Fist of the Forest

Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +4.

Skills: Handle Animal 4 ranks, Wilderness lore 4 ranks.

Feats: Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack.

Special: Must gain approval as a fist of the forest by the leaders of a band of Guardians of the Green, then adopt the lifestyle of an animal (see Primal Living, below).

Summary

Fist of the forest is the opposite side of the coin to urban soul and roofrunner where you need to be able to sleep outdoors and do all the fun survival things you need to do in certain campaigns and thus is only recommended for certain campaigns. It's a nature-y progression to monk and barbarian or any DPS really that is only 3 levels so can slot in fairly well to most builds.

Role: DPS

Characteristics: An animalistic warrior that can enter a feral trance

Source: Complete Champion

Game Rule Information

The Fist of the Forest has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Constitution for bulk and class abilities, Strength and Dexterity for combat and survivability

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d10

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Fist of the Forest's class skills are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Wilderness Lore (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

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

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Fist of the Forest is proficient with Fists of the Forest gain no proficiency with weapons or armor

AC Bonus Ex: While unarmored, you gain a bonus to your Armor Class equal to your Constitution bonus (if any). See the monk class feature (PH 40).

Feral Movement Ex: Your base land speed is faster than the norm for your race. See the barbarian class feature (PH 25). If you already have fast movement from another class, the bonuses to your speed stack.

Feral Trance Su: Once per day, you can enter a feral battle trance. While you are in this state, the raw power of the beast flows through you. Your hands and feet become clawlike (destroying any shoes or gloves you are wearing), and your teeth lengthen and grow pointed. For the duration of the trance, you gain a +4 bonus to Dexterity and a +2 bonus on damage rolls with your unarmed strikes. You can also make one bite attack per round at your highest attack bonus whenever you attack as a full-round action.

The damage for this attack is 1d6 + your Str modifier, regardless of your size. A feral trance lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + your Con modifier. While in a trance, you cannot perform certain actions, and afterward you are fatigued. These restrictions are the same as those for the barbarian’s rage class feature (PH 25–26). If you have the ability to enter a rage, you can do so while in a feral trance, using your increased Constitution score to determine the duration of both effects.

At 3rd level, you can use this ability twice per day.

Primal Living Ex: To maintain your bestial powers, you must live like a wild animal. You must sleep in natural environments, never inside buildings, unless forced by circumstances. Furthermore, you cannot purchase food—you must obtain it by hunting, gathering, begging, or stealing. Some fists of the forest even give up speech, the use of fire and tools, and all possessions, but such extremes are not required. In any month in which you buy food or voluntarily sleep indoors more than three times, all your fist of the forest class features cease to function until you have spent thirty consecutive days living like an animal once more, or until a fellow Guardian of the Green casts atonement on you.

Unarmed Damage Ex: Your unarmed attacks deal more damage than usual. At 1st level, you deal 1d8 points of damage with each unarmed strike. When you attain 3rd level, this damage increases to 1d10 points. See the monk class feature (PH 41). If your unarmed attack already deals this amount of damage, increase the base damage to the next step indicated on the monk class table.

Uncanny Dodge Ex: At 2nd level, you cannot be caught flat-footed, and you react to danger before your senses would normally allow you to do so. See the barbarian class feature (PH 26). If you already have uncanny dodge from another class, you instead gain improved uncanny dodge.

Untamed Strike Su: On attaining 2nd level, you can channel the untamed power of nature when you attack. Your unarmed strikes are treated as magic weapons; see the monk’s ki strike class feature (PH 41). If your unarmed strikes are already magical, they instead are treated lesser ghost touch weapons. They deal full damage against incorporeal creatures 50% of the time and half damage the rest of the time.

Scent Su: Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the supernatural ability to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. This ability otherwise functions like the extraordinary ability of the same name.

Table 1-1: Fist of the Forest Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Unarmed Damage
1st	+1	+2	+2	+0	AC bonus, fast movement, feral trance 1/day, primal living	1d8
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+0	Uncanny dodge, untamed strike	1d8
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+1	Feral trance 2/day, scent	1d10