Runeforged Warrior (Fighter/Magus)

Fighters are often skilled smiths and crafters, in addition to their martial trade. The runeforged warrior takes this trade a step further, enhancing both his craft and his fighting with a flare of arcane might. With the ability to craft and enhance his own equipment, the runeforged warrior takes on the battlefield fully prepared every time. (Original Concept by Iorthol)

Primary Class: Fighter.

Secondary Class: Magus.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d10.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The runeforged warrior may select three magus skills to add to his class skills in addition to the normal fighter class skills. The runeforged warrior gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The runeforged warrior is proficient with simple and martial weapons, with light and medium armor, but not with shields. He can cast runeforged warrior spells while wearing light and medium armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a runeforged warrior wearing heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass runeforged warrior still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Bonded Weapon (Sp): At 1st level, the runeforged warrior begins play with one bonded weapon at no cost. The bonded weapon must be a melee weapon the runeforged warrior is proficient with. This weapon is of masterwork quality, and is not made of any special materials. A runeforged warrior cannot cast spells without his bonded weapon in hand.

Starting at 5th level, a bonded weapon can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the runeforged warrior has scribed onto his bonded weapon (see Rune Scribing below) and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the runeforged warrior, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the runeforged warrior's level. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities.

A runeforged warrior can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if he has the required Item Creation Feats and if he meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a runeforged warrior with a bonded dagger must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat). The magic properties of a bonded weapon, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the runeforged warrior who owns it. If a bonded weapon's owner dies, or the item is replaced, the weapon reverts to being an ordinary masterwork weapon of the appropriate type.

If a bonded weapon is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the runeforged warrior prepares his spells. If the weapon is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per runeforged warrior level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous bonded weapon. A runeforged warrior can designate an existing magic item as his bonded item. This functions in the same way as replacing a lost or destroyed item except that the new magic item retains its abilities while gaining the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a bonded weapon.

Arcane Pool (Su): At 1st level, the runeforged warrior gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that he can draw upon to fuel his powers and enhance his weapon. This arcane pool has a number of points equal to 1/2 his runeforged warrior level (minimum 1) + his Intelligence modifier. The pool refreshes once per day after the runeforged warrior sleepsand meditates for 1 hour. When he later gains spellcasting, the pool refreshes when he prepares his spells for the day.

At 1st level, a runeforged warrior can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant his bonded weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability on the same weapon do not stack with themselves. It costs 2 points to grant these bonuses to weapons other than his bonded weapon.

At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal.

Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These properties are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. These bonuses and properties are decided when the arcane pool point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the runeforged warrior uses this ability. These bonuses do not function if the weapon is wielded by anyone other than the runeforged warrior.

Unlike a magus, a runeforged warrior can enhance up to two weapons in this way at one time, one of which must be his bonded weapon. If he uses this ability again, one of the two uses immediately ends. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 1st level.

Bonus Feats: this is exactly like the fighter ability of the same name, except that the runeforged warrior gains a bonus feat at 2nd level and at every four level thereafter. At 6th level, he may select item creation feats in addition to the normal combat feats.

Master Smith (Ex): At 3rd level, when using Craft (armor) or Craft (weapons) to create mundane armor, shields, and weapons, a runeforged warrior gains a competence bonus equal to his runeforged warrior level on the Craft (armor) or Craft (weapons) check. A runeforged warrior can use Craft (armor) or Craft (weapons) to identify magical armor or weapon properties as if using detect magic. He must hold the armor or weapon for 1 round to make such a check. In addition, a runeforged warrior gains the Master Craftsman feat even if he does not meet the requirements.

At 9th level, a runeforged warrior uses the 1/10 gp value of armor, shields, and weapons to determine how much time it takes to craft mundane items, and he requires only half the normal amount of time to enchant magical arms and armor. This ability replaces armor training 1 and weapon training 2.

Magus Arcana: At 4th level and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, and so on), a runeforged warrior can choose to learn a magus arcana, using his runeforged warrior as his magus level. This ability replaces the bonus feats gained at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level.

Rune Scribing: Starting at 5th level, a runeforged warrior gains the ability to scribe runes of power onto his bonded weapon, allowing him to cast a limited number of spells per day drawn from the magus spell list. The runeforged warrior's bonded weapon acts as his spellbook, but he does not learn spells in the normal manner. Instead of learning spells like a magus, the runeforged warrior creates magical etching acids from the ashes of the scrolls of spells he wishes to learn. The process of creating a magical acid and scribing the appropriate rune onto his bonded weapon requires 1 hour per level of the spell. Only magus spells with a range of “personal” or “touch” can be learned in this way.

At 5th level, a runeforged warrior gains one 1st-level spell slot in which to cast his 1st-level spells, in addition the bonus spell provided by his bonded weapon. At 9th level and every four levels thereafter, he gains one spell slot of each subsequent level up to 4th-level spells at 17th level. A runeforged warrior also gains additional spells per day for a high Intelligence score. A runeforged warrior can scribe detect magic and read magic onto his bonded weapon as 1st-level spells.

While a runeforged warrior must always use the method described above to scribe spells onto his bonded weapon, he can use the pages from a magus’s or wizard’s spellbook with the desired spell written upon them in place of a scroll. The pages are consumed in the acid creation process just as if the spell were cast directly from the spellbook. A runeforged warrior cannot scribe spells from an alchemist’s formulae book. However, a magus, wizard, or alchemist can learn any spell scribed onto a runeforged warrior’s bonded weapon into their spellbook or formulae book as long as the spell is on their class spell list or formulae list. Learning these runes is more difficult than learning spells from typical sources. The DC for a magus, wizard, or alchemist to copy spells from a bonded weapon into a spellbook or formulae book increases by 5.

Since the space on a bonded weapon is limited, a runeforged warrior can only have a certain number of spells scribed onto his weapon at any one time. A runeforged warrior can scribe any spell he desires onto his bonded weapon, but cannot exceed a the maximum of six 1st-level spells, four 2nd-level spells, three 3rd-level spells, and two 4th-level spells. A runeforged warrior otherwise prepares and casts spells as a magus equal to his runeforged warrior level.

Through 4th level, a runeforged warrior has no caster level. At 5th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his runeforged warrior level –3. This ability replaces bravery.

Spellstrike (Su): At 5th level, a runeforged warrior gains the magus’s spellstrike ability. This ability replaces weapon training 1.

Armor Training: Starting at 7th level, a runeforged warrior 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. At level 11th and 15th level, these bonuses increase by +1, to a maximum –3 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +3 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed.

In addition, a runeforged warrior can also move at his normal speed while wearing medium armor.

Reforge (Su): At 13th level, as a standard action, a runeforged warrior can restore a number of hit points equal to his runeforged warrior level to a damaged object by touching it and spending 1 point from his arcane pool. Repairing a destroyed object takes 1 minute and materials equal to 1/4 the item’s sale value, and restores the object to 1 hit point.

Restoring the enchantments of a destroyed magical item requires additional points from the runeforged warrior’s arcane pool equal to the item’s caster level. The runeforged warrior gains one temporary negative level if the item’s caster level is lower than his own, two negative levels if equal or greater (or none if the item is his bonded weapon); the save DC to remove these negative levels is equal to 10 + the item’s caster level. This ability replaces weapon training 3.

Destructive Counterstrike (Su): At 17th level, if an opponent activates a magical item while threatened by a runeforged warrior, the opponent provokes an attack of opportunity from the runeforged warrior, even if activating it would not normally provoke an attack of opportunity.

Alternatively, the runeforged warrior can choose to make a sunder attempt against the item instead of making the attack of opportunity against the opponent. If the item is destroyed, its effects are negated. This ability replaces weapon training 4.

Armor Mastery (Ex): At 19th level, a runeforged warrior gains Damage Reduction 5/— whenever he is wearing armor.

Bonded Weapon Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, a runeforged warrior automatically confirms all critical threats and has their damage multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example) when using his bonded weapon. In addition, he cannot be disarmed while wielding his bonded weapon.

NEW MAGUS ARCANA

The following new magus arcana is restricted to the Runeforged Warrior multiclass archetype.

Fortify Bond

A runeforged warrior can make his bonded weapon more durable and resilient to damage.

Prerequisites: Runeforged Warrior 3, Bonded Weapon weapon class feature.

Benefits: A runeforged warrior may spend 1 point from his arcane pool to increase the hardness and hit points of his bonded weapon by an amount equal to his runeforged warrior level. These hit points last until expended or until the runeforged warrior next refreshes his arcane pool. Multiple uses of this ability overlap and do not stack.

Table: Runeforged Warrior