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Wielding their signature katana and wakizashi simultaneously, samurai are as potent in melee as a fighter, although they are less versatile.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Samurai are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor. Samurai are not proficient with shields. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried.

Ancestral Daisho: All samurai begin play with a katana and a wakizashi—two masterwork weapons. These are weapons that belonged to the samurai's ancestors, and protecting the weapons is an important point of honor for the samurai. As a samurai acquires treasure through adventuring, he has the option of awakening the supernatural abilities latent in the weapons. This option allows a samurai who prefers to use his ancestral blade to wield a magic weapon, while a samurai who wields a tetsubo against Shadowlands fiends can use his treasure to acquire new jade or magic weapons.

At any time, a samurai may retreat to a temple or shrine and spend time in prayer in order to awaken the ancestral spirits in his katana or wakizashi. (Most samurai improve their katanas and not their wakizashis.) This requires a sacrifice of valuable items worth the amount shown on the table below. This sacrifice does not have to be gold—the character can sacrifice magic items or other goods worth the required amount, rather than selling his goods (at half value) to pay for the sacrifice. The samurai must meet the minimum character level (including any prestige class levels) shown on the table, and he must spend one day per 1,000 gp sacrificed in the shrine or temple. During this time, he must spend at least 8 hours each day kneeling before his ancestors and his weapons, not stopping to eat or rest. Many samurai request the assistance of a shugenja in this process, but a shugenja is not required.

The values shown on the table below are the total value of sacrifice required to bring a single weapon to the listed weapon bonus. If a samurai already has a +3 katana, he can raise it to a +4 katana by sacrificing 14,000 gp and spending two weeks in prayer. If the same samurai wanted to bring his masterwork wakizashi to a +1 wakizashi, he would have to sacrifice 2,000 gp.

Before a samurai's ancestral sword becomes a +1 weapon, it is an ordinary masterwork weapon in every way. Its latent supernatural powers do not cause it to be considered a magic weapon until those powers are awakened.

Ancestral Daisho

A samurai who loses his ancestral swords is dishonored until he can recover them. He cannot enhance any other weapon in this way.

Note: In some campaigns, a samurai might begin play with a different ancestral weapon, such as a tulwar (scimitar) or a jian (longsword).

Bonus Feats: At 2nd level, the samurai gets a bonus feat. The samurai gains an additional bonus feat at 4th level and every three levels thereafter (7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th). These bonus feats must be drawn from the list that appears below for the character's clan.

Crab—Emphasize heavy armor, great strength, and unusual weapons. Feats: Armor Proficiency (heavy), Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Endurance, Power Attack (Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Sunder, Great Cleave), Run, Weapon Focus (battleaxe, greatclub, katana, or warhammer).

Crane—Emphasize speed and agility. Feats: Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Skill Focus (Iaijutsu Focus), Toughness, Weapon Focus (katana).

Dragon—Teach two-weapon fighting and unarmed combat. Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (katana), Improved Grapple (Choke Hold), Improved Unarmed Strike (Defensive Throw, Deflect Arrows, Grappling Block, Great Throw, Stunning Fist), Power Attack (Cleave), Weapon Focus (katana).

Lion—Emphasize strategy, intelligence, and strength of will. Feats: Endurance, Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Ki Shout (Great Ki Shout), Remain Conscious, Toughness, Weapon Focus (katana).

Phoenix—Emphasize mental and spiritual training. Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus (katana).

Scorpion—Emphasize mobility and dirty fighting. Feats: Blind-Fight, Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Improved Initiative, Prone Attack, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus (katana).

Unicorn—Emphasize mounted combat and archery. Feats: Alertness, Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Trample, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge), Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run), Weapon Focus (spear, lance, bow, or katana).

Characters without a clan should choose one clan that best represents the fighting style they wish to learn. They must thereafter choose their bonus feats from the list for that clan.

Some of the bonus feats available to a samurai cannot be acquired until the samurai has gained one or more prerequisite feats; these feats are listed parenthetically after the prerequisite feat. A samurai must still meet all prerequisites for a feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

Code of Conduct: A samurai must be of lawful alignment, and dishonors himself, his family, and his swords if he ever willingly commits a chaotic act. Additionally, the samurai code of bushido requires that he be obedient to his lord, accept death at any time and face it bravely, avenge any dishonor, and shun any appearance of cowardice. The core principles of bushido are honor, loyalty, and courage. Violating these precepts results in dishonor, which may result in a samurai being stripped of his family name or being asked to commit seppuku (ritual suicide).

Ex-Samurai

A samurai who becomes nonlawful or violates the tenets of bushido cannot gain new levels as a samurai. He retains all his bonus feats, but his ancestral weapons lose any "awakened" magical abilities. If the samurai returns to lawful alignment, he must atone for his violations (see the atonement spell description in the Player's Handbook) and redeem his honor in order to restore his weapons to their prior status and continue advancing as a samurai.

Advancement