Lasher
A lasher is a highly specialized whip wielder.
Hit Dice: d8
Requirements
To qualify to become a lasher, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Use Rope 4 ranks
Feats: Weapon Focus (Whip), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip)
Class Skills
The Lasher’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Sleight of Hand (Dex) and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the lasher prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A lasher gains no proficiency with any weapons or armor.
Whip Sneak Attack (Ex): A lasher gains the sneak attack ability if he does not already have it, but the extra damage applies only to sneak attacks made with a whip. When making a sneak attack with a whip, he deals an extra 1d6 points of damage at 1st level, and this increases to 2d6 at 5th level and to 3d6 at 9th level. If he already has the sneak attack ability from a previous class, the applicable bonuses on damage rolls stack.
Close Combat (Ex): A lasher can attack with a whip while in a threatened square and not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Whip Lash (Ex): A lasher can make attacks of opportunity with his whip against foes within 5 feet as if it were a melee weapon.
Wound (Ex): At 1st level, a lasher can use a whip to deal regular damage to an opponent, instead of subdual damage, at his option. This allows the lasher to inflict damage on creatures with an armor bonus of +1 or better or a natural armor bonus of +3 or better. If using the whip to deal subdual damage, it deals no damage to creatures with a +1 or more armor bonus or +3 or more natural armor (as usual).
Improved Trip (Ex): A lasher who attains 2nd level gains Improved Trip as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The benefits of Improved Trip only apply when he uses a whip to perform the trip attack.
Third Hand (Ex): At 2nd level, a lasher’s precision with the whip allows him to use it almost like a third hand – a third hand at the end of a flexible 15-foot long arm. He gains a +4 circumstance bonus to any Use Rope, Climb or Jump checks made while using a whip. Further, as a move action he may make an attack roll vs. DC 15 to push a button, snuff a candle, flick a coin along the ground or perform a similar action against a target within the reach of his whip. As a standard action, he may make an attack roll vs. DC 20 against an eligible target to retrieve an unattended object of 20 pounds or less and deposit it into his hand.
Snaring Whip (Ex): A lasher may use his whip to entangle foes beginning at 3rd level. When using a whip in this way, he makes a ranged touch attack against his target. If he hits, the target is entangled. An entangled creature takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty on Dexterity. He may hold onto the whip by succeeding an opposed Strength check with the target creature; if successful the entangled creature can only move within the range of the whip while entangled. While using his whip in this way, a lasher cannot use it to make normal attacks. An entangled creature must succeed a DC 15 concentration check or be unable to cast a spell.
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 20 Escape Artist check (a full-round action). The whip has 10 hit points and can be burst with a DC 25 strength check (also a full-round action).
Lashing Whip (Ex): At 4th level, a lasher adds a +2 damage bonus to all attacks made with a whip. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level.
Improved Whip Lash (Ex): A lasher can make attacks of opportunity with his whip against foes within 10 feet as if it were a melee weapon.
Improved Disarm (Ex): A lasher who attains 6th level gains Improved Disarm as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The benefits of Improved Disarm only apply when he uses a whip to perform the disarm attempt.
Stunning Snap (Ex): A lasher of 7th level may stun opponents with a deft crack of his whip. You must declare that you are using this ability before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Snap forces a foe damaged by your whip attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + your lasher level + your Dex modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for 1 round (until just before your next action). A stunned character can’t act, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes a –2 penalty to AC. You may attempt a stunning attack once per day plus an additional once per day for every two lasher levels you have attained, and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned.
Binding Whip (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, when a lasher entangles an opponent using his Snaring Whip ability, he may start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. He gains a +4 bonus on all grapple checks made while using this ability and does not need to move into his targets square to maintain the grapple.
He does not lose his Dexterity bonus while grappling using the Binding Whip ability. If he has a weapon in his off-hand, he may use it to attack normally (with only the standard penalties for attacking with a second weapon) but he cannot use his whip to attack. He threatens areas as normal with an off-hand weapon but does not threaten with his whip. While using Binding Whip, he may damage his opponent with his whip as normal by succeeding an opposed grapple check.
However, he may not use an opponent’s weapon against him on a successful grapple check or attempt to disarm a pinned opponent without entering the opponent’s square and engaging in a standard grappling action.
A grappled character cannot use Escape Artist or burst the whip to escape against the DC set by the Snaring Whip ability; they must use the normal grappling rules to escape a Binding Whip.
Greater Whip Lash (Ex): A lasher can make attacks of opportunity with his whip against foes within 15 feet as if it were a melee weapon.
Notes: I've always personally liked the whip; whether it's being used by Indiana Jones, those guys from "The Rundown" or that one guy in the pink suit from "X".
One of the players in my group really wants to do a whip fighter but the lasher (from Sword & Fist) wasn't ever updated into 3.5, to the best of our knowledge. So, working with him I've come up with this variant version.
I didn't like the flurry of whips ability that the original version gained and I really didn't think the 10th level feature was balanced. So I've re-written a big chunk of the class features and dropped the HD down to d8 from d10.
A lasher is a highly specialized whip wielder.
Code:
[b]Table: The Lasher[/b]
[B]Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special[/B]
1st +1 +0 +2 +0 Whip Sneak Attack +1d6, Close Combat, Whip Lash, Wound
2nd +2 +0 +3 +0 Improved Trip, Third Hand
3rd +3 +1 +3 +1 Snaring Whip
4th +4 +1 +4 +1 Lashing Whip +2
5th +5 +1 +4 +1 Whip Sneak Attack +2d6, Improved Whip Lash
6th +6 +2 +5 +2 Improved Disarm
7th +7 +2 +5 +2 Stunning Snap
8th +8 +2 +6 +2 Lashing Whip +4
9th +9 +3 +6 +3 Whip Sneak Attack +3d6, Binding Whip
10th +10 +3 +7 +3 Greater Whip LashRequirements
To qualify to become a lasher, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Use Rope 4 ranks
Feats: Weapon Focus (Whip), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip)
Class Skills
The Lasher’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Sleight of Hand (Dex) and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the lasher prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A lasher gains no proficiency with any weapons or armor.
Whip Sneak Attack (Ex): A lasher gains the sneak attack ability if he does not already have it, but the extra damage applies only to sneak attacks made with a whip. When making a sneak attack with a whip, he deals an extra 1d6 points of damage at 1st level, and this increases to 2d6 at 5th level and to 3d6 at 9th level. If he already has the sneak attack ability from a previous class, the applicable bonuses on damage rolls stack.
Close Combat (Ex): A lasher can attack with a whip while in a threatened square and not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Whip Lash (Ex): A lasher can make attacks of opportunity with his whip against foes within 5 feet as if it were a melee weapon.
Wound (Ex): At 1st level, a lasher can use a whip to deal regular damage to an opponent, instead of subdual damage, at his option. This allows the lasher to inflict damage on creatures with an armor bonus of +1 or better or a natural armor bonus of +3 or better. If using the whip to deal subdual damage, it deals no damage to creatures with a +1 or more armor bonus or +3 or more natural armor (as usual).
Improved Trip (Ex): A lasher who attains 2nd level gains Improved Trip as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The benefits of Improved Trip only apply when he uses a whip to perform the trip attack.
Third Hand (Ex): At 2nd level, a lasher’s precision with the whip allows him to use it almost like a third hand – a third hand at the end of a flexible 15-foot long arm. He gains a +4 circumstance bonus to any Use Rope, Climb or Jump checks made while using a whip. Further, as a move action he may make an attack roll vs. DC 15 to push a button, snuff a candle, flick a coin along the ground or perform a similar action against a target within the reach of his whip. As a standard action, he may make an attack roll vs. DC 20 against an eligible target to retrieve an unattended object of 20 pounds or less and deposit it into his hand.
Snaring Whip (Ex): A lasher may use his whip to entangle foes beginning at 3rd level. When using a whip in this way, he makes a ranged touch attack against his target. If he hits, the target is entangled. An entangled creature takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty on Dexterity. He may hold onto the whip by succeeding an opposed Strength check with the target creature; if successful the entangled creature can only move within the range of the whip while entangled. While using his whip in this way, a lasher cannot use it to make normal attacks. An entangled creature must succeed a DC 15 concentration check or be unable to cast a spell.
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 20 Escape Artist check (a full-round action). The whip has 10 hit points and can be burst with a DC 25 strength check (also a full-round action).
Lashing Whip (Ex): At 4th level, a lasher adds a +2 damage bonus to all attacks made with a whip. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level.
Improved Whip Lash (Ex): A lasher can make attacks of opportunity with his whip against foes within 10 feet as if it were a melee weapon.
Improved Disarm (Ex): A lasher who attains 6th level gains Improved Disarm as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The benefits of Improved Disarm only apply when he uses a whip to perform the disarm attempt.
Stunning Snap (Ex): A lasher of 7th level may stun opponents with a deft crack of his whip. You must declare that you are using this ability before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Snap forces a foe damaged by your whip attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + your lasher level + your Dex modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for 1 round (until just before your next action). A stunned character can’t act, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes a –2 penalty to AC. You may attempt a stunning attack once per day plus an additional once per day for every two lasher levels you have attained, and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned.
Binding Whip (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, when a lasher entangles an opponent using his Snaring Whip ability, he may start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. He gains a +4 bonus on all grapple checks made while using this ability and does not need to move into his targets square to maintain the grapple.
He does not lose his Dexterity bonus while grappling using the Binding Whip ability. If he has a weapon in his off-hand, he may use it to attack normally (with only the standard penalties for attacking with a second weapon) but he cannot use his whip to attack. He threatens areas as normal with an off-hand weapon but does not threaten with his whip. While using Binding Whip, he may damage his opponent with his whip as normal by succeeding an opposed grapple check.
However, he may not use an opponent’s weapon against him on a successful grapple check or attempt to disarm a pinned opponent without entering the opponent’s square and engaging in a standard grappling action.
A grappled character cannot use Escape Artist or burst the whip to escape against the DC set by the Snaring Whip ability; they must use the normal grappling rules to escape a Binding Whip.
Greater Whip Lash (Ex): A lasher can make attacks of opportunity with his whip against foes within 15 feet as if it were a melee weapon.
Notes: I've always personally liked the whip; whether it's being used by Indiana Jones, those guys from "The Rundown" or that one guy in the pink suit from "X".
One of the players in my group really wants to do a whip fighter but the lasher (from Sword & Fist) wasn't ever updated into 3.5, to the best of our knowledge. So, working with him I've come up with this variant version.
I didn't like the flurry of whips ability that the original version gained and I really didn't think the 10th level feature was balanced. So I've re-written a big chunk of the class features and dropped the HD down to d8 from d10.
