Spellsword (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

The spellsword is a warrior who is also a minor arcane spellcaster. He focuses on using magic outside of combat, complimenting his fighting skills with minor spellcasting abilities and a deep theoretical understanding of arcane magic. This makes him able to create and use scrolls and other magic items to cast spells in a deliberate, planned manner.

Class Information

This is a multiclass archetype.

Primary Class: Fighter.

Secondary Class: Magus.

The spellsword has all the class features of the primary class except as noted here. A spellsword cannot multiclass as a either the primary or secondary class, or with any of their subclasses, combination classes, or multiclass archetypes.

Age: The spellsword is an educated class and uses the oldest starting age bracket.

Alignment: Any

Hit dice: d10

Class Skills

Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Any) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill points per level: 2 + Int bonus

Class features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Spellswords are proficient with all simple and martial melee weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields). A spellsword can cast magus spells from the spellsword spell list while wearing armor and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. A multiclass spellsword still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Spells

A spellsword casts arcane spells drawn from the magus spell list, but only up to the 4th level of spells. A spellsword has no access to magus spells of level 5 or higher, such spells are not considered to be on his spell list for any purpose, precluding him from using spell trigger and spell completion items based on those spells. (See magic theorist below for exceptions to this.) A spellsword must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time. The spellsword only begins with the ability to cast cantrips, but is a spellcaster from level 1 and has a caster level equal to his spellsword level.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the spellsword must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a spellsword's spell is 10 + the spell level + the spellsword's Intelligence modifier.

A spellsword can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Spellsword. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells). When Table: Spellsword indicates that the spellsword gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

A spellsword may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the spellsword decides which spells to prepare.

Spellbooks: A spellsword must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. At 1st level a spellsword gains a spellbook containing all level zero masgus spells. At 4th level the spellsword adds three 1st-level spells of his choice to his spellbook. The spellsword also selects a number of additional 1st-level magus spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook at this time. At each new spellsword level after the fourth, he gains one spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new spellsword level) for his spellbook.

At any time, a spellsword can also add spells of level 1 or greater found in other spellbooks to his own. A spellsword can learn spells from a wizard’s spellbook, just as a wizard can from a spellsword’s spellbook. The spells learned must be on the magus spell list. A spellsword cannot learn spells from an alchemist's formula book.

A spellsword can also use others' spellbooks to make magic items based on spells he has not recorded in his own spellbook, see spellbook mastery below.

Cantrips

Spellswords can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Spellsword under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. A spellsword has a caster level equal to his spellsword level.

Magic Theorist

A spellsword has a deep understanding of the theories of magic. All spells from the magus and sorcerer/wizard spell list are assumed to be on the spellsword's spell list for the purpose of using spell trigger and spell completion items.

Scribe Scroll

The spellsword gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat at 2nd level.

Spellbook Mastery

At third level, a spellsword can use a sorcerer/wizard spell from a spellbook he owns as a prerequisite for creating a magic item. This need not be his own spell book or a spell he knows or is capable of casting. As long as the spell in question has been deciphered (using Spellcraft or read magic), the spellsword can use the spellbook to satisfy prerequisites for creating magic items.

Note that this and Scribe Scroll gives the spellsword a sort of ritual magic; by scribing a scroll of a high-level spell, he can make that spell available for a single use.

At 9th level the spellsword can use a spellbook and points from his magic pool to cast sorcerer/wizard spells. Doing this takes one minute (or longer if the spell's casting time is longer) and costs a number of points from the arcane pool equal to the spell's level. The level of the spell can be no higher than half the spellsword's class level. At 16th level the minimum casting time for a spell cast like this is reduced to one round. The spellsword must have the spellbook he is using in hand to cast spells like this.

Bonus Feats

At 3rd level a spellsword can learn fighter-only feats and gains a bonus feat, either a combat feat or an item creation feat. He must meet the prerequisites of the feat as normal. Every eight levels thereafter a spellsword can choose another bonus feat.

Somatic Weapon (Ex)

At 4th level, a spellsword can use a melee weapons as part of the somatic components of his spells. He no longer needs a free hand to cast spells with somatic conditions as long as he is wielding a melee weapon.

Arcane Pool (Su)

At 5th level, a spellsword gains the magus’s arcane pool ability, except that the spellsword can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute, plus an additional +1 enhancement bonus every four levels beyond 1st, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level.

Lighten Armor (Su)

A 6th level spellsword can expend one point from his arcane pool as a swift action to lighten his armor and load for 10 minutes. This reduces the armor check penalty of his armor/encumbrance by one and increases the maximum dexterity bonus by one. This reduction improves by 1 for every four levels beyond 6th, up to a maximum reduction of 4 at 18th level.

In addition, a spellsword using lighten armor can move at his normal speed while wearing medium armor or carrying medium encumbrance. At 10th level, a spellsword can move at his normal speed with heavy armor/encumbrance.

Spellsword Specials

At 7th level, a spellsword’s expertise manifests in the form of special bonus feats. Once a spellsword selects a spellsword special, it cannot be changed. He can choose from the following initial list of combat feats, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites: Charge Through, Combat Patrol, Divert Harm, Kirin Style, Spring Attack, and Whirlwind Attack. At 15th level, he selects another spellsword special and adds Awesome Blow, Dreadful Carnage, and Impaling Critical to the list.

Spellstrike (Su)

At 8th level, a spellsword gains the magus’s spellstrike ability.

Spellsword Shift (Su)

At 12th level, a spellsword can spend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to move up to his speed. This is a normal movement and is subject to attacks of opportunity.

Quick Casting (Su)

At 13th level, a spellsword can spend points from his arcane pool to cast any magus spell he has prepared as if he had used the Quicken Spell metamagic feat. This expends a number of points from his arcane pool equal to the level of the spell and does not increase the spell slot required to cast the spell.

Spellsword Jaunt (Su)

At 17th level, the spellsword can spend 1 point from his arcane pool to teleport with a range equal to his speed, but he must have line of sight and line of effect to the target spot.

True Spellsword (Su)

At 20th level, whenever a spellsword uses weapon somatics, he does not need to make a concentration check to cast spells defensively. In addition, when using spellbook mastery to cast a sorcerer/wizard spell from a scroll of another spellcaster’s spellbook, the number of points he needs to expend to cast the spell is equal to half the level of the spell (rounded up).

Table: Spellsword

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						0	1	2	3	4
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Cantrips, magic theorist	2	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Scribe scroll, spellbook mastery	3	—	—	—	—
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Bonus feat	3	—	—	—	—
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Somatic weapon	3	0	—	—	—
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Arcane pool	3	1	—	—	—
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Armor optimization (medium)	4	1	—	—	—
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	Spellsword special	4	1	0	—	—
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Spellstrike	4	1	1	—	—
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Spellbook mastery (1 minute)	4	2	1	—	—
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	Armor optimization (heavy)	4	2	1	0	—
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Bonus feat	4	2	1	1	—
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Spellsword shift	4	2	2	1	—
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	Quick casting	4	3	2	1	0
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Armor optimization	4	3	2	1	1
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Spellsword special	4	3	2	2	1
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Spellbook mastery (round)	4	3	3	2	1
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Spellsword jaunt	4	4	3	2	1
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Armor optimization	4	4	3	2	2
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Bonus feat	4	4	3	3	2
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Master spellsword	4	4	4	3	3