Bladecaster

For some, the technique of blending both the skills
of the warrior with the arts of the magic-user is an
impossible task, the mind or the body lacking in the
strengths needed for such an arduous undertaking.
Those rare few who are both strong of arm and
quick of mind have to the potential to blend these
two differing schools and create a new whole. Using
techniques gained from the champions of the fey
worlds and taken from their pupils, the elves, the
techniques of the bladecaster have spread amongst
the races.

By fortifying the body with arcane might, the
bladecaster can force his magic to augment his
physical abilities and increase his martial capabilities
to supernatural levels. These practices have been
mastered by many races, and each race has added
something new to the pursuit of martial and arcane
supremacy, and the bladecaster in the world today
uses techniques that have spread for hundreds of
years amongst all civilized races. In the modern day,
one can find bladecasters where their talents are
most desired: on battlefields and in hot spots where
great armies clash. Bladecasters stride as lords of
war, arcane energies rippling about them as they
sunder the strength of their foes. Most bladecasters
are warder/wizards, warder/magus, or warlord/
sorcerers, though some warder/witches are known
who traffic with the fey realms.

Most bladecaster are warder/wizards, warder/
magus, or warlord/sorcerers, though some warder/
witches are known who traffic with the fey realms.
Few stalkers pursue this route, and those that do
often are multiclassed with magus.

**Hit Die:** d10

### **REQUIREMENTS**

To qualify to become a bladecaster, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

* **Base Attack Bonus:** +4
* **Skills:** Knowledge (martial) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks
* **Feats:** Combat Casting, Improved Counterspell
* **Spellcasting:** Ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.
* **Maneuvers:** Ability to use 1st level maneuvers including at least one stance.

**Class Skills:** The bladecaster’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (martial) (Int), Perception (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Stealth (Dex).

**Skill-Points per level:** 4 + Intelligence modifier

### **CLASS FEATURES**

All of the following are class features of the
bladecaster.

### **Weapon and Armor Proficiencies**

The bladecaster
gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies

### **Maneuvers**

At every even-numbered level, a
bladecaster gains new maneuvers known, chosen from Elemental Flux, Shattered Mirror, and any
discipline he previously had access to (either from
a martial disciple class or from the Martial Training
feat). He must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to
learn it. The character adds his full bladecaster levels
to his initiator level to determine his total initiator
level and his highest-level maneuvers known.

At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, he gains additional
maneuvers readied per day.

### **Stances Known**

At 4th level and again
at 6th level and 10th level, a bladecaster learns a new
stance from any of the disciplines available to him as a
bladecaster. He must meet the stance’s
prerequisites to learn it.

### **Spellcasting**

At each level except 1st level and
10th level, the bladecaster gains new spells per day
and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if
applicable) as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding
the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain
any other benefit a character of that class would have
gained. If the character had more than one arcane
spellcasting class before becoming an bladecaster,
he must decide which class to add each level for the
purpose of determining spells per day, caster level,
and spells known.

### **Martial Caster (Ex)**

At 1st level, the blending
of arcane magic and martial maneuvers begins to flower into an effective and unique fighting style. The
bladecaster may select one arcane spellcasting class that he possesses; he may now cast its spells in light armor without suffering interference from arcane spell failure chance.

### **Stance of Arcane Steel (Su)**

Beginning at 1st level,
the bladecaster learns how to channel his arcane
energies to assist his physical abilities in the theater
of war. As a swift action, the bladecaster may forgo
the use of any stance he is in to assume the stance of
arcane steel. This stance is equivalent to a 3rd level
stance of no particular discipline. The bladecaster
gains the ability to burn his arcane energy to
empower his martial abilities. As a free action, the
bladecaster may sacrifice uncast spells or spell slots
to grant himself one of the following bonuses for one
round. At 5th level, these bonuses persist for two
rounds, and these bonuses persist for three rounds
at 9th level.

* *Arcane Edge:* The bladecaster gains an insight bonus on attack rolls equal to the spell’s level.
* *Eldritch Smite:* The bladecaster adds 1d6 points of extra damage per level of the spell. If the weapon possesses an enhancement that inflicts elemental damage (such as flaming) or if the spell possesses an elemental type (such as wall of fire possessing the [Fire] type), then this bonus damage may use that energy type; otherwise it is force damage.
* *Defensive Field:* The bladecaster gains a bonus to AC equal to the spell’s level.
* *Grace of the Arcane:* The bladecaster gains an insight bonus on Fortitude and Reflex saving throws equal to the spell’s level.
* *Energy Shield:* The bladecaster gains resistance to acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic equal to 5 × the spell’s level.

### **Arcane Steel (Su)**

At 2nd level a bladecaster can
fortify his body with its very own magic. Whenever a
bladecaster casts an arcane spell, he gains a defense
field of energy that protects him from harm. The
bladecaster gains temporary hit points equal to
twice the spell’s level. These defensive field hit points
stack with those gained from further casting of other
spells using this ability and last until the end of the
encounter or until depleted by attacks.

### **Arcane Recovery (Su)**

At 3rd level, a bladecaster
knows how to expend his magic to enhance his
fighting and his arcane ability simultaneously. As a
free action, the character may expend a prepared
spell or spell slot to recover an expended maneuver.
The bladecaster sacrifices a prepared arcane spell
or spell slot of a level equal to or great than the
maneuver level to be recovered, and the maneuver
is instantly recovered. While suffused with arcane
energies for maneuver recovery, the bladecaster
gains a +2 circumstance bonus to his caster level on
the next arcane spell he casts (within one minute of
using arcane recovery; multiple recoveries do not
stack or accrue multiple uses).

### **Battlecaster’s Strike (Su)**

At 4th level, the
bladecaster learns techniques that allow him to
unleash his offensive magic through the medium
of his weapon, delivering magic at melee or range
with equal potency. When the bladecaster initiates a
martial strike, as a swift action he may cast an arcane
spell (with a range of touch and a level equal to or less
than the level of the strike initiated) against the same
target as the strike. These spells must have a range of
touch. If the bladecaster would provoke an attack of opportunity for casting a spell within a threatened
square, he may attempt to cast defensively as normal. He may utilize this ability a number of times per
day equal to 1 + the bladecaster’s initiator modifier
(minimum of 1).

### **Arcane Ruin (Su)**

At 5th level, the bladecaster
brings ruin to his foes with every stroke of his blade
and opens their defenses to the power of his arcane
magic. A foe damaged by his martial strikes find
that it suffers increased difficulties resisting the
bladecaster’s magic, suffering a -2 penalty to its Armor
Class and saving throws against the bladecaster’s
arcane spells on subsequent rounds for the remainder
of the encounter, or until the bladecaster recovers his
maneuvers.

### **Martial Counterspell (Su)**

At 7th level, the bladecaster
learns to be able to use a readied counter and his own
arcane energies to counter an enemy spellcaster’s magic.
If the bladecaster is targeted by or subjected to a spell or
spell-like ability, he may as an immediate action expend
a readied counter and steel himself against it with a bold
act of martial prowess (the expended counter’s effects
are lost in the use of this ability) and make a Spellcraft
check (DC 15 + the spell’s level) as a free action to identify
the spell being used. He may then make an initiator level
check (1d20 + the bladecaster’s initiator level) against a
DC equal to 11 + the spell’s caster level; if successful, the
spell is successfully countered. If he is unsuccessful, the
spell functions as normal.

### **Improved Battlecasting (Su)**

At 9th level, the bladecaster has become so accomplished at blending
his arcane magic with his martial prowess that he
may now utilize ranged touch spells against foes with
as if they were melee touch spells when utilizing his
battlecaster’s strike.

### **Arcane Assault (Su)**

At 10th level, the bladecaster
is capable of fully blending his arcane abilities with
his martial talent. The bladecaster is capable of
sculpting his very magic into the implements of war,
enabling it to deliver his martial maneuvers. The
bladecaster may activate this ability as a free action
when he casts a spell that requires an attack roll. He
may initiate a strike as a free part of casting that spell,
using the spell in place of his normal ranged or melee attack, as appropriate (the spell effectively delivers the maneuver’s effects in place of the bladecaster’s
weapon.) The spell’s range is reduced to 30-ft or closer
(if the spell’s range is smaller, then use that), and spell
resistance or a successful saving throw against the spell effect negates the maneuver being used. Spells
that create multiple attacks or that target multiple creatures only have the strike added to the first such
attack. This ability may be used a number of times equal to 1 + initiator modifier per day.