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Afternoon all,

Here's an archetype I cooked up to allow Fighters to specialise more, rather than be a jack-of-all-trades of combat. Comments welcome.

Martial Paragon
The Martial Paragon is a lord of battle. They learn to push themselves beyond the limits of their fellows, to never yield until the last breath. While many fighters are generalists who can pick up almost any weapon, shield, or scrap of armour and be proficient in it's use, the Martial Paragon specialises in a narrow selection of equipment. They become masters of their chosen gear and forge unique fighting styles that elevate them above their brethren. However they must take care, for when taken out of their element they suffer the consequences of their vision.
Narrow Focus (Ex)
Martial Paragons spend less time mastering a wide amount of weapons and armour, this allows more free time to follow other pursuits. They gain 2 additional skill ranks each level. Knowledge: Local replaces Knowledge: Engineering. The Martial Paragon may also gain two proficiency feats taken from the following (the character must posess the prerequisites): Martial Weapon Proficiency, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Shield Proficiency, Medium Armour Proficiency, and Heavy Armour Proficiency.
This ability replaces the Martial Paragon's proficiency with martial weapons, medium armor, heavy armor, and shields.
Agile (Ex)
The Martial Paragon gains a high Reflex save progression, similar to a Rogue of the same level.
This ability replaces Bravery, but is aquired at first level.
Inner Reserves (Ex)
Beginning at 3rd level, the Martial Paragon learns to dig deep within themself and push their body to it's absolute limits. Each day they can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 their Paragon level plus their Constitution modifier to heal their own wounds. With one use of this ability, the Paragon can heal 1d6 hit points of damage for every two Paragon levels they possess. Using this ability is a swift action. They also gain Uncanny Dodge. If they already have Uncanny Dodge due to another class, this improves to Improved Uncanny Dodge.
This ability replaces Armour Training 1 and 3.
Weapon Training (Ex)
At 5th level, the Martial Paragon combines two single weapon types that they are proficient with (such as longsword or dagger) into a personal weapon group. The Paragon gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with these weapons. The bonus improves by +1 for every three levels beyond 5th.
This ability replaces Weapon Training 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Improved Inner Reserves (Ex)
At 7th level, the Martial Paragon's Inner Reserves gains further power. When used it also suspends the following conditions for a number of rounds equal to the Paragon's Constitution modifier (furthermore, they can not be re-applied during this period): Bleed, Confused, Cowering, Dazed, Dazzled, Exhausted, Fatigued, Frightened, Nauseated, Panicked, Paralyzed, Shaken, Sickened, Staggered, and Stunned. They also gain Improved Uncanny Dodge. If they already have Improved Uncanny Dodge due to another class, the levels from the classes that grant Uncanny Dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
This ability replaces Armour Training 2 and 4.
Lord of Battle (Ex)
At 19th level, the Martial Paragon has learned to master the failings of their own body. They may add their Constitution modifier as a bonus to Reflex, and Will saves if it is higher. The Paragon also learns how to absorb or redirect otherwise deadly blows. When they would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability, including the massive damage rule), the Paragon can attempt to negate the damage by spending one use of their Inner Reserves ability. To use this ability, the Paragon must attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, they take only half damage from the blow; if it fails, they take full damage. They must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to use this ability — if denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, they can't use this ability.
This ability replaces Armour Mastery.
Weapon Mastery (Ex)
This functions as the Weapon Mastery class feature, but it applies to both weapons chosen with the Weapon Training class ability.
This ability replaces Weapon Mastery.

Halfling monk, throw rock cakes as improvised weapons. Meditate daily on the way of yeast.

What do you mean by fiddly? This discussion may lead to a different way of playing a core class which may change her opinion.[/b]

Too much set-up during adventures, only to be caught out at weird moments, random damage output, and unable to consistantly get into the thick of combat. Basically a cross between a ranged fighter and a sorcerer.

Arcane Affinity (Ex)

How can force be applied to all magical effects. What about feather fall which is on the class spell list?

I meant magical damage, changed to reflect. This could play havoc with some creatures resistances, but I don't think I included many damage spells in the spell list that weren't Force already. I think Fireshield may be the only one.

Arcane Bolt (Ex)

Anything magical is supposed to be an SLA or an SU not EX. Letting something magical not be magical could have strange consequences. I would at least make it be SU if you don't want her to deal with spell resistance or get into trouble against golems.

Ah! Thanks for the catch. Yup, changed.

Arcane Direction: You may add your Charisma bonus to your Attack instead of Dexterity (for ranged) or Strength (for melee)

It should say attack roll.

Fixed.

As far as the melee combat options temping a D6 low AC combat to go into melee is a bad idea. I would remove that option if she is new just so she does not does try it, unless of course you plan to fudge rolls so she does not die.

I don't think I'll need to prompt her to stay back. However I didn't want to shoehorn the class into ONLY having ranged potential since that can become annoying.

14th Arcane Shaping II: If your Arcane Bolt has a blast radius you may exclude 2 targets from damage, this may not include yourself.

Are you implying that you hurt yourself with this?

Yes, I want a trade-off to having an infinite-blast weapon. Not doing it at close range would be that.

16th Arcane Blast II: Each Bolt may have a burst effect with a 10 foot radius.

I meant to ask this before, but are the bolts ray attacks, and why do they have a burst effect?

A ray attack, but not a touch attack. Basically the character throwing energy at people.

Archarcanist (Ex)

Allowing a non attack roll to crit is not a good idea. If stack with the critical feats then bad things can happen.

True, even if it's once per day it'll still be 120 damage... gotcha, no auto-max crit.

Changing out all of the powers is too much flexibility.

Forcing all opponents back 15 feet seems strange especially if they make the save. What I am seeing is a power that is strong enough to knock a Tarrasque 15 feet away only send a kobold 15 feet away.

Good points. I'll nerf those powers and detail the pushback more.

The arcane bolt seem to be low in damage if that is the purpose of the class*. Does the spell list have a common theme.

*I did not run the DPR numbers. I am just estimating.

I wanted the class to do consistent damage, but not make archers useless. The way it is it will do the same damage as a Monk (I think).

The spell list theme is speed, teleportation, forceful attacks and pushback, shielding.
NOT elemental damage, support abilities, mind effecting, area control, etc.

Hello there. I've recently convinced my wife to join in on a new Pathfinder campaign, and she would like to play a magic user. However she finds the existing classes too 'fiddly' and doesn't like the idea of being an outright support class. So the Arcanist was born.

I'd like some opinions on whether it is balanced or unbalanced. I don't see any glaring problems but there might be a rule-ninja out there who could break it over their knee.

She'll probably ask to combine this class with being a Vampire. Go figure.

Comments appreciated.

Arcanist
Potential Arcanists are selected for training at a young age before their natural abilities fully develop. They are chosen from those who have a strong affinity with magical power but their swelling ability overwhelms their ability to manipulate and train it. They are instead encouraged to dedicate themselves to channelling this power to the exclusion of the rest of the magical world. Arcanists become masters of manipulating these Arcane forces, heightening their power so that they are virtually unstoppable projectors of magical might.
The first Arcanists were trained to become battle-mages and function as little more than magical siege weapons. They excelled in this role and would be a more common occurrence except that the presence of an Arcanist in battle invariably leads to an escalating use of force, with unacceptable loss to those caught in the crossfire. While devastating foes at long range remains an Arcanists truest strength they have since branched out to become more flexible, but remain true to their first calling. They are often derided by other magic-users as being nothing but inelegant imposters, and by fighters as nothing but a glass-balista. However there are times when force has a quality all of its own.
Role: The Arcanist is a support class. They only have a few arcane tricks up their sleeves but they can be relied on to provide them on a regular basis. While not a good substitute for a Sorcerer or Wizard the warlock is a great supplement to one. If a party lacks any regular ranged-damage potential the Arcanist steps nimbly into the role.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Starting Wealth: 2d6 × 10 gp (average 70 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills
The Arcanist’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Engineering) (Int), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (the Planes) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int Modifier.

Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Armoured Arcanist, Cantrips, Arcane Affinity, Eschew Materials, Arcane Bolt 2d3
2 +1 +0 +0 +3 Arcane Power
3 +2 +1 +1 +3 Bonus Feat
4 +3 +1 +1 +4 Arcane Power, Arcane Sword and Shield, Arcane Bolt 2d4
5 +3 +1 +1 +4
6 +4 +2 +2 +5 Arcane Power
7 +5 +2 +2 +5 Bonus Feat
8 +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 Arcane Power, Arcane Bolt 2d6
9 +6/+1 +3 +3 +6
10 +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 Arcane Power
11 +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 Bonus Feat
12 +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Arcane Power, Arcane Bolt 2d8
13 +9/+4 +4 +4 +8
14 +10/+5 +4 +4 +9 Arcane Power
15 +11/+6/+1 +5 +5 +9 Bonus Feat
16 +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 Arcane Power, Arcane Bolt 2d10
17 +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10
18 +13/+8/+3 +6 +6 +11 Arcane Power
19 +14/+9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Bonus Feat
20 +15/+10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Archarcanist, Arcane Power, Arcane Bolt 2d12

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Arcanist.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Arcanists are proficient with all Simple weapons, Light armour, and one Martial weapon of their choice.

Armoured Arcanist (Ex)
At 1st level, the Arcanist does not suffer an arcane failure penalty while wearing light armour.
Cantrips (Ex)
At 1st level, the Arcanist learns a number of Cantrips equal to their Charisma modifier.
Arcane Affinity (Ex)
While the Arcanist can cast spells they have much less power over them than other magic users. At 1st level, the Arcanist gains an affinity with Force energy, representing pure magical power. All magical abilities are henceforth of this type despite their specific spell descriptions (unless modified by further abilities).
The Arcanist's level is used to determine the caster level for abilities. The DC for any save is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the Arcanist’s Charisma modifier.
Arcane Bolt (Ex)
The Arcanist may shoot a bolt of Arcane energy as a ranged attack a number of times per round as their base attack allows. The attack does 2d3 + Charisma modifier damage at 1st level if the character has one hand free. This increased to 2d3 + 1.5 x Charisma modifier if two hands are free and combined together into one bolt, in which case treat it as a Two-Handed weapon. This damage increases as the Arcanist increases in experience. The range on the Arcane Bolt is 50ft. + 5ft./level. It has a minimum range of 10ft. This is not a ranged touch attack and armour works normally against it.
While metamagic feats may not be applied to this attack, weapon improvement feats such as Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Two-Weapon fighting, may be applied to Arcane Blast. If Two-Weapon Fighting treat the Off-hand weapon as light. Treat the Arcanist as having equivalent Fighter levels for the purpose of purchasing fighter-specific feats.
Eschew Materials (Ex)
An Arcanist gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Arcane Power (Ex)
The Arcanist may choose to gain certain abilities as they increase in level. These abilities may either modify existing powers or grant entirely new ones. Whenever the Arcanist is able to choose a new Arcane Power they may also swap out an old one, for example replacing a previous power for an improved version. Unless specified, a single Arcane Power can be taken only once.
If New Spell is taken it can be cast a number of times per day equal to the Arcanist's Charisma modifier, but only one version can be in effect at any time. Re-casting it before the duration runs out dispels the previous version. The spell must be chosen from the Arcanist spell list. These spells may be combined with a metamagic feat. Unless modified by the Additional Affinity trait all energy damage is considered Force.

Power
CL Description
2nd Arcane Aptitude: You add half your Arcanist level to Arcane Bolt damage.
Point-Blank Blast: Your minimum range for Arcane Bolt is reduced to 5ft.
New Spell, Minor: Gain a Minor Arcanist spell from their spell list. Can be chosen up to 4 times.
4th Arcane Reach I: You may add an additional 25ft to the range of Arcane Bolt.
Arcane Lingering I: If a target is hit and takes damage from an Arcane Bolt, but is not killed, it takes 1d4 damage at the beginning of the next round. This does not stack.
Additional Affinity: You may choose a second Arcane Affinity which allows you to change the Energy type of your Arcane Bolt once per day for all attacks that day. This can be either Fire, Cold, Acid, or Electricity. This can be chosen four times.
Arcane Direction: You may add your Charisma bonus to your Attack instead of Dexterity (for ranged) or Strength (for melee).
8th Arcane Reach II: You add an additional 50ft to the range of Arcane Bolt.
Arcane Destruction: You may now at x2 Charisma damage if Arcane Bolt is used Two-Handed, rather than x1.5.
Arcane Lingering II: If a target is hit and takes damage from an Arcane Bolt, but is not killed, it takes 1d6 damage at the beginning of the next round. This does not stack.
New Spell, Major: Gain a Major Arcanist spell from their spell list. Can be chosen up to 3 times.
12th Arcane Blast I: You can use Arcane Bolt as a burst effect with a 5 foot radius.
Arcane Shaping I: If your Arcane Bolt has a blast radius you may exclude one target from damage, this may not be yourself.
Affinity Synergy: If you have more than one Affinity you may choose to apply any of them at will.
Arcane Lingering III: If a target is hit and takes damage from an Arcane Bolt, but is not killed, it takes 1d8 damage at the beginning of the next round. This does not stack.
14th Arcane Shaping II: If your Arcane Bolt has a blast radius you may exclude 2 targets from damage, this may not include yourself.
Arcane Annihilation: On a critical hit your Arcane Bolt does x3 damage instead of x2. This does not stack with similar abilities.
New Spell, Greater: Gain a Greater Arcanist spell from their spell list. Can be chosen up to 2 times.
16th Arcane Blast II: Each Bolt may have a burst effect with a 10 foot radius.
Arcane Shaping III: If your Arcane Bolt has a blast radius you may exclude 3 targets from damage, this may include yourself.
Arcane Lingering III: If a target is hit and takes damage from an Arcane Bolt, but is not killed, it takes 1d10 damage at the beginning of the next round. This does not stack.
New Spell, Master: Gain a Master Arcanist spell from their spell list. Can be chosen 1 time.
20th Arcane Lingering IV: If a target is hit and takes damage from an Arcane Bolt, but is not killed, it takes 1d12 damage at the beginning of the next round. This does not stack.

Bonus Feat (Ex)
At this level, an Arcanist gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity they can choose a metamagic, item creation feat, or a new Arcane Power. The Arcanist must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gets from advancing levels.
Arcane Sword and Shield (Ex)
At 4th level, the Arcanist may add a +1 bonus to their Armour Class for every 4 Arcanist levels. It applies to all attacks including those from incorporeal creatures. They may also add +1 Attack and Damage for every 4 levels to any melee attacks but only if Arcane Bolt is not used during that turn.
Archarcanist (Ex)
The Arcanist becomes fully infused with their Arcane Affinity and becomes a master of magical power. The Arcanist can detonate Arcane Bolt centred on themselves once per day. It deals maximum critical damage to all enemies within 30ft unless they make a reflex save for half with DC equal to 20 + casters Charisma modifier. Even if they make their save all enemies are hurled back 15ft, however the Arcanist is Exhausted after use. The caster and any allies are unaffected by this ability. Furthermore, they may swap out their Arcane Powers for new ones once per day.

Arcane Spell List
Level Name
Minor Ablative Barrier
Admonishing Ray
Arcane Sight
Battering Blast
Cushioning Bands
Dispel Magic
Feather Fall
Floating Disk
Force Punch
Hold Person
Identify
Kinetic Reverberation
Mage Armor
Minor Creation
Piercing Bolt
See Invisibility
Shield
Shock Shield
Unseen Servant
Subduing Ray
Tongues
Youthful Appearance
Major Age Resistance, Lesser
Detonate
Dimension Door
Dispel Magic, Greater
Fire Shield
Fly
Getaway
Globe of Invulnerability, Lesser
Haste
Hold Monster
Legend Lore
Major Creation
Repulsion
Resilient Sphere
Slow
Symbol of Sealing
Telekinesis
Telekinetic Charge
Telepathic Bond
Teleport
Tongues, Communal
True Seeing
Wall of Force
Greater Age Resistance
Arcane Sight, Greater
Battlemind Link
Enemy Hammer
Forcecage
Globe of Invulnerability
Hold Person, Mass
Mage's Magnificent Mansion
Overland Flight
Permanency
Protection from Spells
Symbol of Sealing
Teleport, Greater
Teleport Object
Transformation
Vision
Walk through Space
Master Age Resistance, Greater
Clone
Create Demiplane, Greater
Echean's Escellent Enclosure
Fly, Mass
Freedom
Hold Monster, Mass
Imprisonment
Limited Wish
Mage's Disjunction
Telekinetic Sphere
Teleportation Circle
Temporal Stasis
Time Stop