Poison Fist - General Prestige Class
This is a general Prestige class that may be applicable to the Forgotten Realms Campaign
Once an empire lay on the brink of disaster. The emperor died and left his teenage son in control. Scheming eunuchs controlled the child-king, and this did not pass the notice of the samurai clans. Three clans in particular were offended by the young emperor's ascendance to the throne. The Snake, Scorpion, and Spider clans conferred with one another about the young emperor and decided that one of their clans should rule, although they could not agree which one. Through diplomacy and bullying they gathered nine other samurai clans to their cause, and they sought to dethrone the emperor and take the empire for themselves. Unfortunately, the emperor proved to be more intelligent and willful than the clans anticipated. In battle after battle, the young lord's strategic genius overcame the rebellious clans' superior numbers. Soon it became clear that the twelve clans would lose the war and that the eunuchs would rule the empire through their strategically brilliant puppet emperor.
Some of the rebellious clans were wiped out during the war. Others surrendered to the emperor or were captured and executed to a man. The Snake, Scorpion, and Spider clans were determined not to succumb to such a fate. As one they fled the empire, leaving the rebellion without leadership and allowing the eunuchs to take control.
The coup was a complete failure. The other clans blamed the Snake, Scorpion, and Spider clans for abandoning them to defeat, while the emperor and his eunuchs held those clans to be the instigators of the war. Forced into exile, the three clans banded together to survive and set up a base of operations in a long-forgotten ruined fortress. From there they plotted their revenge. They remain there to this day, waiting and scheming for the chance to assume the throne and their place in the sun.
The Poison Fist ninja clan was formed from the remaining Snake, Scorpion, and Spider clans. Although formally unified, members of the Poison Fist clan still hold the highest allegiance to their own clan, and though they work toward the same goal, competition and conflict among the three clans is commonplace.
The Poison Fist clan has abandoned the concepts of honor and the code of the bushido. Vengeance against the empire and the samurai clans is their ultimate goal. Their numbers are too small for a martial victory, so the leaders of the Poison Fist clan hope to bring down the empire from within. Thus, ninja of the Poison Fist clan act as thieves, spies, and assassins for hire, rarely revealing their true loyalties.
Rogues, rangers, and monks most commonly become poison fists. Samurai, sohai, fighters, and spellcasters often multiclass as poison fists to gain prestige within the Poison Fist clan as masters of the prestige class are accorded more respect and honor than members of other classes. NPC poison fists are elite spies, thieves, and assassins for the three clans and carry out many missions on the Poison Fist clan's behalf.
Hit Die: d6
To qualify to become a Poison Fist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any non-good
- Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks.
- Feats: Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Great Fortitude, Mobility, Stunning Fist or monk's stunning attack.
- Base attack Bonus: +3.
- Special: In addition, she must choose one of the three poison fist clans: Snake, Scorpion, or Spider.
From:
Dragon #289
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