Blind Blade

     Kitsu listened to the stream. It was a nice stream. So soft sounding and quiet. 
She stuck one toe in. Water rushed over it and she yanked it back giggling. "Coh-lduh."
     "Very close Kitsu, Cole-de. You must accent the first part, not the second part." 
Iaido replied "Try it again, Cole-de."
     "Cooohl-duh!"
     "I guess it certainly is more fun to say that way."
     "HAI!" her squeel made him smile. He patted her head.
     "You are still a silly little girl." She nodded vigorously, he could tell because 
his hand was on her head when she did, not because he could see her. He couldn't.
     "Tsuki!"
     "So the moon is out? Thats pleasant. The air is cooler. Would you like to go back 
to the house now?" He listened carefully. There was a soft footed padding in the 
distance. 
     Please don't come nearer. He thought.
     "Hai..." She wrapped her arms around his leg and hugged him the way children do, 
burying their face into whatever part of your their hugging. Iaido patted her head.
     "You are a sweet little pixie." Kitsu giggled, she liked pretending to be a pixie.
     "Iaido?"
     "Yes dear?" She tugged on his pant leg, he could tell she was pointing, it was how 
she told him. Then she poked his belly button. "Yes, straight ahead, I heard them." She 
buried her face in his leg again.
     "Hello?" he called at the night.
     "Rrrrr, mrrEATS! Rrrrr."
     "Leave us be gnoll. And come home with me, I shall feed you there." It sounded like 
a gnoll's breathing, its speech confirmed it. Iaido listened to the very different silence 
between danger and confusion. The gnoll was thinking about it.
     Kitsu screamed, Iaido heard a metal object whip up, two footsteps and a leaping cricket. 
Iaido kicked his front foot out when the gnoll was close enough, it leapt back and he 
listened to it's fur swishing through the air. His hand flew to his sword handle and pulled 
it out smoothly.
     "Kitsu! Hide." little feet scampered behind the rock. Padded feet made a 'thip' sound 
on the leaves. Iaido thrust forward as the gnoll's sword whooshed up, and when the cricket 
landed from a jump.
     This was followed by a gurgling sound and something liquid spurting Iaido's face. 
Thick warm liquid ran down the blood groove and there was no motion at the other end 
of the sword but to sink down with inevitability. Iaido withdrew the blade, turned it to his 
left side and whipped it to the right, completeing his chibiri, the blood flew off. He sheathed
 his sword. "Kitsu, we should go home now."
     "Oni?"
     "Yes Kitsu?"
     "Cole-de."
     "You are a rare little girl."
     "Hai!" she squeeled.

Blind Blades are obviously, blind. They attune their other senses, touch, scent, taste, and sound. With their loss it is easier for them to focus on these more often ignored senses. The taste of the air, the smell of flowers and sweat, teeny vibrations in the air. Everything contributes to their awareness of their surroudings.

Most Blind Blades are fighters, monks, or barbarians. Rangers and some Paladin also make appearences. Sight is usually too important to Wizards and Rogues. And the Blind Blade is often to oriented on the self for Clerics and Sorceror's just find other ways to see.

Blind Blade

prerequisites

class skills

Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Innuendo (Int), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language Forbidden: Spot (Wis)

Pts/level: 4+int

HD: d10

BAB: As Fighter

class features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Blind Blade is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and light and medium armor.

Appreciation: When one cannot see, yellow is a warm sun, green is the tickling of leaves, purple is the smell of lavender, orange is the taste of a pumpkin, red is blood. The Blind Blade learns to appreciate each sense more, to an extent where many people believe she has a magical sixth sense. Because of their heightened attunement with other senses they gain the ability to identify things by their smell, touch, taste or sound that normal people could not. They must have an encounter with it at least once in some form. So the smell or sound of a gnoll, the taste of a certain poison, the feeling of Oak bark instead of Pine. These are all things that if the Blind Blade spends two full minutes studying they can remember them as well as they could recognize something by sight.

Aim: Many people underestimate the blind because they see only the disabilities of blindness and not the advantages. Many small things that go unnoticed by seeing people are taken advantage of by those who cannot. Small sounds betray intent the way visual things do no. Bluff attempts, both for combat and lies, suffer a -6 against the Blind Blade. Subjects affected by blur or invisibility gain no bonuses against the Blind Blade, and the Blind Blade does not suffer the standard 50% miss chance against invisible creatures. However when one sense is completely removed treat the Blind Blade as though affected by an invisible opponent.

Fighter Bonus Feat: Despite their calm nature and seeming distraction with the world. The Blind Blade is still a fighter, first, last, and all throughout. As such they gain a Fighter Bonus Feat from the list at levels 3, 6, and 9.

Uncanny Dodge (Dex Bonus to AC): The seeming sixth sense that the Blind Blade aquires through her other senses enables her to avoid danger when least likely. In any situation where her opponent takes up space on the prime material plane the Blind Blade cannot be caught flat footed. Ethereal creatures can still catch the Blind Blade unawares.

Focus: "It is a matter of focus when one seeks ascertain something an an unusual manner. To find a penny with your hands you need to focus. To find a squirrel by its sound you need to focus." Normal people focusing can only pull of so many stunts. Blind Blades, when focusing, are capable of much more. They gain their Wis bonus to AC.

Skill without Sight: There are naturally benefits to any situation. Being blind offers the enhancement of senses. However there are still things that are lacking. Ones ability to climb a tree is hampered, or the ability to ride is more dangerous. As such the Blind Blade spends time practicing these things until they can do them again, somewhat normally. The Blind Blade may use half her Concentration score to add to any of the following skills. Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Open Lock, Perform, Ride. If the Blind Blade has no ranks in these skills they may not use this ability in relation to them. To gain the Concentration bonus to these they must focus only on the skill. Thus while climbing they cannot tie a knot. While riding they cannot attack.

Directed Focus: To simply focus is not enough, you must focus at something. A state of focus without a target of focus is like fire with no fuel, it cannot last long. It is a challenge, in the least for a blind person to strike something that magically moves. But there are signs. The inflow of air when an object is removed from a space, the displacement of air when they reappear. When fighting an opponent that has the ability to blink or teleport frequently the Blind Blade does not lose track of their foe, although they still suffer the percent chance to miss.

Better than Eyes: It could be said that being sightless is a gift. External views do not conflict with your personal choices. Sight does not impede judgement. Therefor little escapes the 'view of a blind man'. The Blind Blade gains Blind Sight 30 feet. In addition they act as though always under the effects of see invisibilty.