General Prestige Class : Poison Fist
by Matthew Stewart, Dragon #289
"A dart, a dagger, a bowl of rice; there are many devices used to deliver poison, but none is so deadly and insidious as the empty hand"
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.
Requirements
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.
Class Skills
The Poison Fist's class skills are Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (local), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Characters who take a level of poison fist gain no new proficiency in the use of armor or weapons.
Poison Use (Ex): The poison fist is trained in the use of poison and never risks accidentally poisoning herself when applying poison to a blade.
Totem Form (Sp): At 1st level, a poison fist can use polymorph as a spell-like ability to transform into her totem creature (snake, scorpion, or spider). Unlike the standard use of the polymorph spell, the poison fist can only adopt the form of her totem creature and is limited to Tiny size. With the initial change, the poison fist regains hit points as though she had rested for a day (this does not provide any of the other benefits of resting for a day, and subsequent changes during the same use of the totem form ability do not heal the poison fist further). During the duration of the totem form ability, the poison fist can change into her totem creature and back again as a free action as many times as she likes. Totem form has a duration equal to 10 rounds plus the poison fist's class level. It can be used a number of times per day as determined by level (see the Poison Fist advancement table).
The totem creatures for each poison fist clan are as follows:
| Clan | Creature |
| Snake | Tiny viper |
| Scorpion | Tiny monstrous scorpion |
| Spider | Tiny monstrous spider |
Sneak Attack (Ex): A 2nd-level poison fist can make sneak attacks. Any time the poison fist's target would be denied his Dexterity bonus to AC (whether he actually has a Dexterity bonus or not) or when the poison fist flanks the target, the poison fist's attack deals +1d6 points of damage. This extra damage increases to +2d6 at 5th level and again to +3d6 at 8th level. Should the poison fist score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks only count as sneak attacks within 30 feet.
With a sap (blackjack) or unarmed strike, a poison fist can make a sneak attack that deals subdual damage instead o normal damage. A poison fist cannot use a weapon that deals normal damage to deal subdual damage with a sneak attack.
A poison fist can only sneak attack a living creature with discernible anatomy - undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. The poison fist must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The poison fist cannot sneak attack a creature with concealment or when striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond her reach.
Natural Armor Bonus (Ex): As the poison fist delves deeper into the mysteries of her clan's philosophy, her skin begins to take on the attributes of her clan's totem animal. A poison fist of the Snake clan becomes scaly, while the skin of a Scorpion or Spider clan member becomes hard and chitinous. At 4th level, the poison fist gains a natural armor bonus. This bonus increases at 9th level.
Acrobatics (Su): A 3rd-level poison fist gains a +10 competence bonus to Balance,.Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. At 7th level, this bonus increases to +20. In addition, a poison fist can always choose to take 10 on a Balance, Climb, Jump, or Tumble check, even when circumstances would normally prevent her from doing so.
Venomous Blow (Su): At 4th level and higher, a poison fist gains the power to imbue her unarmed sneak attacks with poison. Enabling this ability is a free action, but the poison fist must choose to use it before she has taken any other actions during the round. For the rest of that round, all her sneak attacks also do poison damage as determined by her poison fist clan allegiance (see below). If her attacks in that round fail, she has wasted that use of the ability. The victim of a venomous blow must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the poison fist's class level + Charisma modifier) or suffer the initial damage of the poison. One minute later, the victim must succeed at a second saving throw (regardless of the result of the first) or suffer the secondary damage. This ability can be used a number of times per day as determined by level (see the Poison Fist advancement table).
| Clan | Poison Damage (initial and secondary) |
| Snake | 1d2 temporary Constitution |
| Scorpion | 1d4 temporary Strength |
| Spider | 1d4 temporary Strength |
Totem Aspect (Sp): At 6th level, the poison fist gains a spell-like ability that grants an aspect of her totem creature. It is usable three times a day as though cast by a sorcerer of a level equal to the poison fist's character level. Use of this ability is a free action, but it can only be used once in any given round. Each poison fist clan has a different totem aspect ability as follows:
| Clan Totem | Aspect Ability |
| Snake | Cobra's breath* |
| Scorpion | Ray of enfeeblement |
| Spider | Spider climb |
| *See Oriental Adventures | |
Poison Immunity (Su): A poison fist of 7th level or higher is completely immune to poisons.
Improved Venomous Blow (Su): At 10th level, any unarmed attack made during the round that the venomous blow ability is being used can cause poison damage as per the venomous blow ability's description. The attack need not be a sneak attack.
Multiclass Note: Monk characters can freely multiclass with this class. Monks who have already taken levels in another class may again take monk levels after gaining a level of poison fist.
| Poison Fist | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Poison use, totem form 1/day |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Sneak attack +1d6 |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Acrobatics (+10), totem form 2/day |
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Venomous blow 1/day. +1 natural armor bonus |
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Sneak attack +2d6, totem form 3/day |
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Totem aspect, venomous blow 2/day |
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Poison immunity, acrobatics (+20), totem form 4/day |
| 8th | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Sneak attack +3d6, venomous blow 3/day |
| 9th | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +2 natural armor bonus, totem form 5/day |
| 10th | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | Improved venomous blow, Venomous blow 4/day |
Source: Dragon #289