Nogaku

The tengu warrior caste has a multitude of traditions, but one of the most well-known is the Noh, a theatrical performance used to tell tales both real and legendary, tales of great deeds, great heroes, and great evils. These performances are often open to public viewing, and many tengu relish the opportunity to watch a performance.

Yet some warriors take this tradition a step further. They truly embrace the dance and performance, weaving it into their battle forms and wearing the same mask they use in their performances. As they progress, they become further steeped in their theatrical role, fully embodying the methods of the hero or villain they portray.

Class Skills

Nogaku gain Diplomacy (Cha) and Perform (Cha) as class skills. They lose Appraise (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), and Ride (Dex).

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

Nogaku are not proficient in heavy or medium armor. They lose the benefits of this archetype when wearing medium or heavy armor, or carrying more than a light load.

Battle Mask (Su)

A nogaku always wears his mask into battle, his connection to it providing a mystical bond that grants him power. When worn, it occupies his magic item face slot.

At 1st level, the nogaku must select whether he wears a hero's mask or a villain's mask. Once made, this choice cannot be changed. This selection drives several of the nogaku's abilities. Note that the nogaku's alignment has no impact on which mask he selects. Once per day, a nogaku can draw on the power of his mask to initiate any maneuver he knows, even if he does not have it prepared. This initiation does not count against his prepared maneuver pool. 

At 3rd level, a nogaku can add additional magic abilities to his mask as if he had the Craft Wondrous Item feat. He may add any wondrous item ability to the mask, even if that ability is not normally associated with a face slot item - he does not pay any additional fee for the ability being in an unusual slot.

At 6th level, the mask provides a +1 sacred (hero) or profane (villain) bonus to AC and Reflex saves. This bonus increases by 1 for every 3 levels beyond 6th.

Nogaku Battle Artes

Nogaku learn to manipulate unique disciplines that draw on their connection to their role and mask. Nogaku only choose one discipline from the usual list, but gain the Thrashing Dragon discipline. Additionally, heroic nogaku gain the Silver Crane discipline, while villains gain the Cursed Razor discipline.

A nogaku who is not wearing his battle mask may not activate any maneuvers or stances from either of the special disciplines granted to him by this ability.

Nogaku are charismatic performers, and use Charisma rather than Intelligence as their initiatior modifier.

This ability alters Battle Artes.

Battle Dance (Su)

A nogaku is trained in the use of the Perform skill, especially dance, to create supernatural effects on himself. This works like bardic performance, except the nogaku only affects himself, and does not need to be able to see or hear his own performance. Battle dancing is treated as bardic performance for the purposes of feats, abilities, effects, and the like that affect bardic performance, except that battle dancing does not benefit from the Lingering Performance feat or any other ability that allows a bardic performance to grant bonuses after it has ended. Battle dancing benefits apply only when the nogaku is wearing his battle mask. Like bardic performance, it cannot be maintained at the same time as other performance abilities.

Starting a battle dance is a move action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a battle dance from one effect to another requires the dancer to stop the previous performance and start the new one as a move action. A nogaku's performance ends immediately if he is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action each round. A nogaku cannot perform more than one battle dance at a time. At 10th level, a nogaku can start a battle dance as a swift action instead of a move action.

A nogaku starts with a number of rounds of battle dance each day equal to 4+Cha mod. At each level beyond first, he gains one additional round of battle dance.

Nogaku gain the inspire courage, inspire greatness, and inspire heroics bardic performance types as battle dances, but these only provide benefit to the battle sage himself. He gains these at the normal levels indicated for a bard.

This ability replaces bonus feats.

Kamikaze (Su)

While in his battle dance, a nogaku moves like a wind from heaven, preternaturally quick and strong. At 6th level, the nogaku gains a +10 enhancement bonus to his movement speed while battle dancing. This increases by +5 at 12th and 18th levels. Additionally, when the nogaku takes a full attack action while under the effects of his battle dance, he may make one additional attack at his highest BAB. This extra attack does not stack with haste or similar effects.

At 12th level, the nogaku can attack more than once as he moves while performing a battle dance. He can combine a full-attack action with a single move, taking the attacks at any point during his movement, but must move at least 5 feet between each attack. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.

At 18th level, the nogaku can attack a multitude of foes while performing a battle dance. As a full-round action, he may make a melee attack against every enemy within his base movement range. He ends his turn in the same square he started in. This ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

This ability replaces Discipline Focus

Leaf on the Wind (Su)

At 15th level, a nogaku can use his battle dance to evade attacks with unearthly grace and to shake off the effects of his wounds. Unlike other battle dances, leaf on the wind requires a standard action each round to start or maintain the performance. Each round it is maintained, including the first, the nogaku gains a +6 dodge bonus to Armor Class and Reflex saves. If he takes damage during the round, he heals 1 hit point of damage per battle sage level at the start of his next turn. Additionally, he regains one expended maneuver per round he spends in this dance.

This ability replaces Trust Your Gear.

Eternal Performance (Su)

At 20th level, the nogaku permanently embraces his role. His mask fuses with him, and can no longer be removed or destroyed, save by annihilating the nogaku's soul in some fashion.

If the nogaku's role is that of a hero, he embraces the hero's nature. His alignment shifts permanently to Good, and he becomes incapable of performing or ignoring Evil acts. Additionally, he gains the Half-Celestial template (save that he only gains a +4 to one ability score) and ceases to age naturally.

If the nogaku's role is that of a villain, he embraces the villain's nature. His alignment shifts permanently to Evil, and he becomes incapable of performing or ignoring Good acts. Additionally, he gains the Half-Fiend template (save that he only gains a +4 to one ability score) and ceases to age naturally.