CLASS SKILLS A sohei's class skills (and the key ability for each school) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Iaijutsu Focus (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), and Profession (Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions. The Iaijutsu Focus skill is described in Chapter 4 of this book . Skill Points at 1st level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier. CLASS FEATURES The following are class features of the sohei. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sohei are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all armor (but no shields) . Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, andTumble . Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried. Weapon Focus: Sohei gain Weapon Focus with a weapon of their choice as a bonus feat . Many sohei choose the naginata, the traditional weapon of the sohei . Spells : Beginning at 4th level, a sohei gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells . To cast a spell, the sohei must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level, so a sohei with a Wisdom of 1o or lower cannot cast these spells . Sohei bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a Difficulty Class of 10 + spell level + Wisdom modifier . When the sohei gets o spells of a given level, such as 0 1st-level spells at 4th level, the sohei gets only bonus spells . A sohei without a bonus spell for that level cannot yet cast a spell of that level. The sohei's spell list appears in Chapter 7. A sohei has access to any spell on the list and can freely choose which to prepare . A sohei prepares and casts spells just as a cleric or shaman does. Through 3rd level, a sohei has no caster level. Starting at 4th level, a sohei's caster level is one-half her class level. Ki Frenzy: Starting at 1st level, a sohei gains the ability to focus her ki power into a frenzy of berserk energy. In this frenzied state, she temporarily gains +2 to strength and +2 to Dexterity. Her speed increases by 10 feet, and she can choose to make a flurry of blows with a full attack action in melee, making one extra attack per round while suffering a -2 penalty on every attack .
While in a ki frenzy, a sohei cannot use skills or abilities that require patience or concentration, such as moving silently or casting spells . (She cannot use any class skills in a frenzy.) She can use any feat she might have except for Expertise, item creation feats, metamagic feats, and Skill Focus (if it's tied to a skill that requires patience or concentration) . A ki frenzy lasts for a number of rounds equal to three + the sohei's Constitution modifier. The sohei may prematurely end the frenzy voluntarily. At the end of the frenzy, the sohei is fatigued (-2 to Strength, -2 to Dexterity, can't charge or run) for the duration of that encounter. The sohei can only enter a frenzy once per encounter, and only a certain number of times per day (determined by level) . Entering a frenzy takes no time itself, but the sohei can only do it during her action, not in response to somebody else's action . Deflect Arrows : At 3rd level, sohei gains the Deflect Arrows feat (see Feats in the Player's Handbook), even if she doesn't have the prerequisite feat and Dexterity score. Remain Conscious: At 5th level, a sohei gains the Remain Conscious feat (see Chapter 4 in this book), even if she doesn't have the prerequisite feats. Strength of Mind : A sohei of at least 5th level is immune to stunning and sleep spells and effects. Defensive Strike : At 7th level, a sohei gains the Defensive Strike feat (see Chapter 4 in this book), even if she doesn't have the prerequisite feats and ability scores . Mettle : The sohei's special blessing allows her to shrug off magical effects that would otherwise damage or harm her. If a sohei of at least 9th level makes a successful Will or Fortitude saving throw that would normally reduce the spell's effect, she suffers no effect from the spell at all. Only those spells with a Saving Throw entry of "Will partial," "Fortitude half," or similar entries can be negated through this ability. Damage Reduction: Starting at 11th level, the sohei gains the extraordinary ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow or attack. Subtract 1 from the damage the sohei takes each time she is dealt damage . At 14th level, this damage reduction rises to 2. At 17th, it rises to 3. At 20th, it rises to 4. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0. EX-SOHEI
A sohei who becomes nonlawful loses all spells and her ki frenzy ability. She also may not progress in levels as a sohei. She regains her spells and ki frenzy ability if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description in the Player's Handbook), as appropriate .
