Warblade (Dungeons & Dragons)
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Barbarian |
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The Warblade is a new base class introduced in the Tome of Battle. Like the Swordsage and Crusader, the Warblade is a Martial Adept class. This means that they utilize the various boosts, counters, strikes and stances available in that book. Warblades draw from the Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Stone Dragon, Tiger Claw and White Raven styles.
The Warblade is granted several class features as it progresses. These class features are almost exclusively based on Intelligence. They include bonuses to confirm criticals, bonuses to damage while flanking and others. They gain bonus feats at fifth level and every four levels beyond that, but unlike fighters they do not gain one at first level. Additionally, the choices available to them through these bonus feats are greatly restricted in comparison to the fighter. The published lore of the class portrays them as impulsive glory-seekers who find it difficult to work productively with other melee combatants, because they wish to be exalted for their talents.
The class has a fairly basic skill list that is similar to the fighters' list. The Warblade is likely to max out many of its skills due to the small list combined with high Intelligence and medium skill points.
The Warblade generally focuses on melee combat and can utilize light and medium armors and shields. Of the three Martial Adept classes, the Warblade has the most dependable method of retrieving its various maneuvers. It can achieve this with a simple attack or by spending one turn doing nothing.
No currently published race has Warblade as a favored class. However, the book notes that Hobgoblins were one of the first groups to produce Warblades and that a significant number of Hobgoblin follow the Warblade path. Elves and Dwarves, who admire martial skill and especially skill in melee, are also common followers of this path.
