Fencing Sphere

Main > Combat > Martial Spheres > Fencing Sphere

Fencers are quick fighters who use nimble footwork and expert feints to open up their target before landing a fatal blow.

All practitioners of the Fencing sphere gain the following abilities:

Fatal Thrust

Whenever you make an attack action or an attack of opportunity against a target that is within 30 ft. and that you are flanking, that is flat-footed, or that has lost its Dexterity bonus to AC (such as through a successful feint), you deal an additional +1d6 precision damage to the target. This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.

This damage increases by an additional 1d6 precision damage for every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Feint Master

When you gain the Fencing sphere, you gain 5 ranks in the Bluff skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Fencing sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice).

If you already have ranks in the Bluff skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.

Base Talents

Fencing Talents (Exploit)

A fencer may apply the effects of a single (exploit) talent to any fatal thrust.

Ankle Strike

You may attempt a trip combat maneuver against the target as a free action which does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Arm Strike

Your attack strikes their arm in a critical spot. The target suffers a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, ability checks, or skill checks made with that arm for 1d4 rounds.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts for an additional round.

Belt Cutter

You may attempt a steal combat maneuver against the target as a free action which does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Chest Strike

Your attack strikes the target’s chest. The target must pass a Fortitude save or become sickened for 1d4 rounds.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts for an additional round.

Distracting Blades

The target loses the ability to make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts for an additional round.

Face Strike

Your attack cuts into the target’s face, impeding their ability to see and hear. The target treats all targets as if they had partial concealment (a 20% miss chance) for 1 round, and suffers a -2 Penalty to all Perception checks.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts an additional round.

Hand Slash

Make a disarm combat maneuver against the target as a free action. This disarm does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Leg Slash

The target’s movement types are halved for 1d4 rounds.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts for an additional round.

Repositioning Strike

You cause the target to stumble, letting you slip past them. You may immediately move up to half your movement speed as a free action, so long as you end your movement in a space adjacent to the target, and may even move through the target’s occupied space when doing so.

This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the target.

To the Hilt

You create a large wound on the target that others can exploit. For 1 round, the target’s damage resistance is reduced by an amount equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1).

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts for an additional round.

Wide Open

The target suffers a -2 penalty to its armor class until the end of your next turn.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty increases by 1.

Fencing Talents (Feinting)

Expert Feint

When you succeed at a feint morale maneuver against a target, that target also loses its Dexterity bonus to its armor class against all attacks until the beginning of your next turn, in addition to your next attack.

Associated Feat: Greater Feint.

Fast Feint

You may attempt to feint a creature as a move action.

In addition, once per round when you succeed on a feint morale maneuver against a creature, you may expend martial focus to move up to your speed. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the target of your feint.

Associated Feat: Improved Feint.

Fatal Opening

Whenever you attack a target that has lost its Dexterity bonus to its armor class due to your successful feint, your critical threat range for that attack is doubled.

If you possess the Expert Feint talent, this doubling applies to all attacks against the target while it is suffering the effects of your feint.

This does not stack with other effects that extend the threat range of a weapon.

Feint Strike

Whenever you succeed at a feint against a creature, you may make a single attack against them with any weapon you are wielding as a swift action.

You may expend your martial focus to instead make this attack as an attack of opportunity.

Focusing Feint

Whenever you succeed at a feint against a creature, you may regain your martial focus as a swift action.

Open Guard

Whenever you feint a target, that target is battered for 1 round.

Unlikely Feint

You do not suffer a penalty when feinting against non-humanoids, and the penalty against feinting a creature with an Intelligence of 1 or 2 is reduced to -4.

You may attempt to feint mindless creatures, but suffer a -8 penalty.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, these penalties are reduced by 2 (minimum 0).

Verbal Feint

You may throw people off their guard with simple motions and well-placed words. You do not need a weapon in order to attempt a feint check, and can feint targets within 30 ft. Only targets that can hear you may be targeted with a verbal feint.

Fencing Talents (Defensive)

Group Cover

Your quick movements allow you to temporarily use one enemy as cover against another enemy. As long as you have martial focus, every enemy that threatens you suffers a -2 penalty to their attack rolls against you for every other creature adjacent to them that also threatens you.

Impassable Defense

When you take the total defense action, you still may make attacks of opportunity.

If you possess the Lunge talent, you may increase your threatened area by 5 ft. when determining the range at which you may make attacks of opportunity while using the total defense action, but suffer a -2 penalty to attacks made at this extended range, as detailed under the Lunge talent.

Masterful Defense

Whenever you fight defensively, you only suffer a -2 penalty to attack rather than the usual -4. In addition, you gain an additional +1 dodge bonus whenever you fight defensively or take the total defense action.

Associated Feat: Crane Style.

Parry and Riposte

When a creature makes a melee attack against you, you may expend your martial focus and use an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. Make an attack roll as if you were making an attack of opportunity, but for each size category the attacking creature is larger than you, you take a –2 penalty on this roll.

If your result is greater than the attacking creature’s result, the creature’s attack automatically misses and you regain your martial focus.

If your base attack bonus is +5 or greater, you may choose to make a single melee attack against a creature whose attack you have successfully parried instead of regaining your martial focus.

Fencing Talents (Other)

Death From Afar

You may use fatal thrust on a ranged attack action out to your first range increment.

Footwork

As long as you have martial focus, you may make a 5-foot step as an immediate action.

If this movement is done in response to an attack made against you, you gain an extra +2 dodge bonus to your AC and CMD against that attack. If you take this step, you cannot take a 5-foot step during your next turn. If you take an action to move during your next turn, subtract 5 ft. from your total movement.

You may take this talent twice. If taken twice, you may move up to 10 ft. when you take this immediate action. You may still take a 5-foot step during your next turn, and any movement you make using this talent does not subtract any distance from your movement during your next turn.

Associated Feats: Step Up, Following Step if taken twice.

Lunge

As long as you have martial focus, you may increase the range at which you may make melee attacks by 5 ft., but suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls made against targets within this extended range. This does not affect your threatened area, only the reach of your attacks, and does not stack with other, similar effects.

Associated Feat: Lunge.

Pace Setter

Whenever you deal your Fencing sphere precision damage to a target, you can force the creature to move 5 ft. in any direction as long as this would not cause them to end their movement in dangerous terrain.

This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Read Foe

You have learned to read the subtle cues of your enemy, and to see through enemy feints. You gain 5 ranks in the Sense Motive skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Fencing sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice).

If you already have ranks in the Sense Motive skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.

Skewer

When dealing your Fencing sphere precision damage to a creature, you may expend your martial focus to increase the bonus precision damage to become +1d6, +1d6 at +3 base attack bonus and every +2 thereafter.

In addition, you may apply two different (exploit) talents to this attack.

Advanced Talents

Fencing Talents (Exploit)

A fencer may apply the effects of a single (exploit) talent to any fatal thrust.

Shadow Strike

Your attack cuts through essence. Your attack deals full damage to ethereal creatures. Against corporeal creatures, your attack deals nonlethal damage, and the target must pass a Fortitude save or become fatigued for 1d4 rounds.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts for an additional round.

This is a supernatural ability.

Soul Strike

You target the enemy’s psyche. The target suffers a -2 penalty to all saving throws for 1d4 rounds.

For every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess, this penalty lasts for an additional round.

This is a supernatural ability.

Fencing Talents (Feinting)

Master of Deception

Prerequisites: Expert Feint, Bluff 10 ranks.

You don’t just catch opponents off guard; your misdirection warps reality. When you successfully feint a target, they must pass a Will save or become confused for 1 round.

This is a supernatural effect.

Fencing Talents (Other)

Master of Words

Prerequisites: Gladiator sphere, Warleader sphere, Bluff 3 ranks, Diplomacy 3 ranks, Intimidate 3 ranks.

You are a master of all forms of communication. Whenever you make a Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check, you may use whichever of these skills you desire to make the check.

Parry Anything

Prerequisites: Parry and Reposte, base attack bonus +5.

You may use your Parry and Riposte talent against ranged attacks and spells which require attack rolls as well as melee attacks. You still cannot make a retaliatory attack against the target unless it is within your reach.

In addition, you may use Parry and Riposte in place of making a Reflex save against a spell, supernatural, or extraordinary ability you are aware of. If you succeed on this check, the effect is reduced as if you had the evasion rogue class feature.

Drawbacks

Sphere-specific drawbacks must be chosen when a practitioner first gains the associated sphere, and grant the practitioner an extra combat talent in the prerequisite sphere.

Drawbacks may be removed in place of gaining a new talent through your class progression or by taking the Extra Combat Talent feat. You cannot gain multiple drawbacks that remove or augment the same ability.

Distracting

You do not gain the fatal thrust ability and cannot take (exploit) talents. You gain Expert Feint with this drawback.

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