Internal Master

[afrodave]

So I wanted to build a more specific martial artist. Going for a master of internal martial arts; whether Aikido, Snake Style, Tien-Hsueh Touch Mastery, or any other of the less direct martial art styles. Those who follow the inner path are dedicated and focused individuals, hence the high pre-requisite cost.

Pre-req: Wis 15 & Chr 15, Life of Spirit, Spirit Basics and Vital Points Basics. Combat Expertise. Martial arts either Wis or Chr.

Level   BAB   Fort   Reflex   Will   Def   Init   Abilities
1   +0   1   1   2   1   1   Equilibrium Basics, Mind and spirit as one. Spirit Moves 
2   +1   2   2   3   2   2   Balanced defense, Submission Moves
3   +1   2   2   3   2   2   Equilibrium Mastery,  Vital Points Moves
4   +2   2   2   4   3   3   Wuxia I, Combat Instincts
5   +2   3   3   4   4   3   Master’s touch I, Expert Disarm
6   +3   3   3   5   5   4   Wis and Chr +1 each.
7   +3   4   4   5   5   5   Master expertise, Equilibrium Mastery
8   +4   4   4   6   6   5   Spirit Supremacy, Wuxia II
9   +4   4   4   6   7   6   Vital Points Supremacy, “Must run very fast”
10   +5   5   5   7   8   7   Master’s touch II,

Mind and spirit as one: Base attack bonus equals career level for melee and unarmed attacks when fighting defensively.

Balanced defense – for Equilibrium Basics, Mastery, and Supremacy feats the character counts  their basic combat feats to their covert feats.

“Must run very fast” – by spending one action die the character may gain the effects of the wire fu campaign quality for 1 round. If this campaign quality is already being used, then the character may roll an action die and multiple the result by 10 and add it to the character’s movement for one round.

Master expertise – when on Full Defense and using Combat Expertise your Defense increases by 2 for every 1 you lower your BAB or skill check.

This is for anyone that would rather play Chiun than Remo Williams.

[Mister Andersen]

Okay, interesting idea, but your class is horribly broken.

...
This is an expert class.

Requirements
Medicine: 4 ranks.
Proficiencies: Unarmed (Forte).
Feats: Equilibrium Basics. Martial Arts (Wisdom). Wrestling Basics.

Class Benefits
Vitality: 1d10 + Con mod.
Skills: Acrobatics, Analysis, Athletics, Blend, Cultures, Impress, Investigation, Medicine, Notice, Resolve, Search, Sense Motive.
Skill Points: 6 + Int mod.

Core Ability
The Secret Path: You are considered to have 1 more Covert feat than usual for abilities and feats that are based on the number of Covert feats you possess.

Class Abilities
Gentle Touch: At 1st level, you gain the Bludgeon feat. Additionally, you may substitute the number of Unarmed Combat feats you have to qualify for feats that are based on the number of sneak attack dice you can inflict.
Force of Will: At 2nd level, once per session  you may add a bonus to your Constitution, Wisdom, or Charisma equal to your starting action dice for up to 10 rounds. You may choose to end this benefit on your initiative count as a free action. At the end of this period you becomes exhausted for twice the number of rounds the ability was active.
   At 7th level, you may use this ability an additional time per sesion.
Do Not Fight: At 3nd level, you gain the Equilibrium Mastery feat.
   At 5th level, you gain the Submission Moves feat.
   At 7th level, you gain the Equilibrium Supremacy feat.
   At 9th level, you gain the Spirit Supremacy feat.
Watch As I Walk: At 4th level, when Fighting Defensively against an  opponent whom you also flank, the team mates or allies assisting you also gain your increased bonus to Defence until your initiative count the following round.
   At 8th level, when Fighting Defensively against a flanked opponent, the team mates or allies creating this condition also gain your increased bonus to Defence until your initiative count the following round.
Wuxia: At 4th level, you gain the Wuxia I class ability.
   At 8th level, you gain the Wuxia II class ability.
Attribute Boost: At 6th level, your Wisdom and Charisma scores both increase by 1.
Branch of Destiny: At 10th level, a number of times per session equal to your starting action dice, you may spend and roll an action die to gain one of either the Block Buster, "That's Impossible" or Master's Touch II class abilities for a number of rounds equal to the result of the roll. Once active, this ability ends at your next applicable initiative count.

BAB: Medium
Fort: Medium
Ref: High
Will: High
Def: High
Init: Low
Wealth: Low
Gear: Low (R, S)

[afrodave]

Thanks.  The greatest statues have to start off as broken rocks...

[Mister Andersen]

Tweaked it a little - traded Sneak for Resolve, added 4 ranks in medicine and Wrestling basics to the Requirements (inserting Equilibrium Mastery into the granted feat progression), and toned down the occurance of the game breaker. Possibly a little steeper than required, but justifiable for ultimately getting an unarmed supremacy feat without having to buy the foundation feats.

[afrodave]

Thanks for the assist. I liked Sneak in the skil list and liked a lot of your build. Using the other Expert classes as a guide. I think I'll go for something like this:

Pre-req: Equilibrium Basics. Martial arts Wis, Wrestling Basics

Level   BAB   Fort   Reflex   Will   Def   Init   Abilities
1   +0   1   2   2   2   1   Gentle Touch, Secret Path
2   +1   2   3   3   3   2   Force of Will (1/session), Vital Points Basics
3   +2   2   3   3   3   2   Equilibrium Mastery
4   +3   2   4   4   4   3   Wuxia I, Vital Points Moves
5   +3   3   4   4   5   3   Submission Moves,
6   +4   3   5   5   6   4   Wis and Chr +1 each.
7   +5   4   5   5   6   5   Equilibrium Supremacy, Force of Will (2/session)
8   +6   4   6   6   7   5   Wuxia II, Improved reach (+5 ft)
9   +6   4   6   6   8   6   Select one: Spirit Supremacy or Vital points Supremacy
10   +7   5   7   7   9   7   Branch of Destiny

Class Benefits
Vitality: 1d10 + Con mod.
Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Blend, Cultures, Impress, Investigation, Medicine, Notice, Resolve, Search, Sense Motive, Sneak.
Skill Points: 6 + Int mod.

Core Ability
The Secret Path: You are considered to have 1 more Covert feat than usual for abilities and feats that are based on the number of Covert feats you possess.

Gentle Touch: At 1st level, you gain the Bludgeon feat. Additionally, you may substitute the number of Unarmed Combat feats you have to qualify for feats that are based on the number of sneak attack dice you can inflict.

Force of Will: At 2nd level, once per session  you may add a bonus to your Constitution, Wisdom, or Charisma equal to your starting action dice for up to 10 rounds. You may choose to end this benefit on your initiative count as a free action. At the end of this period you becomes exhausted for twice the number of rounds the ability was active.
   At 7th level, you may use this ability an additional time per session.

Branch of Destiny: At 10th level, you may spend and roll an action die to gain one of either the Wire Fu campaign quality or Master's Touch II class abilities for a number of rounds equal to the result of the roll, ending at your next applicable initiative count.


I changed your Branch of Destiny. I don't see much for them to have Blockbuster or "That's Impossible" but I threw in Wire Fu as an option. Also
SInce most of the expert classes have a double class ability in at least a few levels. I still wanted to build in the Vital Points stuff.  After thinking about it I like the core ability. (Let's them go after a death touch feel if they go for certain feats, like Executioner then Merciless)

[artent]

hmmm..there are detailed rules on how to build expert classes does anyone have the link to a post about the various class builds with there ABC ect. abilities?

[Mister Andersen]

It's on the Control board I think.

Anyhow, the point of Blockbuster is that it makes it harder to grapple you, which strikes me as a perfect thing for an internal master type to have to represent their mastery of their body and its place in the larger world.

My overwhelming problem with Vital Points Supremacy - and the reason I didn't include it in the build - is that it's about effects on others rather than mastery of one's self.

Wire Fu seems a little meh when you consider the wider thematic usefulness of That's Impossible, and more importantly means that this class is weakened in a game with that campaign quality in effect.

[afrodave]

Now are you talking about the "That's Impossible" class ability that allows for drive and ride moves?   When the class doesn't have Drive or Survival.  And since the Internal Masters that I've seen in movies and documentaries on the subject are all about using Chi (Ki or Qi), then Vital points is exactly what they should have. In my opinion...

[Toccata]

Now are you talking about the "That's Impossible" class ability that allows for drive and ride moves?   When the class doesn't have Drive or Survival.  And since the Internal Masters that I've seen in movies and documentaries on the subject are all about using Chi (Ki or Qi), then Vital points is exactly what they should have. In my opinion...

I personally would either use the Stuntman's equivalent of "That's Impossible" or write a new equivalent, just for clarity's sake.

[Mister Andersen]

Now are you talking about the "That's Impossible" class ability that allows for drive and ride moves?   When the class doesn't have Drive or Survival.  And since the Internal Masters that I've seen in movies and documentaries on the subject are all about using Chi (Ki or Qi), then Vital points is exactly what they should have. In my opinion...

As Toccata says, there are other takes on That's Impossible; Insane Stunt is probably more useful a one. The important thing about the ability is that it lets you do crazy things outside of chases that bend the normal relationship between people and physics - you may or may not recall the post where I "Spycrafted" the Family Guy film clip that had Peter vs the Mysterious Chicken and used That's Impossible to explain how Peter managed to get from thew Bridge behind the chicken to the one in front of him.

And VPS isn't about using your own chi, it's about affecting that of others, which strikes me as being the antithesis of the Internal Master.

[afrodave]

And VPS isn't about using your own chi, it's about affecting that of others, which strikes me as being the antithesis of the Internal Master.

Now I understand, we don't have the same ideology on the internal master.  And I'm ok with that. Thanks for your input and helping me to get to the expert class I'm looking for.