The strong emphasis on mages within elvaan culture influences how even non-mage elvaans see themselves. Many elvaan mages do not consider themselves masters of a blend of martial and magical talents, but rather a sub-category of mages who study the effect of physical movement and techniques upon spellcasting ability. They believe their ability to cast spells while fighting is an outgrowth of the concept of the “spell dance,” which itself is just another kind of magery.
The spell dancer is an archetype of the red mage class, available only to elvaan red mages.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The spell dancer mainly focuses on STR/DEX for martial combat and CHA for their class features and spellcasting, though they also use INT and WIS for class features, as well as DEX for optional class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Class Skills. 2nd – Arcane Pool. 5th – Red Magery. 7th – Armored Mage (Medium). 10th – Armored Mage (Shield).
Class Skills
A spell dancer adds Perform (dance) to his list of class skills and removes Ride from his list of class skills.
Spell Dance (Su)
At 2nd level, a spell dancer gains the ability to expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to gain a +10 enhancement bonus to his movement rate and a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity provoked by moving through threatened spaces for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 2nd, the spell dancer gains another +10 enhancement bonus to movement and +2 to AC against attacks of opportunity provoked from movement. At 6th level, once per spell dance as a swift action, the spell dancer may use one of the following on himself as a swift action: blur, fly, or haste. These abilities last for 1 round. At 10th level, the spell dancer may instead take a swift action to use hop as a spell-like ability once during a spelldance. At 14th level, the spell dancer may instead choose to take a swift action to gain freedom of movement for 1d4 rounds.
This ability replaces the red mage’s ability to expend points from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding magic bonuses for 1 minute.
Arcane Movement (Su)
At 5th level, whenever a spell dancer casts a red mage spell, he gains a competence bonus on Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, and Stealth checks equal to the spell’s level until the beginning of his next turn.
This ability replaces red magery gained at 5th level.
Dance of Avoidance (Su)
At 7th level, while wearing light or no armor, a spell dancer gains a +2 insight bonus to Armor Class.
This ability replaces armored mage (medium).
Greater Dance of Avoidance (Su)
At 10th level, while wearing light or no armor, a spell dancer’s insight bonus to Armor Class increases to +4.
This ability replaces armored mage (shield).
Ruby Arcana
The following ruby arcana complement the spell dancer archetype: arcane cloak, prescient defense, close range, concentrate, hasted assault, spell shield.
