The Red Fist[D&D Prestige Class]

The Red Fist
The red fist's strength and prowess in unarmed combat become brutal and bloody. Red fists focus on maximizing their damage in unarmed combat, dealing brutal damage, drawing blood, and ultimately ripping the hearts from the chests of their foes.

Almost all red fists are monks.



Requirements
To qualify to become a red fist (RdFi), a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any nongood.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike).
Skills: Intimidate 8.
Special: The character must have the Flurry of Blows and Ki Strike class features.

Game Rule Information
She-devils have the following game statistics.

Base Attack Bonus: Average (as an assassin).
Hit Die: d8.
Saves: Good Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
Class Skills: The red fist's class skills are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Wis). Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.
Multiclassing: Characters with levels in monk can freely multiclass with red fist, taking levels of monk followed by levels of red fist and then levels of monk again and so on, without restriction. All other monk multiclass and alignment limitations, however, still apply.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the red fist prestige class.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Red fists gain no additional proficiency with any weapons or armor.

1. Frenzy [1/day], Martial Arts
   
2. Flex
   
3. Ki Strike [Alignment], Unarmored Mobility [+10/+1]
   
4. Mettle
   
5. Frenzy [2/day]
   
6. Ki Strike [Slashing], Unarmored Mobility [+20/+2]
   
7. Critical Strike
   
8. Brutal Flurry
   
9. Ki Strike [Adamantium], Unarmored Mobility [+30/+3]
   
10. Frenzy [3/day], Heart Attack

Frenzy [1st/5th/10th level]
The red fist can enter a state of controlled frenzy. Once per day at 1st level, 5th level, and every five levels thereafter, he may enter a Rage, gaining a temporary +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves but losing his monk and Unarmored Mobility bonuses to Armor Class and the benefit of the Still Mind class feature, if applicable. A Frenzy lasts number of rounds equal to 3 + his (newly improved) Constitution modifier. In all other ways, Frenzy functions as the barbarian Rage extraordinary ability.

Martial Arts
He excels at unarmed combat. Red fist levels stack with monk levels for determining Unarmed Damage, Flurry of Blows, and Stunning Attack.

Flex [2nd level]
He has an intimidating physical presence. The red fist adds his Strength bonus to all Intimidate checks made against creatures that can see him.

Unarmored Mobility [3rd/6th/9th level]
He moves like an arrow. At 3rd level and every three levels thereafter, the red fist gains a +10 bonus to his ground movement rate and a +1 bonus to AC when unarmored and unencumbered. This is extraordinary.

Ki Strike [3rd/6th/9th level]
His unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. At 3rd level, the red fist selects one of the following components of his alignment: Chaos, Evil, or Lawful; his unarmed attacks are now treated as carrying this quality for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. If his alignment does not include one of these components, he enjoys no additional benefit. At 6th level, his unarmed strikes can deal slashing damage instead of bludgeoning damage; he must designate her intention to do slashing damage before he makes his strikes. At 9th level, the red fist's unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness. This is a supernatural ability.

Mettle [4th level]
The red fist can ignore attacks on his mind and body. If he makes a Fortitude or Will save against an attack that normally inflicts a partial effect with a successful save, he suffers no effect at all. This is extraordinary.

Critical Strike [7th level]
The red fist's hands are deadly weapons. He receives the Improved Critical feat for free with his unarmed attacks, even if he does not otherwise qualify for the feat.

Brutal Flurry [8th level]
He can maximize his strength with unarmed strikes. When using his Flurry of Blows ability with his fists, he applies 150% of her Strength bonus to her damage rolls. This is extraordinary.

Heart Attack [10th level]
He can rip your heart from your chest and show it to you as you die. Once per day, the red fist can designate his next unarmed attack as benefiting from Heart Attack. If he strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the Heart Attack succeeds. The target must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + red fist level + Strength modifier) or die instantly, as the red fist's hand plunges into the creature and rips out its heart. If the saving throw is successful, the target takes normal unarmed damage. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, creatures immune to critical hits, creatures without hearts, and creatures of a size category greater than one step from the red fist are immune to this supernatural ability.

Epic Red Fist: The epic-level red fist continues his Hit Die, skill point, Frenzy, Martial Arts, and Unarmed Mobility progressions. In addition, he receives bonus feats at 14th level and every four levels thereafter (14th, 18th, 22nd, 26th, etc.).

History: Originally posted on the Wizards of the Coast message boards in October of 2003; inspired by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Board Link: To feedback on this class posted on the Wizards of the Coast message boards.