Prestige Class Template Discussion: Blademaster

[Beltharean]

A Possible Blademaster Template

I’d like to give a big thank you to Knock for giving me not only the idea to do this, but a general template on which to do it. I’d also like to thank the people over on the Netherbane site, without their creativity in coming up with interesting aspects to the Demon Hunter, I would have never attempted to do the same with the wonderful Blademaster Prestige Class.

In the past, I was a strong advocate of combining the Gladiator and Blademaster prestiges into a class that were one and the same. Not only are Orc Gladiators called Blademasters, but an alternate name for a Gladiator is a Blademaster according to the RPG books. That was changed in later versions of the books however, and as such, my opinion has changed as well. A Gladiator is a master of blades, but in no way are they the true Orcish Blademaster, that hero from Warcraft Three that we all know (and some) love.

The Blademaster

Become a Blademaster is a choice that will shape an orc’s life like a chisel might shape a piece of stone. They will turn from the often rough and rowdy grunt that we’ve come to be oh so familiar with, to a honed weapon of death and precision with a blade legendary for it’s quickness. This is in stark contrast to the weapon they previously used, being a massive two handed war axe. Weapons are not the only thing that change however, their entire philosophy on life will be shifted to that of pure honor.

OOC Guidelines

• ONLY orcs may become Blademasters. Only. This isn’t like Demon Hunters where there is the lone Demon Hunter of the Gnomish race, zooming through Outland cutting up Demon shins. It’s a matter of not only pride, but integrity and tradition, that Blademasters are -only- Orcs. Many of their abilities come from the spirits, and no self respeting orcish spirit would grant their powers to a Blood Elf, no matter how good of friends they are to the Blademaster.
  
  
• You must be a grunt of course, and follow any other typical Prestige Guidelines.
  
  
• Only Warriors and Rogues may become Blademasters.
  
  
• I’ll be sticking to the non-Legion aligned Blademasters in this template. Someone may wish to create an evil Blademaster, this isn’t the guide for you. The character must be Good or Neutral, leaning towards good. The entire goal of the Blademaster is to better the Orcish race.

The Training

There are two stages to the training. The Student Phase, and The Blade-Adept Phase. They are distinctly different in both content and attitude.

The Student Phase

The Student Phase is defined by basic mental and physical training in preparation for the struggles to come in a Blademaster’s life. They are broken up further into, of course, the mental and physical.

Mental Training

History

The student will take an in depth ‘course’ in Orcish history based on the entire Orcish past. They’ll be expected to be masters on the matter. They’ll study things such as ancient battles (The Blood River War), Champions/Heroes of the Horde(Gorn of the Thrice-Bloodied Blade), as well as history and culture of both pre and post-corruption Orc society.

Blade Master Philosophy

Blademasters, being based upon the Samurai of Japan, will take an extremely zen buddhism influenced stance on matters. The student will learn to become a honed weapon of mental might, with a backbone of honour to support him.

Study of Demons

As Blademasters are now devoted solely to the destruction of the Legion and ensuring the orcs never have to deal with demonic corruption again, they will learn the minute aspects of demonic anatomy, as well as their weaknesses. These would include things such as imps and their fear of rainbows (way to go on that one, Blizzard), as well as Felhunters and how they’re almost powerless without their tentacles.

Whacking With Sticks

In the manner of a typical Japanese teacher stereotype, there will be intermittent beatings with a stick in order to hone the student’s reflexes. Soon enough, they’ll be able to feel when an attack is coming, because they’re always expecting it. This is considered mental, just because it’s muscle memory, and knowing when an attack is coming. Which leads us to the next step...

Physical Training

Weights

At all times the student will have weights on their forearms, shins, and torso as to increase strength, as well as promote an actual challenge to the student. The same way their lives are being reinvented, everything they do will change when there are twenty pound weights bound to every limb. Try picking up a cup to drink when your arm is being weighed down like that, it’s a pain.

Wooden Swords

The student isn't trusted with a Blademaster's signature sword at this point, so they're given a wooden one to train with.

Survival

The student has to survive in different climates for weeks on end. Training will move around from harsh areas such as Tanaris, Hellfire Peninsula, and Desolace, to areas such as Nagrand and Terrokar. Other times they'll be subjected to hostile territory such as Elwynn, Ashenvale, or Dun Morogh.

Stances

Blademaster-specific fighting stances will be taught, this is pretty self explanatory.

The Blade-Adept Phase

This phase is when the Student has become an Adept, they are nearly equal with a true Blademaster, but don’t have any of the tools or abilities aside from the train of thought. This part of the training will consist of:

A New Name

Most if not all Blademasters have a Japanese-influenced name. I’ll be explaining this through the use of a promotion ceremony, similar to being knighted, in which a new name will be given to the student.

The Sword

The Blademaster’s sword is a defining element to the warrior, and is extremely important. It’s this item that gives the Blademaster their signature Whirlwind ability. It’s known for not only dealing massive amounts of damage, but for reflecting blades and spells alike. This is explained through the binding of an air elemental to the blade, which will surround the Blademaster in a literal whirlwind when it’s power is invoked. This will knock away harmful spells in a magical flurry of speeding winds, as well as cause the blade to spin with the Blademaster and tear apart any foes in their path. The Blademaster will be tasked with creating his sword from start to finish.

Creating the Sword

The first step to creating the sword is also the first step in gaining all three of the Blademaster’s items. He must slay a night elven Treant or Ancient. This is a new practice, since Thrall’s horde and the reinvention of the Blademaster on Azeroth.

With the magical carcass in hand, the Blademaster will carve a hilt from a portion of the Treant.

Next, they will gather enough Azsharite to create a blade. Azsharite is known for it’s ability to harm demons, and can only be formed when the Mountain Giants of Azshara eat the rocks and structures found there. There is a special refining process which takes place in their bowels, creating a highly malleable and extremely strong crystal. Azsharite is not the final product however, Felbane is. It is only able to be created when tempered with fel magic.

In this time, an elemental must also be bound by a shaman sympathetic to the Blade-Adept’s cause.

Once the hilt, Azsharite, and elemental are together, an orc who has been handed down the tradition of forging Blademaster’s blades from generation to generation will meet the Master and his Student at the top of The Hand of Gul’dan. This is as much of a metaphorical gesture, as it is often the only way a Blademaster can access pure fel magic. A plus side, is that it’s heat is also enough to help forge the blade. The Bladesmith will forge the blade at The Hand, and the shaman will then bind the elemental to the blade in an ancient ritual. Thus, the first item is formed.

The Prayer Bead Necklace

The Prayer bead necklace is much simpler to create than the blade, but just as important. It strengthens the Blademaster’s bond to the spirit world, thus letting him phase in and out of it for short periods of time; This has been dubbed Windwalking as the generations have gone on.

To create the beads, the Orc must carve enough spheres the size of his fist to hang loosely around his neck. The top of the lowest (and largest) bead must be even with his solar plexus.

The beads must then be hollowed out, and bound together with a string of some sort through the middle. The same shaman who bound the elemental to the blade will bless the hollowed prayer beads. Afterward, the necklace will be able to call on the spirits to phase him into their realm for a short time, but the item is only attuned to the Blade-Adept for which it was made. No one can phase with him. For the beads to continue to work though, he must focus on the beads when he prays to his ancestors at least once a week for one hour. This keeps the bond in the beads strong. If the necklace is off, then it stops being ‘used’ and it’s timer for prayer is put on pause until it is worn again.

The Sashimono

The Sashimono is another very useful tool. When worn into battle it not only lets the warriors of the Horde know where the battle is at it’s thickest, but also acts as a conduit for spiritual power. It extends into the air as an antennae might. While wearing a Sashimono his Mirror Image ability is strengthened exponentially.

To create a Sashimono the Blademaster must first go back to the Treant or Ancient that he originally killed, and carve the wooden frame by hand. This too is blessed by the same shaman as before, but will not be useable until it is completed.

The Blademaster must pick a design that he so wishes to be emblazoned upon his Sashimono’s banner. Many pick the insignia of the Horde, but others will sew on their own insignia, more often than not an animal of some sort. This acts almost like a circuit of sorts, completing the power between the ‘L’ that is the Sashimono’s frame. The shamanistic power granted will grant additional strength to the Blademaster’s Mirror Image ability, as explained below.

Mirror Image

Unlike his other abilities, the Mirror Image spell is actually derived from the Blademaster’s mind. His spirit is split apart when the spell is cast, which can be a very traumatic experience the first time. It can only be held for a short amount of time, or the Blademaster will pass out. This will break his concentration and return the soul to his body, but may put him into a temporary coma.

The spell is cast by going through a three step process. Seeing the mirror image with your mind, followed by your eyes, and finally your body. The Blademaster will imagine an exact copy of himself forming next to him until he can actually open his eyes and see the image. Others will be able to see it, but by this point it is still simply an illusion, a portion of his spirit that appears intangible. He must practice this over and over until the spirit becomes fully corporeal, much like a shaman in his Ghost Wolf form.

The Sashimono is able to supplement the Blademaster’s own soul for the soul of others as well. He can split his soul up into more images, as spirits channel through his Sashimono and out into the other souls. With two spirits making up one ‘Image’ the Blademaster has more to spread around, and as such, more images to make.

To recap on spells

Whirlwind: Granted by the air elemental in the Blademaster’s blade.

Windwalk: Based on the Blademaster wearing his prayer beads.

Mirror Image: The Blademaster splits his soul. He can only create one image by himself, but while wearing a Sashimono up to three can be created at one time.

The Final Task

The final task to become a Blademaster is to put an end to not only the corruption of the orcs, but the contributers to the soiled name of the Blademaster. The Student, after having all three items, must fight and kill a Fel-Orc Blademaster. The master cannot help at all during this fight, and if the student dies it’s for the best. He would have been unable to handle the higher ranking demons in the Legion’s ranks.



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If you wish to play a corrupted Blademaster such as one of the ones killed in the final phase of the final phase, then think about how an evil member of the Legion would go about it. Their Sashimono wouldn’t call for spirits to come to it, it would suck them out of the air around them. They wouldn’t have a shaman imbue their blade with an air elemental, they would have a corrupted elemental willingly do it as it’s under the Legion’s control, and so on and so forth. It’s an interesting concept, but for another thread all together

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So! This is pure speculation about what the Blademaster class would be like. There is almost -no- lore behind who they are and what they do, so I looked into traditional Samurai facts (such as a blade having a spirit bound within it, and what exactly those beads Blademasters wear -are-) as well as into Warcraft lore to find what the Horde’s elite demon hunters would use in their repertoire. As I said before, this is all speculation, and I’d like any questions, comments, or concerns posted. Please! It really does help to hone my thoughts, even if they aren’t accepted as a viable option for a prestige class when they’re opened again.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Do it for Pyremaster, too. As the two are both Orc only, and BAMFs. Far Seers, too. ORCS FIRST

[Krilari]

Just putting this out here...


We already have a template for the prestiges

Hell, we have 99% of the prestiges already complete

We're simply reviewing them, then Kretol will review them, then we're back in business.

[Beltharean]

*salute*

Perhaps, my Orcish brethren.





EDIT, after seeing our good Fairy's response.

I know, I was doing this much like Knock did when he made one for the Demon Hunter class. It isn't to say how much power a Blademaster should have, nor what you need to do to get it, but rather what their training would entail. Just a discussion about a class I find interesting, and what people have to say about my take on it since there isn't much lore behind it in game or in the RPG books.

[Kretol]

Lok'Tar Ogar!

[Xigo]

...

(Hopefully you won't hate the Blademaster I wrote up for the new system)

[Beltharean]

I'm really not sure if I would even apply for a Blademaster with the training process and such I have up now Xigo, so I'll be fine with whatever you made as long as only orcs can become Blademasters... I just happen to have a lot of time on my hands, and saw a piece of lore without much information to back it. I did what any good lore nerd would do, and made some hardcore fanon for it.

[Hawk]

This goes out to pretty much every player, really: Please avoid making your own Prestige templates or suggesting entire systems. Whilst the work is certainly appreciated, we're pretty close to finishing and we don't want to hold off releasing it more than we have to.

But that's not to say you're not able to make suggestions after it's release. We might consider it. But yeah, just hold of your horses, people.

[Beltharean]

*shrug*

I don't mind if you take it down, I simply wanted to share my fanon with the community, and would have posted it even if the system was up, down, non-existent, at the first prestige system, second, or fifty-sixth. Simply a discussion on the Blademaster class, not an attempt to say 'hurry up!' to the GM team or anything like that. I apologize if it was misconstrued that way, and if you think it will cause unneeded drama as far as the system goes I don't mind if it's taken down until prestiges are reopened again.