The swashbuckler embodies the concepts of daring and panache. Favoring agility and wit over brute force, the swashbuckler excels both in combat situations and social interactions, making her a versatile character indeed. Some seek to right injustices, while others seek only fame and fortune. All swashbucklers, however, share a tendency to leap into action when the call comes, regardless of their personal views. The swashbuckler combines skill and finesse with sheer combat prowess. Though swashbucklers can’t dish out quite as much damage as a typical fighter or barbarian, they tend to be more agile and mobile than most melee combatants. When she can pick her battles carefully, a swashbuckler becomes a very deadly opponent.

<php>echo “<b>Hit Dice:</b>”;</php> d8
<php>echo “<b>Alignment:</b>”;</php> Any
<php>echo “<b>Armor Proficiencies:</b>”;</php> Light armor
<php>echo “<b>Weapon Proficiencies:</b>”;</php> All simple and martial weapons
<php>echo “<b>Skill Points/Level:</b>”;</php> 4 + Int
<php>echo “<b>Class Skills:</b>”;</php> Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Deception (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Insight (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Streetwise (Cha), Trade (Int)

<php>echo “<b>Skillful Strike (Ex):</b>”;</php> The swashbuckler can strike with amazing skill and precision during battle. Starting at 1st level, the swashbuckler adds 1 toher damage when striking with a light weapon or a one-handed weapon with the finesse property. This damage bonus increases by 1 for every twoswashbuckler levels gained thereafter.When making a skillful strike, a swashbuckler cannot attack with a weapon in her other hand or use a shield. A swashbuckler cannot use this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load. A swashbuckler’s skillful strike only works against living creatures with discernible anatomies. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is also immune to a skillful strike, and any item or ability that protects a creature from critical hits also protects a creature from a skillful strike.

<php>echo “<b>Weapon Finesse (Ex):</b>”;</php> A swashbuckler gains the Weapon Finesse feat for free at 1st level.

<php>echo “<b>Bonus Feat:</b>”;</php> At 2nd level and again at 10th and 18th level, the swashbuckler gains a bonus combat or maneuver feat. A swashbuckler must meet the prerequisites before taking the feat.

<php>echo “<b>Taunt (Ex):</b>”;</php> At 2nd level, the swashbuckler can provoke her foes in combat, drawing their attention away from her allies. Whenever the swashbuckler successfully hits an enemy with a melee attack, she may choose to mark that target as a free action. The mark lasts for the remainder of the encounter or until the swashbuckler attacks another target. Creatures with an Intelligence score of less than 3 cannot be affected by this ability.While a target is marked, it takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls when making any attack that doesn’t include the swashbuckler as a target. A creature can be subject to only one mark at a time. A new mark supersedes a mark that was already in place.

<php>echo “<b>Combat Agility (Ex):</b>”;</php> At 3rd level, the swashbuckler gains a +1 dodge bonus to her AC and CMD, with the bonus increasing by one at every four levels after 3rd level. A swashbuckler loses this bonus when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

<php>echo “<b>Swashbuckler Talent:</b>”;</php> As a swashbuckler gains experience, she learns a number of special skills that enhance her combat prowess. Starting at 4th level, a swashbuckler gains one swashbuckler talent. She gains an additional swashbuckler talent for every 4 levels of swashbuckler attained after 4th level. A swashbuckler cannot select an individual talent more than once. The available talents are listed below:

• <php>echo “<i>Combat Training:</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler may gain any one combat or maneuver feat that she qualifies for in place of a swashbuckler talent.
• <php>echo “<i>Daring Acrobat (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this ability gains a bonus on Acrobatics checks equal to half her swashbuckler level. In addition, the swashbuckler may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement or allies blocking her path. This ability enables her to run down steep stairs, leap down from a balcony, or to tumble over tables to get to her target. Depending on the circumstance, she may still need to make appropriate checks (Acrobatics or Athletics checks, in particular) to successfully move over the terrain.
• <php>echo “<i>Defensive Wit (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this talent adds her Intelligence modifier to her AC against attacks made by the target of her taunt ability.
• <php>echo “<i>Demanding Presence (Ex):</i>”;</php> When a swashbuckler with this talent successfully uses her taunt ability on a target, that creature cannot take a 5-foot step or make attacks of opportunity against anyone other than the swashbuckler for as long as the swashbuckler threatens the target.
• <php>echo “<i>Evasion (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this ability can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the swashbuckler is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless swashbuckler does not gain the benefit of evasion.
• <php>echo “<i>Lucky (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this talent may reroll any failed attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw once per day. The character must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll.
• <php>echo “<i>Press the Advantage (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this talent doubles the damage bonus from her skillful strike ability when attacking creatures who are flat-footed or otherwise denied their Dexterity bonus to AC.
• <php>echo “<i>Quickness (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this talent receives a +10 ft. bonus to her land speed and a +1 dodge bonus to her AC.
• <php>echo “<i>Sharp Tongue (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this talent adds her Charisma modifier to her melee damage rolls when attacking the target of her taunt ability.
• <php>echo “<i>Slippery Mind (Ex):</i>”;</php> This ability represents the swashbuckler’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a swashbuckler with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.
• <php>echo “<i>Twin Precision (Ex):</i>”;</php> A swashbuckler with this talent is able to use her skillful strike class feature even when wielding two weapons, with the bonus damage applying to attacks from both weapons.

<php>echo “<b>Skill Feat:</b>”;</php> As swashbucklers gain experience, they find new and more efficient ways to use their skills. At 6th and 14th level, a swashbuckler can select a skill feat for which she meets the prerequisites.

<php>echo “<b>Parry (Ex):</b>”;</php> At 6th level, a swashbuckler learns to parry the attacks of other creatures, causing them to miss. Once per round, the swashbuckler can use an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry an attack against her or an adjacent ally as an immediate action. To parry the attack, the swashbuckler makes an attack roll at her highest bonus. If her attack roll is greater than the roll of the attacking creature, the attack automatically misses. For each size category that the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –4 penalty on her attack roll. The swashbuckler also takes a –4 penalty when attempting to parry an attack made against an adjacent ally. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the attack is announced, but before the roll is made.

<php>echo “<b>Riposte (Ex):</b>”;</php> Starting at 14th level, a swashbuckler can make an attack of opportunity against any creature whose attack she successfully parries, so long as the creature she is attacking is within reach. An attack of opportunity made in this manner does not count towards the total amount of attacks of opportunity the swashbuckler can make in a round.

<php>echo “<b>Debilitating Critical (Ex):</b>”;</php> A swashbuckler of 18th level or higher who scores a critical hit against a creature while using her skillful strike ability canchoose to also deal 2 points of Strength or Dexterity damage to the creature. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this effect.

While swashbucklers fight with precision and finesse, brigands resort to dirtier tactics in order to gain the edge on their foes. Brigands tend to carry a questionable reputation, and often find themselves on the wrong end of the law. The brigand has all the standard swashbuckler class features, except as noted below.

<php>echo “<b>Alignment:</b>”;</php> Any nonlawful

<php>echo “<b>Sneak Attack (Ex):</b>”;</php> If a brigand can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.The brigand’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied their Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the brigand flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every four brigand levels thereafter. Should the brigand score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), a brigand can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.The brigand must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A brigand cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment.
<php>echo “<i>Replaces:</i>”;</php> Skillful Strike

<php>echo “<b>Brigand Talent:</b>”;</php> As a brigand gains experience, she learns a number of special skills that enhance her combat prowess. Starting at 4th level, a brigandgains one brigand talent. She gains an additional brigand talent for every 4 levels of brigand attained after 4th level. A brigand cannot select an individual talent more than once. Talents marked with an asterisk add effects to a brigand’s sneak attack. Only one of these talents can be applied to an individual attack and the decision must be made before the attack roll is made. The available talents are listed below:

• <php>echo “<i>Arterial Strike* (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the brigand’s sneak attack (e.g., 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
• <php>echo “<i>Canny Trickster (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this talent adds her Intelligence modifier to her CMB when performing a combat maneuver against the target of her taunt ability.
• <php>echo “<i>Combat Training:</i>”;</php> A brigand may gain any one combat or maneuver feat that she qualifies for in place of a brigand talent.
• <php>echo “<i>Crippling Strike* (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that her blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of her sneak attacks also takes 2 points of Strength damage.
• <php>echo “<i>Dirty Scoundrel (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this talent adds her Charisma modifier to her damage roll on a successful sneak attack.
• <php>echo “<i>Evasion (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this ability can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the brigand is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless brigand does not gain the benefit of evasion.
• <php>echo “<i>Lucky (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this talent may reroll any failed attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw once per day. The character must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll.
• <php>echo “<i>Opportunist (Ex):</i>”;</php> Once per round, the brigand can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity for that round. Even a brigand with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.
• <php>echo “<i>Quickness (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this talent receives a +10 ft. bonus to her land speed and a +1 dodge bonus to her AC.
• <php>echo “<i>Slippery Mind (Ex):</i>”;</php> This ability represents the brigand’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a brigand with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.
• <php>echo “<i>Staggering Strike* (Ex):</i>”;</php> A brigand with this ability can severely hinder foes by hitting them with a sneak attack. A foe that is struck by the brigand's sneak attack is staggered for 1 round. A target can resist this effect by making a successful Fortitude save (DC = damage dealt).

<php>echo “<i>Replaces:</i>”;</php> Swashbuckler Talent