Breakneck

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Breakneck

Prestige class: Breakneck FOURTH DRAFT

Breaknecks are some the roughest, toughest, most brutal combatants in the Empire, scarfaced brutes who delight in the mad swirling tumble of melee combat, as close and ugly as they can get it.

Breaknecks almost always specialize in small, light weaponry suitable for the sort of agonizing brawls they prefer, and eschew heavy armor for the lethal mobility they crave in the clinch. Despite this, few Breaknecks are extraordinarily dextrous, since grappling is not a game for those who are light on their feet, and instead favors the canny, the relentless, and the strong. The gauntlet on one hand, the battered shortsword clamped in the locking gauntlet on their other hand, and well-worn armor is practically the universal emblem of the Breakneck, but their lethal skills are far more than untrained brawling.

Getting into a brawl with a Breakneck is all good fun until the Breakneck initiates a grapple, at which point all fun ends. The Breakneck knows pressure points, tendon anatomy, joint construction, and the location of surface organs on practically everything alive, once-alive, and similar to anything alive, and they know how to disable them all. Only foes with no anatomy (oozes,constructs) or with no bodies(incorporeal) are safe from a Breakneck's punishing art. If it is unclear whether a Breakneck's abilities will work on a foe, the referee may resolve it with a roll of the Breakneck's Knowledge, Dirty Fighting skill against a DC of the CR (challenge rating) plus Con modifier of the target. The crunching snaps of breaking bones, snapping cartilage, breaking wood, or splintering chitin are all hallmarks of a breaknecks combat, grappled or not.

Breaknecks are largely reviled in Celegia, despite the fact that their unpleasant art is not inherently evil. Their dishonorable reputation preceeds them, as their use of "dirty fighting" is widely disdained, but grudgingly respected for its efficacy. This willingness to fight dirty doesn't equate to eveil, but it does mean that no Breakneck is a big advocate for following the accepted rules of combat, and this essential lawlessness translates into their general world view, where they usually feel that most rules are optional at best.

Not surprisingly, Arrakanza and other barbaric groups in the Empire tend to favor this very rugged class.

Hit Die: d10

Requirements:

Base Attack Bonus: 5 Skills: Knowledge, Dirty Fighting 2 ranks. Feats: Improved Unarmed Combat, Close-Quarters Fighting, Dirty Fighting Alignment: Any non-lawful.

Class Skills:

The Breakneck's skills (and key ability for each skill) are Bluff(Cha), Knowledge (Dirty Fighting) (Int), Intimidate (Str), Gather Information(Cha), and Search (Wis).

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Simple, Martial and Exotic Weapons, light weapons only, Light and Medium armor.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Advancement Table

Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Brutal Scrapper 2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Heavy Puncher, Cagey on the Mat +1 3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Low Blow +1d6 4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Inured To Pain, 3/-,Cagey on the Mat +2 5th +3 +1 +4 +4 Ugly Strike, Spikeuser 6th +4 +2 +5 +5 Deadly Grappler, Cagey on the Mat +3, Low Blow +2d6 7th +5 +2 +5 +5 Killing Blow 8th +6 +2 +6 +6 Battering Blows, Cagey on the Mat +4 9th +6 +3 +6 +6 Inured to Pain, 6/-, Two-Fisted, Low Blow +3d6 10th +7 +3 +7 +7 Breaking Blows, Cagey on the Mat, +5

Class Features:

All the following are class features of the Breakneck prestige class:

Brutal Scrapper(Ex): The Breakneck is treated as if she has the Two Weapon Fighting feat, even if she does not meet the normal requirements.

Heavy Puncher(Ex): Light and unarmed weapons are treated as two handed for Power Attack purposes.

Cagey on the Mat(Ex):Add one half the Breakneck's class level (round down) to all opposed tests made during grapples, such that it favors the Breakneck.

Low Blow(Ex): +1d6 HP damage per hit with light or smaller weaps

Inured to pain(Ex): DR 3/- at 4th level, +3 every five levels.

Ugly Strike(Sp): +1 Str damage per strike with light or smaller weaps, once per round(pick before rolling to hit), at will. Ugly Strike cannot be used in the same round as any other ability damaging class feature.

Deadly Grappler(Sp): The Breakneck now adds her Cagey on the Mat modifier to all HP damage done during grapples.

Killing Blow(Sp): +1 Con damage per strike with light or smaller weaps, once per round, (pick before rolling to hit), at will. Killing Blow cannot be used in the same round as any other ability damaging class feature.

Battering Blows(Su): +1 Str Damage per strike with light or smaller weaps, at will, does not stack with Breaking Blows.

Inured to Pain(Ex): DR 6/-

Two-Fisted(Ex): The Breakneck is treated as if she has the Improved Two Weapon Fighting Feat, even if she does not meet the normal requirements.

Breaking Blows(Su): +1 Con damage per strike with light or smaller weaps, at will.