Sigilus

System: Pathfinder | SRD | Type: Subclass (Archetype) of Magus

Traditionally, the Cyphermages have harbored something of a resistance toward physical combat, preferring to rely upon the power of magic to solve problems and defeat foes. Many of the organization’s traditionalists hold prejudices against those who rely upon martial skills, and this prejudice has bled over to those who mix magic with combat, such as eldritch knights and magi. With the organization’s recent change to its traditions, though, its numbers have grown more welcoming of these traditions, and magic in particular, have developed a unique method of incorporating their lore.

When a magus joins the ranks of the Cyphermages, she can learn the art of infusing her arcane pool with the secrets of ancient Thassilonian magic. Such an individual becomes known as a sigilus. While the mysteries of ancient Thassilon drive her spellcraft, the sigilus makes little effort to understand the academic and philosophic aspects of runes. Instead, she focuses almost entirely upon their practical application.

A sigilus manipulates the discoveries of wizards and other more sagacious Cyphermages, using those findings to create special sigils that allow her to transfer spell effects into different objects for later use. Her craft builds upon traditions founded by the runelords that allowed them to infuse magic into their flesh, but rather than infusing magic into her body, the sigilus infuses it into a weapon. More interested in the exploration of Thassilonian ruins than academic research, sigiluses serve the Cyphermages by engaging in fieldwork and recovering artifacts. They work alongside more studious Cyphermages, sometimes serving as bodyguards or as regulatory agents who make sure no member gains too much power through the acquisition of potent Thassilonian secrets.

Class Abilities

Inscribe Rune (Su) (addition)

At 2nd level, a sigilus learns how to magically inscribe a Thassilonian rune onto a weapon. The rune to be inscribed must be chosen from the seven runes that symbolize the seven schools of Thassilonian magic (see page 63). Note that due to the nature of magus spells, certain runes (and thus certain schools of magic) are more appropriate for inscription than others—the runes for conjuration, evocation, illusion, and transmutation are the strongest choices, while those for abjuration, enchantment, and necromancy are less enticing. Inscribing a rune takes 10 minutes. Once a weapon has been infused with a rune, the sigilus becomes more adept at using her spell combat ability with spells of that rune’s school. Her penalty on attack rolls when using spell combat is reduced by 1 (to –1) when she casts a spell from the same school as her inscribed rune, but is increased by 2 (to –4) when she uses spell combat with a spell not from her inscribed rune’s school. As long as she has a rune inscribed on her weapon in this manner, she cannot use spells from that rune’s opposition schools at all with spell combat. The sigilus can maintain only a single inscribed rune on a weapon at any time; if she inscribes a new rune on a weapon, the previously inscribed rune fades. This ability replaces spellstrike.

Inscribe Sihedron (Su) (addition)

At 7th level, a sigilus learns to inscribe the Sihedron rune (the sevenpointed star that symbolizes all seven schools of Thassilonian magic) on a suit of light armor she wears. When she does so, her armor becomes physically empowered with defensive magic, granting her energy resistance 5 to two energy types of her choice selected from acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic, and increasing the armor’s armor bonus by 1. (Note that this increase is an armor bonus increase, and thus stacks with any enhancement bonus a suit of magic light armor may have.) Inscribing the Sihedron rune in this way becomes part of the sigilus’s spell preparation ritual—she can inscribe a Sihedron rune in this way once per day as a result. Each day she inscribes the Sihedron rune, she can change the two types of energy resistance it grants as she wishes. At 13th level, an inscribed Sihedron rune grants energy resistance 10 to one energy type and energy resistance 5 to two other energy types, and its armor bonus increases to +2. A Sihedron rune can be inscribed only on light armor—it cannot be inscribed on medium or heavy armor, even if the magus later gains proficiency with medium or heavy armor. This ability replaces medium armor and heavy armor.

Source: Adventurer's Guide pg. 59

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