[RPG] Will I still get spell failure with multicalss Kensai / fighter

maguspathfinder-1e

Going from fighter to Magus Kensai, it says:

A kensai is not proficient with armor or shields and suffers normal
arcane spell failure chance when casting magus spells while armored.

But as a fighter, I'm proficient with armor. Will I still suffer from spell failure?

Note:

A magus is also proficient with light armor. He can cast magus spells
while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell
failure chance.

Best Answer

Yes.

Here are the rules for Arcane Spell Failure:

Casting an Arcane Spell in Armor: A character who casts an arcane spell while wearing armor must usually make an arcane spell failure check. The number in the Arcane Spell Failure Chance column on Table: Armor and Shields is the percentage chance that the spell fails and is ruined. If the spell lacks a somatic component, however, it can be cast with no chance of arcane spell failure.

The rules do state a few exceptions (spells without somatic components in the quoted portion, and bards getting light armor without ASF elsewhere in the linked document), but proficiency is not one of them.

In other words: Even if you are proficient with armor, you still suffer its Arcane Spell Failure chance.

Even though it says that a magus can cast magus spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance?

Yes.

Kensai is an archetype of Magus. The Magus does have a class feature that allows them to use light armor without spell failure:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A magus is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. A magus is also proficient with light armor. He can cast magus spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass magus still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

But this is entirely replaced by the Kensai class feature of the same name:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A kensai is proficient in simple weapons and in a single martial or exotic melee weapon of his choice. A kensai is not proficient with armor or shields and suffers normal arcane spell failure chance when casting magus spells while armored.

In other words, the class behaves as though the entire "Weapon and Armor Proficiency" block had been removed from the Magus, and replaced with the one from Kensai.

The Kensai will also not get the Medium Armor (Ex) or Heavy Armor (Ex) class features of the Magus class, as these are replaced by the Iajutsu (Ex), and Iajutsu Focus (Ex) class features.

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