PDA

View Full Version : Pathfinder The Arcane Commander (Path of War, Sorcerer Archetype) [PEACH]



Falco1029
2015-10-08, 09:28 PM
So, I know I for one was disappointed when I asked about archetypes for full spellcasters in the Path of War Expanded thread and was told that they have no plans to do such a thing. I've been loving toying with spellcasters with maneuvers using Martial Training, but that only goes so far, and of course means maxing out Knowledge (Martial) and eating over half your feats, or of course sticking to low level maneuvers.

That being said, here's my attempt at such an archetype for a Sorcerer. I did my best to follow the design they seemed to use for archetypes, but did take it a slight step further to make up for it being a full caster gaining it, making them gain their maneuvers a little later than any other initiator archetype we've seen.

My basic thought here for balance is that gaining maneuvers, especially since you can prepare different ones out of what you know, and it gives you more 'longevity' over the course of the day, should remove some other aspects of versatility. Easiest place to start there was spells known, but I'll be honest, I abhor things like the crossblooded '1 less spell known' thing, as Sorcerers are already a level behind. So, I decided their bloodline spells are a good bet, as the archetype's almost a 'bloodline' of its own.

But that didn't seem like enough, so I also decided to have it eat your three bonus feats (half of what you'd give up for martial training 6, though obviously that isn't an option for any existing bloodline's bonuses). Other features replace the skill and the arcana, but I left the bloodline powers intact. This will likely need some playtesting to see if more needs to be given up, but as it is I feel it lets you give up one kind of versatility for another.

The maneuver lists I chose seemed to best suit the 'arcane commander' type of vibe, with Golden Lion covering leadership type things, tempest gale helping with ranged control, and elemental flux just seeming very sorcerery to start with. I then decided that converting spell slots to animus for elemental flux and animus feats seemed like a cool idea, and since it requires taking spellcasting ability away to do it, it wasn't really unbalancing. Finally, I didn't think adding all martial weapons like the polymath seemed right, so I just gave them a choice of two.

Of note, if there's enough interest, I could MAYBE be convinced to try an expand this into a 'template' that works for all of Sorcerers, Wizards, and Arcanists, but it just seemed best suited to the charisma-based Sorcerer, and of course that's my favorite class too, so I started there as I'm most familiar with it. Really, Arcanist/Wizard might be better as their own template pair that's entirely separate.



Arcane Commander

While not often known for their martial prowess, Sorcerers are often seen as better suited towards a military officer's role than any other spellcaster. Most have a naturally strong force of personality making them capable of inspiring troops and intimidating enemies, some level of training with weaponry, and powerful spells capable of controlling a battlefield. Arcane Commanders take this a step further, combining their arcane capabilities and natural charisma with specialized martial training, becoming powerful, adaptable battlefield leaders.



Level
Known
Readied
Stances
Max Level


3
3
3
1
1


4
4
3
1
1


5
5
3
1
1


6
5
4
2
2


7
6
4
2
2


8
6
4
2
2


9
7
4
2
3


10
7
4
2
3


11
8
4
2
4


12
8
5
3
4


13
9
5
3
5


14
9
5
3
5


15
10
5
3
6


16
10
5
3
6


17
11
6
4
6


18
11
6
4
6


19
12
6
4
6


20
12
6
4
6



Maneuvers: Starting at 3rd level, the Arcane Commander gains knowledge of 3 maneuvers selected from the following disciplines: Golden Lion, Tempest Gale, and Elemental Flux. He adds Diplomacy, Sleight of Hand, and Knowledge (Martial) to his list of class skills if they are not already class skills. Once he knows a maneuver, he must ready it before he can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by an Arcane Commander is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. His maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and he does not provoke attacks of opportunity when he initiates one. He learns additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown above. The Arcane Commander must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it.

Upon reaching 6th level, and at every even numbered character level after that, he can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one he already knows. In effect, the Arcane Commander loses the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. The Arcane Commander need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. He can choose a new maneuver of any level he likes, as long as he observes his restriction on the highest-level maneuvers he knows. The Arcane Commander can swap only a single maneuver at any given level. An Arcane Commander's primary initiator attribute is Charisma, and each Arcane Commander level starting at 3rd is counted as a full initiator level (So a 4th level Arcane Commander is a 2nd level initator, for instance).

This replaces the Sorcerer's bloodline spells, bloodline skill, and all bloodline feats.

Maneuvers Readied: An Arcane Commander can ready all three of his maneuvers starting at 3rd level, but as he advances in level and learns more maneuvers, he must choose which maneuvers to ready. He readies his maneuvers by meditating or performing martial katas for 10 minutes. The maneuvers he chooses remain readied until he decides to repeat this again and change them. Arcane Commanders do not need to sleep or be well rested to ready their maneuvers; any time he spends 10 minutes in study or meditation, he can change his readied maneuvers. He begins an encounter with all readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times he may have already used them since he chose them. When the Arcane Commander initiates a maneuver, he expends it for the current encounter, so each of his readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until they are recovered, see below).

Arcane Commanders may recover their maneuvers in one of two ways. The Arcane Commander may take a brief moment to call upon his internal font and recover one maneuver as a standard action. Alternatively, he may spend a full round action to appraise the tactical situation and tap further into his arcane energy. If he does so, the Arcane Commander can recover up to his initiation modifier in expended maneuvers (minimum 2), and in addition, he may cast a single cantrip with a casting time of 1 standard action or less.

Stances Known (Ex): At 3rd level, the Arcane Commander gains with knowledge of one stance from any of their available disciplines. At the indicated levels (see class table), the Arcane Commander selects an additional new stance. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended and he does not have to ready them. All the stances he knows are available to him at all times, and he can change the stance he is currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description. Unlike with maneuvers, the Arcane Commander cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one he already knows.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency (Ex): The Arcane Commander gains proficiency with two martial weapons of his choice, in addition to his normal proficiency.

This modifies the Sorcerer's Weapon and Armor Proficiency.

Spellcaster's Animus (Su): While the Arcane Commander does not gain an Animus Pool in the same way as a Mystic, he may still use his own arcane energies to fuel similar effects. Starting at third level, by expending spell slots equal to the Animus needed as a free action, he may augment maneuvers that have animus augmentations, or empower feats that use Animus. In addition, he is treated as having an animus pool for the sake of prerequisites. He does NOT gain the ability to use a Mystic's general augmentations unless he also has levels in the Mystic class or another class that grants that ability.

This replaces the Sorcerer's bloodline arcana.

Falco1029
2015-10-10, 12:45 AM
Changelog
10/10/2015 - Realized I should have a changelog at the ready.

Sayt
2015-10-11, 05:12 AM
THe first thing that occurs to me is: Fullcasters didn't get martial maneuvers for a reason. They already have more than enough capacity for damage and utility.

That said, this is a pretty quick and easy archetype, the schools you've chosen make sense, without anything super abusable.

That said, I'm not sure how effective a 1/2 BAB character is going to be with martial strikes, which is something I'd look into as a designer.

Falco1029
2015-10-11, 12:45 PM
THe first thing that occurs to me is: Fullcasters didn't get martial maneuvers for a reason. They already have more than enough capacity for damage and utility.

That said, this is a pretty quick and easy archetype, the schools you've chosen make sense, without anything super abusable.

That said, I'm not sure how effective a 1/2 BAB character is going to be with martial strikes, which is something I'd look into as a designer.

My thought process was that the first and third points there would cancel each other out. That is to say, the maneuvers give them some longevity over the day, but since they can't make as good use without a higher BAB, they need to be very particular in what they choose. Most of their best options will be to use boosts and counters, with strikes maybe aiding 'magical' attacks (after casting, of course, since you can't strike and cast at the same time) like whip of spiders, chill touch, or similar things.

So, I guess what I mean is, they don't benefit quite as much, so it's not as big a deal to give it to them to give them another option over the course of the day. Especially with them being a couple levels behind, as it is.