User:DanielDraco/Mystic Knight (3.5e Class)

Summary::Ever wanted to play a gish that neither sucks nor is overpowered? Here you go. Length::20 Minimum Level::1 Base Attack Bonus Progression::Good Fortitude Save Progression::Good Reflex Save Progression::Good Will Save Progression::Good Class Ability::Invocations Class Ability Progression::Full

Allowed Alignments::Lawful Good Allowed Alignments::Lawful Neutral Allowed Alignments::Lawful Evil Allowed Alignments::Neutral Good Allowed Alignments::Neutral Allowed Alignments::Neutral Evil Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Good Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Neutral Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Evil

Mystic Knight
Traditionally, the path of steel and the path of spell are seen as discrete disciplines. Certainly one can study both, but attempts to truly synergize the two are often sloppy at best. Duskblades try to use magic the same as would a wizard, and a sword the same as would a fighter; the little overlap that they achieve in the two studies is unreliable and infrequent. Mystic Knights understand that you can't just use both side-by-side; you must combine them.

Making a Mystic Knight
Mystic Knights best serve a role somewhere between the tank and the battlefield controller; they can lay the smackdown fairly effectively, and deal out impeding magical effects while they do so. They are also highly effective mage slayers, using Leap Through Aether to close the distance, then Disarm Spell and Arcane Riposte to effectively shut the spellcaster down.

Abilities: As with all fighter-types, Mystic Knights rely heavily on physical ability scores (to differing degrees depending on fighting style). They should not neglect Charisma, however, because it drives their magical talent.

Races: With their dual traditions of martial and magical skill, High Elves are very likely to pursue the path of the Mystic Knight. However, any race that holds both steel and spell in high regard is likely to have some Mystic Knights.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 5d6&times;10 gp (175 gp).

Starting Age: Complex.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Mystic Knight.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Mystic Knight is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

 : Mystic Knights are not spellcasters per se, but they are capable of delivering powerful magic through their attacks. Once per round, a Mystic Knight may declare any weapon attack she makes against a single creature a spellsmite (including unarmed strikes and attacks with natural weapons, but not weapon-like spells). A spellsmite functions exactly as the attack normally would, and it carries a spell which, if the attack is successful, takes effect on the target of the attack. If the spell offers a save, the struck target receives a -4 penalty to it. If the spell allows multiple saves, the struck target receives the penalty only to the first one. If the spell is targeted and takes multiple targets, the Mystic Knight can designate those as normal for the spell, but only the one struck by the spellsmite attack (who must, if applicable, be the initial target) receives the save penalty. An area effect can be placed as normal, but the struck target must lie somewhere within the affected area, and any areas normally measured by their radius (except cylinders) become cones with a length equal to double their normal radius. A spell that normally requires a touch attack no longer needs one; that necessity is subsumed by the attack roll with the weapon. Using a spellsmite does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Spellsmites are given per-day slots (as shown on Table: The Mystic Knight) which work similarly to the per-day slots that a Sorcerer uses for his spells. Save DCs are equal to 10 + spell level (as listed below) + Cha modifier, and a Mystic Knight needs a Charisma score of 10 + spell level to use a spellsmite. The caster level of a spellsmite is equal to the Mystic Knight's class level. However, for all their similarities to spells, they are still spell-like abilities, not spells &mdash; metamagic cannot be applied to them, they do not have components, they do not gain additional slots from a high Charisma score, etc. A Mystic Knight need not choose spellsmites known; all spellsmites of levels that she can use are available. The spellsmites available at each level are as follows:

1st — Flare, Touch of Fatigue, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shatter, Faerie Fire, Obscuring Mist, Doom

2nd — Acid Arrow, Fog Cloud, Web, Touch of Idiocy, Gust of Wind

3rd — Crushing Despair, Contagion, Dispel Magic, Sleet Storm, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Vampiric Touch

4th — Solid Fog, Ice Storm, Shout, Blight, Dimensional Anchor, Black Tentacles, Cone of Cold, Greater Dispel Magic, Chain Lightning

5th — Acid Fog, Irresistible Dance, Greater Shout, Reverse Gravity, Polar Ray, Horrid Wilting

 : Once her magic takes hold of an enemy, a Mystic Knight of 2nd level or higher can bring it forth when she strikes again, igniting the latent energy into physical damage. When performing a spellsmite against any foe suffering an ongoing effect of another spellsmite, a Mystic Knight deals additional weapon damage equal to the spellsmite's caster level. Ongoing effects which are merely the consequence of remaining within an area (such as impeded vision from fog cloud) do not count. This damage is never multiplied.

These bonus feats must be drawn from the feats noted as fighter bonus feats. A Mystic Knight must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

 : Mystic Knights have a unique style of swordplay; they certainly do parry, but it's more often done with magic than with metal. At 4th level, a Mystic Knight gains a deflection bonus to AC equal to her Charisma bonus (if any).

 : Whenever a Mystic Knight of at least 6th level deals damage to an enemy with a manufactured weapon, natural weapon, or unarmed strike, the enemy's spell resistance is reduced by one. This is treated for all purposes as ability score damage, but regains and heals at double the normal rate. The Mystic Knight can only remove as many points of SR per round as she has iterative attacks.

 : Casting a spell upon someone creates a bridge in the aether between caster and target. Mystic Knights incorporate their understanding of this link into their tactical movements, and have learned to cross the bridge left behind by a failed spell. When a Mystic Knight of 8th level succeeds on a save against a spell or spell-like ability, she may as an immediate action produce a dimension door effect (on herself and her carried equipment only) at a caster level equal to character level. The Mystic Knight must know who or what produced the spell effect, and she may only target a space immediately adjacent to the effect's originator (unless the originator is of a different enough size category that the two may occupy the same space, in which case the Mystic Knight may target any of the originator's spaces). She must have line of sight and line of effect both to the originator of the effect and to the target space, and the target space must be within range of the dimension door.

 : Beginning at 10th level, a Mystic Knight can temporarily grant magical power to one weapon that she wields. As a move action, a Mystic Knight may spend an unused spellsmite slot to grant the weapon a special ability, enhancement bonus, or combination thereof with a total bonus value equal to the level of the slot expended. Enhancement bonuses from this ability stack with other enhancement bonuses to the weapon, to a maximum total of +5. Only one instance of this ability can be active on any given weapon at a time. This effect lasts for one minute.

 : Beginning at 12th level, a Mystic Knight's understanding of swordplay and magic have become so perfectly meshed that she can actually disarm a spell from a spellcaster's hands. When a creature in reach casts a spell or uses a spell-like ability, the Mystic Knight may use an immediate action to try to disarm and steal the spell. The Mystic Knight rolls an attack roll opposed by the enemy's 1d20 + CL + spell level + casting ability modifier. If the Mystic Knight wins the opposed roll, the spell is not cast (though any spell slots or limited uses are still expended as if it had been), and the Mystic Knight gains that spell or ability as a spell-like ability, usable only once at the same spell level as that at which it would have been cast. This spell-like ability is lost if not used within one hour, and still requires any focuses, expensive materials, or XP that the spell or ability would have required. If the Mystic Knight fails the opposed roll, follow the normal rules for failing a disarm check. These opposed checks may each be voluntarily failed.

 : The boundaries between the physical and the magical are, by a Mystic Knight's reckoning, largely imaginary; there is no reason that a field of magical power shouldn't exert a physical force. When a Mystic Knight of 14th level produces a cone effect with a spellsmite, she may elect to push back all creatures that fail their saves against the spellsmite. Each creature is pushed back a number of squares equal to the level of the spellsmite. If the spellsmite does not normally offer a save, it now offers a Reflex save, but only for this effect. The decision to use this effect is made before saves are rolled, and the Mystic Knight must either subject all creatures in the area to the knockback, or none of them; she cannot individually select them.

 : A 16th-level Mystic Knight knows how to channel magical effects through weapons &mdash; and not just her weapons. When an enemy's melee weapon attack or unarmed strike against her (but not weapon-like spell) fails to hit, a Mystic Knight may as an immediate action send a spellsmite effect through the weapon. This is treated as a normal spellsmite, except that it is not accompanied by a weapon attack (and thus does not require an attack roll) and must target the foe whose attack triggered this response. It uses a slot one level higher than normal. Because it is not accompanied by a weapon attack, Backlash does not gain bonus damage from Mana Siege.

 : After an 18th-level Mystic Knight succeeds on a save against a spell or spell-like ability, she may as an immediate action turn the spell back upon its caster, as spell turning.

 : A 20th-level Mystic Knight is capable of maintaining a spellsmite through a series of attacks, rather than just one. Once per day, she may as a free action select any one spellsmite effect and apply it to every attack she makes for 1 round. During this round, she can also designate one of these attacks to be a spellsmite as normal; that one attack will carry both the Lingering Magic effect and the normal spellsmite.

Epic Mystic Knight
'Note: It is this author's opinion that the epic rule set is unusable as written, and that an alternative such as E20 should be used. This section is included for completeness only.'

Spellsmite: The epic Mystic Knight's caster level is equal to her class level. Save DCs continue to be equal to 10 + 1/2 character level + Charisma modifier. At Xth level and every Y levels thereafter, she gains another spellsmite known of any level she can use.

She must meet all prerequisites for these feats.

Human Mystic Knight Starting Package
Weapons: Falchion.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Feat: <-1st-level feat selection->.

Bonus Feats: <-1st-level feat bonus feats due to class or sample race. remove this section if this sample doesn't get any bonus feats at 1st level. ->.

Gear: <-Starting armor and other equipment outside of weapons.->.

Gold: <-Starting gold using this package.->.