Fighting style

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The following fighting styles represent those most commonly chosen by soldiers. Each fighting style lists the style techniques you learn as you gain levels.

#### **Arcane Assailant**

The arcane assailant fighting style supplements its combat effectiveness with magic powers, drawing on traditions of warrior-wizards dating back to well before the Gap. This allows you to use magic runes to augment your weapons and call on legendary powers, giving you access to arcane options even when you don’t have a magic weapon in your possession.

Rune of the Eldritch Knight (Su) 1st Level

You can imbue a weapon with a magic sigil, the rune of the eldritch knight, allowing the weapon to act as a magic weapon for the purposes of bypassing DR and affecting incorporeal creatures. This takes 10 minutes, and you can imbue only a single weapon at a time. If you imbue a new weapon with the rune of the eldritch knight, any previously imbued weapon loses this benefit. When calculating the Hit Points and hardness of a weapon imbued with the rune of the eldritch knight, treat its item level as 5 higher.

Secret of the Magi (Su) 5th Level

When you imbue a weapon with the rune of the eldritch knight, in addition to its normal benefits, the rune grants the weapon one of the following weapon fusions of your choice: ethereal, flaming, frost, merciful, or shock. The weapon can’t gain a fusion it already has, and this bonus fusion doesn’t count toward the maximum total level of fusions the weapon can have at once. The bonus fusion ends when the weapon ceases to be imbued with the rune of the eldritch knight.

Power of Legend (Su) 9th Level

You can call on the link between you and the legendary heroes who wielded powerful magic weapons eons ago to overcome adversity. As a move action when wielding a magic weapon or a weapon imbued with the rune of the eldritch knight, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to end one of the following conditions affecting you: bleeding, burning, confused, exhausted, fatigued, flat-footed, off-target, shaken, or sickened. Alternatively, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to change the cowering condition to the frightened condition or change the frightened condition to the shaken condition. In this case, the new condition lasts for the same duration the original condition would have and can’t be further affected by this ability.

Secret of the Archmagi (Su) 13th Level

You can imbue two weapons with the rune of the eldritch knight. If you attempt to imbue a third weapon, the weapon infused first loses its rune and all benefits. In addition to the normal benefits, the runes grant the weapons one or more of the following weapon fusions (see page 191) of your choice: bane, corrosive, ethereal, flaming, frost, holy, merciful, shock, thundering, or unholy. You can grant no more than 10 total
levels’ worth of fusions between the two weapons, and the bane fusion counts as a 10th-level fusion for this purpose.

Arcane Attack (Su) 17th Level

As a standard action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to use a weapon imbued with the rune of the eldritch knight to make an attack that strikes true. This attack ignores all cover and concealment, including total concealment (though you must at least be aware of a creature’s presence to target it with this attack). If the attack is a ranged attack, the target must be within the first range increment. The attack only affects your
selected target, even if it normally affects an area or multiple targets. You still must make a normal attack roll, and if your attack misses, it has no effect.

#### **Armor Storm**

The armor storm fighting style focuses on using armor as a weapon by maximizing the damage of armor-based weapons while withstanding enemy fire. You learn to increase the effectiveness of attacks made with your armor and to add equipment normally beyond your armor’s capacity.

Hammer Fist (Ex) 1st Level

You treat any unarmed attack you make while wearing heavy or powered armor as being made with a battleglove with an item level equal to or lower than your soldier level, and you calculate damage for these attacks as if you had the melee striker gear boost. If you have the melee striker gear boost, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with your unarmed attacks when using this ability. These unarmed attacks don’t benefit from other abilities that apply specifically to unarmed attacks (such as the Improved Unarmed Strike feat).

Enhanced Tank (Ex) 5th Level

You gain the Powered Armored Proficiency feat and access to improved armor. This might be the result of your own engineering abilities, having earned the trust of contacts that can get you experimental equipment, or a powerful patron giving you gear not available to the general public to help you achieve mutual goals. You can add one more upgrade to your armor than its normal maximum number of upgrade slots. If you add this bonus upgrade to heavy armor, you can select an upgrade normally limited to powered armor. An upgrade placed in this bonus slot costs half the normal credit amount.

Smash Through (Ex) 9th Level

While you are wearing heavy armor or powered armor, you gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls to perform a bull rush combat maneuver. If you successfully push the target back 10 feet or more, you can also damage the target with an unarmed attack (and can use your hammer fist ability when doing so).

Mobile Army (Ex) 13th Level

You become a master of all weapons associated with your armor. You deal 1d6 additional damage with any attack from a weapon that is part of your armor, including unarmed attacks using the hammer fist ability and weapons that have been attached to your armor as an armor upgrade. The additional damage is of the same type as the weapon’s normal type. Also, while wearing heavy or powered armor, you gain a +2 bonus to your KAC against combat maneuvers.

On the Bounce (Ex) 17th Level

You learn to control your armor with such ease, you are actually more maneuverable in it than out of it. While wearing heavy armor or powered armor, you can move up to your speed when you make a full attack. You can move before or after all your attacks, but not both. If you have the
Shot on the Run feat, you can divide your movement to move both before and after making a full attack as long as all the attacks are ranged attacks. If you have the Spring Attack feat, you can divide your movement to move both before and after making a full attack as long as all the attacks are melee attacks. If you have both feats, your attacks can be any combination of melee and ranged attacks.

#### **Blitz**

The blitz fighting style is all about using speed and aggression to get into the thick of melee. You increase your speed and responsiveness, gain abilities that make you better at melee combat than your enemies, and keep on fighting even when surrounded by foes.

Rapid Response (Ex) 1st Level

You gain a +4 bonus to initiative checks and increase your land speed by 10 feet.

Charge Attack (Ex) 5th Level

As a standard action, you can make a charge without the charge penalties, and you can substitute a bull rush for the melee attack at the end of the charge. When you gain the soldier’s onslaught class feature, you can make two attacks instead of one at the end of your charge, both
with a –4 penalty.

Keep Fighting (Ex) 9th Level

As a move action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to regain Stamina Points equal to 2d6 + your soldier level. You can’t use this ability again until after you regain Stamina Points from a 10-minute rest. The number of Stamina Points you regain increases by 1d6 at 10th level, 15th level, and 20th level.

Perfect Opportunity (Ex) 13th Level

When you hit a creature with an attack of opportunity, that creature can’t move out of the squares you threaten until the start of its next turn. In addition, when an enemy takes a guarded step out of a square you threaten, you can make an attack of opportunity against it with a –2 penalty to the attack roll. If the target provoked an attack of opportunity by moving, hitting with your attack of opportunity ends the target’s movement immediately, preventing it from carrying out the rest of its movement.

Against the Odds (Ex) 17th Level

You gain a bonus to melee damage rolls equal to double the number of enemies within 10 feet of you. Enemies who don’t constitute a significant threat (those with a CR equal to your level – 4 or less, or as determined by the GM) don’t count when calculating this bonus.

#### **Bombard**

The bombard fighting style emphasizes attacking multiple targets, often using grenades, and leverages substantial physical strength to control large weapons with significant recoil. At higher levels, you can use launchers, missiles, and other heavy weapons.

Grenade Expert (Ex) 1st Level

You increase the range increment of your thrown grenades by 5 × your Strength bonus. In addition, you’re able to salvage enough materials to create a grenade without paying for it. Creating a grenade takes 10 minutes. You can create any grenade whose item level is less than or equal
to your soldier level, but this grenade is unstable and only you can use it effectively. If anyone else tries to use the grenade, it is a dud. You can have only one grenade created by this ability at one time (if you create a new grenade using this ability, the old grenade no longer works).

Heavy Fire (Ex) 5th Level
You can use your physical power to steady your weapon and make your attacks more dangerous. As a full action, you can make a single ranged attack that deals additional damage equal to your Strength bonus to all targets. You can use this ability in conjunction with the automatic, explode, or unwieldy special property.

Debilitating Attack (Ex) 9th Level

When you hit an enemy with a ranged attack or an attack with a weapon with the blast or explode special property, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to inflict a debilitating effect on that enemy for a number of rounds equal to your Strength bonus. You can choose to make the target deafened, flatfooted, or off-target, or to reduce itsspeeds by half (to a minimum of 10 feet). The target cannegate this effect with a successful Fortitude save (DC = 10+ half your soldier level + your Strength modifier).

Explosives Acumen (Ex) 13th Level

You increase the DC to avoid attacks you make using weapons with the explode special property by 1. You reduce the amount of any damage you take from any weapon with the explode special property by an amount equal to your Strength bonus.

Impactful Attack (Ex) 17th Level

D As a full action, you can make a ranged attack that knocks enemies back. Targets you hit are knocked back 5 feet from you. If you use a weapon with the explode special property, all targets that fail their saving throws are instead knocked back 5 feet from the center of the explosion. An enemy that you critically hit or that rolls a natural 1 on its saving throw is also knocked prone. You can’t make an impactful attack with an automatic weapon, but you can use this ability with a weapon that has the blast special property.

#### **Guard**

The guard fighting style focuses on defense. You become adept at wearing armor, protecting against attacks, and enduring damage and other setbacks from attacks that get through your defenses.

Armor Training (Ex) 1st Level

D You reduce the armor check penalty of armor you wear by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increase the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by your armor by 1.

Guard’s Protection (Ex) 5th Level

When an ally adjacent to you is damaged by an attack, you can use your reaction to intercede. You take half the damage, and your ally takes the other half. This has no effect on spells, and any conditions delivered by the attack apply to both of you. In addition, you are now proficient
with powered armor.

Rapid Recovery (Ex) 9th Level

You can spend Resolve Points to ignore detrimental conditions.As a move action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to suppress one of the following conditions for 10 minutes: exhausted, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, shaken, sickened, or staggered. After 10 minutes, if the condition’s duration hasn’t ended, the condition’s effects return. You can suppress only one condition at a time; if you are both fatigued
and shaken, you can avoid the effects of only one of them, and if you are affected by two different instances of the same condition, you’re still affected by the second one.

Kinetic Resistance (Ex) 13th Level

You gain DR 3/—. At 17th level, this DR increases to 5/—.

Impenetrable Defense (Ex) 17th Level

As a standard action, you can set up a strong defense for yourself and an adjacent ally. Until the start of your next turn, you gain three benefits: your damage reduction increases to DR 10/—; you and the chosen ally each gain a +4 bonus to AC; and if you use guard’s protection, you direct all the damage to yourself such that your ally takes none.

#### **Hit-and-Run**

The hit-and-run fighting style focuses on tactical movement as you move in and out of combat. You use ranged weapons but fight close up, and you can even mix ranged and melee attacks. Your abilities allow you to move even when you make full attacks and to avoid getting locked down by your enemies.

Opening Volley (Ex) 1st Level

You gain Opening Volley as a bonus feat. If you already have this feat, choose a bonus combat feat instead. At 9th level, you can use Opening Volley on both your first and second turns in combat.

Nimble Fusillade (Ex) 5th Level

When you make a full attack, you can also either take a guarded step or move up to half your speed. This movement can come before,  between, or after your attacks, but it can’t be split up.

Duck and Weave (Ex) 9th Level

When you move or make a ranged attack, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to avoid provoking attacks of opportunity from that movement or ranged attack.

Elusive Target (Ex) 13th Level

On any turn in which you move, you gain a +1 insight bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn.

Harrying Shot (Ex) 17th Level

As a full action, you can make one attack and give the benefit of harrying fire against any creature you hit with that attack. If you use a blast weapon or automatic weapon, the benefit applies against all targets hit. You can also take your nimble fusillade movement before or after this attack.

#### **Sharpshooter**

The sharpshooter fighting style enables you to excel at making accurate attacks, usually with ranged weapons at a long distance. You can ignore cover and other impediments to your shots, and your attacks are improved by your intense focus.

Sniper’s Aim (Ex) 1st Level

When you make a ranged attack against a target with cover, reduce the AC bonus from cover by 2. You can’t use sniper’s aim against an enemy with total cover.

Focus Fire (Ex) 5th Level

When you make a full attack with a ranged weapon, you can make both attacks with a –3 penalty instead of a –4 penalty as long as they both target the same creature. If your first attack kills or knocks out the target, you can instead make the second attack against a different creature at a –4 penalty. Once you have the soldier’s onslaught class feature, you can use this ability with it, making three attacks against the same creature at a –5 penalty; if your first or second attack kills or knocks out your target, you can make your remaining attacks against a different creature at a –6 penalty.

Intense Focus (Ex) 9th Level

When you make a ranged attack against a target with cover or concealment, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to negate its AC bonus from cover and reduce its concealment by one category (from total concealment to concealment or from concealment to no concealment). This benefit applies to all ranged attacks you make against that target this round. You can’t use intense focus more than once per round, nor can you use it against an enemy with total cover.

Focused Damage (Ex) 13th Level

When you use focus fire, each attack against the first target deals 2d6 additional damage. Additional creatures you attack after killing or  knocking out your first target don’t take this extra damage.

Prepared Shot (Ex) 17th Level

As a standard action, you can study a target before you attack. The target must be within line of sight of you and either flat-footed or unaware of your presence. On the first attack you make against that target on your next turn, you gain a +2 bonus to your attack roll. If your attack hits, the target is staggered for 1 round; if you score a critical hit, the target is instead stunned for 1 round. Once you make a prepared shot, you can’t use this ability again against the same target for 24 hours. You can’t make an attack on the same round you study the target, even if an ability would let you attack without spending a standard or full action.