Class: Tenken (3.5)

The speed at which those who deserve the title of tenken move is beyond believable. A tenken is an extraordinarily agile swordsman capable of incredible feats of movement and combat. High level tenken claim that they are often never touched in a fight.

It is customary for a tenken to only wield one weapon at a time. Barred from multiple or double weapons, they find ways to compensate by increasing the effectiveness of their one weapon.

Tenken often possess scrawny and unimpressive physiques for front-line fighters, but they move with such fluidity for any eye fast enough to track them. Their heer speed and agility make them fearsome opponents on the battlefield, and anyone suicidal enough to charge into a melee with no armor and only a single sword surely leaves an impression on even the most hardened of soldiers.

Adventurers: Most fighters see adventures, raids, and dangerous missions as their job. Some have patrons who pay them regularly. Others prefer to live like prospectors, taking great risks in hopes of the big haul. Some fighters are more civic-minded and use their combat skills to protect endangered people who cannot defend themselves.

Characteristics: Tenken are trained for their mobility on the battlefield while issuing deadly strikes upon his enemies. Their ability to slash at their foes quickly and with lethal precision makes them formitable opponents, weaving their way through the masses while each enemy swings wildly at the air. Tenken are for one purpose only; the strike down enemies in a flash of light.

Alignment: Tenkens may be of any alignment. Good fighters are often crusading types who seek out and fight evil. Lawful tenken may be champions who protect the land and its people. Chaotic tenken may be wandering mercenaries. Evil tenken tend to be bullies and petty villains who simply take what they want by brute force.

Religion: Tenken often worship Heironeous (god of valor), Kord (god of strength), St. Cuthbert (god of retribution), Hextor (god of tyranny), or Erythnul (god of slaughter).

Background: Tenkens come to their profession in many ways. Most have had formal training in a noble’s army or at least in the local militia. Some have trained in formal academies. Very rarely do they come across their abilities naturally, however some might show a certain affinity for the style. A tenken may have taken up the sword as a way to escape the limits of life on the farm, or he may be following a proud family tradition. Tenken share no special identity, nor do they see themselves as a group or brotherhood. However, those who hail from a particular academy, mercenary company, or lord’s regiment, however, share a certain camaraderie.

Races: Human tenken are often times participants in military or mercenary services, never fearing frontline combat or combat espionage. Elf tenken are particularly skilled with the thinblade or rapier, proud of their abilities and eager to demonstrate their skills. Gnome and halfling tenken are usually part of a local militia and rarely travel outside of their own communities. You will rarely see a half-elf tenken, and even more rare are dwarves and half-orc willing to sacrifice brute strength for agility.

Other Classes: Tenken much appreciate the frontline skills of a fighter or paladin to take the brunt of the damage. While the appreciate the support given by spellcasters, they are wary of traveling alongside those who hamper their movements such as rogues and monks who often times move around just as much as the tenken would.

Role: The tenken's role is that of a combat killer. They rush into battle and strike quick and decisive blows against their
targets, moving speedily from one opponent to the next.

Tenkens have the following game statistics:

Abilities: Dexterity is by far the most important ability for a tenken. It affects his armor class, attack and damage bonuses, and allows him to make saves with incredible efficiency. Wisdom is the second most important ability, as it strengthens his otherwise sub-par Will saves.
Races: Any, but the naturally dexterous races are favored.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d6


Class Skills

The tenken's class skills (and the key ability for each skill)Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier


Class Features

All of the following are class features of the tenken.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A tenken is proficient with all simple and martial weapons but holds a special affinity for melee slashing weapons, swords in particular. Tenkens are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
When wearing medium or heavy armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a tenken loses most of his class abilities.

Acrobatics (Ex): The tenken moves with unparalleled grace. Every step is carefully measured, and performed with such fluidity that he appears to almost be gliding across the ground. A 1st level a tenken gains a +5 competency bonus on Balance, Jump, and Tumble checks. At 8th level, this bonus increases to +10, and finally to +20 at 15th level. In addition, a tenken can always take 10 on a roll for one of the aforementioned skills, even when circumstances would normally prevent him from doing so. The tenken must be wearing light armor and be unencumbered in order to receive these bonuses.

Shukuchi (Ex): When wearing light or no armor, a tenken may strike with the shukuchi—a flurry of ridiculously fast strikes—at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, he may make one extra attack in a round at his highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. The resulting modified base attack bonuses are shown in the Shukuchi Attack Bonus column on Table: 1-1. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the tenken might make before his next action. When a tenken reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to –1, and at 9th level it disappears. A tenken must use a full attack action to strike with the shukuchi, and the technique can only be used when he is wielding a single melee slashing weapon.

The tenken's ability to use the shukuchi improves at 11th level. In addition to the standard extra attack he receives, he also gains another extra attack at his highest base attack bonus.

Fast Movement (Ex): A tenken is fast. Very fast. He gains an enhancement bonus to his speed, as shown on Table: 1-1. A tenken in medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.

Sprinter (Ex): When wearing light or no armor and carrying a light load, a 2nd level tenken may run five times his speed. If he takes the Run feat, he can run six times his speed when wearing light armor and unencumbered.

Evasion (Ex): A tenken can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. At 4th level, 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 tenken is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless tenken does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Leaping Dodge: After being so aware of his situation in fights where the tenken has been outnumbered, he is used to avoiding danger by moving out of it's way. At 4th level, A tenken obtains the ability to leap out of the harm's way. When an attack against the tenken misses, you may shift to an adjacent square. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity for the enemy who made the attack, but you do provoke an attack of opportunity against any enemies adjacent to the square you moved to. The Tenken also receives a +2 to all his Reflex saves.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a tenken can react to danger before his senses would normally allow his to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.

Shinsoke (Ex): At 6th level, the tenken moves with such speed that it defies reality. Once per day, he can substitute either his Fortitude or Will save with his Reflex save, quickening his body and mind to the point where effects are processed so fast that they are barely registered in normal time. For 3 rounds after using this ability, the tenken recovers 1 hit die per round in hit points. At 13th level, the tenken is able to use this ability two times per day, and increases again to three times at 20th level.

Quickstep (Ex): The tenken's sheer speed makes him extremely difficult to track in combat. At 8th level, on any turn where he has moved 10 or more feet, the tenken's form appears to waver and shift, and he gains 20% concealment as if he was affected by a blur spell. This effect cannot be seen through because it is simply a result of his quickness.
At 17th level, the tenken's quickstep ability improves to the point where an opponent’s eyes are unable to follow his movement, making him appear several feet away from his actual location. He now gains the effects of a displacement spell when he moves more than 10 feet in a turn. The tenken must be wearing light or no armor.

Living Edge (Ex): At 9th level, a tenken’s sword strikes with unmatched efficiency, hitting fast and hard where it hurts. The critical threat range of any slashing weapon the tenken is proficient with doubles (20 to 19-20, 19-20 to 17-20, etc.) as if it had the keen enchantment. This effect stacks with the Improved Critical feat but not the keen enchantment.

At 18th level, the critical threat range of any slashing weapon wielded by the tenken triples (20 to 18-20, 19-20 to 15-20, etc.).

Haste (Ex): Starting at 10th level, a tenken may act as if he were hasted for a number of rounds per day equal to his class level. Rounds per day acquired through another source (such as boots of speed) are added on to the tenken’s maximum rounds per day. The extra attack granted by this effect stacks with the attack(s) granted by the shukuchi, but do not stack with any attack provided by a weapon with the speed enchantment.

Improved Evasion (Ex): Gained at level 12, this ability works like evasion, except that while the tenken still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth He henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless tenken does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A tenken of 13th level or higher can no longer be flanked.

Unbound (Ex): There is no way the tenken could have survived as long as he has without being able to get out of sticky situations. At 14th level, a tenken acts as if he is permanently under the effect of a freedom of movement spell.

Leap of the Clouds (Ex): At 16th level, a tenken’s jumping distance (vertical or horizontal) is no longer limited according to his height. This ability only functions if the tenken is wearing light or no armor and unencumbered.

Astra (Ex): At 19th level, the tenken gains the ability use a burst of superhuman speed to take two turns worth of actions in one round once per combat encounter. If the tenken decides to attack in both turns, there is no penalty on any of his attack rolls due to the use of Astra (any other penalties still apply as normal). Following the use of Astra, the tenken must succeed a Fortitude save (DC 20) or become fatigued for 1d4+1 rounds.