Friendship Through Superior Firepower! Magical Girl Base Class, Set Up! [3.5]

[Draken]

Just for the record, Selinia is on a plane to Europe and might be awhile before her next response.

[Owrtho]

You can already gain third-level Illuminations by taking 1 level in Bard, 10 in the PrC and 6 in Magical Girl. So i don't really see a need to grant full Illumination progression, especially since your Motes DO scale fully.

Given you don't need any levels in bard to qualify, I'm not sure why you mentioned that that in the build. The reason for the suggestion is more due to the chance of players who want to stay pure illumination based rather than messing with suddenly getting spells due wanting a singing magical girl. The option to give up bardic spellcasting to gain full illumination progression would alleviate this.

And yes, the wording on Voice of Light is a bit iffy now.
I'll change it thusly:
You can spend 2 motes as a free action to gain another round of Bardic Performance. You can do this as often as you want per encounter, but each time the mote cost increases by 1.

To be honest, provided the extra rounds gained are lost after the encounter, I don't see any real reason to have the cost increase each time you use it. That said, you should specify that it can only be used once per round, and that rounds gained this way are used before your normal daily allotment of rounds. Essentially what you're doing is changing your bardic music into a 2 mote to maintain aura illumination. Given a once per round limit, you would always end up using your normal rounds when using a refrain unless you held off on starting your performance at the start of the encounter to build up the extra rounds.

Last but not least, please note that this is based of the Pathfinder-Bard, so it works with rounds/day rather than activations/day. It actually works better if you are planning on switching between songs a lot, and makes scaling the cost for refrains easier.

I'd noticed as much, and have considered the scale of things accordingly.

Just for the record, Selinia is on a plane to Europe and might be awhile before her next response.

Good to know.

Owrtho

[Serafina]

Okay, lets look at some builds.

3rd-level Bard/10th-level Magic Idol Singer/7th-level Magical Girl:
You gain Inspire Courage +4, 3rd-level Bard Spells, 3rd-level Illuminations and a +6/11 Costume, as well as Con to AC and Versatile Performance (which can be swapped out for a variety of things) and +2 to AC/Saves and Freedom of Movement.
With your method you could get either 5th-level Bard spells/2nd-level Illuminations or 1st-level Bard spells/4th-level Illuminations.

Magical Idol Singer 10/Magical Girl 10:
Inspire Courage +4, 2nd-level Bard Spells, 3rd-level Illuminations, +6/13 Costume, as well as Con to AC/Charisma vs Mind-affecting and +2 to AC/Saves and Freedom of Movement.
(Note that you can take Illuminating Song via this PrC and gain the Inspire Courage Benefits).
With your Method that would be 5th-level Illuminations - in which case you got Inspire Courage +4, powerful songs (and two of them at once) and +2 to defenses in exchange for Mettle and Limit Form. You don't loose any Motes, Illuminations or Costume bonus, and that seems too much to me.

Magical Idol Singer 7/Magical Girl 13
All of the above minus Freedom of Movement, plus Mettle and Limit Form.
With your Method that would still be 5th-level Illuminations - in exchange for your highest-level class features. Font of Life matters, granted - but other than that you lost pretty much nothing in exchange for Inspire Courage +4, most of your powerful songs (and still two of them at once if you want) and +2 to AC and Saves.


No, i want this PrC to blend Magic Music and Illuminations and give you most of both - but not all of it.

[Owrtho]

Okay, lets look at some builds.

...

No, i want this PrC to blend Magic Music and Illuminations and give you most of both - but not all of it.

A valid argument. Part of the issue I had with it seems to stem from the fact I was thinking of the 3.5 bard spell list, which has far more spells that are not particularly suited to a musical performer. The Pathfinder bard seems to have a much better spell list in that regard from skimming over it.

That said, I still feel that in some ways granting arcane magic feels a bit off, particularly given the lack of bard levels as an entry requirement (then again, my bias against having arcane magic for bards may also be impacting things). I'd suggest removing it entirely, but that might reduce the power of the class a bit much. I'd also possibly suggest coming up with a pool of music related abilities that might be akin to spells or illuminations, but using performance checks, and more immediate effects than the Bardic Performance abilities, though that would require a bit more work to have a pool of balanced ones that either are gained at set levels, or are selected from as you level up.
They could be abilities that require you to be using a bardic performance, and end up being a mix of performance enhancers (as in spotlights, lazer lights, smoke, dimming the lights etc.) and key performance parts (such as power chords, solos, instrumental bits, etc.) that have various effects, like dancing lights, fog cloud, for the former group and sonic attacks, or one round buff/debuffs for the latter group. If they're standard or full-round actions, it would mean they essentially take the place of attacking or blasts/strikes for the round, and they would require a performance check (which would likely impact the power) and that you are using a bardic performance (though would not use rounds of it). They could add a little variety in the effects of the bardic performances gained, since you could supplement the main effect of a performance with them (though there might be song affinities, such as each gaining a minor bonus to the perform check when used during one song, and a penalty when used during one other one). Might also give them cooldowns.

Owrtho

[Serafina]

A Performance Enhancer is actually a very good idea.
And since you don't like Arcane spells, how about this:

Arcane Performance: When you start a Bardic Performance, as a free action, you can sacrifice an arcane spell per day to choose one of the following options. You can sacrifice multiple spells to gain multiple options, and each option performs at the level of the spell you sacrificed to gain it.

Dancing Spotlights: You create glowing spheres of light as if you had cast Dancing lights one time for each level of the spell sacrificed. A creature who shares a space with those lights gains a +1 competence bonus to skill checks for each sphere, up to four times the level of the sacrificed spell. If also gains a +1 morale bonus to attck for each four spheres (rounded down), up to the level of the sacrificed spell.
Arcane Amplifiers: You can choose one square per level of the spell sacrificed. Your performance can be perceived as if you were standing in those squares in addition to your own square. Creatures in that square are deafened (if your performance is audible) or blinded (if your performance is visual) for as long as they remain in that square if they fail a save against your Bardic Music.
Luminous Choreography: Each time you take a Move action during your turn for any purpose, you create one Mirror Image. If you do not take a Move action during your turn, your Mirror Images vanish. You can have a number of Mirror Images equal to the level of the spell sacrificed. You gain a +1 bonus to perform checks for each Mirror Image you have. The Mirror Images can look and move however you want and appear in adjactend spaces, but still perform otherwise as per the spell.
Ocean of Cheers: One ally per level of the sacrificed spell can make an Aid Another Perform check to aid your own Perform checks. They gain a +2 bonus to their perform checks for each level of the spell sacrificed. For each ally that succeds, the DC of your Bardic Performance increases by one.

All effects last as long as you continue to perform. If you switch from one kind of bardic performance to another, the effects do not end - only when you continue to perform a Bardic Performance altogether.

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This ability will be somewhat limited since it runs off your limited pool of spells. It mostly revolves around enhancing your performance with various trappings we use for rock&pop-concerts. Mechanically, it enhances your performance and gives out small boni to you or your allies.

[Owrtho]

That works rather well. It also allows those who don't want to deal with spells to treat them more like a use pool for Arcane Performance. You should note that you can sacrifice multiple spells for a single effect, in which case you use the combine spell level. Arguably the list could use some adding, but a nice start (I'd suggest a smoke machine one based on fog cloud, likely with spell level determining radius).

Dancing spotlights could use some clarification. Do you count all spheres, or just those in the square with the creature? Last sentance should begin with it, not if. Why do you specify the 4 times spell level sacrificed and spell level sacrificed when determining bonuses, while you can only ever have a number of spheres equal to the spell level sacrificed, and the number you have is what determines the bonuses granted?

At the end, I think you mean only when you cease your bardic performance altogether. Can you willingly end Arcane performance effects?

It might be worth adding something akin to key song parts as well (I feel like I'm forgetting the proper term). They could be a standard action and perform check to activate, require you are in the midst of a bardic performance cost a spell slot, and have a cooldown (possibly shared), and have effects like various aoe (that originate from you or Arcane Amplifiers) sonic damage effects (possibly also some things like deafening, shaken, an opposite to shaken, dazed, random movement, etc. but only for one round).

Owrtho

[Serafina]

Nice idea with the fog machine.

Radiant Fog: Fog spreads around you, covering a 5 ft. radius centered on you per level of spell sacrificed. This works like Fog Cloud, but never impedes perception of your performance. Allies within the fog receive a +5 bonus to their Acrobatics checks to move trough threatened squares per level of spell sacrificed, and enemies receive an equal penalty.


Dancing spotlights;
You gain 4 spotlights per spell level.
You can move them in groups of 4 like Dancing Lights.
For each Spotlight in your square (or an allies) you gain +1 competence on skill checks.
For each full multiple of four spotlights in your square you gain +1 morale to attack.

So if you sacrifice a second-level spell, you gain eight spotlights.
You could use them two fill four squares, twice two adjactend to each other. Those in those squares would gain +2 to skill checks.
Or you could fill two squares with 4 each, giving those withint +4 to skills and +1 to attack.
Or you could fill one square with 8, giving +8 to skills and +2 to attack.

I realize that i don't actually need to impose a limit on the attack bonus, and i think i will reduce the limit for skills to twice the spell level - so you could only get up to +4 to skills here.

Willingly end them? Sure, why not?


You can already do refrains, i think that's enough for special musical effects.


Edit: changed the formating to fit other Pathfinder-classes, mostly the skill list and save progression.
Added a way to use this class with 3.5. Notably, 1 daily activation of performance is considered to be worth two rounds of performance for paying refrain costs.


And added a section about Archetypes. It's mostly about the Archeologist, Dawnflower Dervish and Dervish Dancer Archetypes, all of whom don't use tpyical Bardic Performances at all - instead they only affect themselves, which is really not in the spirit of this class. You can still take them, you just don't advance the abilities they gain instead of Bardic Performance by taking levels in this class.

[Serafina]

And since this is supposed to be a Symphogear-inspired class:

Masterpiece: you can take this by sacrificing a 4th-level Bard Spell Known, or by taking a feat.
Swan Song
Prerequisite: Lyrics of Light
Benefit: You can perform a piece of such deadly beauty that your own being is torn apart. As a full-round action, by spending four rounds of bardic performance, you can make a Perform check. You must continue to spend full-round actions if able until you have performed for four rounds.
In the first round, each enemy within 60 feet takes damage equal to your perform check and become shaken.
In the second round, all enemies within 120 feet take the effects of the first round. All enemies within 60 feet become entangled and fatigued
In the third round, all enemies within 180 feet take the effects of the first round, and all enemies within 120 feet take the effects of the second round. All enemies within 60 feet take bleed damage equal to your evoker level and become nauseated.
In the fourth round, all enemies within 240 feet take the effect of the first round, all enemies within 180 the effects of the first and second and all enemies within 120 feet the effects of the first, second and third. All enemies within 60 feet become paralyzed and take negative levels equal to your perform check.
No saves against are allowed against this ability. It counts as a extraordinary effect and thus works inside an Antimagic Field. Damage can not be prevented by any means.
All conditions last for 24 hours or until healed.
At the end of this performance you take 6D6 constitution damage.. This damage can not be prevented in any way and only healed via natural regeneration at a rate of 1 point per day. You can not use this performance if you do not have a constitution score. If you die due to the constitution damage, your body is utterly destroyed without a trace, and your soul can only be restored via sufficiently powerful magic after a month.

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Okay, this is utterly deadly - to you as much as the enemy. You apply a large amount of damage and, even worse, a laundry list of conditions that result in totally helpless enemies that bleed to death. All without means of preventing it, other than running away or preventing you from singing.
Of course, you are very likey to die due to taking 21 Constitution damage on average, and even if you survive you will be crippled for a long time.

Okay, this is really powerful if the enemy can't run away. Yes, you can effectively kill anything if they are dumb enough to stick around you for four rounds. Well, as long as you have allies to finish of the no-save no-antimagic paralyzed foe - because you are most likely dead. Permanently if you don't have True Ressurection.

Anyway, i hope it's not too powerful, or too situational to take.

By the way, inspired by this (spoiler for the first episode of Symphogear, but worth it).

[Owrtho]

Dancing spotlights;
...

Ah, I'd misread it as producing one light per spell level sacrificed, not one casting of dancing lights.

You can already do refrains, i think that's enough for special musical effects.

Given the point of the class is doing things with music, that seems a bit off. Anyway, refrains are specific to given songs and cost rounds of bardic performance.
In any event, it seems like sound and music based abilities would call for some shorter ranged AoE damage effects. At present, there are 5 ways magical girls can deal AoE damage. Two are line illuminations, one is gun using spirit shots of a high enough level, two are prisms from the prism knight (blasts/bursts have an explosion on hit and damage to enemies in your aura range), and the last is the lyrics of light refrain.
Aside from the refrain and the prism knight aura one, they tend to be long ranged focused. There are a few low level bard that provide options (Chord of Shards, Sound Burst, Thundering Drums, Discordant Blast, Shout, Wall of Sound, Deafening Song Bolt, Deadly Finale) but for those that would rather avoid having to deal with spell, that isn't much help.

Also figured I'd point out, due to not being a bard, the Magical Idol singer can't get Masterpieces at present. If you want it to be able to, you should likely note that.

Owrtho

[Serafina]

Technically they should, just like you can take variant domains if you get domains. Still, i'll add a mention of it in my next edit.

Also, i think Magical Girls in general need some area-illuminations, so i won't ad too much to the Magical Idol Singer. Lyrics of Light refrain already has plenty of power (check-based damage), and if you want debuffs you can use Song of Sorrow.
And if you want tactical nukes, use Swan Song

[Owrtho]

Technically they should, just like you can take variant domains if you get domains. Still, i'll add a mention of it in my next edit.

Given they specifically state only bards can take them, meaning that a Deadly Courtesan Rouge likely couldn't qualify. In such a situation, the same would seem to apply to other classes granting bardic performances.

Owrtho

[Serafina]

I worked a bit on the wording, and added a paragraph that explicitly allows you to take Bardic Archetypes that swap out Performances, as well as Masterpieces.
I also ensured that you can use your Performance as a Move and later Swift action - Bards do get that eventually anyway, now you get it without Bard levels.

[userpay]

Heh, I just now noticed that Magical Girl gets no knowledge skills whatsoever. I know in most cases they're going to be young and not know that much but surely at least one or two knowledge skills whether due to upbringing or later adventuring experience would be relevant?

[Serafina]

You can always take the Mentor Animal Archetype - which effectively grants you one rank in ALL knowledge skills every two levels and your Charisma-bonus to them.
Or play a Stargazer with high Intelligence and all Knowledge skills.

[userpay]

You can always take the Mentor Animal Archetype - which effectively grants you one rank in ALL knowledge skills every two levels and your Charisma-bonus to them.
Or play a Stargazer with high Intelligence and all Knowledge skills.

Eh, maybe. Still think that a couple of knowledge skills, maybe along the lines of choose x (a function of int mod maybe) knowledge skills to be class skills, would be doable. I'm pretty sure there's been some bookworm magical girls.

Another thing I noticed. Weightless doesn't take into account if you already have, or obtain from another source, a flight speed. Some other sources account for this but not all of them. Maybe for every 30ft of flight from sources other than Weightless reduce the number of points needed to access the later parts? Probably by a max of 3 points or something like that.

[userpay]

I'm curious, what would you guys consider to be some good wands for an Elven Courtblade elf using this class? Particularly ones for use during combat if any.

[Serafina]

Honestly, using wands in combat is generally not the best of ideas. If we are talking about buff-spells it can work, but then you're just going with the usual suspects here.


I combined feats and prestige class into one post, and added spoilers to comment on class-features again.

I also changed the Formatting of Swan song, it's not much more easy to read and isn't a giant, long wall of text anymore. I also switched the Entangling-effect to the first round, making it easier to affect enemies. The negative levels also can't kill anymore, though they'll certainly be crippling. Last but not least, immunities don't work anymore against the effects, though that may be too strong.

[userpay]

Honestly, using wands in combat is generally not the best of ideas. If we are talking about buff-spells it can work, but then you're just going with the usual suspects here.

True, which is why I was asking. I was looking to stick a wand chamber in my device angling towards ones that wouldn't be broken so to speak (ie wraithstrike). I was primarily looking at swift action ones though I'll probably take another look at illuminations to see if standard action buffing is really something that I'll need.

Also I think I know what I'm going to do for a magical girl down the line. Split personality. Any particular thoughts on how to do this? I was thinking along the lines of intelligent device with maybe a flaw to switch personalities.

[Serafina]

Mechanically? Absolutely no idea at all.
How to do it? Well, roleplaying, of course.


As for Wand Chambers:
As of now it is impossible to apply mundane modifications or special materials to your Device. You can enchant it because it says so, but adding wand chambers of having an Adamantine Device is currently impossible.

[userpay]

Mechanically? Absolutely no idea at all.
How to do it? Well, roleplaying, of course.


As for Wand Chambers:
As of now it is impossible to apply mundane modifications or special materials to your Device. You can enchant it because it says so, but adding wand chambers of having an Adamantine Device is currently impossible.

Again true.

Aaah... I can see that now that I've gone back and read it myself. Oh well I suppose that takes care of a good chunk of my indecisiveness until that option to combine wands and staves into the device becomes official.

[Qwertystop]

I have a homebrew for split personalities.

[Serafina]

You know, there isn't really any feat-support for the Defender-side of the Magical Girl. Hence, some suggestions:
(By the way, all of those are Combat/Fighter feats, and i think quite a few other Magical Girl feats should be tagged as Combat feats as well).

Protective Reflexes
Benefits: You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to your Constitution bonus. With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.
Special: You can use this feat as a prerequisite instead of Combat Reflexes.

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Simple and straight-forward. Makes Constitution more useful for a Defender Magical Girl (basing it off Charisma would probably be too powerful anyway).

Stay away from them!
Prerequisite: Shrug it Off
Benefit: You can increase your threatened area by 5 feet per 5 levels of your Evoker level.
You can not attack enemies within your threatened area beyond your normal reach, but you can force them to stop their movement as an Attack of Opportunity. This works like a Trip Combat Maneuver with a +2 bonus (including all your boni and benefits with to such), but you may ignore an opponents size or number of legs, you can use it against flying enemies and enemies are forced to stop their movement and do not fall prone. You can not use this if the enemy is charging or moving adjacent to you.
Special: You can take this feat as a Bonus feat when you would gain Improved Trip as a bonus feat. You can also use this feat to fulfill any Prerequisites that require Improved trip, and you do not need to fulfil any attribute-requirements for feats that require Improved Trip.
Special: You can take this feat if you have any Archetype feature that replaces Shrug it Off

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Your first tool to protect your friends: Limit enemy movement. This should get the job done just fine. The wording should make this work for both 3.5 and Pathfinder. Also, you can't use this to prevent enemies from attacking you, because thats not the point of being a defender.

Shield of Light
Prerequisite: Costume class feature
Benefit: By spending one mote part of an attack, you can choose to take a –1 penalty on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to grant adjacent allies a +1 dodge bonus to their Armor Class and reflex saves. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every +4 thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the dodge bonus increases by +1. You can only choose to use this feat when you declare that you are making an attack or a full-attack action with a melee weapon. The effects of this feat last until your next turn.
When you have a One-handed device, you can designate a shield (including exotic shields such as Battle Cloaks or Shield Gauntlets) as part of your costume, and you are automatically proficient with it. Your shields armor check penalty and maximum dexterity bonus are modified by your costume features, and it benefits from the Oversized costume feature. While wielding a shield, you can use Shield of Light without spending a mote, it affects all allies within 10 feet of you and the granted dodge-boni are increased by half your shield bonus to AC (rounded up).
While you wear a shield, you can spend a mote to grant yourself or one ally affected by your Shield of Light damage reduction equal to your Shield-bonus to AC for one round. This counts as an attack of opportunity.
Special: You can use this feat as a prerequisite instead of Combat Expertise, or take it instead of Combat Expertise when you would get it as a bonus feat. In addition, you no longer need to fulfill any Intelligence-prerequisites for any feat that has Combat Expertise as a prerequisite.

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Because right now there is no good way for a Magical Girl to use a shield. Granted, that doesn't happen all that often in Magical Girl shows, but that shield could just look like a vembrance you use to block or such. Also works like Combat Expertise, but you can actually use it to defend others.

I altered the feat so that it can be taken by those who don't want to use a shield. Taking it while you do is still way better though.

How DARE you!
Your fury about your friends getting hurt shakes your enemies to their very core.
Prerequisites:Protective Reflexes
Benefit: You treat Intimidate as a class skill. You can use the Demoralize-action against enemies that would normally be immune to it, and you ignore size-modifiers on your Intimidate-check.
Whenever an enemy within your line of sight attacks one of your allies or cast a spell on them, you can use the Demoralize-option against that enemy as an attack of opportunity. That enemy must also make a Will saving throw with a DC equal to the results of your Intimidate-check, if they fail this save they can not attack or cast spells against the ally they just attacked as long as they are shaken or until they direct an attack or spell against you.

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Hooray, a way to actually compel your enemies to attack you! Not force them to, mind you - they can still attack others, aid their own allies, run away and so on. Don't tell me Magical Girls can't be scary!

[Serafina]

Also, a Multiclass-feat with the Pathfinder-fighter, because hey why not? I'm not going to bother with one for the 3.5-Fighter, because he doesn't get anything but Bonus Feats anyway.

Defender of Light
Prerequisite: Costume class feature, Bravery or alternate class feature
Benefits: You add your Bravery (or equivalent alternate class feature) bonus to attack rolls and combat maneuver checks with your attacks of opportunity, in addition to your normal benefits. You can add your Magical Girl levels to your Fighter levels to determine the effects of your Armor Training class feature (or equivalent alternate class feature). You add your Fighter-levels to your Magical Girl levels to determine your mote and Evoker level. You may use your Magical Girl levels instead of your Base Attack Bonus from Magical Girl levels to determine your Combat Maneuver Bonus.

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Okay, so you get a small (+1 or +2, most likely) bonus to your attacks of opportunity, full motes and evoker level and a better MDex/ACP if you take Fighter levels. The real boon is using your Magical Girl levels for your CMB, which means that you actually have a solid chance on succeeding there (the Monk gets a similar class feature by the way).

[Story Time]

...some good ideas...

...I wonder what Selinia will think with the number of posts...

[Serafina]

...some good ideas...

...I wonder what Selinia will think with the number of posts...

Hopefully "hey, thanks for all the ideas" instead of "damn, look at all the work i have to do!"

Speaking of posts, i was not yet finished, because i have some ideas on changing costume elements! Changes are marked in italics.

Protective [Device]
A common costume effect among magical girls with less-than-durable friends, a Protective device is the bane of those who would try and ignore its wielder. Each point allocated to this effect gives the magical girl +1 to the attack roll on attacks of opportunity, and increases the tumble DC to ignore attacks of opportunity from her by 3. For each point allocated to this effect beyond the second, the magical girl gains an additional attack of opportunity.
Points spent on the Protective quality tend to make a device sleeker and more rounded, better to deflect incoming attacks. At high values, it can easily seem that the entire Device is formed of a single flawlessly crafted piece of whatever it happens to be made of.

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Because honestly, most other costume effects give you more when you invest a certain amount into them. This one is supposed to increase your affinity to attacks of opportunity, yet it doesn't grant any? Well now it does, with the same mechanism that Heavy provides hitpoints.

Oversized [Device]
Simply put, the ‘business end’ of the magical girl’s weapon is abnormally large – yet somehow, this doesn’t impact its balance in the slightest. Each point allocated to this effect adds +3 to weapon damage rolls (including strikes). If the Magical Girl uses a two-handed device, that bonus increases to +4, if she is using a light device it is reduced to +2. If the Magical Girl spends at least three points on this and she has the Shield of Light feat, her shield-bonus to AC applies applies to her Touch-AC and the bonus from Shield of Light increases by one for every point beyond the second. The cosmetic effect of this should be fairly obvious, but one should be warned that engaging limit mode (or worse, Megaton Smackdown) when the magical girl’s device is already this big is likely to have some very silly results.

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Because right now TWF is just plain better than using one big weapon. And because bonus damage during TWF is supposed to be negatable somehow (such as Sneak Attacks), and Prismatic Damage is, so making Prismatic more attractive over Oversized is a good thing IMO. Also applies a benefit to shield-wielding Magical Girls, though that may fit better into the feat or into some other quality.

[Owrtho]

Because right now there is no good way for a Magical Girl to use a shield. Granted, that doesn't happen all that often in Magical Girl shows, but that shield could just look like a vembrance you use to block or such. Also works like Combat Expertise, but you can actually use it to defend others.

Well, technically a magical girl can make a spike shield her device since they count as martial weapons. If she wanted another weapon, she could then make use of the twinned device and evolved device feats. Alternatively, use the shielding property from Magic Item Compendium to let your device transform into a heavy shield as a swift action (likely paired with the twinned device feat).

Edit: Or if going with pathfinder, you could enchant a spiked shield device with the transformative property to have it become a normal weapon. Then grab the twinned device feat.

Owrtho

[Serafina]

Okay, that would work, i guess. Still plenty of justification for that feat.
However, i wonder whether i should allow you to put Device-qualities on the shield, for those who like shield-bashing, and then tie the defender-bonus to using your shield for that purpose. Hmmm...

[Owrtho]

Okay, that would work, i guess. Still plenty of justification for that feat.
However, i wonder whether i should allow you to put Device-qualities on the shield, for those who like shield-bashing, and then tie the defender-bonus to using your shield for that purpose. Hmmm...

Not saying the feat is a bad idea, just noting that there are ways to gain a shield already. Possibly make the shield be treated akin to a device, or even gained as one. Then list what costume properties apply to it, making note that points in enhancement need to be clarified if they are for the shield aspect of the bashing aspect.

Owrtho

[Serafina]

Hooray, inspiration. Seems like today is either your birthday, or just a very good day for you!


Archetype Edit: Mistbreaker:

Blazing Spirit:....A Mistbreaker may count her levels in Magical Girl as Monk levels when taking any feats that have Monk-levels as prerequisite. She may also use her Charisma instead of her Wisdom for any feats that have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, for both prerequisites and determining their benefits.

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There, now the Mistbreaker can take all the cool stuff that Monks can. Most of it may not be particulary good, but it's certainly cool!

Feats:

Radiant Mind, Luminous Body
Prerequisite: Costume, Still Mind
Benefits: You may use either your Charisma or your Wisdom for any Monk- or Magical Girl class features that are based off either, other than Illuminations and your Bonus to AC. You gain your Bonus to AC while wearing your Costume. You can replace one melee attack with a standard-action Strike-Illumination (but not a Blast you prepared as a Mistbreaker) when executing a Flurry of Blows.
You may add your Magical Girl class levels to your Monk class levels to determine your AC Bonus, Fast Movement, Slow Fall, High Jump, Wholeness of Body and Diamond Soul class features, if you have them. You may add your Monk class levels to your Magical Girl class levels to determine your number of Motes and Evoker level.

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There, a Monk multiclass feat. Not just for Mistbreakers either, though they will obviously profit the most. I refrained from allowing you to use Charisma or Wisdom for AC or Illuminations, since i think you'd just use either for way to many things. Taking Standard-action as part of a Flurry of Blows gives Mistbreakers a good reason to use them instead of full-attacking for massive damage. The list of advanced Monk-features is long, but most of them are rather weak so no harm in that.

Radiant Mist Style
Prerequisites: Improved Unarmed Strike, 5 ranks in Sense Motive, Wisdom 13
Benefits: Your unarmed attack can deal force damage as a free action. If you choose to do so all your damage for that round is nonlethal damage (as per the Merciful class feature). While using this style, once per round when you hit a single foe with two or more unarmed strikes, you can surround him with mist. When you do, all his attacks have a 20% miss chance for one round and all attack against him ignore concealment.

Radiant Rinsing
Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, Radiant Mist Style, 7 ranks in Sense Motive, Wisdom 15
Benefit: Your gain a +2 bonus to Sense Motive checks, and you can use your Charisma in place of Wisdom for Sense Motive. Whenever you surround an enemy with mist, you can make a targeted dispel as per Dispel Magic, using a Sense Motive check instead of a Caster level check.

Revealing Mist
Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, Radiant Mist Style, 9 ranks in Sense Motive, Wisdom 17
Benefit: You can always take 10 on a Sense Motive check. If you surround an enemy with mist, all enemies within 20 feet of that enemy are revealed as if all who look at them had Truesight for one round.

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So, a new unarmed style. Which works of Sense Motive, and is all about piercing obfuscations - by using some yourself. Get rid of concealment and other miss chances, as well as other enemy buffs, and fight your true (i.e. weaker ) enemy. And you're pretty good at discerning lies yourself.
Oh, and this works for Monks as well - Mistbreakers can take it due to my proposed class feature change where they may take Charisma for the prerequisite instead.

[Lix Lorn]

I don't think you can deal nonlethal force damage. Think it's one or the other.