Maphreal
2009-06-13, 04:21 PM
Hello all! I've been interested in making the 3.5 Drunken Master PrC from the Complete Warrior into a decent class, so I figured I'd write up a homebrew version and see what people think of it. I wanted to stick to the original class as much as possible, so for the most part I just beefed up existing abilities. I put any changes to the original abilities in italics, so they're easier to spot. Any criticism and suggestions would be much appreciated!
Requirements
To qualify to become a drunken master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Tumble 8 ranks.
Feats: Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike (or the monk’s unarmed strike ability).
Special: Must be chosen by existing drunken masters and survive a night of revelry among them without being incarcerated, poisoned,
or extraordinarily embarrassed. (Removed silly monk requirements here)
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d8
Class Skills:
The drunken master’s class skills (and the key ability for each
skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int),
Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis),
Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Swim
(Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+1|+2|+2|+0|Improvised Weapons, Drink Like A Demon
2nd|+2|+3|+3|+0|Stagger
3rd|+3|+3|+3|+1|Swaying Waist
4th|+4|+4|+4|+1|Improved Improvised Weapons, AC Bonus +1
5th|+5|+4|+4|+1|Improved Drink Like A Demon, Greater Improvised Weapons
6th|+6|+5|+5|+2|Drunken Fists, Lurch
7th|+7|+5|+5|+2|Improved Grapple
8th|+8|+6|+6|+2|Greater Drink Like A Demon, For Medicinal Purposes
9th|+9|+6|+6|+3|Superior Improvised Weapons, Corkscrew Rush, AC Bonus +2
10th|+10|+7|+7|+3|Breath of Flame
[/table]
Drink Like A Demon - A drunken master’s body handles alcohol differently from other people’s. He can drink a large tankard of ale, a bottle of wine, or a corresponding amount of stronger alcohol as a move action. Every bottle or tankard of alcohol he consumes during combat reduces his Wisdom and Intelligence by 2 points each, but increases his Strength or Constitution (character’s choice) by 2 points. A drunken master may benefit from a number of drinks equal to his 5 + half his Constitution modifier, rounded up. Do not count constitution points gained through Drink Like A Demon for this purpose.The duration of both the penalty and the bonus is a number of rounds equal to the character’s drunken master level + 3.
Improved Drink Like A Demon - At level 5 the drunken master may drink 2 drinks in the same action, and the Wisdom penalty is reduced to -1. A drunken master's Wisdom and Intelligence can't be be taken below 2 points with this ability, but still benefit from the bonus to Strength or Constitution.
Greater Drink Like A Demon - At level 8, the drunken master may drink 3 drinks in the same action, and may use Greater Drink Like A Demon once a round as a swift action. The Wisdom penalty is reduced to 0. The duration increases further to 1 hour, however the drunken master may remove the effects of all drinks by meditating uninterrupted for 5 minutes.
Improvised Weapons (Ex): While bottles and tankards are a drunken master’s preferred improvised weapons, he can use furniture, farm implements, or nearly anything else at hand to attack his foes. A drunken master’s improvised weapon deal an extra 1d4 points of damage with his unarmed attacks. Most improvised weapons deal bludgeoning damage, although some (a broken glass bottle, for example) would deal piercing or slashing damage. When a drunken master rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll while using an improvised weapon, that weapon breaks apart and becomes useless. All bonuses and abilities that apply to a drunken master's unarmed attacks also apply to a drunken master's improvised weapons, except for those with a reach greater than 5 feet. (Did this so improvised weapons are much more useful.)
Improved Improvised Weapons (Ex): A drunken master of 4th level or higher can use long improvised weapons (such as ladders) as reach weapons according to their length, and improvised weapons with many protrusions (such as chairs) provide a +2 bonus on opponents’ disarm attempts. Finally, large objects with broad, flat surfaces (such as tables) can be upended to become improvised tower shields.
Greater Improvised Weapons (Ex): At 5th level and higher, a drunken master wielding an improvised weapon deals an extra 1d8 points of damage instead of 1d4.
Superior Improvised Weapons (Ex): At 9th level and higher, a drunken master wielding an improvised weapon deals an extra 1d12 points of damage instead of 1d8.
Stagger (Ex): By tripping, stumbling, and staggering, a drunken master of 2nd level or higher can make a charge attack that surprises his opponents. This ability has two beneficial aspects: First, the charge need not be in a straight line, even though the character can still move up to twice his speed. Second, if a drunken master makes a DC 15 Tumble check before beginning a charge, his movement through threatened squares provokes no attacks of opportunity.
Swaying Waist (Ex): At 3rd level, a drunken master knows how to weave and bob during an attack, making him more difficult to hit. The character gains a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against any one opponent he chooses during his turn.
AC Bonus (Ex): At 4th level, a drunken master gains a +1 bonus to Armor Class. This bonus improves to +2 at 9th level.
Drunken Fists (Ex): A drunken master who attains 6th may bypass damage reduction with unarmed and improvised attacks. Under the influence of 3 or more drinks, the drunken master's unarmed and improvised attacks count as adamantine, cold iron, silver, and magic for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction.
Lurch (Ex): A drunken master who attains 6th level gains Improved Feint as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the requirements. The drunken master may also feint once a round as a swift action.
Improved Grapple (Ex): A drunken master who attains 7th level gains Improved Grapple as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
For Medicinal Purposes (Sp): At 8th level, a drunken master gains the ability to convert a single alcoholic drink he has ingested into a single potion of cure serious wounds, as if he had just drunk a dose of the potion. To use this ability, the character must be under the effect of an alcoholic drink (see Drink Like a Demon, above). This ability can be used up to three times per day. It is a swift action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The caster level is equal to that of his class level. (So a level 10 drunken master would cure 3d8+10 points of damage.)
Corkscrew Rush (Ex): A drunken master of 9th level or higher can perform this maneuver, leaping forward and twisting his body in midair as he attempts to head-butt an opponent. When making a charge attack he can, in addition to dealing normal damage, initiate a bull rush (without provoking an attack of opportunity). If the bull rush attempt succeeds, the opponent is stunned unless she makes a Will save (DC 10 + the drunken master’s class level + the drunken master’s Con modifier). However, if the bull rush attempt fails, the drunken master lands prone in front of the opponent. (Changed to a constitution based DC, as it fits the class more I think.)
Breath of Flame (Sp): A 10th-level drunken master can ignite some of the alcohol within his body and spew it forth from his mouth as a swift action. This breath of flame deals 3d12 points of fire damage to all within the 20-foot cone, or half damage to those who make a Reflex save (DC 10 + the drunken master’s class level + the drunken master’s Con modifier). Each time a drunken master uses breath of flame, it consumes one drink’s worth of alcohol from within his body, lessening the penalty to his Wisdom and Intelligence scores and reducing the bonus to his Strength or Constitution score (character’s choice). (Changed to a swift action, since a drunken master can now potentially consume 9 drinks in a round, it seemed like it was open to exploiting as a free action to deal 27d12 fire damage in a round.)
Requirements
To qualify to become a drunken master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Tumble 8 ranks.
Feats: Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike (or the monk’s unarmed strike ability).
Special: Must be chosen by existing drunken masters and survive a night of revelry among them without being incarcerated, poisoned,
or extraordinarily embarrassed. (Removed silly monk requirements here)
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d8
Class Skills:
The drunken master’s class skills (and the key ability for each
skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int),
Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis),
Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Swim
(Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+1|+2|+2|+0|Improvised Weapons, Drink Like A Demon
2nd|+2|+3|+3|+0|Stagger
3rd|+3|+3|+3|+1|Swaying Waist
4th|+4|+4|+4|+1|Improved Improvised Weapons, AC Bonus +1
5th|+5|+4|+4|+1|Improved Drink Like A Demon, Greater Improvised Weapons
6th|+6|+5|+5|+2|Drunken Fists, Lurch
7th|+7|+5|+5|+2|Improved Grapple
8th|+8|+6|+6|+2|Greater Drink Like A Demon, For Medicinal Purposes
9th|+9|+6|+6|+3|Superior Improvised Weapons, Corkscrew Rush, AC Bonus +2
10th|+10|+7|+7|+3|Breath of Flame
[/table]
Drink Like A Demon - A drunken master’s body handles alcohol differently from other people’s. He can drink a large tankard of ale, a bottle of wine, or a corresponding amount of stronger alcohol as a move action. Every bottle or tankard of alcohol he consumes during combat reduces his Wisdom and Intelligence by 2 points each, but increases his Strength or Constitution (character’s choice) by 2 points. A drunken master may benefit from a number of drinks equal to his 5 + half his Constitution modifier, rounded up. Do not count constitution points gained through Drink Like A Demon for this purpose.The duration of both the penalty and the bonus is a number of rounds equal to the character’s drunken master level + 3.
Improved Drink Like A Demon - At level 5 the drunken master may drink 2 drinks in the same action, and the Wisdom penalty is reduced to -1. A drunken master's Wisdom and Intelligence can't be be taken below 2 points with this ability, but still benefit from the bonus to Strength or Constitution.
Greater Drink Like A Demon - At level 8, the drunken master may drink 3 drinks in the same action, and may use Greater Drink Like A Demon once a round as a swift action. The Wisdom penalty is reduced to 0. The duration increases further to 1 hour, however the drunken master may remove the effects of all drinks by meditating uninterrupted for 5 minutes.
Improvised Weapons (Ex): While bottles and tankards are a drunken master’s preferred improvised weapons, he can use furniture, farm implements, or nearly anything else at hand to attack his foes. A drunken master’s improvised weapon deal an extra 1d4 points of damage with his unarmed attacks. Most improvised weapons deal bludgeoning damage, although some (a broken glass bottle, for example) would deal piercing or slashing damage. When a drunken master rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll while using an improvised weapon, that weapon breaks apart and becomes useless. All bonuses and abilities that apply to a drunken master's unarmed attacks also apply to a drunken master's improvised weapons, except for those with a reach greater than 5 feet. (Did this so improvised weapons are much more useful.)
Improved Improvised Weapons (Ex): A drunken master of 4th level or higher can use long improvised weapons (such as ladders) as reach weapons according to their length, and improvised weapons with many protrusions (such as chairs) provide a +2 bonus on opponents’ disarm attempts. Finally, large objects with broad, flat surfaces (such as tables) can be upended to become improvised tower shields.
Greater Improvised Weapons (Ex): At 5th level and higher, a drunken master wielding an improvised weapon deals an extra 1d8 points of damage instead of 1d4.
Superior Improvised Weapons (Ex): At 9th level and higher, a drunken master wielding an improvised weapon deals an extra 1d12 points of damage instead of 1d8.
Stagger (Ex): By tripping, stumbling, and staggering, a drunken master of 2nd level or higher can make a charge attack that surprises his opponents. This ability has two beneficial aspects: First, the charge need not be in a straight line, even though the character can still move up to twice his speed. Second, if a drunken master makes a DC 15 Tumble check before beginning a charge, his movement through threatened squares provokes no attacks of opportunity.
Swaying Waist (Ex): At 3rd level, a drunken master knows how to weave and bob during an attack, making him more difficult to hit. The character gains a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against any one opponent he chooses during his turn.
AC Bonus (Ex): At 4th level, a drunken master gains a +1 bonus to Armor Class. This bonus improves to +2 at 9th level.
Drunken Fists (Ex): A drunken master who attains 6th may bypass damage reduction with unarmed and improvised attacks. Under the influence of 3 or more drinks, the drunken master's unarmed and improvised attacks count as adamantine, cold iron, silver, and magic for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction.
Lurch (Ex): A drunken master who attains 6th level gains Improved Feint as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the requirements. The drunken master may also feint once a round as a swift action.
Improved Grapple (Ex): A drunken master who attains 7th level gains Improved Grapple as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
For Medicinal Purposes (Sp): At 8th level, a drunken master gains the ability to convert a single alcoholic drink he has ingested into a single potion of cure serious wounds, as if he had just drunk a dose of the potion. To use this ability, the character must be under the effect of an alcoholic drink (see Drink Like a Demon, above). This ability can be used up to three times per day. It is a swift action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The caster level is equal to that of his class level. (So a level 10 drunken master would cure 3d8+10 points of damage.)
Corkscrew Rush (Ex): A drunken master of 9th level or higher can perform this maneuver, leaping forward and twisting his body in midair as he attempts to head-butt an opponent. When making a charge attack he can, in addition to dealing normal damage, initiate a bull rush (without provoking an attack of opportunity). If the bull rush attempt succeeds, the opponent is stunned unless she makes a Will save (DC 10 + the drunken master’s class level + the drunken master’s Con modifier). However, if the bull rush attempt fails, the drunken master lands prone in front of the opponent. (Changed to a constitution based DC, as it fits the class more I think.)
Breath of Flame (Sp): A 10th-level drunken master can ignite some of the alcohol within his body and spew it forth from his mouth as a swift action. This breath of flame deals 3d12 points of fire damage to all within the 20-foot cone, or half damage to those who make a Reflex save (DC 10 + the drunken master’s class level + the drunken master’s Con modifier). Each time a drunken master uses breath of flame, it consumes one drink’s worth of alcohol from within his body, lessening the penalty to his Wisdom and Intelligence scores and reducing the bonus to his Strength or Constitution score (character’s choice). (Changed to a swift action, since a drunken master can now potentially consume 9 drinks in a round, it seemed like it was open to exploiting as a free action to deal 27d12 fire damage in a round.)