Sacred Fist

Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +4

Skills: Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks

Feats: Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist

Spells: Able to cast 1st-level divine spells.

Summary

Sacred fists are independent organizations found within many temples. Their ascetic members have turned their divine magic inward, bringing their bodies and wills into harmony.

Sacred fists have forsworn the use of weapons and heavy armor. They consider their bodies and minds gifts from their deity, and they believe that not developing those gifts to their fullest potential is a sin. Spellcasting does not dishonor them or their deity. Sacred fists are strong in faith, will, and body. Clerics are excellent candidates for sacred fists orders. Paladins may also choose to join them, but are seldom comfortable surrendering the trappings of their calling. Fighters, rogues, bards, and even ex-monks may make good candidates, provided they have enough levels in a class that grants divine spells. Druids occasionally find the class’s combat skills useful, but sorcerers and wizards find little to interest them.

Sacred fists are as varied as their faiths. In general, they travel the land individually, lending their skills to those who need protection or assistance. While a sacred fist from a temple of Pelor might humbly assist almost anyone who asked, one from Erythnul’s faith might help only when it gains him something. Sacred fists from the temple of Kord tend to be genial brawlers, humble in victory and gracious in defeat. All sacred fists seek challenges that allow them to further develop their fighting skills

Role: DPS

Characteristics: Holy monks that glow with holy flames and gain inner armor

Source: Complete Divine

Game Rule Information

The Sacred Fist has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Wisdom is your most important ability as you need it for Holy and Monk abilities, Strength for dealing damage with your sacred fists

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Sacred Fist's class skills are Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Sacred Fist.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Sacred Fist is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Code of Conduct: A member of a sacred fist order refuses to use any weapon. A sacred fist who knowingly carries or uses a weapon loses all class spells and features and advances no farther as a sacred fist until he atones for his action (See Atonement)

Like a member of any other class, a sacred fist may be a multiclass character, but multiclass sacred fists face a special restriction. A sacred fist who gains a level in any class other than sacred fist may never again raise his sacred fist level, though he retains all his sacred fist abilities. The path of the sacred fist requires a constant focus. If a character adopts this class, he must pursue it to the exclusion of all other careers. Once he has turned off the path, he may never return.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new sacred fist level is gained (Except 4th and 8th), the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in whatever divine spellcasting class he possessed before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, wild shape ability, and so on). This essentially means that he adds the level of sacred fist to the level of whatever other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day accordingly.

If a character had more than one spellcasting class in which he could cast divine spells before he became a sacred fist, the player must decide which class to assign each level of sacred fist for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Unarmed Damage Ex: A sacred fist's class levels stack with his monk levels (if any) for the purpose of determining his unarmed damage. If a sacred fist doesn't have monk levels prior to becoming a sacred fist, treat him as a monk of the same class level as his sacred fist class level for determining his unarmed damage.

Fast Movement Ex: At 3rd level, a sacred fist gains an enhancement bonus to his speed. A sacred fist in medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.

Sacred Flames Su: At 4th level, a sacred fist may use a standard action to invoke sacred flames around his hands and feet. These flames add to the sacred fist's unarmed damage. The additional damage is equal to the sacred fist's class level plus his Wisdom modifier (if any). Half the damage is fire damage (round up), and the rest is sacred energy and thus not subject to effects that reduce fire damage. The sacred flames last 1 minute and can be invoked once per day. At 8th level, a sacred fist can invoke sacred flames twice per day.

Blindsense Su: A 6th-level sacred fist gains sensitivity to vibrations, scent, and noise, granting him blindsense out to 10 feet.

Inner Armor Ex: At 10th level, a sacred fist's inner tranquility protects him from external threats. He may invoke a +4 sacred bonus to AC, a +4 sacred bonus on all saves, and spell resistance 25 for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier. He may use inner armor once per day.

Table 1-1: Sacred Fist Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	AC Bonus	Unarmored Speed	Spellcasting
1st	+1	+2	+2	+0	Unarmed damage	+1	+0 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+0	—	+1	+0 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+1	—	+1	+10 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
4th	+4	+4	+4	+1	Sacred flames 1/day	+1	+10 ft.	—
5th	+5	+4	+4	+1	—	+2	+10 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
6th	+6	+5	+5	+2	Blindsense 10 ft.	+2	+20 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
7th	+7	+5	+5	+2	—	+2	+20 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
8th	+8	+6	+6	+2	Sacred flames 2/day	+2	+30 ft.	—
9th	+9	+6	+6	+3	—	+2	+30 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
10th	+10	+7	+7	+3	Inner armor	+3	+30 ft.	+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class