Swords of Lut

The duelists of the Lut Desert are practitioners of a sword art that combines speed, patience, and ruthlessly efficient footwork. Honed through duels, feints, and tournaments in grand amphitheaters, these fighters are often dismissed as sport combatants, but they are nothing of the sort. In war, they become whisper-quick attackers, drawing blood from unguarded veins with every measured strike.

This style is defined by its mastery of curved blades, counterattacks, and devastating critical hits that target joints, nerves, and arteries with surgical grace.

(3rd level)

Curveblade Style

You train in a fluid duelist art designed for quick reads and fatal ripostes.

• You gain proficiency in Insight and Deception, or one of your choice if already proficient.
• You are a master of curved swords: scimitars, shamshirs, yataghans, and tulwars.
• You treat them as Finesse weapons even if they normally aren’t.
• When wielding a curved sword and no shield, you gain +1 AC from superior footwork.
• When you Ready an attack (using the Ready action), you may:
• Add your Proficiency Bonus to the damage of that attack if it hits.
• If the triggering creature misses you with an attack, your held attack gains advantage.

(6th Level)

Vein Reader

You’ve trained to seek and strike a foe’s weakest moment.

• When you score a critical hit with a curved sword:
• You roll one additional damage die, and the attack ignores resistances.
• The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + Prof + Dex mod) or suffer one of the following effects (your choice):
• Weakened Grip: Drops one held weapon or item of your choice.
• Hamstring Slash: Movement speed halved until the end of its next turn.
• Heartshock: Disadvantage on the next attack roll or save before your next turn.
• You may use this effect Proficiency Bonus times per long rest.

(10th Level)

Perfect Form

Your stances are flawless, and you punish even small mistakes.

• If you Ready an attack and it hits, you may immediately apply one of the following:
• Displace: Move 5 feet in any direction without provoking opportunity attacks.
• Draw Cut: Force the target to make a Constitution save (DC = 8 + Prof + Dex). On failure, the next time you or an ally hits the target before your next turn, add +1d8 slashing damage.
• Also, when you critically hit a creature marked by the Ready attack trigger, you may immediately make a second weapon attack against a different creature within 5 feet.

(14th Level)

One Thousand Cuts

You move like wind through armor and skin alike.

• Once per long rest, when you roll initiative or as a bonus action, you may enter One Thousand Cuts for 1 minute:
• You score a critical hit on a 19–20 with curved swords.
• Your Ready attacks no longer cost your reaction (you may still only make one per round).
• If you miss a creature with a melee attack, your next attack against it before the end of your next turn has advantage.

Summary Table