Be they elite mercenaries working for the highest bidder, enforcers decked out in the latest and greatest gear by their “employers”, or just some rando chummer looking to pay the bills, these skilled warriors do their best work on the streets.
Urban samurai is an archetype of the samurai class. NOTE: Although it is not a pop-culture archetype per se, it does borrow some cyberpunk themes and thus may not necessarily be appropriate for all games.
Weapon and Armour Proficiencies
Urban samurai gain proficiency with all handguns and with sawn-off shotguns, however they are proficient only with light armor, armoured coats and ice coats. Urban samurai treat armoured coats and ice coats as light armour for all purposes (such as determining his speed or if he can use his wired reflexes).
This ability modifies the samurai’s normal weapon proficiencies and replaces their armour proficiencies.
Mental Focus
Choosing the path of the urban samurai is not a wise choice, thus you need to be smart enough to plan around things going sideways, or charming enough to get out of the situation when it inevitably does. Urban samurai may choose either Intelligence or Charisma as their Focus modifier rather than Wisdom or Charisma.
This ability modifies mental focus.
Defender or Striker
Urban samurai must be strikers.
Wired Reflexes (Ex)
At 1st level, for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Constitution modifier, an urban samurai can enter a state of heightened speed and reaction time, through a process known as “wired reflexes”. Some think this is due to intense and single-minded training, while other people think they just had their nervous system ripped out and replaced with metal cabling. At each level after 1st, he can remain in this state for an additional 2 rounds. Temporary increases to Constitution, such as those gained by spells like guardian's endurance, do not increase the total number of rounds that an urban samurai’s wired reflexes can be active per day. An urban samurai can activate his wired reflexes as a free action or as part of rolling initiative, provided he is not surprised. The total number of rounds of this ability per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive. An urban samurai may take the Extra Advance feat to gain additional rounds of wired reflexes.
While his wired reflexes are active, an urban samurai gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC, a +2 bonus on Attack rolls, Reflex saves and Initiative checks, gains a +10ft enhancement bonus to all movement speeds (to a maximum of twice his normal speed for that movement type) and can make an additional attack at their highest base attack bonus as part of making a full attack. Additionally, upon activating his wired reflexes and at the start of each round they remain active, the urban samurai gains one bushido point.
Heavier armours interfere with the precise movements that wired reflexes enable, thus while wired reflexes can be activated while wearing medium or heavy armour, it provides no benefits.
The bonuses granted by wired reflexes do not stack with those granted by haste (the movement speed granted by haste supersedes wired reflex’s due to being better) or similar effects that do not stack with haste, such as fighting with a speed weapon. An urban samurai that is slowed while wired reflexes are active functions at his normal speed.
An urban samurai can deactivate his wired reflexes as a free action and is fatigued afterwards for a number of rounds equal to 2 times the number of rounds spent with wired reflexes active. An urban samurai cannot reactivate his wired reflexes while fatigued or exhausted but can otherwise activate them multiple times during a single encounter or combat.
This ability replaces iai strike and iaido.
Street Skills
Out on the street, only two things matter: How strong your steel is and how silver your tongue is. The urban samurai loses access to most bushido arts with the exception of: Blade Bash, Further Training, Nethermoon, No Fear, Spare Change, Tachidori, Three Weapon Style and Improved Tachidori.
However, he may take a warrior or social talent in place of a bushido art (remember that a samurai does not have a weapon training bonus until 4th level). For the purpose of thief social talents, an urban samurai does not have a thief identity and is always considered to be in his social identity. The urban samurai cannot take any talent that references his dual identity feature in its prerequisites nor can he take any talent that requires dual identity to activate or use (Talents that merely reference the dual identity ability but do not necessarily require it, such as combat artist or martial arts training, can be taken by an urban samurai).
This ability modifies bushido arts.
Way Of Life (Ex)
All urban samurai must choose Way of the Warrior as their way of life.
This ability modifies way of life.
Dash and Slash (Ex)
At 5th level, an urban samurai’s swiftness allows him to attack on the move. When an urban samurai uses the charge action, he may move and attack as if with a standard charge and then move again (continuing the straight line of the charge). His total movement for the round can’t exceed double his speed. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the target he attacks.
This ability replaces iaido: glint.
Zandatsu (Cut and Take) (Ex)
At 9th level, the urban samurai learns the secrets of the zandatsu technique. A zandatsu is effectively a special sunder attempt made as a single attack action or at the end of a charge (You can use vital strike on a zandatsu attempt) that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, except that the urban samurai rolls for damage as he makes the combat maneuver check, adding the result to his CMB.
If a successful zandatsu would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, the urban samurai may, instead of destroying it, leave the object with 1 hit point and cause it to be dropped in its owner’s square. If the samurai has a free hand, he may instead grab the object (Assuming it’s small enough to be grabbed in one hand. At GM discretion, some objects may be too large, such as a suit of medium or heavy armour).
This ability replaces Iaido: Iainuki
Combat Dodge (Ex)
At 10th level, the urban samurai’s wired reflexes are tuned to react to danger at any moment. While his wired reflexes are active, the urban samurai has a 20% miss chance, which does not stack with the effects of concealment.
This ability replaces merciful eyes.
Improved Wired Reflexes (Ex)
At 13th level, when an urban samurai activates his wired reflexes, the bonus to AC, attack rolls, reflex saves and initiative checks increases to +4, his enhancement bonus to his movement speeds increases to +20ft and he can make a second extra attack at his highest base attack bonus -5. Additionally, the urban samurai can activate his wired reflexes even if he is surprised. If he does so, he may act in the surprise round.
This ability replaces unstoppable iaijutsu.
Running The Razor’s Edge (Ex)
At 15th level, while using dash and slash, the urban samurai can make a full attack as part of the charge, making only a single attack against each opponent he passes by, though large or larger opponents that occupy multiple squares can be struck once per square the urban samurai passes by (Generally speaking, he can attack large creatures twice, huge creatures three times, gargantuan creatures four times and colossal creatures six times).
This ability replaces darkmoon.
Tireless Reflexes (Ex)
At 18th level, the urban samurai no longer becomes fatigued after using his wired reflexes.
This ability replaces inspirational presence.
Greater Wired Reflexes (Ex)
At 20th level, when an urban samurai activates his wired reflexes, the bonus to AC, attack rolls, reflex saves and initiative checks increases to +6, his enhancement bonus to his movement speeds increases to +30ft and he can make a third extra attack at his highest base attack bonus -10. Additionally, whenever the urban samurai rolls for initiative while wired reflexes are active, his result is always treated as a natural 20 before adding modifiers.
