Wax On, Wax Off [PrC]

[The Demented One]

Enlightened Budoka

To the Enlightened Budoka, combat is not about violence, or skill, or even art. It is nothing more than the flow of energy–physical, mental, and spiritual–through the battlefield and the warriors. Thus, mastering the martial arts does not require training or practice, but rather meditation, learning to perceive the flow of energy just as well as one could see a bird’s flight or hear an arrow let loose. By honing their awareness and bodies, Enlightened Budokas can perform impressive feats of martial prowess–blocking and deflecting their enemies’ blows, seeming to be in multiple places at one, even striking many foes with a single blow. All are possible for a focused mind and an enlightened soul.

Hit Dice
d8

Requirements
To qualify to become an Enlightened Budoka, you must fulfill all the following criteria.
BAB: +5
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
Skills: Martial Lore 10 ranks, Sense Motive 10 ranks
Martial Maneuvers: Must know at least one 4th-level maneuver of the Setting Sun discipline.

Class Skills
The Enlightened Budoka’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points per Level
6 + Int modifier.

NAME OF CLASS
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Maneuvers[br]Known|Maneuvers[br]Readied|Stances[br]Known

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Superior Unarmed Strike|

1

|

0

|

0

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+3

|Wave Against the Shore|

2

|

0

|

0

3rd|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|Sowing Thorns|

2

|

1

|

0

4th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|Zephyr Step|

3

|

1

|

0

5th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|Reflection in the Pond|

4

|

2

|

1

6th|

+4

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|Race Against the Gale|

4

|

2

|

1

7th|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|Autumn Stirs the Leaves|

5

|

3

|

1

8th|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|

+6

|Stance of the Dragon’s Breath|

6

|

3

|

1

9th|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|

+6

|Fist of Divine Winds|

6

|

4

|

1

10th|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|

+7

|Lotus Petal Flurry|

7

|

4

|

2

[/table]

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Enlightened Budoka prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Enlightened Budoka gain proficiency with the kama, nuchaku, sai, shuriken, and siangham.

Maneuvers
At each level except 3rd, 6th, and 9th, you gain one new maneuver known from the Golden Saint, Setting Sun, or Stone Dragon disciplines. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to learn it. You add your full Enlightened Budoka level to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and the highest level of maneuver you can learn. If you have levels in an initiator class that allows you to exchange out maneuvers at certain levels, your Enlightened Budoka levels stack with your levels in that class for determining when you may exchange maneuvers. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, you gain an additional maneuver readied each day.

Stances
At 5th level, and again at 10th level, you gain a new martial stance known from the Golden Saint, Setting Sun, or Stone Dragon disciplines. You must meet a stance’s prerequisites to learn it.

Superior Unarmed Strike (Ex)
At 1st level, you gain Superior Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat.

Wave Against the Shore (Ex)
At 2nd level, you can channel force through your blows and into your enemies, pushing them back with even the lightest of touches. Whenever you make an unarmed strike against an enemy, before you make the attack roll, you may spend a daily use of your Stunning Fist feat to use this ability as a swift action. If the attack is successful, that opponent is pushed back 5 ft.

Sowing Thorns (Ex)
At 3rd level, you can throw your foes off balance with a martial technique known as sowing thorns, throwing them off balance and leaving them open to counterattacks. Whenever you make an unarmed strike against an enemy, before you make the attack roll, you may spend a daily use of your Stunning Fist feat to use this ability as a swift action. If the attack is successful, then until the beginning of your next turn, whenever that enemy makes a melee attack against you, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you. You make the attack of opportunity after their attack has been resolved.

Zephyr Step (Ex)
At 4th level, you can take an extra 5-foot step in any round when you don’t make any movement beyond your first 5-ft. step. Like the first, the second 5-foot step does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You can take the extra 5-foot step immediately after taking the first, or wait until the end of your other actions for the round.

Reflection in the Pond (Ex)
At 5th level, you can use precise, controlled flow of energy to move through the battlefield like a phantom, seeming to be everywhere at once. Once per encounter, you may use this ability as a move action. You move up to half your base land speed, rounded down. Until the beginning of your next turn, you are treated as occupying each of the squares you moved through for determining whether you or any of your allies gain flanking against enemies.

Race Against the Gale (Ex)
At 6th level, you can act with such speed and clarity even the mightiest storm winds would have to struggle to match you. Once per encounter, you may use this ability at the beginning of a turn as an immediate action, before any other character has acted. You take your round at the beginning of the initiative order for that one turn.

Autumn Stirs the Leaves (Ex)
At 7th level, you can gather and rechannel the energy that moves through your allies, allowing them to move with almost the same degree of precision and alacrity as you. Once per encounter, you may use this ability as a move action. Every ally within 30 ft. of you may move up to their base land speed immediately. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity and does not count towards filling the minimum movement requirements of abilities or feats that require a certain distance to be moved to use them, like the skirmish ability.

Stance of the Dragon’s Breath (Ex)
At 8th level, you become keenly aware of the flow of energy, both physical and spiritual, around you. This heightened awareness allows you to assume the Stance of the Dragon’s Breath, allowing you to use your foe’s own strength against them. While you are in a martial stance, you may, as a swift action, forgo its normal benefit to gain the effects of the Stance of the Dragon’s Breath. You can also end the Stance of the Dragon’s Breath and resume the normal benefit of the stance you were in as a swift action.

While in the Stance of the Dragon’s Breath, you designate a single opponent to each round, focusing on their movements to defend against them. You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against all attacks that opponent makes until the beginning of your next turn. In addition, if that opponent misses you with a melee attack, you may choose to redirect that attack at another creature within the reach of the attack. Use the original attack roll to determine if the redirected attack hits its new target. You can only redirect a single attack each round.

Fist of Divine Winds (Su)
At 9th level, you can control the flow of energy to call up the winds, blowing back your enemies at your will. Once per encounter, as a standard action, you may make a single attack with an unarmed strike against an enemy. You gain a +5 bonus on the attack roll, and deal an additional 1d8 damage for every two character levels you have. For every 5 points of damage dealt by the attack, that opponent is pushed back 5 ft. You control the direction the opponent is pushed, and it need not be in a straight line, though you cannot push the enemy straight up (For example, if your attack deals 30 damage, you could choose to move the enemy 10 ft. to the left, 15 ft. forward, and then 5 ft. to the right). If the enemy is pushed into a solid object that prevents any further movement, then he takes 1d6 damage for each 5 ft. of movement he had left. A successful Fortitude save, DC 10 + ½ your character level + your Strength modifier halves the number of 5 ft. increments you can push the target back by, rounded down.

Lotus Petal Flurry (Ex)
At 10th level, you have achieved masterful control of the flow of your own physical and spiritual energies, allowing you to hone your martial techniques to their greatest potential. Once per encounter, when you initiate a maneuver that allows you to make single attack, you may choose to make it a Lotus Petal Flurry. You gain a +5 insight bonus on the attack roll. If the attack is successful, you may then take a 5 ft. step and make another attack against a different opponent, applying all the effects of the maneuver to the attack and at no bonus. If that attack is successful, you may then take another 5 ft. step and make another attack roll, with all the effects of the maneuver and with a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the final attack is successful, you may take another 5 ft. step. You cannot use this ability with maneuvers of the highest level you are capable of initiating.

[Stycotl]

cool. i love monks and the tob, so this is good in my book. i don't think it would be too powerful for the stirring the leaves maneuver to trigger move-related effects such as skirmish, however, especially as a 1/encounter 7th-level ability.

[dyslexicfaser]

Just noticed this PrC, so sorry for the minor bit of thread necromancy.

Great class, interesting abilities, but I had a question:

Does the Enlightened Budoka improve any monk abilities? Because otherwise you'll only be able to use Wave Against the Shore or Sowing the Thorns once per four levels per day, and that seems frankly weak.

[Zeta Kai]

D.O., I love your work, but your table has a couple of typos. The 5th & 6th level maneuvers need fixing.

[Triaxx]

Autumn Stirs the Gale could be terrifying in a PvP situation. Imagine a caster assuming he's sixty feet away from a rogue even with a level of barbarian for fast movement you're still out of range of most of his best attacking. When he's suddenly in place to not only hit you, but have a friend flanking him for his sneak attack bonus. Even against NPC enemies it's very nasty. It certainly gives ranged attackers a very real threat.

[The Demented One]

D.O., I love your work, but your table has a couple of typos. The 5th & 6th level maneuvers need fixing.

Fixed that, thanks.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Overall, it looks pretty good.

Yet the best point, in my opinion, is Reflections in the Pond. That ability is awesome, new, and tactically interesting. Well done!

Speaking of which, it would make a great ability for the E6 variant I've been working on for some time. Would you mind if I used a similiar mechanic/name (with due credit given, or course)?

[The Demented One]

Speaking of which, it would make a great ability for the E6 variant I've been working on for some time. Would you mind if I used a similiar mechanic/name (with due credit given, or course)?

Sure, go ahead.

[Syne]

Quite cool. Interesting and original abilities.
I may use of this. As long as I have your permission, of course.