Weightless Foot - General Prestige Class
This is a general Prestige class that may be applicable to the Forgotten Realms Campaign
Rooftop battles and aerial acrobatics, stunning swordplay and cunning kung fu: this is the realm of the weightless foot. Each step can lead them into the air, each leap can become flight. In mountaintop monasteries and desert dojos the Weightless Foot meditate and study, sharpening their martial arts and mental prowess. Yet, things were different once.
In the wake of the second civil war, many samurai were left without a clan to serve. Bands of ronin formed and roamed the land, pillaging villages and robbing whomever they came across. One such band fought or absorbed many of the others, growing in strength and numbers. Formed of the toughest cutthroats and thieves, the band remained a thorn in the new emperor's side despite his best efforts to exterminate it. When he sent spies among them, they were discovered and killed. When overwhelmed by numbers, they faded into the forests or scattered into the cities only to later reform and return to their murderous and lawless ways. Soon they became a clan in their own right, a clan of ninja. They called themselves the Iron Foot, representing both the weight of their influence on the empire and their martial prowess.
Then one day some of them met Wu Shenyang. At that time Wu Shenyang was not yet an Immortal, but he was well on his way to that path and would not suffer himself to be killed by bandits. Wu Shenyang defeated them handily, as handily as he defeated the next band that was sent against him, and the next, and the still larger band that was sent after that. Finally, the four leaders of the Iron Foot and two hundred of their best fighters confronted Wu Shenyang. With each punch he offered a pearl of wisdom, with each kick he conferred advice on tactics and fighting style. When the combat was over, all the Iron Foot lay groaning around him, and the four leaders begged him to be their master. Thus, the Iron Foot clan became the Weightless Foot clan and took up Wu Shenyang's philosophy of weightlessness. Wu Shenyang taught them that strength comes from mobility and power from knowing when weight should be applied. Before he passed into the realm of the Immortals, Wu Shenyang saw the Weightless Foot become a law-abiding, accepted part of the empire. The people and the emperor came to view them like the many monastic orders that flourished throughout the empire as warrior-philosophers, valued for the art, literature, and public aid they give to the empire, but also as a strong arm of military might when the empire or innocent individuals are in need.
Rogues and monks make up the majority of the Weightless Foot clan, though samurais, sohais, and fighters multiclassing as rogues or monks are also quite common. Barbarians are virtually unknown among them, but the spellcasting classes are all fairly well represented. Weightless Foot shugenja usually specialize in air as a tribute to the ideal of weightlessness, whereas wujen generally attempt to master metal, reflecting their clan's focus on martial prowess. NPC weightless foot are often encountered as advisors to the politically powerful as their wise counsel is never influenced by desire for personal gain or corruption.
Hit Die: d8
To qualify to become a Weightless Foot, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any non-chaotic, non-evil
- Skills: Balance 8 ranks, Climb 4 ranks, Concentration 4 ranks, Jump 6 ranks, Tumble 4 ranks
- Feats: Dodge, Iron Will. Mobility, Point Blank Shot,
- Base Attack Bonus: +4.
- Base Reflex Bonus: +2.
- Special: Must have the evasion special ability.
From:
Dragon #289
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