Homebrew: Kensai Archetype

[Fierce-Maeve]

I am interested in the opinion of others on this Kensai archetype. Is it balanced, overpowered, or underpowered? Does it seem fun? Does it capture the essence of a Kensai? I wanted to make it possible to apply to martial classes like Fighters or Swashbucklers, but also apply it to classes like the Magus if a player was more interested in a fairly mystical Sword Saint.

KENSAI ARCHETYPE (PF 2e)
Kensai are legendary sword masters dedicated to mastering the Katana. A small number of dedicated sword masters from Tian Xia have spread this martial tradition into the Inner Sea region. Some of whom were adventurers who settled far from home, others are rumored to be dishonored warriors that once served powerful lords. Some stories indicate that only the most skilled swordman would be honored with the title of Kensai, thus any practitioner that identifies themselves as a Kensai is a fool. The masters of this martial style develop techniques that are magical in nature.
Additional Feats: 4th Power Attack (Core Rulebook 144), Dueling Parry (Core Rulebook 146); 6th Duel-Handed Assault (Core Rulebook 146); 10th Dueling Riposte (Core Rulebook 149); 14th Dueling Dance (Core Rulebook 151), Improved Dueling Riposte (Core Rulebook 151).

FEAT 2: KENSAI DEDICATION
ARCHETYPE DEDICATION UNCOMMON
Prerequisites: trained in simple weapons; trained in Society.
You become trained in the Katana, if you weren’t already, and you gain access to one of these uncommon weapons. In addition, a Katana in the hands of one dedicated to this legendary martial technique gains the following weapon traits: Finesse, Forceful, and Deadly d8 is swapped out for Fatal d12.
Special You can’t select another dedication feat until you gain two other feats from the Kensai archetype.

FEAT 4: IAIJUTSU •
ARCHETYPE
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication.
The Iaijutsu technique involves drawing a Katana or sheathing it again with incredible speed. You
Interact to draw a Katana, then Strike with that weapon; or Strike with a Katana, then Interact to sheath it. If your proficiency rank for Katana becomes master, then Iaijutsu becomes a free-action.

FEAT 6: CHERRY BLOSSOM SLICE* ••
ARCHETYPE FLOURISH
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication, unencumbered.
Stride up to full speed and Strike an opponent (within melee range with the Katana) at any point along that path. Note: This feat leaves the user vulnerable to attacks of opportunity.
[Alternative name, “Crashing Wave Dash.”]

FEAT 6: RESPLENDANT PERFECTING SLASH •
ARCHETYPE FLOURISH
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication.
This Strike with a Katana or Wakizashi ignores up to +2 circumstance bonus to AC that the opponent may have.
[Alternative name, “Critical Perfection,” an homage to PF 1e.]

FEAT 8: VOID TEMPEST STRIKE •
ARCHETYPE
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication.
You gain the Void Tempest Strike spell and a focus pool of 1 Focus Point. The full rules for focus spells appear in the Core Rulebook on page 300. This focus spell gains your class trait.
VOID TEMPEST STRIKE - FOCUS 4
UNCOMMON ARCHETYPE CONJURATION
Cast • somatic, verbal
Make a Strike with your Katana against an opponent that is up to 40 feet away. This attack ignores the circumstance bonus to AC that the opponent may have.

FEAT 10: MANIFEST FURY STANCE •
ARCHETYPE
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication.
You gain the Manifest Fury Stance spell and a focus pool of 1 Focus Point, or increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1, if you already had a focus pool of 1. The full rules for focus spells appear in the Core Rulebook on page 300. This focus spell gains your class trait.
MANIFEST FURY STANCE - FOCUS 5
UNCOMMON ARCHETYPE EVOCATION STANCE FIRE
Cast • somatic, verbal
While in manifest fury stance, your Katana gains the damage type of piercing, and one of the following elements: cold, electricity, or fire.

FEAT 12: SURGING BOLT ADVANCE ••
ARCHETYPE FLOURISH
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication, Power Attack, Cherry Blossom Slice, unencumbered
Stride up to full speed and Power Attack an opponent (within melee range with the Katana) at any point along that path. Note: This feat leaves the user vulnerable to attacks of opportunity.

FEAT 14: SLASH OF A HUNDRED DEMONS* •••
ARCHETYPE
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication, Cherry Blossom Slice, Void Tempest Strike
You gain the Slash of a Hundred Demons spell. Increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1. The full rules for focus spells appear in the Core Rulebook on page 300. This focus spell gains your class trait.
SLASH OF A HUNDRED DEMONS - FOCUS 7
UNCOMMON ARCHETYPE TRANSMUTATION OPEN FLOURISH
Cast ••• somatic, verbal_ _
Stride up to your full speed, you may make a Strike against every opponent within range along the movement path. Each attack counts toward your multiple attack penalty, but do not increase your penalty until you have made all your attacks. Note: This spell leaves the user vulnerable to attacks of opportunity.
[Alternative name, “Falling Cherry Blossom Storm.”]

FEAT 16: IAIJUTSU FOCUS ○
ARCHETYPE
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication, Iaijutsu, mastery in Katana.
The Iaijutsu Focus technique involves drawing a Katana or sheathing it again with incredible speed. You Interact to draw a Katana, then Strike with that weapon; or Strike with a Katana, then Interact to sheath it. In addition, using Iaijutsu Focus removes all multiple attack penalty that you may have.

[*These names are an homage to Samurai Showdown.]

[Tactical Drongo]

2 new traits and an upgraded one in the dedication alone

Yep, this is overpowered

The System is hesitant in most cases to give new weapon traits and it's usually a single one (and maybe a small Bonus) for a feat

Iajutsu needs at the very least the flourish trait, possibly some other limiter
A free Action Attack once per found is very powerful

Cherry blossom slice is a good Action enhancer but a melee Attack that provokes aoo is bot very good
Oh wait...it's two actions? Then there should probably be two movement actions in there

Resplendant slash seems good, you should add probably some category of circumstance Bonus to igbore (shields, Cover, ...)

Void tempest Strike is hard to judge, maybe consider a variety of the crashing Winds stance instead

Manifest Fury stance seems situational, I think it should maybe add some damage of the Chosen element

Surging bolt advance seems gimicky to me, the one time in Combat it's probably going to be used is barely Worth a feat but thats Personal taste

Something similar to hundred Demon Slash is already in the dual weapon Warrior archetype, consider looking at that
.
Iajutsu Focus needs to Go, deleting MaP is OP

[YuriP]

Fierce-Maeve wrote:

I am interested in the opinion of others on this Kensai archetype. Is it balanced, overpowered, or underpowered? Does it seem fun? Does it capture the essence of a Kensai? I wanted to make it possible to apply to martial classes like Fighters or Swashbucklers, but also apply it to classes like the Magus if a player was more interested in a fairly mystical Sword Saint.

KENSAI ARCHETYPE (PF 2e)
Kensai are legendary sword masters dedicated to mastering the Katana. A small number of dedicated sword masters from Tian Xia have spread this martial tradition into the Inner Sea region. Some of whom were adventurers who settled far from home, others are rumored to be dishonored warriors that once served powerful lords. Some stories indicate that only the most skilled swordman would be honored with the title of Kensai, thus any practitioner that identifies themselves as a Kensai is a fool. The masters of this martial style develop techniques that are magical in nature.
Additional Feats: 4th Power Attack (Core Rulebook 144), Dueling Parry (Core Rulebook 146); 6th Duel-Handed Assault (Core Rulebook 146); 10th Dueling Riposte (Core Rulebook 149); 14th Dueling Dance (Core Rulebook 151), Improved Dueling Riposte (Core Rulebook 151).

FEAT 2: KENSAI DEDICATION
ARCHETYPE DEDICATION UNCOMMON
Prerequisites: trained in simple weapons; trained in Society.
You become trained in the Katana, if you weren’t already, and you gain access to one of these uncommon weapons. In addition, a Katana in the hands of one dedicated to this legendary martial technique gains the following weapon traits: Finesse, Forceful, and Deadly d8 is swapped out for Fatal d12.
Special You can’t select another dedication feat until you gain two other feats from the Kensai archetype.

FEAT 4: IAIJUTSU •
ARCHETYPE
Prerequisites: Kensai Dedication.
The Iaijutsu technique involves drawing a Katana or sheathing it again with incredible speed. You
Interact to draw a Katana, then Strike with that weapon; or Strike with a Katana, then Interact to...

If you can wait until the release of Tian Xia books you may take this or some similar archetype officially and you can use it or if you don't like you can make this homebrew with more content to use as reference.