Kensai

Kensai are a subclass of warrior who devote themselves to the study of one chosen weapon to the exclusion of all others. Kensai are generally trained in monasteries in the Marakeel Empire, though some have been known to strike out on their own.

Unless noted otherwise, kensai are treated as fighters for class-dependent spell effects, magic items, THAC0, saves, nonweapon proficiency groups, and so forth.

All kensai are lawfully-aligned humans, and they are always single-classed.

Level advancement and training

Kensai use the standard fighter xp track. Unlike other fighters, kensai can self-train at any level; this requires a successful wisdom check after the three-week training period.

Special abilities

Weapon proficiency and specialization

Unlike other fighters, kensai may specialize up to five times in their chosen weapon.
Kensai are able to learn and invent special maneuvers with their chosen weapon (such as a floating parry or a nunchaku choking maneuver). Each maneuver fills a weapon proficiency slot.
Kensai may use their INT-based proficiency slots for weapon proficiencies.
Kensai can self-train additional specializations in their chosen weapon; they can also self-train special maneuvers given suitable reference materials (such as a tome on nunchaku poking style). As with self-training for levels, this requires a successful wisdom check after the three weeks of training.
There are no general rules in place regarding development of new maneuvers (or recreating manuevers the kensai has seen someone else do and thinks are really cool). The DM currently handles this on a case-by-case basis.

Max damage strikes

A kensai can attack for maximum damage L times per day. A max damage strike must be announced before rolling to hit, and the attack is expended whether the attack hits or misses. A miss is a miss, while a hit automatically does the maximum possible damage.

Using this ability does not require a called shot, though it can be used in conjunction with one.

Restrictions

Weapon selection

A kensai can be proficient in one and only one weapon (in which they tend to be really, really proficient), and they will never wield anything else.

Kata

To regain max damage strikes, a kensai must get eight hours' sleep and perform two hours of kata. If the kata is not performed, the kensai must perform extra kata the following day (four hours instead of two). In the meantime, the kensai retains and can use any unused max damage strikes from the previous day.

If a kensai misses kata for several days running, additional special abilties may be lost until proper training is resumed.

Armor

Kensai do not wear armor. This is mainly an encumbrance/style issue, so magical robes, bracers, prot rings, and spell effects such as blur, barkskin, and stoneskin are all fine. (As one might expect, kensai tend to be good at parrying and vulnerable to archers.)

Magical weapons (and whetstones)

Kensai can use magical weapons and whetstones, but they don't get any to-hit or damage bonus from them, and combat-related special abilities (such as sharpness or stunning) don't kick in. A +N magical weapon (including whetstone and spell effects) will allow the kensai to damage creatures that require one, and special abilities unrelated to combat (such as speech or detection) will function.

Many traditional kensai weapons don't even exist in magical versions, since there's not much demand for them. Fortunately, there are other magic items around (if you can get one) that allow people to fight stuff like lycanthropes and demons with normal weapons.

Aesthetic development

All kensai have an (at least vaguely) artistic outlet for spiritual, aesthetic, or meditative reasons. In game terms, this uses one nonweapon proficiency slot (and cannot have significant adventuring applications).

Duels

Kensai have a tradition of testing their skill by dueling each other. These duels can take any form, as long as both kensai agree to the rules in advance. (For an example, check out Beeel's dueling rules; LE kensai have doubtless cooked up far more complicated, legalistic, and subtly imbalanced practices.)

The stakes in a duel (aside from reputation) are still in beta; one possibility is that the winner will gain extra max damage strikes for several days after the duel.

Maintained by Erich Greene; last updated 7-8-99