[3.P] Kicking master

[ImperatorK]

I had an idea for a concept - unarmed master who wears a straitjacket and fights only with his legs. The "fights only with his legs" part isn't that big of a problem, it's as easy as saying "I'm using my legs instead of my fists" when making unarmed attacks. What might be a problem is that there's a little twist in this concept - when the straitjacket is removed, preferably by the character simply bursting the jacket with incredible strength, the character becomes significantly more dangerous. I could just leave it to roleplaying. For example not use all of the characters abilities and start using his full power when his arms are free, but... I'd like to first hear if anyone has any good ideas how else could I do this.
Other than that, I wouldn't mind getting some suggestions for the build. The character will be 20th level, gestalt. He can't have any magical items, only mundane weapons and armor are allowed. And he's supposed to be fairly mundane, that means no spells or psionics.
As always, my houserules are used.

[Solo]

I believe that Fistbeard Beardfist has the answer you require; bursting the straightjacket can be represented by going into Feral Trance or using the Kensai's Power Surge.

[Halinn]

I've nothing particular to add, except for the idea that you should be a poison healer and stuff the straitjacket with snakes.

[ImperatorK]

Only mundane weapons and armor are allowed.

[Solo]

Snakes are neither arms nor armor.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

then Trouserfang Dwarf + Monk 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Dip a single level in Synthesist Summoner.  Despite all logic, common sense, and sheer sex appeal, DO NOT get the pounce evolution (you want this form to be worse, right?).  The eidolon bio suit forms on you as the straight jacket.  There may even be RAW support for this, as IIRC last i heard, a synth. needs arms evolutions to use his own natural arms, lest they be stuck inside the suit.  Or something.  The rules for Synthesist are kind of poorly thought out and explained.

In any case, being in the eidolon will hard code your str/dex to 14/16 or 16/14 (depending on form), which *hopefully* will be worse than your normal scores by mid levels if not early levels.  Thus, by bursting out of the straight jacket" you gain higher ability scores and the use of your arms.

[ImperatorK]

Um, no. I don't want to be worse in the straitjacket. I want to be better without it. Nerfing myself, even if it's just one level, isn't the way.

[InnaBinder]

I don't want to be worse in the straitjacket. I want to be better without it.

If you are better without the straitjacket, you are per force worse in it, even if you are still kicking ass with it on.  It's the nature of the descriptive terms.

[ImperatorK]

Read the whole post, you're missing important context.

[Halinn]

The simplest way is probably to get a Rage or Rage-like ability. Otherwise I don't think you can get something that significantly boosts you just because you can suddenly use your arms (under your constraints with the use of magic, that is. Grafts would've been an interesting option otherwise).

[ImperatorK]

I guess the easiest would be to just RP it out.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Um, no. I don't want to be worse in the straitjacket. I want to be better without it. Nerfing myself, even if it's just one level, isn't the way.

I was assuming you'd be extremely highly optimized, as "dude who fights real good" isn't a "powerful" character in D&D and PF.  So with the bio suit, you'd be highly optimized but chained to mediocre physical stats, out of the suit, your full power is unleashed.


But fine, if you want to think of the straight jacket form as normal and it off as a short term powerup only, rather than straight jacket as a gimped version of "true you" and jacket off as true you (which makes far more sense, IMO....), then...

Take some in Alchemist (Vivisectionist, and either Beastmorph or Internal archetypes, depending on what you prefer).  Refluff the mutagen so that "drinking it" becomes "tearing off the jacket" and the hour spent brewing a new one is spending that time dedicated to wriggling inside of it and struggling, loosening it for when you do drink the mutagen break out.

Gives a flat +4 Str and +2 Nat Armor (albeit, it does nerf Int by 2 while it's active) and lasts 10 min. per Alchemist level, long enough for a proper rampage, but still far from an all day boon.

[merkwerdigeliebe]

Does it need to be more complicated than Unarmed Swordsage//Barbarian? Rage seems like the perfect answer to this (whirling frenzy variant), if you wanted something else on the barbarian side, bloodclaw master could be functional (I'm sure there are other rage/rage-like sources as well). Totemrager might be good here too, but that could be too magical.

[ImperatorK]

I was thinking to make it Swordsage 13 / Ninja Spy 7 on one side. Swordsage is simply good. Ninja Spy because it gives some cool abilities, and more importantly a big bonus to jumping checks which will come in handy because the character will have a jumping combat style.
Swordsage should give him more than enough maneuvers to be effective. I guess Barbarian on the other side would be appropriate.