Astral Fist

The Order of the Astral Fist is a group of psionic monks who believe that an ancient slumbering monster known as the *eth-xadeo* will awaken and send hordes of ancient evils to destroy the material plane. To train for this event, the members of this order study the astral plane and its inhabitants, honing their psionic abilities to be especially dangerous towards them. The most important initiation rite for the order is the Rite of Earthly Sacrifice, in which the astral fist’s hand is removed and replaced with a hand made from ectoplasm.

*Note:* This prestige class could easily be used without the order of the astral fist. A gamemaster could change the hand-loss event to anything she sees fit, be it a quest or an accident or some other organization.

**Role:** Astral fists are cunning and clever, using their intellect and psionic abilities to overcome any challenge. They use adventure to test their skills, preparing for the supposedly inevitable *eth-xadeo*. Unlike most monks, astral fists shift away from front-line combat, further removing themselves as they grow in level.

**Alignment:** Due to their order’s code, astral fists must be lawful and cannot be evil. While some astral fists are focused on the greater good, others are so involved in their work that their mission outweighs any moral obligations.

**Hit Die:** d8

### REQUIREMENTS

To qualify to become an astral fist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

* **Alignment:** Any lawful and non-evil.
* **Skills:** Knowledge (psionics) 6 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 6 ranks.
* **Psionics:** Able to manifest 2nd-level powers.
* **Special:** Must possess the Flurry of Blows ability.

Additionally, the character must be part of the Order of the Astral Fist and have reached a point in their initiation with the order where they are ready to be ordained with the Rite of Earthly Sacrifice.

**CLASS SKILLS:** The astral fist’s class skills are Autohypnosis (Wis), and Knowledge (all) (Int).

**Skill Ranks Per Level:** 2 + Int modifier.

### CLASS FEATURES

The following are the class features of the astral fist.

### **Weapon and Armor Proficiency**

Astral fists gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

### **Manifesting**

At each level indicated on Table 5-1: The Astral Fist, an astral fist gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if she had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, and so on). This essentially means that she adds the level of astral fist to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, and then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly. If a character had more than one manifesting class before she became an astral fist, she must decide to which class she adds the new level of collider for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level. If the character did not belong to a manifesting class before taking this prestige class, she does not gain manifesting levels.

### **Monk Abilities**

An astral fist’s class levels stack with her monk levels for the purpose of determining her unarmed damage, bonuses to Armor Class, unarmored speed, and flurry of blows. Her class levels do not apply to other monk abilities such as slow fall, ki strike abilities, and so on.

### **Astral Hand (Su)**

At 1st level, an astral fist undergoes the Rite of Earthly Sacrifice. The astral fist’s dominant hand is placed in a box known as the *xi-b’nopa*. When the box is closed, it becomes a void of nonexistence, destroying anything inside. The astral fist’s dominant hand is severed in a clean stump at the wrist. She takes 4d6 nonlethal damage from this, and must succeed a DC 20 Fortitude save or fall unconscious from the pain.

Left in its place is a translucent hand made from ectoplasm drawn from the astral plane: an astral hand. This astral hand is functionally identical to the astral fist’s hand before (in that it can carry weapons, perform skills, wear gloves and psionic or magic items, etc), except for the following ways described below.

The astral hand can be detached from the astral fist’s body, gaining reach as indicated on Table 5-1: The Astral Fist. This ability can be used to make unarmed strikes or deliver touch powers, but cannot be used to wield a weapon. Unlike normal reach weapons, an astral fist may also attack adjacent opponents with her astral hand.

Alternatively, the astral hand can be used to manipulate objects as if the astral fist had manifested the *far hand* power at-will with a manifester level equal to the astral fist’s character level. When using this ability in this way, the power’s range is equal to the astral fist’s astral hand range.

Despite being made from ectoplasm, unarmed strikes from the astral fist do not count as *ghost touch* weapons unless the astral fist gains the incorporeal fist astral talent (see below). Additionally, the astral fist cannot use this ability to initiate a grapple or make flurry of blows attacks.

### **Astral Sense (Su)**

An astral fist can sense the presence of incorporeal enemies and outsiders from the astral plane within 30 feet of herself, even if they are hidden by darkness or walls, but she cannot discern their exact location. At 7th level, the range of this ability increases to 60 feet.

### **Astral Talent**

Beginning at 3rd level, an astral fist may choose one of a number of variations on her astral hand ability, as well as gaining similar abilities that relate to her order’s astral goals. Some astral talents require prerequisites that must be met before they can be chosen. The astral fist gains an additional astral talent every 2 levels thereafter. See “Astral Talents” below for the full list of astral talents.

### **Bonus Feat**

At 4th and 8th level, the astral fist gains a feat from the following list: Greater Psionic Fist, Psionic Fist, Psionic Unarmed Strike, Shattered Dream Strike, or any style feat. The astral fist must meet all the prerequisites for this bonus feat.

### **Dual Astral Hands (Su)**

At 10th level, the astral fist undergoes a second Rite of Earthly Sacrifice, severing their other hand with the xi-b’nopa and replacing it with a second astral hand. This astral hand has the same range and abilities as the astral fist’s first astral hand.

She can use her astral hands to make flurry of blows attacks at a distance, initiate a grapple, and perform any other task at a distance that would require two hands.

## ASTRAL TALENTS

*Astral Enemy (Ex):* The astral fist has studied her enemies from the astral realm and knows their weaknesses. She gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against any creature she recognizes to be from the astral realm. Additionally, She gets a +2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against them. An astral fist may make Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify these creatures.

*Astral Feet (Su):* In a similar ceremony to the Rite of Earthly Sacrifice, the astral fist’s feet are severed and replaced with ectoplasmic ones. This ritual functions as if the astral fist had just undergone two Rites of Earthly Sacrifice: she takes nonlethal damage twice, and she must make two separate Fortitude saves to avoid falling unconscious from the pain.

Unlike her astral hand, the astral feet cannot be used at quite a distance. These astral feet function identically to how the astral fist’s feet normally would except for the following ways described below.

As long as she maintains her psionic focus, the astral fist gains a fly speed of 10 feet (average). Additionally, while flying, she can expend her psionic focus to make a number of kicks against her opponent with her astral feet. The astral fist can use her full flurry of blows attack, treating her astral feet as her astral hands, gaining all of the astral hand’s abilities aside from its range. The astral fist must be 7th level to select this astral talent.

*Critical Fist (Su):* Any time an astral fist with this talent successfully confirms a critical hit, she can expend her psionic focus to manifest a power as a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The power must include the target of the attack as one its targets or in its area of effect. Manifesting this power costs 4pp more than usual, and the power is considered to be a Quickened power. The astral fist must be 9th level to select this astral talent.

*Distant Fist (Su):* By expending her psionic focus, an astral fist can use her astral hand to make a single unarmed strike against at double her normal astral hand reach.

*Exploding Fist (Su):* The astral fist can charge her unarmed strikes with her astral hand with violent psychic energy, causing them to explode upon impact. If the astral fist successfully hits with an unarmed strike using her astral hand, it causes splash damage to all adjacent creatures. The splash damage is equal to ½ the astral fist’s class level. The astral fist must decide whether or not to use this ability before she makes her attack.

*Improved Astral Enemy (Ex):* The astral fist has studied her extraplanar enemies extensively. Her bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against any creature she recognizes to be from the astral realm increases to +4. Additionally, she gets a +2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against them. The astral fist must have the astral enemy astral talent to select this astral talent.

*Improved Distant Fist (Su):* By expending her psionic focus, an astral fist can use her astral hand to make a single unarmed strike against any opponent the astral fist has a line of effect to. The astral fist must have the distant fist astral talent and be 7th level to select this astral talent.

*Incorporeal Fist (Su):* The astral fist learns to use her astral hand against incorporeal enemies. Her astral hand gains the *ghost touch* weapon ability.