[Prc]Tired of kung Fu? Then this prc’s for you!

[TheThan]

The Prizefighter

Prizefighters are bare-knuckle warriors who usually fight for money. They usually start out as peasants who take to fighting to earn extra money. Though many monks take up the class to support their local monastery. Though many other paths are possible. Prizefighters train to fight with just their fists and have earned a reputation for being brutally powerful brawlers. Most are content to battle it out with other Prizefighters to earn a living, at least until they have to retire. But the rare adventurer may take up the class if the desire strikes them.


“It's gonna be a thrilla and a chilla and a killa when I get the gorilla in Manila!”
--Muhammad Ali

Adventures

Most Prizefighters find plenty of adventure in the ring. Though some take to the path of an adventurer out of necessity. Whether that necessity is to find the next big fight, or to simply return home from a bout, adventure usually follow them. Most Prizefighters are of lawful alignment; due to the rigorous training most must endure to be successful prizefighters. But some chaotic characters take up the class, relying on their natural talent, rather than investing all their time in training.

Abilities:

Prizefighters require quick wits, and a strong and healthy body. That’s really about it. Strength adds extra damage to their unarmed strikes. Constitution grants them much needed hit points. Wisdom and dexterity increases their ability to dodge blows and avoid taking unnecessary hits.

Requirements:
Base attack bonus +4
Improved unarmed strike or the monk’s unarmed strike class feature
Great fortitude
Dodge

Hit dice:
D10

Skills
The following are the Prizefighter’s class skills: bluff (cha), concentration (con), jump (str), knowledge (local) (int), perform (cha), sense motive (wis), survival (wis), swim (str)

Skill points: 2+int modifier per level

Spoiler

Show

The PrizeFighter
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save| AC Bonus|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|Unarmed damage, Float like a butterfly

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|Sting Like a Bee

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

| Damage Reduction 1/--

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|Combo Hit

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

| Damage Reduction 2/--

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|Knock out punch

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

| Damage Reduction 3/--

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|Bob and Weave

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

| Damage Reduction 4/--

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Head of Steam[/table]

Class features:

Weapons and armor proficiency:
Prizefighters gain no weapon and armor proficiencies.

Ac bonus:
The Prizefighter gains this bonus to armor class as long as he is wearing no armor, and not carrying a shield. This bonus to AC applies even against tough attacks or when the Prizefighter is flatfooted. He loses this when He wears any armor, when He carries a shield or when He carries a medium or heavy load.

Unarmed Damage:
A Prizefighter class levels stack with his monk levels (if any) for the purposes of determining his unarmed damage. If a Prizefighter doesn’t have monk levels prior to becoming a Prizefighter, treat him as a monk of the same class level as his Prizefighter class level for determining his unarmed damage.

Float like a Butterfly:
The first thing a prizefighter learns is how to read his opponent; he can now spend one move action to grant himself a +2 dodge bonus to his armor class.

Sting like a Bee:
A Prizefighter learns how to hit hard enough to stun or daze his opponent. At 2nd level, a prizefighter gains the stunning fist feat, even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites for it. If he already has the stunning fist feat then he gains 2 additional uses of his stunning fist per day.

Damage Reduction:
Throughout his career a Prizefighter’s body undergoes tremendous amount of blunt force trauma, over time his body hardens and becomes capable of resisting damage.

Combo Hit:
A Prizefighter learns how to follow up powerful blows with an extra attack. Upon landing a successful critical hit, a prizefighter may immediately make another unarmed attack at the same attack bonus.

Knockout Punch:
Eventually a prizefighter develops a particular fighting technique so much that it can often knockout an opponent in one hit. A prizefighter may expend one use of his stunning fist attempts to add damage dice to his unarmed attack. He may add +1d6 bonus dice per use of stunning fist he expends. A prizefighter may only expend stunning fist attempts up a number equal to half his daily stunning fist attempts per day. He may spend all of his allotted uses on a single attack if he wishes, or he may spread them out as he sees fit.

A prizefighter can use knockout punch only on living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to the knockout punch. The Prizefighter must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A Prizefighter cannot use knockout punch while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Example: a monk/prizefighter with 10 uses of stunning fist may only expend 5 of those uses to add damage dice to his attacks. He may spend all five of his uses on a single attack if he wishes, or he may spread them out as he sees fit.


Bob and Weave:
A Prizefighter learns how to defend himself so well that often times he can out right avoid a series of attacks. The prizefighter must declare he’s using this upon the start of his turn, and it lasts a full combat round (that is, until the start of his next turn). When active the prizefighter cannot be hit by any melee or ranged attack nor can he become the target of certain spells (ray spells, and touch spells). He can only use this ability 3/day.

Head of Steam:
As a prizefighter gains experience he gains the ability to press his advantages in combat. To this effect whenever a prizefighter makes a full attack with his unarmed attack(s), he may add a +1d6, to each successive attack beyond the first. However should a prizefighter miss with his unarmed attack, the bonuses reset and he has to start over.
Example:
Bill the boxer has 3 attacks at his full attack. He attacks using his full attack, he hits with his first attack, then he adds +1d6 to his next attack, assuming the second attack also hits, he adds +2d6 to his third attack, and so on. If he misses any of these attacks the bonus damage dice goes away, and he must start again with another full attack.

[geez3r]

I am so stealing this. Seems reasonably balanced.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The only ones I'd be worried about are Bob and Weave and Head of Steam. In the PHB2 there is a feat similar to Head of Steam, requires you to have a base attack of +14 to get, but only gives +1 per successful attack. I don't recall if the bonus vanishes as soon as you miss, but even if it doesn't, it's still a pretty big jump in power. And, although stylistically it's an awesome thought, from a balance standpoint you have to consider the possibility of scoring a massive combo attack and finishing it all off with a knockout punch.

As far as Bob and Weave...a lot of the encounters I'm in usually only last for a few rounds. One full round of immunity to targeted attacks per encounter, at no cost to you, seems a bit risky from a balance standpoint. Again, it varies by campaign, though. If your games tend to have a lot of encounters with several rounds of combat, it would work fine. Otherwise, you might want to limit that to 1/day.

Other than those issues, the class looks great.

[TheThan]

I was worried about bob and weave and head of steam being too power so I might nerf them as you suggest. 1/day for bob and weave, still makes it useful. As for head of steam, I’m not too sure what I’m going to do yet.

[Moribundus]

I was worried about bob and weave and head of steam being too power so I might nerf them as you suggest. 1/day for bob and weave, still makes it useful. As for head of steam, I’m not too sure what I’m going to do yet.

I think that only 1/day for head of steam is not enough. I'd say maybe 3/day (no more than that) but for sure more than once. I'm just kicking this around, but maybe be base 1/day and additional uses based on a stat bonus (e.g. Wisdom)

I like this one a lot!

[TheThan]

I know this is thread necromancery. But I’ve gone and made some (rather large) changes to the Prizefighter. I’d hate to post the same class twice so I’m raising it. As always any questions or comments and critiques you have are appreciated.

Some of the changes I’ve made to bring the class more in line with other monk prestige classes. While some changes have been made do to some of the other changes. The class can still dish out copious amounts of damage (what it was designed to do), but now the bonus damage isn’t as random.


The Changes
Added monk like AC and Unarmed strike progression.
Changed sting like a bee slightly
Changed float like a butterfly
Changed knockout punch
Changed the restriction on bob and weave to 3/day
Changed table to message board code, and to reflect these changes

[ZeroNumerous]

The DR doesn't scale accurately. DR 4/- isn't much at level 17.

[TheThan]

The DR doesn't scale accurately. DR 4/- isn't much at level 17.

A straight single class barbarian has DR 4/-- at level 17 also, and it only maxes out at DR 5/-- (at level 19) so really its only slightly less powerful. Considering this is a prestige class I think it’s fine.

Don’t get me wrong, I see where you’re coming from, but I didn’t want to overpower his defenses that much, considering how much offensive punch he can have (pun not intended).

[DanielLC]

Shouldn't Head Full of Steam max out? Make it so the bonuses stop after +5d6.

[knightsaline]

Shouldn't the class start taking INT penalties after a few levels? Based on real life, most high level boxers are not that smart (concidering that the point of boxing is to knock someone out via headpunches).

[Stormcrow]

Wouldn't mind seeing this as a base class. A less Crouching Tiger unarmed fighter class...

[McMindflayer]

If you want to stop overpoweredness of Head of steam, make each additional +1d6 nonlethal. If it works, you can get a lot of d6 and knock out your opponents who aren't that often of higher HD than you are. This works for flavor too, since Prizefighters try to knock opponents out.

But then, that might be too much of a nerf.

AS for Bob and weave. You can try and use stuff from TOB or what's supposed to be happening in 4th edition, and make it 1/encounter. If it is too powerful, I would suggest either 20 or 50% concealment. Kind of like Blur. Your just moving so fast.

I don't think Int Penalties are necessary, since most often, your going to have a low int score anyway, and I have never seen a class reduce someones ability score.

[F.H. Zebedee]

I like this a lot. A great PRC to branch your Monk into if you don't want to go down the whole "Enlightenment" road, maybe with some Fighter-dip to finish the deal.

I think the biggest flaw with the class is how likely it is to draw tribute/rip off characters . I mean, Mike Tyson (which I'm betting the players would pimp until he had a bite attack), Muhammad Ali (Who would be the AC pimp), etc. Personally, I wouldn't mind making one named Baki, just for the heck of making a tribute to a great series.