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A weapon in hand, their magic guided by their magic crystal medium; these red mages adept themselves to fighting in the fray with strength to contend even with knights, though their magic is weakened, causing them to rely on their crystal medium to unleash their magic.

The vermilion duelist is an archetype of the red mage class.

Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The vermilion duelist mainly focuses on DEX for martial combat, CHA for their class features and spellcasting, and CON for their class features.

Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Spells, Limit Breaks, Red Magery. 2ndArcane Pool. 3rdRuby Arcana, Ruby Knowledge. 4thQuick Cast. 5thRed Magery. 6thRuby Arcana. 9thRed Magery, Ruby Arcana. 12thRuby Arcana. 13thRed Magery. 15thRuby Arcana. 17thRed Magery. 18thRuby Arcana.

Limit Breaks (Su)

At 1st level, the vermilion duelist receives the Limit Breaks (Crystal Runic Scourge and Manafication).

Crystal Runic Scourge (Su): This Limit Break surrounds the vermillion duelist’s crystal medium with explosive runes. For a duration of 1 round + 1 round per four red mage levels after 1st, whenever a creature attacks the vermillion duelist with a melee attack, they suffer 1d4 points of non-elemental damage plus 1d4 points per four red mage levels after 1st.  In addition, creatures that suffer damage from this limit break are also dazzled for 1 round per red mage level unless they make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half of the red mage’s level + his Charisma modifier). This limit break requires only a swift action to activate.

Manafication (Su): This Limit Break allows the vermillion duelist to absorb the energies around him for his attacks. For a duration of 1 round + 1 round per four red mage levels after 1st, the vermillion duelist reduces the cost of a talent that uses stamina or spell that uses MP, to 0. This Limit Break affects only one spell or one talent per round. This limit break requires only a swift action to activate.

These abilities replace the red mage’s standard Limit Breaks.

Magic Crystal Medium (Su)

Beginning of 1st level, the vermilion duelist begins play with a magic crystal medium, a floating crystal that hovers around the vermilion duelist while he fights. This crystal assists him in casting magic and thus, the vermilion duelist is unable to cast magic from the red mage spell list without it. To cast magic, he must spend a swift action to command the crystal to attach itself to the vermilion duelist’s weapon’s pommel, acting as a catalyst, from there, he may cast magic normally. The weapon must be a light or one-handed melee weapon appropriate to the vermilion duelist’s size. However, when he decides to use the weapon in melee combat the crystal will detach itself, going back to a floating position around the vermilion duelist. This crystal only functions with the will of the vermilion duelist. The crystal itself has an AC of 10 when floating around the vermilion duelist and with HP equal to half of the vermilion duelist, and has a Hardness equal to the vermilion duelist’s Charisma modifier. If the crystal is ever destroyed, the vermilion duelist must spend 4 hours of uninterrupted meditation and spend 50 gil x his level to form a new crystal medium. If the weapon of the vermilion duelist is ever sundered, the crystal detaches safely from the weapon.

The crystal can also be used to send a jolt of energy to damage enemies emulating the power of the vermilion duelist weapon when attached. He may make a ranged touch attack and if successful, it deals damage equal to the weapon + the vermilion duelist’s Charisma modifier as non-elemental damage. This attack has a range of 30 feet. He may attack multiple times this way if he has a high base attack bonus.

At 10th level, the vermilion duelist can attach the crystal to his weapon as a free action.

This ability modifies spellcasting and replaces red magery.

Stamina Pool (Ex)

At 2nd level, the vermilion duelist gains a reservoir of stamina that he can draw upon to fuel his talents that he gains below. This stamina pool has a number of points equal to half his red mage level + his Constitution modifier (minimum 1). The pool refreshes once per day when the vermilion duelist rests for a full 8 hours. Sustained modes take up a static amount of stamina points from the vermilion duelist’s current and maximum stamina pool and most sustained modes stack.

Some talents are activated as a sustained mode. When activated, these talents both consume stamina and reduce the user’s maximum stamina by the listed amount. While active, they provide their listed bonuses until the user deactivates them as a free action, falls unconscious, or dies, at which point the reduction to the user’s maximum stamina is removed. Multiple sustained mode talents may be used at the same time as long as the user has enough stamina, though some talents may specify others that they cannot be used with.

By spending 1 stamina point as a swift action, the vermilion duelist can do one of the following:

  • Increase his speed by 10 feet for 1 round, or

  • Delay and suppress his fatigue or exhaustion for 1 round, or

  • Increase one saving throw by +1 for 1 round.

This ability replaces arcane pool.

Finesse Training (Ex)

At 3rd level, a vermillion duelist gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, he can select any one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (such as rapiers or daggers). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever he makes a successful melee attack with the selected weapon, he adds his Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the vermillion duelist from adding his Strength modifier to the damage roll, he does not add his Dexterity modifier. The vermillion duelist can select a second weapon at 11th level and a third at 19th level.

This ability replaces ruby knowledge.

Talent Trees (Su)

The vermilion duelist gets access to the vermilion duelist talent tree from below. At 3rd level and every three levels thereafter, the vermilion duelist chooses to learn one talent from the talent tree below. The vermillion duelist can pick up Extra Ruby Arcana feats to select these talents. Weapon Requirement: Any one-handed or light melee weapons.

Vermilion Specialization Talent Tree

  • Acceleration: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a free action, the vermilion duelist can gain an additional melee attack when making a full round attack at his highest base attack bonus. All attacks made this round has a -2 penalty to the attack roll.

  • Corps-a-Corps: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a move action, the vermilion duelist can conjure a whip of aether to attach to an enemy, ally, or surface within 30 feet, and pull himself adjacent to the target. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The whip disappears after use.

  • Quick Corps: Corps-a-Corps now is a swift action to use. Prerequisite: Corps-a-Corps

  • Displacement: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a swift action, the vermilion duelist can jump back out of harm’s way immediately while performing a melee attack. He moves back, up to 15 feet from his square in a straight line behind him. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Prerequisite: Corps-a-Corps

  • Embolden: As a swift action, the vermilion duelist may activate this talent as sustained mode. The vermilion duelist invokes his crystal to shine and enhances himself and nearby allies within 15 feet, granting a +1 bonus to all damage rolls plus an additional +1 for every four red mage levels after 3rd. This mode uses up 2 stamina points of the vermilion duelist’s current and maximum stamina pool.

  • Fleche: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a swift action, the vermilion duelist conjures swords of aether around him, hurling them at a single enemy as a ranged touch attack, dealing 1d6 points of non-elemental damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of non-elemental damage per four red mage levels after 3rd. Fleche has a range of 25 feet + 5 feet per two red mage levels after 3rd.

  • Contre Sixte: When using fleche, the vermilion duelist can expend an additional stamina point to cause the swords to spread out around a target and explode, dealing its damage in a 20-ft.-radius instead. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the red mage’s level + his Charisma modifier) reduces the damage by half. Prerequisite: Fleche

  • Impact: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a free action, when using his crystal medium to attack with a jolt of energy, the energy explodes out from the target dealing damage to those adjacent to the target. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the red mage’s level + his Charisma modifier) reduces the damage by half.

  • Vermilion Magic: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a free action, when the vermilion duelist casts a spell from the red mage spell list, he may add the prefix “Ver” to the beginning of the spell and infusing his own stamina into the spell, increasing the amount of dice of the spell by 1 or increasing the duration by 1 round.

  • Vermilion Wrath: Vermilion magic now increases the die of the spell by 2 dice or the duration by 2, instead of 1. He also counts his caster level as 1 higher for the purpose of bypassing spell resistance when using vermilion magic. Prerequisite: Vermilion Magic

These abilities replace ruby arcana.

Dual Cast (Su)

At 4th level, when the vermilion duelist casts a spell, he may cast another spell as a swift action; however the spell’s effects are halved. He may use this ability up to 3 + his Charisma modifier times per day.

This ability replaces quick cast.

Vermilion Duelist