The Landsknecht are elite mercenaries, travelling warriors for hire who serve as auxiliary forces for armies the world over. Whether in companies of their own or as elite individual soldiers, the title of landsknecht carries with it the weight of battlefield experience and martial supremacy. Landsknecht are proficient with many different weapons and military tactics, but many prefer to use a sword and shield or to simply wield a sword in a one handed style. The most elite landsknecht serve as bodyguards to kings, generals and standard bearers, where their skill at fending off large numbers of enemies makes them especially suited for such tasks. Such soldiers often command double or even triple the pay of a normal soldier, and their skill at arms more than makes them worth the cost.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Landsknecht, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

Class Skills

The landsknecht’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Perform(dance) (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), and Survival (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are class features of the Landsknecht.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Landsknechts gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers and Stances

Maneuvers: At every even level, a landsknecht gains a new maneuver known. His available disciplines for these maneuvers are Mithral Current, Scarlet Throne, and two of his previously available disciplines, chosen when he takes his first landsknecht level. He must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to learn it, as normal. He adds his full landsknecht level to his initiator level to determine his total initiator level and his highest-level maneuvers known.

At 3rd level and again at 6th level and 9th level, a landsknecht gains an additional maneuver readied.

Stances: At 4th level and again at 6th level and 10th level, a landsknecht learns a new stance from any of the disciplines available to him as a landsknecht. He must meet the stance’s prerequisites to learn it, as normal.

Threatening Demeanor (Ex)

A landsknecht’s fierce reputation and extensive training follows them wherever they go. Even unarmed, they engender fear and awe from those around them. Starting at 1st level, a landsknecht is considered to be threatening all squares within reach of your weapon, even if it is sheathed.

Strength of Arms (Ex)

At 1st level, a landsknecht learns to deliver maximum power with his one-handed weapon. As long as the landsknecht only attacks with a single weapon wielded in one hand during a round, he adds 1-1/2 times his Strength modifier to damage, as if he was wielding the weapon in two hands.

Never Outnumbered (Ex)

The landsknecht’s elite training makes them ideally suited for fighting against the odds. Starting at 2nd level, a landsknecht gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls whenever he threatens two or more opponents. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and again at 8th level.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

At 2nd level, a landsknecht gains the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does he lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to armor class if immobilized. A landsknecht with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to armor class if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him.

If a landsknecht already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Surprising Strike (Su)

At 3rd level, a landsknecht’s combat prowess is such that he can initiate strikes even with only the barest amount of preparation. Once per day, the landsknecht can use a strike with an initiation action of 1 standard action in place of an attack of opportunity. He can use this ability twice per day at 6th level, and three times per day at 9th level.

Superior Reach (Ex)

At 4th level, As long as the landsknecht only attacks with a single weapon wielded in one hand during his turn, he increases his melee reach with that weapon by 5 feet.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

At 5th level and higher, a landsknecht can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the landsknecht by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the landsknecht’s class level.

If a landsknecht already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the landsknecht.

Mobile Attacker (Ex)

Starting at 5th level, the landsknecht has mastered the ability to attack on the run, taking advantage of any opening his maneuverability creates. Once per round, the landsknecht can make a melee attack as a free action against an opponent he threatens at any point in his movement when he takes a move action or initiates a maneuver that allows him to move as part of its initiation action. He can use this ability a number of times per encounter equal to his highest initiation modifier.

Silver Crown Strike (Su)

At 7th level, the landsknecht learns one of the most powerful secret techniques known to man. He adds the following maneuver to his maneuvers known, even if he cannot normally learn a maneuver of its level, and can ready and initiate it as normal.

SILVER CROWN STRIKE Discipline: Scarlet Throne and Mithral Current (Strike) Level: 7 Prerequisites: Landsknecht level 7th Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration: Instantaneous

With a single swing of your blade, you strike your foe with the force of a thousand blows. Although you only swing your sword once, you make a number of attacks with a single weapon against the target as if you had made a full attack against them. These attacks deal weapon damage as normal, except that the damage from all hits is totalled before applying damage reduction, resistances, or immunities. If any of the attacks is a successful critical hit, the total damage from the entire strike is multiplied. You can only confirm one critical hit in this way. If you drew your weapon as part of this strike, you gain a circumstance bonus on critical confirmation rolls for these attacks equal to your initiation modifier.

Bait the Dragon (Ex)

At 8th level, a landsknecht’s confidence and skill is such that he doesn’t just seize openings from his opponents—he creates them. As a swift action, the landsknecht can choose to take a –4 penalty to AC for one round. If he does so, any melee attack made against him for one round provokes an attack of opportunity from the landsknecht. These attacks of opportunity are resolved after the attack that provoked them.

Stance of Assured Victory (Ex)

At 10th level, a landsknecht learns the ultimate stance of military combat. As a swift action, he can abandon his current stance to assume the stance of assured victory stance. This ability is considered to be an 8th-level stance of the Mithral Current and Scarlet Throne disciplines. While the landsknecht maintains this stance, he and his allies within 30 feet gain a circumstance bonus on attack rolls equal to his highest initiation modifier. In addition, whenever an opponent within 30 feet of the landsknecht attacks an ally, they provoke an attack of opportunity from any ally other than the target who is also within 30 feet of the landsknecht. This attack of opportunity can be made even if the opponent is not within that ally’s melee reach. An attack can only provoke one such attack of opportunity in this way.