General Prestige Class : Weightless Foot

by Matthew Stewart, Dragon #289

"Man in life is light and elusive: He can move about and leaping leave the ground. Man in death is heavy and still: His body lays on the ground and, sinking into the land, is eaten by worms.

The ten thousand things, the birds and the trees, while they live they are supple and move with the wind. When they die, they are rigid and weigh heavily upon the earth. Thus the slow and the heavy are the companions of death. The quick and the light are the companions of life. Therefore the path of true enlightenment lies above the ground; weightlessness is a state of bliss." - Wu Shenyang on the virtue of weightlessness

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.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Weightless Foot, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Class Skills

The weightless foot's class skills are Balance, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Iaijutsu Focus, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Spot, Swim, and Tumble.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Characters who take a level of weightless foot gain proficiency in all simple and martial weapons, but they gain no new proficiency with armor.

Leap of the Clouds (Su): A 1st-level weightless foot's jumping distance (vertical or horizontal) is not limited according to her height.

Slow Fall (Ex): At 1st level, a weightless foot within arm's reach of a wall can use the wall to slow her descent. The weightless foot takes damage as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. Her ability to slow her fall (that is, to reduce the effective height of the fall when next to a wall) improves with her level until at 5th level she can fall 50 feet without harm. This ability does not stack with the monk ability of the same name.

Light Step (Su): A 2nd-level weightless foot gains a +10 competence bonus to Move Silently checks. At 6th level, this bonus increases to +20. In addition, a weightless foot can always choose to take 10 on a Move Silently check, even when circumstances would normally prevent her from doing so.

Spring Attack: At 2nd level, the weightless foot gains the Spring Attack feat.

Acrobatics (Su): A 3rd-level weightless foot gains a +10 competence bonus to Balance, Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. At 7th level, this bonus increases to +20. In addition, a weightless foot can always choose to take 10 on a Balance, Climb, Jump, or Tumble Check, even when circumstances would normally prevent her from doing so.

Purity of Body (Ex): At 4th level, the weightless foot gains control over her body's immune system. She gains immunity to all diseases except for magical diseases such as mummy rot and lycanthropy.

Trackless Step (Su): At 4th level and higher, a weightless foot leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.

Shot on the Run: At 4th level, the weightless foot gains the Shot on the Run feat.

Dry Feet (Sp): A weightless foot of 5th level or higher can cast water walk as a sorcerer of a level equal to the weightless foot's class level. Using this spell-like ability is a free action and it functions only for the weightless foot. The weightless foot may use dry feet three times per day plus a number of times equal to her Charisma modifier (always at least once).

Purity of Mind (Ex): At 6th level, the weightless foot gains control of her wandering thoughts and can focus all of her mind to a given task. She gains a +5 competence bonus to all Intelligence-based skill checks.

Uncanny Step (Su): At 6th level, a weightless foot can take part of one of her move actions on a wall or other vertical surface so long as she begins and ends her movement on a horizontal surface. If she does not end her movement on a horizontal surface, a weightless foot falls, taking damage appropriate to her height above the ground. Treat the vertical surface as normal floor for the purposes of measuring movement. Passing the boundary from vertical to horizontal is equivalent to 5 feet of movement on a normal floor. Opponents on the floor still get attacks of opportunity if the weightless foot moves through areas they threaten. The weightless foot can take other move actions in conjunction with uncanny step. For example, the weightless foot could use the Spring Attack feat and the Tumble and Jump skills, but she cannot charge a foe.

For instance, Kangling the weightless foot has a base speed of 40 feet. She begins her action with her back to a wall facing some enemies who guard the building across the street. Kangling turns, runs up the wall for 10 feet, and then leaps 15 feet across the street (using the Jump skill and the leap of the clouds ability) to land on the wall of the building the men are guarding. She then moves 5 feet to an open window and ends her movement on a horizontal surface by stepping inside the building through the window.

Light as a Feather (Sp): At 7th level or higher, a weightless foot can cast feather fall as a sorcerer of a level equal to the weightless foot's class level. Using this spell-like ability is a free action and it functions only for the weightless foot. The weightless foot may use light as a feather three times per day plus a number of times equal to her Charisma modifier (always at least once).

Light as Air (Sp): A weightless foot of 8th level or higher can cast air walk as a sorcerer of a level equal to the weightless foot's class level. Using this spell-like ability is a free action and it functions only for the weightless foot. The weightless foot may use light as air three times per day plus a number of times equal to her Charisma modifier (always at least once).

Purity of Spirit (Su): At 9th level, a weightless foot gains control of her spirit. She gains a +10 insight bonus to saving throws made to resist level drains or alignment changes.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a weightless foot's evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon's breath weapon or a fireball, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save.

Weightlessness (Sp): A weightless foot of 10th level can cast fly as a sorcerer of a level equal to the weightless foot's class level. Using this spell-like ability is a free action and it functions only for the weightless foot. The weightless foot may use weightlessness three times per day plus a number of times equal to her Charisma modifier (always at least once).

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 as a weightless foot.

Weightless FootHit Die: d8
CLBABFortRefWillSpecial
1st+1+0+2+2Leap of the clouds, slow fall (20 ft.)
2nd+2+0+3+3Light step (+10), Spring Attack
3rd+3+1+3+3Acrobatics (+10), slow fall (30 ft.)
4th+4+1+4+4Purity of body, trackless step, Shot on the Run
5th+5+1+4+4Dry feet. slow fall (50 ft.), light step (+20)
6th+6+2+5+5Purity of mind, Uncanny Step
7th+7+2+5+5Light as a feather, acrobatics (+20)
8th+8+3+6+6Light as air
9th+9+3+6+6Purity of spirit, improved evasion
10th+10+3+7+7Weightlessness

Source: Dragon #289

[Back]
General Prestige Classes