The Crashing Fist
We continue our look at the Advanced Class Guide with the brawler, a hybrid of the fighter and monk. Personally, I really like the brawler, as it provides me with a fighting character similar to those from the fighting games and beat-‘em-up arcade games of my youth. One of favorite features of those games are the flashy combos and high power hits that knock your opponents through walls and ceilings, or even right off into outer space. This week’s archetype is all about flashy and deadly combos.
New Brawler Archetype
The Crashing Fist
The crashing fist is a powerful fighter devoted to the art of punishing her foes, and indeed the very world around her, with devastating combination strikes. While the crashing fist specializes in different techniques from other brawlers, focusing on devastating combo finishes rather than in a wide variety of combat techniques, the crashing fist is no less an effective warrior.
Combos (Ex): A crashing fist has the ability to perform special combo hits, allowing her to deliver an extra powerful hit when she strings together her attacks. Whenever a crashing fist hits with all of her attacks as part of a full-attack action, as a free action she may make an additional attack at her highest base attack bonus. If the attack is successful, it deals maximum damage. A crashing fist can use this ability a number of times each day equal to 3 + 1/2 her brawler level. At 6th level, the crashing fist can use this ability even if she misses with 1 attack during her full-attack action. At 11th level, the crashing fist can use this ability even if she misses with 2 attacks made as part of her full-attack action.
This ability replaces the martial flexibility class feature.
Knock Back (Ex): At 4th level, whenever a crashing fist successfully hits with the extra attack granted by her combos class feature, she may attempt to knock the opponent back 10 feet in a straight line. Doing so requires a successful combat maneuver check, made as a free action. This combat maneuver does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and the crashing fist gains a bonus to his CMB for this check equal to his class level. If the attempt is successful, the target’s movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If the target makes contact with another creature while moving back in this way, both the target and the other creature suffer 1d6 points of damage, and the movement ends. If the target is pushed into a solid object, he suffers 1d4 points of damage per point of hardness the object has. Further, if the object has less hardness than 1/2 the crashing fist’s level, the object gains the broken condition and the target passes directly through it.
This ability replaces the knockout class feature.
Knock Down (Ex): At 10th level, whenever a crashing fist successfully knocks an opponent 10 feet back with her knock back class feature, she may attempt to knock her foe prone. This requires a successful trip attack, made as a free action against the opponent. Since the opponent is 10 feet away when the attack happens, this trip never provokes attacks of opportunity unless the foe has at least 15-foot reach, and the crashing fist cannot be tripped if she fails the attempt.
Break Down (Ex): At 16th level, whenever a crashing fist successfully deals damage with her combo attack against an object with the broken condition, she may choose to instantly destroy that object. Additionally, whenever the crashing fist successfully pushes a character into a solid object using her combos class feature, the damage dealt by the attack is increased to 1d6 per point of hardness the object possesses.
Combo Finish (Ex): At 16th level, the crashing fist learns to add an additional devastating attack to her combos. Whenever the crashing fist hits with the extra attack granted by the combos class feature, she may choose to do a combo finish, allowing her to make an additional attack at her base attack bonus -5. This attack deals damage as normal and she may apply the benefits of her knock back, knock down, and break down class features to the second attack. She cannot use this ability if the target is out of reach.
This ability replaces the awesome blow class feature.
Master Combo Finish (Ex): A crashing fist eventually learns to deliver the ultimate combo attack, unleashing a wave of fury upon her foes. Whenever the crashing fist successfully hits with the extra attack granted by her combo finish class feature, she may attempt to claim the life of her foe, causing him to drop dead unless he succeeds on Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the crashing fist’s level + the higher of the crashing fist’s Strength or Dexterity modifier). Even if the save is successful, the target still suffers damage as though he were hit by the crashing fist’s unarmed strike.
This ability replaces the improved awesome blow class feature.