Solo's Compiled Works

[Solo]

Guides:

Solo's Stupendously Superior Sorcerer Stratagems

Being Bane: A Guide to Cracking Small Men

The Tao of Truenaming

Natural Weapons and You: A Mini-Guide

Homebrew:

The Hao Han

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Ever want to play a martial artist, but found the monk lacking in power and badassitude? Ever look at ToB and say to yourself "Damn, that'll never fly at my table!" and cry in despair?

Well cry no more, for here comes a class based off of the manly and heroic heroes from such epics as The Water Margin and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which delivers jianghu style kickass that enables you to promote honor and righteousness by beating people up across the land, be they local bullies, oppressive landlords, or corrupt government officials. You will kick ass, take names, and fall asleep in a drunken, Shaoxing wine induced stupor day after day with this base class.

Hao Han

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"Anyone who does that you your sister might as well have done it to my own. You and me are gonna break into the magistrate's office tomorrow and make it so that he's not going to be able to lay another hand on a woman when we're done with him. May Heaven help anyone who gets into our way, for no one in this world will."
- Lan Hua, the Terror of the Red Cliffs


Many people are repulsed by the great corruption and injustices that plague the world, but few have the bravery to confront them. However, there are men of honor and valor who will not hesitate to right wrongs that they encounter.

Though often uncouth and brash, a hao han - or "goodfellow" - is a man of integrity who knows the value of courage, loyalty, and goodness even in times where good men are persecuted for acting righteously. Thus, he often exists on the margins of polite society, on the run for crimes that he has committed in pursuit of justice. This often puts him at odds with lawful members of society such as paladins, though not all hao han are that way; indeed, many are former officers of the law who have been driven out by jealous and corrupt colleges and forced to live outside of the law.

The devotion to the idea of justice is the one thing that all hao han have in common, even if they often differ in their interpretation of what exactly justice is. Though they tend to be good aligned, evil hao han have been known to exist. These are often bloodthirsty men who carry out excessive acts of violence for their cause.

Due to the fact that hao han are men of action first and foremost, they tend to take vigilante actions and incite rebellions against illegitimate authority, which often make them folk heroes to poor and oppressed peasants. It is not uncommon for hao han to gather in bands of outlaws or secret societies and swear eternal brotherhood to one another to carry out their goals.

Alignment

Any

Hit Die

d12.

Class Skills

The hao han’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance, Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at 1st Level

(4 + Int modifier) ×4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level

4 + Int modifier

Level BAB

Fort Ref Will

Special

1st +1

+2 +0 +0

Fast movement, illiteracy, fury 1/day

2nd +2

+3 +0 +0

Uncanny dodge

3rd +3

+3 +1 +1

Trap sense +1

4th +4

+4 +1 +1

Fury 2/day

5th +5

+4 +1 +1

Improved uncanny dodge

6th +6/+1

+5 +2 +2

Trap sense +2

7th +7/+2

+5 +2 +2

Damage reduction 1/—

8th +8/+3

+6 +2 +2

Fury 3/day

9th +9/+4

+6 +3 +3

Trap sense +3

10th +10/+5

+7 +3 +3

Damage reduction 2/—

11th +11/+6/+1

+7 +3 +3

Greater fury

12th +12/+7/+2

+8 +4 +4

Fury 4/day, Trap sense +4

13th +13/+8/+3

+8 +4 +4

Damage reduction 3/—

14th +14/+9/+4

+9 +4 +4

Iron mind

15th +15/+10/+5

+9 +5 +5

Trap sense +5

16th +16/+11/+6/+1

+10 +5 +5

Damage reduction 4/—, Righteous fury 5/day

17th +17/+12/+7/+2

+10 +5 +5

Relentless fury

18th +18/+13/+8/+3

+11 +6 +6

Trap sense +6

19th +19/+14/+9/+4

+11 +6 +6

Damage reduction 5/—

20th +20/+15/+10/+5

+12 +6 +6

Mighty fury, fury 6/day

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the hao han.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A hao han is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Fast Movement (Ex)
A hao han frequently finds himself on the wrong end of the law and forced to flee for his life ahead of the local authority. As a result, his land speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the hao han’s speed because of any load carried or armor worn.

Fury (Ex)
A hao han can channel the anger he feels at injustice and oppression into his martial arts a certain number of times per day. In this state of righteous anger, he temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases his hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the fury when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While using this ability, he is so focused on punishing an opponent that he cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise and metamagic feats. This state of fury lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier and can be ended prematurely if necessary. Upon expiration, the character loses all modifiers and restrictions, becoming fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength, -2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter.

This ability can be used only once per encounter. At 1st level it can be used once per day. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, it can be used it one additional time per day (to a maximum of six times per day at 20th level). Activating this ability takes no time itself, but it can only be done during the character's action, not in response to someone else’s action.

Illiteracy: Hao han often do not have the time to learn the art of reading and writing, though they may spend 2 skill points to gain the ability to read and write all languages that they are able to speak.
A hao han who gains a level in any other class automatically gains literacy. Any other character who gains a hao han level does not lose the literacy he or she already had.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
At 2nd level, a hao han's steady nerves allow him to retain his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a hao han already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.

Trap Sense (Ex)
Starting at 3rd level, a hao han's battle-honed reflexes grants him a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise by +1 every three hao han levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level). Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
At 5th level and higher, a hao han becomes so accustomed to the chaos of battle that he can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the hao han by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has hao han levels. If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character.

Damage Reduction (Ex)
At 7th level, a hao han has spent so much time bursting through walls, tumbling through windows, and charging through doors that he has grown resilient to physical attacks and gains Damage Reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage he takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 10th level, and every three hao han levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th level), this damage reduction rises by 1 point. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0.

Greater Fury (Ex)
At 11th level, a hao han’s devotion to justice is so great that his bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his fury each increase to +6, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +3. The penalty to AC remains at -2 so as to give the enemy a faint glimmer of hope at victory, which will only be brutally crushed by the hao han's mighty fists.

Steel Mind (Ex)
While in a righteous fury, a hao han of 14th level or higher gains a +4 bonus on Will saves to resist enchantment spells due to being just that angry over injustice. This bonus stacks with all other modifiers, as it damn well should.

Relentless Fury (Ex)
At 17th level and higher, a hao han's tireless devotion to justice prevents him from becoming fatigued at the end of his righteous fury. This often strikes fear into the hearts of bad men everywhere, as there is absolutely nothing preventing a swift beating from being delivered to their respective faces.

Mighty Fury (Ex)
At 20th level, a hao han’s belief in righteousness is such that bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his righteous fury each increase to +8, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +4. The penalty to AC remains at -2. In addition, anyone who is an enemy of honor, valor, and justice through the land immediately soils their clothing when this ability is activated.

Alternate Class Features

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Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Replaces: The Ride skill.
Level 1 benefit: A nimble hao han may decide to forego mounted combat training in favor of learning acrobatic maneuvers. He loses the Ride skill, but gains the Tumble skill in its place.

Fist of Legend
Replaces: Medium armor proficiency, shield proficiency, and martial weapon proficiency.
Level 1 benefit: A hao han who had forgone advanced armor and weapon training in favor of beating people senseless with his bare hands gains the Improved Unarmed Strike feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites and the Two-Weapon Fighting when fighting unarmed.
Level 6 benefit: He gains the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting when fighting unarmed.
Level 11 benefit: He gains the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting when fighting unarmed, and a reduction in penalty for improvised weapons from -2 to -4.

Fists of Fury
Replaces: Fast movement.
Level 1 benefit: When a hao han decides that he has had enough of running and would rather face down his opponents in a manly fashion, he may learn to use the Fists of Fury technique, which trades speed for the ability to make a full attack at the end of a charge.

Black Whirlwind
Replaces: Fury, all later improvements to that class feature, and indomitable will.
Level 1 benefit: A hao han who prefers to beat up his enemies with a flurry of blows may choose an alternate martial technique known as the black whirlwind, which enables him to strike faster and temporarily gain a +4 bonus to Strength and a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class and on Reflex saves. While using the black whirlwind technique, the hao han may make one extra attack in a round at his highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity that might make before his next action.

Black whirlwind is otherwise identical to the standard fury in all other ways. At 11th level (when a standard hao han gains righteous wrath), the Strength bonus increases to +6, and the dodge bonus to Armor Class and on Reflex saves increases to +3. At 20th level (when a standard hao han gains mighty wrath), the Strength bonus increases to +8, and the dodge bonus to Armor Class and on Reflex saves increases to +4.

A hao han using this variant doesn’t gain steel mind at 14th level. Instead, he gains evasion, but only while using the Black Whirlwind technique.

This ability cannot be used with fury, rage, whirling frenzy, or any similar ability.

Kung Fu Hustle
Replaces: Fury, all later improvements to that class feature, and indomitable will.
Level 1 benefit: Once per day, the hao han can enter a state of adrenaline-fueled anger, increasing both his physical might and his reaction time. He temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength and a +4 bonus to Dexterity, but he takes a -2 penalty on ranged attack rolls beyond short range (30 feet).

He can enter this state as an immediate action, even when flat-footed at the start of combat, so he may apply the enhanced Dexterity modifier to his initiative check.

While using hustle, the hao han cannot use any Charisma- or Intelligence-based skills (except for Intimidate), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except item creation feats and metamagic feats. The hustle lasts for a number of rounds equal to 4 + his Constitution modifier (if positive). The hao han may prematurely end his state of ferocity. At the end of the hustle, he loses the hustle modifiers and restrictions and become sickened (-2 on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks) for the duration of the current encounter (unless he is a 17th-level hao han, at which point this limitation no longer applies). Abilities that normally render him immune to being sickened reduce the penalties to -1, but do not remove them entirely.

The hao han can invoke hustle only once per encounter. At 1st level he can use this ability once per day. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of six times per day at 20th level).

Greater Hustle: At 11th level, his bonuses to Strength and Dexterity during hustle each increase to +6. In addition, the duration of his hustle increases to 5 + your Constitution modifier (if positive).

Eight Trigram Steps: At 14th level, while in a state of hustle, he gains a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class and Reflex saves.

In addition, while in a state of hustle, the hao han can stand from prone as a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If a foe that threatens him has a base attack bonus that is 4 points or more higher than his hao han level, however, she gains an attack of opportunity as normal. (These abilities replace steel mind.)

Relentless Hustle: At 17th level, the duration of his hustle increases to 6 + his Constitution modifier (if positive), and he no longer become sickened at the end of his hustle. In addition, the dodge bonus granted by his eight trigram steps ability becomes +2.

Unstoppable Hustle: At 20th level, the hao han's bonuses to Strength and Dexterity during hustle each increase to +8.

Wolf Fang Fist
Replaces: Uncanny Dodge, Trapsense, Improved Uncanny Dodge
Level 2 benefit: A hao han who chooses to learn the Wolf Fang Fist gains the Improved Trip feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
Level 5 benefit: Like a wolf, the hao han may now track down his enemies so as to deliver unto them a harsh and bloody vengeance. He gains Track as a bonus feat.

Sticky Fingers
Replaces: Trapsense
Level 3 benefit: A cunning hao han may decide that it is better to neutralize traps with his hands rather than his body. He learns to use his Survival skill to find mundane traps and can disable them with an attack roll if the result is equal to the DC to disarm the trap.

Iron Monkey
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain Iron Shirt at 7th level, or any of the improvements to damage reduction at higher levels.
Level 7 benefit: The hao han learns the Iron Monkey technique, which allows him leap across the battlefield in a dance of death.
At 7th level, the critical threat range of any charge attack he makes, or any attack he makes against a flat-footed foe, increases by 1. (Thus, a greataxe would threaten a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.) This ability stacks with the Improved Critical feat or the keen weapon enhancement.
At 10th level, the hao han can make a single turn, up to 90 degrees, during a charge.
At 13th level, the hao han can charge through squares occupied by his allies or by noncombatants.
At 16th level, the hao han can move up to four times his speed when making a charge attack, rather than double.
At 19th level, the hao han acquires a "cleaving charge." If he drops an opponent on a charge attack, and he has at least 10 feet of movement remaining, he can immediately make a new charge attack against a second foe. If he drops that foe and still has movement remaining, he can charge a third, and so on until he either fails to drop a foe, or runs out of movement. All the other standard rules for a charge attack still apply, including the fact that he must have at least 10 feet of distance to make the charge.
Even if he somehow gains the ability to make multiple attacks on a charge (such as by using fists of fury), he must drop the foe on the first attack to use this ability. Similarly, he cannot use this ability and Cleave or Great Cleave in the same round.

Builds:

Black Jack Wellesley

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Behold, Black Jack Wellesley, the Dread Pirate King!

One level of Marshal allows him to add his Charisma bonus to allies' Dexterity rolls, including initiative, while nine levels of bard grant him a Inspire Courage of +8 when all feats, spells, and items affecting it are accounted for, as well as Inspire Greatness.

Finishing off the build are ten levels of Dread Pirate (honorable path) which improves Inspire Courage and grants some pretty nifty abilities when using Inspire Courage, such as temporary hit points equal to 10 + Charisma modifier, a dodge bonus to Armor Class equal to Charisma modifier, and the Die Hard feat. Dread Pirate also allows you to take 10 on certain skills, such as Tumble. Black Jack's tumble modifier in armor is +41, which means that he can tumble up a vertical surface. Sure, a wizard could just cast fly, but that's just not as stylish as breakdancing your way up a castle wall.

Slippers of Battle Dancing allow him to use his Charisma modifier instead of Strength/Dexterity when calculating attack and damage rolls if he has moved 10 feet or more. (They also grant +5 to tumble and, if you have more than 5 ranks in Perform, +2 to initiative.)

Imperious Command allows him to severely demoralize people with Intimidate, while Combat Panache gives several useful tactical maneuvers for a Charisma based swashbuckler.

The Bard Mimicking Song ACF replaces Countersong and grants allies a +4 bonus to move silently.When combined with Motivate Dexterity, it allows Black Jack and his crew to sneak around with with catlike tread.

Other songs which will be featured when he has to inspire his crew include:

Pirates of Penzance - The Pirate King Song

HMS Pinafore - A British Tar Is A Soaring Soul

Muppet Treasure Island - Shiver Me Timbers

Arrogant Worms - Last Pirate Of Saskatchewan

Inconceivable!

Fistbeard Beardfist

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Fistbeard Beardfist

Ranger 2 / Monk 2 / Ranger 1 / Deepwarden 2 / Fist of the Forest 3 / Kensai 10

ACFs:
Passive Way Monk: Combat Expertise and Improved Trip as bonus feats
Strongarm Ranger: Power Attack as Combat Style bonus feat
Trap Expert: Trade Track for Trapfinding and Disable Device as a class skill.

Feats:
Great Fortitude
Combat Expertise (B)
Poison Healer
Improved Trip (B)
Power Attack (b)
Steadfast Determination
Track (B)
Weapon Focus: Unarmed Strike
Quick Recovery
Snap Kick
Hammer Fist

Notable Abilities:
Stonewarden: A Deepwarden may use his Constitution modifier in place of his Dexterity if his Constitution is higher. This bonus is lost in all situations that a Dexterity bonus would be lost under.
Fist of the Forest AC bonus: While unarmored, you gain a bonus to your Armor Class equal to your Constitution bonus (if any). See the monk class feature (PH 40).
Feral Trance: For the duration of the trance, you gain a +4 bonus to Dexterity and a +2 bonus on damage rolls with your unarmed strikes. You can also make one bite attack per round at your highest attack bonus whenever you attack as a full-round action.
The damage for this attack is 1d6 + your Str modifier, regardless of your size. A feral trance lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + your Con modifier. While in a trance, you cannot perform certain actions, and afterward you are fatigued. These restrictions are the same as those for the barbarian's rage class feature (PH 25-26).

Fistbear Bearfist

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Dwarf

Ranger 2/Barbarian 2/Ranger 1/Deepwarden 2/Fist of the Forest 3/Bear Warrior 1/Warshaper 4/Bear Warrior 5

Starting stats after racial adjustment (32 point buy):
STR 16 (Increase this one with level up points)
DEX 8
CON 18
INT 16
WIS 10
CHA 6

Feats:
1: Improved Unarmed Strike
2: Two Weapon Fighting
3: Power Attack, Toughness
4: Improved Grapple
5: Endurance
6: Great Fortitude
9: Steadfast Determination
12: Snap Kick
15: Reckless Rage
18: Mad Foam Rager

ACFs:
Barbarian: Bear Totem
Ranger: Trap Expert (Replaces Track with Trapfinding, gives Disable Device as a class skill)

It's Time to Duel

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Alright, so I had the recent and unique insight that the Duelist prestige class synergies with the Monk. Behold what can be done when you put these two powerful character options together, for it shall make even the mightiest wizard quake in his boots!

The thought occurred to me when I realized that the Duelist was the only other core class than the monk which received a mental stat to AC, namely Int. Obviously, if you made a character focused on Dexterity, Wisdom, and Intelligence, you could get sky-high AC and be nigh-invulnerable in combat. Thus I propose the following build for anyone who enjoys swashbuckling combat in a high-stakes environment.

Class progression: Monk6/Fighter2/Paladin2/Duelist10
Race: Human
Feats:
Monk bonus: Stunning Fist, Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip
Fighter Bonus: Dodge, Mobility
Character: Improved Initiative, Combat Expertise, Weapon Finesse,  Improved Natural Attack, Two Weapon Fighting, Spring Attack, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Greater Two Weapon Fighting

With this setup, you will have +18 BAB, which is only 2 less than that of an 20th level Fighter, meaning you won't have any trouble when it comes to hitting. Moreover, your defense will be outstanding. Not only is your regular AC high, but your touch AC will be phenomenal.

Assuming a total score of 26, 22, 22 in Dex, Int, and Wis respectively, AC when fighting defensively can be as high as:
8 (Dex)+ 6 (Int) + 6 (Wis) + 2 (Monk AC bonus) +1 (Haste) +5 (Bracers of Armor) + 5 (Deflection) + 1 (Ioun Stone) + 5 (Defending) +5 (Combat Expertise) +3 (fighting defensively with 5 ranks in Tumble) + 10 (Duelist class bonus when fighting defensively) = 57 (Touch 52)

Assumed equipment: Monk's Belt, Boots of Speed, Bracers of Armor, Ring of Deflection, Ioun Stone, +5 Defending Kama, various Tomes.

When you compare this to high level monsters such as a Balor or Pit Fiend, with attack bonuses of +33 and +30 respectively, we can see that they are simply unable to be hit by either of them except on a natural 20. This is an incredible asset in combat because it makes you nearly invincible.

Now, a Duelist won't be able to deal much damage, but you're not playing a Duelist to kick ass in the same way a Barbarian does, you're doing it for the roleplaying potential. Besides, there are so many other roles in battle to fill; a Duelist's main strength is mobility, so it would be a good idea to capitalize on that. Spring Attack, tumble, and Mobility allow you to run around the battlefield at top speed thanks to your unarmored status, dealing damage wherever it is needed to support the main melee combatants and providing a critical flanking bonus so that the rogue can sneak attack should he wind up in an unfavorable position. In addition, you can stun enemies with your Stunning Fist attack, whose DC will be through the roof since Wisdom is an important stat for this build. This is truly a superior supporting character for the battlefield that not even a Bard can rival.

Since your reflex saves would be through the roof, you will never fail a reflex save. Since you have evasion, that means a wizard could cast Fireball at you all day without you breaking so much as a sweat. If he chooses to cast ray spells, he'll miss horribly, since not even True Strike would enable a ray to hit. Fortitude saves will be a cinch to make due to getting a great fortitude progression from the fighter, paladin and monk, as well as Cha to saves; likewise, the monk's good will saves coupled with high wisdom and the paladin's save bonus means that will saves will be trivial to pass as well. Anything else can obviously be handled by a simple Mantle of Spell Resistance combined with a Ring of Blinking, so you aren't even there half the time!

Admittedly, a Magic Missile spell can still target you if you're on the Etheral Plane, but a simple wand of Shield can solve that problem. Due to your high Int, you will have more skill points than you know what to deal with, so having cross class ranks in UMD is entirely possible. Combined with the Charisma you have for saves, you'll easily be able to make the DC20 UMD check to activate a wand.

It's worth noting that since activating a wand has a flat DC, you could use wands of other spells to augment your fighting capability. If you find that there is not enough cash in your coffers after boosting your Dex, Int, Wis, and Cha, then a few partially charged wands may make for a good investment, like buying used cars.

This is how you make a truly fearsome magekiller! Wield carefully this power you now hold in your hand, for knowledge is a double edged, two bladed sword with spikes on the handle.

Stories:

Fistbeard Beardfist and the Fountain of Unlikely Chance
- Introducing our dwarven hero, Fistbeard Beardfist, in a quest to right wrongs, kick ass, and drink lots of booze.

Devil Dogs
- Iago recruits a fey-blooded street urchin on behalf of the Fey Pact warlocks, who quickly becomes embroiled in a larger conflict. Cameo by Fistbeard towards the end.

Tales from the Black Millennium
- In which we discover that the loathsome genes of the Blackadder clan are destined to survive into the 41st millennium.

More Tales from the Black Millennium
- In which Blackadder meets Ciaphas Cain.

Great moments in trolling:

Reply to Sir Giacomo on the occasion of his appearance on Brilliant Gameologists

Address to Aelrynth on his position regarding the natural weapon atacks rules

[Solo]

[Reserved]