Wolong

Wolong

## Aka: “Sleeping Dragon Strategist”

A Prestige Class for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

Table 3-3: The Wolong

From the depths of time, warrior philosophers have become a prominent feature in the history of the east. These warrior philosophers came to be known as “wolongs,” named such after the nickname of the talented Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang. The wolong is not considered skilled unless he has both a strong body and mind. He learns to hone his mind instead of his sword edge, to focus on the unpredictable over the predictable, and to engage in cunning over brute force.

In game terms, the wolong has a suite of battlefield controlling and disrupting abilities. On the surface, these class features serve to augment his combat prowess, but in reality, they are more effectively used in waylaying an enemy. If used correctly, these features can impact an opposing force’s action economy and throw his plans into disarray.

HD: d8

Requirements:

* Skills: Knowledge (any two) 5 ranks
* Base Attack Bonus: +5
* Feats: Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise

Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str)

Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier

## Class Features

The following are class features of the wolong:

### Weapon and Armor Proficiency

The wolong is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all armor (heavy, light, and medium), and shields (including tower shields).

### Study the Foe (Ex):

“Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.”

-Miyamoto Musashi

At 1st level, by studying his foe with a standard action, the wolong can grant his allies and himself a +1 insight bonus to AC or attack rolls against all enemy creatures (selected at the time this ability is used). This bonus lasts for one minute per wolong level.

Subsequent rounds spent studying his opponents increases this bonus by 1. A second standard action spent studying a foe would grant a +2 bonus to either AC or attack rolls. This bonus may never exceed +2; although, he may grant the bonus to AC and attack rolls if he spends a sufficient number of standard actions accumulating these bonuses.

### Tactician (Ex):

“Let your plans be dark and as impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”

-Sun Tzu

At 1st level, the wolong receives a teamwork feat as a bonus feat. He must meet the prerequisites for this feat. As a standard action, the wolong can grant this feat to all allies within 30 ft. who can see and hear him. Allies retain the use of this bonus feat for three rounds plus one round for every two levels the wolong possesses. Allies do not need to meet the prerequisites of these bonus feats.

At 1st level, the wolong can use this ability once per day. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the wolong gains one additional use per day to a maximum of five total daily uses at 9th level.

This ability stacks with the ability of the same name from the cavalier base class.

### Tactical Movement (Ex):

“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”

-Sun Tzu

At 2nd level, the wolong becomes unpredictable. This class feature has the ability to interrupt the actions of others by freeing the wolong from the normal initiative order. The wolong has no place in the initiative order. Instead, he can take any part of his turn’s action whenever he chooses to. The wolong still has his full turn, but it can be broken into different actions. Any action that is unused at the end of a round may be used as if the wolong was last in the initiative order.

For example: A character with tactical movement could decide to take his move action in the middle of his friend’s turn or an attack action later after the enemies have gone.

When he wants to interrupt an unwilling target (all enemies are unwilling), he must declare what kind of action he is taking and make an opposed initiative check at a -5 penalty. The character with the higher initiative roll’s action is resolved first. If the wolong loses by five or more, his action does not go and is wasted.

At 5th level, the -5 penalty the wolong takes to initiative checks when using this ability is reduced by the wolong’s Intelligence modifier.

### Intelligence Behind the Blade (Ex):

“The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike, or touch the enemy’s cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking, or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him.”

-Miyamoto Musashi

A strong sword arm wins battles, but a keen mind wins wars; and a keen intellect makes a blade all the keener. At 3rd level, the wolong knows when to strike and when to let the enemy think he has won. The wolong can apply his Intelligence modifier up to a maximum of his wolong level when dealing damage with a melee or ranged weapon.

### Comprehend (Ex):

“Know your enemy; know his sword.”

-Miyamoto Musashi

At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the wolong may select one weapon group (as defined in the Fighter’s entry in Chapter 3 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook) and becomes aware of all weapons in the selected weapon group. If an enemy is wielding a weapon of the chosen weapon group, the wolong gains an insight bonus to his AC and CMD equal to his Intelligence modifier (to a maximum of his wolong level) against attacks made with it.

Alternatively, the wolong may select one category of armor (light, medium, or heavy). If an enemy is wearing the selected kind of armor, the wolong gains an insight bonus on combat maneuvers against that creature equal to the wolong’s Intelligence modifier (to a maximum of his wolong level).

### Experimental Weapons (Ex):

"It is easy to kill someone with a slash of a sword. It is hard to be impossible for others to cut down." - Yagyu Munenori

At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the wolong may select one new exotic weapon that he becomes proficient in. In addition, his wolong levels stack with any fighter levels he possesses for the purposes of meeting the prerequisite for feats that specifically select an exotic weapon he learned from his class feature, such as Weapon Specialization.

### Counter-Strike (Ex):

“Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy’s strategy.”

-Sun Tzu

At 4th level, the wolong is able to predict and interrupt an opponent’s attack with one of his own; this includes the ability for the wolong to strike while the enemy is striking him. As an immediate action in response to an attack roll being rolled, the wolong can make an attack roll as well. After both the attacker and the wolong have both rolled their attack rolls, if they have both hit their target (i.e if that have hit each other), they both make an opposed Initiative roll. If the results are within five of each other, both attacks land - the higher number resolving first. If one of the attackers’ initiative check is more than five below the others, that attack does not hit.

Design Note: Remember, an immediate action takes up a swift action on your next turn and can only be performed once in a round. This ability can be used to counter-strike attacks of opportunities.

### Swap (Ex):

“All warfare is based on deception.”

-Sun Tzu

At 6th level, as a swift action, the wolong can swap places with an adjacent ally. He may only do this once per round. This does not take up the movement for the wolong for this turn (Example: He may still make a move action or a 5 foot step).

### Tactical Retreat (Ex):

“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”

At 8th level, once per day per Intelligence modifier, the wolong can act as if he were under the effect of the expeditious retreat spell (using his wolong level as the caster level for the spell).

### Greater Tactician (Ex):

“Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered; those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.”

-Zhuge Liang

At 9th level, the wolong receives an additional teamwork feat as a bonus feat. He must meet the prerequisites for this feat. The wolong can grant this feat to his allies using the tactician ability as a swift action. This ability stacks with the ability of the same name from the cavalier base class.

## Section 15 OGL Copyright Declaration:

Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

System Reference Document. © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Paizo Publishing, LLC.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. © 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary. © 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

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