Bloodborn Magus (Magus/Sorcerer)

Although most magi develop their magical talents through years of study, there are those who are simply born with the gift of magic. These bloodborn magi instead dedicate their time to learning how to harness and perfect the magical talents within their blood, often sacrificing their skills with the blade. Having great confidence from their blood-fuelled magic, bloodborn magi are often intimidating foes or cunning diplomats. Still, they are formidable foes that surge with arcane energies and can dominate the battlefield. (Original Concept by Alfray Stryke)

Primary Class: Magus.

Secondary Class: Sorcerer.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

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

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

Spellcasting: The bloodborn magus casts arcane spell drawn from the magus spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a bloodborn magus must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class (DC) for a saving throw against a bloodborn magus’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the bloodborn magus’s Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a bloodborn magus can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Bloodborn Magus Spells per Day. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.

The bloodborn magus’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A bloodborn magus begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the bloodborn magus’s choice. At each new bloodborn magus level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Bloodborn Magus Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a bloodborn magus knows is not affected by his Charisma score.)

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third bloodborn magus level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a bloodborn magus can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the bloodborn magus “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level magus spell the bloodborn magus can cast. A bloodborn magus may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

A bloodborn magus need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.

Blood Pool (Su): This is exactly like the magus’s arcane pool, except that the bloodborn magus removes the dancing and vorpal weapon properties from his list and adds nullifying and spell stealing weapon properties.

In addition, a bloodborn magus can use his blood pool to fuel his bloodline powers. At 1st level, instead of enhancing his weapon, a bloodborn magus can spend 1 point from his arcane pool to either gain one use of his first bloodline power (up to its maximum uses per day), or gain its effects for 1 minute. As the bloodborn magus gains experience, he gains access to more of his bloodline powers.

At 5th level, a bloodborn magus can spend 2 points from his blood pool to gain his second bloodline power for 1 minute. At 11th level, he can spend 3 points from his blood pool to gain his third bloodline power for 1 minute. At 17th level, he can spend 4 points from his blood pool to gain his fourth bloodline power for 1 minute. If any of these subsequent bloodline powers have uses per day, he gains one use of the bloodline power up to its maximum uses per day instead. This ability replaces arcane pool and knowledge pool.

Bloodline: At 1st level, a bloodborn magus gains the sorcerer’s bloodline ability and adds his bloodline skill to his list of class skills.

Bloodstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a bloodborn magus casts a bloodline spell with a range of “touch”, or gains a bloodline power through his blood pool that affects a single opponent, he can deliver the spell or power through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell or the standard action to use a bloodline power), a bloodborn magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell or activating the power. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell or the power. If the bloodborn 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 weapon’s critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 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 weapon damage uses its own critical modifier. This ability otherwise functions and replaces spellstrike.

Eschew Materials: A bloodborn magus gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level.

Force of Personality: Unlike other magi, a bloodborn magus uses his Charisma to determine the effects of his class features instead of his Intelligence.

Magus Arcana: This is exactly like the magus ability of the same name, except that a bloodborn magus gains his bloodline arcana as his 3rd level magus arcana.

Arcane Surge (Su): At 4th level, the bloodborn magus learns to use his blood pool to power his spellcasting. As a swift action he can gain an extra spell slot by expending a number of points from his arcane pool equal to the level of the spell slot (minimum 1). This spell slot lasts until it is used to cast a spell or the magus refreshes his spells per day. This replaces spell recall.

Bloodline Spells: At 4th level and every three levels thereafter (7th, 10th, and so on) the bloodline magus adds his bloodline spells to his spells known, up to his 6th–level bloodline spell. These spells are cast as if they were magus spells for the purposes of all other class features. This replaces greater spell access.

Bonus Feats: This is exactly like the magus ability of the same name, except that the bloodborn magus can also choose a bonus feat from his bloodline feats.

Greater Arcane Surge (Su): At 11th level, the bloodborn magus’s ability to gain extra spell slots using his blood pool becomes more efficient. Whenever he gains an extra spell slot with arcane surge, he expends a number of points from his arcane pool equal to 1/2 the spell’s level (minimum 1). In addition he may use this extra spell slot to cast a spell, of the same level, from the magus spell list that he does not know by expending a number of points from his arcane pool equal to the spell’s level (minimum 1). The bloodborn magus cannot apply any metamagic feats to this spell. This replaces improved spell recall.

Blood of the Magi (Su): At 20th level, a bloodborn magus can cast either his 7th–, 8th–, or 9th–level bloodline once per day as a spell-like ability. The bloodborn magus must provide any expensive material components required to cast the spells as normal. In addition, the bloodborn magus permanently gains the use of his first bloodline power (as described in his bloodline), and is no longer required to spend blood points to activate it. This ability replaces true magus and heavy armor.

Table: Bloodborn Magus

Table: Bloodborn Magus Spells Known