Dancer of the Seven Veils

**Parent Class:** Guru

*Mysterious and alluring, a dancer of the seven veils prefers to hide their akashic magic behind distracting dances. Many foes attack a dancer of the seven veils because they seem easy prey, but few survive to tell the tale.*

### Maneuvers

A dancer of the seven veils begins their career with knowledge of three martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to them are Fool’s Errand, Golden Lion, Mithral Current, and one discipline of their choice. If one of their selected disciplines’ associated skills is not on their class skill list, they gain it as a class skill.

Once the dancer of the seven veils knows a maneuver, they must ready it before they can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by dancers of the seven veils is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in it or its discipline’s description. A dancer of the seven veils’s maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and they do not provoke attacks of opportunity when they initiate one.

The dancer of the seven veils learns additional maneuvers at higher levels, as indicated on Table: Archetype Maneuver Progression. The maximum level of maneuvers gained through dancer of the seven veils levels is limited by those listed in that table as well, although this restriction does not apply to maneuvers added to their maneuvers known through other methods, such as prestige classes or the Advanced Study feat. A dancer of the seven veils must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See the Systems and Use chapter in Path of War for more details on how maneuvers are used.

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even numbered initiator level thereafter (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), the dancer of the seven veils can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one they already know. In effect, they lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. They can choose a new maneuver of any level they like, as long as they observe the restriction on the highest-level maneuvers they know; the dancer of the seven veils need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. They can swap only a single maneuver at any given level. A dancer of the seven veils’s initiation modifier is the same as their veilweaving modifier, and each dancer of the seven veils level is counted as a full initiator level.

### Maneuvers Readied

A dancer of the seven veils can ready all three of their maneuvers known at 1st level, and as they advance in level and learn more maneuvers, they are able to ready more, but must still choose which maneuvers to ready. A dancer of the seven veils must always ready their maximum number of maneuvers readied. They ready their maneuvers by performing a veil dance for ten minutes. The maneuvers they choose remain readied until they decide to dance again and change them. The dancer of the seven veils does not need to sleep or rest for any long period of time in order to ready their maneuvers; any time they spend ten minutes dancing, they can change their readied maneuvers.

A dancer of the seven veils begins an encounter with all their readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times they might have already used them since they chose them. When they initiate a maneuver, they expend it for the current encounter, so each of their readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (unless they recover them, as described below).

In order for the dancer of the seven veils to recover maneuvers, they must spend a full round action to perform an invigorating dance. The dancer of the seven veils regains a number of maneuvers equal to their initiation modifier (minimum 2) and bolsters the defenses of their allies. Allies within 30 feet of the dancer of the seven veils (including themself) gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC until the end of their next turn. Alternately, the dancer of the seven veils may take a moment to recenter their balance, recovering a single maneuver as a standard action.

### Stances Known

A dancer of the seven veils begins their career with knowledge of one stance from any discipline open to dancers of the seven veils. At 4th, 7th, 11th, and 13th levels, they can select an additional stance to learn. The maximum level of stances gained through dancer of the seven veils levels is limited by those listed in Table: Archetype Maneuver Progression. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended and the dancer of the seven veils does not have to ready them. All the stances they know are available to them at all times, and they can change the stance they are currently maintaining as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance or discipline description.

Unlike with maneuvers, a dancer of the seven veils cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one they already know.

*This ability replaces chakra disruption.*

### Veiled Mystique

A dancer of the seven veils uses Charisma as their veilweaving ability score. Their veils are far more real than most, granting them a bonus to disguise their effects equal to 10 + 1/2 their veilweaver level. They may make their uninvested veils appear to be literal veils, wispy strands of cloth that spring to life when invested with essence. As well, uninvested veils appear as nonmagical, as though under the effects of a *magic aura* spell with a caster level equal to their veilweaver level and a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 veilweaver level + Charisma modifier. However, this greater reality comes at the cost of their magical strength. Their veils only have a number of hit points equal to their level and hardness equal to half their level.

At 10th level, the dancer of the seven veils and their veils are treated as though under the effects of a *nondetection* spell they cast on themself, with the same caster level and DC.

Finally, the dancer of the seven veils gains Bluff, Disguise, and Perform as class skills, but loses Heal, Knowledge (history), and Survival.

*This ability alters the dancer of the seven veils’ veilweaving ability score and class skills, but does not make it incompatible with other archetypes that alter class skills.*

### Silk to Steel

At 1st level, the dancer of the seven veils gains unarmed strike, as the monk class feature, using their guru level as their monk level. They may treat their unarmed strike as a philosophy weapon. If it was already a philosophy weapon, they gain Greater Unarmed Strike in place of Improved Unarmed Strike from that ability. A dancer of the seven veils always treats their philosophy weapons as associated weapons for their martial disciplines. They may deal nonlethal damage with their philosophy weapons without taking the normal -4 penalty.

When using an ability that requires their gentle touch to be active, they need only deal nonlethal damage. If an ability requires spending a use of Stunning Fist, the dancer of the seven veils can burn a point of essence or expend a martial maneuver instead. Finally, they count as having a number of points of essence invested in gentle touch equal to 1 + 1/2 their guru level. If they take a favored class option that increases the capacity of their gentle touch, increase their effective level for this ability by 2 for every 1 capacity increase.

*This ability replaces gentle touch.*

### Dance of Discipline

At 1st level, the dancer of the seven veils gains either a Style feat that requires a martial discipline, or a feat that combines the features of two disciplines, such as Quicksilver Grip (Fool’s Errand/Mithral Current), Malicious Leaden Shell (Iron Tortoise/Leaden Hyena), or Squeaking Lion (Golden Lion/Roaring Mouse). They must have access to any disciplines required by feats granted by this ability, but may otherwise ignore the prerequisites.

At 7th level, they gain another bonus feat, adding Fuse Styles, Discipline Style Mastery, and feats that require a martial discipline Style as a prerequisite to the list of choices. They must meet the feat prerequisites for feats in a discipline Style chain, but need not meet the skill prerequisites.

*This ability replaces stunning fist and seal wounds.*

### Dance of Fusion

At 13th level, they may enter and gain the benefits of two stances simultaneously. One of these stances must be at least one level lower than the highest level stance they know.

*This ability replaces crack the shell.*