

Crusaders are warriors who use their devotion and zeal to power martial maneuvers. Initiator level is functionally equivalent to caster level – it's simply the relevant class level of the martial adept who initiates the power.Ĭrusader: The crusader is one of the three martial adept standard classes described in Chapter 1. Initiator Level: Some maneuvers have effects that vary with the level of the character initiating them. Only one maneuver can be initiated per a player's turn. So instead o casting a spell or mnaifesting a power, a character initiates a maneuver. Initiate: A martial adept uses a martial maneuver by initiating it. All stances a character knows are available to her at all times.Ī character can adopt a stance, or change from one stance to another, as a bonus action. Unlike other maneuvers, most stances can remain in effect for an indefinite time. For example, the Tiger Claw discipline teaches stances that allow the user to unlock her feral, animalistic nature. Each stance is a particular fighting pose that grants a martial adept special benefits and options. Stance: A stance is a special type of maneuver. A martial adept’s class and level determine the number and level of maneuvers she knows.

You can think of this as the martial adept’s spellbook or spell list. Maneuvers Known: The collection of maneuvers a martial adept has learned. Most martial adepts don’t have access to all the disciplines. The nine disciplines are called Desert Wind, Devoted Spirit, Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, Tiger Claw, and White Raven. Nine martial disciplines exist, each consisting of fifteen to twenty maneuvers and stances. Martial Discipline: A martial discipline is a family or school of maneuvers that share some common philosophy or effect. Martial Dice: A martial dice is a special dice used to initiate your maneuvers. Martial adepts have a greater number of martial dice available to them but can only use one maneuver per turn. However, a martial adept doesn't operate the same way a battle master would. A martial adept has a greater proficiency in maneuvers than that of the Battle Master, a subclass of the fighter. Maneuver: A maneuver is a unique attack or effect that is either initiated as an action, a bonus action, or a reaction. Martial Adept: A character with one or more levels in the crusader, swordsage, or warblade class is known as a martial adept. Here are some of the salient terms and facts you will need to be familiar with as you peruse this book. Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords describes a system of special combat techniques known as the Sublime Way, the Nine Disciplines, or blade magic. Few can match the agility, strength, and skill of a master of the Sublime Way. But whatever the truth of the matter, the results are spectacular. Others believe that followers of the Sublime Way draw the necessary power from their own souls by harnessing ki-the energy of life.

This theory holds that if the student moves in a precise pattern while calling to mind the very specific mental images or analogies corresponding to that maneuver, he forges a brief connection with a source of power that lends strength and precision to his strike. Some believe that a practitioner of the Sublime Way creates the power for his maneuvers by invoking a cosmic principle of perfection.

A fighter uses Power Attack to strike harder, but a student of the Sublime Way who wants to accomplish the same goal performs a very specific mental and physical exercise that results in a mighty blow-if it is executed just right. But, whileĪ fighter’s list of feats represents various combat techniques that he can use for attack or defense, the maneuvers of a Sublime Way master represent small moments of clarity, self-knowledge, piety, or perfection. Like fighters, students of the Sublime Way master a number of special maneuvers and strikes to defeat their foes. A master of the Sublime Way can perform martial exploits that are nearly superhuman-and, in fact, some of them actually transcend the natural. It is a fighting system that harnesses a student’s discipline and determination through knowledge, practice, and study. The Sublime Way is not magical-at least, not in a normal sense.
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But the highest of a warrior’s arts is the Sublime Way-the secret lore that teaches a fighting character how to meld his inner strength, training, and discipline into the perfect weapon. Fighters master an array of special maneuvers and attacks to overcome the monsters and villains they encounter. Paladins rely on their virtue and courage to sustain them against their opponents. Barbarians destroy their foes in berserk frenzies, and rangers are masters of the hunt. The world of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is filled with characters who pursue the ways of battle.
