While many may dedicate themselves to the sword in one way or another, few can explore so demanding and arcane a discipline as mystic fencers do. These paragons of elegant swordsmanship blend the power of the blade and materia through obscure technologies, and construct their own weapons accordingly; no other device can support their highly specialized techniques, and no one can mistake a mystic fencer once he draws his magitek weapon on the battlefield. This weapon is his life, and his devotion to it shines as brightly as its blade.
The mystic fencer is an archetype of the fencer class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores
The mystic fencer mainly focuses on DEX for martial combat and CHA for their class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements
1st – Class Skills, Einhander. 2nd – Deflect Arrows, Lunge Technique. 5th – Uncanny Dodge. 6th – Lunge Technique. 10th – Improved Uncanny Dodge, Lunge Technique. 14th – Lunge Technique. 18th – Lunge Technique.
Class Skills
The mystic fencer adds Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (technology), Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device to his list of class skills, and loses Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), and Perform.
Magitek Rapier
At 1st level, the mystic fencer starts play with a personalized magitek rapier (same stats as a normal rapier), which is treated as having the masterwork quality at first level (with a value of 300 gil). If he throws, is disarmed, or is otherwise separated from his rapier, he can call it back to hand as though it had the returning ability, catching it with a free action just before the start of his next turn. So long as he is wielding his magitek rapier, he gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat with this weapon.
The mystic fencer may attach a number of materia up to his Charisma modifier to his magitek rapier; this causes the blade to glow with a color matching one of the materia of his choice (or a blend of their colors), shedding light as though it were a torch when unsheathed as long as it is held. For each piece of materia attached, the rapier bypasses an amount of damage reduction equal to the mystic fencer’s Charisma modifier or fencer level, whichever is lower. In addition, for each piece of materia attached to his magitek rapier, the mystic fencer takes a -2 penalty when making a Use Magic Device check to meet the DC to both attune to and cast a spell from his attached materia. For example, a 4th level mystic fencer with a Charisma modifier of 4 and with 2 pieces of materia attached to the rapier bypasses a total of 4 points of DR/-, and he has a -4 penalty when making a Use Magic Device check to attune to or to cast a spell from one of these materia. If the magitek rapier’s damage would be converted into two or more elemental types by its attached materia, the damage type instead becomes non-elemental; additional damage added is not converted and remains elemental.
If anyone aside from a mystic fencer attempts to use a magitek rapier in combat while it has at least one piece of materia attached to it, they must roll a d100. On a 1-30, they will instead deal the weapon’s damage to themselves, bypassing any DR/- as outlined above. If they attempt to attune to and/or cast a spell from one of the pieces of attached materia, they suffer double the above DC penalty on a Use Magic Device check.
Beginning at 2nd level, a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, the mystic fencer can expend 1 point from his arcane pool to resolve an attack with his magitek rapier as a touch attack. The rapier must have at least one piece of materia attached to it in order for him to use this ability.
For his magitek rapier alone, the mystic fencer is treated as though he had the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat, and adds half his class level rounded down to Craft (weapon) checks for it. Enhancing or replacing his rapier in this way takes 1 day for each 1,000 gil in the price of its magical features, and he must use up raw materials costing half of this total price.
This ability replaces einhander.
Arcane Pool (Su)
At 2nd level, the mystic fencer gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that he can draw upon to fuel his powers and enhance his weapon. This arcane pool has a number of points equal to half his mystic fencer level (minimum 1) + his Charisma modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the mystic fencer rests for a full 8 hours.
At 2nd level, a mystic fencer can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant his magitek rapier a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 2nd the rapier gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. These bonuses can be added to the rapier, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves.
At 6th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, earthen, earthen burst, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, jetstream, jetstream burst, keen, roaring, roaring burst, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal.
Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These properties are added to any the rapier already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the rapier is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. These bonuses and properties are decided when the arcane pool point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the mystic fencer uses this ability. These bonuses do not function if the rapier is wielded by anyone other than the mystic fencer.
A mystic fencer can only enhance one magitek rapier in this way at one time. If he uses this ability again, the first use immediately ends.
This ability replaces deflect arrows.
Fencing Forms (Ex)
The mystic fencer dedicates himself to mastering various styles of fencing in which to wield his magitek rapier. Beginning at 2nd level and every four fencer levels thereafter, he may select a new form to learn in place of a lunge technique. He may learn up to five of the seven forms in any order he wishes unless otherwise stated. Once he knows a form, he may switch to its use (from either a neutral stance or another fencing form) with a swift action and gain its benefits in combat while using that specific form. These are the seven forms that a mystic fencer can learn and fence with:
- Form I – Shii-Cho: The mystic fencer cannot be flanked, denying an opponent the ability to sneak attack him, and he adds his Charisma modifier as a bonus to his CMD and to his CMB when making combat maneuvers.
- Form II – Makashi: When facing an opponent(s) armed with light or one-handed weapons, the mystic fencer adds his Charisma modifier as a deflection bonus to both his AC and his attack rolls against them (but only for those enemies so armed).
- Form III – Soresu: The mystic fencer can deflect ranged attacks once per turn as though he had the Deflect Arrows feat. A number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, the mystic fencer may spend 2 arcane pool points to deflect the ranged attack, spell, extraordinary natural weapon, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability back at its source; the attacker makes a second attack roll against its own AC, using all the applicable modifiers of the original attack and if it hits, the attacker takes the attack’s damage and suffers all the other consequences of getting struck with that attack.
- Form IV – Ataru: The mystic fencer increases his base movement speed by 10 ft., and his ability to jump with his Acrobatic checks is treated as though he got a running start and has the Run feat, regardless of whether or not he gets a running start; he may also ignore a number of attacks of opportunity per turn equal to his Charisma modifier.
- Form V – Djem So/Shien: The mystic fencer chooses between two form stances in order to either sacrifice a number of points of his Armor Class up to his Charisma modifier in exchange for an equal bonus to his attack rolls (Djem So), or vice-versa (Shien); he may shift his stance between the two with a free action at the start of his turn. Prerequisites: To learn this form, the mystic fencer must have already learned both Form I and Form III.
- Form VI – Niman: The mystic fencer may cast spells from materia as though he had the Red Mage Spell Combat ability; also, the mystic fencer may throw his magitek rapier as though it had the Throwing ability (with a range increment of 10 ft.), and he may either do so with a bonus to his attack roll equal to his Charisma modifier, or he may target a number of creatures up to his Charisma modifier; each creature must be within 5 ft. of at least one other creature. In addition, he ignores the Use Magic Device DC penalty for each piece of materia attached to his magitek rapier when casting from that materia (but not when attuning).
- Form VII – Juyo/Vaapad: The mystic fencer chooses between two form stances in order to either increase the crit threat of his magitek rapier by 1 (Juyo), or make an extra attack at his highest BAB with this attack and all other attacks made during the round suffering a -2 penalty to attack rolls (Vaapad); he may shift his stance between the two with a free action at the start of his turn. Prerequisites: To learn this form, the mystic fencer must have learned three other forms first.
These forms only provide their benefits to the mystic fencer so long as he is wielding his magitek rapier.
This ability replaces uncanny dodge and improved uncanny dodge and may replace lunge techniques gained at 2th, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.