Path of War

If you’ve played one of the martial classes, you might wonder why spellcasters get all the cool new toys. Sure, playing a fighter or rogue or monk can be fun, but they pretty much always have the same options – melee attack, ranged attack, full attack. There are occasionally things to make those interesting, such as cleave or grapple, but those options aren’t always the best option.

So why should spellcasters and manifesters get all the fun abilities? Path of War provides fun, but balanced, options to the martial classes so that role-playing interactions aren’t the only time you get to do cool things with your character!

What is the Path of War?

To put it simply, the Path of War is a new way to look at martial combat. At its basic roots, the Path of War allows for martially-inclined characters to harness new abilities to aid them in combat. These new abilities are known as maneuvers, a specific technique that allows a martial disciple to enact a powerful attack, erect a defense against an attack, or improve his overall fighting ability or the abilities of others. By initiating these in combat, the martial disciple has a powerful edge that can even rival the powers of the spellcasters of the world.

Maneuvers are grouped into disciplines, with each discipline having a group of associated weapons that fit the use of that discipline. In addition, disciplines have an associated skill that is often used with many of the maneuvers themselves.

Once used, a maneuver is considered expended, not unlike a prepared spell for spellcasters. But where the difference between a spell and a martial maneuver lies is the martial disciple’s ability to recover that expended maneuver for use again and again over the course of the day.

All characters have the potential to learn these maneuvers, either by being a martial disciple or by being someone who has taken up martial training in addition to their class’ normal training. Martial disciples are those who have taken the martial initiator classes listed below, and all others must learn martial maneuvers through training (such as by taking feats) or through specific training in their class (by taking up an archetype). Once learned, a character is forever a martial initiator, a warrior with skills beyond the abilities of most others of his kind, and the potential to master these arts lies before him along the Path of War.

A New Method Of Battle

The Path of War offers a number of new things that could fit into any campaign setting, from classes and archetypes, class templates, prestige classes, feats, skills, traits, items and monsters, to organizations that are fundamentally connected to cultures of martial disciples that have learned, developed, and spread disciplines of maneuvers to their members for mutual benefit. By adding the Path of War to your campaign, you’re adding an exciting wealth of new opportunities and options to the Pathfinder game system, breathing new life in to combat as well as into classic monsters that will suddenly have new tricks that veteran players will enjoy as much as new players.

A complete explanation of the rules which govern the Path of War can be found at Systems and Use, and The Art of the Blade contains detailed explanations of each of the martial disciplines.

Classes

Martial maneuvers are not something just anyone can easily do. It is a form of combat requiring extensive training to learn effectively, found by the new classes presented here. These new classes use different disciplines of martial maneuvers to perform their roles and engage their enemies, and some blend magical potential with swordplay and use martial skill as an enhancement or mnemonic for their supernatural prowess.

Harbinger: The harbinger is a mobile combatant that specializes in inflicting curses and manipulating their foes on the battlefield through use of maneuvers. They are specialists in channeling negative emotions as well as focusing on a singular discipline above and beyond the norm of other initiators.

Mystic: The mystic is a warrior filled with barely controlled arcane power. Through the use of unique glyphs and powerful animus, they channel this potent arcane energy to aid their allies both on and off the battlefield.

Stalker: A combination of combatant and stealthy scout, the stalker uses maneuvers that focus on close-quarters combat or thrown weapons, as well as those that channel supernatural energies.

Warder: The protector and strategist, the warder most often uses maneuvers that rely on shields and protecting others.

Warlord: Often fond of big, sweeping attacks, the warlord is a combat leader skilled at landing devastating strikes.

Zealot: The zealot is a leader and motivator on the battlefield. By binding their allies into a single collective, they can share the might of conviction and zeal to lead their allies to victory and ensure that they do not fall against even the toughest of foes.

Also, check out Martial Options for Other Classes.

Prestige Classes

All of these prestige classes require the character to have the ability to use maneuvers, although some, like the battle templar, require the ability to use maneuvers of a specific discipline.

Animus Adept: The animus adept takes the new animus system with its use of martial glyphs to a new level of party support.

Awakened Blade: Awakened blades, as they are called, learn to use their precognitive mastery as both offense and defense in pursuit of greater psionic knowledge and personal glory or power.

Battle Templar: Battle templars serve the role of both divine agent and warrior in times when the state of their religion or church is in danger.

Bladecaster: By fortifying the body with arcane might, the bladecaster can force his magic to augment his physical abilities and increase his martial capabilities to supernatural levels.

Dragon Fury: By devoting one’s self to the Thrashing Dragon discipline, the dragon fury learns many things on how best to emulate the dragon and its fighting style, and a dragon’s deep well of wrath lives within their hearts and pumps its fury to every inch of their body.

Landskneckt: The landskneckt brings a powerful boost to einhander combat styles and defensive abilities.

Mage Hunter: The path of the mage hunter is a dangerous one, combining skill at arms and stealth with a brand of sorcery that serves a singular purpose: slaying mages.

Phoenix Champion: The phoenix champion brings the fires of purity by way of Solar Wind and Silver Crane to ranged combat.

Umbral Blade: Every moon has a dark side, and in that darkness there is something waiting for those who are daring enough to tread upon that perilous path. By entering the shadow of the Veiled Moon, the so-called Umbral Blades find that this darkness possesses power at a price, and by making a deal with it, that power can be bought.

Latest Products from Dreamscarred Press!

Dreamscarred Press MADNESS MEGA BUNDLE!

Vendor: Dreamscarred Press Type: Book Price: 39.99

IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN! They are doing it again, but this time even BIGGER and MADDER! Dreamscarred Press have lost their minds with this MADNESS MEGA BUNDLE! Pathfinder and 3.5....SO MANY PAGES OF CONTENT!  Over 2600 pages of Pathfinder content over 700 power and item cards and their entire 3.5 library!  OVER $600 WORTH OF PRODUCTS ALL FOR JUST $39.99! Treat your GM to an amazing MEGA BUNDLE of really cool stuff! Included: Akashic Mysteries Akashic Mysteries: Daevic Akashic Mysteries: Guru Bloodforge Bloodforge Infusions: Esoteric Energies Bloodforge Infusions: Feathers and Fur Complete Control Complete Gear Complete Races Divergent Paths: Fools Errand Divergent Paths: Medic Divergent Paths: Roil Dancer From the Deep Adventure Path #1: Uncertain Futures From the Deep Adventure Path #2: Ruling Three From the Deep Adventure Path #3: A Dragon's Orders From the Deep Adventure Path: Players Guide Full Control High Psionics: Countermeasures High Psionics: Fleshcrafting High Psionics: Formbound Mysteries High Psionics: Learning Centers High Psionics: Phrenic Scourges High Psionics: Power Displays High Psionics: Power Sources High Psionics: Psicrystals Expanded High Psionics: Psionic Feats High Psionics: Sequestral Feats High Psionics: Soulknives Introduction to Third Dawn Lords of the Night PLUS Lords of the Wild Monster Classes Astral Deva Monster Classes: Earth Elemental Monster Classes: Erinyes Monster Classes: Fey Monster Classes: Giants and Reptiles Monster Classes: Pinnacle and Pit Monster Classes: Savage Races I Monster Classes: Savage Races II Monster Classes: True Dragon Monster Classes: Undead Path of War Path of War Expanded: Harbinger Path of War Expanded: Mystic Path of War: Expanded Path of War: Supplemental Content Path of War: The Stalker Path of War: The Warlord Path of War: Warder Psionic Bestiary Psionic Bestiary Pawns Psionic Bestiary: Deranged Trepanner Psionic Bestiary: Part 10 Psionic Items of Legend: Crown of Chaos Psionic Items of Legend: Dancing Robes of Sharatwan Psionic Items of Legend: Disruptor Psionic Items of Legend: Dissonance, Wind of the Mind Psionic Items of Legend: Groundscorn Boots Psionic Items of Legend: Helm of the Hydra Psionic Items of Legend: Moldev Psionic Items of Legend: Severis Psionic Items of Legend: Tempest's Blade Psionic Items of Legend: The Heartstaff Psionic Power Cards: Discipline Powers Psionic Power Cards: Psion/Wilder Psionic Power Cards: Psionic Expanded Psionic Power Cards: Psychic Warrior Psionics Augmented Free Preview Psionics Augmented, Volume I Psionics Augmented: Empath Psionics Augmented: Focused Disciplines Psionics Augmented: Highlord Psionics Augmented: Highlord II Psionics Augmented: Host of Heroes Psionics Augmented: Kineticists (Occult) Psionics Augmented: Living Legend Psionics Augmented: Mind And Soul Psionics Augmented: Mythic Psionics Psionics Augmented: Occult Psionics Augmented: Occult - Mind and Soul Psionics Augmented: Psicrystals Expanded Psionics Augmented: Psychic Warrior II Psionics Augmented: Psychic Warriors Psionics Augmented: Seventh Path Psionics Augmented: Soulknives Psionics Augmented: Soulknives II Psionics Augmented: Soulknives III Psionics Augmented: Voyager Psionics Embodied Psionics Expanded: Advanced Psionics Guide Psionics Unleashed Psionics Unleashed Revised Races of the Mind: Dromite Races of the Mind: Elan Races of the Mind: Half-Giant Races of the Mind: Maenad Races of the Mind: Xeph Steelforge: 1 Steelforge: 2 The Mind Unveiled: Dreamscape The Mind Unveiled: Enlightened Monk The Mind Unveiled: Feats The Mind Unveiled: Halo Knight The Mind Unveiled: Mind Blade Feats The Mind Unveiled: Morphean The Mind Unveiled: Prestige Classes The Mind Unveiled: Psionic Items The Mind Unveiled: Psionic Powers The Opened Mind Third Dawn Campaign Setting Tome of Channeling Ultimate Psionics Unfettered Dreams: Malefex Untapped Classes: Complete Marksman Untapped Classes: Complete Society Mind Untapped Classes: Life Leech Untapped Classes: Lightning Strike Virtuoso Untapped Classes: Shooting Star Adept Untapped Classes: Soulbinder Untapped Classes: Talon of the Thrush Untapped Classes: Worldthought Adjuncts Untapped Classes: Worldthought Medic ALL FOR JUST $39.99 What are you waiting for!?!?!?!

Psionics Augmented: Mind And Soul

Vendor: Dreamscarred Press Type: Book Price: 4.99

Psionics Augmented: Mind And Soul Psionics Augmented: Occult continues with the Mind and Soul release! In this PDF, you will find a variety of archetypes for the mesmerist and spiritualist classes from Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures, as well as new archetypes for the phantom and wilder. Included in Psionics Augmented: Occult - Mind And Soul, you will find: Seven new archetypes Two archetypes for the mesmerist Two archetypes for the spiritualist Two archetypes for the phantom One archetype for the wilder Four new feats Blend psionics with psychic magic with Psionics Augmented: Occult! Psionics Augmented: Occult requires Ultimate Psionics and Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures. Written by Doug Haworth and Adam Boucher.

Psionic Bestiary: Part 10

Vendor: Dreamscarred Press Type: Book Price: 3.99

Nine new psionic monsters await within the pages of this part of the Psionic Bestiary! From inconspicuous creatures like the mechanical phrenic conduits and the iniro plant creatures, to the sinister Marked Ones, to the downright vicious mindrippers and zurami, this release has a variety of new psionic creatures for use in your games. In 2011, Dreamscarred Press held a contest for a psionic bestiary. The monsters from that contest are being released in a series of releases and will ultimately be compiled into a single psionic bestiary book. Get all the parts as they are released by getting the Work in Progress! Written by Andreas Rönnqvist and Jade Ripley, with artwork by Rick Hershey, Matt Morrow, Simon Sweetman, and Nicholas Cloister.

Psionics Augmented: Focused Disciplines

Vendor: Dreamscarred Press Type: Book Price: 2.99

Psionics Augmented: Focused Disciplines Psions are the quintessential manifester - students of the mind who tap into the varied mysteries and powers it contains. Yet psions can come in many forms - from the teleporting nomad, to the shapeshifting egoist, to the mind-controlling telepath - no two psions are completely identical. Within these different areas of study, some psions focus even further into one aspect of psionics, taking what are sometimes known as focused disciplines. Contained within the pages of Psionics Augmented: Focused Disciplines, you will find two dozen new advanced disciplines for the psion base class. Each of the six psionic disciplines - clairsentience, metacreativity, psychokinesis, psychometabolism, psychoportation, and telepathy - get new advanced disciplines that focus on an aspect of that discipline. Psionics Augmented is a series of products aimed at expanding the options presented in Ultimate Psionics. Written by Sasha Hall, with artwork by Joe Shawcross and Matt Morrow.

Psionics Augmented: Voyager

Vendor: Dreamscarred Press Type: Book Price: 4.99

Expand your psionic horizons! With the new movement-focused voyager class, Psionics Augmented: Voyager provides new character options for your Pathfinder RPG campaign. This release of Psionics Augmented includes the following brand-new options: The new voyager base class, a psionic manifester with 6th level powers focused on movement Two new voyager archetypes - the crossfire and metronome. New favored class options and feats for the voyager Written by Michael Shih with artwork by Tithi Luadthong and Juan Diego Dianderas. Psionics Augmented: Voyager requires the use of Ultimate Psionics.