Rikishi Warrior (Monk/Fighter)

While monks are seen as masters of a variety of maneuvers, holds, and strikes, some focus on a different style of fighting that utilizes strength and physical size to great advantage. Trained in both the ascetic and fighter styles of combat, the rikishi warrior uses his girth to intimidate his enemies, while employing his moves and natural defense to gain an upper hand on the field of battle. (Original Concept by Elghinn Lightbringer)

Primary Class: Monk.

Secondary Class: Fighter.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The rikishi warrior selects three fighter skills to add to his class skills in addition to the normal monk class skills. The rikishi warrior gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The rikishi warrior is proficient with brass knuckles, cestus, club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, siangham, sling, spear, and temple sword. He is not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a rikishi loses his AC bonus and flurry of maneuvers abilities.

Flurry of Maneuvers (Ex): At 1st level, as part of a full-attack action, a rikishi warrior can make one additional combat maneuver, regardless of whether the maneuver normally replaces a melee attack or requires a standard action. The rikishi warrior uses his rikishi warrior level in place of his base attack bonus to determine his CMB for the bonus maneuvers, though all combat maneuver checks suffer a –2 penalty when using a flurry. At 8th level, a rikishi warrior may attempt a second additional combat maneuver, with an additional –3 penalty on combat maneuver checks. At 15th level, a rikishi warrior may attempt a third additional combat maneuver, with an additional –7 penalty on combat maneuver checks. This ability replaces flurry of blows.

Large and in Charge (Ex): A rikishi warrior can prevent opponents from closing inside his reach. When a rikishi warrior makes a successful attack of opportunity against an opponent that is moving inside his threatened area, he can force the opponent into the 5-foot space it was in before it provoked the attack of opportunity. If the attack of opportunity is successful, the rikishi warrior makes an opposed Strength check against his opponent. He gains a +4 bonus to this check, plus an additional +4 bonus for each size category larger that the rikishi warrior is than his opponent, and an additional +1 bonus for every 5 points of damage the rikishi warrior dealt with his attack of opportunity. If this opposed Strength check is successful, his opponent is pushed back 5 feet into the space it just left. An opponent the rikishi warrior pushes cannot move any farther in this round. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 1st level.

Massive Build: The physical stature of a rikishi warrior lets him function in many ways as if he were one size category larger. Whenever a rikishi warrior is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for a Combat Maneuver Bonus or Combat Maneuver Defense (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the rikishi warrior is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A rikishi warrior is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. In addition, due to a rikishi warrior’s physical girth, he has a lift, drag, and carrying capacity equal to a creature one size larger. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this ability stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

To maintain this massive build, the rikishi warrior must consume four times the normal amount of food and drink required by a normal creature of his size each day. For each day that he fails to do so, the rikishi warrior takes a –1 cumulating penalty on all attack rolls and Strength–based skill checks. This penalty ends once he consumes his daily food intake. This ability and mammoth stomp replace fast movement.

Bonus Feat: This is exactly like the monk’s ability of the same name, except that a rikishi warrior may select Deathless Initiate, or any Improved combat maneuver feat (such as Improved Overrun) as a bonus feat. At 6th level and above, he may select Deathless Master or any Greater combat maneuver feat (such as Greater Grapple) as a bonus feat. At 10th level and above, he may select Deathlesss Zealot or any maneuver Strike feat (such as Tripping Strike) as a bonus feat.

In addition, a rikishi warrior may select any combat maneuver with fighter levels as a requirement as a bonus feat. He uses his rikishi warrior level as his fighter level for the purpose of qualifying for these feats.

Iron Warrior (Ex): At 2nd level, a rikishi warrior gains Toughness as a bonus feat. In addition, the rikishi warrior gains a +1 natural armor bonus. This ability replaces evasion.

Maneuver Defense (Ex): At 3rd level, if a rikishi warrior has an Improved combat maneuver feat, any creature attempting that maneuver against the rikishi warrior provokes an attack of opportunity, even if it would not normally do so. This ability replaces still mind.

Bastion Stance (Ex): At 4th level, a rikishi warrior becomes like stone, nearly impossible to move when he stands his ground. If the rikishi warrior starts and ends his turn in the same space, he cannot be knocked prone or forcibly moved until the start of his next turn, except by mind-affecting or teleportation effects. At 16th level, he is immune to any attempts to force him to move, even mind-affecting and teleportation effects. This ability replaces slow fall.

Great Endurance (Ex): At 5th level, a rikishi warrior gains immunity to fatigue. At 10th level, he also gains immunity to exhaustion. This ability replaces purity of body.

Iron Limb Defense (Ex): At 5th level, a rikishi warrior can deflect blows with an active defense that complements his bastion stance. If the rikishi warrior starts and ends his turn in the same space, he gains a +2 shield bonus to AC and CMD until the start of his next turn. As a swift action, he can spend 1 ki point to increase this bonus to +4. This ability replaces high jump.

Mammoth Stomp (Su): At 6th level, a rikishi warrior can spend 1 ki point as a swift action to stomp his foot to precipitate a powerful shock wave in a 20-foot cone that travels along the ground, toppling creatures and loose objects. The shock wave affects only creatures standing on the ground within the effect’s area. Creatures that fail a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the rikishi warrior’s level + the rikishi warrior’s Strength modifier) are thrown to the ground, are prone, and take an amount of nonlethal damage equal to the rikishi warrior’s unarmed damage.

Clever Grappler (Ex): At 7th level, a rikishi warrior takes no penalties to Dexterity or on attack rolls while grappled, and retains his Dexterity bonus to AC while pinning an opponent. The rikishi warrior can make attacks of opportunity even when grappled and even against creatures attempting to grapple him if the opponent has the Improved Grapple feat or the grab ability. This ability replaces wholeness of body.

Adamantine Warrior (Ex): At 9th level, a rikishi warrior has muscles so strong and skin so resilient that he gains DR 1/—. This DR increases by 1 for every three levels thereafter. As a swift action, the rikishi warrior can spend 1 ki point to double his DR until the beginning of his next turn. This ability replaces improved evasion.

Iron Vigil (Ex): At 13th level, a rikishi warrior gains tremendous control over the needs of his physical body. If the rikishi warrior spends 1 hour in mediation, he can ignore the need for life-sustaining nourishment for a 24-hour period, his body and mind become refreshed, and he needs only sleep 2 hours per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. After this 24-hour period ends, the rikishi warrior must rest for 8 consecutive hours. If he fails to do so, he suffers a –2 penalty to all attack and damage rolls, and all Strength–, Dexterity–, and Intelligence–based skill checks until he does. The rikishi warrior can extend this effect for another 24 hours by spending another hour in meditation, but suffers an additional –2 penalty to rolls and skill checks once the ability ends. These penalties increase by an additional –2 for each additional extension of this ability. This ability replaces diamond soul.

Awesome Blow (Ex): At 12th level, the rikishi warrior can, as a standard action, perform an awesome blow combat maneuver against a corporeal creature of his size or smaller. If the combat maneuver check succeeds, the opponent takes damage as if the rikishi warrior hit it with the monk weapon he is wielding or an unarmed strike, it is knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the rikishi warrior's choice, and it falls prone. The rikishi warrior can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can't move closer to the rikishi warrior 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. For each size category that the opponent is smaller than the rikishi warrior, it is knocked flying an additional 5 feet. If the rikishi warrior spend 1 ki point as a swift action, he can increase the distance that the opponent is knocked flying by an additional 10 feet. (Unlike the Awesome Blow monster feat, the rikishi warrior can be of any size to use this ability.) This ability replaces abundant step.

Supreme Toughness (Ex): At 19th level, a rikishi warrior becomes immune to nonlethal damage and the staggered conditions. This ability replaces empty body.

Unarmed Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, any attacks made with the rikishi warrior’s unarmed attacks weapon automatically confirm all critical threats and have their damage multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example). In addition, he cannot be disarmed while wielding a monk weapon while making unarmed attacks. This ability replaces perfect self.

Table: Rishiki Warrior