Mystic Blade (Pathfinder Class)

Mystic Blade

The Mystic Blades are an order of mages and sword-masters that have unified under the idea that the path to balance in a warrior's soul is that of a balance between the arcane and the martial. They only recruit young mages who they believe to be athletically gifted and young warriors who they believe to have magical abilities. The blades are trained in the arts of war and the studies of magic from when they join the order to their adulthood. Young blades are only seen in public when they are accompanied by one of their teachers. When a blade has completed their standard training they are given a scar above their heart in the shape of the Piercing Eye, the symbol of the Mystic Blade. The blades' values of balance do not stop at their dogma, it bleeds into their fighting style - they value fair fights, honesty, grace, & using everything you've got in a fight. They can be found to be merciful, sparing their opponent's life if said opponent follows a similar dogma to theirs. They must have a lawful alignment, but only to the order's dogma. The blades worship Yue, the Goddess of the Half-Moon, also known as the Goddess of Balance.

Alignment: Any Lawful.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

The magus's class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Starting Wealth

The following table lists the starting gold piece value for Mystic Blade characters. In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class	Starting Wealth	Average
Magus	4d6×10 gp	140 gp

Class Features

The following are the class features of the magus.

Table: Mystic Blade

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Bound Weapon, Spell Combat	1	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Blade Form, Imbue Blade (1d4)	2	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Piercing Eye	3	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Imbue Armor (1d4)	3	1	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Blade Form, Bonus Feat, Imbue Blade (1d6)	4	2	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Reach	4	3	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Improved Spell Combat, Medium Armor	4	3	1	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6	Blade Form, Imbue Armor (1d6)	4	4	2	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	Imbue Blade (1d8), Greater Piercing Eye	5	4	3	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7		5	4	3	1	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+7	Blade Form, Bonus Feat, Greater Reach	5	4	4	2	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Imbue Armor (1d8)	5	5	4	3	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Heavy Armor, Imbue Blade (2d6)	5	5	4	3	1	—
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+9	Blade Form, Expert Spell Combat	5	5	4	4	2	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9	Grand Piercing Eye	5	5	5	4	3	—
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Counterstrike, Imbue Armor (2d6)	5	5	5	4	3	1
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Blade Form, Bonus Feat, Imbue Blade (2d8)	5	5	5	4	4	2
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Grand Reach	5	5	5	5	4	3
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Imbue Armor (2d8), Master Spell Combat	5	5	5	5	5	4
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Imbue Blade (2d10), True Spellsword	5	5	5	5	5	5

Table: Mystic Blade Spells Known

Level	Spells Known
	0	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th
1st	4	2	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	5	3	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	6	4	—	—	—	—	—
4th	6	4	2	—	—	—	—
5th	6	4	3	—	—	—	—
6th	6	4	4	—	—	—	—
7th	6	5	4	2	—	—	—
8th	6	5	4	3	—	—	—
9th	6	5	4	4	—	—	—
10th	6	5	5	4	2	—	—
11th	6	6	5	4	3	—	—
12th	6	6	5	4	3	—	—
13th	6	6	5	5	4	2	—
14th	6	6	6	5	4	3	—
15th	6	6	6	5	4	4	—
16th	6	6	6	5	4	4	2
17th	6	6	6	6	4	4	3
18th	6	6	6	6	4	4	4
19th	6	6	6	6	5	5	4
20th	6	6	6	6	5	5	5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Mystic Blade is proficient with all simple, martial, & exotic knives, daggers, & swords. A Mystic Blade is also proficient with light armor. They can cast magus spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a Mystic Blade wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass Mystic Blade still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Spells: A Mystic Blade casts arcane spells drawn from the magus spell list. They can cast any spell they know without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a Mystic Blade must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Mystic Blade's spell is 10 + the spell level + the Mystic Blade's Wisdom modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a Mystic Blade can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Their base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Mystic Blade. In addition, they receives bonus spells per day if they have a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).

A Mystic Blade's selection of spells is extremely limited. A Mystic Blade begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of their choice. At each new Mystic Blade level, they gain one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Mystic Blade Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a Mystic Blade knows is not affected by their Wisdom score; the numbers on Table: Mystic Blade Spells Known are fixed.) These new spells can be common spells chosen from the magus spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the Mystic Blade has gained some understanding of through study.

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered Mystic Blade level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the sorcerer loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. A sorcerer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.

Unlike a wizard or a cleric a sorcerer need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level.

Spell Combat (Ex): At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). If he casts this spell defensively, he can decide to take an additional penalty on his attack rolls, up to his Intelligence bonus, and add the same amount as a circumstance bonus on his concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still take the penalty. A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks.

Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon's critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

Magus Arcana: As he gains levels, a magus learns arcane secrets tailored to his specific way of blending martial puissance and magical skill. Starting at 3rd level, a magus gains one magus arcana. He gains an additional magus arcana for every three levels of magus attained after 3rd level. Unless specifically noted in a magus arcana's description, a magus cannot select a particular magus arcana more than once. Magus arcana that affect spells can only be used to modify spells from the magus spell list unless otherwise noted.

Arcane Accuracy (Su): The magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant himself an insight bonus equal to his Intelligence bonus on all attack rolls until the end of his turn.

Broad Study (Ex): The magus selects another one of his spellcasting classes. The magus can use his spellstrike and spell combat abilities while casting or using spells from the spell list of that class. This does not allow him to cast arcane spells from that class's spell list without suffering the normal chances of arcane spell failure, unless the spell lacks somatic components. The magus must be at least 6th level and must possess levels in at least one other spellcasting class before selecting this arcana.

Close Range (Ex): The magus can deliver ray spells that feature a ranged touch attack as melee touch spells. He can use a ranged touch attack spell that targets more than one creature (such as scorching ray), but he makes only one melee touch attack to deliver one of these ranged touch effects; additional ranged touch attacks from that spell are wasted and have no effect. These spells can be used with the spellstrike class feature.

Concentrate (Ex): The magus can reroll any concentration check he has just made with a +4 bonus. He must use this ability after the roll is made, but before the roll's outcome is determined. The magus must take the second roll, even if it is worse. The magus can use this ability once per day.

Critical Strike (Su): Whenever the magus scores a critical hit with a melee weapon, he may cast a spell with a range of touch as a swift action, then make a touch attack with that spell against the target of the critical hit as a free action. The magus can use this ability once per day. The magus must be at least 12th level before selecting this arcana.

Dispelling Strike (Su): The magus can spend 1 or more points from his arcane pool as a swift action to imbue his weapon with a special power. If the weapon strikes a creature within the next minute, that creature is the subject of a targeted dispel magic using the magus's level as the caster level, except that this effect cannot dispel a spell of a level higher than the number of arcane pool points expended to activate this ability (treat higher-level spells as if they do not exist and apply the dispel attempt to the remaining spells with the highest caster level). Once the strike is made, the power dissipates, even if the dispel attempt is unsuccessful. The magus must be at least 9th level before selecting this arcana.

Empowered Magic (Su): The magus can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Empower Spell feat. This does not increase the casting time or the level of the spell. The magus must be at least 6th level before selecting this magus arcana.

Familiar (Ex): The magus gains a familiar, using his magus level as his effective wizard level. This familiar follows the rules for familiars presented in the arcane bond wizard class feature.

Hasted Assault (Su): The magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to move more quickly. This functions as haste, but only targets the magus and lasts for a number of rounds equal to the magus's Intelligence bonus. The magus must be at least 9th level before selecting this magus arcana.

Maneuver Mastery (Ex): The magus has mastered one combat maneuver. He selects one maneuver when selecting this arcana. Whenever he is attempting the selected maneuver, he uses his magus level in place of his base attack bonus (in addition to any base attack bonus gained from other classes). A magus can select this magus arcana more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time he selects this arcana, he selects another combat maneuver.

Maximized Magic (Su): The magus can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Maximize Spell feat. This does not increase the casting time or the level of the spell. The magus must be at least 12th level before selecting this magus arcana.

Pool Strike (Su): The magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a standard action to charge his free hand with energy. He can make a melee touch attack with that hand as a free action as part of activating this ability. If the touch attack hits, it releases the charge and deals 2d6 points of energy damage (acid, cold, electricity, or fire, chosen when he spends the arcane pool point to activate this ability). He can use this ability with the spellstrike class feature. If he misses with this attack, he can hold the charge for up to 1 minute before it dissipates. At 6th level, and every three levels thereafter, the amount of damage dealt by this attack increases by 1d6.

Quickened Magic (Su): The magus can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Quicken Spell feat. This does not increase the level of the spell. The magus must be at least 15th level before selecting this magus arcana.

Reflection (Su): The magus can sacrifice 1 or more points from his arcane pool as an immediate action to reflect a spell back at its caster. This functions as spell turning, but only if the targeted spell is of a level equal to or lower than the number of points expended. If insufficient points are expended, they instead grant an insight bonus on any saving throws allowed by the spell, equal to the number of points spent. The magus must be at least 15th level before selecting this magus arcana.

Silent Magic (Su): The magus can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Silent Spell feat. This does not increase the casting time or the level of the spell.

Spell Blending (Ex): When a magus selects this arcana, he must select one spell from the wizard spell list that is of a magus spell level he can cast. He adds this spell to his spellbook and list of magus spells known as a magus spell of its wizard spell level. He can instead select two spells to add in this way, but both must be at least one level lower than the highest-level magus spell he can cast. A magus can select this magus arcana more than once.

Spell Shield (Su): The magus can expend a point from his arcane pool as an immediate action to grant himself a shield bonus to AC equal to his Intelligence bonus until the end of his next turn.

Still Magic (Su): The magus can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Still Spell feat. This does not increase the casting time or the level of the spell.

Wand Mastery (Su): Whenever The magus uses a wand, he calculates the DC for any spell it contains using his Intelligence modifier, instead of the minimum modifier needed to cast a spell of that level.

Wand Wielder (Su): The magus can activate a wand or staff in place of casting a spell when using spell combat.

Spell Recall (Su): At 4th level, the magus learns to use his arcane pool to recall spells he has already cast. With a swift action he can recall any single magus spell that he has already prepared and cast that day by expending a number of points from his arcane pool equal to the spell's level (minimum 1). The spell is prepared again, just as if it had not been cast.

Bonus Feats: At 5th level, and every six levels thereafter, a magus gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat, item creation, or metamagic feats. He must meet the prerequisites for these feats as normal.

Knowledge Pool (Su): At 7th level, when a magus prepares his magus spells, he can decide to expend 1 or more points from his arcane pool, up to his Intelligence bonus. For each point he expends, he can treat any one spell from the magus spell list as if it were in his spellbook and can prepare that spell as normal that day. If he does not cast spells prepared in this way before the next time he prepares spells, he loses those spells. He can also cast spells added in this way using his spell recall ability, but only until he prepares spells again.

Medium Armor (Ex): At 7th level, a magus gains proficiency with medium armor. A magus can cast magus spells while wearing medium armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus wearing heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.

Improved Spell Combat (Ex): At 8th level, the magus's ability to cast spells and make melee attacks improves. When using the spell combat ability, the magus receives a +2 circumstance bonus on concentration checks, in addition to any bonus granted by taking an additional penalty on the attack roll.

Fighter Training (Ex): Starting at 10th level, a magus counts 1/2 his total magus level as his fighter level for the purpose of qualifying for feats. If he has levels in fighter, these levels stack.

Improved Spell Recall (Su): At 11th level, the magus's ability to recall spells using his arcane pool becomes more efficient. Whenever he recalls a spell with spell recall, he expends a number of points from his arcane pool equal to 1/2 the spell's level (minimum 1). Furthermore, instead of recalling a used spell, as a swift action the magus can prepare a spell of the same level that he has in his spellbook. He does so by expending a number of points from his arcane pool equal to the spell's level (minimum 1). The magus cannot apply metamagic feats to a spell prepared in this way. The magus does not need to reference his spellbook to prepare a spell in this way.

Heavy Armor (Ex): At 13th level, a magus gains proficiency with heavy armor. A magus can cast magus spells while wearing heavy armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.

Greater Spell Combat (Ex): At 14th level, the magus gains the ability to seamlessly cast spells and make melee attacks. Whenever he uses the spell combat ability, his concentration check bonus equals double the amount of the attack penalty taken.

Counterstrike (Ex): At 16th level, whenever an enemy within reach of the magus successfully casts a spell defensively, that enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from the magus after the spell is complete. This attack of opportunity cannot disrupt the spell.

Greater Spell Access (Su): At 19th level, the magus gains access to an expanded spell list. He learns and places 14 spells from the wizard's spell list into his spellbook as magus spells of their wizard level. He gains two of each of the following wizard spells not on the magus spell list: 0-level, 1st-level, 2nd-level, 3rd-level, 4th-level, 5th-level, and 6th-level. He can ignore the somatic component of these spells, casting them without the normal chance of spell failure.

True Magus (Su): At 20th level, the magus becomes a master of spells and combat. Whenever he uses his spell combat ability, he does not need to make a concentration check to cast the spell defensively. Whenever the magus uses spell combat and his spell targets the same creature as his melee attacks, he can choose to either increase the DC to resist the spell by +2, grant himself a +2 circumstance bonus on any checks made to overcome spell resistance, or grant himself a +2 circumstance bonus on all attack rolls made against the target during his turn.

Magus Spell List

Magi gain access to the following spells.

0-Level Magus Spells— acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, spark.

1st-Level Magus Spells— burning hands, chill touch, color spray, corrosive touch, enlarge person, expeditious retreat, feather fall, flare burst, floating disk, frostbite, grease, hydraulic push, jump, magic missile, magic weapon, mount, obscuring mist, ray of enfeeblement, reduce person, shield, shocking grasp, silent image, stone fist, true strike, unseen servant, vanish.

2nd-Level Magus Spells— acid arrow, alter self, bear's endurance, blood transcription, blur, bull's strength, burning gaze, cat's grace, darkness, defensive shock, elemental touch, fire breath, flaming sphere, fog cloud, frigid touch, glitterdust, gust of wind, invisibility, levitate, minor image, mirror image, pyrotechnics, scorching ray, shatter, spider climb, stone call, web.

3rd-Level Magus Spells— aqueous orb, arcane sight, beast shape I, blink, cloak of winds, daylight, dispel magic, displacement, elemental aura, fireball, flame arrow, fly, force hook charge, force punch, gaseous form, haste, hydraulic torrent, keen edge, lightning bolt, magic weapon (greater), major image, monstrous physique I, phantom steed, ray of exhaustion, sleet storm, slow, stinking cloud, undead anatomy I, vampiric touch, versatile weapon, water breathing, Wind wall.

4th-Level Magus Spells— arcana theft, ball lightning, beast shape II, black tentacles, detonate, dimension door, dragon's breath, elemental body I, enlarge person (mass), fire shield, firefall, ice storm, invisibility (greater), monstrous physique II, phantasmal killer, reduce person (mass), river of wind, shout, solid fog, stoneskin, vermin shape I, wall of fire, wall of ice, wall of sound.

5th-Level Magus Spells— acidic spray, baleful polymorph, beast shape III, cloudkill, cone of cold, corrosive consumption, elemental body II, fire snake, geyser, interposing hand, monstrous physique III, overland flight, telekinesis, teleport, undead anatomy II, vermin shape II, wall of force, wall of stone.

6th-Level Magus Spells— acid fog, bear's endurance (mass), beast shape IV, bull's strength (mass), cat's grace (mass), chain lightning, contagious flame, disintegrate, dispel magic (greater), elemental body III, flesh to stone, forceful hand, form of the dragon I, freezing sphere, mislead, monstrous physique IV, sirocco, stone to flesh, transformation, true seeing, undead anatomy III, wall of iron.

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