These techniques utilize the fast strikes of a fencer’s weapon. At 2nd level and every two fencer levels thereafter, the fencer may choose to learn one of the following techniques.
Table: Lunge Techniques
| General | ||
|---|---|---|
| Advancing Steps (Ex) | — | Once per round, when the fencer reduces a creature to 0 or fewer hit points with a light or one-handed piercing weapon attack, she may take a 5-ft. step. She may do this even if she has already moved this round. |
| Combat Feat | — | The fencer gains a bonus combat feat that she qualifies for. This talent may be taken only once. |
| Continuance (Ex) | Fencer 8 | When the fencer uses a lunge technique that lasts until the end of turn, she may have it last for one round instead. |
| Critical Feat | Fencer 12 | The fencer gains any feat that lists Critical Focus as one of its prerequisites. She is considered to have Critical Focus for this purpose, but must meet all other prerequisites. This talent may be taken more than once. Each time, a different feat must be selected. |
| Critical Strike (Ex) | Fencer 12, Improved Critical feat or Fencer Weapon Training class feature | The fencer can choose to take a cumulative –2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +1 bonus onto her critical threat range on all attacks with light, finesseable, one-handed piercing melee weapons, to a maximum of +5. This bonus is applied after doubling the critical threat range of the weapon from the Improved Critical Feat. |
| Evade Reach (Ex) | — | As long as it is her turn, as a swift action, the fencer treats enemies that she sees as if their reach were 5 feet shorter (to a minimum of 5 feet) with respect to reaching her. |
| Hustle (Ex) | Fencer 12, Fleet-footed class feature | Whenever the fencer would be allowed to take a ‘5 ft. step’, she may take a ‘10 ft. step’ instead. Any ability, effect, feat, or rule that applies to a ‘5 ft. step’ also applies to taking a ‘10 ft. step’. |
| Improved Evasion (Ex) | Fencer 12, Evasion class feature | This works like evasion, except that while the fencer still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless fencer does not gain the benefit of improved evasion. |
| Pierce the Flesh (Ex) | Fencer 14 | When the fencer strikes an opponent that has a chance of negating critical hits or Precision Damage, such as from the fortification armor special ability, reduce that chance by 25%. |
| Pierce the Soul (Ex) | Fencer 18 | Whenever the fencer hits a creature with an attack that inflicts ability damage, if the attack is a confirmed critical, the fencer deals minimum ability damage against a creature that has immunities. |
| Precision Critical (Ex) | Fencer 16 | Once per round, whenever the fencer scores a critical hit, double any extra Precision Damage. These are always only doubled, and not multiplied by the weapon’s critical multiplier. |
| Ready and Able (Ex) | — | The fencer adds her Charisma modifier to her weapon damage rolls as long as it is not her turn. |
| Retain Reach (Ex) | Fencer 4 | If the fencer would have extra reach on her own turn, such as from the Lunge Feat or the Extended Reach class feature, 5 ft. of that extra reach persists for one round instead. This talent may be selected multiple times. Each time, the fencer retains an extra 5 ft. of reach. |
| Steadfast Personality (Ex) | Fencer 8 | The fencer may add her Charisma modifier to her Will saving throws instead of her Wisdom. |
| Surprise Attack (Ex) | Fencer 12 | Whenever the fencer attacks an opponent that is denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, the critical threat range of her weapon is increased by 1. This bonus is applied after doubling the critical threat range of the weapon from the Improved Critical Feat. |
| Unnaturally Distracting (Ex) | Fencer 12 | The fencer may feint creatures that lack an intelligence score at a -8 penalty, and she halves the penalty to feinting vs. non-humanoid creatures or creatures with animal intelligence. |
| Lunge Attacks |
||
| Checkmate (Su) | Fencer 16, Swarmstrike lunge technique | The fencer’s poison becomes more potent. If the target fails it’s save versus Swarmstrike, it’s also inflicted with the Doom status effect, with a duration of 2d4 rounds. A creature can only be the target of one Doom effect from this ability at a time. |
| Featherblow (Ex) | — | Because the fencer values successful hits over actual damage dealt, she can subtract damage from her weapon’s potential damage and add the same amount to her attack bonus. However, the weapon must do a minimum 1 point of damage. For example, the fencer who wields a rapier can subtract up to 5 points from the damage, since the rapier has a damage potential of 6 points, and add that to her attack bonus (making it become 1d6-5). If she were wielding a +3 rapier, she could subtract up to 8 points from damage, since the weapon has a damage potential of 9 points, and add that to her attack bonus. The fencer declares this power before rolling her attack, and the amount subtracted cannot exceed her base attack bonus. |
| Keen Eye (Ex) | Fencer 8, Shadowstick lunge technique | When a fencer uses Shadowstick, it applies to every attack made during her turn. |
| Manastrike (Ex) | Fencer 12, Shadowstick lunge technique | The fencer strikes at the miniscule pressure points that block the flow of Mana in spellcasters. If the target fails it’s save versus Shadowstick, the target also takes 1d4 points of MP damage per four Fencer levels. |
| Night Talon (Su) | — | As a standard action, the fencer makes a ranged attack with her melee weapon against a target within 30 feet, dealing her normal weapon damage on a successful hit. The fencer throws her weapon, it returns to her free hand at the beginning of her next turn. |
| Piercing Blow (Ex) | — | As a swift action, the fencer can declare her next attack to be a Piercing Blow. If the attack hits, she can have it also affect a different foe that is adjacent to the first, using the same attack roll. The second target does not have to be within reach of the fencer. |
| Piercing Flurry (Ex) | Fencer 8, Piercing Blow lunge technique | When a fencer uses Piercing Blow, it applies to all attacks she makes this turn. |
| Shadowstick (Ex) | — | Once per round, as a free action, the fencer can aim carefully. The next strike before the end of her turn deals damage as normal and inflicts the Slow status effect on the target for a number of rounds equal to half the fencer’s level. The target can make a Fortitude save to negate the Slow status (DC 10 + half of the fencer’s level + her Charisma modifier). A creature can only be the target of one Slow status effect from this ability at a time. |
| Stinger (Ex) | — | As a swift action, the fencer can poison her weapon. The next strike before the end of her turn deals damage as normal and inflicts the Poison status effect on the target for a number of rounds equal to half of the Fencer’s level. The target can make a Fortitude save to negate the poison status (DC 10 + half of the fencer’s level + her Charisma modifier). A creature can only be the target of one Poison status effect from this ability at a time. |
| Swallowtail (Ex) | — | As a standard action, the fencer can make an attack roll against all adjacent foes using her highest BAB within reach. |
| Swarmstrike (Ex) | Fencer 8, Stinger lunge technique | When a fencer uses Stinger, it applies to every attack made during her turn. |