Arcane Knight
A Warrior Archetype with a bound weapon, third-caster Wizard spellcasting, spell slots spent as force damage on hits and a 30-foot teleport.
Identity
Arcane Knights are Warriors trained at military academies that teach officers a narrow course in Rift magic. The course covers abjuration and evocation: enough theory to bind one weapon properly and enough practice to put a spell through it. It omits the parts of the discipline that take a decade, so a Knight's spell list runs to wards, force and a short shelf of utility.
Features
- L3 Arcane Knight Spellcasting
You cast spells from the Wizard list on the third-caster table, using Intelligence as your spellcasting ability. You know two cantrips and three 1st-level Wizard spells of your choice, and you learn more as shown by your Warrior level. At least two thirds of the spells you know must be Abjuration and Evocation spells.
- L3 Bound Blade
You bind one weapon to yourself over 1 hour, which can be done during a rest. You cannot be disarmed of a bound weapon unless you are Incapacitated, and you can summon it to your hand as a bonus action from anywhere on the same plane. You can have one weapon bound at a time. Binding another weapon, or breaking the bond as an action, releases the first.
- L7 Spell Strike
When you hit a creature with your bound weapon, you can expend one spell slot to deal extra force damage equal to 1d8 per level of the slot expended, plus 1d8. When you cast a cantrip as your action, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
- L11 Short Teleport
As a bonus action, you can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Your bound weapon and any creature you have Grappled travel with you. You can use this feature a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.
- L15 Arcane Deflection
When you are hit by an attack or fail a saving throw, you can use your reaction to add 4 to your Armor Class against that attack or 4 to that saving throw. If the bonus changes the result, the attack misses or you succeed on the save. After you use this feature, you cannot cast spells other than cantrips until the end of your next turn. You can use it a number of times per short rest equal to your Intelligence modifier, to a minimum of once.
- L18 Force Blade Capstone
Once per long rest, as a bonus action, you charge your bound weapon with force for 1 minute. For the duration, your weapon attacks deal an extra 2d8 force damage and ignore resistance to force damage, you can cast one spell of 1st level or lower as a bonus action on each of your turns without expending a slot, and any creature that hits you with a melee attack takes 2d6 force damage. When the minute ends, you gain one level of the Exhausted condition.