Martial Artist

Martial Artist is one of the hybrid classes available.

## Abilities

### Martial Cunning

If the Martial Artist's Intelligence score is less than 13, it counts as 13 for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of combat feats.

### Martial Flexibility

A Martial Artist can take a move action to gain the benefit of a combat feat she doesn’t possess. This effect lasts for 1 minute. The Martial Artist must meet all the feat’s prerequisites. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 her Martial Artist level (minimum 1).

The Martial Artist can use this ability again before the duration expires in order to replace the previous combat feat with another choice.

If a combat feat has a daily use limitation (such as Stunning Fist), any uses of that combat feat while using this ability count toward that feat’s daily limit.

At 6th level, a Martial Artist can use this ability to gain the benefit of two combat feats at the same time. She may select one feat as a swift action or two feats as a move action. She may use one of these feats to meet a prerequisite of the second feat; doing so means that she cannot replace a feat currently fulfilling another’s prerequisite without also replacing those feats that require it. Each individual feat selected counts toward her daily uses of this ability.

At 10th level, a Martial Artist can use this ability to gain the benefit of three combat feats at the same time. She may select one feat as a free action, two feats as a swift action, or three feats as a move action. She may use one of the feats to meet a prerequisite of the second and third feats, and use the second feat to meet a prerequisite of the third feat. Each individual feat selected counts toward her daily uses of this ability.

At 12th level, a Martial Artist can use this ability to gain the benefit of one combat feat as an immediate action or three combat feats as a swift action. Each individual feat selected counts toward her daily uses of this ability.

At 20th level, a Martial Artist can use this ability to gain the benefit of any number of combat feats as a swift action. Each feat selected counts toward her daily uses of this ability.

### Strong Fist

At 1st level, a Martial Artist gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A Martial Artist may attack with fists, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a Martial Artist may make unarmed strikes with her hands full. A Martial Artist applies her full Strength modifier (not half ) on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.
Usually, a Martial Artist’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.

A Martial Artist’s unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that modify either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

At 3rd level, his unarmed attacks to be treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

At 7th level, his unarmed attacks are also treated as cold iron and silver for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

At 10th level, his unarmed attacks are also treated as aligned weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

At 16th level, his unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.

A Martial Artist also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than others. The table below lists damage for Small, Medium, and Large Martial Artists.

### Bonus Feats

At 2nd level and every 3 levels thereafter, a Martial Artist gains a bonus combat feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be ones that affect or improve her defenses or melee attacks. The Martial Artist must meet the prerequisites of the selected bonus combat feat.

Upon reaching 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, a Martial Artist can choose to learn a new bonus combat feat in place of a bonus combat feat she has already learned. In effect, the Martial Artist loses the bonus combat feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability. A Martial Artist can only change one feat at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time she gains a new bonus combat feat for the level.

### Martial Flurry

Starting at 2nd level, a Martial Artist can make a Martial Flurry as a full-attack action. When doing so, a Martial Artist has the Dual Wield feat when attacking with any combination of unarmed strikes, weapons from the close Warrior weapon group, or weapons with the “monk” special feature. She does not need to use two different weapons to use this ability.

A Martial Artist applies her full Strength modifier to her damage rolls for all attacks made with Martial Flurry, whether the attacks are made with an off-hand weapon or a weapon wielded in both hands. A Martial Artist can substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of Martial Flurry. A Martial Artist with natural weapons can’t use such weapons as part of Martial Flurry, nor can she make natural weapon attacks in addition to her Martial Flurry attacks.

At 8th level, the Martial Artist gains use of the Improved Dual Wield feat when using Martial Flurry. At 15th level, she gains use of the Greater Dual Wield feat when using Martial Flurry.

### Maneuver Training

At 3rd level, a Martial Artist can select one combat maneuver to receive additional training. She gains a +1 bonus on combat maneuver checks when performing that combat maneuver and a +1 bonus to her CMD when defending against that maneuver.

At 7th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the Martial Artist becomes further trained in another combat maneuver, gaining the above +1 bonus combat maneuver checks and to CMD. In addition, the bonuses granted by all previous maneuver training increase by 1 each. (For example, if a Martial Artist chooses grapple at 3rd level and sunder at 7th level, her bonuses to grapple are +2 and bonuses to sunder are +1. If she then chooses bull rushupon reaching 11th level, her bonuses to grapple are +3, to sunder are +2, and to bull rush are +1.)

### AC Bonus

At 4th level, when a Martial Artist wears light or no armor, she gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC and CMD. This bonus increases by 1 at 9th, 13th, and 18th levels.

These bonuses to AC apply against touch attacks. She loses these bonuses while immobilized or helpless, wearing medium or heavy armor, or carrying a medium or heavy load.

### Knockout

At 4th level, once per day a Martial Artist can unleash a devastating attack that can instantly knock a target unconscious. She must announce this intent before making her attack roll. If the Martial Artist hits and the target takes damage from the blow, the target must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the Martial Artist’s level + the higher of the Martial Artist’s Strength or Dexterity modifier) or fall unconscious for 1d6 rounds. Each round on its turn, the unconscious target may attempt a new saving throw to end the effect as a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Creatures immune to critical hits or nonlethal damage are immune to this ability. At 10th level, the Martial Artist may use this ability twice per day; at 16th level, she may use it three times per day.

### Exploit Weakness

At 7th level, as a swift action, a Martial Artist can observe a creature or object to find its weak point by succeeding at a Wisdom check, adding her Martial Artist level against a DC of 10 + the object’s hardness or the target’s CR. If it succeeds, the Martial Artist gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls until the end of her turn, and any attacks she makes until the end of her turn ignore the creature or object’s DR or hardness.

A Martial Artist can instead use this ability as a swift action to analyze the movements and expressions of one creature within 30 feet, granting a bonus on Sense Motive checks and Reflex saving throws, as well as a dodge bonus to AC against that opponent equal to half her Martial Artist level until the start of her next turn.

### Awesome Blow

At 16th level, the Martial Artist can as a standard action perform an awesome blow combat maneuver against a corporeal creature of her size or smaller. If the combat maneuver check succeeds, the opponent takes damage as if the Martial Artist hit it with the close weapon she is wielding or an unarmed strike, it is knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the Martial Artist’s choice, and it falls prone. The Martial Artist can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can’t move closer to the Martial Artist than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent’s move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent is knocked prone in the space adjacent to the obstacle. (Unlike the Awesome Blow monster feat, the Martial Artist can be of any size to use this ability.)

### Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique

At 18th level, studying the anatomy and spiritual flow of living creatures to so much of an extent allows a Martial Artist to kill opponents with a single, deadly blow, also known as the fabled dim mak. Once per day, as a full-round action, a Martial Artist may use the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique. The Martial Artist makes a touch attack against her victim, and if successful, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half of the Martial Artist’s level + his Strength or Dexterity modifier). If the victim fails this save, its heart will explode once the victim willingly moves at least 25 feet, killing it instantly. This technique is considered a death effect and protection against such will negate it. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, creatures without hearts, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Forced movement does not trigger this and the movement does not have to be all at once or in the same direction, but instead is a cumulative total since the creature became afflicted. A creature suffering from this technique that has not yet died is in a state of extreme physical duress. This results in being exhausted as well as receiving one point of Constitution damage at the start of each turn (if a creature’s Constitution score reaches zero its heart is considered to have exploded). A Martial Artist can remove another Martial Artist’s Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique by expending her daily ability to reverse it as a standard action. A restored creature recovers any Constitution damage suffered because of the technique at a rate of one point per hour. There is no other known cure aside from magical protection against death effects, and there is no other way to remove this status once it is obtained. A Martial Artist is incapable of using this technique on herself, either for harm or to reverse another Martial Artist’s attempt. Anyone that sees the Martial Artist perform this ability may use a Knowledge (History) check (DC 20) to recollect this mythical ability or a Heal check (DC 25) to spot and recognize the consequences of it.

### Improved Awesome Blow

At 20th level, the Martial Artist can use her awesome blow ability as an attack rather than as a standard action. She may use it on creatures of any size. If the maneuver roll is a natural 20, the Martial Artist can immediately attempt to confirm the critical by rolling another combat maneuver check with all the same modifiers as the one just rolled; if the confirmation roll is successful, the attack deals double damage, and the damage from hitting an obstacle (if any) is also doubled.