Expert Swordsman Errata

It's Tough, So You're Tough
Why we are changing it

The intention of this ability was to allow an Expert Swordsman to appear tougher than they actually are. To use a real life example, if there is a bar fight and someone gets hit in the back of the head with a pool stick and doesn't flinch people won't want to fight that guy. The problem with the ability as written is that there is the potential that this ability could be triggered several times each round. This can dramatically slow down the flow of combat and exhaust the attention of the players.

What we are changing

For right now we are changing the second sentence to read as follows: Starting at 3rd level, if an Expert Swordsman is struck by a single melee attack that deals more than 25% of his total health (rounded up), they can attempt to make a Bluff Check against a DC equal to the attack roll. If this check is successful, they still take damage normally, but do not appear to be affected, even when subject to a heal check.

What we anticipate will happen

By 3rd level, health from class levels and constitution modifiers for fighter-type classes begins to exceed the damage that can be dealt by traditional weapons with a single hit. So now, regular nameless minions cannot trigger the ability when dealing 2 damage and it will feel more satisfying when stronger enemies trigger it.