attack faster and more often than other characters in combat, gaining an advantage over time. The partisan has an attack pool that allows him to make additional attacks. This pool begins at 0, and resets at the beginning of each day. Every time a partisan attacks a creature in combat, whether his attack misses or hits, his advance pool gains 1 attack point, up to the current maximum of his advance pool.
At any point in time while making an attack with a weapon or a natural weapon, whether as part of a full attack, an attack of opportunity, a strike maneuver or any other action which entails the partisan making at least one attack roll against another character, he may choose to spend 10 points from his advance pool to make an additional attack against the same target, using the attack bonus of his most recent attack.
At 1st level, the partisan's advance pool can hold up to 10 attack points. The maximum number of points his advance pool holds increases by 5 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a partisan can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the partisan is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless partisan does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Quick Draw (Ex): At 2nd level, the partisan gains Quick Draw as a bonus feat, even if he wouldn’t normally meet its prerequisites. He may also sheath any weapon he wields as a free action.
Alacrity (Ex): At 3rd level, the partisan’s practice with guerrilla tactics pays off in the form of a +2 bonus to initiative checks. Furthermore, whenever his initiative indicates that he goes first in combat, his base speed increases by 10 feet for 1 round. At 11th level, his initiative bonus increases to +4 and his base speed increases by 20 feet for 1 round when he goes first in combat, and at 19th level, his initiative bonus increases to +6 and his base speed increases by 30 feet for 1 round when he goes first in combat.
Hit-and-Run Tactics (Ex): In guerrilla warfare, it is important to maximize confusion, minimize response time and to never give the opposition time to formulate a defense. Stopping in the middle of an initial assault, even to attack, is an excellent way to fail in all of these objectives, so the partisan trains in how to avoid making this critical mistake. At 3rd level, the partisan can take a move action and another standard action at any point during that move. The partisan cannot take a second move action during any round in which he takes this option.
Swift Killer (Su): At 5th level, the partisan’s training in fast, brutal assaults intermingles with his basic aptitude for dark magic, allowing him to derive a boost in swiftness whenever a victim falls to his attacks. Whenever the partisan drops a creature in combat, his advance pool gains 5 attack points.
Cold Blood (Ex): Beginning at 5th level, as long as the partisan has at least three quarters of his maximum hit points, he gains a +1 attack bonus and each of his attacks inflicts +1d6 damage. At 10th level, this bonus increases to +2 and +2d6, at 15th level this increases to +3 and +3d6, and at 20th level increases to +4 and +4d6.
Blindside (Ex): Starting at 6th level, the partisan learns to take advantage of faults in an opponent’s defenses at the moment they turn their attention away from him. Whenever the partisan is threatened by an opponent who makes a melee attack against a character other than himself, he may make an attack of opportunity against that opponent, which has a +4 bonus to hit and deals 2d6 extra damage. These bonuses increase to a +8 bonus to hit and 4d6 extra damage at level 14.
The extra damage dealt by blindsiding an opponent works like sneak attack damage, although the bonus to hit does not. Additionally, this ability counts as sneak attack for the purposes of benefiting from feats, items and spells, and for qualifying for feats and prestige classes.
Guerrilla Accuracy (Ex): A partisan is accustomed to fighting in areas with reduced visibility due to smoke, fog, foliage or any number of other conditions. As a result of their experience with these conditions, they suffer fewer penalties when fighting under them. Beginning at 6th level, If the partisan has blindside, sneak attack, skirmish or a similar feature from any source, he does not lose the benefit of those features when striking creatures that have concealment from him. Furthermore, creatures that have concealment from the partisan have the miss chance from attacks made by the partisan halved.
Black Magic Tactics (Su): The partisan has learned that any advantage over an enemy is an advantage that must be exploited whenever possible. By combining their martial skills with rudimentary jinxes, the partisan can extend the durations of any mystical hexes and maladies that have befallen their victims. Beginning at 7th level, as long as the partisan has at least one supernatural maneuver readied, any time he strikes a foe, he may cause each debilitating condition or effect that was caused by a spell, maneuver or spell-like or supernatural class feature that is currently affecting that character to have its duration extended by 1 round, unless they succeed on a Will save against DC 10 + ½ the partisan’s level + the partisan’s Int mod. A partisan can only affect a particular character with this ability once per round. If a character saves against this ability, it is not protected from subsequent uses of it during that round.
Shock Tactics (Ex): To a partisan, fear and surprise are indispensable weapons and allies, critical to minimizing his enemies’ response time in every ambush and assault. Starting at 9th level, the partisan’s aptitude with the Intimidate skill expands, providing him with the following benefits:
• At any time, he may choose to treat Intimidate as an Intelligence-based skill instead of a Charisma-based skill.
• Any round during which the partisan attacks an opponent or uses a strike maneuver, he may use the demoralize opponent aspect of the Intimidate skill, as a free action, once.
• Whenever the partisan goes first in combat by winning initiative, he may make an Intimidate check as an immediate action, which is checked against each enemy who can see him. Each character this check succeeds against is
stunned for 1 round.
• If the Partisan has any levels in Dread Witch, he may apply the spell-related benefits of his Master of Terror and Greater Master of Terror features (if he has them) to the demoralize opponent aspect of his Intimidate skill.
Black Magic Advantage (Su): Furthering his technique in exploiting a foe’s faults and weaknesses, the partisan learns how to siphon a bit of swiftness from victims that are already suffering from detracting conditions, each time he strikes them. Beginning at 13th level, as long as the partisan has at least one supernatural maneuver readied, any time he strikes a foe that is currently affected by a debilitating condition or effect that was caused by a spell, maneuver or spell-like or supernatural class feature, he may add an additional attack point to his advance pool.
Deathblow (Ex): At level 17, the partisan’s skill in delivering swift, lethal attacks nears its pinnacle. Three times per day, if a partisan attacks with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, his attack can have the additional effect of possibly killing the target. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ the partisan's class level + the partisan's Int modifier) against the effect, she dies. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal attack.
Black Magic Scourge (Su): With the moment of recovery comes a feeling, no matter how fleeting, of safety and relief. At level 18, the partisan learns to exploit this moment by striking hard and fast while his victim’s guard is at its lowest. As long as the partisan has at least one supernatural maneuver readied and threatens a creature that is currently affected by a debilitating condition or effect that was caused by a spell, maneuver or spell-like or supernatural class feature, he may choose to ready an action to attack that creature at the moment it recovers from the last of those conditions. If he does, each of his attacks against that creature at that time deal double damage, and half of that damage overcomes damage reduction, immunity, resistance and regeneration.
Martial Flexibility (Ex): At level 20, the partisan’s ability to adapt to the shifting chaos of combat through planning and ingenuity reaches its peak. Whenever the partisan readies new maneuvers, he may choose to ready one fewer maneuver than he is able to. Once during each encounter thereafter, the partisan may then initiate any maneuver he knows, as though he had readied it in advance, even if he has already used that maneuver during that same encounter. The partisan may use this ability only if he readied at least one fewer maneuver than he was able to during the last time he readied maneuvers.
Please forgive that Steel Crow is not complete yet. Finishing that and Combat Clinic are my current main projects, which will have 90% of my game-related attention for the next few days. In temporary consolation, please accept this blurb list about Steel Crow.
1
Articulus Solution: Strike—Attack an opponent's limb and deal damage, but may also cripple that limb by dislocating one of its joints.
Flurry of Shadows: Stance—Gain all of the benefits of concealment except miss chance against attacks.
Lamenting Iron: Boost—Your victim suffers a –2 penalty to AC for 2 rounds.
Violence: Strike—Deal +1d6 damage. You can ready this maneuver multiple times.
2
Decocting Steel: Boost—The poison on your weapon doesn't lose its potency after the next attack you make with it.
Downburst Strike: Strike—Make a single attack against all foes you can reach, half damage on a miss; no critical hits.
Tarnish Resilience: Boost—Attack inflicts a –2 penalty on your target's saves for 2 rounds.
3
Hazard of Elements: Boost—Reduce victim's energy resistances by 5; immunities become resistance 35.
Morrigan's Key: Strike—Attack deals scaling damage based on open locks check.
Plumage of Razors: Stance—Characters who try to grapple you suffer damage; you may leave a grapple as an immediate action.
4
Atramentous Bane: Boost—Victim must make Fort save or suffer 5% of its hit points in damage, for 2 rounds.
Brutality: Strike—Deal +3d6 damage. You can ready this maneuver multiple times.
Hastening of the North: Strike—Any debilitating conditions that would affect your victim later instead affect them now.
Visceral Fixture: Strike—After 10 rounds, victim sickened for IL hours; Con checks and strenuous activity nauseate victim for 1 round.
5
Articulus Fixture: Strike—Attack an opponent's limb and deal damage, but may also paralyze that limb by seizing one of its joints.
Crimson Cloak: Stance—Enemies within 10 feet of you suffer 5 damage each round, overcomes DR and immunity.
Lamenting Steel: Strike—Your victim suffers a –5 penalty to AC for 2 rounds.
Torpor Jinx: Boost—Victim can makes fewer attacks with each action used to attack, for 2 rounds.
Wrath of Beaks: Strike—Rip out two of your victim's eyes, permanently blinding them.
6
Halting Jinx: Boost—Victim may have its turn delayed each time it is hit, for 2 rounds.
Infirmity Fixture: Strike—With successful open locks check, victim cannot recover from debilitating conditions for 2 rounds.
Jeopardy of Elements: Strike—Reduce victim's energy resistances by 15; immunities become resistance 20.
Ruin Resilience: Strike—Attack inflicts a –5 penalty on your target's saves for 2 rounds.
7
Caliginous Blight: Strike—Victims in a 5 foot burst may suffer 5% of their hit points in damage, for 2 rounds.
Languor Jinx: Strike—Victims in a 5 foot burst make fewer attacks with each action used to attack, for 2 rounds.
Murder Flight: Stance—You may fly adjacent to the ground with good maneuverability.
Patience of Fate: Strike—Victim suffers a –4 penalty on attack and damage rolls; after this time, 4d6 damage per round affected.
8
Augury of Corones: Strike—Victim cannot benefit from healing, fast healing or regeneration for 2 rounds.
Interference Jinx: Boost—Victims in a 5 foot burst may have their turns delayed each time they are hit, for 2 rounds.
Visceral Solution: Strike—Attack deals damage, but also tears out victim's entrails with successful open locks check.
9
Kiss of the Otherworld: Strike—Touch attack slays victim, survivors suffer one negative level and damage based on HD.
