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View Full Version : Fist Fighter/Pugilist, 3.5 DnD class[PEACH]



Togath
2011-07-01, 05:21 AM
This is my first try at making a base class, please speak up about any balance issue with it.
The main inspiration for the class was due to one of my players wanting to play a less peaceful version of a monk, so here I present.
The Pugilist;
Characteristics: Pugilists are usually heavily built with large mussels, though smaller lean pugilist are not unheard of. A pugilist often acts brash, making snap decisions.
Alignment: Pugilists are usually chaotically aligned, though some go through training similar to that of a monk, however most pugilists grew up on the street, living by their cunning and strength, and learned their skills without formal teaching.
Races: Pugilists can be found amongst almost all races, being equally common amongst tribes of orcs and the slums of a human metropolis.
Other Classes: Pugilists tend to get along well with barbarians and rogues, but most tend to feel constrained when traveling with a paladin or monk, the exception being the rare pugilists who have undergone training with a school of monks, these pugilists often feel a sort of respect to a monk even if they differ in their opinion on how go about tasks.
Abilities: A high strength helps both the attack rolls and damage of a pugilist, a high dexterity helps to improve a pugilist’s low armor class, and a high constitution helps a pugilist stay in combat longer.
Alignment: Any Chaotic HD: d10
Starting Wealth; 3d4x10gp(average: 75gp)
The Pugilist
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|
1st| +1| +2| +0|+0| Slam attack(1d6)
2nd| +2| +3|+0|+0| Sturdy Fortitude 1/day, combat Technique: Special Abilty & 1st Technique
3rd| +3| +3|+1|+1| Iron Fists(+1) Improved Reflexes(+1)

4th| +4| +4|+1|+1| Slam Attack(1d8), Ironskin(+1)|
5th| +5| +4|+1|+1| Sturdy Fortitude 2/day, Toughness(+1), Combat Technique: 2nd Technique
6th| +6/+1| +5|+2|+2| Improved Reflexes(+2), Indomitable Will (+1)
7th| +7/+2| +5|+2|+2| Slam Attack(1d10)
8th| +8/+3| +6|+2|+2| Ironskin(+2), Sturdy Fortitude 3/day,Iron Fists(+2), Combat Technique: 3rd Technique
9th| +9/+4| +6|+3|+3| Improved Reflexes(+3)
10th| +10/+5| +7|+3|+3| Slam Attack(2d6), Toughness(+2)
11th| +11/+6/+1| +7|+3|+3| Mighty Fortitude 4/day
12th| +12/+7/+2| +8|+4|+4| Ironskin(+3), Improved Reflexes(+4), Indomitable Will(+2)
13th| +13/+8/+3| +8|+4|+4| Slam Attack(2d8), Ironfists(+3)
14th| +14/+9/+4| +9|+4|+4| Mighty Fortitude 5/day
15th| +15/+10/+5| +9|+5|+5| Toughness(+3), Improved Reflexes(+5)
16th| +16/+11/+6/+1| +10|+5|+5| Ironskin(+4), Slam Attack(3d6)
17th| +17/+12/+7/+2| +10|+5|+5| Mighty Fortitude 6/day
18th| +18/+13/+8/+3| +11|+6|+6| Indomitable Will(+3), Iron Fists(+4), Improved Reflexes(+6)
19th| +19/+14/+9/+4| +11|+6|+6| Slam Attack(3d8)
20th| +20/+15/+10/+5| +12|+6|+6| Ironskin(+5), Heroic Fortitude 7/day, Toughness(+4)[/table]


Class Skills; Climb(str), Concentration(con), Craft(int), Gather Information(cha), Hide(dex), Intimidate(cha), Jump(str), Knowledge[local](int), Move Silently(dex), Sense Motive(wis), Survival(wis), Tumble(dex)
Skill Points at each level:
(4+Int Modifier), x4 skill points at first level

Class Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:
Pugilists are proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor, and with their slam attack
A pugilist who wears medium armor or wears armor made of out metal(such as mithral) loses their Improved Reflexes, Sturdy/Greater/Heroic Fortitude, and Iron Fists abilities, as they have lost confidence in their own power.

Slam attack:
A pugilist has trained their fists into a deadly weapon, granting them a slam attack which deals the damage listed, this slam attack can be used to make repeated attacks, unlike normal natural weapons. special: for prestige classes that require improved unarmed strike as a prerequisite this ability counts as improved unarmed strike, if such a class has an ability that would consume uses of stunning fist, the pugilist can use the ability 2+ the pugilist’s con modifier times per day, and the DC for such abilities is Con based rather then Wis based.
Sturdy Fortitude:
At 2nd level a pugilist can tap into a primal source of energy gaining temporary HP equal to twice his con modifier as a swift action, at 11th level this ability improves to mighty fortitude, and the pugilist can gain temporary HP equal to twice his con modifier + half his pugilist level as a swift action, at 20th level this ability improves again, becoming heroic fortitude, and the pugilist can gain temporary HP equal to twice his con modifier + his pugilist level as a swift action. Temporary HP granted by this ability last
1 minute/level before fading.

Combat Style:At 2nd level a pugilist selects one of the following combat styles;

Brigand; brigands rely on agility as much as strength and are capable of knocking an enemy out in one hit if they can take them by surprise.
Special Ability; Stealth; starting at 2nd level a brigand receives a +1 bonus to hide and move silently checks, this bonus increases by +1 every 6 levels after 2nd(to +4 at level 20), and he deals extra damage equal to his dexterity modifier when flanking an enemy, or attacking a flat footed enemy(enemies immune to sneak attacks and critical hits are immune to this damage)
1st technique; Sap; At second level brigand can deal 1d8 extra non lethal damage to a flat footed enemy, if he attacks with his slam attack or a light weapon(such as a dagger or club), this increases by 1d8 every five levels after 2nd(to 4d8 non-lethal at lvl 17)
2nd Technique; Agile Strikes; Starting at 5th level a brigand deals 2 extra points of damage when attacking with a light weapon, this bonus increases by 1 every five levels after 5th(to an extra 5 damage at level 20) (enemies immune to sneak attacks and critical hits are immune to this damage)
3rd Technique; Rob Them Blind; Starting 8th level a brigand can add his dexterity modifier as a luck bonus to his disarm and sunder attempts when using a light weapon, or his slam attack.
Brawler; brawlers rely on brute strength to get them through tough situations and are skilled at using improvised weapons such as over turned chairs or empty mugs.
Special Ability; Powerful Blows; starting at 2nd level a brawler deals 1 extra point of damage when using improvised weapons or his slam attack, this improves by 1 extra point of damage every 6 levels after second level(to +4 to damage at 20th level)
1st Technique; Brute Force; starting at second level a brawler can apply 1 1/2x of his strength bonus to damage when using an improvised light weapon, or 2x his strength bonus when wielding a one handed or two handed improvised weapon, or his slam attack.
2nd Technique; Master of Improvisation; starting at 5th level a brawler gains a +1 to his attack rolls with improvised weapons and can add one enhancement from the list of +1 iron fist abilities to his attacks with an improvised weapon,
at 10th level the brawler gains another +1 to attacks with an improvised weapon(total bonus of +2), and can add one enhancement from the list of +2 iron fist abilities,
at 15th level a brawler gains another +1 to his attack rolls with an improvised weapon(total bonus of +3), and can add one ability from the list of +3 iron fist abilities, or one from the +1 list and one from the +2 list.
3rd Technique; Strength of the Titans; At 8th level a brawler gains +2 bonus to his strength score, at 16th level this bonus increases to a +3 bonus to strength.

Ascetic; an ascetic is a pugilist who has undergone as least some training with a school of monks, learning how to channel his ki into surges of energy.
Special Ability; Strong Ki; starting at second level an ascetic can use abilities and feats that use a use of stunning fist 3+con times per day, he gains an extra use of these abilities every 5 levels after 2nd(to 6 +con/day at level 17), while the ascetic has uses of this ability remaining he gains a +1 bons to will saves.
1st Technique; Surging Ki; starting at second level a ascetic can, as a swift action, charge his slam attack with fire, dealing and extra 1d6+wis fire or electricity(chosen when this ability is used) damage on his next attack. Using this ability uses one use of the ascetic’s stunning fist ability.
2nd Technique; Ki Burst; starting at 5th level as a swift action an ascetic can conjure an orb of fire, electricity or force(chosen when this ability is used), which he can then throw as a ranged touch attack dealing 3d8 + twice the ascetic’s wisdom modifier(when used to deal force damage the ki burst deals only 3d6+wis damage). Using this ability uses one use of the ascetic’s stunning fist ability.
3rd Technique; Ki Barrier; starting at 8th level an ascetic can surround himself with a barrier of either fire or electricity(chosen when this ability is used) granting a +2 deflection bonus to AC, and dealing 1d6 of either fire or electricity(whichever the shield is composed of) damage to all adjacent enemies at the beginning of the ascetic’s turn, the barrier lasts number of rounds equal to 1d4 +the ascetic’s con modifier, and can be used a number of times per day equal to the ascetic’s wisdom modifier.Iron Fists:
At third level a pugilist can treat his slam attack as if it possessed one of the following weapon enhancements; +1, Flaming, Frost, or Shocking,
at 8th level a pugilist can treat his slam attack as if it possessed one of the following weapon enhancements; +2, Anarchic, Flaming Burst, Icy Burst, or Shocking Burst, or two abilities from the +1 list,
at 13th level a pugilist can treat his slam attack as if it possessed one of the following weapon enhancements; +3, Ethereal Reaver(ghost touch + constant see invisibility), or Speed, or three abilities from +1 list, or one ability from the +1 list and one ability from the +2 list,
at 18th level a pugilist can treat his slam attack as if it possessed one of the following weapon enhancements; +4, or treat as +3 and Adamantine, or one ability from the +1 list and one ability from the +3 list, or two abilities from the +2 list.
A pugilist can change the properties of his slam attack with two full round actions.
Improved Reflexes:
Starting at third level a pugilist has honed their reflexes gaining a +1 bonus on initiative rolls in addition to other modifiers to initiative, this increases by +1 every 3 levels after third(to +6 to initiative at level 18)
Ironskin:
at 4th level a pugilist’s skin starts to toughen, granting a +1 natural armor bonus, this bonus increases every four levels after forth(to +5 at level 20).
Toughness:
At 5th level, and every five levels after, a pugilist gains a cumulative +1/pugilist level bonus
to HP(+4HP/level at lvl 20).
Indomitable Will:
at 6th level a pugilist has become so confident in his own power that he gains a +1 bonus to will saves against mind effecting effects, this bonus increases by +1 every six levels after level 6(to +3 against mind affecting effects at level 18).

Please tell me what you think of the class.

Veklim
2011-07-01, 08:52 AM
OK, I like the basic principle, and the class seems pretty balanced, but you're missing options. Every character made with this class will look nigh-on identical, and that can be a problem.

Also, the Mighty/Greater Fortitude abilities are in the wrong order in either the text or the table, they don't match up.

Consider making Indomitable Will a bonus to any and all mind-affecting, makes more sense and actually makes it useful enough to qualify as a scaling bonus.

Alignment requirements are screwy and weird. Go for something simple like any non-lawful or evil, any good or chaotic, etc. As it stands, it looks like you've just picked a bunch of alignments at random, but with the exception of CG you could just say 'any neutral'.

Concentration is missing from the class skills list. This is an essential fighter skill if you wanna be able to avoid many different combat tactics and abilities, and also the only skill using Con, which these guys should have in bundles.

Tumble is a skill I would consider giving these guys, they're light armoured fist fighters so there's really no reason not to give it to them.

The 'stunning fist clause' in slam attack may wish to detail things like saves in the text, I imagine these guys would use Con instead of Wis for the DC...

Togath
2011-07-01, 04:53 PM
Added skill changes, and working on a mechanic to give some versatility to character builds

Togath
2011-07-01, 06:49 PM
Ok, posted combat techniques(the mechanic I was working on), please tell me what you think of them.