Archived
The original version of Armorist, from before Ultimate Spheres of Power. Not part of the current rules.
Source: Spheres of Power
Armorists are among the most direct masters of the Spheres, and indeed, tend to see magic as only the first step in resolving a situation. Their ability to call forth whatever equipment a situation requires makes them more flexible than many of their opponents realize.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d10
Starting Wealth: 5d6 x 10 gp (average 175 gp). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.
Class Skills: The armorist’s class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana; Int), Knowledge (Engineering; Int), Knowledge (Nobility; Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Table: The Armorist
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Max Bonus | Caster Level | Magic Talents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Bound equipment, casting, spell pool, summon equipment | +1 | +0 (1) | 0 (+2) |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Arsenal trick | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Armor training, bound equipment (+1) | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Arsenal trick | +1 | +2 | 2 |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Bound equipment (+2, 2x), summon armor | +1 | +2 | 2 |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Arsenal trick | +2 | +3 | 3 |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Armor training, bound equipment (+3) | +2 | +3 | 3 |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Arsenal trick | +2 | +4 | 4 |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Bound equipment (+4) | +3 | +4 | 4 |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Arsenal trick, bound equipment (x3), bind staff | +3 | +5 | 5 |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Armor training, bound equipment (+5) | +3 | +5 | 5 |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Arsenal trick | +4 | +6 | 6 |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Bound equipment (+6) | +4 | +6 | 6 |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +4 | Arsenal trick | +4 | +7 | 7 |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Armor training, bound equipment (+7, 4x), quick summons | +5 | +7 | 7 |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Arsenal trick | +5 | +8 | 8 |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Bound equipment (+8) | +5 | +8 | 8 |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Arsenal trick | +5 | +9 | 9 |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Armor training, bound equipment (+9) | +5 | +9 | 9 |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Bound equipment (+10, 5x), infinite arsenal | +5 | +10 | 10 |
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
An armorist is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
Casting
An armorist may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. An armorist is considered a Low-Caster and uses Wisdom as her casting ability modifier. (Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and may select a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)
Spell Pool
An armorist gains a small reservoir of energy she can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to her level + her Wisdom modifier (minimum: 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.
Magic Talents
An armorist gains a magic talent at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, according to Table: Armorist. This does not stack with caster levels gained from other sources.
Summon Equipment (Su)
An armorist may spend a spell point as a move action to conjure a weapon or shield into her hands, which stays for 1 minute per level before disappearing.
The armorist must be proficient with the weapon or type of shield to summon it, and in the case of exotic weapons, she must have studied a pre-existing version of the weapon for at least 1 week. This weapon or shield is masterwork quality, and while antimagic barriers may prevent the armorist from summoning these items, the items themselves are not considered magical creations and so may not be dispelled. Ranged weapons come with 50 pieces of basic ammunition.
At 5th level, the armorist may conjure any type of armor she is proficient with, either on her own body as a move action or on a touched willing target’s body as a standard action. This causes any armor the target is wearing to disappear in favor of the new armor until the duration is over and the old armor returns. Dismissing summoned equipment is a free action.
Summoned equipment gains a +1 enhancement bonus for every 3 armorist levels the creator possesses, to a maximum of +6 at 18th level. These bonuses may be traded for special qualities according to Table: Bound Equipment. A piece of summoned equipment cannot have higher than a +5 enhancement bonus; enhancement bonuses beyond this amount must be traded for special qualities.
Table: Bound Equipment
| Weapon Special Ability | Enhancement Bonus Value | Shield Special Ability | Enhancement Bonus Value | Armor Special Ability | Enhancement Bonus Value | Staff Special Ability | Enhancement Bonus Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corrosive | +1 bonus | Arrow Catching | +1 bonus | Bolstering | +1 bonus | Second Sphere | +1 bonus |
| Defending | +1 bonus | Bashing | +1 bonus | Brawling | +1 bonus | Magic Talent | +2 bonus |
| Distance | +1 bonus | Blinding | +1 bonus | Deathless | +1 bonus | ||
| Flaming | +1 bonus | Clangorous | +1 bonus | ||||
| Frost | +1 bonus | Fortification (light) | +1 bonus | Fortification (light) | +1 bonus | ||
| Impervious | +1 bonus | Grinding | +1 bonus | Grinding | +1 bonus | ||
| Keen | +1 bonus | Impervious | +1 bonus | Impervious | +1 bonus | ||
| Merciful | +1 bonus | Mirrored | +1 bonus | Mirrored | +1 bonus | ||
| Mighty Cleaving | +1 bonus | Ramming | +1 bonus | Stanching | +1 bonus | ||
| Returning | +1 bonus | Arrow deflection | +2 bonus | Spell resistance (13) | +2 bonus | ||
| Shock | +1 bonus | Merging | +2 bonus | Fortification (moderate) | +3 bonus | ||
| Throwing | +1 bonus | Spell resistance (13) | +2 bonus | Energy resistance (10, one element) | +3 bonus | ||
| Vicious | +1 bonus | Fortification (moderate) | +3 bonus | Invulnerability | +3 bonus | ||
| Corrosive Burst | +2 bonus | Spell resistance (15) | +3 bonus | Spell resistance (15) | +3 bonus | ||
| Flaming Burst | +2 bonus | Spell resistance (17) | +4 bonus | Titanic | +3 bonus | ||
| Icy Burst | +2 bonus | Fortification (heavy) | +5 bonus | Energy resistance, improved (20, one element) | +4 bonus | ||
| Shocking Burst | +2 bonus | Spell resistance (19) | +5 bonus | Spell resistance (17) | +4 bonus | ||
| Wounding | +2 bonus | Reflecting | +5 bonus | Fortification (heavy) | +5 bonus | ||
| Speed | +3 bonus | Spell resistance (19) | +5 bonus | ||||
| Vorpal | +5 bonus | Energy resistance, greater (30, one element) | +5 bonus |
Bound Equipment (Su)
An armorist gains a bond with a specific weapon or shield that is far greater than with her other summoned equipment. Bound equipment is summoned and treated just like summoned equipment, except it does not cost a spell point to summon, cannot be used by anyone other than the armorist herself (the item’s magic does not function in another’s hands), comes with limitless ammunition, and disappears 1 round after leaving the armorist’s hands. She gains another piece of bound equipment at 5th level, 10th level, 15th level, and 20th level and may select a suit of armor beginning at 5th level or a staff1 beginning at 10th level.
Bound equipment is masterwork quality, and gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus for every odd armorist level possessed beyond 1st, increasing to +10 at 20th level. A piece of bound equipment’s enhancement bonus cannot exceed +1 per 3 levels (minimum: +1, maximum: +5); all enhancement bonus beyond this must be traded for special qualities.
An armorist may give her bound weapon special enhancement properties from Table: Bound Equipment, trading enhancement bonus for other benefits. Bound equipment cannot be enchanted through any other means than gaining armorist levels and must retain at least a +1 enhancement bonus. Bound staves use the rules presented in on the Magic Items page, granting the armorist enhancement bonuses to her caster level with one sphere, chosen when the staff is created.
Beginning at 10th level, the armorist may also place weapon enhancements on her staffs and staff enhancements on her weapons.
Once a piece of bound equipment has been selected, or once its special qualities have been chosen, they may only be changed if the armorist spends 8 hours (1 day) meditating to dismiss the old piece of bound equipment and create a new piece of bound equipment to take its place.
The armorist’s bound equipment can be damaged and sundered, but always returns to full health the following day.
A bound double-weapon must divide its enhancement bonuses and weapon qualities between the two ends (for example, a +5 bound quarterstaff could have a +3 bonus on one end and a +2 bonus on the other). Alternately, the armorist may bind each end of the double weapon as a separate piece of bound equipment, thus granting full bonuses to each half. If one end of the double weapon has no bonuses, it is still considered masterwork.
1: Items of Power updated the types of magic items used in Spheres of Power. Staves are now known as Implements, so any reference to Staves in this class’ abilities also refers to Implements.
Arsenal Trick
At second level and every even-numbered level thereafter the armorist gains an arsenal trick, representing the ways she has chosen to focus her study of equipment and its uses. Unless otherwise specified, an individual arsenal trick can only be gained once.
Abjurist
You may add the abjuring and girding properties to the list of properties you may give your bound staves. In addition, you may add anti-ballistic and anti-spell to the list of properties you may give your summoned and bound armor, and decisive and preventative to the list of properties you may give your summoned and bound weapons. Source: The Abjurer’s Handbook
Additional Binding (Requires Bound Equipment)
You may bind an additional piece of equipment.
Aiding
Add benevolent (+1) to the special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapons and armor.
Arcane Strike
You gain the Arcane Strike feat and treat your armorist level as your caster level when determining its effects.
Armor Training (Requires Armorist level 3)
Your armor check penalty is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by your armor by 1. This arsenal trick may be taken multiple times, its effects stack with itself and the Armor Training class feature.
Arms of the Outer Planes
Add anarchic (+2), axiomatic (+2), holy (+2), and unholy (+2) to the list of special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapons.
Beshadowed Equipment
Add shadow wake and invisible to the list of weapon enhancements you may add to your summoned and bound equipment. You may now summon and bind equipment made of stable shadowstuff.
Bound Companion (Requires Armorist level 4, Natural Materials)
You gain an animal, plant, or vermin companion as if you were a druid of your armorist level –3. If you already have such a companion or else later gain a companion through another source (such as the Animal domain, divine bond, hunter’s bond, mount, or nature bond class features), the effective druid level granted by this arsenal trick stacks with that granted by other sources.
Bound Fang (Su)
You may grow a natural weapon appropriate to your form. You may treat this natural weapon as a piece of bound equipment, using one of your instances of bound equipment. You may form and dismiss it as is usual for a bound or summoned weapon. You may form multiple natural weapons as bound weapons; each natural weapon occupies a piece of bound equipment. Additionally, add wild fang to the special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapons.
Bound Life
You may add the equitable, vital, and wellspring properties to your bound staffs. In addition, you may add this unique +1 property: Driving: When using the Invigorate ability of the Life sphere with this staff, you may use your armorist level as your caster level with the Life sphere. This stacks with other caster level sources normally.
Champion
The armorist gains a Champion feat of her choice as a bonus feat. She must meet the prerequisites of the feat. This prowess can be gained multiple times.
Chaotic Armament
Add chaos buffer to all bound and summoned armor and shields. Add wild critical to the properties you may add to your bound and summoned weapons.
Combat Feat
You may select a combat feat as a bonus feat. You must meet the prerequisites for this feat.
Combat Talent
You gain a bonus combat talent. This arsenal trick may be taken more than once, granting an additional talent each time.
Crafter
You gain an item creation feat of your choice. You must meet the prerequisites to gain an item creation feat in this manner. You may gain this arsenal trick multiple times. Each time it is selected, gain a different item creation feat.
Customized Bond
The armorist gain the Customized Bond feat as a bonus feat. She must meet the feat’s prerequisites to select this arsenal trick.
Dancing
Add dancing (+4) and animated (+2) to the list of special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapon and shields respectively. A bound weapon or shield with the dancing or animated quality does not disappear until after it has finished its 4 rounds of independent action.
Dark Materials
Your bound and summoned weapons gain the tenebrous quality. Your bound and summoned armor gains the shaded and shadowUE qualities.
Destructive Weapons
Add destructive focus (+1), greater destructive focus (+2), and blast vessel (+2) to the special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapons.
Duelist
You add the agile (+1) to the list of special qualities you may add to all your bound and summoned weapons. You may take this arsenal trick a second time after 12th level. Upon picking this arsenal trick a second time, all bound and summoned weapons gain the dueling special quality.
Empathic
Add menacing (+1), cunning (+1), cruel (+1), and courageous (+1) to the list of special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapons.
Ethereal Equipment (Requires Armorist 8)
Add brilliant energy (+4) to the list of special qualities you may add to your summoned and bound weapons. Add ghost touch (+1, +3) to the list of special qualities you may add to your summoned and bound weapons, armor, and shields.
Extradimensional Storage (Sp)
You gain the Extradimensional Storage Warp sphere talent, even if you do not possess the Warp sphere. You may use your armorist level as your caster level for this ability if it is higher, and you may choose to summon items from your extradimensional storage with the same action and with the same rules (such as replacing one suit of armor with another) as your other summoned equipment.
You may take this arsenal trick twice, which upgrades your spell-like ability to have the effect of two purchases of Extradimensional Storage.
Fighter Armor Training (Requires Armorist 6, Armor Training class feature)
You gain an advanced armor training ability as a fighter of equal level. You use you armorist levels in place of fighter levels, and if you have both, they stack.
Finesse
You gain the Weapon Finesse feat.
Gear Trick
You gain the Equipment Trick feat.
Greater Materials (Requires Armorist 12, Improved Materials)
You may summon equipment and create bound equipment that is made from adamantine.
Heavy Armor
You gain the Heavy Armor Proficiency feat.
Hide Equipment
All your bound and summoned gear gain the glamered special quality.
Hunter (Requires Armorist 15)
Add bane (+1) and defiant (+1) to the qualities you may add to your bound weapons and armor/shields respectively. When summoning equipment, you may spend an additional spell point to add these qualities to the qualities you may add to that piece of summoned equipment.
Imbued Arsenal (Requires Bound Equipment class feature)
You can add your casting ability modifier instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier to attack rolls when you are wielding a bound or summoned weapon.
Improved Equipment
Choose one piece of bound equipment you possess. That piece of equipment gains an additional +1 enhancement bonus. If you permanently dismiss this piece of bound equipment, you may transfer this bonus to another piece of bound equipment you possess. You may take this talent multiple times. Each time it is taken, increase the bonus granted by another piece of bound equipment by 1. You cannot increase an individual item more than once with this arsenal trick.
Improved Materials (Requires Armorist level 6)
You may summon equipment or create bound equipment out of cold iron, silver, or mithril.
Morphic Weapon (Su)
When summoning a weapon or a bound weapon, as part of the action required to summon it you may merge that weapon with a limb capable of wielding a weapon as per the Graft Weapon trait of the Morphic Weapon (Alteration) talent.
Movement
Add the following special qualities to those you may grant to a suit of armor: +20 base movement speed (+1), waterbreathing (+1), 30 ft Swim speed (+1), 30 ft Climb speed (+1), 30 ft Fly speed (maneuverability poor, +2), 15 ft Burrow Speed (+2). You may grant movement-altering special qualities multiple times to the same suit of armor. Each time they are granted beyond the first, increase the granted movement speed by 10 ft.
Natural Materials
You may summon equipment or create bound equipment out of darkwood, greenwood, or normal wood treated with the ironwood ritual.
Occulted Arms
Add umbral edge (+1) and quenching (+1) to the list of special qualities that you may add to your bound and summoned weapons. Add shadow warded (+1) to the list of qualities you may add to your bound and summoned armor.
Shadow Armory (Sp)
You gain the Shadow Stash Dark sphere talent, even if you do not possess the Dark sphere. You may use your armorist level as your caster level for this ability if it is higher.
Share Armory
The armorist may cause a piece of summoned or bound equipment to appear on or in the possession of one of her Leadership sphere cohorts. The cohort must be within 25 feet + 5 feet per two armorist levels. The cohort may be treated as the armorist for the purposes of maintaining the bound equipment in its possession.
Share Bond
You may cause a piece of summoned or bound equipment to appear on or in the possession of a Conjuration sphere companion that you have summoned. The companion must be within 25 ft. + 5 ft. per two armorist levels. The companion may be treated as the armorist for the purposes of maintaining the bound equipment in its possession. Additionally, if you possess the Variable Armaments feat, you may apply the benefits of any equipment tricks granting additional weapon property options to those available to your companion.
Shifting Weapon
All your bound and summoned weapons gain the transformative special quality.
Spell Fighter
Add mind buttressing (+2) and spell dodging (+2) to the special abilities you may add to your bound and summoned armor. Source: The Abjurer’s Handbook
Thundering Weapons
Add howling (+1), thundering (+1), and windblast (+2) (see Weapons) to the list of special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapons. The saving throw to avoid being deafened by bound or summoned weapons that you apply thundering to is equal to 14 or the DC for your Weather sphere abilities, whichever is higher.
Tower Shield
You gain the Tower Shield Proficiency feat.
Trap and Free (Requires Armorist 5)
Add advancing (+2), anchoring (+2), and reposition (+3) to the list of special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned weapons.
Valiant (Requires Bound Equipment class feature)
Add Aggressive (+1), Alerting (+3), Carved (+1) and Watchful (+2) to the special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned staves.
Wiki Note: These were introduced in The Battlemage’s Handbook. See the Weapons page for their details.
Weapon Focus
You gain the Weapon Focus feat.
Wild
Add wild to the special qualities you may add to your bound and summoned armor and shields.
Armor Training (Ex)
Starting at 3rd level, an armorist learns to be more maneuverable while wearing armor. Whenever she is wearing armor, she reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by her armor by 1. Every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th) these bonuses increase by +1, to a maximum –5 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +5 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed.
In addition, an armorist can also move at her normal speed while wearing medium armor. At 7th level, an armorist can move at her normal speed while wearing heavy armor.
Quick Summons
At 15th level, the armorist may summon or switch equipment onto herself as a swift action instead of a move action. This improves to a free action at 20th level.
Infinite Arsenal (Su)
At level 20, you no longer need to spend a spell point to summon equipment.
Feats
The following feats are especially helpful or appropriate for Armorists.
Extra Arsenal Trick
Prerequisite: Arsenal Trick class feature.
Benefit: Gain an arsenal trick for which you meet the prerequisites. You may take this feat multiple times. The effects stack.
Extra Magic Talent
Prerequisite: Basic Magic Training or Casting class feature.
Benefit: Gain an additional sphere or a talent from a sphere you possess. You may take this feat multiple times. The effects stack.
Extra Spell Points
Prerequisite: Spell Pool.
Benefit: Your spell pool total increases by 2. You may gain this feat multiple times. The effects stack.
Mystic Assault
Prerequisites: Casting class feature, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: You may spend a spell point to make a full-round attack that replaces the first attack with any sphere ability or supernatural ability that can be used as a standard action and requires an attack roll. You must pay any costs required by this sphere ability or supernatural ability, such as spell points. Using the ability replaces your first attack among your iterative attacks. If you are using two weapons, then it replaces both the primary and secondary weapon attacks.
Using the sphere or supernatural ability can provoke an attack of opportunity (if it normally does so), and if the ability is disrupted, the associated attack is lost, but the remaining iterative attacks are not. You may decide after you have used your sphere or supernatural ability whether to continue with your full-round attack or if you wish to take a move action instead. The spell point is spent when you decide to proceed with your full-round attack. Abilities that replace any of your attacks in a full-round attack are not compatible with mystic assault, nor are other abilities that allow you to use a supernatural or sphere ability as part of an attack. Abilities that grant extra attacks (such as the haste ability of the Time sphere) are compatible. You can still use other abilities that can normally be used during a full-round attack as part of a mystic assault.
Mystic Assault, Improved
Prerequisites: Mystic Assault.
Benefit: You do not need to spend a spell point to use mystic assault.
Favored Class Bonuses
Aasimar
Deal +1/2 bonus damage to evil outsiders when using a bonded weapon. This bonus damage bypasses DR/Good, as appropriate. Other damage dealt as part of the attack does not automatically go through DR/Evil.
Dwarf
+1 hardness for summoned and bound equipment. If this raises an item’s hardness above 20, adamantine’s penetration quality only bypasses 20 points of the object’s hardness.
Elf
+1/4th to all critical confirmation rolls made with bound weapons. This does not stack with the Critical Focus feat.
Gnome
+1/4th bonus to the armorist’s caster level with the Creation sphere.
Goblin
+1/2 bonus damage on a successful critical hit with any bonded weapon. This damage is applied after the normal critical hit damage has been applied to the damage roll.
Half-Elf
+1/6th of an arsenal trick.
Half-orc
+1/8th of a new piece of bound equipment.
Halfling
Reduce the summoning time of 1 piece of bound equipment per 4 levels taken to a swift action. If the time required to summon that piece of bound equipment is already a swift action, this instead reduces it to a free action.
Human
For every 4 times this is selected, gain a new exotic weapon proficiency.
Merfolk
Gain + 1/6th of an arsenal trick.
Orc
Deal +1/2 bonus damage when sundering objects or equipment with a bonded weapon.
Tiefling
+1/2 bonus damage to good outsiders when using a bonded weapon. This bonus damage bypasses DR/Evil, as appropriate. Other damage dealt as part of the attack does not automatically bypass DR/Evil.