| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
ok so i am writing a wuxia-esk eberron campaign using pathfinder at the moment and a number of the monastic traditions feature prominently. one such tradition is that of the argent fist which blends monk and paladin together and while there is a 3.5 source (faiths of eberron) for a prestige class of the same name there were certain things about it i didnt like. so i altered it, one of my aims was to give incentives to go 5 and 5 in monk and paladin by the end of the build with the main goal being monk 5/paladin 5/argent fist 10. but i have run into a stumbling block in that i cant think of anything else to give them for 8th an 9th levels and i dont want any dead levels (plus i am not entirely sure it is balanced as i have never done any homebrewing before). i also think the capstone ability while good could use a bit of a kick as it is more than likely not to going to be achieved until 20th level. so yeah, little help?
Argent Fist Prestige Class Details
Hit Die: d10.
Requirements: To qualify to become an argent fist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Lawful good.
Deity: Must be a follower of the Silver Flame.
Skills: Knowledge (religion) 5 ranks.
Special: Lay on hands class feature, still mind class feature. Must have joined Order of the Argent Fist.
Class Skills: The argent fist's class skills are: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis)
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Class Features
1st | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ascetic Champion, Sacred Ki Pool
2nd | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ki Strike (Silver)
3rd | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Balm of the Silver Flame
4th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Purity of the Silver Flame
5th | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Wrath of the Silver Flame
6th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Body of the Silver Flame
7th | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Intuition of the Silver Flame
8th | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Don’t know what to put here yet
9th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Don’t know what to put here yet
10th| 10| 5 | 5 | 5 | Embrace of the Silver Flame
Ascetic Champion (Ex): The class levels of an argent fist stack with monk levels for determining the effect of his AC bonus, flurry of blows, fast movement, and unarmed strike class features.
Sacred Ki Pool (Su): At 1st level, an argent fist gains a ki pool equal to 1/2 his class level + his Wisdom modifier; this functions like the monk ability of the same name, and levels in this class stack with levels in other classes that grant a ki pool. In addition to the normal uses of this ki pool, an argent fist may expend 2 ki points to trigger either his lay on hands ability or his smite evil ability. Levels in this class stack with paladin levels for the purpose of determining how much damage an argent fist deals to targets of his smite and how many dice he heals with lay on hands.
Balm of the Silver Flame (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, an argent fist may spend one point from his ki pool as a swift action to enhance his healing power. Until the end of his turn, any spell or supernatural ability he uses that heals hit point damage restores double the normal amount of hit points. For example, if he casts a cure light wounds spell that healed 6 hit points of damage, it would instead heal 12; if he uses lay on hands or wholeness of body to restore 10 points of damage, it would instead heal 20.
Purity of the Silver flame (Su): At 4th level the argent fist gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases. If he already has immunity from diseases from either purity of body or divine health (or recieves it in the future) he gains immunity to poisons of all kinds instead. If he already has both purity of body and divine health (or recieves them in the future) he also gains spell resistance equal to 10 + his argent fist level.
Wrath of the Silver Flame (Su): Starting at 5th level, an argent fist can spend two points from his ki pool, a use of lay on hands, or a use of smite evil as a swift action to cause his fists (or any special monk weapons he holds) to erupt with silver flames. These flames give off no heat, until he strikes an enemy, and shed light as a torch. The silver flames add damage to his attacks, this damage is equal to argent fist's class level plus his Wisdom modifier (if any) multiply this damage by 1.5 against any lycanthrope, undead, or evil outsider he strikes (merely touching such a creature deals no damage). Half the damage is fire damage (round down) and the rest results from pure divine power and is thus not subject to fire resistance. Once activated, the silver flame burns for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Charisma bonus (if any).
Body of the Silver Flame(Su): At 6th level argent fist levels stack with paladin levels when determining the enhancement bonus from a weapon devine bond and may apply it to her unarmed strikes. If the argent fist had chosen a special mount as his divine bond it is immediately dismissed and she gains access to this feature. An argent fist that does not have a divine bond gains nothing from divine body.
Intuition of the Silver Flame(Ex): At 7th level the agent fist may substitute his Wisdom bonus for his Charisma bonus for any class feature the he possesses that is determined by charisma bonus. This applies to class features from all classes the argent fist possesses.
8th level ability
9th level ability
Embrace of the Silver Flame (Su): At 10th level, an argent fist gains the ability to manifest a tiny ember of the Silver Flame. By spending two points from his ki pool, a use of lay on hands, or a use of smite evil as a swift action, he becomes engulfed in an aura of argent fire that sheds no heat. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Wisdom bonus (if any) and grants the following benefits:
- You gain fast healing equal to your Wisdom bonus (minimum 1).
- You radiate light as if you were the center of a daylight spell.
- Any lycanthrope, undead, or evil outsider within the 60-foot radius of the pure divine energy you radiate takes a —2 penalty to AC and also takes 2d6 points of damage each round at the end of your turn.
- Any critical threat you score against a lycanthrope, undead, or evil outsider with an unarmed strike or special monk weapon is automatically confirmed.
While not the same thing, there is already a Monk/Paladin PrC in Pathfinder. Figured I'd post it so you can have a relative power level to judge it against.
Silver Flame rings a bell though. Never played 3.0/3.5, but wasn't that the goddess that the assassin guy from that Tim Waggoner book series worshiped? Blade of the Flame I believe?
it very well could be, it is set in eberron, but i havent read it.
Lesee. I like Ascetic Champion, Sacred Ki Pool, and Wrath/Intuition of the Silver Flame. Flavorful, powerful, and useful. A good combo.
I like the concept of Body of the Silver Flame, but don't like the execution. It comes in too late. Remember, you need to be at least level 5 to enter this PrC, so your char is at level 11 by the time he can Divine Bond his fists. That's ~3/4 of the way through your average game, and isn't a powerful enough ability that it needs to come in that late. Should be something he gets at like 3rd level at latest, if not at 1st or 2nd. Actually scratch that. Since Divine Bond is at Paladin 5, you would need to be a Monk 3/Paladin 5/Argent Fist 6 to get this ability, so level 14 at the very earliest.
Balm of the Silver Flame I dunno about. Lay on Hands is already a good chunk of healing, and can heal you as a Swift action. Does it really need to be doubled in power for a measly 1 Ki?
Embrace of the Silver Flame is almost as much of a "F~@* off" button as Smite Evil is. A 60 foot radius of "Evil creatures are screwed 6 ways from Sunday" that stacks with Smite and I assume the Wrath ability turns the faceroll switch that is Smite Evil up to 13 IMO.
Good concept, I think it needs a bit of work.
I like the concept of Body of the Silver Flame, but don't like the execution. It comes in too late. Remember, you need to be at least level 5 to enter this PrC, so your char is at level 11 by the time he can Divine Bond his fists. That's ~3/4 of the way through your average game, and isn't a powerful enough ability that it needs to come in that late. Should be something he gets at like 3rd level at latest, if not at 1st or 2nd. Actually scratch that. Since Divine Bond is at Paladin 5, you would need to be a Monk 3/Paladin 5/Argent Fist 6 to get this ability, so level 14 at the very earliest.
the reason i made it rely on paladin divine bond is to give incentive to take those final 3 levels in paladin, i need to remove ki strike (silver) anyway as it is a double up so i could push body up to 2nd level to replace it. and maybe instead of relying on having a paladins divine bond to work they could get a boost from the double up like with purity of the silver flame.
Balm of the Silver Flame I dunno about. Lay on Hands is already a good chunk of healing, and can heal you as a Swift action. Does it really need to be doubled in power for a measly 1 Ki?
well i was originally going to have it cost 2 ki but the thing is sacred ki pool pretty much converts lay on hands and smite uses into key points, a use of either is worth 2 ki points, that are added to the ki pool (at least that's how it is working in my head) and it already cost 2 ki to lay on hands i guess i thought paying double to effectively use it twice as one action was a little weak. which is why i made it cost effectively 3 points for an empowered casting. it was also very late when i wrote this up so it could have easily been a brain fart, and seems to be no that i look back on it.
Embrace of the Silver Flame is almost as much of a "F!%! off" button as Smite Evil is. A 60 foot radius of "Evil creatures are screwed 6 ways from Sunday" that stacks with Smite and I assume the Wrath ability turns the faceroll switch that is Smite Evil up to 13 IMO.
i dunno, it seems to me that it is a little too specific in the creatures it affects but it is very flavorful for the SF so i left it. you really think it is OP?
im not very good at judging power level i tend to get excited over things i think are cool and i either leave it because it is just too awesome or i over nerf it. anyways i appreciate your help.
also any idea on what to do for 8th and 9th levels and 6th now that i have shifted body of the silver flame up to 2nd and deleted ki strike (silver)? i want to throw something in that is a bit more monk-esk but aside from giving the later level monk class abilities i really cant think of anything.
I don't really think Embrace is OP, it's that the classes involved can stack too many similar things IMO.
Perhaps at 6th/8th level his Argent Fist levels start to stack with his Paladin levels for the purposes of using Smite Evil?