Class Archetype · Beta

Armor Master

“The blade is temporary. Flesh more so. But the armor — the armor endures.”

—Valeria Stonekeep, Iron Mage

Every warrior knows the value of good armor. Fewer understand that armor can be something more — not merely a barrier between skin and steel, but a second self, shaped and refined through years of shared battle. The Armor Master is one such warrior: part soldier, part craftsperson, part arcanist. She does not select her armor as a tool. She selects it as a partner, bonding it to her essence over years of conflict, slowly transforming it through a combination of runic inscription, arcane reinforcement, and sheer force of will. What begins as a battered suit of plate becomes, in time, an extension of the self: hardened against the worst the world can deliver and capable of channeling power that no ordinary armor could contain.

Her allies learn quickly that she is rarely surprised in a fight, that she maintains her armor with the same calm precision she applies to any craft, and that given enough time and the right materials, she will become something the battlefield has no reliable answer for. The armor is not her protection. It is her weapon — refined, relentless, and deeply personal.

Alignment

Any.

Hit Die

d10.

Starting Wealth

5d6 × 10 gp (average 175 gp), plus one outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills

The Armor Master's class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Progression

Spells Per Day

Beginning at 4th level, the Armor Master prepares and casts arcane spells as a wizard does, using Intelligence as her spellcasting ability score. She must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell’s level to prepare it. Spell save DCs equal 10 + spell level + Intelligence modifier. She prepares spells from a spellbook each morning after 1 hour of study. Bonus spells from a high Intelligence score apply normally. She may cast any number of cantrips (0-level spells) per day.

The Armor Master’s spell list draws primarily from abjuration, transmutation, and evocation. Suggested spells include: 1st — alarm, feather fall, mage armor, shield, shocking grasp, true strike; 2nd — bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, resist energy, scorching ray, see invisibility; 3rd — dispel magic, fly, greater magic weapon, haste, lightning bolt; 4th — dimension door, greater invisibility, ice storm, stoneskin, wall of fire.

Class Features

The following are class features of the Armor Master.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

The Armor Master is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all armor (light, medium, and heavy) and shields (including tower shields).

Bonded Armor (Ex)

At 1st level, the Armor Master selects one suit of armor she owns as her bonded armor. Bonding requires 8 hours of ritual attunement during which she inscribes runic anchors into the armor’s joints and plates. This bond persists indefinitely and forms the foundation of all her class abilities.

While wearing her bonded armor, the Armor Master may apply modifications to it using her Modification Points pool (see Modification, below) and channel her Arcane Pool through it. She is treated as proficient with the bonded armor even if she would not normally qualify.

An Armor Master may only have one bonded armor at a time. If the bonded armor is destroyed or permanently lost, she may form a new bond with a replacement suit after a ritual lasting 1 week and costing 200 gp × her class level in materials. Modifications applied to a destroyed bonded armor are lost and the Modification Points they occupied are regained.

Arcane Pool (Su)

At 1st level, the Armor Master gains a reservoir of arcane energy she channels through her bonded armor. Her Arcane Pool contains a number of points equal to half her class level (minimum 1) + her Intelligence modifier. The pool refreshes each morning after 8 hours of rest.

As a swift action, she may expend 1 point from her Arcane Pool to infuse her bonded armor with magical energy, granting it an enhancement bonus to AC for 1 minute per class level. This bonus is +1 at 1st level, improving to +2 at 5th, +3 at 9th, +4 at 13th, and +5 at 17th level.

In place of (or in addition to) the enhancement bonus, she may spend extra points to grant the bonded armor armor special abilities, as long as the total equivalent bonus does not exceed the pool’s current maximum. Each +1 equivalent costs 1 additional Arcane Pool point. Suitable special abilities include energy resistance (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic, 10 points), ghost touch, fortification (light or moderate), and similar properties worth +1 or +2 bonus equivalents. The GM may approve others.

Body of Steel (Ex)

At 2nd level, the Armor Master’s attunement to her bonded armor runs deep enough that its weight no longer impedes her spellcasting. She may ignore the arcane spell failure chance of her bonded armor when casting arcane spells.

Modification (Ex)

Starting at 2nd level, the Armor Master can install permanent arcane and mechanical enhancements in her bonded armor. Each modification has a point cost. The Armor Master spends points from her Modification Points pool (shown on the class table) to install them; once spent, points cannot be recovered unless a modification is removed. To remove a modification, the Armor Master must spend 8 hours working on the armor and succeed at a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + modification’s point cost × 5); success returns the modification’s points to her pool. Some modifications can be selected multiple times; unless noted, each modification may only be installed once.

Installing or removing a modification requires the armor to be present and requires the Armor Master’s personal attention for the duration. Modifications can only be applied to the Armor Master’s bonded armor.

1-Point Modifications

• Reinforced Plating: The bonded armor gains +2 hardness and +10 hit points. Can be selected multiple times; each selection applies independently.

• Swift Joints: Reduce the bonded armor’s armor check penalty by 1 (minimum 0). Can be selected multiple times.

• Supple Weave: The bonded armor’s maximum Dexterity bonus increases by 1. Can be selected multiple times.

• Silent Step: The bonded armor imposes no penalty on Stealth checks, regardless of its type.

• Extended Carry: The bonded armor’s weight does not count against the Armor Master’s carrying capacity and does not contribute to encumbrance.

2-Point Modifications

• Light Fortification: The bonded armor provides a 25% chance to negate the additional damage from a critical hit or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack). If the wearer already benefits from another source of light fortification, these stack to become moderate fortification (50% chance).

• Energy Shielding: Choose one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). The bonded armor provides energy resistance 5 against that type. This modification may be taken multiple times for different energy types, or a second time for the same type to upgrade the resistance to 10.

• Arcane Channels: The Armor Master may deliver touch spells through her armored gauntlet as a melee touch attack, using the gauntlet in place of her hand. She does not provoke attacks of opportunity for this delivery. The spell is released on a successful hit.

• Reactive Shell: Once per day as an immediate action, when the Armor Master is struck by a melee attack, she can cause her bonded armor to flare with protective energy. She gains a +4 shield bonus to AC against that attack and all subsequent attacks until the start of her next turn.

3-Point Modifications

• Moderate Fortification: The bonded armor provides a 50% chance to negate the additional damage from a critical hit or precision-based damage. This replaces Light Fortification rather than stacking with it.

• Arcane Battery: The bonded armor stores 3 additional Arcane Pool points. These stored points are accessible only for Arcane Pool abilities and replenish at the same time as the main pool. This modification may be selected twice (maximum +6 stored points).

• Phase Anchor: Once per day as an immediate action, the Armor Master briefly shifts her bonded armor out of phase. She gains a 20% miss chance against all physical attacks for 1 round. She cannot make physical attacks during this time, though she may cast spells.

• Runic Plating: The bonded armor is inscribed with permanent protective runes. The Armor Master gains a +2 resistance bonus to all saving throws while wearing it.

4-Point Modifications

• Heavy Fortification: The bonded armor provides a 75% chance to negate the additional damage from a critical hit or precision-based damage. This replaces Light or Moderate Fortification rather than stacking.

• Reactive Warding: When the Armor Master is targeted by a spell, she may spend 2 Arcane Pool points as an immediate action to gain spell resistance equal to 11 + her class level until the beginning of her next turn. She may choose to lower this SR as a free action if she wishes to receive beneficial spells.

• Null Field: The bonded armor generates a subtle suppression field against transformation magic. The Armor Master may reroll one saving throw against transmutation effects per day, taking the higher result. This applies to both harmful transmutations and unwanted polymorph effects.

• Living Metal: The bonded armor begins to slowly repair itself. At the start of each of the Armor Master’s turns, the armor regains 2 hit points (to its maximum). Even if broken, the armor continues to heal until it is destroyed.

Armor Training (Ex)

Starting at 3rd level, and again at 8th, 13th, and 18th level, the Armor Master becomes increasingly skilled at wearing armor. Each time she gains this ability, the armor check penalty for any armor she wears decreases by 1 (minimum 0) and the maximum Dexterity bonus she can receive from any armor increases by 1. In addition, a character with this ability can move at her normal speed while wearing medium armor. At 7th level, this benefit extends to heavy armor as well. These reductions stack with themselves and with other sources of armor check penalty reduction.

Spellcasting

At 4th level, the Armor Master adds prepared arcane spellcasting to her capabilities. She prepares and casts spells as a wizard, using Intelligence as her spellcasting ability score. Her caster level equals her Armor Master class level. She maintains a spellbook and must study it each morning for 1 hour to prepare the day’s spells.

She begins play with a spellbook containing all cantrips from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, plus 6 spells of 1st level of her choice. She adds one new spell to her spellbook at each class level beyond 4th, and may copy spells from scrolls or other spellbooks at standard cost. She may cast spells of up to 4th level. Refer to the Spells Per Day table for the number of spell slots available at each level.

Arcane Defense (Ex)

At 6th level, and improving at 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level, the Armor Master learns to channel her Arcane Pool’s ambient energy into a persistent defensive field. While wearing her bonded armor, she gains an insight bonus to AC equal to the value shown in the progression table: +1 at 6th level, +2 at 9th, +3 at 12th, +4 at 15th, and +5 at 18th level. This bonus applies to both normal and touch AC.

Heavy Armor Expertise (Ex)

At 7th level, the Armor Master’s mastery of heavy armor grants two additional benefits. First, she no longer suffers fatigue from sleeping in heavy armor, and heavy armor does not reduce her base speed. Second, when wearing heavy armor, she adds the armor’s current enhancement bonus (if any) to her Combat Maneuver Defense. Neither benefit applies to armor not personally fitted to her.

Bonus Feat

At 10th level, and again at 15th level, the Armor Master gains a bonus feat from the following list: Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Endurance, Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Penetrating Strike, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Craft or Spellcraft), Toughness, Vital Strike, or any metamagic feat for which she meets the prerequisites. She must meet all prerequisites for the chosen feat.

Arcane Plating (Su)

At 11th level, the Armor Master’s bonded armor becomes capable of storing a temporary ward against targeted magic. Once per day as an immediate action, she may expend 2 points from her Arcane Pool to gain spell resistance equal to 10 + her class level until the beginning of her next turn. While this SR is active, she may lower it as a free action to allow beneficial spells to affect her normally. She may use this ability one additional time per day at 15th level and again at 19th level.

Reinforced Bond (Ex)

At 14th level, the bond between the Armor Master and her armor deepens to a structural level. Her bonded armor’s hardness increases by an amount equal to her Intelligence modifier (minimum +1), and it gains damage reduction 5/— as an object — it resists being sundered with exceptional tenacity. Any creature attempting to sunder the bonded armor must also overcome the Armor Master’s spell resistance (if she possesses any) before the sunder attempt can succeed.

Living Armor (Ex/Su)

At 20th level, the bond between the Armor Master and her bonded armor is absolute. She can don or doff the bonded armor as a free action regardless of its type, as the armor responds directly to her will. While wearing the bonded armor, she gains damage reduction 5/— (this stacks with any other DR she possesses) and becomes immune to critical hits from non-magical weapons.

Furthermore, the bonded armor can never be forcibly removed from her body while she is conscious and unwilling — magical effects that would strip her armor (such as certain conjuration effects or targeted dispels against worn armor) automatically fail. She no longer needs to eat or sleep while wearing the bonded armor, and the armor regenerates 2 hit points per round as long as it is worn.