Shield Mage (Magus Archetype)
A shield mage is capable of empowering his shield with arcane power.
Modifies Weapon and Armor Proficiency; Replaces Medium Armor, Heavy Armor; Gains Armor Bonus, Sorcerous Shield
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A shield mage is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. A shield mage is proficient with shields, including tower shields, but not with armor. He can cast magus spells while using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a shield mage wearing light, medium, or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass shield mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Canny Defense (Ex): When a shield mage is using a shield, he gains the canny defense ability. This is identical to the duelist prestige class ability of the same name, save that he may use it with a shield.
Sorcerous Shield (Su): A shield mage can use his arcane pool to grant an enhancement bonus to a weapon as normal, as well as to his shield, paying the arcane pool cost separately for each. At 5th level and above, he can also add the following shield special abilities: animated, arrow catching, arrow deflection, bashing, blinding, fortification (any), reflecting, spell resistance (any).
When a shield mage uses spell combat, he can perform somatic components for magus spells with his shield hand, forfeiting the shield’s bonus to AC until the beginning of his next turn; if the shield is a buckler, he retains its bonus to AC.
At 2nd level, a shield mage can use spellstrike with a weapon or shield bash attack.
Spellshield (Su): At 7th level, as a standard action, a shield mage may store a magus spell in his shield by spending 1 point from his arcane pool per level of the spell. This functions as the spell storing weapon special ability, but activates only on a successful shield bash by the shield mage and is not limited to spells of 3rd level or less.
This ability replaces Medium Armor.
Greater Spellshield (Su): At 13th level, a shield mage may activate a stored spell as an immediate action after being struck in combat. He may choose to have the spell affect himself or the creature that struck him.
This ability replaces Heavy Armor.
Dotting. I must admit that Blood Mage made better impression on me than this. While I am interested with shield-using magus I have problem with envisioning one that decides to use shield but rejects armor - i'd rather keep armor proficiency and ditch Canny Defense and focused on augmenting shield and either making it useable with Spell Combat or replaced Spell Combat with shield-related feature.
I must admit, I had this guy in mind when I was making this archetype.
I must admit, I had this guy in mind when I was making this archetype.
Chain shirt under the coat ;)
Nah, he's definitely got Walk Armor hidden underneath his coat.
Nah, he's definitely got Walk Armor hidden underneath his coat.
I don't see how this thing is any different from the shield focused archetype for magus, Skirnir.
Well, other than this having canny defence because armour was dropped in the favour of removing shield spell failure from shields. Not sure I'm keen on the idea of removing armor, but giving out an ability to easily gain +3-5 ac for giving up ac. That's not a penalty really, just moved the ac around and removed the asf.
The only thing that worries me about this archetype is when a shield mage grabs spell blending and chooses to learn mage armor.
Assuming 18 Dexterity, and 16 Charisma at 3rd level, plus a +1 Heavy Shield:
AC 24 (10 + 4 mage armor + 4 Dexterity + 3 Charisma + 3 Shield)
Throw in a Ring of Protection +1, bump shield bonus with Arcane Pool, and the magus' AC is getting kinda ridiculous.
And then at 4th level, the magus can cast cat's grace to get another +2 AC, and cast mirror image (to further reduce the chances he is hit).
Well, anyways that's what my playtest character is looking like, and it's kind of scary.
I don't see how this thing is any different from the shield focused archetype for magus, Skirnir.
Well, it doesn't sacrifice spell combat. A skirnir doesn't gain access to that ability until 8th level. It's a long wait to finally start feeling like a real magus.
This is really interesting, though I'm much more interested in a shield enchant making it so the shield doesn't count as taking up a hand in regard to spell combat, since from what I can tell you'd still need a free hand FOR spell combat otherwise. I mean, this would be fine if you're a magus wielding JUST a shield, but really, if you're in melee and all you're doing is whacking things on the head with a shield?...
There already is a Shield Mage.
Oh, I like this.
Shield Mage (Magus Archetype)
Gains:
1. Shield Proficiency
2. Shielded Casting (no acrane spell failure for shields)
3. Canny Defense
4. Sorcerous Shield
Loses
1. Light Armor Proficiency
2. Light Armor Casting
This isn't balanced. 1 & 2 from both lists are a fair trade. Getting the other two 'for free' is unbalancing.