Notes: this PrC assumes the use of Ejo Thim's monk fix in Verold, and my Stunning Fist fix found
here. And, as always, fluff is unfinished. Table to come later.
MONK OF THE BLACK PANDAYou may make an attack, but you will not complete it.Monks of the Black Panda focus their efforts on Stunning their opponents, under the philosophy that if they can't move, they can't win. They have studied the art of stunning to such a degree that nothing can resist their attacks. Though it might not be obvious that you are doing battle with a Monk of the Black Panda right away, after they unleash their first volley of attacks, it will be very clear that you have chosen poorly.
BECOMING A MONK OF THE BLACK PANDATraditionally, the Black Panda Temple trains all members of this prestige class, but since the style is so open, monks of the temple teach it to outsiders all the time, and as such the style is not that hard to come by. A basic structure of stunning fist based combat will get you fairly easy access to this prestige class, but knowledge of anatomy is important to your abilities.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTSFeats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
Base Saves: Fort +4
Class Feature: Ki Strike
Skills: Heal 7 ranks
Class SkillsThe Class Name's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + int
Hit Dice: d8
Weapon Proficiencies: A(n) [insert name here] gains no new proficiencies.
Monk Abilities: A Monk of the Black Panda's class levels stack with monk levels he has for the purposes of AC, unarmed strike damage, and flurry progression.
Improved Stunning Fist: At first level, a Monk of the Black Panda gains the Improved Stunning Fist feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
Ki Points: At first level, you gain a pool of ki points that are spent to utilize certain class features. You pool is equal to your class level plus your wisdom modifier plus your levels in the Monk class. These points refresh when your stunning fist uses per encounter refresh. As long as you have at least one point left in your pool you gain a +2 bonus on fort saves.
Powerful Stun: By spending 1 ki point as part of the action to activate Stunning Fist, a Monk of the Black Panda can increase the DC of that attempt by 2.
Extra Stunning: At level 1 a Monk of the Black Panda gains the Extra Stunning feat. He gains it again at levels 5 and 10.
Mental Weakening: At level 2 a Monk of the Black Panda may spend 2 ki points as part of the action to activate Stunning Fist to damage a foes mental capacity. The target takes either int or wis damage equal to 3+1/2 class level, chosen at the time of the strike. This is instead of the stunning.
Rapid Stunning: At level 3 a Monk of the Black Panda gains the Rapid Stunning feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
Stunning Immunity: At level 3 a Monk of the Black Panda becomes immune to stunning.
Penetrating Stun: By spending 3 ki points as part of the action to activate Stunning Fist, a Monk of the Black Panda of at least 4th level may ignore any immunities to stunning with this attempt. This includes racial immunities, such as those of oozes and undead.
Lesser Stun: By spending 2 ki points as part of the activation of Stunning Fist, a level 5 Monk of the Black Panda may alter it to a lesser state. The target gets no saving throw, but is restricted to only one standard or move action this round.
Ranged Stun: At level 6, a Monk of the Black Panda may spend 3 ki points as part of the activation for Stunning Fist to use that attempt at range. It has a range increment of 30’, does unarmed damage, and otherwise counts as a thrown weapon.
Accurate Stun: By spending 4 ki points as part of the activation for Stunning Fist, a level 7 Monk of the Black Panda may add his wisdom modifier to the attack role.
Freezing the Lifeblood: At level 8 a Monk of the Black Panda gains the Freezing the Lifeblood feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
Extended Stun: At level 9 a Monk of the Black Panda may spend 5 Ki points as part of the action of activating Stunning Fist in order to extend the duration of the effects by one round.
Stunning Mastery: At level 10 a Monk of the Black Panda completely masters the art of stunning. The cost of using a Ki ability is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0), and he becomes immune to paralysis.
PLAYING A MONK OF THE BLACK PANDABrief description on how to play the class you are designing.
Combat: Monks of the Black Panda are always stunning their opponents before they finish them off. They typically want to get right up in the front lines, using their higher AC to protect them, and trying to restrict their opponent’s actions with stunning and other debilitating effects.
Advancement: Because of the influence of melee unarmed fighting with their fighting style, many Monks of the Black Panda continue advancing as a monk or fighter. A few may choose to take up the barbarian path, but they are a rare few.
Resources: A member of the Order of the Black Panda has the power of the temple behind him. But this does not mean that they will always be there, mostly they can have a place to stay when traveling, but occasionally another member of the order will help out with more complex matters.
MONKS OF THE BLACK PANDA IN THE WORLDHe didn’t kill me…not quite….I felt like I had died. Why he spared me I don’t know, he could have finished me off at any time.Members of the Order are known as a very diverse group, and as such opinions differ from region to region. Typically the attitude is indifferent towards the group, but attitudes toward individuals may differ.
Daily Life: Some general information about the typical day in the life of your class.
Notables: Make up some cool information about notable figures in the history of your class. It's best to give a little information from one of the good alignment and evil alignment (unless it's a good or evil only class).
Organizations: Some information about organizations dedicated to the practice of your class and other organizations which members of your class will be attracted towards.
NPC ReactionThis is an in detail description of how NPC's would perceive your class and the immediate generalization that people would give of your class.
CLASS NAME IN THE GAMEThis is a good place to provide a quick note on how your class will effect game play statistically.
Adaptation: This is a place where you put in detail how people can adapt your class into their campaign setting.
Encounters: This is a place to describe what sort of encounters PC's will have with NPC versions of your class.
