Flind [3.5 Prestige Class]

The Flind

In gnoll society, only two kinds of ruler exist: the clerics of Erythnul, whose authority is divine and word is absolute, and the matriarchal chieftesses, whose mere station receives them privilege, riches, and the opportunity to journey far afield in pursuit of personal glory.

But in a culture defined by brutal pack mentality and adherence to Erythnul's horde doctrine, there remains a niche to fill. Martial supremacy marks one as a local hero, whose blessing by Erythnul is visible to all. These warriors are celebrated and feared, with their exploits passing from word of mouth across land to land, as crusading tribes pass from land to land. There is no sexual bias, no shared ideology, no quality of politic that defines them; only skill in mortal combat, the truest tribute to the divine.

They are the Flinds.

Entry Requirements
Race: Gnoll. All gnolls know of the Flind Rite: however, any creature that can manage a DC 25 Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) check also knows of it, and can formally issue the challenge to a pre-existing Flind. A creature need not know the Flind Rite to become Flind of an unoccupied tribe, as stated below.
BAB: +3
Feats: Dodge, Improved Grapple
Special: Must have defeated and slain a Flind in single combat. Alternatively, slaying a creature that is of Overpowering difficulty (5 CR higher or more) to the majority of a gnoll village while they watch also counts, provided they do not already have a Flind. The traditional method of doing this is to convince them to raid something like a dragon's den or a cloud giant castle, and then take it on in their stead.

HD: d8
Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex), and Swim (Str).
Skill Points per level: 6+Int modifier
Proficiencies: The flind gains proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, as well as light armor. This does not include shields.

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Circling Hyenas, Fighter Bonus Feat
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Flind Bar, Man Hunter
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Blood-Saint of the Savanna, Fighter Bonus Feat

Features

Circling Hyenas (Ex)
The Flind Rite is a one-on-one battle to the death. As this is the succession rite for Flinds, they are basically career duelists, akin to gladiators. Every one learns to use the crowd to their advantage if they plan to survive their first weekend.

Whenever you mark a single foe with your Dodge feat, you may begin to bay and giggle, stomping your feet and taunting your opponent. The AC bonus from the Dodge feat increases to +4 against that foe, and you gain SR equal to your AC against that foe, including your dodge bonus.

After one round of this, you can expect to attract a crowd. Onlookers are fascinated, and feel as though they should not intervene; those who are loyal to your opponent, or who otherwise have a strong interest in their survival, each get a Will save, DC 10 +your Perform ranks to negate. Combat between you and your opponent doesn't break the fascination, though if apparent danger spills over into the crowd, it will.

If no one is nearby to form a crowd, one will not gather. A creature need not have more than animal intelligence to form a crowd, however: in dungeon environs, crowds often form from seemingly nowhere, composed of mice and insects who emerge from holes in the walls to watch the spectacle unfold.

While there is a crowd, you can appeal to them in the hopes of demoralizing your opponent with raucous applause and constant taunts: once per turn, you may make a demoralize check as a free action against your foe, using your Perform ranks in place of Intimidate, and your Strength modifier in place of your Charisma. This demoralization is not only intimidating, but distracting: once made at least shaken in this way, you gain a Circumstance bonus to AC against their attacks equal to (1/2 your Perform ranks, -2) until the crowd disperses. This bonus always applies, even against touch attacks and when caught flat-footed.

Crowd demoralization takes no penalty for reduced size, unless the whole crowd is smaller than the target. It is also a sonic effect, and does nothing to the deaf.


Fighter Bonus Feats
At 1st and 3rd Flind levels, you gain a bonus feat as per the fighter class feature. Flind levels count as fighter levels for prerequisites, and stack with other sources of effective fighter levels such as warblade or actual fighter levels.


Flind Bar (Ex)
The most memorable fact about Flinds is easily their weapons of choice, the Flind Bar. A storied weapon whose origins are shrouded in myth and legend, they're basically metal-studded nunchucks. Most flinds carry them, as their uncanny propensity to lock in place at a moment's notice allows them to disarm foes with ease, even in pitched combat.

You are proficient with nunchaku; when you wield a set, it instead deals 2d4 bludgeoning damage, (medium size) with a 18-20/x2 critical matrix. It retains the +2 to opposed checks to disarm foes of a weapon, and indeed, for such purposes it is considered a two-handed weapon. When you score a critical threat against a creature, you may make a disarm attempt against them as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity, before the attack occurs. Should you lose the opposed roll, your disarm attempt may not be reversed upon you.

Should you foe not possess a weapon, the Flind Bar is still quite effective: a disarm attempt opposed by your foe's grapple check may be made to skip both Grab and Hold steps of grappling, lock onto their limbs and automatically initiate a grapple. You take no penalty on attacks made during a grapple with nunchaku, and damage dealt as such is doubled. You get +4 on opposed rolls to prevent foes from escaping a grapple with you.


Man Hunter (Ex)
Gnolls are a bloodthirsty people. To be a hero in their lands is to lead their charges, to organize their raids, and to know the look of horror on a man's face as you tear out his entrails so well you find it relatively boring to watch. And a true Flind is a hero among heroes.

You gain the scent special quality, as well as Track and Scent of Fear as a bonus feats. Also, you add your Strength modifier to your Charisma score to determine your leadership score, if you have one.

Once per day, while you laze about, thoughtlessly ignoring everything except your weapons and your trophies, you may receive a bolt of insidious, predatory inspiration. This is as commune, with a caster level equal to 1/2 your BAB. All questions are asked subconsciously by the player (you) to discern more effective means of pursuing personal a goal directly related to loot or killing. In other words: it cannot give you an answer that pertains to peaceful, diplomatic, protective, purely informational, or most other "nice" or "productive" activities. This ability requires an hour of lounging about to use, and the target is always one of Erythnul the Many's secretariats; though no wiser than their master, mutilation and destruction are their exalted duties, and they always part honestly and freely with means to enact them. This ability is (Su), though the rest of Man Hunter is not.

Also, you have adopted such a wide number of traditional gnollish habits and traits (most of which fall under the umbrella of "being a giggly jackass") that you appeal to gnolls on a fundamental level, a sort of "quintessential gnoll" persona they find hard to dislike. You gain a +4 insight bonus to Diplomacy checks made to influence the attitudes of gnolls. If you are not a gnoll, you also receive the same bonus to Disguise checks to pretend to be one, and to Bluff checks to defend that persona.



Blood-Saint of the Savanna (Ex)
At third level, if you were not already a gnoll, you could easily be mistaken for one. Your bonus to Disguise checks to appear as a gnoll improves to +10. Indeed, you must take measures if you wish to appear otherwise, as your ordinary appearance now functions as a gnoll disguise, using your passive Disguise as if taking 10 on the roll.

Your stature is larger, stronger, and faster than normal, increasing all your speeds by 10 ft. and giving you the Powerful Build trait, which allows you to count as one size larger whenever it would be beneficial on: opposed checks that consider such things (like grappling and disarming); special abilities that care about size (like a tendriculos's Swallow Whole ability); and penalties for using oversized weapons.

You gain +2 Strength and Constitution, as permanent racial ability score bonuses. You also receive Endurance and Run as bonus feats, and can move three times your land speed as part of a charge attack.

Once per encounter (or five minutes, alternatively) you may perform a frenzied assault as a full-round action. This takes the form either of a charge attack or a full-attack, but either way the first attack that is a hit automatically threatens a critical hit. Should this critical hit be confirmed, the crowd goes wild, launching into such a histrionic fit that any creature within earshot is deafened by the noise for 2d6+1 rounds, unless they already can't hear anything. The attack's target is automatically afflicted as if successfully demoralized by the crowd, ignoring deafness, and must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 +your Perform ranks) or be exhausted for 1 round by sheer sensory overload.



Class Variant: Sublime Flind
Prerequisites: Must be able to prepare, initiate, and recover maneuvers of the Tiger Claw and Setting Sun disciplines. At least one of these must be of 2nd level.
Non-Prerequisites: You do not need to have +3 BAB, or the Dodge or Improved Grapple feats.

Features
Additions: You choose one initiating class that you already have levels in upon taking your first Flind level. Flind levels grant perfect initiator level progression for that class. At 1st and 3rd levels, you gain one maneuver known from those that members of the chosen class can learn.
Changes: Circling Hyenas is now a stance that you gain knowledge of at first level. It grants you the benefit of the dodge feat while active, which is then modified and expanded upon from there.
Removed: Flinds no longer advance effective fighter level, or grant fighter bonus feats at first or third level.


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A little thing, based on a thought I had about Flind Gnolls basically being a prestige class. Nothing revolutionary, but it wouldn't be strain to try out. PEACH.