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.

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

Skillful Strike (Ex): The swashbuckler can strike

with amazing skill and precision during battle.

Starting at 1st level, the swashbuckler adds 1 to her damage when striking with a light weapon or

a one-handed weapon with the finesse property.

This damage bonus increases by 1 for every two swashbuckler 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.

Weapon Finesse (Ex): A swashbuckler gains the

Weapon Finesse feat for free at 1st level.

Bonus Feat: 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.

Taunt (Ex): 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.

Combat Agility (Ex): 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.

Swashbuckler Talent: 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:

Combat Training: A swashbuckler may gain any

one combat or maneuver feat that she qualifies for

in place of a swashbuckler talent.

Daring Acrobat (Ex): 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.

Defensive Wit (Ex): A swashbuckler with this

talent adds her Intelligence modifier to her AC

against attacks made by the target of her taunt

ability.

Demanding Presence (Ex): 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.

Evasion (Ex): 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.

Lucky (Ex): 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.

Press the Advantage (Ex): 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.

Quickness (Ex): A swashbuckler with this talent

receives a +10 ft. bonus to her land speed and a +1

dodge bonus to her AC.

Sharp Tongue (Ex): A swashbuckler with this

talent adds her Charisma modifier to her melee damage rolls when attacking the target of her taunt

ability.

Slippery Mind (Ex): 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.

Twin Precision (Ex): 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.

Skill Feat: 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.

Parry (Ex): 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, using the same

bonuses as the attack she chose to forego during

her previous action. 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.

Riposte (Ex): 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.

Debilitating Critical (Ex): A swashbuckler of 18th

level or higher who scores a critical hit against a

creature while using her skillful strike ability can choose to also deal 2 points of Strength or Dexterity

damage to the creature. Creatures immune to

critical hits are immune to this effect.

Variant: Brigand

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.

Alignment: Any nonlawful

Class Abilities

Sneak Attack (Ex): 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.

Replaces: Skillful Strike

Brigand Talent: As a brigand gains experience, she

learns a number of special skills that enhance her

combat prowess. Starting at 4th level, a brigand gains 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:

Arterial Strike* (Ex): 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.

Canny Trickster (Ex): A swashbuckler with this

talent adds her Intelligence modifier to her CMB

when performing a combat maneuver against the

target of her taunt ability.

Combat Training: A brigand may gain any one

combat or maneuver feat that she qualifies for in

place of a brigand talent.

Crippling Strike* (Ex): 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.

Dirty Scoundrel (Ex): A brigand with this talent

adds her Charisma modifier to her damage roll on a

successful sneak attack.

Evasion (Ex): 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.

Lucky (Ex): 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. Opportunist (Ex): 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.

Quickness (Ex): A brigand with this talent

receives a +10 ft. bonus to her land speed and a +1

dodge bonus to her AC.

Slippery Mind (Ex): 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.

Staggering Strike* (Ex): A rogue with this ability

can severely hinder foes by hitting them with a

sneak attack. A foe that is struck by the rogue’s

sneak attack is staggered for 1 round. A target can

resist this effect by making a successful Fortitude

save (DC = damage dealt).

Replaces: Swashbuckler Talent