SwordmasterLegacy Content
Source Character Guide pg. 115 2.0Though the ultimate goal of the Pathfinder society is to learn, knowledge cannot be spread if those who discover it fail to come back alive. The Master of Swords teaches recruits to survive, to defend other Pathfinders, and to defeat the Society’s enemies. The swordmaster embodies these skills, focusing on practicality and ignoring ideals or methods that interfere with their ability to overcome any challenge.
Pathfinder Society Archetypes
The following archetypes are uncommon, but are available to members of the Pathfinder Society. Qualifying characters with the
Pathfinder agent archetype can select one of these dedication feats even if they have not gained three feats from the Pathfinder agent archetype, and each of these archetypes’ feats fulfills the
Pathfinder Agent Dedication’s special requirement despite not being from the Pathfinder agent archetype.
Legacy Content
Uncommon Archetype Dedication Source Character Guide pg. 115 2.0Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Strength 14, Dexterity 14, or Constitution 14; member of the Pathfinder Society affiliated with the School of Swords
Access A character who is a member of the Pathfinder Society has access to this option.
Your Swords training taught you to never lose hold of your weapon. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your Reflex DC when foes attempt to
Disarm you. If you have the
Deft Cooperation feat and critically succeed on a check to
Aid an ally’s attack roll or skill check, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus from Deft Cooperation (instead of a +1 bonus) the first time you attempt an attack roll or attempt a skill check where the bonus would apply.
Special You cannot select another dedication feat until you have gained two other feats from the Swordmaster archetype.
Legacy Content
Archetype Exploration Manipulate Skill Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; expert in
Crafting
You've learned to repair your equipment even in challenging circumstances, making use of what you have available. You can attempt to
Repair an item without a
repair kit, instead improvising tools out of your gear or found items. This adds 5 minutes to the time it takes to Repair the item. You can also Repair an item while on the move without needing a stable surface. This adds 10 minutes to the times it takes to Repair the item.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; expert in
Acrobatics and
Athletics
You spend a lot of time focusing on your physical fitness. You increase your proficiency rank in
Acrobatics and
Athletics from expert to master.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication
You place your body between your friends and your enemies, protecting your allies against oncoming attacks. You choose one adjacent ally. That ally gains a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn or until that ally is no longer adjacent to you, whichever comes first. You can only protect a single ally in this way. If you choose to Protect a different Ally, the previous ally loses the bonus to AC.
Legacy Content
Archetype Manipulate Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication
You know that situations can change rapidly and might leave you needing to change equipment in the middle of combat. Your training has taught you how to swap your equipment on the fly. You Interact to stow a weapon and then Interact again to draw a readied item or weapon.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication
You keep hold of your weapons even when knocked out. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your Reflex DC when defending against checks to
Disarm you. In addition, when you fall
unconscious, you don't drop any weapons that you're currently wielding, though somebody else can remove them from you.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; trained in light, medium, or heavy armor
You've slept many nights in your armor and gotten used to it. You can sleep in armor overnight without being
fatigued the next day. If you were already fatigued before sleeping, the armor doesn't prevent you from recovering from being fatigued.
Legacy Content
Archetype Attack Press Source Character Guide pg. 115 2.0Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication
Your attack prevents a foe from pursuing your allies. Make a melee Strike, adding the following effects in addition to the normal effects of the Strike.
Critical Success The target takes a –15-foot status penalty to its Speeds until the start of your next turn.
Success The target takes a –10-foot status penalty to its Speeds until the start of your next turn.
Failure The target takes a –5-foot status penalty to its Speeds until the start of your next turn.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication
You've become comfortable in using weapons that you might not have picked up before training with the Swords. Choose one weapon group, such as
hammer or
sword. Whenever your proficiency rank in any weapon increases to expert or beyond, you also gain that new proficiency rank with both simple and martial weapons of your chosen weapon group.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication
After extensive practice with the Swords, you're comfortable enough with your shield to move at a normal pace with it raised. You may use the
Defend exploration activity while traveling at your full travel speed instead of half your travel speed.
Legacy Content
Archetype Manipulate Skill Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; master in
MedicineRequirements An adjacent ally is suffering
persistent damage.
You've learned a variety of methods for helping allies who are bleeding, burning, or otherwise suffering persistent damage, from brushing off acid to patting down fires. Your ally immediately attempts a flat check to remove all types of persistent damage, and your use of this feat automatically counts as especially effective aid, reducing the DC from 15 to 10 for all future flat checks to remove the persistent damage.
Legacy Content
Archetype Skill Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; expert in a skill used to
Recall KnowledgeRequirements You're fighting a creature of your level or lower that could be identified by
Recall Knowledge with a skill in which you're an expert.
You paid attention during your studies and remember the right way to attack various creatures. Choose a creature that meets the requirements. You learn the resistances, immunities, or weaknesses of the creature (your choice) without needing to successfully Recall Knowledge.
Legacy Content
Archetype Skill Source PFS Guide pg. 52Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; master in
Survival
You've studied survival skills with the School of Swords experts and are comfortable spending long periods of time in the wilderness. You don't get fatigued more quickly due to precipitation during overland travel, though you can otherwise be fatigued as normal. You can go 3 days + your Constitution modifier without water before you take damage from thirst and you can go 5 days + your Constitution modifier without food before you take damage from
starvation.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Character Guide pg. 115 2.0Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster DedicationTrigger An enemy critically succeeds at a Strike against an adjacent ally.
You’ve trained to protect your allies by diverting the worst attacks to yourself. The enemy doesn’t double the damage from the triggering Strike but instead applies the normal damage to both you and your ally. Both of you take any effects that would happen on a hit that dealt damage, such as poison, but neither of you are subject to any effects that would happen only on a critical success.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 53Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; master in
Diplomacy
You often find that the best way to win a conflict means avoiding a fight in the first place. You're good at talking to potential opponents without making things worse. If you would critically fail at a check to
Make an Impression, you instead fail. You can attempt checks to make
Requests of creatures who're
indifferent or
unfriendly toward you.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 53Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication; trained in light, medium, or heavy armor
You've spent time training in your armor alongside other agents from the Swords. Your proficiency rank for light, medium, and heavy armor increases to expert for whichever of those you already had the trained proficiency rank in.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Character Guide pg. 115 2.0Archetype SwordmasterFrequency once per 10 minutes
Prerequisites Swordmaster DedicationTrigger You take damage that would reduce you to 0 Hit Points.
You continue to fight when others would fall. Just before taking the triggering damage, you gain temporary Hit Points equal to twice your level. If you have Hit Points remaining after gaining these temporary Hit Points, you aren’t knocked unconscious, nor do you suffer the other effects of being reduced to 0 Hit Points. Any temporary Hit Points that remain after applying the damage last for up to 4 rounds.
Legacy Content
Archetype Attack Press Source PFS Guide pg. 53Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster Dedication
Your ranged attacks push your foes away from your allies. Make a ranged Strike, adding the following effects in addition to the normal effects of the Strike.
Critical Success The target is pushed 10 feet away from you.
Success The target is pushed 5 feet away from you.
Failure The target is
flat-footed for 1 round.
Legacy Content
Archetype Fortune Source PFS Guide pg. 53Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Swordmaster DedicationTrigger An adjacent ally fails, but doesn't critically fail, a saving throw against an effect with the
incapacitation trait.
You're so focused on your allies that you can help them to recenter when something would take them out of the fight. Your ally rerolls the failed saving throw. That ally must take the second result.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source PFS Guide pg. 53Archetype SwordmasterPrerequisites Shoulder Catastrophe
You fully protect your allies from the worst blows. When you use the
Shoulder Catastrophe reaction, you can choose to take the full critical damage and effects from the attack, including effects that apply on a critical hit, and have your ally take no damage and avoid the attack's effects.