The Perfected Fist (Pathfinder Alch/Monk PrC, Criticism Wanted)

[Auroch]

"Meditation can only bring a body to its limits. To be truly perfect, you must push beyond."

The Perfected Fists are a group of internal alchemists who learned meditation and monks who were unsatisfied with the limits of their bodies. All have chemically altered their bodies into focused, honed instruments.

BECOMING A PERFECTED FIST

As an alchemist, becoming a perfected fist starts with the path of the internal alchemist and continues with a dedication to mental and physical self-improvement, usually through training in a monastery. As a monk, your path likely lead you up against the wall of your own physical limits, leaving the monastery, and meeting an alchemist who had pushed his body beyond.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

Special: Breath Mastery, Poison and Disease Resistance +2
Special: Still Mind, Ki Pool.

The Perfected Fist

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |

Extracts

1st|+0|+1|+1|+1|Body Mastery, Ki Mutagen, Affliction Resistance +4|

-

2nd|+1|+1|+1|+1|Bomb +1d6|

+1 level of alchemist

3rd|+2|+2|+2|+2|Discovery, Affliction Immunity|

+1 level of alchemist

4th|+3|+2|+2|+2|Bomb +2d6|

+1 level of alchemist

5th|+3|+3|+3|+3|Discovery|

+1 level of alchemist

6th|+4|+3|+3|+3|Bomb +3d6|

-

7th|+5|+4|+4|+4|Discovery|

+1 level of alchemist

8th|+6|+4|+4|+4|Bomb +4d6|

+1 level of alchemist

9th|+6|+5|+5|+5|Discovery|

+1 level of alchemist

10th|+7|+5|+5|+5|Bomb +5d6|

+1 level of alchemist

[/table]
Hit Die: 1d8

Class Skills:
Undetermined. Union of the two class lists?
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Body Mastery: Perfected Fists gain the Unarmed Strike Damage and AC Bonus of a monk of the same level; this stacks with existing monk levels. Perfected Fist do not gain any other class feature a monk would gain (such as flurry of blows progression or fast movement). The Fist may also multiclass freely between Perfected Fist, Monk, and Alchemist.

Ki Mutagen (Su): The discovery that turns an ordinary alchemist into a Perfected Fist is the Ki Mutagen. This mutagen may be ingested and stored in the body as long as desired, but counts toward the Fist's limit of one mutagen . To activate it, the Fist may either use up the mutagen in their body or spend two ki points. This mutagen grants a +2 natural armor bonus, and either +4 Dexterity and +2 Wisdom or +4 Wisdom and +2 Dexterity, chosen by the Fist when brewing the dose of mutagen. Additionally, they stack Perfected Fist levels with Monk levels to determine the size of the pool and the effects of a Ki Strike.

Affliction Resistance: A Perfected Fist gains +4 for all saves against poisons and diseases. This stacks with any bonus gained from alchemist levels.

Extracts: At every level except 1st and 6th, a Perfected Fist gains new extracts per day as if she had also gained a level in alchemist. They do not, however, gain other benefits an alchemist would have gained, except for extracts per day and an increased effective caster level for extracts.

Bombs: At each even level, the Perfected Fist gains +1d6 damage for each bomb.

Affliction Immunity: At 3rd level, a Perfected Fist gains immunity from poisons and diseases.

Discoveries: At 3rd level and each odd level thereafter, .the Perfected Fist gains a discovery from this list:

Alchemic Blood: The Fist may store extracts in their bloodstream, unused until needed. It takes a move action to store an extract in this way, and a swift action to consume it, gaining its effects.

Alchemic Fist: The Perfected Fist may store bombs in their bloodstream as well as extracts, and then release them at close range. Whenever the Fist hits a target with an unarmed strike, they may release a bomb in a 15-foot cone starting at the target struck and pointed away from the Fist; this deals full bomb damage to each individual in the cone. It takes one minute to store any number of bombs in their flesh; these count against the limit of bombs per day and may only be stored for 24 hours. However, as bombs are highly toxic, the Fist takes minimum damage from each bomb when storing it, and 2 HP per bomb stored cannot heal until the bombs are consumed or dissipate. (Example: Ranya, a Fist, has 76 HP, 4d6 bombs and a +4 Int modifier; he stores 3 bombs; he takes 24 damage, and cannot be healed above 70 HP until he uses at least one of the bombs. If he was healed to 70 HP and then uses two of the bombs, he still has 70 HP but could be healed to 74). A Perfected Fist must possess the Alchemic Blood discovery before selecting this discovery.

Improved Alchemic Blood: The Fist may store an additional extract or a potion in their bloodstream. A potion must be used within one hour per Perfected Fist level, or it dissipates without effect. A Perfected Fist may take this discovery any number of times; each time increases the number of extracts the Fist may store simultaneously by one, but they may never store more than one potion.

Enlightened Mutagen: The Ki Mutagen improves. The Fist may now craft a mutagen that grants +6 Dexterity and +4 Wisdom or vice versa; it also grants a +4 natural armor bonus. It may still be suspended in the bloodstream and may be activated without consuming it by spending 2 ki points. A Perfected Fist must be at least 5th level before selecting this discovery.

Healing Blast (Su): The Perfected Fist learns to share their healing properties in explosive fashion; they may use a bomb to deliver healing rather than damage. A bomb used in this way heals 1d4 hit points for each 1d6 damage an ordinary bomb would deal, with the Intelligence modifier added as normal. All individuals in the splash radius are healed for the minimum damage. A Fist must have the spontaneous healing discovery or class ability before selecting this discovery.

Healing Touch (Ex): The Perfected Fist gains the ability to heal other creatures. As a standard action, they may touch a creature and apply 1 round’s effect of their spontaneous healing discovery to that creature; this counts toward their spontaneous healing limit for the day. The Fist’s daily limit for hit points healed by spontaneous healing doubles to 5 per Perfected Fist level plus alchemist level. This ability only functions if the target is the same type of creature (humanoid, undead, and so on) as the Fist. A Fist must have the spontaneous healing discovery or class ability before selecting this discovery.

Preserve Organs (Ex): The Perfected Fist learns how to preserve and protect their vital organs, reducing the chance of a mortal wound. When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on the Fist, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally. This does not stack with similar abilities that negate critical hits and sneak attacks (such as fortification armor), but does stack with the alchemist ability of the same name. A Fist can take this discovery up to three times; the effects stack, increasing this chance to 50% and then 75%.

Spontaneous Healing (Ex): The Perfected Fist gains the ability to heal from wounds rapidly. As a free action once per round, they can heal 5 hit points as if they had the fast healing ability. The Fist can heal 5 hit points per day in this manner for every 2 levels in Perfected Fist and alchemist they possess (Example: an Alchemist 3/Monk 4/Perfected Fist 5 can heal 20 HP per day). If the alchemist falls unconscious because of hit point damage and he still has healing available from this ability, the ability activates automatically each round until he is conscious again or the ability is depleted for the day.

Bonus Feat: The Perfected Fist may take Alertness, Extra Ki, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (unarmed strike), Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Lighting Reflexes, Stunning Fist, or Weapon Focus (unarmed strike) in place of a discovery.

Ageless Perfection: At 10th level, the Perfected Fist control tiny aspects of their body and preserve proper functioning. The Fist no longer ages naturally, and will not die of old age.

Notes:

I played an alchemist who considered himself to be a locked-down, unemotional, truly rational being. From a flavor perspective, he would have jumped at the chance to join a monastery, but mechanically it was a horrible idea. That campaign is over, but I still like the concept of the monastic alchemist seeking true mental and physical perfection, and warping his own body to do it.

I'm not sure where the power level of this should be. It loses very little over the length of the class, but it can't be entered before 8th and the base classes don't synergize well, so I'm not sure whether I've over- or under-compensated. Commentary and suggestions welcome.

[EdroGrimshell]

I like this, and i would definitely use it.

[Auroch]

No Commentary? As I said, I'm not really sure about the power level of this class, and I'm not sure the focused aspects are the right ones. Criticism? New discovery suggestions? Anything?

[Zaknir]

The 10th level ability seems a bit weak compared to that of other PRCs.

Maybe, given the class flavour he could become an Aberration at 10th level?

Or, like a normal monk, an Outsider I'm not sure wich one fits the best, since he's aiming to self-perfection (and then the outsider would be perfect), but on the other side he does so using strange substances...Maybe you could even let the player chose between the two options.

[silphael]

You could have far more monk's class features. As it is, this class seems a little weak to me.

[Auroch]

The 10th level ability seems a bit weak compared to that of other PRCs.

Maybe, given the class flavour he could become an Aberration at 10th level?

Or, like a normal monk, an Outsider I'm not sure wich one fits the best, since he's aiming to self-perfection (and then the outsider would be perfect), but on the other side he does so using strange substances...Maybe you could even let the player chose between the two options.

Maybe Aberration. Maybe Flesh Golem traits? The main benefits are the discoveries, and those are coming at odd levels so I'm not sure how good I'm willing to push 10th level.

You could have far more monk's class features. As it is, this class seems a little weak to me.

It loses flurry progression, fast movement, slow fall, and the various special ki powers. It also retains full progression of everything but extracts from alchemist and keeps most of that, and then gains Ki Mutagen (the repeatable aspect is very strong).

[Hanuman]

T'ai chi ch'uan (simplified Chinese: 太极拳; traditional Chinese: 太極拳; pinyin: tàijíquán; Wade–Giles: t'ai4 chi2 ch'üan2; literally "Supreme Ultimate Fist"), often shortened to t'ai chi or tai chi in English usage, is a type of internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits.
-Wikipedia

I'm a fan of yang style small-frame myself.

[Auroch]

T'ai chi ch'uan (simplified Chinese: 太极拳; traditional Chinese: 太極拳; pinyin: tàijíquán; Wade–Giles: t'ai4 chi2 ch'üan2; literally "Supreme Ultimate Fist"), often shortened to t'ai chi or tai chi in English usage, is a type of internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits.
-Wikipedia

I'm a fan of yang style small-frame myself.

And that is relevant to this thread in what way?