Adventuring Gear

Rare

This delicate black wooden scroll case is polished to a subtle sheen, its surface carved with faint swirling motifs reminiscent of windswept clouds. Within, nestled against a sky-blue velvet lining, rests a single scroll, tightly wrapped and bound with silver thread. The paper itself is of the finest make—thin, strong, and near weightless to the touch, carrying an almost imperceptible scent of rain.
Inscribed upon its immaculate surface is the knowledge of the Shizura Sword Style, a martial tradition bearing the name of the family from which it originated. Legends claim that the Shizura bloodline descends from a great storm dragon, and that this style was born from observing the tempest’s fury: the silent patience of gathering clouds, the blinding flash of lightning, and the thunderous crack that follows.
The Shizura Sword Style teaches its practitioners to blend these aspects into combat. Each movement is executed with serene, measured grace before exploding into strikes of unparalleled swiftness and force—an art of quick draws and decisive cuts, where the blade falls like a bolt from the heavens, leaving only silence in its wake.

Prerequisites: Proficiency with Martial Weapons, Can only be Used with Swords with the Versatile Property.

Initial Understanding - (Gathering Clouds)
As a bonus action, you can sheathe your weapon and enter the Gathering Clouds stance. Entering this stance provokes opportunity attacks from creatures within range. While in this stance, you gain access to the following abilities:
- Thunder Cross. As an action while in this stance, you can draw and strike with blinding speed. You move up to half your movement without provoking opportunity attacks. At the end of this movement, you make two weapon attacks against a single target. Each attack deals an additional 2d6 damage. If your weapon deals more than one damage type, you choose which type the bonus damage is. These attacks cannot be reacted to unless the creature is under the effect of foresight, a similar divination ability, or has a Perception bonus higher than your level.
- Rain Sense. When you end your turn while in this stance, you make a Deception check. At the start of each hostile creature’s turn, they oppose this with an Insight check. If a creature fails its check and attacks you this turn, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against them before their attack resolves. On a hit, the attack deals an additional 2d8 damage, and the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to half the damage taken) or lose their action for the turn. If the creature succeeds on its Insight check, you may still make the reaction attack, but it does not deal bonus damage and the creature automatically succeeds on its saving throw.
Using either of these abilities, or making any other attack while in this stance, ends the stance immediately.

How it Works
To learn a technique from a Esoteric Text, a character must spend a total of 40 hours studying and practicing the contents described within. This time does not need to be consecutive but must be completed within a 1-month period. The Text must remain in the character’s possession for the entire duration of this training. Upon completion, the character becomes an Initiate in the given technique and gains its initial Understanding.
A character may only have one technique memorized at any given time, unless they have acquired another technique through a different feature than this method.
At specific levels, as defined individually by each technique, a character becomes proficient enough to advance their training in the technique. Doing so requires 20 additional hours of training, following the same rules as the initial training. The Esoteric Text is not required to use a technique, but it is required to progress it or to retrain a different one.
A character may retrain and replace their current technique by following the same rules as initial training. Upon completion, the previous technique is lost, and the character gains only the new technique's initial abilities. Any features granted by the replaced technique are no longer available.

Weight: 1