Witch Blade (Fighter/Witch)

Warriors rely on their sword arm to solve whatever conflict they may face, though there are some who have been gifted with a keen mind and propensity for greater learning. These knowledgeable warriors can often be found serving as councilors of war, tacticians, even a battle mages, in an attempt to nurture their malnourished intellectual capacities. However, even among these, there are those with a predisposition for what is seen as the forbidden arts–the powers of soothsaying, foretelling, and witchcraft. Viewed as pariahs among their peers, these witch blades give their life in service to fell powers in the service of a great witch and her coven. Witch blades offer their loyalty to a particular patron, sacrificing a portion of his martial training. In turn, they gain mystical powers that allow them to cast a small number of spells and enhance their prowess in battle. It is only a warrior with nothing to lose, or one with a powerful sense of self that seeks the path of a witch blade, for it brands them ever after as a pariah, an outcast of normal society. (Original Concept by Elghinn Lightbringer)

Primary Class: Fighter.

Secondary Class: Witch.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

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

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The witch blade is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light and medium, and with shields (except for tower shields). A witch blade can cast witch spells while wearing light and medium armor or using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a witch blade wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass witch blade still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Athame Bond (Sp): At 1st level, a witch blade forms a close bond with his weapon. This weapon, called an athame, must be chosen from the heavy blade or light blade fighter weapon groups. The athame is of masterwork quality, semi-sentient, and functions like a witch’s familiar, serving as a vessel for the witch blade’s witch spells and a conduit for communication with his patron. Just as a witch must commune with her familiar to learn her spells, a witch blade must commune with his athame each day to prepare his spells. Athames store all of the spells that a witch blade knows, and a witch blade cannot prepare a spell that is not stored by his athame. The athame stores all of his witch spells that the witch blade knows and cannot cast any spell that is not stored within it. If a witch blade fails to commune with his athame, he may not cast any spells until he has done so. A witch blade adds his patron spells to his athame at the indicated level, as shown on Table: Witch Blade. A witch blade cannot learn spells from another athame.

An athame has an equivalent Intelligence score as a familiar of a witch equal to the witch blade’s level, and starts with Common as its language. As its intelligence increases, it gains bonus languages as normal. The primary purpose of the athame’s sentience is to allow communion between the witch blade and his athame. The athame also has the Alertness, empathic link, store spells, deliver touch spells, speak with master, and the speak with animals of its kind special abilities, though this only applies to other sentient weapons. It does not have the natural armor adjustment, spell resistance, or the scry on familiar abilities.

A witch blade can add magic abiliti