Ikkitosen
2004-07-20, 08:00 AM
Aiko Ishida, Ikkitosen for Daimyo Jun did not sleep well. The feud with Daimyo Kitana was not going well, and no one warrior, not even she, could win a war on her own. There was some canker infecting the warriors who shared her barracks that night, but it was not her place to question her leadership or theirs. Duty demanded that she serve, and serve she would.
Had she been sleeping and not worrying, she might not have heard the stealthy approach of footsteps, the hushed breath or the quiet hissing of a blade being drawn in the dark of the room around her. As it was she barely had time to clap her hands across that ninja-to as it was thrust with murderous force at her unarmoured stomach. A deft twist had weakened her assailant's grip, and a thrusting kick found his groin with enough force to cause him to relinquish the blade, which she then re-sheathed in its owner's side. Silently lowering the body into its own pool of rapidly-spreading blood, she padded toward the doorway and found the hole cut neatly through it.
Damn. If the ninja were already in the building then the whole compound would soon be compromised. And as if on cue, the palace rocked with the sound of the mighty gates being unhinged and falling uselessly to the ground.
Emerging from a secret door just yards from the main gate, Aiko realised just how much trouble Lord Jun's warriors were in. Only a handful stood to oppose the dozens of Kitana warriors that could be seen ascending the hill toward the gates.
Hearing the sound of her exit, a nearby Kitana warrior, armed with an exotic repeating crossbow and standing only a few feet away, swung around to fire. As quickly as a striking snake Aiko shifted from tactician to warrior, and her well-honed instincts served her well. With an explosion of motion she struck the front end of the bow upward, whilst simultaneously reaching a hand forward to reach the butt end - and the trigger. A quick click had the archer falling and the crossbow in her hands.
Calling on her considerable experience the ikkitosen put the weapon to good use, cutting down several of the attacking samurai before the bolt hopper was empty. A dozen Kitana samurai spotted her unarmoured and now unarmed form, and ran forward to begin the easy slaughter they expected repeated throughout the compound. Throwing the bow into the face of the first man, Aiko went through a rapid series of attacks, stiffened fingers and searching feet striking at any and all of the vulnerable points in the men's armour, every strike coming with the efficiency of motion of a true master. A wrist chop and a turn had one samurai taking a blade meant for her and his own blade parrying another attack. A slice and foot catch gave her a second blade before she was completely surrounded by men jockeying for a position from which to skewer her. Standing firm in the gateway, and with a fluid grace one would think impossible for a mere human, she switched from almost reckless attack to steely defense, each sweep of her katana blocking several blows, more men closing in with each passing moment. One blade was struck from her hand, but even as it clanged to the floor she deftly disarmed the assailant of his sai, which flickered through the torchlight and found resting place in its previous owner's forehead. Even with such skills though, Aiko knew this was a losing battle unless reinforcements arrived soon.
The braying of horns the sounded throughout the compound then, and Lord Jun rode out of the stables at the head of two dozen loyal samurai. As the Kitana warriors retreated from the gates, Aiko took a long and steadying breath. She knew the war was far from won, but they had survived the night, she had held the gate, and there was hope for tomorrow's battle.................
Ikkitosen
Ikkitosen (literally "matchless warrior" in Japanese) are a breed of warriors apart from others. Unlike many western warriors, who master a weapon and are almost undefeatable whilst wielding it, the ikkitosen are masters of all forms of combat. They learn the arts of attack and defense and then apply them to whatever situation they find themselves in, and are thus almost as dangerous in a bar fight as they are wielding daisho and wearing lamellar armour. Whilst maybe not a match for a weapon master wielding her chosen weapon or a monk when unarmed, they are almost certain to win the reciprocals of these fights.
Combining monk-like devotion with a fighter's broad range of abilities, ikkitosen should never find themselves in a fight in which they cannot compete, and in fact are dangerous even when unarmed or armed only with improvised weaponry. Due to the style of their training, almost any item can become a weapon in their hands, and it is exactly this flexibility that leads to them becoming much sought-after bodyguards and sensei.
HD: D10
Requirements:
BAB +6
Improved Unarmed Strike
Power Attack
Combat Expertise
Any one of: Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Sunder, Combat Reflexes
6 Ranks in Concentration
Proficiency in all Martial Weapons
Proficiency in Light, Medium and Heavy armours
Alignment: Any non-chaotic
Ikkitosen are trained by masters, not in schools but in small groups (3-10). These masters often lead their students to out-of-the-way places to train in solitude, and may be as hard or as easy to find as the DM requires.
Ikkitosen
{table]
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
1
+1
+2
+0
+0
Improved Combat Expertise (+6)
2
+2
+3
+0
+0
Trance, Fast Movement
3
+3
+3
+3
+1
Improved Power Attack (+6), Mastery of Body
4
+4
+4
+4
+1
ICE (+7), Unagi
5
+5
+4
+4
+1
Weapon Familiarity
6
+6
+5
+5
+5
IPA (+7), Mastery of Mind
7
+7
+5
+5
+5
ICE (+8), Combat Mastery
8
+8
+6
+6
+6
Shunsui Kangae
9
+9
+6
+6
+6
IPA (+7)
10
+10
+7
+7
+7
ICE (+9), Improved Weapon Familiarity, Danger Sense
[/table]
Class Skills
Climb, Concentration, Heal, Jump, Listen, Ride
Skill points: 2 + intelligence modifier per level.
Features
W/A: Ikkitosen gain no additional weapon or armour proficiencies, but see below.
Abilities
1. Improved Combat Expertise (ICE) (Ex) (+6): Ikkitosen can exceed the normal +/-5 limit on Combat Expertise, up to the amount shown. This ability increases at class levels 4, 7 and 10.
2. Meditation (Ex) (1) - Trance: Ikkitosen of 2nd level or higher may meditate instead of sleeping. This allows them to remain aurally aware of their surroundings (no penalty to listen checks) and, with a successful Concentration (18) check, to heal twice the normal number of hit points from a night's rest . Ikkitosen must get at least one normal night's sleep per week, however.
Fast Movement (Ex): As the Barbarian ability of the same name. These bonuses don't stack with one another.
3. Improved Power Attack (IPA) (Ex) (+6): Ikkitosen of third level or higher can exceed the normal +/-5 limit on Power Attack, up to the amount shown. This ability increases at class levels 6 and 9.
Mastery of Body: From third level onwards, an Ikkitosen's Reflex saves become Good.
4. ICE (+7).
Meditation (2) - Unagi: From 4th level onwards an Ikkitosen gains the Uncanny Dodge ability. This stacks with any other class levels which grant this ability.
5. Weapon Familiarity: From 5th level onwards an Ikkitosen suffers only a -2 penalty when attacking with an weapon in which he has no proficiency (including improvised weapons). This ability improves to -1 at level 10.
6. IPA (+7).
Mastery of Mind: From sixth level onwards, an Ikkitosen's Will saves become Good.
7. ICE (+8).
Combat mastery (Ex): By this stage the Ikkitosen's ability to switch from attack to defense is way beyond that of the average fighter. Whenever he uses his ICE or IPA abilities, the penalty to hit is reduced by one for every 3 full points placed into that ability (i.e. +3/-2, +6/-4, +9/-6).
8. Meditation (Ex) (3) - Shunsui Kangae: At this level of mastery, an Ikkitosen gains the ability to enter a trance-like state of pure concentration, albeit at a cost of bodily health. Entering this Shunsui Kangae requires 10 minutes of uninterrupted concentration, during which the Ikkitosen must sit still, eyes closed, and a successful Concentration (27) check. Upon entering the state the Ikkitosen gains temporary hit points sufficient to return him to full health, and then loses 2 points of temporary constitution. Any remaining temporary hit points are lost once the trance ends. Thereafter he loses 2 points of temporary constitution for each full 10 minutes he remains in the trance. Nothing can prevent these constitution losses, and Shinsue Kangae cannoted be achieved by beings with no constitution score.
Whilst in the state of Shunsui Kangae the Ikkitosen enjoys several advantages. First, he gains the ability to ignore injury, granting Damage Reduction 6/-. He also gains a +4 bonus to saves against mind affecting spells (such as compulsions and language-based attacks) and the feat Deflect Arrows, if not already possessed. Finally, his ICE and IPA abilities improve by +2/+1, respectively.
Once successfully attempted, Shinsue Kangae can be maintained for as long as desired. It cannot be re-entered until a number of days have passed equal to the number of Constitution points lost have passed, whether or not it takes this long to recover the lost points. Failed attempts have no penalties (except for wasted time) and can be retried freely.
9. IPA (+7).
10. ICE (+9).
Improved Weapon Familiarity (-1).
Danger Sense (Ex): By this level the Ikkitosen is completely attuned to his surroundings, so much so that he is never suprised. This means that the Ikkitosen can always act in the suprise round of a combat on his normal initiative, maybe even before the (suprising) enemy has acted. In such a situation, the DM should give the Ikkitosen some idea of the upcoming danger, such as "you're about to be shot in the back by a missile weapon" or "the man that just passed you is about to attack you". This ability requires the DM to be reasonable and fair, as no mechanic can cover all possibilities.
Had she been sleeping and not worrying, she might not have heard the stealthy approach of footsteps, the hushed breath or the quiet hissing of a blade being drawn in the dark of the room around her. As it was she barely had time to clap her hands across that ninja-to as it was thrust with murderous force at her unarmoured stomach. A deft twist had weakened her assailant's grip, and a thrusting kick found his groin with enough force to cause him to relinquish the blade, which she then re-sheathed in its owner's side. Silently lowering the body into its own pool of rapidly-spreading blood, she padded toward the doorway and found the hole cut neatly through it.
Damn. If the ninja were already in the building then the whole compound would soon be compromised. And as if on cue, the palace rocked with the sound of the mighty gates being unhinged and falling uselessly to the ground.
Emerging from a secret door just yards from the main gate, Aiko realised just how much trouble Lord Jun's warriors were in. Only a handful stood to oppose the dozens of Kitana warriors that could be seen ascending the hill toward the gates.
Hearing the sound of her exit, a nearby Kitana warrior, armed with an exotic repeating crossbow and standing only a few feet away, swung around to fire. As quickly as a striking snake Aiko shifted from tactician to warrior, and her well-honed instincts served her well. With an explosion of motion she struck the front end of the bow upward, whilst simultaneously reaching a hand forward to reach the butt end - and the trigger. A quick click had the archer falling and the crossbow in her hands.
Calling on her considerable experience the ikkitosen put the weapon to good use, cutting down several of the attacking samurai before the bolt hopper was empty. A dozen Kitana samurai spotted her unarmoured and now unarmed form, and ran forward to begin the easy slaughter they expected repeated throughout the compound. Throwing the bow into the face of the first man, Aiko went through a rapid series of attacks, stiffened fingers and searching feet striking at any and all of the vulnerable points in the men's armour, every strike coming with the efficiency of motion of a true master. A wrist chop and a turn had one samurai taking a blade meant for her and his own blade parrying another attack. A slice and foot catch gave her a second blade before she was completely surrounded by men jockeying for a position from which to skewer her. Standing firm in the gateway, and with a fluid grace one would think impossible for a mere human, she switched from almost reckless attack to steely defense, each sweep of her katana blocking several blows, more men closing in with each passing moment. One blade was struck from her hand, but even as it clanged to the floor she deftly disarmed the assailant of his sai, which flickered through the torchlight and found resting place in its previous owner's forehead. Even with such skills though, Aiko knew this was a losing battle unless reinforcements arrived soon.
The braying of horns the sounded throughout the compound then, and Lord Jun rode out of the stables at the head of two dozen loyal samurai. As the Kitana warriors retreated from the gates, Aiko took a long and steadying breath. She knew the war was far from won, but they had survived the night, she had held the gate, and there was hope for tomorrow's battle.................
Ikkitosen
Ikkitosen (literally "matchless warrior" in Japanese) are a breed of warriors apart from others. Unlike many western warriors, who master a weapon and are almost undefeatable whilst wielding it, the ikkitosen are masters of all forms of combat. They learn the arts of attack and defense and then apply them to whatever situation they find themselves in, and are thus almost as dangerous in a bar fight as they are wielding daisho and wearing lamellar armour. Whilst maybe not a match for a weapon master wielding her chosen weapon or a monk when unarmed, they are almost certain to win the reciprocals of these fights.
Combining monk-like devotion with a fighter's broad range of abilities, ikkitosen should never find themselves in a fight in which they cannot compete, and in fact are dangerous even when unarmed or armed only with improvised weaponry. Due to the style of their training, almost any item can become a weapon in their hands, and it is exactly this flexibility that leads to them becoming much sought-after bodyguards and sensei.
HD: D10
Requirements:
BAB +6
Improved Unarmed Strike
Power Attack
Combat Expertise
Any one of: Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Sunder, Combat Reflexes
6 Ranks in Concentration
Proficiency in all Martial Weapons
Proficiency in Light, Medium and Heavy armours
Alignment: Any non-chaotic
Ikkitosen are trained by masters, not in schools but in small groups (3-10). These masters often lead their students to out-of-the-way places to train in solitude, and may be as hard or as easy to find as the DM requires.
Ikkitosen
{table]
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
1
+1
+2
+0
+0
Improved Combat Expertise (+6)
2
+2
+3
+0
+0
Trance, Fast Movement
3
+3
+3
+3
+1
Improved Power Attack (+6), Mastery of Body
4
+4
+4
+4
+1
ICE (+7), Unagi
5
+5
+4
+4
+1
Weapon Familiarity
6
+6
+5
+5
+5
IPA (+7), Mastery of Mind
7
+7
+5
+5
+5
ICE (+8), Combat Mastery
8
+8
+6
+6
+6
Shunsui Kangae
9
+9
+6
+6
+6
IPA (+7)
10
+10
+7
+7
+7
ICE (+9), Improved Weapon Familiarity, Danger Sense
[/table]
Class Skills
Climb, Concentration, Heal, Jump, Listen, Ride
Skill points: 2 + intelligence modifier per level.
Features
W/A: Ikkitosen gain no additional weapon or armour proficiencies, but see below.
Abilities
1. Improved Combat Expertise (ICE) (Ex) (+6): Ikkitosen can exceed the normal +/-5 limit on Combat Expertise, up to the amount shown. This ability increases at class levels 4, 7 and 10.
2. Meditation (Ex) (1) - Trance: Ikkitosen of 2nd level or higher may meditate instead of sleeping. This allows them to remain aurally aware of their surroundings (no penalty to listen checks) and, with a successful Concentration (18) check, to heal twice the normal number of hit points from a night's rest . Ikkitosen must get at least one normal night's sleep per week, however.
Fast Movement (Ex): As the Barbarian ability of the same name. These bonuses don't stack with one another.
3. Improved Power Attack (IPA) (Ex) (+6): Ikkitosen of third level or higher can exceed the normal +/-5 limit on Power Attack, up to the amount shown. This ability increases at class levels 6 and 9.
Mastery of Body: From third level onwards, an Ikkitosen's Reflex saves become Good.
4. ICE (+7).
Meditation (2) - Unagi: From 4th level onwards an Ikkitosen gains the Uncanny Dodge ability. This stacks with any other class levels which grant this ability.
5. Weapon Familiarity: From 5th level onwards an Ikkitosen suffers only a -2 penalty when attacking with an weapon in which he has no proficiency (including improvised weapons). This ability improves to -1 at level 10.
6. IPA (+7).
Mastery of Mind: From sixth level onwards, an Ikkitosen's Will saves become Good.
7. ICE (+8).
Combat mastery (Ex): By this stage the Ikkitosen's ability to switch from attack to defense is way beyond that of the average fighter. Whenever he uses his ICE or IPA abilities, the penalty to hit is reduced by one for every 3 full points placed into that ability (i.e. +3/-2, +6/-4, +9/-6).
8. Meditation (Ex) (3) - Shunsui Kangae: At this level of mastery, an Ikkitosen gains the ability to enter a trance-like state of pure concentration, albeit at a cost of bodily health. Entering this Shunsui Kangae requires 10 minutes of uninterrupted concentration, during which the Ikkitosen must sit still, eyes closed, and a successful Concentration (27) check. Upon entering the state the Ikkitosen gains temporary hit points sufficient to return him to full health, and then loses 2 points of temporary constitution. Any remaining temporary hit points are lost once the trance ends. Thereafter he loses 2 points of temporary constitution for each full 10 minutes he remains in the trance. Nothing can prevent these constitution losses, and Shinsue Kangae cannoted be achieved by beings with no constitution score.
Whilst in the state of Shunsui Kangae the Ikkitosen enjoys several advantages. First, he gains the ability to ignore injury, granting Damage Reduction 6/-. He also gains a +4 bonus to saves against mind affecting spells (such as compulsions and language-based attacks) and the feat Deflect Arrows, if not already possessed. Finally, his ICE and IPA abilities improve by +2/+1, respectively.
Once successfully attempted, Shinsue Kangae can be maintained for as long as desired. It cannot be re-entered until a number of days have passed equal to the number of Constitution points lost have passed, whether or not it takes this long to recover the lost points. Failed attempts have no penalties (except for wasted time) and can be retried freely.
9. IPA (+7).
10. ICE (+9).
Improved Weapon Familiarity (-1).
Danger Sense (Ex): By this level the Ikkitosen is completely attuned to his surroundings, so much so that he is never suprised. This means that the Ikkitosen can always act in the suprise round of a combat on his normal initiative, maybe even before the (suprising) enemy has acted. In such a situation, the DM should give the Ikkitosen some idea of the upcoming danger, such as "you're about to be shot in the back by a missile weapon" or "the man that just passed you is about to attack you". This ability requires the DM to be reasonable and fair, as no mechanic can cover all possibilities.