The Knife Fighter is the master of the dagger, equally adept at wielding the often underestimated weapon in close combat, and as a lethal thrown weapon. Mobile, calculating, and brutal or elegant, Knife Fighters usually pursue careers as pit fighters, facing other such combatants in ruthless, often illegal bouts, or as skilled enforcers and assassins for certain criminal elements.

Because of the class' typically shadowy background, it is extremely difficult, although not impossible, to obtain Knife Fighter tuition outside of the domain of the criminal underworld. As a result, few individuals, other than Rogues and Fighters, enter this prestige class. Of the various races, Humans are as suited to the class as they are any other, Halflings find themselves to be adept knife-flingers, and Half-Orcs, and other savage humanoids, find the class, and its usual background, suitably violent. Dwarves, Elves, and Gnomes usually view knife fighting as disdainful and distasteful.

     Hit Die: d8

Requirements
To qualify to become a Knife Fighter, a character must meat the following requirements.
     Base Attack Bonus: +5
     Bluff: 4 ranks
     Intimidate: 4 ranks
     Feat(s): Ambidexterity, Dodge, Weapon Focus (dagger)

Class Skills
The Knife Fighter's class skills are:
Bluff, Craft, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (streetwise), Jump, Listen, Spot, Tumble

     Skill Poins at Each Level: 4 + Int Modifier.

Class Features
Below are the class features of the Knife Fighter prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Knife Fighters are proficient with daggers. Knife Fighters are proficient with light armor, but no shields.

Dual Daggers: When wearing light or no armor, and armed with a pair of daggers, the Knife Fighter can fight as if he had the Two-Weapon Fighting feat.

Point Blank Shot: The Knife Fighter gets the Point Blank Shot feat for free.

Versatile Blade: The Knife Fighter learns to make more effective use of the dagger, and may choose to make Slashing or Piercing attacks with it.

Vicious Strike: At 2nd level the Knife Fighter gains the extraordinary ability to inflict grievous wounds with a dagger in melee, gaining a bonus of +1d4 points of damage added to his normal roll. When making a vicious strike, the Knife Fighter cannot attack with a weapon is his other hand, although he can defend with it (and can use the Intercepting Blade special ability). Like critical hits and sneak attacks, Vicious Strike is ineffective against constructs, oozes, undead, and fortified armor. Every four Knife Fighter levels gained thereafter, he increases the damage by +1d4. If the Knife Fighter also has the Rogue's Sneak Attack ability, and utilizes it successfully, the Vicious Strike damage stacks with the Sneak Attack damage.

Intercepting Blade: The Knife Fighter becomes extremely proficient at using an off-hand dagger as a parrying implement. When armed with a pair of daggers (one in each hand), and wearing light or no armor, the Knife Fighter gets a deflection bonus of +1 to his Armor Class at 3rd level. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, and +3 at 9th level. The Knife Fighter suffers the usual penalties for attacking with two weapons if he uses this ability. If the Knife Fighter uses the off-hand dagger to attack, he loses the Armor Class bonus for the rest of the round.

Snatch Blade: The Knife Fighter may snatch small thrown weapons, such as daggers, dart, and rocks, out of the air. He must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to use this ability. When he would normally be hit with such a thrown weapon, he may make a Reflex saving throw against a DC of 20 (if the thrown weapon has a magical bonus to attack, the DC increases by that amount). If he succeeds, he catches the weapon. He must be aware of the attack, and not flat-footed. Attempting to snatch a thrown weapon counts as one of the AoO for the Knife Fighter.

Dual Throw: A Knife Fighter can throw two daggers simultaneously, providing he has one in each hand. This gives the Knife Fighter one extra attack per round. The attack is at your highest base attack bonus, but each attack (the extra one and the normal ones) suffers a -2 penalty. You must use the full attack action to use this ability. This ability acts like a virtual rapid shot feat.

Back to Sender: If a Knife Fighter with this extraordinary ability makes a successful Snatch Blade attempt, he may immediately launch the caught projectile back at the attacker who threw it, making a standard attack roll using that weapon. Using this special ability counts as one of the AoO for the Knife Fighter, but does not give him any special bonuses beyond the normal. It is not possible to use Back to Sender on a weapon that has been "returned" using this ability, although a weapon thrown using this ability may be caught using Snatch Blade.

Improved Two-Weapon Fighting: When wearing light or no armor, and armed with a pair of daggers, the Knife Fighter can fight as if he had the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat.