Swordsman of the Mirror (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Swordsman of the Mirror
Long has the eldricht been a threat to the warrior. A swordsman must contend with rays of fire and confounding enchantments and often hope only that his companions can revive or restrain him when he inevitably succumbs. Many accept this as being an unwavering axiom of adventuring, but others choose to defy this unwritten law. The Swordsmen of the Mirror are warriors that have chosen to learn an inkling of magic so that they may better resist it and, perhaps more importantly, punish those that use it against them.
The origin of the Swordsmen of the Mirror varies depending on who tells the tale. It is a point of pride for many Hobgoblins that the first Swordsmen were of their race, while many an elf will contend that only their fairer breed possessed the finesse to develop such abilities. Some humans believe that only their ingenuity and determination could produce such warriors.
The most common Swordsmen of the Mirror are Fighters, Barbarians, and Rangers that have strayed slightly from their path to learn spellcasting or imbuing ability. However, there are many Bards that practice techniques, and it is not uncommon for an elven wizard to occasionally pursue the class, nor is it unheard of for a Paladin to wish to add the class's abilities to her repetoire.
Requirements
- Base Attack Bonus: +4
- Feats: Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus (any sword), and either Lightning Reflexes or Iron Will
- Skills: Spellcraft 2 ranks
- Spellcasting: Ability to cast 1st-level spells or imbue 1st-level infusions
- Special: Must have been reduced to negative hitpoints by a spell or spell-like ability after failing a Reflex save, or must have failed a Will save against a spell or spell-like ability and inconvenienced himself or his comrades as a result
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Parry Arrows 1/round | |
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Adamantine Will | |
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Parry Rays 1/round | |
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Mirrored Mind, Parry Arrows | |
| 5th | +5 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Reflect Arrows | |
| 6th | +6 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Mirrored Sword, Parry Rays 2/round | |
| 7th | +7 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Reflect Ray | |
| 8th | +8 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Deflect Arrows at will | |
| 9th | +9 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Prismic Mind | |
| 10th | +10 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Uncanny Parrying, Deflect Rays at will | |
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Class Skills (2 + Int Modifier per level) | ||||||
Class Features
The following are class features of the Swordsman of the Mirror prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Swordsmen of the Mirror gain no additional proficiencies in weapons or armor.
Parry Arrows (Ex): Before deflecting spells, a Swordsman first learns to deflect their more mundane equivalent. A Swordsman armed with a sword for which he has Weapon Focus may deflect a bolt, arrow, javelin, or similar projectile or thrown weapon that would otherwise have hit him. To do so, he may make an attack roll opposing that of the attacker, which counts as an attack of opportunity. If the Swordsman's attack roll equals or surpasses that of his attacker, the projectile is knocked aside and does not damage the Swordsman. Otherwise, the damage is rolled normally. The Swordsman must be aware of the attack and cannot be denied his dexterity bonus to AC. Unusually large projectiles (such as a giant's thrown boulder) or those produced by a magical effect (such as an Acid Arrow spell) cannot be parried. Yet.
- Parry Arrows may be used once per round at 1st level, twice per round at 4th level, and any number of times per round at level 8. If Swordsman cannot make another attack of opportunity this round he may not Parry Arrows.
Adamantine Will (Ex): Having a will of iron is not sufficient. One's will should be as strong as the hardest bones of the world. When a Swordsman of the Mirror makes a successful Will saving throw against a spell or spell-like ability that normally has a lesser effect on a successful save, he instead suffers no effect at all. In addition, the Swordsman gains a +4 morale bonus to saves against Compulsion effects.
Parry Rays (Su): Having mastered the parrying of mundane projectiles, the Swordsman of the Mirror turns his attention to more unnatural attacks. Once per round, a Swordsman armed with a sword for which he has Weapon Focus may deflect a ray that otherwise would have hit him. To do so, he may make an opposing attack roll as an attack of opportunity. If the Swordsman's attack roll meets or exceeds that of his attacker, the ray is deflected harmlessly. The Swordsman must be aware of the attack and cannot be denied his dexterity bonus to AC, and the Swordsman's sword must possess a magical enhancement bonus to attack, either by being a magic weapon or from effects such as a Magic Weapon spell to Parry Rays.
- Parry Ray may be used once per round at 3rd level, twice per round at 6th level, and any number of times per round at 10th level. If Swordsman cannot make another attack of opportunity this round he may not Parry Rays.
Mirrored Mind (Su): The Swordsman of the Mirror soon becomes adept at withstanding attacks against his mind and spirit. Eventually, such attacks can be reflected back at their unsuspecting caster. Once per round, when a Swordsman of the Mirror makes a successful Will saving throw against a spell or spell-like ability that targets him (such as enchantments like Charm Person or phantasm like Phantasmal Killer), he may redirect that effect back against his assailant by making a successful touch attack. Any saving throws for the effect are modified by the Swordsman's highest primary casting attribute rather than the assailant's primary casting attribute, though the caster level and other effects remain unchanged. Treat the Swordsman as the origin of the effect for effects such as Charm Person or Cause Fear.
- A Swordsman of the Mirror must be aware of his assailant for Mirrored Mind to function properly. If he could not target the assailant normally with the spell (such as if the assailant had total concealment) Mirrored Mind does not work. If he mistakes another creature to be the origin of the spell, that creature is also not affected by the spell. Yet.
Reflect Arrows (Ex): It's bad enough when a Swordsman of the Mirror parries aside your arrows. It's even worse when he deflects them into your comrades. When a Swordsman of the Mirror successfully parries a projectile with Parry Arrows, he may direct the projectile at another creature within 30 feet as a free attack using the same attack roll. The attack deals damage as if the Swordsman had made the attack, meaning his Strength modifier would be used to determine damage (if relevant), any relevant effects dependant on distance from the attacker (such as Sneak Attack, Favored Enemy, or Point Blank Shot) would apply, and any effects granted by a magic bow would not be applied.
Mirrored Sword (Su): The resilience of a Swordsman of the Mirror is best demonstrated when he deflects a dragon's breath weapon away from his comrades. When the Swordsman of the Mirror armed with a sword with which he has Weapon Focus is subject to a spell, spell-like ability, or similar effect in the form of a cone or line, he may move his blade with such speed and finesse that it forms a mirrored wall between himself and the origin of the effect. Treat this as granting the Swordsman and any other creature on a line extending from the source through any corner of the Swordsman's space total cover against the effect, effectively making them invulnerable to the effect.
- This ability may be used once per day, and only if the Swordsman's sword has a magical enhancement bonus to attack. Using Mirrored Sword is counted as an attack of opportunity. If the Swordsman of the Mirror cannot make another attack of opportunity this round, he cannot use Mirrored Sword.
Reflect Rays (Su): Woe to the wizard that hurls a Scorching Ray at a Swordsman of the Mirror, for chances are, that ray will come back. When a Swordsman of the Mirror successfully parries a ray with Parry Rays, he may direct the ray at another creature within 30 feet as a free attack using the same attack roll. Any relevant saving throws are modified by the Swordsman's primary casting attribute rather than the original casters, but caster level is as if the original assailant had made the attack. If the ray deals damage as part of its effect any relevant effects dependant on distance from the attacker (such as Sneak Attack, Favored Enemy, or Point Blank Shot) would apply.
- The Swordsman of the Mirror's sword must possess a magical enhancement bonus to attack meeting or exceeding the level of the spell reflected for Reflect Ray to function.
Prismic Mind (Su): Oftentimes, a spellcaster is not particularly vulnerable to the spells he slings towards the Swordsman of the Mirror. Mind affecting spells rarely work against those strong of mind, after all. Knowing this, a Swordsman may adapt his tactics. Once per day, when a Swordsman of the Mirror makes a successful Will saving throw against a spell or spell-like ability that targets him (such as enchantments like Charm Person or phantasm like Phantasmal Killer), he may redirect that effect at another creature within 30ft by making a successful touch attack. Any saving throws for the effect are modified by the Swordsman's primary casting attribute rather than the assailant's primary casting attribute, though the caster level and other effects remain unchanged. Treat the Swordsman as the origin of the effect for effects such as Charm Person or Fear. The Swordsman of the Mirror need not be aware of his assailant for this ability to function, though he cannot target creatures he could not normally with the spell (such as those with total concealment).
Uncanny Parrying (Ex): The most skilled Swordsmen of the Mirror may split a balista bolt down the middle and avoid it entirely, or slice a catapult stone from the sky. The Swordsman of the Mirror may use Parry Arrows against any projectile not part of a spell or spell-like ability, including stones hurled by giants and other unusually massive weapons. He cannot, however, use Reflect Arrows with such attacks.
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