This archetype is designed to let you play a much more effective unarmed barbarian, whether he's a bestial wild-man, a street thug or a professional pit-fighter.
This archetype should work well mechanically and thematically with the Breaker, Brutal Pugilist and Savage archetypes. You might even combine it with Superstitious, using the Sixth Sense ability to represent a finely honed instinct for trouble.
The new Bolt of Fury rage power won't suit everybody's character or campaign, which is one reason why it's only a rage power and not a compulsory feature.
It allows you to play a street-fighter style energy ball throwing martial artist, but the main reason it exists is so you don't have to struggle quite so much to hurt enemies you can't reach.
Since it seemed appropriate for them, I've put a new monk class feature here that lets them do the same thing in a different way. It's a freebie, but I'm sure it won't overpower them.
The Bare-Fisted Barbarian
Barbarians are infamous for wielding the largest weapons available. You're an exception. Sometimes, you wonder if that guy with the greatsword isn't compensating for something.
Weapons and armour proficiencies: A bare-fisted barbarian is only proficient with unarmed strike, gauntlets, daggers, spiked gauntlets, light maces, clubs, heavy maces, staves, padded armour, quilted cloth armour, leather armour and studded leather armour.
This replaces the normal barbarian weapon and armour proficiencies.
Class Skills: You MAY remove Knowledge (Nature), Survival, Handle Animal and Ride from your list of class skills.
If you do, add Knowledge (Local), Profession, Sense Motive and Sleight of Hand to your list of class skills. It’s all or none.
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level you gain the monk's unarmed strike class feature, substituting your barbarian level for your monk level.
Versatile Improvisation: At 1st level, you may treat any improvised weapon as though it were a double weapon. Treat each end of an improvised weapon used in this way as though it had the weapon's normal stat-line.
Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike): At 1st level, you gain Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike) as a bonus feat.
The Ol' One-Two: At 1st level you gain Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat, but you may only use it with unarmed strikes and improvised weapons unless you also gain it from another source.
At 6th level, you gain Improved Two-Weapon Fighting with the same restrictions.
At 11th level you gain Greater Two-Weapon Fighting with the same restrictions.
Other Class Features: Any barbarian class feature that normally does not function while you wear heavy armour doesn't work for you while you wear medium armour or a shield either.
Obviously, your fists remain firmly attached to your arms; the blow is delivered by a projectile made from your solidified rage.
Requires improved unarmed strike.
Monstrous Fists: While raging, treat your unarmed strikes as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Requires level 4 and improved unarmed strike.
Fists of Chaos: While raging, treat your unarmed strikes as Chaotic aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Requires level 10, improved unarmed strike, Monstrous Fists and Chaotic alignment.
Adamantine Fists: While raging, treat your unarmed strikes as adamantine weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
Requires level 16, improved unarmed strike and Monstrous Fists.
The feature for the monk is neat, but is it something all monks gain or a feat? The archetype is nice but you don't seem to lose anything except the weapon and armor proficiencies. It seems you're losing the armor for extra feats but it doesn't seem like a fair trade. Should lose something for the three feats on Ol' One-Two and gain some defensive bonus for the lack of armor.
Ok, I know it looks like a lot for free, but it's not.
The monk feature is just a variant rule that gives monks a boost. Absolutely free and intended to be a strict increase in power. Should have been clearer about that.
The barbarian archetype is a different story. It looks like he's gaining a lot in exchange for not much, but that it's quite true.
He's losing some armour and most of his weapons. Since he can't use the only abilities gained for taking the archetype when he wields those weapons, they're all inferior choices anyway. He's pretty much locked into using his fists, which are measly d6 20x2 bludgeoning weapons.
You can't enchant them either, so he gets the monk's damage progression. That replaces the enhancement bonus to damage, but not to attack rolls.
Fists also do only half as much damage as a two handed martial weapon would. TWF fixes that, getting them up to 2d6+1.5xSTR mod damage if both attacks hit. It also doubles the extra damage gained from the monk's damage progression, but I figure that very approximately makes up for the terrible crits and the lack of enhancement to hit.
If this archetype didn't grant the rest of the tree as it levelled, it would fall behind the normal barbarian, getting gradually weaker and weaker compared to other classes.
Put all that together and this version of the barbarian has good points and bad. The good points are that he gets an effective +1 to damage every four levels when he uses a fell round to attack, he cannot be disarmed, he doesn't need to buy a magic weapon and he's more effective in anti-magic fields. The bad points are that he deals half damage when not making a full attack, he's 10% more likely to miss when he does, he needs to spend rage powers to remain effective against monsters, he's ineffective against monsters when not raging and his crits are laughable.
I felt that wasn't fair on the poor creature, so I threw in weapon focus, which makes him marginal less inaccurate.
Overall, I'm still concerned that he's under powered.
Sweet. Gonna be fun going "HADOUKEN!" with a monk.
And I don't need a special ability to take flurry of blows with kicks and go "TATSUMAKISENPUUKYAKU!" :P
Glad you like it. A friend did ask about shoryuken, but yes, I felt that for all intents and purposes it was already in the game.
Personally I think that the archetype bridges the gap to monk too much. It pretty much becomes a monk that happens to be raging. Or a barbarian that happens to be doing a flurry. What I would like to see is a more original treatment for an unarmed barbarian that does not go the flurry-emulation route.
I think the balance considerations are fine, but keep in mind that it's a no-brainer for the barbarian to get brass knuckles which act as unarmed attack enhancements and would probably work with the archetype as written.
Keep in mind that making an effective unarmed barbarian (via the beast totem tree) is a very valid strategy and yields pretty good results. An unarmed barbarian using a feat to get improvised unarmed strike and a monk's robe to get 1d8 fists works fine too (or the two unarmed rage powers). Less attacks, but each attack tends to pack a bigger punch. Having "only" the first Two-Weapon-Fighting feat is quite enough for the most part.
I'd be less concerned with playing catch-up with a standard barbarian build that nets an additional 10% to 20% DPR - and rather add cool unarmed (barbarian) related abilities. And I'd shy away from a rage-based ranged punch attack - or if necessary, hide it at the end of a 3 part rage power tree. There's plenty of things the barbarian can do at range, like throwing a rock - or with the hurler powers tossing your halfling ally - so I don't really see the need for accelerated rage projectiles (but you do say that it is campaign specific - I just want to highlight that it is too easily acquired in campaigns where it is played).
You can't enchant (Unarmed Strikes) either, so he gets the monk's damage progression. That replaces the enhancement bonus to damage, but not to attack rolls.
UMM... Besides Amulet of Mighty Fist (which applies to other things like Natural Attacks, which the Barb has several ways to gain), Paizo has actually released items like Brass Knuckles which allow individual enhanced Unarmed Strike weapons, with special materials. Amulet of Mighty Fist isn`t really all that bad a deal anyways, if you consider it`s enhancing 2+ weapons, although it overlaps with Amulet of Natural Armor. There`s some controversy over whether or not you can get those to STACK somehow (probably not IMHO), but certainly you have EITHER of those options at your disposal. So your claim that they can`t use magic weapons, and using that as a basis for balancing the Class Variant, doesn`t seem on such stable ground.
You make a good point there, quandary. I wasn't really bothered about the amulet, but the brass knuckles are definitely a problem. I really dislike them, myself, since they lock you into using them for all your attacks, which is a bit odd for a flurry and they turn the monk into another weapon user, in my eyes.
Lorekeeper, I don't think it bridges that gap much at all. Both classes beat you up. They both use both hands and can punch and kick as part of a full attack. They both get better at it as they level and learn to count as having a magic weapon, so they can still fight. I don't see much of an overlap, beyond what you need to be an effective bare-handed warrior. Only the speed bonus looks unnecessary and I recommend trading away for an archetype ability anyway.
The barbarian is chaotic, while the monk is lawful. The monk is mystical, but the barbarian is normally not. The monk can flurry with all kinds of asian weapon, while the barbarian can use a chair as a double weapon. The monk wears no armour, but the barbarian wears leathers. The monk is wise and disciplined, but the barbarian just gets right in there and smashes the hell out of things, even using bite attacks.
I have been considering a new version of this which might work better mechanically. I would give the barb "masterwork" fists at 1st level instead of weapon focus and a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter instead of the monk's increasing damage die. The magic and chaotic rage powers would be ditched in favour of cold iron and silver.
Anybody have any thoughts about that?
Have you thought about adapting the monk version as a feat chain? It starts as Hadouken, then Improved Hadouken (range increased to 30 or 40), then capstoning into Kamehameha, a beam form that takes a full-round action (due to charging).
Obviously, I would make it have a few steep prerequisites:
Hadouken: Wis 13, Ki Pool, and stunning fist, punishing kick, touch of serenity, elemental fist, perfect strike or any similar ability.
Improved Hadouken: Wis 15, Ki Pool, Hadouken, Base Attack +9, and stunning fist, punishing kick, touch of serenity, elemental fist, perfect strike or any similar ability.
Kamehameha: Wis 18, Ki Pool, Improved Hadouken, Base Attack +15, and stunning fist, punishing kick, touch of serenity, elemental fist, perfect strike or any similar ability.
Just a thought.
Have you thought about adapting the monk version as a feat chain? It starts as Hadouken, then Improved Hadouken (range increased to 30 or 40), then capstoning into Kamehameha, a beam form that takes a full-round action (due to charging).
Obviously, I would make it have a few steep prerequisites:
Hadouken: Wis 13, Ki Pool, and stunning fist, punishing kick, touch of serenity, elemental fist, perfect strike or any similar ability.
Improved Hadouken: Wis 15, Ki Pool, Hadouken, Base Attack +9, and stunning fist, punishing kick, touch of serenity, elemental fist, perfect strike or any similar ability.
Kamehameha: Wis 18, Ki Pool, Improved Hadouken, Base Attack +15, and stunning fist, punishing kick, touch of serenity, elemental fist, perfect strike or any similar ability.
Just a thought.
I suppose that takes care of Metsu and Shinku Hadouken then, eh?
Allowing the Monk to "throw" his unarmed attacks sounds pretty awesome, though it has the potential to be abused. Personally, I would use Dex to attack and Wis to damage.
That might not be such a bad idea, but I'm not trying to imitate dragonball here. I'm just trying to give the monk a little help. Not saying it's a bad idea though.
The reason it uses strength to damage is because it fits with the throwing mechanic and monks need high strength anyway. They should be punching big holes in things.
People also like high wis and I don't really see where dexterity comes into a hadouken any more than it does a melee attack, so wis seemed a sensible choice for the attack roll.
How do you think it will be abused?
"Abused" was probably the wrong word, seeing as the monk could use an extra boost anyway. This together with a full BAB could very well put the class up a notch.
The description says it uses Ki; is that just fluff, or would it actually use a Ki point? (I'm trying not to say "Eldritch Blast")
It doesn't use a ki point, but you can only use it in combination with your stunning fist or equivalent.
It's hardly eldrich blast. It's more like a simple weapon with the returning property. The only significant differences are that its uses per-day are limited and it uses wisdom to attack.
I'm not trying to imitate dragonball here.
I figured that, I just didn't know a better term to describe the attack. Besides DBZ characters are probably close to about lvl 80 monks anyway.