Agile and fleet of foot, these swordsman dances around their foes with unparalleled acrobatics to get the jump on their enemies. Their style of swordplay focuses on quick hits to disorient foes and leave them wondering where the swordsman will strike next.
The ace striker is an archetype of the sword saint class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The ace striker mainly focuses on STR/DEX for martial combat and CHA for their class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Saving Throws, Armor Proficiency, Defensive Focus, Aegis. 4th – Tactical Flanker. 7th – Armor Training. 9th – First Blood. 11th – Stalwart. 14th – Bait the Dragon. 15th – Steel Defense. 17th – Born of Steel. 18th – Unstoppable Strike. 19th – Deathless Defenses. 20th – Last Blood.
Agile Prowess
The ace striker has good Reflex save progression but poor Will save progression instead.
Armor Proficiency
An ace striker is proficient with only light armor and light shields.
This ability modifies the sword saint’s starting armor proficiency.
Quick Hit (Ex)
At 1st level, an ace striker can make a quick hit as a full-attack action. When making a quick hit, the ace striker can make one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus. This additional attack stacks with the bonus attacks from haste and other similar effects. When using this ability, the ace striker can only make these attacks with a one-handed sword appropriate for his size, and have nothing in his off hand or is wielding a light shield. He cannot use this ability in conjunction with two-weapon fighting or as a shield bash. He can still gain additional attacks from a high base attack bonus, from this ability, from haste, and similar effects.
At 11th level, an ace striker can make an additional attack at his highest base attack bonus whenever he makes a quick hit. This stacks with the first attack from this ability and additional attacks from haste and similar effects.
The ace striker cannot use this ability if wearing heavier than light armor or wielding anything larger than a Medium-sized one-handed sword.
This ability replaces defensive focus.
Dance of the Sword (Ex)
At 1st level, when making acrobatic checks, the ace striker performs with a certain grace that fuels his dance with the sword. While wielding a sword in one hand, the ace striker adds his Charisma modifier to all acrobatic checks.
This ability replaces aegis.
Fake Out (Ex)
At 4th level, the ace striker is well so versed in disorienting his foe, he can learn to fake out his opponent in combat, leaving them confused at where he will strike next. When the ace striker uses his quick hit ability or a swordskill, he can perform a feint as a swift action before resolving his attacks. Instead of using Bluff, he uses Acrobatics for this feint. If successful, this function as a normal feint and the ace striker may move half his base speed as part of his attack, without provoking attacks of opportunity from the target, but may only move in a square adjacent to the target. This extra movement is subtracted from the movement of his next turn. This can be the ace striker dashing to the opponent’s side or even jumping around him to get a flank on him. If using fake out with a swordskill, the DC increases by 2. This special feint does not provoke attacks opportunity and does not benefit from feats such as Improved Feint. He may only ever effect a single enemy with this ability in a round. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 plus his Charisma modifier.
This ability replaces tactical flanker.
Dancing in Steel (Ex)
At 7th level, the ace striker becomes so well as moving around he no longer suffers an armor check penalty to the acrobatics while wearing light armor or wielding light shields. Additionally, whenever he is wearing light armor, he increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. Every four levels thereafter (10th, 14th, and 18th), this bonus increases by +1 each time, to a maximum of +4 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed.
This ability replaces armor training.
Fast Movement (Ex)
At 9th level, while in light or no armor, the ace striker’s base speed is increased by 10 feet.
This ability replaces first blood.
Evasion (Su)
At 11th level, an ace striker can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the ace striker is wearing light armor, or no armor. A helpless ace striker (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion.
This ability replaces stalwart.
Improved Fake Out (Ex)
At 14th level, as the ace striker has been faking out enemies and striking them with unexpected speed, he learns new tricks to make these attacks devastating. When the ace striker uses fake out, his feint is treated as if he had the Greater Feint feat. He also applies this to fake outs with swordskills.
This ability replaces bait the dragon.
Acrobatic Defense (Ex)
At 15th level, the ace striker has become so adept at dodging blows, he can now dodge attacks with a bit of grace and using his nimble movement to give him an edge. He may add his Charisma modifier as a dodge bonus while wearing light or no armor. A helpless ace striker (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of this ability. He loses this dodge bonus if he is ever caught flat-footed. He does not get this bonus if he is benefiting from another ability that grants an attribute modifier besides Dexterity modifier to his AC, such as a monk’s AC bonus but still functions with any talents he possess.
This ability replaces steel defense.
Born of Steel (Ex)
This ability only functions when the ace striker is wearing light or no armor.
This ability modifies born of steel.
Master Fake Out (Ex)
At 18th level, mastering the art of messing with his opponent’s perception of his strikes, and others, the ace striker’s fake out now effects all enemies adjacent to the target, and the special feint is now a free action. In addition, he also no longer loses the movement to his next turn.
This ability replaces unstoppable strike.
Improved Evasion (Ex)
At 19th level, an ace striker’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon’s breath weapon, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless ace striker (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
This ability replaces deathless defenses.
Overdrive (Ex)
At 20th level, when the ace striker is on his last leg, he only becomes faster and more dangerous, kicking his speed and attacks into overdrive. When the ace striker is below half health, all swordskills deal maximum damage and the DC of swordskills increase by 2. He gains a 10 foot bonus to his base movement speed and he gets a +1 bonus to acrobatics for every 20 points of hit points missing from his maximum total. Any time he performs a fake out successfully on his intended target, he gains a circumstance bonus to all damage rolls equal to his Charisma modifier for 1 round.
This ability replaces last blood.
