The Weapon Rack. Daggers

8/10/2019 The Weapon Rack. Daggers

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LINE DEVELOPERDarren Pearce

WRIERS:Steven Palmer Peterson,

James Patterson,Chris Snook, Neal Levin,

David Woodrum

EDIORS:Joanna G. Hurley, Neal Levin

AR DIRECOR:Gillian Pearce

COVER AR:Kallen

INERIOR AR:William McAusland

DESIGN & LAYOU:Deborah Balsam

WWW.DARKQUES.COM

OPEN GAME CONEN & COPYRIGH INFORMAIONWeapon Rack: Daggers is 2005 Dark Quest, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproductionof the product without permission of the publisher is expressely forbidden. Weapon Rack:

Daggers is presented under the d20 Licence. All textual material is designated as OpenGame Content. All artwork herein is copyrighted Dark Quest, LLC. d20 System andthe d20 System Logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used under

the terms of the d20 license.


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Welcome to Dark Quest Games line of weaponssourcebooks titled Weapon Rack. Each of thesesourcebooks focuses on a single weapon or type

of weapon. More than simply expansions for usesof the weapon, these sourcebooks are intended forplayers who wish to make the weapon not just atool, but a part of the character concept.

Tis book starts with a chapter discussing the his-tory of the weapon, culled from real-world history.Weapon designs are a form of technology and ef-ficient designs traveled the world as new cultureswere exposed to unusual ways of dealing death(often on the business side of the weapon). Tesecultures frequently copied the design for their ownuse, incorporating their own improvements or sim-ply customizing the weapon to accentuate theirown heritage or religious beliefs. In this way, mostweapons exhibit a sort of genealogy, like a livingcreature, and have evolved over time or even analo-gously in completely disconnected cultures. o re-flect these variations a number of new versions areincluded.

Since many game worlds include fantasy races thathave developed their own technologies and cultures,this book also includes a short listing of speculative

weapon types, ones that might have been developedby a fantasy race.

Te second chapter focuses on the weapons wield-er. Almost every character class can use a dagger.But they use the weapon differently; they may havedifferent purposes in choosing the weapon they do.Tis chapter includes some prestige classes, newfeats, new spells, and a more roleplaying orienteddiscussion of how one uses the weapon.

Te third chapter discusses the weapon itself. Techapter begins with a discussion of the types of ma-terials used in crafting a dagger then gives a briefoverview of how one can make their own dagger inthe wild. Te chapter goes on to talk about magicaldaggers, including some new special abilities andspecific types of daggers. Finally, the last chapterincludes a sample master weaponsmith, includinga stat block.

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Te dagger is an ancient weapon. Early double-

bladed copper versions can be traced back to the5th and 4th millennia BCE. Flint versions exist-ed even earlier. As befits a tool and weapon of thedaggers utility, the technology was invented inde-pendently in different locations around the globeand by widely different cultures. Daggers werenot specifically distinguished from swords un-til much later, circa 1300 CE.

In early times the dagger was not merely a tool,but also a sign of status and position. It took

wealth to afford a metal dagger, or one of theornately carved ones; one would own a dagger asa sign of station and the dagger would often beburied along with the owner. Since the limitedreach of a dagger put its user at a disadvan-tagein a fair fightdaggers often tookon a more ceremonial role than practical.For this reason ancient daggers are oftenthe most ornate, and show the greatest signof craftsmanship. In a fantasy setting thismakes the dagger uniquely suited to use bymagic using classes.

Despite - or perhaps because of - its short reach,low weight, and lack of complex mechanicalbits, the dagger may very well be the bloodi-est weapon ever invented. Hyperbole aside,this is simply because the dagger is concealable,readily available, and capable of causing mor-tal wounds. Every kitchen has a knife and formost of human history people carried a knifewith them at all times. Tus, the easiest weaponto reach for was the blade. Combine that com-

monality with ease of concealment and you havethe weapon that killed Caesar and countless oth-ers.

DAGGER VARIANS

Most of the weapons described here are dagger vari-ants. Dagger variant is a technical term meaning

a weapon that is suffi ciently like a dagger so thatspecial abilities that work with a dagger also workwith it. Specialized feats such as Weapon Focus andWeapon Specialization must still designate whetheror not they work with a dagger or a particular dag-ger variant but some other special abilities, suchas the blade cultists urning Strike work with anydagger variant. Naturally, the dagger itself is a dag-ger variant.

Bayonet:A bayonet is typically a straight bladedknife with mounting brackets built into the

hilt and cross-guard. When dismounted, thebayonet works like a regular dagger, albeit themounting brackets make it less aerodynamic.

When mounted, use the mounted attributes.

Te weapon counts as a double weapon, oneend the rifle butt, and the other the pointy bit;

this incurs all the normal penalties andbenefits. A mounted bayonet can be used

as a regular weapon, in which case use thebest damage.

Dagger: Te standard dagger is between5 inches and 15 inches long and balanced for

throwing. A dagger can be used to pokeholes in people, slice bits of them off, cut

ropes, or eatthis versatility makes them fa-vored as a backup weapon. Te dagger is actu-ally a complex weapon and can be used in avariety of ways; these rules assume that the rea-

son it counts as a simple weapon is because ofthe familiarity that most people have with smallknivesmainly from eating and food prepara-tion.

You get a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checksmade to conceal a dagger on your body (see theSleight of Hand skill).

Tere are numerous dagger equivalents; four com-mon ones are:

Jambiya:Te jambiya is a dagger of Arabic origin.Te blade slightly curves back at the tip, away fromthe cutting edge. It often has silver filigree alongthe ridge.

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Khyber knife:Not terribly different from a dagger,the Khyber knife has a long, tapering and straightblade. Te Khyber knife comes from Afghanistan,in the region of the Khyber Pass. Te handle is typi-cally short and the blade single-edged.

Main Gauche:Tis simply means left-hand knife.Te main gauche was used in dueling styles that puta dagger in the left hand and sword in the right; thisgave the duelist an additional weapon with whichto parry or attack when the opportunity presenteditself. Tis style of fighting became more widespreadnear the beginning of the 16th century.

Stiletto:Te stiletto is simply a long, slenderdagger. Te name itself has a Sicilian heritageand was Hollywoodized in America to be as-

sociated with mafia, femme fatales, and thugs.Modern switchblades are sometimes called sti-lettos as well; the weapon name has become sogeneric that it can apply to almost any knife butshould have a straight, double-edged blade.

Dagger, throwing: Trowing daggers arelighter than regular daggers and have no cross-guard. Tis gives them slightly greater range butreduces their damage.

Katar: Sometimes called a punch-knife, thekatar has two horizontal crossbars that theuser holds and the blade sticks out above thefist. Tis makes it particularly suited to thrust-ing since one can throw their body weight be-hind the blow; this helps it to punch throughchain armor. Naturally, this prevents it frombeing a throwing weapon.

Katar, hooded:Much like a regular katar, thisweapon has a shield in place over the handgrip. If the user does not attack with theblade, they can use the weapon as a buckler.You suffer the armor penalties even whenusing the hooded katar as a weapon.

Katar, scissors: Te scissors katar has two bladesoverlapping the main blade, like insect wings.

When the two horizontal crossbars are squeezed

together the scissor blades open up, bursting chain

links or making an injury more severe.

Keris:Te keris is often marked by its wavy bladeand made famous in Hollywood as the weapon of

crazed cultists or sinister assassins; the wavy blade isnot necessary to a keris, but use a wavy blade if go-ing with the keris mechanics in this section. Use aregular dagger to represent non-wavy blade versionsof the keris. A proper keris, or kris as it is sometimescalled, has an ornately carved handle and carvingsalong the blade itself. Te handles can be incrediblyintricate. Since legend has it that a protective spirit

could inhabit the blade, the owner wouldmake sure to take care of such an impor-

tant house. Te keris should have a perfectbalance between weight of hilt and blade. One

story claims that the proper length of the blade isthe distance between the users nipples.

Despite the nipples rule, longer ver-sions of the keris have been made,sword length versions. Te sword length

versions often exhibit less waviness, look-ing more like a regular sword. Te sword

types are not included here. Early versions ofthe keris incorporated designs in the hilt thatresembled human-like Hindu deities. When

Islams influence grew, the religion broughtwith it a ban on artistic representations of hu-mans; this led to hilt designs based on abstractpatterns, often complex and fascinating.

Other stories tell that a meteor landed in Javain the 18th century and local weaponsmithsforged keris from the its metal. Needless to say,

magical powers were attributed to these blades,from the ability to fly under their own power to

the ability to draw water.

Te wavy design of the keris makes it less versatilein subtle movements but increases the ability of theblade to strike bleeding injuries. If a character isknocked to 0 hit points or less by a kris then thecharacter has only a 5% chance of stabilizing (asopposed to the usual 10% chance). For simplicity,only count the final blow.

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Te keris also comes in some regional variants calledby different names:

Badik: A long, single-edged blade with a curvedhandle. Tis variant of the keris is common in Su-

lawesi.

Rencong: Shaped like the profile of a bird, thisdagger has a long, single-edged blade that curvesslightly back from the grip. Tis variant of the kerisis common in Indonesia.

Kukri: Te Nepalese kukri, or khukuri, isthe traditional weapon of the Gurkha.Te distinctive blade of the kukri has aslight, elbow-like bend near the halfwaypoint and is usually sharpened along theinside edge. Tis makes it a lethal cutting in-strument.

Te Gurkha use the kukri in all aspects of theirlife, cutting wood, cutting meat, and cuttingdown their enemies. In order to stand up tothis kind of punishment they need a heavyblade. Te typical military kukri is roughlyone foot long. Some kukris have small con-tainers built into their hilt to store a flint(for starting fires) and whetstone or other

object used to sharpen the blade.

Te kukri is not normally thrown, andnever thrown by a Gurkha. raditionused to have it that a large version of thekukri would be used in sacrificing goats oroxen. Te best sacrifice would cut the headfrom the beast in a single blow, thus the kukriused for this were roughly twice as large asthe standard weapon. Te kukri has a famousnotch near the base of the blade called a kaura;

legends have attributed a variety of uses to thisbut most likely it serves mainly as a kind of crossguard and to help keep blood from running ontothe hand. Under a more mythical reading the kauraserves as a sighting mechanism to be used whenthrowing; moreover, the angular shape of the bladehas it return to the thrower, like a boomerang. An-other myth of the kukri claims that a Gurkha mustdraw blood with the blade if it is ever drawn from

its sheath; since the blade is used for tasks as com-mon and mundane as chopping wood and cuttingthrough undergrowth this is unlikely.

Sai:Tis light weapon has a long central blade and

two longish tines bent forward in a U-shape aroundthe blade. Te heavy construction of the thing plusthe long tine make it effective when disarming anopponent. It grants a +2 equipment bonus on youropposed roll when making a disarm attempt. Realworld users typically leave the central blade un-

sharpened.

Sword-breaker: Tis blade has a long, for-ward bending crossguard shaped to catchan opponents blade and give the wielder

leverage to snap the weapon. When used aspart of a disarm attempt you receive a +2 equip-

ment bonus to your opposed roll. When used fora sunder attempt if you manage to succeed at theopposed roll with two sword-breakers as part of atwo-weapon attack you may add the damage ofthe two attacks together before subtracting the

target weapons hardness.

FANASY VARIANS

Crown Dagger:Te crown dagger is an ex-

otic piercing knife with a broad triangularpoint in the center that branches midwaysinto two smaller piercing blades. Te cen-

tral blade is 8 inches in length while the leftand right diagonal blades are 3 to 5 inchesin length. Te flat, circular hand guard is

narrow as is the pommel. Te long, cylindri-cal handle is typically made of brass, steel, or horn.Crown daggers, though beautiful and often quite

intricate in design, are not very popular amongstthe more common races. Monstrous humanoids,

however, seem to hold more preference for thisblade.

Flit Blade: Flit blades are small slips of steel, typi-cally three inches long, with no crossguard or con-ventional handle. Teir lightness allows the user tothrow them using a between the fingers grip, likeflipping out a playing card. Protrusions near thebase of the blade aid the grip but mainly serve to

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make the blade more aerodynamic. Unlike heavierdaggers, the flit blade is made to fly straight insteadof tumbling through the air at the target. Since flitblades are easily lost they typically lack ornamenta-tion and have a functional appearance.

Urbanized halflings invented the first flit blades,then went on to perfect the weapon by making iteven more concealable and working it into otherkinds of equipment (for example, see Blade Armorand Blade Bracers on page 7). Te halfling facil-ity with thrown weapons made these immediatelyappealing. Flit blades quickly became a call-ing card of halfling dominated thieves guilds.Because theyre produced quickly and in vol-ume, most flit blades lack distinction; often thisanonymity is desirable. However, flanges from

the crafting process can give an investigator aclue as to who crafted the weapon. On public-ity kills, the guild often uses blades stampedwith some sort of offi cial seal.

If used in melee the wielder suffers a -1penalty on attacks, due to the lack of a prop-er grip and shortness of the blade.

Death spike:Goblins like simple, pointy ob-jects; the death spike satisfies this desire. Te

goblin death spike is a thick, triangular hunkof metal that tapers to a sharp point. Its meantfor poking holes in things.

One can use it as a piton or door spike as wellas a weapon. While good for poking holes inthings its not quite as good as other weapons atcausing straight-forward damage. If used to at-tack an object the spike negates 2 points of thetargets hardness. It can also punch through ar-mor more easily; to do this make a full attack withthe weapon. Tis negates 1 point of the targets ar-mor or natural armor; one cannot make multipleattacks as part of a full attack when doing this.

Moonsilver Dagger: Elves craft these blades byheating a mixture of steel and silver to a liquid,then dip the handle into the mixture and draw itout vertically. Tey do this on cold nights undera nearly full moon. As the metal drips down from

the handle it cools and solidifies. Te crafter blowsacross the dripping metal to create the edge. Teblade looks like stainless steel and each blade has aunique wave-like pattern on its surface, created bythe crafters blowing. Due to the way theyre crafted,moonsilver daggers do not evenly taper to a point;they often have wider parts along the length of thebladesometimes near the tip.

Moonsilver daggers count as alchemical silver forpurposes of bypassing damage reduction. Due totheir manufacturing process, moonsilver daggers

lack the proper balance for throwing. However,the process also strengthens them for use in me-lee. Tis eliminates the normal damage penaltyassociated with alchemical silver (already figuredinto the weapon attributes).

Ovida Dagger:Tis exotic, obscure blade is longand oval in shape with a triangular point

at the end. Te blade reaches between8 inches to 10 inches in length and is

sharpened at both ends. Tough somevarieties of the ovida lack this feature manyhave a hollow area in the center of the blade

that is in the design of an oval, circle, heart,diamond, arrow, hexagon, or spade. Te handguard and pommel are circular in design and

usually a rounded stone or a bit of brass deco-rates the end of the pommel. Tese daggers areusually a rare find on the open market as theovida dagger design is quite dated.

Serrated Crown:While featuring much of thesame similar design as the crown dagger the ser-rated crown dagger has a jagged, toothy edgeon the sides of their blades. Tese daggers areproven gut rippers and are thus notorious bymonstrous humanoid assassins.

Serrated Dirk:Tough these dirks feature moreor less the same construction as a normal dirk the

edges of the blade have been cut and hammered toprovide tiny, jagged teeth that rip and gouge thesurrounding flesh of a victims wound. As such, itis easier to critically wound an opponent with aserrated dirk than it is with most daggers. Serrateddaggers are not always an easy find on the open

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Table 1:1/ TYPES OF DAGGERS

Weapon Cost Dmg (S) Dmg (M) Critical Range Weight Type

Increment

Simple

Light

Bayonet, 2 gp 1d3 1d4 19-20/2 5 ft. 1 lb. Piercing or

unmounted slashing

Bayonet, 2 gp 1d3/ 1d4/ 19-20/ 1 lb. Piercing,mounted 1d4 1d6 2 & 2 slashing,

or bludgeoning

Crown Dagger 8 gp 1d3 1d4 19-20/x2 1 lb. Piercing

Dagger 2 gp 1d3 1d4 19-20/2 10 ft. 1 lb. Piercing or

slashing

Death spike 1 gp 1d2 1d3 3 1 lb. Piercing

Katar 2 gp 1d3 1d4 3 1 lb. Piercing (punching

dagger)

Katar, hooded 20 gp 1d3 1d4 3 5 lbs. Piercing

Moonsilver 50 gp 1d3 1d4 19-20/2 1 lb. PiercingDagger or slashing

Olvida Dagger 12 gp 1d3 1d4 x3 1 lb. Piercing

or slashing

Sai 5 gp 1d3 1d4 x3 5 ft. 2 lb. Piercing

Serrated Dirk 5 gp 1d3 1d4 18-20/x2 1 lb. Piercing

Serrated Crown 25 gp 1d3 1d4 17-20/x2 2 lb. Piercing

Tooth Dagger 1d3 1d4 3 5 ft. 1 lb. Piercing

Tunnel Shank 5 gp 1d3 1d4 19-20/2 1 lb. Slashing

market. Teir jagged teeth requires a bit of patienceto correctly hammer out and the design is usuallymastered by only the most obscure of blacksmiths.

ooth Dagger:Half-orcs and other tribal culturesoften prefer to cull their weaponry from forces ofthe natural world. As the name indicates, these areteeth taken from an animal or monster, typicallysomething large and dangerous. eeth dont holdup well so the user must first treat them, often infire along with a solution of special minerals andfluids. In half-orc tribes the wielder must kill thecreature himself and craft the knife himself. Sincethe wielder seldom has the skills needed to performthe crafting, a tribal elder oversees the process andinstructs him on what to do. Once the blade hasbeen treated the wielder wraps leathertypically

also taken from the beastaround the handle andsets about the sharpening process. Once sharp-

ened the wielder strikes the blade against a stone;the user must make a check (DC 15) with a bonusequal to the hit dice of the creature killed. If thischeck is failed the knife breaks. If the check suc-ceeds spectacularly (by 10 or more) then the knifeis particularly noble; reduce the cost of magical im-provements to the weapon by 10%. Only the besttooth from the creature is taken.

ooth daggers throw poorly and are typically usedonly for piercing attacks. However, some creatureshave serrated teeth and allow the tooth dagger tobe used for slashing attacks as well. A short list oftypical donor creatures follows, in order of impres-siveness (low to high):

Bear, ankheg, otyugh, dire animal, bulette, remorhaz,

hydra, tyrannosaurus, frost worm, purple worm, pitfiend, dragon, tarrasque.

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unnel shank: Te dwarven tunnel shank consistsof a grip shaped like a pair of brass knuckles witha short, curved blade protruding out the bottom ofthe fist. Te blade curves forward so that the pointsticks out past the knuckles. Dwarves occasionallycarve runes into the blade, andmore oftendec-

orate the handle. However, these daggers are asmuch tool as weapon. For example, a dwarf mightcarry one in both hands and to help in digging outof a cave in or through a narrow passage. Giventhese functions, elaborate carvings would be wornoff quickly during the day to day labor.

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Armor Cost Armor Maximum Armor Check Arcane Spell 30 ft. 20 ft. WeightBonus Dex Bonus Penalty Failure Chance

Flit 55 gp +3 +4 -1 15% 30 ft. 20 ft. 20 lb. armor(fullyloaded)

Flit 5 gp 5 lb. blade bracer

Shield Cost Shield Bonus Maximum Armor Check Arcane SpellWeight Dex Bonus Penalty Failure Chance

Katar, 20 gp +1 1 5%5 lb.

Weapon Cost Dmg (S) Dmg (M) Critical Range Weight TypeIncrement

Martial

Light

Dagger 2 gp 1d2 1d3 19-20/2 15 ft. .5 lb. piercing throwingKeris 8 gp 1d3 1d4 20/3 5 ft. 1 lb. piercing

Kukri 8 gp 1d3 1d4 18-20/2 2 lb. Slashing

Sword- 5 gp 1d3 1d4 2 2 lb. Piercing orbreaker slashing

Weapon Cost Dmg (S) Dmg (M) Critical Range Weight Type Increment

Exotic

Light

Balisong 5 gp 1d3 1d4 19-20/2 5 ft. 1 lb. piercing orslashing

Flit Blade 1 gp 1d2 1d3 18-20/2 15 ft. .3 lb. piercing or

slashing

Katar, 25 gp 1d3 1d4 4 2 lb. piercing scissors

Vermin Fang150 gp 1d3 1d4 18-20/2 5 ft. 1 lb. piercing orslashing


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Te nature of the blade makes it particularly suitedfor close-in fighting, the kind of fighting one mustface too often in cramped quarters. Dwarves whospecialize in the blade often practice a form of mar-tial art similar to Kali knife fighting. Tis is bloody,brutal, and effi cient and suits the hard fightingmentality of dwarves who live their lives battlingthe forces of the underworld.

Te grip of a tunnel shank typically has small pro-trusions along it; these grant the user a +1 equip-ment bonus to Climb checks when tunnel shanksare held in both hands. Te layout and shape of theblade grant the wielder a +1 circumstance bonusto attack checks when using the blade to Attack anOpponent during a grapple.

Vermin Fang: Te drow version of the dagger main-ly differs due to its ornamentation. Te vermin fangincorporates a vermin motif into its design; typical-ly this follows a particular theme, such as arachnid(quite popular), scorpion, centipede, rat, snake, orsomething similar. Tese weapons typically sculptthe handle to look like the vermin in question; foranimals such as the rat an open mouth serves as thecrossguard though the crafter occasionally shapesthe tail into a crossguard. Other vermin types usethe legs to form a crossguard, such as the eight legs

pointing forward crossguard common to spiderthemed daggers. A scorpion themed dagger mighthave the tail come forward over the hilt to provide ahand guard.Vermin fangs always incorporate a complex design

into the blade itself, often taking the form of in-terlocking pictures of the theme vermin. In addi-tion to serving as ornamentation, the design givesthe blade more pockmarks and nooks; this makesit better capable of holding poison once applied.If the weapon is poisoned and scores a hit then thepoison does not completely wear off; it can scoreone more hit and deliver the poison, but the vic-tim receives a +4 circumstance bonus to any savesrequired.

OHER GEAR

Flit blade armor:Tis leather armor has numer-ous small loops of leather set into it, typically overthe chest and arms. Te wearer fills each of theseloops with flit blades, using the metal of the blades

to reinforce the armor. At full load out the armorresembles a variation on studded leather, and hassimilar properties. Te wearer can draw flit bladesfrom the armor as if drawing a regular weapon. Forevery full 15 flit blades that are missing from thearmor lower the armor bonus by 1; the armor canstore up to 40 flit blades.

Flit Blade Bracer: Tese leather bracers cover thewrist and have 6 small slots in each bracer. Each slotcan hold a single flit blade. When fully loaded these

look like simple bracers reinforced with small steelplates; those unfamiliar with flit blades might notrealize that the wearer is armed.

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Tis chapter focuses on those who use the dagger,why they use it, and how they do so. Te chapterincludes a number of options but it also includessome general discussion of the roleplaying aspectsof using a dagger.

CLASSESGiven that the knife has likely been around forroughly 500,000 years in one form or anotherits utility should be obvious. One can use aknife to kill an animal, butcher the beast, cutwood for a fire, stick the meat on the point

and cook it over a fire, hold the meat whileeating it, remove the hide, scrape theyucky bits from the inside of the hide,cut the hide into wearable pieces, andshave so that while one wears onesspiffy new hide one can properlyimpress the cave girls.

One can wield a dagger in a grapple,albeit at a penalty. Cut rope with adagger; jam the dagger under a door

to spike it open or shut; jam the dag-ger into cracks in a stone wall as amakeshift piton; clean under onesfilthy fingernails; play entertainingand dangerous dagger games; or pickleeches off your body after wadingthrough the local swamp.

Realistically, every character shouldhave a knife, unless theyre undersome strange compulsion not tocarry sharp pointy things. Tefollowing sections provide someideas for how different classes canmake best use of the knife, or whatkind of knife they might prefer.

BARBARIANooth daggers make a fitting choice for the barbar-ian. Tey re-affi rm the barbarians primal connec-

tion with the forces of nature; the weapon he uses isthe weapon of the great beasts that he defeats withhis own hand. Tis honors the beast since the crea-ture lives on through the barbarian, after a fashion.More primitive barbarians might use stone or flintblades to represent their restricted technology.

Living in the wilderness, all barbarians should carrysome sort of knife. Tis might be the tool they getthe most use of, cutting wood, skinning animals,and eating all rely on it. Te choice of blade thus

becomes a symbol of how the barbarian choos-es to live. A light throwing dagger for the kindof barbarian who relies on stealth and quickmovement, a heavy bowie knife for the bar-barian who likes to get in close and rage.

Wildman Concept: Te Wildman livesin close touch with nature; a tropical

version might wear little more thana loincloth and a temperate cli-

mate wildman live in the forestor marshes wearing hide armor.He restricts himself to a knife be-

cause thats the only weapontoolreallyhe needs and he likes to travellight.

o develop this sort of character multi-class between barbarian and druid lev-els. Start with barbarian then split todruid over the first eight levels; 3rdlevel in druid grants a number of pow-ers that fit with the concept, animalcompanion, nature sense, wild em-pathy, woodland stride, and trackless

step. 4th level grants access to anape companion so that fits wellfor a certain famous character.After 3rd or 4th level in druidlook for a prestige class that fo-cuses on wilderness powers toavoid suffering an experience

penalty. If you belong to a race that has barbarianor druid as a favored class you can freely just stickwith barbarian levels.Te character should avoid heavy armor. Hidearmor and going naked fits best. If going naked,

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target a prestige class that favors unarmored char-acters. While a dagger fits the core concept best aspear also works well. If using just a dagger empha-size Strength a bit less, perhaps putting a 12 there,and maximize Dexterity. Back this up with WeaponFinesse. You should take rack as one of your ear-ly feats or consider triple classing to Ranger thensplitting even between all three classes until 10thto 12th level. With Ranger levels the natural choiceis double-weapon use with the daggers; this worksparticularly well since you minimize the number ofweapon feats you need.

BARDOrdinary daggers, throwing daggers, and flit bladesmake good choices for a bard. Like the rogue, abard may very well use a dagger as his primary

weapon. But for a bard, the dagger is not just aweapon, but a part ofthe show. Even theiconic picture shows adagger hovering overthe bards hand. Tesesorts of pictures shouldcome easily to mindwhen playing a bard.Use Sleight of Handand spells like presti-

digitation to bring thedagger to life, to getthe dagger where youwant, or keep youraudience watchingthe blade when theyshould be watchingyour other hand. Bytaking the Spell Teme (dagger) feat you can makeyour spell list support your combat tactics.

Showman Concept:Tis version of the bard playswith daggers in public as part of his show. He tossesthem about, juggles them in the air, and tosses themat suckers willing to stand next to a wall. Te bardshould keep Sleight of Hand at maximum possiblerank and keep a few ranks dedicated to Perform(Act or Comedy). While juggling one should en-tertain the audience with commentary. Te pres-tidigitation spell is a natural fit. You can give your

daggers more color with a silent image spell anduse them to enthrall your audience via a DaggerTemed hypnotic pattern. ake the wo-WeaponFighting feat as well as Precise Shot so that you cancatch a dagger from the juggle in your off-handand toss it against a target obscured by a partnerin a skimpy outfit. As you grow more experiencedconsider feats that enhance your mobility such asMobility (naturally), and Shot on the Run. You canlook spectacular bounding over and under tables,swinging off chandeliers, and sliding down banis-ters while tossing an endless stream of blades.

CLERICWhile youll likely think most clerics who makeextensive use of the dagger are cultists sacrificingpristine young women to their loathsome gods

there are other possibilities as well. Te cleric mayhave a deity who usesthe dagger as his per-sonal weapon. Tecleric might prefer totravel in light armorand lightly armed,to make his flock feelmore comfortable.Te cleric might alsobe planning for the

dagger cultist prestigeclass, or choose thedagger because it is aninteresting weapon.

Since clerics spendmore time as part ofan established social

structure theyre less likely to need a knife in theirdaily affairs. As such, if they carry a dagger it is like-ly a sign of offi ce. Teir daggers should be ornateand ritualistic. Te keris works well, of course, butany of the culturally particular dagger variants al-lows the cleric to use his weapon as a sign of hisstatus or theology.

emple Assassin Concept: Even the gods needtheir hit men. For this combination split cleric/rogue/monk and go in without wearing armor. Userogue and monk levels to build up stealth skills,

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some stealth and vicious with her twin blades. odevelop this concept start with a monk level thensplit with fighter through 7 levels until youre Monk3/Fighter 4. Along the waydevelop wo Weapon Fight-ing, Weapon Finesse, Dodge,Mobility, Weapon Focus, andWeapon Specialization; if youreceive a racial bonus feat useit for Improved Disarm. Maxout ranks in umble and pickup 3 ranks in Perform. At8th level start developing theDuelist class. When assign-ing attributes make sure toput Dexterity, Wisdom, andIntelligence at 14; this nets a

+6 armor class bonus eventu-ally. As a duelist youll be ableto use precise strike when youneed to cause big damage; inall situations youll be blinding fast, quick acrossthe battlefield and able to weave through hoards ofthe enemy.

PALADINA paladin certainly wouldnt use a dagger to sneakattack. But paladins do need to keep clean shaven;

a sharp dagger is in order here. Since the daggerisnt a knights weapon it will be relegated to backupand perhaps used for a few ranged attacks. Its bestto choose a multi-purpose dagger in these circum-stances, something rugged enough for work-likeuses and still able to be used in both melee and atrange. One other use for the dagger is to help cleanyour steeds hooves.

Servant of the Song Concept:Te servant of thesong is a paladin trained to operate in the urban

wilderness. Te cities can be a haven of darknessworse than any dungeon and some paladins at-tempt to make them a better place to live. In thecity one needs information; thus splitting out toa bard multi-class gives the paladin the skills andpowers needed for dealing in a social environment.Te servant of the song should make Charisma herbest attribute; it helps her resist magic, cast her own

spells, and deal with others. A solid Dexterity, per-haps a 14, is also goodthis allows the servant toget the most from light armor while boosting her

attributes with magic.

Daggers are useful to the ser-vant of the song when sheneeds to travel incognito; butsince the servant will likely useother weapons as well, its bestto focus on feats that arentparticular to any weapon, suchas Dodge, Expertise, and Pow-er Attack. Emphasize socialskills then back them up withspell choices that allow you towork in the city. For example:

lullaby helps get past guards;hypnotism does likewise andundetectable aura can hideyour paladin nature; tongues

for communication and alter self for undercoverwork; glibness to hammer home Bluff checks andclairaudience/clairvoyance for surveillance, this isbetter than scrying since you typically have a goodread on target location in a city.

RANGER

Te ranger fits extremely well with the dagger, es-pecially when he employs the two-weapon motif.Tis is not only aesthetic, but highly effective. Byworking with two daggers one can take Weapon Fi-nesse and Weapon Focus to create a character witha strong attack bonus split across both weapons.Going the ranged attack route, the same feats thatmake the ranger a skilled archer make him a skilleddagger thrower. Tis way, Weapon Focus aids bothin melee and at rangethis pays off even more withImproved Critical at 9th level.

All rangers should have a dagger, of course, butwhat kind of ranger makes it their primary mode ofattack? As said in the last paragraph, theres an ad-vantage to using the dagger as your ranged weapon.While the damage isnt as good as that of a bow youenjoy some other benefits. You can automaticallyadd your Strength bonus to damage, your invest-ment in a ranged weapon also pays off in melee,

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and you can recover the ammunition easily. Tedagger allows you to not have to choose betweenbeing a ranged or melee character.

Dagger Archer Concept: Tis concept requiresnothing more than ranger levels and a precise featselection. Go with the two weapon fighting combatstyle since this allows you to throw daggers withboth hands. Feat selection should go somewhatsimilar to this: Quickdraw, Point Blank Shot, Pre-cise Shot or Far Shot; when you getthe chance to take Improved Criticaldo so.

Te concept also works well whenmulti-classed with fighter; four levelsof fighter is enough and its worth-

while to go Weapon Focus (dagger),Weapon Finesse (dagger), WeaponSpecialization (dagger) using thefighter feats; remove Weapon Finesseif your Strength and Dexterity arewithin 4 points of each other. Tiscreates a character good at rangeand in melee. For example, at 10thlevel your attack pattern with a dag-ger will be +9/+9/+4/+4 +Dex bonusin either melee or at range. Look for

magic daggers with abilities like flam-ing or frost to get the damage up.

ROGUENot much needs to be said aboutrogues and daggers. Every rogue should keep sever-al of these on her person. Keep daggers and knivesof different sorts, a thin blade for slipping throughslots to lift a latch, a few throwing blades for rangedwork, a shank hidden in a shoe heel, and so on.Having a small arsenal like this keeps you in toolsand in weapons.

Commando Concept: Tis character is designedfor behind the lines intrusion and fast killing.ake wo-weapon fighting, Weapon Finesse (dag-ger), Point Blank Shot, and Far Shot. Ten maxout Climb, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, andSpot. All this works with just rogue levels and al-lows you to keep the sneak attack dice maximized;

especially important since the sneak attack dice willbe the majority of your damage. By using the dag-ger you also have the opportunity to strike fromranged ambush.

By taking a few ranger levels along with the roguelevels you can acquire the rack Feat, pick up someof the other needed feats, and develop the Survivalskill. Tis costs sneak attack dice but makes for amore complete commando.

SORCERERS AND WIZARDSTe two core magic wielding classesdont have many options besides adagger. A staff fits the picture, doesa bit more damage, and has some al-ternate uses. But daggers are easy to

carry, easy to put away, and weighless than a crossbow. While most sor-cerers and wizards will at least carrya dagger, one could also choose tomake the dagger a more central partof their concept. Point Blank Shotand Precise Shot are good choices atfirst level; carry multiple daggers anduse them as back-up when you needto save spells.

Spells are the other area of focus. ruestrike is a natural but you shouldhave something to bolster the effectsince daggers hit fairly light; a daggerstorm(page 27) can juice the blade

with Improved Attune to Dagger. Otherwise try tostrengthen the dagger in some other way; poisonworks well.

Wizards should especially consider the ranged featssince they have such a small number of spells perday. Sorcerers should instead tailor their list to whatthey want to do with the dagger; magic weaponmight be appealing at low levels but since yourealready focusing on daggers youll likely acquire amagic one soon and the spell will be relegated touse on disposable throwing daggers.Cat Tief Concept:Tis concepts works well as arogue/sorcerer combination since sorcerers natu-rally align themselves to a fixed list of spells. Te

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concept is that you tailor your spell list towards aparticular theme, in this case cats and cat-like ma-neuvering. While its not terribly effi cient to sacri-fice the big bang spells, the flavor you capture canmake playing the character more enjoyable. Heresthe strategy:

Start as rogue with high Dexterity and Charisma.Focus on Climb, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Si-lently, and Spot for skills. Also put 7 skill points inDecipher Script, Disable Device, and Escape Art-ist then 4 in Knowledge (arcane); the arcane trick-ster prestige class is a freebie for this concept. akeStealthy, Dodge, Mobility, and Silent Spell in what-ever order you desire. As a Sorcerer you can use Si-lent Spell spontaneouslyalthough it takes a littleextra time. Tis isnt a problem though since youll

most likely be using Silent Spell from ambush andthus be able to stay in ambush afterwards.

Te real key to this character comes in the spellselection. 0-level: ghost sound, mage hand, pres-tidigitation, open/close; others as see fit. 1st-level:jump, charm person, feather fall, expeditious re-treat, disguise self. 2nd-level: cats grace, spiderclimb, invisibility, eagles splendor, alter self. 3rd-level: haste, displacement, suggestion, arcane sight.4th-level: polymorph (to cat of course), dimen-

sion door, greater invisibility, charm monster. 5th-level: summon monster V (summon 1d3 celestiallions), permanency, baleful polymorph (to mice),animal growth. 6th-level: true seeing, mass sugges-tion, shadow walk. 7th-level: ethereal jaunt, lim-ited wish, greater arcane sight. 8th-level: momentof prescience, mass charm monster.

FEAS

Tis section includes a small selection of additionalfeats. Several of these feats are used to help distin-guish a fighting motif (see page XX). All fightingmotifs share similar featuresthey should includeWeapon Focus and appropriate feats. By takingone of the feats distinctive to the fighting style youcan picture your character as having trained in thatfighting style. By taking multiple such feats you canmodel a character who has mastered several martialarts.

AGILE FOOWORKProper training in footwork enhances mobility andprevents ones opponent from pinning them intoa corner. Tis method of footwork emphasizes theability to move freely and quickly in any directionand helps prevents grapples and trips.

Benefit: Tis grants you a +3 dodge bonus againsttouch attacks made to initiate a grapple or trip at-tempt.

CONROL HE CENER LINEOne benefit of the knife is the ability to maneuverit quickly into a variety of positions. Tis techniquetrains the user to best fight from the center, givinghim better ability to move to either side or maneu-ver into a parry.

Benefit:You can designate a single opponent as amove action; doing this places you in control of thecenter line against that opponent. You then receivea +2 dodge bonus to armor class against that op-ponent until he moves from the square he currentlyoccupies. Naturally, those familiar with this tech-nique make sure to employ five foot steps liberallyagainst you.

GUARDIAN HANDA knife fighter often leaves his off-hand open forflexibility. Some fighting styles emphasize usingthis hand to parry and redirect attacks. Tis pro-vides additional protection in close fighting.

Benefit: If you have this feat you receive a +2 shieldbonus to armor class when in a grapple. Tis onlyapplies to opponents also in the grapple. You maychoose to use guardian hand outside of a grappleand gain a +1 shield bonus to armor class againstmelee attacksif hit, though, you suffer an addi-tional 1 point of damage. You cannot benefit from

this feat if you wield a shield or weapon in youroff-hand.

MULIDEFENSEYou have special training for dealing with multipleattackers. By ducking beneath your opponents at-tacks you make your attackers interfere with eachother.

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combat and quick motions. Fighting with a bladein real life is a good way to get you dead so kalialso trains its practitioners in parry/attack combi-nationsone of the first things one wants to do ismake sure one survives the conflict.

Filipinos have used these martial arts against a hostof invaders for literally centuries. Unfortunately,the invaders have often been able to marshal over-whelming forces and so the Philippines have suf-fered under a variety of foreign rulers. Many ofthe modern schools of kali and similar arts foundtheir origin in the master knife fighters who foughtagainst the Japanese during World War II. Some ofthese experts have trained foreigners and those for-eigners have exported the styles around the world.Many of the feats included in this book represent

this style. Reverse Grip, Agile Footwork, Controlthe Center Line, and Guardian Hand all fit the mo-tif.

Silat: Silat, sometimes called Pencak Silat now sincethe schools have combined, is a martial arts stylethat developed in Southeast Asia. It originated asa style that focused on the use of the keris (page2)and thus, if you wish your character to practicethis style you should focus and specialize with thatdagger variant. Martial styles dont stay secret long,

especially if theyre effective, so this spread widelythrough Southeast Asia. It is likely that the mod-ern versions of kali incorporate Silat training, andprobably vice-versa.

Like many martial arts, Silat includes a metaphysi-cal aspect as well as a martial aspect. Sub-schoolsvary in the philosophy they teach but it is alwaysa matter of training both the body and the spir-it. Also like many martial arts, those who haveachieved spiritual mastery are sometimes attributedwith paranormal powers; these abilities typically in-creased the practitioners resistance to harm.Silat has been a dominant art over a wide region fora long time. Because of this it has fostered literallyhundreds of different schools, all with their ownparticular method. Like other martial arts, some ofthese styles use a method inspired by animals. Re-gardless, the breadth of Silat techniques means thatone cant pigeonhole it into a single unified style.

Many styles emphasize body motion and the useof all limbs, not just the weapon. It tends to be aloose martial art, focusing on throws, grappling,and trips. Many styles also train the student in howto survive against multiple opponents; this can bemodeled by picking the Multi-Defense feat. o cre-ate a Silat practitioner choose a theme, develop ap-propriate feats, and name that style after an animalor principle.

ake the Improved Grapple, Improved rip, and/orMulti-defense feats to represent this motif.

Sykes-Fairbairn: E.A. Sykes and W.E. Fairbairntrained British soldiers in various combat tech-niques during World War II. Tey developed thekernel of these techniques while working in Shang-

hai as members of the Shanghai Municipal Police.As police offi cers, they developed a fighting stylemeant to apprehend. But for combat, they taughta brutally effi cient system focused on attack andvictory. Teyre still famous as the knife they de-veloped, the Sykes-Fairbairn commando knife, isstill regarded by many as one of the premier blades.Variants of the blade have also proliferated, in partby students of the two who went on to developtheir own modifications.

Teir knife-fighting style emphasizes attacks againstthe arteries. Tey designed their method for war.Not dueling. Not show. Since, in war, you dont somuch try to get into fights as try to get into situ-ations where youre not fighting (just attacking)many of the fighting techniques emphasize attack-ing from surprise. While this is a modern style, thebasic principles are timeless and could be used asinspiration for a militaristic knife-fighting tech-nique thats pragmatic and perhaps less interestedin looking graceful.

o model the style one should have at least a coupledice of sneak attack; a multi-class rogue/fighter orrogue/ranger would generate the right feel for thiskind of commando training.

Gutter Fighting: Probably a style that has beenaround since people first chipped blades out of flint,this is up close and dirty fighting. Tis style is what

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the over-aggressive beggar might use. Its the style ofthe prison yard. Like commando knife fighting theemphasis is on getting in close to an unsuspectingopponent and making several quick, mortal cuts.Its not important to kill the target immediately,just put him in a position where he wont be ableto retaliate later. Tis is especially true in situationswhere ones target can quickly call for backup.

An example of a gutter fight-ing attack technique is to sim-ply get up against the body ofthe target and make severalquick jabs from the waist tojust above the targets belt.While you do this you blockthe view of your weapon with

your body so that others inthe area wont know what hashappened until youre walk-ing away. If the crowd is largeenough you might be able toget away with no one knowingwho even made the attack. Temethod is remarkably effective;even in a relatively open fightthe gutter fighter techniqueof simply rushing the target,

slamming into him, then slashing at the stomach,can overwhelm the more stylized versions of knifefighting.

o model a character that specializes in this kind offighting build up the Sleight of Hand skill to rep-resent the ability to keep the knife hidden duringan attack. A couple sneak attack dice help too sincethats what youll be using most of the timeor as-sassination techniques if the character has enoughexperience. One should also be good in a grapple sothe Reverse Grip feat works well.

DAGGER GAMES OR DONDO HA, YOU MIGH PU

AN EYE OU

For some reason people love playing with sharp ob-

jects in ways that might permanently maim them.o satisfy those urges this section includes some de-scriptions of, and rules for, foolish games you canplay with a dagger.

MUMBLEYPEGAlso called mumbledy-peg,mumbly peg, and a wide va-riety of other mispronuncia-tions; oddly enough, the al-ternate versions have nothingto do with region. Te gamecomes in various versions; therelatively safe version simplyhas the contestants throwthe knife in a variety of ways(called stunts) so that theblade of the knife sticks intothe ground. In order to countthe handle must be at leasttwo finger widths away fromthe ground.

o play the safe version each

contestant must succeed at a series of stunts. Manyof the stunts involve different ways of holding theblade (by the tip, laying flat on the palm or back ofthe hand, from the forearm, etc.) A full match typi-cally involves winning 2 of 3 games.

o play a single game each player must completeeach of the following stunts

1) Using thrown attack bonus hit AC 5.2) Using thrown attack bonus hit AC 10.

3) Make a Reflex save (DC 10).4) Using thrown attack bonus hit AC 15.5) Using thrown attack bonus hit AC 20.6) Make a Reflex save (DC 15).7) Using thrown attack bonus hit AC 22.

Te game proceeds with each player getting onechance to succeed at as many of the stunts listed in

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the sequence as possible. If the player succeeds atthe check they may immediately attempt the nextstunt. When they finally fail the next player takeshis turn. Te player who completes all of the stuntsfirst wins the game. If both players complete thestunts on the same round the game is a tie.

Te unsafe game involves tossing a knife into theground so that it lands as close as possible to youropponents foot without actually hitting. Start thegame by flipping a coin (or rolling a die); the win-ner of the coin toss then gets to choose whetherhell go fist or force his opponent to go first. Whenyour turn comes up you choose an armor class andattempt to hit that AC using your thrown daggerbonus. If you succeed then your opponent mustalso succeed against that same AC. If your oppo-

nent does match you then he goes first on the fol-lowing round. You can only lose by failing to suc-ceed at a check after your opponent has bid andsucceeded at their check.

OULINING A BODYTe real trick to this game is finding a sucker will-ing to stand near a wall. Tis is really more of astunt; in it you have a patsy stand against a walland then you throw knives so that they just misshis body, thereby leaving an outline of knives in the

shape of the target.

Make one attack check for each knife thrown againstAC 13. Increase the AC by 4 if targeting a notchsuch as near the groin or right next to the neck. In-crease the AC by 4 if the target is moving in a regu-lar way (such as being strapped to a spinning disc).Te AC does not change for attacks near the headversus near the legs but the consequences of failureincrease. If a check fails by more than 5 it hits thepatsy; the patsy then takes damage appropriate tothe knife. Te other key factor in the game is therange; a fairly standard range to use is 25 feetthisresults in a -2 penalty for a typical dagger.

HE FINGER GAMEMade famous by an android, in this game you re-peatedly stab a dagger between the fingers of some-ones hand, running back and forth between eachof the fingers at an ever increasing speed.

Play the game by choosing an initial speed andthen make four successive melee attacks using adagger against the armor class associated with thatspeed; each attack represents one sequence of stabsbetween all the fingers of a hand. o model speedchoice bid for an armor class; this is the base DC ofthe check youll have to make. Te first check goesagainst that armor class and each subsequent checkincreases the DC of the check by one. If any checkfails you hit the hand and cause 1d4 points of dam-age to the victim.

o actually make it a game, have more than onecontestant and the contestant who succeeds withthe highest base DC wins.

BALANCING A DAGGER ON YOUR NOSE

Tis simple game involves balancing a daggerpoint-down on top of your nose for as long as pos-sible. Ideally, when it eventually does fall, it wontfall into your eye.

Play the game in rounds. All players must make aBalance check (DC 15) to keep the blade balancedon their nose. Te check DC stays the same on thefollowing rounds though it goes up by 2 for eachminute that passes. Te last player to still have theknife balancing on his nose wins. If the final play-

ers all fail their check on the same round run a tie-breaker by having them make contested Balancecheckswhoever rolls the highest wins the game.If the tie-breaker Balance checks are the same thenthe judges cannot tell who dropped the knife first.If a player fails a Balance check by rolling a 1, havethem immediately make another Balance checkagainst the same DC; if that also fails the knife hashit their eye. Te contestant immediately takes 1d4damage and must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 +damage taken) or be blinded in one eye.

DAGGER DUELINGIn addition to playing foolish games with pointythings people (or, more frankly, men) too oftenface off against each other nearly naked with pointythings. Te typical sort of duel simply involves bothparties standing up, insulting each others lineage,then drawing knives and leaving their blood onthe floor. Mere carnage leaves the audience jaded

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though, so later duel promoters developed moreelaborate forms of knife dueling.

Bound Duel:In this version of the knife duel theduelists off-hands are bound together by a length

of rope, cloth, or chain. Tis limits their ability torun away (and thus make for a boring fight) anduse the off-hand for traditional defensive measures.However, what it takes away it also gives back sincenow a duelist can control his opponent by draggingon the connecting rope. Tis aspect of the duel fa-vors the stronger duelist.

While in a bound duel neither party can move morethan five feet from his opponent. Tey also cannotuse their off hand to block or hold a weapon. Dur-ing this kind of duel the combatants have a fewadditional action options.

Drag Opponent off Feet: Tis standard action al-lows you to initiate a contested Strength check withyour opponent. If the check succeeds then your op-ponent falls prone. You each add a +4 bonus foreach size category you are larger than Medium ora 4 penalty for each size category you are smallerthan Medium. Te defender gets a +4 bonus if hehas more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionallystable.

Control Opponent: Tis standard action allowsyou to establish control over your opponent. odo this make a contested Strength check. You eachadd a +4 bonus for each size category you are largerthan Medium or a 4 penalty for each size categoryyou are smaller than Medium. Te opponent maychoose to resist with Dexterity instead of Strength.If you win the check you have established Control;you retain Control until your opponent takes itfrom you using this method, breaks it via a tangleaction, or knocks you prone in some fashion. While

you have Control you receive a +2 circumstancebonus to attacks and armor class against your op-ponent.

angle:With this move action you move to the op-posite side of your opponent and tangle him in thebinding holding you together. o properly executethe action you must make it to the opposite sideof your opponent without provoking an attack of

opportunity; if you do provoke an attack of op-portunity you not only suffer the attack, but youropponent also manages to maneuver so that hedoesnt get tangled. Tis typically means that youhave to make a umble check to get around youropponent.

If you manage to get around your opponent youmay then follow with the tangle attempt. Make acontested Dexterity check. Your opponent may useStrength in place of Dexterity if he chooses; sizecategory does not affect this check. If you movethrough your opponents square to get to the otherside you receive a +4 circumstance bonus to theDexterity check. If you succeed at this check youeliminate being controlled and tangle your oppo-nent. He cannot attack you on the following action

but can untangle himself with a standard action (noroll required).

SPELL HEMESSpell themes are techniques a spellcasting charac-ter learns to customize the kinds of spells she casts.Selecting a spell theme requires that one take theappropriate Spell Teme feat. Each theme has a listof spells to which it applies. All these spells undergosome changes as described in the listing. Te spellsotherwise remain the same.

If theres a spell on another casters theme list thatalso appears on your classs normal spell list (per-haps at a different level) you may replace one ofyour existing options with that spell.

DAGGER HEME BARDSBards are a natural with a dagger theme due to theiralready rogue-like nature. Bards sometimes striketones using the metal of their dagger to achieve thespell effects.

0-level

Dancing Lights: Te lights created by this spelltake the form of hovering daggers. Tis illuminatesa larger than normal area, clearly illuminating outto a 30 ft. radius and providing shadow illumina-tion to a 60 ft. radius.Flare:You cast the spell by reflecting light off theblade of a dagger. +1 to saving throw DC.1st-levelHideous Laughter:You cast the spell by perform-

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ing stupid tricks with your dagger that you botchhorribly, making it look like you cut yourself. +1 tosaving throw DC.Hypnotism:You cast the spell by reflecting light offthe blade of a dagger to create the hypnotic effect.+1 to saving throw DC.

2nd-levelHypnotic Pattern:Te spell creates several daggersthat float in the air while rainbow patterns of lightcascade off them. +1 to saving throw DC.

Whispering Wind:By speaking over the blade ofthe dagger as you cast this spell it vibrates to en-hance the sound generated. Increase the range to1.5 miles per level.

3rd-level

Illusory Script:You can carve the message using adagger; this allows you to place the message on atree, in mud, or on another kind of surface. Youmust still employ a material component in the cast-ing of the spell.Scrying:Te images you see play out on the bladeof a dagger you hold. +1 to saving throw DC.

4th-levelDimension Door:You open the dimension door bymaking a cutting motion with a dagger, as if cut-ting through the air to create a door shaped hole.Tis increases the range of the spell by 200 feet.Hold Monster:As with hold person, phantom dag-gers fly at the targets to pin them into location. +1to saving throw DC.

5th-levelFalse Vision: When you cast the spell you sticka dagger into the ground at the point you target.Light reflects off the dagger to create the false vision.Increase the area to a 60 ft. radius emanation.Song of Discord:Te song plays from the blade of

a dagger, as if the dagger were a tuning fork. +1 tosaving throw DC.

6th-levelGreater Shout:You shout across the blade of thedagger, using its vibrations to increase the potencyof the effect. +1 to saving throw DC.Sympathetic Vibration:You cast the spell by strik-ing the blade of the dagger against the targeted ob-

ject. Tis increases the damage done per round by2.

DAGGER HEME CLERICDagger themed divine casters are better able tostand up in combat so their modified spells are

more often the sorts of spells that work in melee.

0-levelInflict Light Wounds:You may cast this via a dag-ger variant and thus do damage with a dagger at-tack as well as deliver the requisite touch attack; ifyou do this you must hit normally, not with a touchattack.Purify Food and Drink:You must touch the mate-rial with a dagger; this increases the volume puri-fied to 1.5 cubic feet per level.

1st-levelDoom:When you cast this spell you mark the tar-get with a dagger tattoo. +1 to the saving throwDC.Magic Stones: Te pebbles transform to daggershaped stones. Tis increases their aerodynamicsand their range increment goes to 75 feet.2nd-levelDeath Knell: You must touch the victim with adagger. +1 to the saving throw DC.

Hold Person:Daggers fly from the caster to all tar-gets; those who are affected have phantom daggerspinning them to the ground and driven throughtheir body to fix them in the air. +1 to saving throwDC.

3rd-levelHelping Hand:Te ghostly image takes the formof a dagger. Increase the range to 8 miles.Magic Vestment:Te armor or shield you cast thison gains armor spikes or a shield spike as well; thespike itself gains no enhancement bonus.

4th-levelDimensional Anchor: Te spell appears as if aphantom dagger flies from the caster and skewersthe target (if successful), pinning him to this world.+1 to saving throw DC.Sending:You deliver the message by holding a dag-ger in your hand and writing on the dagger. A rep-lica of the dagger then appears in the targets hand

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with the same writing on it; the dagger disappearsafter one minute and does not have any other spe-cial properties. Te message can be up to 35 wordsin length.

5th-level

Mark of Justice:Te mark takes the form of a dag-ger. +1 to saving throw DC.Slay Living:You must deliver the attack as a regulardagger attackthis is not a touch attack and goesagainst the targets normal armor class. Tis doesregular dagger damage and adds +2 to the savingthrow DC.

6th-levelCreate Undead:Te undead you create have longerand sharper, metallic claws. Tey gain a +1 enhance-ment bonus to damage done with claw attacks.Find the Path:A dagger you wield points the di-rection to the target of the spell. Te duration in-creases to 15 minutes per level.

7th-levelGreater Scrying:Te images you see play out onthe blade of a dagger you hold. +1 to saving throwDC.Symbol of Stunning and Symbol of Weakness:Symbols have the shape of a dagger. +1 to savingthrow DC. If you pick this both types of symbols

are affected.8th-levelCreate Greater Undead: Te undead you createhave longer and sharper, metallic claws. Tey gain a+2 enhancement bonus to damage done with clawattacks.Symbol of Insanity and Symbol of Death: Symbolshave the shape of a dagger. +1 to saving throw DC.If you pick this both types of symbols are affected.

9th-levelGate:You must use a dagger to cut through the air

when you open the gate. Tis reduces the range totouch. If used for planar traveling you may holdthe gate open without concentrating. If used to calla creature the experience point cost is reduced to500 xp.

Energy Drain: Te ray takes the form of daggermade of black, crackling energy. Increase the num-ber of negative levels imparted by +1.

DAGGER HEME DRUIDDruids are a natural fit with the dagger so many oftheir spells fit nicely into a dagger theme.

0-levelFlare:You cast the spell by reflecting light off theblade of a dagger. +1 to saving throw DC.Purify Food and Drink: You must touch the mate-rial with a dagger; this increases the volume puri-fied to 1.5 cubic feet per level.

1st-levelGood Berries: If you cut the berries from a bush byusing a dagger you create 1 additional berry.Magic Stones: Te pebbles transform to daggershaped stones. Tis increases their aerodynamicsand their range increment goes to 75 feet.

2nd-levelFlame Blade: Instead of creating a sword-like beamyou crate two dagger-like beams. Each does 1d4damage +1 point per two caster levels (maximum+10). You may use both of them but suffer the nor-mal penalties for two weapon use.Hold Animal:Daggers fly from the caster to all tar-gets; those who are affected have phantom daggerspinning them to the ground and driven throughtheir body to fix them in the air. +1 to saving throwDC.

3rd-levelDominate Animal:Te animal dominated by thisspell has the pupils of its eyes reshaped to resembledaggers. +1 to saving throw DC.Spike Growth:Tese take the form of metal dag-gers. +1 to saving throw DC.

4th-levelFlame Strike:Tis takes the form of a rain of flam-ing daggers. +1 to saving throw DC.

Giant Vermin:Te vermin created by this also growmore vicious natural attacks; this grants them a +2bonus to melee damage with their natural weap-ons.

5th-levelBaleful Polymorph:Te victim of the spell is alsobranded with a dagger shape tattoo. +1 to savingthrow DC.

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Wall of Torns: Te thorns are actually metallicdaggers. Increase the damage done per round to 26minus the victims armor class.6th-levelFind the Path:A dagger you wield points the di-rection to the target of the spell. Te duration in-creases to 15 minutes per level.Spellstaff:You can store the spell in a dagger in-stead of a staff.

7th-levelChangestaff:You can change a dagger instead of astaff into a treant.Greater Scrying:Te images you see play out onthe blade of a dagger you hold. +1 to saving throwDC.

8th-levelAnimal Shapes:Te natural weapons of your trans-formed allies are more dangerous than normal; theyreceive a +1 bonus on damage with their naturalmelee attacks.Finger of Death:When you cast this spell a ghostlydagger flies from your finger and plunges into thetargets chest. +1 to saving throw DC.9th-levelRegenerate:You must use a dagger to prepare thewound for regeneration. Te victim also recovers

all temporary and permanent ability damage to asingle attribute.Shambler:Te shambling mounds you create gaina +2 bonus to damage with their natural attackssince they have dagger-like claws buried in theirmuck.

DAGGER HEME SORCERER/WIZARDA dagger themed arcane caster reshapes much ofher magic to incorporate dagger elements. Natural-ly, this fits well with attack spells that fire projectilesbut other spells might make use of the metal in adagger to achieve their effects.

0-levelDancing Lights: Te lights created by this spelltake the form of hovering daggers. Tis illuminatesa larger than normal area, clearly illuminating outto a 30 ft. radius and providing shadow illumina-tion to a 60 ft. radius.

Ray of Frost:Te spell creates a small dagger madeof ice and snow that shoots at the target. Te criti-cal threat is increased to 19-20/2.

1st-levelMage Armor:Te force armor takes the form ofa network of interlacing daggers spread over thetargets body. Te force armor gains the equivalentof armor spikes.Magic Missile:Te force missiles take the form ofdaggers, increase the range by 50 feet.

2nd-levelAcid Arrow:Te missile fired is a dagger insteadof an arrow. Te dagger does 1d4 acid damage onthe initial hit and an additional 1d4 per round forthe duration. Increase the duration of the spell to:

1 round + 1 round per level, to a maximum of 15rounds.Hypnotic Pattern:Te spell creates several daggersthat float in the air while rainbow patterns of lightcascade off them. +1 to saving throw DC.

3rd-levelFly:You must have at least 6 daggers to use as thefocus for this spell. Te daggers poke themselvesthrough the targets clothing then carry him aboutat his mental command. Te quick, flitting move-ment of the daggers increases maneuverability to

perfect.Hold Person:Daggers fly from the caster to all tar-gets; those who are affected have phantom daggerspinning them to the ground and driven throughtheir body to fix them in the air. +1 to saving throwDC.

4th-levelBlack entacles: Te tentacles come tipped withdaggers. Tis allows them to make regular attacksinstead of attempt grapples; if making a regular

attack they cause 1d4+2 damage.Dimensional Anchor:Te spell appears as if a dag-ger flies from the caster and skewers the target (ifsuccessful), pinning him to this world. +1 to savingthrow DC.5th-levelHold Monster:As with hold person, phantom dag-gers fly at the targets to pin them into location. +1

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to saving throw DC.Sending:You deliver the message by holding a dag-ger in your hand and writing on the dagger. A rep-lica of the dagger then appears in the targets handwith the same writing on it; the dagger disappears

after one minute and does not have any other spe-cial properties. Te message can be up to 35 wordsin length.

6th-levelWall of Iron:Te wall appears covered with dag-ger-like spikes. Tis gives the wall 5 additional hitpoints. If someone is thrown into the wall they take4d4 damage, half on a successful Reflex save. Teylikewise take this additional damage if the wall ispushed over on top of them.Symbol of Fear and Symbol of Persuasion:Sym-bols have the shape of a dagger. +1 to saving throwDC. If you pick this both types of symbols are af-fected.

7th-levelPrismatic Spray:Te spray takes the form of multi-colored daggers shooting forth from your out-stretched hand. +1 to saving throw DC.Symbol of Stunning and Symbol of Weakness:Symbols have the shape of a dagger. +1 to savingthrow DC. If you pick this both types of symbols

are affected.

8th-levelIron Body:When you take metal shape, dagger-like spikes protrude from your body. Tis gives youthe equivalent of armor spikes and your unarmedattacks do a base 2d3 damage for Small charactersand 2d4 damage for Medium characters.Symbol of Insanity and Symbol of Death:Symbolshave the shape of a dagger. +1 to saving throw DC.If you pick this both types of symbols are affected.

9th-levelCrushing Hand:Te hand has dagger-like spikessticking from the fingertips that skewer those heldin it. Tis adds +2d4 damage to each crushing at-tack.Dominate Monster: Te creature you dominatehas the pupils of his eyes take the form of daggers.+1 to the saving throw DC.

PRESIGE CLASSESOn its own the dagger can sometimes feel like anunimpressive weapon. But in the hands of someonespecially trained in its use the dagger can be bothflexible and lethal. Te prestige classes in this sec-

tion are an attempt to incorporate the dagger morefully into ones character. Te options offered coverfighter types, rogue types, and both primary spell-caster types. Ideally, whatever primary class yourcharacters begins with can find a prestige class thatenables her to fully exploit the strengths of the dag-ger.

BLADE ARISDescription: Te blade artist is oft-times a trick-ster and a con artist. Hes a performer, a magicianwith the blade, and occasionally an assassin. Teblade artist almost always has dozens of throwingblades secreted around his body. Flit knives workparticularly well for him since he runs through somany blades in the course of his activities. Manyblade artists make money part time working with acircus or carnival. Some use a circus job as a coveract while they move around the countryside fromvillage to village, plying their true trade.

Te urban blade artist often moves back and forthbetween this class and rogue training to further de-

velop his sneak attack skills. By combining strongsneak attack dice, a good ambush position, daggerjuggling, and careful tosses (or, even better, an im-proved steady hand) he can slash an unwary targetto bits.Hit Die:d6.

Requirements:o qualify to become a blade artist, a character mustfulfill all of the following criteria:Sleight of Hand:8 ranks

Feats:Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot

CLASS SKILLSTe blade artists class skills (and the key ability foreach skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff(Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha),Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int),Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate(Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen

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(Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Pro-fession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis),Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), andumble (Dex).Skill Points at Each Level:8 + Int modifier.CLASS FEAURES

All of the following are class features of the bladeartist.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Te blade artist isproficient in the use of all simple and martial weap-ons and with light and medium armor.

Careful oss:You can reroll an attack check madewith a thrown dagger once per day. You may chooseto activate this ability after rolling the dice for anattack (and, thus, seeing the total result) but you

must choose prior to the gamemaster telling youwhether you hit or not. If you already have a goodidea of the targets armor class you may knowwhether you hit before the gamemaster tells you. At6th and 10th level you receive an additional carefultoss use per day.

Dagger Catching:You may catch daggers thrown

at you as a free action by making a Reflex save (DC15). You may only catch a number of daggers perround this way equal to your Dexterity bonus.Steady Hand: Tis ability allows you to take 10with a thrown dagger attack as a full round action,even in combat. You can also take 10 on a throwndagger attack at any time if in a non-combat situ-ation.

Scissors Trow: If you currently hold a daggerin each hand you may throw both of them at thesame time in a combined attack. Tis requires a fullround action and you only make one attack check(at your full bonus). Roll damage dice for both dag-gers and add 2 your Strength bonus. If you alsohave an ability such as sneak attack, its damage onlyapplies once.

Blind Trow: If someone else tells you where a tar-get is you can make a thrown dagger attack againstthat target as a standard action and suffer no misschance. Your ally must use the aid another action totell you the current location of the target and youreceive no additional benefits from the aid another

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Table 2:1/BLADE ARTIST

Level BAB Fort Reex Will Special

1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Careful Toss 1/day

2 +1 +0 +3 +0 Dagger Catching

3 +2 +1 +3 +1 Steady Hand

4 +3 +1 +4 +1 Scissors Throw

5 +3 +1 +4 +1 Careful Toss 2/day

6 +4 +2 +5 +2 Blind Throw

7 +5 +2 +5 +2 Spread of Daggers 8 +6 +2 +6 +2 Dagger Juggle

9 +6 +3 +6 +3 Embedding

10 +7 +3 +7 +3 Improved Steady

Hand,

Careful Toss 3/day


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CLASS FEAURESAll of the following are class features of the bladecultist:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Te blade cultistis proficient in the use of all simple weapons.+1 Spellcasting Level:Whenever this class featureis gained the character may add 1 caster level to thecaster level of a spellcasting class she already pos-sesses. Tis increases the number of spells availableper day, the number of spells known (if applicable),and caster level of those spells as if the character hadgained a level in the original class. Te character

does not gain any other features of the class, such asextra feats, turning ability, or druidic powers.

Blade cultists may only add spellcasting levels to di-vine spellcasting classes.

Skill Bonus:Each time you acquire this you maytake a +1 bonus to either your Craft (weaponsmith-ing), Knowledge (any on class list), or Sleight ofHand skill. You may apply this repeatedly to thesame skill or split it between the available skills asyou see fit.

Table 2:2 /BLADE CULTIST


1 +0 +0 +2 +2 Skill bonus,

+1 spellcasting level

2 +1 +0 +3 +3 Special ability,


3 +2 +1 +3 +3 Skill bonus,


4 +3 +1 +4 +4 Special Ability,


5 +3 +1 +4 +4 Weapon Specialization

(dagger),




7 +5 +2 +5 +5 Feat, +1 spellcasting

level



9 +6 +3 +6 +6 Tao of the dagger,


10 +7 +3 +7 +7 Special ability,


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Special Ability:Blade cultists develop special abili-ties by channeling their divine spellcasting abilityinto supernatural powers. A blade cultist does thisby paying the cost associated with the special abil-ity. Te cost is a sacrifice of one or more spell slotsof a given level; the character may choose to sacri-

fice a higher level spell slot instead. Tis reduces thenumber of spells per day the character may cast.

urning Strike (Su): You gain the special abilityto turn your most effective attacks against undeadwith a dagger variant into either positive or nega-tive energy. If you score a natural 19-20 against anundead and confirm the hit, as if confirming a criti-cal hit, you immediately have the option to make aturning or rebuke attempt as a free action. Tis usesup one of your normal turn attempts.

Cost:one 4th-level spell slot.

Disruptive Strike (Su):When you make a partic-ularly effective hit with a dagger variant againstan undead you can channel positive energy intoit to enhance the damage. If you score a natural19-20 against an undead and confirm the hit,as if confirming a critical hit, you immediatelyhave the option to expend a turningattempt to increase the damage youscore against the undead by +2d6.

Cost:one 2nd-level spell slot.Te Power of Pain (Ex): Pain gives you extraenergy and motivation.If you take 10 or more points of damage froma single attack you receive a +2 morale bonus toattack checks and melee damage for 1 minute.Cost:one 3rd-level spell slot.

Blood Summoning (Su):You can summon mon-sters from spilled blood. Any time you cause 10or more points of damage with a dagger variant in

melee, you may, as a free action, cast any summonmonster spell that you currently have prepared. Tisuses up the spell slot as usual but does not provokean attack of opportunity.Cost:one 3rd-level spell slot.

Death Summoning (Su):When you strike a blowthat brings a target to -1 or lower hit points with a

melee dagger variant attack you may immediatelycast a summon monster spell as a free action. Tevictim of the attack makes a Fortitude save with aDC set as if resisting the summon monster spell; ifthe victim fails the save then he immediately diesand you cast the spell. If the victim makes his sav-ing throw the summon monster spell fails. As forBlood Summoning you must have a summon mon-ster spell already prepared. Te summoning spellis especially powered when you use this; treat it asa summon monster spell of one level higher thanusual and double the duration. If the spell you useis summon monster 9 double the number of crea-tures summoned.Cost: one 7th-level spell slot.

Wood Daggers (Su): You can draw daggers from

living wooden objects (such as trees). Tis re-quires that you be within 5 feet of the tree andspend a move action drawing the weapon. Tedagger has a natural +3 enhancement bonus andworks as well as steel; it looks like a dagger shapedbranch. Te dagger retains its special propertiesonly while held in your hand. Cost:one 4th-level spell slot.

Space Cutting (Su):You can attune adagger to cut through the fabric of

worlds. Tis gives any dagger variant you wieldthe ghost touch special ability and allows youto use ethereal jaunt (as if cast by a 13th levelcleric) 1/day as a standard action.

Cost: one 6th-level spell slot.

Painful Healing (Su): In order to heal yousometimes needs to harm. By cutting the tar-get of a cure spell with your dagger variant inthe right fashion you can make the wounds

heal more fully. By spending a full round actionwhen casting a cure spell you may roll d10s forthe damage healed instead of d8s.Cost:one 6th-level spell slot.

Scarification (Su):By carving runes into a personsbody as you cast a spell you can increase the po-tency of the effect. Tis only works on buffi ngspells such as bulls strength and cats grace and doesnot work on the mass versions of such spells. Us-

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ing this ability increases the casting time to a fullround action and causes the target of the spell 2d6damage. However, it also increases the attribute en-hancement granted by the spell by +2.Cost: one 6th-level spell slot.

Weapon Specialization (dagger):You acquire theWeapon Specialization feat, but only with a daggervariant. You do not need to satisfy the prerequisitesfor the feat.Feats: When you acquire this ability you maychoose one feat from the following, only appliedto dagger variants: Improved Critical, Spell Teme(dagger), or Weapon Finesse.ao of the Dagger: You may use your Wisdommodifier instead of your Strength or Dexteritymodifier for attack checks with a dagger variant.

DAGGER SORMDescription:Te dagger storm starts as an arcanepractitioner and then focuses more and more ofher energy into attuning herself with daggers. Teblade and the metal of the blade become a symbolof her control of arcane energy. Knives are small,compact, easily controlled and manipulated. Steelcrystallizes in a way that brings its structure in tunewith the forces that made it. By tapping into thisenergy the dagger storm furthers her own under-standing of not only the weapon, but the arcane.Tis eventually develops into a potent combinationof magic and personal fighting prowessuncom-mon in someone so skilled in the arcane arts.Hit Die:d4.

Requirements:o qualify to become a dagger storm, a charactermust fulfill all of the following criteria.Craft (weaponsmithing): 4 ranksFeats:Weapon focus (dagger) or Spell Teme (dag-ger)

Spells:Able to cast 3rd-level arcane spells.

CLASS SKILLSTe dagger storms class skills (and the key abilityfor each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Con-centration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int),Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowl-edge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Move Si-lently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sleight

of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic De-vice (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level:2 + Int modifier.

CLASS FEAURESAll of the following are class features of the daggerstorm.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Te dagger stormis proficient in the use of all simple weapons.+1 Spellcasting Level: Whenever this class featureis gained the character may add 1 caster level to thecaster level of a spellcasting class she already pos-sesses. Tis increases the number of spells availableper day, the number of spells known (if applicable),and caster level of those spells as if the character hadgained a level in the original class. Te character

does not gain any other features of the class, suchas extra feats, turning ability, or even the two freespells a wizard learns at each level.

Dagger storms may only add spellcasting levels toarcane spellcasting classes.

Special Ability: Dagger storms develop specialabilities by channeling their spellcasting ability intosupernatural powers. A dagger storm does this bymeeting the prerequisites of the special ability and

paying the cost associated with the special ability;prerequisites are usually spells the character mustknow (or have scribed in her spell book). Te cost isa sacrifice of one or more spell slots of a given level;the character may choose to sacrifice a higher levelspell slot instead. Tis reduces the number of spellsper day the character may cast.

Force Daggers (Su):You can create daggers madeof force (like magic missiles or mage armor) as afree action. You can create up to one per hand (orother grasping limb). Tese count as force objects

for purposes of affecting incorporeal creatures. Tedaggers last for a few seconds after you release themso you may also throw the daggers normally. Tedaggers do not have any other bonuses.Prerequisites:know magic missile; Cost: one 3rd-level spell slot.

Up the Sleeve (Su):You can store daggers in an ex-

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tra-dimensional space and easily call them backto your hand. Tis allows you to store up to8 + your Intelligence modifier Light weaponsor iny objects in an extra-dimensional space.It takes a move action to place an object in the

space or draw an object from the space; if youhave the Quick Draw you may draw a weaponas a free action.Prerequisites: know secret chest; Cost: one5th-level spell slot.

Flaming Daggers (Su): Daggers orany of the dagger variants included in thisbook gain the flaming special ability (as de-scribed in the DMG) when you wield them.Tis lasts long enough for you to throw theweapon. Tis stacks on top of weapons thatalready have an enhancement bonus or otherspecial abilities. You may turn this on or off asa free action.Prerequisites: know fireball; Cost: one 5th-level spell slot.

Attune to Dagger (Ex):You are naturally attuned

to daggers and they become an extension ofyour own body. Tis allows you to use ouchspells through a dagger variant you wield. You

may attack with the dagger to cause damagewhile making the touch attack but if you doso you attack against the targets normal armorclass.Prerequisites: know spectral hand; Cost: one

3rd-level spell slot.

Improved Attune to Dagger (Ex):Tisallows you to charge a dagger variant

with a touch spell and then throw thedagger at a target to release the touch effect.If the ranged touch attack fails the spell dis-sipates from the dagger. You must preparethe spell as if it were one level higher than

normal, like using metamagic; sorcerers can,instead, spend a full-round action preparingthe spell.

Prerequisites: Attune to Dagger; Cost: one6th-level spell slot.

Dagger ricks (Su):You can teleport dagger vari-

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Table 2:3/DAGGER STORM


1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Special ability, +1 spellcasting level


3 +1 +1 +1 +3 Skill bonus, +1 spellcasting level



6 +3 +2 +2 +5 Skill bonus, +1 spellcasting level 7 +3 +2 +2 +5 Special ability, +1 spellcasting level

8 +4 +2 +2 +6 Skill bonus, +1 spellcasting level




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ants about your body or make them hover andmove near you, as if controlled telekinetically. Allmotion must occur within your own square. Tisacts somewhat like prestidigitation. It takes a moveaction to maneuver one dagger using this ability.

You can only teleport a dagger if it is obscured fromview; i.e. if no-one other than you can see it. ele-kinetically moved daggers lack the strength to causeany damage.Prerequisites: know prestidigitation; Cost: one2nd-level spell slot.

One with the Blade (Ex): Once per day, asa fr

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