At 2nd level and every two red mage levels thereafter, a red mage gains a talent to help with his class features.
Table: Ruby Talents
| Ruby Talents | Prerequisites | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Quick Learner (Ex) | Red Mage 12, Quick Learner ruby talent | The red mage may add one of the following abilities to his list of class features: Bonus Metamagic Feat: The red mage gains a bonus metamagic feat he meets the prerequisites for. Improved Weapon Bond (Ex): The red mage selects a weapon for which he has the Weapon Bond ability. He is treated as having the Weapon Specialization feat for that weapon, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The red mage can only take this ability once. This talent can only be taken once. |
| Arcane Power Weapon (Su) | Red Mage 12, Spell Combat class feature | When attacking with a melee power weapon, the red mage can use spell combat with it by increasing the action taken to a full-round action and by spending 1 point from his arcane pool (if it already is a full-round action it only costs the point). |
| Broad Study (Ex) | Red Mage 4, Spellstrike or Spell Combat class features | The red mage selects another one of his spellcasting classes. The red mage can use his spellstrike or spell combat abilities while casting or using spells from the spell list of that class. |
| Brutish Combat (Ex) | Str 15, Spell Combat class feature | The red mage may use the spell combat ability with two-handed weapons. Taking his hand off of a weapon and taking hold of it again with two hands are both free actions that can be done as part of the full attack to cast his spell as part of the spell combat ability. However, the red mage takes an additional -2 penalty to attack rolls when doing so, and his full attack ends after he casts the spell, even if he would normally have more attacks to make. |
| Cautious Combat (Ex) | Spell Combat class feature | When using spell combat to cast a spell with an area of effect, a red mage can exclude a number of squares equal to his Charisma modifier. |
| Concentrate (Ex) | — | The red mage 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 red mage must take the second roll, even if it is worse. The red mage can use this ability once per day. |
| Critical Strike (Su) | Red Mage 12 | Whenever the red mage 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 red mage can use this ability once per day. |
| Disruptive (Ex) | Red Mage 6 | The red mage gains Disruptive as a bonus feat. |
| Divinatory Strike (Su) | — | Whenever the red mage scores a critical hit against an opponent with a melee attack, he can gain preternatural insight into his foe’s strengths and weaknesses as though he had rolled a natural 20 on a Knowledge check to identify the creature struck. Any bonuses or penalties the red mage normally applies to such a Knowledge check are applied to this ability, including his Intelligence modifier, ranks in the requisite Knowledge skill, and other applicable modifiers. Depending on the final calculated outcome of this ability and the CR of the creature struck, the red mage may still be unable to glean information about his enemy. This ability works even if the red mage has already attempted a Knowledge check to identify the creature. |
| Empowered Magic (Su) | Red Mage 6 | The red mage can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Empower Spell feat. This does not increase the MP cost or the level of the spell. |
| Familiar (Ex) | Red Mage 2. Must be chosen at 2nd level. | The red mage who selects this talent gains the Familiar feat. |
| Greater Quick Learner (Ex) | Red Mage 18, Quick Learner and Advanced Quick Learner ruby talents | The red mage may add one of the following abilities to his list of class features: Greater Weapon Bond (Ex): The red mage selects a weapon for which he has the Improved Weapon Bond ability. He is treated as having the Greater Weapon Focus feat for that weapon, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. Innate Spell (Su): A red mage with this ability selects one 1st level red mage spell that he knows. He may now cast that spell as a spell-like ability at will. This talent can only be taken once. |
| Heavily Armored Mage (Ex) | Red Mage 12, Armored Mage class feature | The red mage gains proficiency with heavy armor and can cast red mage spells in heavy armor without incurring the armor's normal spell failure chance. |
| Improved Convert (Ex) | Red Mage 8, Convert class feature | The red mage reduces the number of hit points sacrificed by the Convert ability per point of MP by 5. |
| Maneuver Mastery (Ex) | — | The red mage has mastered one combat maneuver. He selects one maneuver when selecting this talent. Whenever he is attempting the selected maneuver, he uses his red mage level in place of his base attack bonus (in addition to any base attack bonus gained from other classes). A red mage can select this ruby talent more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time he selects this talent, he selects another combat maneuver. |
| Maximized Magic (Su) | Red Mage 12 | The red mage can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Maximize Spell feat. This does not increase the MP cost or the level of the spell. |
| Natural Spell Combat (Ex) | Spell Combat class feature | The red mage can use his spell combat class feature with a natural attack of his choice. If he does, he gains a +2 bonus on concentration checks. If the natural attack is made with an appendage that would normally hold a weapon (such as a claw attack), the red mage cannot wield a weapon in that appendage while making natural attacks with it. If the natural attack is a bite or other attack that does not require a free appendage to make, the red mage can use the natural attack in addition to all of the attacks he could make with his melee weapon, if he has one. A red mage can select this arcana more than once. The bonus on concentration checks does not stack. Each time he selects this arcana, he selects another natural weapon. For example, a red mage could select this arcana twice, choosing claw attacks and bite attacks. This would allow him to use a full-round action to make all of his claw attacks with his free hand and all of his bite attacks in addition to casting a spell. This arcana otherwise functions exactly like the spell combat class feature. |
| Quick Learner (Ex) | — | The red mage chooses one of the following abilities to add to his list of class features: Bonus Metamagic Feat: The red mage gains a bonus metamagic feat he meets the prerequisites for. Weapon Bond (Ex): The red mage selects one weapon he is proficient with. He gains Weapon Focus with this weapon, even if he does not meet the prerequisites for it. The red mage can only take this ability once. This talent can only be taken once. |
| Quickened Magic (Su) | Red Mage 14 | The red mage can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Quicken Spell feat. This does not increase the MP cost or the level of the spell. |
| Reach Magic (Su) | — | The red mage can cast one spell per day as if it were modified by the Reach Spell feat. This doesn’t increase the spell’s level or MP cost. |
| Restless Scholar (Su) | Red Mage 6 | The red mage can go without eating or drinking for a number of days equal to his Charisma modifier before he must make Constitution checks to avoid nonlethal damage. Additionally, he can spend 8 hours studying his spells instead of sleeping. This confers the same benefit as an 8 hour rest, but he is awake the entire time. |
| Rod Mastery (Su) | — | Whenever the red mage uses a rod, he calculates the DC for any spell it contains using his Charisma modifier (minimum 0) instead of the minimum modifier needed to cast a spell of that level. |
| Rod Wielder (Su) | — | The red mage adds his Charisma bonus (minimum 0) on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance when using a spell contained within a rod. |
| Ruby Finesse (Ex) | Red Mage 4 | A red mage with this ruby talent gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, he can select any one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (such as rapiers or daggers). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever he makes a successful melee attack with the selected weapon, he adds his Dexterity modifier instead of his Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the red mage from adding his Strength modifier to the damage roll, he does not add his Dexterity modifier. The red mage can select a second weapon at 10th level and a third at 16th level. |
| Silent Magic (Su) | — | The red mage can cast two spells per day as if they were modified by the Silent Spell feat. This does not increase the MP cost or the level of the spell. |
| Spell Blending (Ex) | — | When a red mage selects this talent, he must select one spell from the black or white mage spell list that is of a red mage spell level he can cast. He adds this spell to his list of red mage spells known as a red mage spell of its black or white mage 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 red mage spell he can cast. A red mage can select this ruby talent more than once. |
| Spell Trickery (Ex) | Red Mage 12 | When the red mage successfully performs a dirty trick combat maneuver, he can cast an illusion or enfeebling spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less as a swift action. |
| Spell-Scars (Ex) | — | The red mage can use special scar-based tattoos called spell-scars on his skin to cast spells, much like scrolls. He can cast a spell from a spell-scar exactly like casting from a scroll; the ink and scars vanish when the spell is cast. The red mage does not need to be able to see his spell-scar to use it. A red mage has room on his skin for 18 total spell levels of spell-scars, which he can create using the rules for scribing scrolls (although they do not require the Scribe Scroll feat). |
| Spellbreaker (Ex) | Red Mage 8 | The red mage gains Spellbreaker as a bonus feat. |
| Still Magic (Su) | — | The red mage can cast two spells per day as if they were modified by the Still Spell feat. This does not increase the MP cost or the level of the spell. |
| Surecast (Su) | Combat Casting feat | The red mage exercises caution when in danger, casting his spells with more care. While in a threatened square, he may choose to spend a full-round action to cast a spell, with a casting time of standard action or less. Doing so allows him to cast the spell without needing to cast defensively. |
| Wand Mastery (Su) | — | Whenever the red mage uses a wand, he calculates the DC for any spell it contains using his Charisma modifier, instead of the minimum modifier needed to cast a spell of that level. |
| Wand Wielder (Su) | Spell Combat class feature | The red mage can activate a materia, wand, or staff in place of casting a spell when using spell combat. |