Prestige Classes

ARCANE DUELIST

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements

To qualify to become an arcane duelist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Arcane Spellcasting Ability Modifier: no less than +4.

Skills: Spellcraft 12 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 10 ranks.

Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Spellcraft).

Special: The character must have single-handedly defeated an opposing spellcaster of equal or greater level, using only magic.

Class Skills

The duelist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (alchemy) (Int), Knowledge (arcana/religion/the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Arcane Duelist

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Arcane duelists gain no weapon or armor proficiency.

Spells per Day: Every other arcane duelist level gained, the character gains spells per day of spell levels that he can already cast from, as if he had also gained a level in one arcane spellcasting class. He does not, however, gain the ability to cast any higher level spells, new spells, or any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class in which he could cast, he must decide to which class he adds each level of arcane duelist for the purpose of determining spells per day.  (For example, a wizard 9/arcane duelist 2 is limited to casting spells of 5th level and lower.  However, he determines the number of these lower level spells as though he were an 11th level wizard.)

Canny Defense (Ex): When not wearing armor or using a shield, an arcane duelist adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per class level to his Dexterity bonus to modify Armor Class. If an arcane duelist is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied his Dexterity bonus, he also loses this bonus.

Improved Reaction (Ex): At 2nd level, an arcane duelist gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks.  Every six class levels thereafter, the bonus increases by +2.  This bonus stacks with all others, including the benefit provided by the Improved Initiative feat.

Fast Movement (Ex): When wearing no armor and not using a shield, an arcane duelist of at least 3rd level gains +10 feet to his base land speed.

Grace (Ex): At 4th level, an arcane duelist gains an additional competence bonus on all Reflex saving throws equal to half his class levels. This ability functions only when he is wearing no armor and not using a shield.

Precise Spell (Ex): At 5th level, an arcane duelist gains the ability to strike precisely with ranged touch spells, which deal extra damage and have increased DC equal to arcane duelist level.  The damage is of appropriate type for the spell.  If the spell normally deals no damage, it does not benefit from Precise Spell.

An arcane duelist’s precise spell only works against creatures with discernible anatomies. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to precise spell, and any item or ability that protects a creature from critical hits also protects a creature from this bonus damage.

Evasion (Ex): At 6th level and higher, an arcane duelist can avoid magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the arcane duelist is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless arcane duelist does not gain the benefit of evasion.  If the arcane duelist has evasion from some other source, he instead gains Improved Evasion.

Spell Parry (Ex): At 7th level and higher, if an arcane duelist readies an action to counterspell an opponent's spell, he gains a bonus to the involved Spellcraft check equal to the number of arcane duelist levels he has.

Deflect Arrows: At 9th level, an arcane duelist gains the benefit of the Deflect Arrows feat when empty-handed or holding a staff.  If he already has the Deflect Arrows feat, he gains the ability to use it against a second missile.

Arcane Shield (Su): The arcane duelist gains the ability to divert arcane spell energy into a barrier, manifesting as a sphere of crackling magical energy centered on himself.  This ability is a standard action and requires that the arcane duelist "lose" a spell to provide the energy.  The sphere has radius 1 foot/level of arcane duelist, and negates 2 dice of damage per level of the spell used to create the effect.  All damage-dealing spells and their effects passing through an arcane shield are subject to the negation, including spells cast by the arcane duelist himself.  Any spell reduced to 0 dice of damage is completely negated.

Spells that deal damage on a save interact as though the spell was saved against.  Spells which do not deal damage under any circumstances are not negated by the arcane shield, and pass through.  Spells which deal more damage than the shield can negate destroy the shield and continue at their reduced strength.  Targets within the shield that are affected by spells or their effects that pass through it gain a circumstance bonus to their saving throws equal to the arcane duelist's class level.  While not themselves spells, spellfire, arcane fire, and other converted arcane energies are also negated by an arcane shield.

The arcane duelist may choose to give the shield a smaller radius of effect or lessen the total number of dice negated, if desired.  The arcane shield disappears when it negates its maximum number of damage dice, or at the beginning of the duelist's next round, whichever comes first.

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