Canny Magus (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Canny magus is a magus archetype that focuses on dencing, combining spells with defensive fencing ticks. It is a martial arts class of the Way of the Mind

Class Features

The canny magus has all the standard magus' class features, except as noted below.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Canny magi are proficient with club, crossbow (light and heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, longsword, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. If oriental weapons are in use, they are also proficient with the hanbo. They have no proficiency with armor or shields.

AC Bonus (Ex)

When unarmored and unencumbered, the canny magus adds her Intelligence bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a canny magus gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five canny magus levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).

These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the canny magus is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.

When multiclassing to a prestige class that would ordinarily gain or use medium armor, you can forgo that armor proficiency and have levels in that class count for the purpose of armor class bonus. Check with the DM for each class.

This ability replaces initial armor proficiency, as well as the Medium Armor and Heavy Armor abilities.

Unarmed Fighting (Ex)

A canny magus gains Improved Unarmed Combat as a bonus feat at first level and inflicts 1d6 damage with an unarmed attack. A canny magus's attacks may be with fist, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a canny magus may make unarmed strikes with his hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a canny magus striking unarmed. A canny magus may thus apply his full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all his unarmed strikes.

Usually a canny magus's unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.

A canny magus's unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

The damage of the canny magus increases with base attack bonus; when base attack bonus reaches +4, unarmed damage becomes 1d8. At base attack +8 unarmed damage becomes 1d10, at +12 it becomes 2d6 and at +16 it becomes 2d8 and at +20 it becomes 2d10.

This replaces the Fighter Training ability.

Arcane Pool (Su)

A canny magus can also apply his arcane pool to his unarmed strikes.

Spell Combat (Ex)

Any effect that normally applies to weapon attacks also applies to the canny magus' unarmed attacks.

Martial Arts Spellstrike (Su)

At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of "touch" from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through an unarmed attack as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free unarmed melee attack (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the unarmed attack’s critical range (20, and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the unarmed damage uses its own critical modifier.

This ability replaces Spellstrike.

Magus Arcana (Su)

Any effect that normally applies to weapons also applies to the canny magus' unarmed attacks.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Weapon and Armor Proficiency
• Medium Armor
• Heavy Armor
• Fighter Training
• Arcane Pool
• Spell Combat
• Spellstrike
• Magus Arcana