Armored Battlemage

Learn how to build and play the Armored Battlemage in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Discover its unique abilities, progression, and how to maximize its defensive and arcane potential.

So, you're looking to play a Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous character that's tough as nails but still slinging spells? The Armored Battlemage is your guy! Think of them as a Magus who decided heavy armor and a solid defense were more important than flashy spellcasting tricks. They trade some of the Magus's core abilities for the ability to wear medium and heavy armor much earlier, plus they get some sweet defensive buffs.

It's a serious trade-off, though. You'll lose out on Spell Combat, can't enchant your weapons, and get fewer Arcana abilities overall. But hey, you get Armor Training and can enchant your armor instead, which is pretty neat!

Level Progression Breakdown:

Armored Battlemage Proficiencies

Right off the bat, you're proficient with simple and martial weapons, plus light and medium armor. The best part? You can actually cast Magus spells while wearing that armor. Pretty sweet for a front-liner!

Arcane Pool (Armored Battlemage)

This is where the Armored Battlemage really shines differently. Forget buffing your weapon with your arcane pool; that's not happening here. Instead, you spend points to enchant your armor. Starting with a +1 bonus at level 0, it ramps up to +5 by level 17. This bonus can even be used to add special properties to your armor, which is huge for survivability.

Here's a look at the properties you can add:

Arcane Armor - Balanced: Gives you +4 CMD against grapple, trip, and overrun. Super useful for staying on your feet!

Arcane Armor - Invulnerability: Grants DR 5/magic. A solid chunk of damage reduction against magical attacks.

Arcane Armor - Shadow: Provides a +5 competence bonus on Stealth checks. Great for getting the drop on enemies or just being sneaky.

Arcane Armor - Greater Shadow: Takes it up a notch with a +15 competence bonus on Stealth checks. You'll be practically invisible!

Armor Training

Starting at level 3, you get Armor Training, just like a Fighter. This ability gets better at levels 8, 13, and 18. It basically makes wearing heavier armor less of a penalty, improving your mobility and reducing the armor check penalty. This is key to making the Armored Battlemage feel good in heavier gear.