Duelist (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Duelists represent the pinnacle of elegant swordplay. They move with a grace unmatched by most foes, parrying blows and countering attacks with swift thrusts of their blades. They may wear armor, but generally eschew such bulky protection as their grace allows them to dodge their opponents with ease. While others flounder on treacherous terrain, duelists charge nimbly across the battlefield, leaping and tumbling into the fray. They thrive in melee, where their skill with the blade allows them to make sudden attacks against clumsy foes and to cripple opponents with particularly well-placed thrusts of the blade.

Class Information

This is a merged prestige class.

Prestige Class: Duelist.

Build Classes: Fighter.

A duelists is a fighter that specializes in light armor and weapons.

Role: The abilities of duelists complement those rogues or bards who wish to accentuate their fighting prowess but, because of their lack of heavy armor, are afraid to leap into combat. Duelists fight in the forefront alongside fighters, barbarians, and other melee combatants, deftly avoiding the blades of their opponents while expertly targeting their vulnerabilities.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d10.

Class Abilities

This archetype has all normal class abilities, except as noted.

Class Skills

The duelist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str),

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Armor and Weapon Proficiency

Duelists are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light armor and shields (excluding tower shields).

Canny Defense (Ex)

When wearing light or no armor and not using a large or tower shield, a fencer adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per fencer class level as a dodge bonus to CMD and Armor Class while wielding a melee weapon. If a fencer is caught unarmed or is flat-footed or otherwise denied her Dexterity bonus, she also loses this bonus. A fencer with the Improved Unarmed Combat feat is never considered unarmed.

Dodge & Weapon Finesse

A duelist gains Dodge and Weapon Finesse as bonus feats at 1st level. He need not fulfill the prerequisites of these feats.

Precise Strike (Ex)

A duelist gains the ability to strike precisely in melee with a weapon she can use with Weapon Finesse, adding her duelist level to her damage roll.

When making a precise strike, a duelist cannot attack with a weapon in her other hand or use a shield. A duelist can use a small shield, but this halves the damage bonus from precise strike.

Mobility

A duelist gains Mobility as a bonus feat at 3rdlevel. He need not fulfill the prerequisites of this feat.

Bonus Feats

At level 4, and every 4 levels thereafter, the duelists chooses a combat feat as a bonus feat. He needs to fulfill the prerequisites of these feats as normal.

Parry

When he or an adjacent ally is attacked in melee, a duelist can make a parry.

At 5h level a duelist learns to parry the attacks of other creatures, causing them to miss. To parry the attack, the duelist makes an attack roll at her best attack bonus. If her attack roll is greater than the roll of the attacking creature, the attack automatically misses. For each size category that the attacking creature is larger than the duelist, the duelist takes a –2 penalty on her attack roll. The duelist also takes a –2 penalty when attempting to parry an attack made against an adjacent ally. The duelist declares the use of this ability after the attack is rolled.

At 5th level, the duelist can parry one attack per round. For every 5 levels, the duelist can parry an additional attack each round.

On an turn after the duelist made a parry, she is staggered.

Riposte

When an attack the duelists parried misses, he can make an attack of opportunity on the attacker if he is within reach. It is possible to parry attacks that would otherwise have missed, just to trigger a riposte.

Cunning Opportunist

At 10th level, the duelist may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to his Intelligence bonus. This stacks with the benefits of Combat Reflexes.

Acrobatic Charge (Ex)

At 13th level, a duelist gains the ability to charge in situations where others cannot. He may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement. Depending on the circumstance, she may still need to make appropriate checks to successfully move over the terrain.

Aggressive Defense (Ex)

At 14th level and higher, if a duelist chooses to fight defensively or use total defense in melee combat, she can make an attack of opportunity against any opponent who misses her with a melee attack.

No Retreat (Ex)

At 17th level, enemies adjacent to the duelist that take a withdraw action provoke an attack of opportunity from the duelist.

Deflect Arrows

At 18th level, a duelist gains the benefit of the Deflect Arrows feat when using a weapon she can use with weapon finesse. The duelist does not need a free hand to use this feat.

Duelist Schools

These are the fighting schools available to duelists.

Agrippa

This school has an easy and relaxed style, using a one-handed weapon to attack and parry while keeping one hand free for tricks, feints, and flourishes. The free had is often used to hold a hat, scarf, handkerchief, glove or other accessory that is further used to distract the opponent.

• Level 2, Deceptive strike: At 2nd level, a duelist using agrippa gains a +1 bonus to CMB and CMD on disarm checks and on Bluff checks to feint or create a diversion to hide. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels after 2nd.
• Level 3, Weapon Bind (Ex): At 3rd level, a duelist using agrippa can trap his opponent’s weapon. This functions as a disarm combat maneuver, but the opponent does not actually lose his weapon, he merely cannot use it. This lasts until the beginning of the duelist's next turn or until they two combatants are no longer adjacent, whichever is sooner. Unlike a normal disarm, this does not trigger an attack of opportunity, and the duelist never loses his own weapon.
• Level 6, High Guard: At 6th level, a duelist using agrippa gains a +4 bonus on parries.
• Level 11, :
• Level 16, Reversal (Ex): At 16th level, a duelist using agrippa can make a disarm combat maneuver against his attacker when he is the target of a melee attack. If successful, the attack changes to target another creature in the target's reach. This replaces the normal result of a disarm.
• Level 20, Weapon Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, a duelist using agrippa improves his critical hits. Any attacks made with a weapon automatically confirm all critical threats and have their damage multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example). In addition, he cannot be disarmed.

Bonetti

This is a mobile style, with an emphasis on footwork and positioning to gain an advantage.

• Level 2, Agility (Ex): At 2nd level, a duelist using bonetti gains a +1 bonus on Acrobatics rolls and on saving throws made against effects that cause him to become paralyzed, slowed, or entangled. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd.
• Level 3, Armor training: Starting at 3rd level, a duelist using bonetti learns to be more maneuverable while wearing armor. Whenever he is wearing armor, he reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. Every five levels thereafter (8th, 13th, and 18th), these bonuses increase by +1 each time, to a maximum –4 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +4 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed.
• Level 6, Positioning: At 6th level, when a duelist using bonetti moves at least 5 feet prior to attacking, he gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls. This bonus increases by +1 for every five levels beyond 6th.
• Level 11, Rapid Attack (Ex): At 11th level, a duelist using bonetti can combine a full-attack action with a single move. He must forgo the attack at his highest bonus but may take the remaining attacks at any point during his movement. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.
• Level 16, : None
• Level 20, Whirlwind Blitz (Ex): At 20th level, a duelist using bonetti can make a full-attack action as a standard action. He may also use the Whirlwind Attack feat as a standard action (if he knows the feat).

Capo Ferro

In many ways the "standard" dueling school, capo ferro focuses on attack speed and devastating thrusts.

• Level 2, Improved Reaction (Ex): At 3rd level, a duelist using capo ferro gains a +1 bonus on initiative. This bonus increases by +1 every four levels after 3rd.
• Level 3, Armor training: Starting at 3rd level, a duelist using capo ferro learns to be more maneuverable while wearing armor. Whenever he is wearing armor, he reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. Every five levels thereafter (8th, 13th, and 18th), these bonuses increase by +1 each time, to a maximum –4 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +4 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed.
• Level 6, Weapon Training: At 6th level, a duelist using capo ferro gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls with piercing weapons. This bonus increases by +1 for every five levels beyond 6th.
• Level 11, Balestra: At 6th level, a duelist using capo ferro adds 5 ft. to his reach when attacking, but not for the purpose of threatening or attacks of opportunity. If you know the Lunge feat when you gain this ability, the two do not stack, but you have the option of retraining the Lunge feat for free.
• Level 16, : None.
• Level 20, Crippling Critical (Ex): When a duelist using capo ferro confirms a critical hit using a weapon he can use with weapon finesse, he can apply one of the following penalties in addition to the damage dealt: reduce all of the target's speeds by 10 feet (minimum 5 feet), 1d4 points of Strength or Dexterity damage, –4 penalty on all saving throws, –4 penalty to Armor Class, or 2d6 points of bleed damage. These penalties last for 1 minute, except for ability damage, which must be healed normally, and bleed damage, which continues until the target receives magic healing or a DC 15 Heal skill check.

Firentine

• Level 2, Defensive Cross (Ex): At 3rd level, a duelist using firentine can use canny defense when attacking with a light weapon in his off-hand.
• Level 3, Doublestrike (Ex): At 3rd level, a duelist using firentine may, as a standard action, make one attack with both his primary and secondary weapons. The penalties for attacking with two weapons apply normally.
• Level 6, Twin Blades (Ex): At 5th level, a duelist using firentine gains a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls when attacking with two weapons. This bonus increases by +1 for every five levels after 6th. Note that this does not combine with precise strike.
• Level 11, : At 11th level, when a duelist using firentine makes an attack of opportunity, he may attack once with both his primary and secondary weapons. The penalties for attacking with two weapons apply normally.
• Level 16, : None
• Level 20, Deadly Defense (Ex): At 20th level, when a two-weapon warrior makes a full-attack with both weapons, every creature that hits him with a melee attack before the beginning of his next turn provokes an attack of opportunity from the warrior.

Hard Knocks

• Level 2, Dirty Maneuvers: At 2nd level, a hard knocks duelist becomes skilled at deceiving and discomfiting his opponents. The cad gains a +1 bonus on disarm, dirty trick, and steal combat maneuver checks. The cad also gains a +1 bonus to CMD when attacked with the disarm, dirty trick, and steal combat maneuvers. These bonuses increase by 1 for every four levels after 2nd (to a maximum of +5 at 18th level).
• Level 3, Razor-Sharp Chair Leg (Ex): At 6th level, as a swift action, a a hard knocks duelist may alter the type of damage dealt by an improvised weapon to bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. In addition, the cad has a critical threat range of 19–20/×2 with any improvised melee weapon. A light improvised weapon doing piercing damage this way can be used with precise strike. He is also considered to be armed when using improvised weapons, and is proficient in their use.
• Level 6, Payback (Ex): At 6th level, a hard knocks duelist gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls against any creature that has attacked the cad in the last minute. This bonus increases by +1 for every five levels beyond 5th (to a maximum of +5 at 20th level).
• Level 11, Deadly Surprise (Ex): At 11th level, when a hard knocks duelist hits an opponent that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC against him with a weapon or unarmed attack, he may attempt a dirty trick combat maneuver as an immediate action as part of the attack.
• Level 16, Treacherous Blow (Ex): At 15th level, when a hard knocks duelist confirms a critical hit, he can attempt a dirty trick combat maneuver as part of that attack as an immediate action.
• Level 20, Ultimate Payback (Ex): At 20th level, any critical threats a hard knocks duelist makes against an opponent that has attacked him in the last minute are automatically confirmed.

Tibault

• Level 2, :
• Level 3, :
• Level 6, :
• Level 11, :
• Level 16, :
• Level 20, :

Traditional

• Level 2, :
• Level 3, :
• Level 6, :
• Level 11, :
• Level 16, :
• Level 20, :

Table: Duelist

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Nature bond, nature sense, orisons, wild empathy	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Archery style feat, woodland stride	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Trackless step	4	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Resist nature's lure	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Mystic spellstrike	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Archery style feat	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Duelisty	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6		4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	Venom immunity	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	Archery style feat	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+7	Seeker arrow	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8		4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Imbue arrow	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+9	Archery style feat	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9	Timeless body	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10		4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Hail of arrows	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Archery style feat	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Phase arrow	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Arrow of death	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4