UserShadow7989
2013-11-05, 10:48 PM
**Disclaimer: This class's mechanics, abilities, and even flavor text in no way reflect actual alcohol consumption. It's meant to be a silly but fun to play base class.**
((Last Updated: 12/02/13))
Drunken Master
"I was off in the back when I heard the racket. When I came out, the wizard was out cold with a table smashed over his head, the one in full-plate had been thrown through my window, the gal with the axe was tangled in a bunch of chairs, and the bard was drunk off her tail and singing dirty limricks with him. All I'm saying is, as annoying as he can be when he gets in his moods, it's better for your health- and my coin purse- if you let it go." ---Bartender's description of "Danny" Jackson, a Drunken Master.
The first thing anyone learning self-defense is taught is to never look for trouble. The skinny and pasty fellow could be a powerful wizard. Or he might have a knife, and a few friends. Or maybe, just maybe, that drunk in the bar who you decide to pick on might be capable of throwing you clean across the room.
The drunken master is a perfect example of just how dangerous someone so unassuming can be. Though it would be easy to pass them off as ordinary drunks, each is a capable martial artist with incredible control over their own body and the ability to utilize everything and anything as a weapon. The unique balance of alcohol and adrenaline in their systems combined with spiritual and mental focus fuel their strange techniques and harden their blows. Not many agree on the exact origin of the art, but few can deny its effectiveness.
Adventures: Sampling different brews, honing their technique, and the thrills of the adventure and applying what they know are common motivations for the drunken master to travel about. Money to obtain more of their preferred drink is another good one. The drunken master usually starts their adventure for selfish reasons, though the good-aligned can find themselves leaving a trail of good will and dragged into noble causes by a sense of right and wrong.
Characteristics: Drunken masters are dangerous in their unpredictability and deceptively skillful movements. They can deliver powerful and swift strikes with unlikely weapons, shrug off what would be mortal wounds for others, and perform bizarre and frightening feats.
Alignment: Defined by merging revelry with combat, it is at first hard to imagine many drunken masters as lawful. However, the techniques involved require a great deal of discipline, more so than most by virtue of requiring such while inebriated. There are even those who are treat it as simply another martial style with unique challenges in maintaining one's focus as a result. That said, there is an obvious lean towards chaos in their behavior and preferences.
As a whole, drunken masters have no particular tendency towards good or evil- they are defined merely by the desire to enjoy themselves, and whether they do so while valuing others' own happiness or at the expense of said others is up to the individual.
Religion: Discipline and revelry, freedom and self-control. The dual nature of their technique means drunken masters are divided among opposing qualities in their worship, should they be strongly religious. The majority aren't, though, and stick to whatever or whomever is common for their race.
Background: Because of the sheer strangeness of their abilities, it's rare for a drunken master to merely stumble over the technique needed to access them, though not unheard of. Many drunken masters are taught by others of their kind, or otherwise start as students of some martial art that gradually blends with a drinking habit and warps into something else. Still others are gifted with a strange metabolism that leads them to discover many uses for it.
Races: Dwarves are one of the most common sources of drunken masters, their physiology being a perfect fit for it. By that same measure, they are also the source of the most non-chaotic examples due to strong tradition and a lawful bent in most cultures. Races that tend towards jovial or chaotic races are similarly common; Halflings, Gnomes, and especially Half-Orcs having a respectable number, with Half-Orcs pulling ahead into a comfortable second due to the smaller races inability to imbibe as much.
Humans, Half Elves, and Elves are a bit more rare, the former simply because they lack a general disposition that makes them any more or less receptive towards it, the latter as a matter of not having the ability to process that extreme excess of alcohol required for it. Of course, any race is just as capable of producing a drunken master in theory- they person in question need only be able to hold their liquor.
Other Classes: It comes as no surprise that the Drunken Master favors the company of Bards and Barbarians over that of Paladins and Monks. The former often find them enjoyable company in a bar or party, while the latter may find them as annoying and immature, if not overbearing.
Rogues and Fighters are usually indifferent, though certain things (such as lack of subtlety when its really called for) can sour or endear them towards a given master. Wizards and other prepared casters might find them irritating for their seeming lack of discipline, but appreciate their skill at taking the enemy's attention off of themselves.
Role: The drunken master serves as both a mobile damage dealer and tank, capable of striking down single targets quickly or otherwise disabling them. Class options can even expand them into a secondary battlefield controller, though regardless of their build they are full-fledged front line fighters.
Adaptation: The alcohol itself can be refluffed to nearly anything. A crazed alchemist who samples their various creations for the sake of strength, a more traditional martial artist who uses smelling salts or meditation to focus their bodies, a soldier who uses experimental stimulants to toughen up at the cost of mental stability, and so on.
It wouldn't even be too odd to refluff the precise alcohol intake- an elven swordsman or swordswoman who focuses themselves with a simple sip of fine wine before cutting a swath through their foes would work fine mechanically. Do note, however, that this class is not made with addiction rules or any other systems regarding alcohol consumption in mind. In a game that uses such rules, it might be best to grant immunity to those drawbacks and effects in regards to alcohol as a first level class ability for the drunken master.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Drunken masters have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Constitution is of the utmost importance for a drunken master. It governs a number of their class options and makes them hardier. Strength and Dexterity are similarly vital for them for much the same reasons as other martial classes, combined with the drunken master's merely average BAB progression in the case of the former and restriction to light or no armor in the case of the latter.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: As Barbarian.
Starting Gold: 4d4x10 (100 GP).
Class Skills
The drunken master's class skills (and their related ability scores) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
Drunken Master
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Unarmed Damage|Special
1st|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+0|
1d6|Drink Like a Demon, Unarmed Strike, Improvised Weapons
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+0|
1d6|Stagger, Inebriated Ability
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+1|
1d6|Uncanny Dodge, Altered Mind
4th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|
1d8|Improved Improvisation, Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
5th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|
1d8|Controlled Metabolism (1 Charge), Iron Liver
6th|
+4|
+5|
+5|
+2|
1d8|Drunken Focus +1, Inebriated Ability
7th|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+2|
1d8|Heightened Tolerance
8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+2|
1d10|Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+3|
1d10|Drunken Focus +2, Controlled Metabolism (2 Charges)
10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+3|
1d10|Evasion, Inebriated Ability
11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+7|
+3|
1d10|Greater Improvisation
12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|
2d6|Drunken Focus +3, Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|
2d6|Greater Tolerance, Controlled Metabolism (3 Charges)
14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+9|
+4|
2d6|Potent Blood, Inebriated Skill
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+9|
+5|
2d6|Drunken Focus +4
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5|
2d8|Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5|
2d8|Improved Uncanny Dodge, Controlled Metabolism (4 Charges)
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+11|
+6|
2d8|Master's Improvisation, Drunken Focus +5, Inebriated Ability
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+11|
+6|
2d8|Supreme Tolerance
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+12|
+6|
2d10|Miracle Brew, Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the drunken master:
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A drunken master is proficient with all simple weapons weapons and with light armor, but no shields. Notably, a drunken master is also proficient with their own unarmed strike and any improvised weapons.
Drink Like a Demon (Ex)
The drunken master can do more than merely 'hold' their drinks. Whether it be a tankard of stale ale or glass of fine wine, alcohol is as elixir of immortality to them.
The drunken master may down a mug of ale or wine (or a proportionately smaller amount of a more powerful brew) as a move action. Doing so grants them a single 'charge' of alcohol, to a maximum of half their class level (minimum 1), and also causes them to recover 2 hit points per class level.
A drunken master adds his alcohol charges as a bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls and AC, but receives an equal penalty to ability checks and skill checks based on Int, Wis or Cha.
Charges last until consumed for an effect or the encounter ends. Drinking outside of combat does not produce charges- it is the combination of alcohol and adrenaline that fuels the drunken master's bizarre technique. Finally, a drunken master suffers no ill effect from alcohol consumption.
Unarmed Strike (Ex)
At 1st level, a drunken master gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. They can make unarmed strikes with any part of their body, meaning they can make unarmed strikes with their hands occupied, and there is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a drunken master striking unarmed, so a drunken master may add their full Strength bonus to their unarmed damage rolls.
They can even chose to deal lethal or non-lethal damage with their unarmed strikes without penalty, and chose to treat their unarmed strike as both manufactured and a natural weapon, whenever it would be beneficial.
Lastly, the drunken master deals more damage with their unarmed strike than normal for a creature of their size, same as a monk does. The table above lists the unarmed damage for medium monks, with smaller or larger monks scaling their damage to their size accordingly.
Improvised Weapons (Ex)
More than just their fists, the drunken master is adept with turning any object they get their hands on into a weapon. In their hands, an improvised weapon deals damage equal to either double the damage they would do with their unarmed strike, or the damage the improvised weapon would normally do + the damage their unarmed strike inflicts, whichever is higher.
Most improvised weapons deal bludgeoning damage, though some (such as, say, a broken glass bottle) can deal piercing or slashing damage. In the hands of a drunken master, improvised weapons can also be used to deal lethal or non-lethal damage at their discretion, without penalty. Regardless, if they roll a natural 1 on an attack roll while using an improvised weapon, that weapon breaks apart and becomes useless.
Stagger (Ex)
Steps that to the unwary look like an alcoholic's aimless gait are in truth carefully plotted and balanced. Stumbling and staggering about, the drunken master can charge in a manner that catches their foes off guard. When charging, the drunken master need not move in a straight line, but still retains the ability to move up to double their move speed. Further, if he or she succeeds a DC 15 Tumble check (made before the move), the charge itself does not provoke any attacks of opportunity.
Inebriated Ability
No common drunkard, no matter what most folk would dismiss them as at first sight, the drunken master expands their art of turning their favored beverages into fuel. At 2nd level, and every even-numbered level thereafter, they receive one 'Inebriated Ability'. Each Inebriated Ability either expends alcohol charges to activate, or provides some sort of bonus that grows depending on how many such charges they have. Inebriated skills are Extraordinary (Ex) abilities unless otherwise marked as such. Whenever an Inebriated Ability forces an enemy to make a Save, the DC is (10 + 1/2 class level + Constitution Modifier).
Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
The drunken master develops a sixth sense for danger as they train, eventually getting the hang of predicting an attack long before it comes. At 3rd level, the drunken master retains his or her Dexterity Bonus to AC (if any) even while flat-footed or when struck by an invisible attacker. However, they still lose the bonus if immobilized.
If the drunken master already has uncanny dodge from a different class, they automatically gain Improved Uncanny Dodge instead.
Altered Mind (Ex)
Despite their incredible tolerance of the substance, alcohol can still affect a drunken master's mind and decision making as much as the next person's. Of course, even that can be of advantage to them. From 3rd level onward, whenever the drunken master has at least 1 alcohol charge, he or she receives a bonus to saves against mind-affecting and illusionary spells and effects. The bonus is equal to the number of alcohol charges they have.
If they fail their save against such an effect, the drunken master can spend 2 alcohol charges to reroll that save. They must take the second result, even if it is worse than the first, and they can only reroll one such save in this manner per round.
Improved Improvisation (Ex)
There's more to the art of fighting with what's at hand than "1. Pick up heavy object. 2. Hit someone with it.", and that's what separates the random drunk in the back of the tavern from a drunken master.
At 4th level, Improved Improvisation grants the drunken master a few more options when utilizing improvised weapons. When using an especially long object, such as a ladder or pole, they may treat it as a reach weapon with reach appropriate to its length. Objects with multiple 'prongs' or similar, such as a chair and its legs, grants them a +2 bonus on opposed rolls to disarm a foe (as well as rolls to avoid being disarmed). Large, somewhat sturdy objects like tables can be upended and used as cover in a manner similar to tower shields.
The list of things the drunken master can do with a little outside the box thinking grows with experience. At 11th level, improvised weapons that have a sort of elbow bend or hook can be used to make trip attacks. If the drunken master would be tripped during their own trip attempt, they may drop the improvised weapon to avoid being tripped. Things with two or more ends that could act as sufficient weapons can be used as double weapons, akin to a quarterstaff. Lighter objects can be used as light weapons, such as for the purposes of the Weapon Finesse feat. Rope or sticky substances may be used as a Net, with the same method, effects, and limitations. All this, and their improvised weapons are no longer destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable on a roll of 1.
18th level doesn't bring many new uses with it, but it does improve what the drunken master can already do. Whenever the drunken master deals damage to a creature with an improvised weapon, they may immediately attempt a single Disarm, Feint, Sunder, or Trip against one creature as a free action. The attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and receives a +4 circumstance bonus to any rolls made as part of the attempt (this bonus stacks with those of the Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, etc. feats and similar).
Bonus Feat
Regardless of their talents, there's no avoiding the basics, and the drunken master trains often so as to remember them even in their most addled state. At 4th level, and every 4 class levels thereafter, the drunken master receives a single Fighter Bonus Feat he or she meets the prerequisites to.
Controlled Metabolism (Ex)
The drunken master's control over the chemicals in their own body grows stronger over time; an expected side effect of their technique. What this means for them is the ability to speed up or slow down parts of their metabolism- removing excess from their systems or holding onto fuel for later.
At 5th level, the drunken master can now accumulate and store up to 1 alcohol charge outside of battle at a time. Whenever they have charges left over at the end of an encounter, they can hold use this storage to retain one, so long as they did not already. This stored charge is counted towards their normal limit of how many alcohol charges they can have at once.
As their level grows, so does this control. The drunken master can store an additional alcohol charge at 9th level and every 4 levels after. The opposite effect is also possible: using this effect to remove unwanted alcohol charges. Once per turn as a free action, the drunken master can expend a number of alcohol charges equal or less than how many charges they can store outside of combat.
Iron Liver (Ex)
Normally, such extreme substance abuse would cause one's liver to give out under the pressure. The drunken master, on the other hand, have strengthened their body through techniques both mundane and mystical to prevent that. From 5th level onward, not only is the drunken master immune to the negative effects of alcohol, he or she is immune to all poisons altogether.
Drunken Focus (Su)
Between their altered (or addled, as many would call it) mental state and increasing control over their own biology, the drunken master maintains a state of focus that hones their attacks and movements. At 6th level, this focus becomes great enough to focus their spirits as well as their flesh, calling up an energy the monks refer to as 'ki'.
While the drunken master has at least 1 alcohol charge, their attacks with their unarmed strikes, any natural weapons they possess, and any improvised weapons they pick up receive a +1 enhancement bonus and all other benefits that would come with being a +1 weapon. This bonus increases by 1 at 9th level, and again every 3 levels thereafter.
Heightened Tolerance (Ex)
Living beings are apt at changing to suit their circumstances, and the drunken master is no exception. Besides the usual slow tolerance growth that comes with consumption, their unique metabolism slowly renders them resistant to the drawbacks.
From 7th level onwards, the drunken master treats the number of alcohol charges they have as 1 lower for the purposes of determining the penalty to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skill and attribute checks. This does not reduce the corresponding bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and AC they receive.
Heightened Tolerance improves at 13th level, and again at 19th level. At 13th level, the drunken master now treats the number of alcohol charges they have as 2 lower for the purposes of determining the penalty to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skill and attributes checks. Going a step further, they also may now receive 2 alcohol charges for each drink they take instead of the usual 1.
At 19th level, the drunken master treats the number of alcohol charges they have as 3 lower for the purposes of determining the penalty to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skill and attribute checks.
Evasion (Ex)
At 10th level or higher, the drunken master displays agility great enough to avoid even magical and unusual attacks. If he or she succeeds on a Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, they instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only while wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless drunken master does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Potent Blood (Ex)
Some people would call drinking a bar out of business impossible, and lethal. Drunken masters call it Tuesday. That doesn't mean the poison vanishes into the aether, it just means the drunken master isn't affected by it- an ability not shared by most would-be predators. At 14th level, a drunken master receives the Potent Blood ability.
Whenever the drunken master has at least one alcohol charge, creatures that would drink their blood, gain a benefit from shedding their blood, or otherwise heal health from dealing lethal damage to a drunken master instead take 1d4 damage for each alcohol charge he/she has. This ability can be suppressed or resumed at-will (a vampire would hardly be the strangest drinking buddy one might find a drunken master with, believe it or not).
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
Upon reaching 17th level, the drunken master's sixth sense and unpredictable movements means they can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue or similar the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking them, unless the rogue has four more levels in classes that grant/advance sneak attack than the drunken master's own class level.
If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Miracle Brew (Ex)
As a true sign of mastery over body and beer alike, the 20th level drunken master gains the 'Miracle Brew' ability. By expending a number of alcohol charges as a Swift Action OR Immediate Action (must be a multiple of 2), they can grant themselves total immunity to all harmful or otherwise unwanted effects (including damage, status conditions, poisons, and penalties, among other things that could threaten or be undesirable) for a number of turns equal to half the expended charges, counting the round it is activated as the first.
Miracle Brew does not remove existing damage, and while it can end ongoing effects or conditions (such as spells or effects with a duration other than 'Instant'), any harm already done remains. If used again while a previous activation of Miracle Brew is in effect, the new application activates exactly at the time the current one ends.
This is technique is incredibly difficult to manage. Drunken masters can only expend a number of alcohol charges on Miracle Brew each day equal to their Constitution Modifier (to a minimum of 2 alcohol charges).
((Last Updated: 12/02/13))
Drunken Master
"I was off in the back when I heard the racket. When I came out, the wizard was out cold with a table smashed over his head, the one in full-plate had been thrown through my window, the gal with the axe was tangled in a bunch of chairs, and the bard was drunk off her tail and singing dirty limricks with him. All I'm saying is, as annoying as he can be when he gets in his moods, it's better for your health- and my coin purse- if you let it go." ---Bartender's description of "Danny" Jackson, a Drunken Master.
The first thing anyone learning self-defense is taught is to never look for trouble. The skinny and pasty fellow could be a powerful wizard. Or he might have a knife, and a few friends. Or maybe, just maybe, that drunk in the bar who you decide to pick on might be capable of throwing you clean across the room.
The drunken master is a perfect example of just how dangerous someone so unassuming can be. Though it would be easy to pass them off as ordinary drunks, each is a capable martial artist with incredible control over their own body and the ability to utilize everything and anything as a weapon. The unique balance of alcohol and adrenaline in their systems combined with spiritual and mental focus fuel their strange techniques and harden their blows. Not many agree on the exact origin of the art, but few can deny its effectiveness.
Adventures: Sampling different brews, honing their technique, and the thrills of the adventure and applying what they know are common motivations for the drunken master to travel about. Money to obtain more of their preferred drink is another good one. The drunken master usually starts their adventure for selfish reasons, though the good-aligned can find themselves leaving a trail of good will and dragged into noble causes by a sense of right and wrong.
Characteristics: Drunken masters are dangerous in their unpredictability and deceptively skillful movements. They can deliver powerful and swift strikes with unlikely weapons, shrug off what would be mortal wounds for others, and perform bizarre and frightening feats.
Alignment: Defined by merging revelry with combat, it is at first hard to imagine many drunken masters as lawful. However, the techniques involved require a great deal of discipline, more so than most by virtue of requiring such while inebriated. There are even those who are treat it as simply another martial style with unique challenges in maintaining one's focus as a result. That said, there is an obvious lean towards chaos in their behavior and preferences.
As a whole, drunken masters have no particular tendency towards good or evil- they are defined merely by the desire to enjoy themselves, and whether they do so while valuing others' own happiness or at the expense of said others is up to the individual.
Religion: Discipline and revelry, freedom and self-control. The dual nature of their technique means drunken masters are divided among opposing qualities in their worship, should they be strongly religious. The majority aren't, though, and stick to whatever or whomever is common for their race.
Background: Because of the sheer strangeness of their abilities, it's rare for a drunken master to merely stumble over the technique needed to access them, though not unheard of. Many drunken masters are taught by others of their kind, or otherwise start as students of some martial art that gradually blends with a drinking habit and warps into something else. Still others are gifted with a strange metabolism that leads them to discover many uses for it.
Races: Dwarves are one of the most common sources of drunken masters, their physiology being a perfect fit for it. By that same measure, they are also the source of the most non-chaotic examples due to strong tradition and a lawful bent in most cultures. Races that tend towards jovial or chaotic races are similarly common; Halflings, Gnomes, and especially Half-Orcs having a respectable number, with Half-Orcs pulling ahead into a comfortable second due to the smaller races inability to imbibe as much.
Humans, Half Elves, and Elves are a bit more rare, the former simply because they lack a general disposition that makes them any more or less receptive towards it, the latter as a matter of not having the ability to process that extreme excess of alcohol required for it. Of course, any race is just as capable of producing a drunken master in theory- they person in question need only be able to hold their liquor.
Other Classes: It comes as no surprise that the Drunken Master favors the company of Bards and Barbarians over that of Paladins and Monks. The former often find them enjoyable company in a bar or party, while the latter may find them as annoying and immature, if not overbearing.
Rogues and Fighters are usually indifferent, though certain things (such as lack of subtlety when its really called for) can sour or endear them towards a given master. Wizards and other prepared casters might find them irritating for their seeming lack of discipline, but appreciate their skill at taking the enemy's attention off of themselves.
Role: The drunken master serves as both a mobile damage dealer and tank, capable of striking down single targets quickly or otherwise disabling them. Class options can even expand them into a secondary battlefield controller, though regardless of their build they are full-fledged front line fighters.
Adaptation: The alcohol itself can be refluffed to nearly anything. A crazed alchemist who samples their various creations for the sake of strength, a more traditional martial artist who uses smelling salts or meditation to focus their bodies, a soldier who uses experimental stimulants to toughen up at the cost of mental stability, and so on.
It wouldn't even be too odd to refluff the precise alcohol intake- an elven swordsman or swordswoman who focuses themselves with a simple sip of fine wine before cutting a swath through their foes would work fine mechanically. Do note, however, that this class is not made with addiction rules or any other systems regarding alcohol consumption in mind. In a game that uses such rules, it might be best to grant immunity to those drawbacks and effects in regards to alcohol as a first level class ability for the drunken master.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Drunken masters have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Constitution is of the utmost importance for a drunken master. It governs a number of their class options and makes them hardier. Strength and Dexterity are similarly vital for them for much the same reasons as other martial classes, combined with the drunken master's merely average BAB progression in the case of the former and restriction to light or no armor in the case of the latter.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: As Barbarian.
Starting Gold: 4d4x10 (100 GP).
Class Skills
The drunken master's class skills (and their related ability scores) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
Drunken Master
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Unarmed Damage|Special
1st|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+0|
1d6|Drink Like a Demon, Unarmed Strike, Improvised Weapons
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+0|
1d6|Stagger, Inebriated Ability
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+1|
1d6|Uncanny Dodge, Altered Mind
4th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|
1d8|Improved Improvisation, Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
5th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|
1d8|Controlled Metabolism (1 Charge), Iron Liver
6th|
+4|
+5|
+5|
+2|
1d8|Drunken Focus +1, Inebriated Ability
7th|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+2|
1d8|Heightened Tolerance
8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+2|
1d10|Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+3|
1d10|Drunken Focus +2, Controlled Metabolism (2 Charges)
10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+3|
1d10|Evasion, Inebriated Ability
11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+7|
+3|
1d10|Greater Improvisation
12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|
2d6|Drunken Focus +3, Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+4|
2d6|Greater Tolerance, Controlled Metabolism (3 Charges)
14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+9|
+4|
2d6|Potent Blood, Inebriated Skill
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+9|
+5|
2d6|Drunken Focus +4
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5|
2d8|Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5|
2d8|Improved Uncanny Dodge, Controlled Metabolism (4 Charges)
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+11|
+6|
2d8|Master's Improvisation, Drunken Focus +5, Inebriated Ability
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+11|
+6|
2d8|Supreme Tolerance
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+12|
+6|
2d10|Miracle Brew, Inebriated Ability, Bonus Feat[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the drunken master:
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A drunken master is proficient with all simple weapons weapons and with light armor, but no shields. Notably, a drunken master is also proficient with their own unarmed strike and any improvised weapons.
Drink Like a Demon (Ex)
The drunken master can do more than merely 'hold' their drinks. Whether it be a tankard of stale ale or glass of fine wine, alcohol is as elixir of immortality to them.
The drunken master may down a mug of ale or wine (or a proportionately smaller amount of a more powerful brew) as a move action. Doing so grants them a single 'charge' of alcohol, to a maximum of half their class level (minimum 1), and also causes them to recover 2 hit points per class level.
A drunken master adds his alcohol charges as a bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls and AC, but receives an equal penalty to ability checks and skill checks based on Int, Wis or Cha.
Charges last until consumed for an effect or the encounter ends. Drinking outside of combat does not produce charges- it is the combination of alcohol and adrenaline that fuels the drunken master's bizarre technique. Finally, a drunken master suffers no ill effect from alcohol consumption.
Unarmed Strike (Ex)
At 1st level, a drunken master gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. They can make unarmed strikes with any part of their body, meaning they can make unarmed strikes with their hands occupied, and there is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a drunken master striking unarmed, so a drunken master may add their full Strength bonus to their unarmed damage rolls.
They can even chose to deal lethal or non-lethal damage with their unarmed strikes without penalty, and chose to treat their unarmed strike as both manufactured and a natural weapon, whenever it would be beneficial.
Lastly, the drunken master deals more damage with their unarmed strike than normal for a creature of their size, same as a monk does. The table above lists the unarmed damage for medium monks, with smaller or larger monks scaling their damage to their size accordingly.
Improvised Weapons (Ex)
More than just their fists, the drunken master is adept with turning any object they get their hands on into a weapon. In their hands, an improvised weapon deals damage equal to either double the damage they would do with their unarmed strike, or the damage the improvised weapon would normally do + the damage their unarmed strike inflicts, whichever is higher.
Most improvised weapons deal bludgeoning damage, though some (such as, say, a broken glass bottle) can deal piercing or slashing damage. In the hands of a drunken master, improvised weapons can also be used to deal lethal or non-lethal damage at their discretion, without penalty. Regardless, if they roll a natural 1 on an attack roll while using an improvised weapon, that weapon breaks apart and becomes useless.
Stagger (Ex)
Steps that to the unwary look like an alcoholic's aimless gait are in truth carefully plotted and balanced. Stumbling and staggering about, the drunken master can charge in a manner that catches their foes off guard. When charging, the drunken master need not move in a straight line, but still retains the ability to move up to double their move speed. Further, if he or she succeeds a DC 15 Tumble check (made before the move), the charge itself does not provoke any attacks of opportunity.
Inebriated Ability
No common drunkard, no matter what most folk would dismiss them as at first sight, the drunken master expands their art of turning their favored beverages into fuel. At 2nd level, and every even-numbered level thereafter, they receive one 'Inebriated Ability'. Each Inebriated Ability either expends alcohol charges to activate, or provides some sort of bonus that grows depending on how many such charges they have. Inebriated skills are Extraordinary (Ex) abilities unless otherwise marked as such. Whenever an Inebriated Ability forces an enemy to make a Save, the DC is (10 + 1/2 class level + Constitution Modifier).
Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
The drunken master develops a sixth sense for danger as they train, eventually getting the hang of predicting an attack long before it comes. At 3rd level, the drunken master retains his or her Dexterity Bonus to AC (if any) even while flat-footed or when struck by an invisible attacker. However, they still lose the bonus if immobilized.
If the drunken master already has uncanny dodge from a different class, they automatically gain Improved Uncanny Dodge instead.
Altered Mind (Ex)
Despite their incredible tolerance of the substance, alcohol can still affect a drunken master's mind and decision making as much as the next person's. Of course, even that can be of advantage to them. From 3rd level onward, whenever the drunken master has at least 1 alcohol charge, he or she receives a bonus to saves against mind-affecting and illusionary spells and effects. The bonus is equal to the number of alcohol charges they have.
If they fail their save against such an effect, the drunken master can spend 2 alcohol charges to reroll that save. They must take the second result, even if it is worse than the first, and they can only reroll one such save in this manner per round.
Improved Improvisation (Ex)
There's more to the art of fighting with what's at hand than "1. Pick up heavy object. 2. Hit someone with it.", and that's what separates the random drunk in the back of the tavern from a drunken master.
At 4th level, Improved Improvisation grants the drunken master a few more options when utilizing improvised weapons. When using an especially long object, such as a ladder or pole, they may treat it as a reach weapon with reach appropriate to its length. Objects with multiple 'prongs' or similar, such as a chair and its legs, grants them a +2 bonus on opposed rolls to disarm a foe (as well as rolls to avoid being disarmed). Large, somewhat sturdy objects like tables can be upended and used as cover in a manner similar to tower shields.
The list of things the drunken master can do with a little outside the box thinking grows with experience. At 11th level, improvised weapons that have a sort of elbow bend or hook can be used to make trip attacks. If the drunken master would be tripped during their own trip attempt, they may drop the improvised weapon to avoid being tripped. Things with two or more ends that could act as sufficient weapons can be used as double weapons, akin to a quarterstaff. Lighter objects can be used as light weapons, such as for the purposes of the Weapon Finesse feat. Rope or sticky substances may be used as a Net, with the same method, effects, and limitations. All this, and their improvised weapons are no longer destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable on a roll of 1.
18th level doesn't bring many new uses with it, but it does improve what the drunken master can already do. Whenever the drunken master deals damage to a creature with an improvised weapon, they may immediately attempt a single Disarm, Feint, Sunder, or Trip against one creature as a free action. The attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and receives a +4 circumstance bonus to any rolls made as part of the attempt (this bonus stacks with those of the Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, etc. feats and similar).
Bonus Feat
Regardless of their talents, there's no avoiding the basics, and the drunken master trains often so as to remember them even in their most addled state. At 4th level, and every 4 class levels thereafter, the drunken master receives a single Fighter Bonus Feat he or she meets the prerequisites to.
Controlled Metabolism (Ex)
The drunken master's control over the chemicals in their own body grows stronger over time; an expected side effect of their technique. What this means for them is the ability to speed up or slow down parts of their metabolism- removing excess from their systems or holding onto fuel for later.
At 5th level, the drunken master can now accumulate and store up to 1 alcohol charge outside of battle at a time. Whenever they have charges left over at the end of an encounter, they can hold use this storage to retain one, so long as they did not already. This stored charge is counted towards their normal limit of how many alcohol charges they can have at once.
As their level grows, so does this control. The drunken master can store an additional alcohol charge at 9th level and every 4 levels after. The opposite effect is also possible: using this effect to remove unwanted alcohol charges. Once per turn as a free action, the drunken master can expend a number of alcohol charges equal or less than how many charges they can store outside of combat.
Iron Liver (Ex)
Normally, such extreme substance abuse would cause one's liver to give out under the pressure. The drunken master, on the other hand, have strengthened their body through techniques both mundane and mystical to prevent that. From 5th level onward, not only is the drunken master immune to the negative effects of alcohol, he or she is immune to all poisons altogether.
Drunken Focus (Su)
Between their altered (or addled, as many would call it) mental state and increasing control over their own biology, the drunken master maintains a state of focus that hones their attacks and movements. At 6th level, this focus becomes great enough to focus their spirits as well as their flesh, calling up an energy the monks refer to as 'ki'.
While the drunken master has at least 1 alcohol charge, their attacks with their unarmed strikes, any natural weapons they possess, and any improvised weapons they pick up receive a +1 enhancement bonus and all other benefits that would come with being a +1 weapon. This bonus increases by 1 at 9th level, and again every 3 levels thereafter.
Heightened Tolerance (Ex)
Living beings are apt at changing to suit their circumstances, and the drunken master is no exception. Besides the usual slow tolerance growth that comes with consumption, their unique metabolism slowly renders them resistant to the drawbacks.
From 7th level onwards, the drunken master treats the number of alcohol charges they have as 1 lower for the purposes of determining the penalty to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skill and attribute checks. This does not reduce the corresponding bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and AC they receive.
Heightened Tolerance improves at 13th level, and again at 19th level. At 13th level, the drunken master now treats the number of alcohol charges they have as 2 lower for the purposes of determining the penalty to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skill and attributes checks. Going a step further, they also may now receive 2 alcohol charges for each drink they take instead of the usual 1.
At 19th level, the drunken master treats the number of alcohol charges they have as 3 lower for the purposes of determining the penalty to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skill and attribute checks.
Evasion (Ex)
At 10th level or higher, the drunken master displays agility great enough to avoid even magical and unusual attacks. If he or she succeeds on a Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, they instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only while wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless drunken master does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Potent Blood (Ex)
Some people would call drinking a bar out of business impossible, and lethal. Drunken masters call it Tuesday. That doesn't mean the poison vanishes into the aether, it just means the drunken master isn't affected by it- an ability not shared by most would-be predators. At 14th level, a drunken master receives the Potent Blood ability.
Whenever the drunken master has at least one alcohol charge, creatures that would drink their blood, gain a benefit from shedding their blood, or otherwise heal health from dealing lethal damage to a drunken master instead take 1d4 damage for each alcohol charge he/she has. This ability can be suppressed or resumed at-will (a vampire would hardly be the strangest drinking buddy one might find a drunken master with, believe it or not).
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
Upon reaching 17th level, the drunken master's sixth sense and unpredictable movements means they can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue or similar the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking them, unless the rogue has four more levels in classes that grant/advance sneak attack than the drunken master's own class level.
If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Miracle Brew (Ex)
As a true sign of mastery over body and beer alike, the 20th level drunken master gains the 'Miracle Brew' ability. By expending a number of alcohol charges as a Swift Action OR Immediate Action (must be a multiple of 2), they can grant themselves total immunity to all harmful or otherwise unwanted effects (including damage, status conditions, poisons, and penalties, among other things that could threaten or be undesirable) for a number of turns equal to half the expended charges, counting the round it is activated as the first.
Miracle Brew does not remove existing damage, and while it can end ongoing effects or conditions (such as spells or effects with a duration other than 'Instant'), any harm already done remains. If used again while a previous activation of Miracle Brew is in effect, the new application activates exactly at the time the current one ends.
This is technique is incredibly difficult to manage. Drunken masters can only expend a number of alcohol charges on Miracle Brew each day equal to their Constitution Modifier (to a minimum of 2 alcohol charges).