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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dagredhel" data-source="post: 375593" data-attributes="member: 3421">Re: Re: Re: Practitioner of The Hala (Commando Unarmed Combat)Hi again, Ace.  It's my day off, so time for more comments:4.  I'm not saying that it's not possible to preserve the Hala Practitioner as a 5-level PrC, but if you do, I think you will have to cut back on the special abilities, for reasons of balance.  Rather than scrap some good ideas to fit the level progression, you could extend the class to 10 levels and include more while maintaining balance.5.  I imagine it would also fit your vision of the fighting style.  I can't recall exactly, but doesn't the monk suffer the same percentage of failure as a spellcaster for wearing armor and attempting to use (at least some) of his special abilities?  This is another game mechanic that might be suitable.6. I'm still not completely clear, but the description above does give me a basis for comment.  The Hala Practitioner receives an additional attack per round, either an unarmed strike or an attack with a tiny weapon (assuming he is Medium sized.)  Does this apply only when he is grappling and if so, does he get the extra attack versus the grappled opponent, or a second attacker, or can he use the extra attack against either?  At what BAB is the extra attack made, his highest?Again, 'spending' an AoO is very cheap, IMO.  I really would suggest dropping it.If the ability lets the Hala Practitioner make an attack, basically an AoO, against a second target while maintaining a grapple with his primary opponent, that's pretty cool.  If its not what you were considering, then I'd suggest it might be worth adding to the PrC's repertoire.If the Hala Practitioner is gaining an extra iterative attack to use at his discretion, then I'd suggest using a rule similar to the monk's Flurry of Blows, or maybe even giving the Hala Practitioner an iterative attack progression similar to the monk's that he can use with unarmed strikes, grapples, or tiny (assuming a Medium sized character) weapons.7. If your adamant about making the Hala a 5-level PrC, then you may want to consider Improved Trip as a requirement rather than a bonus feat.  I forget whether it was in the DMG or in one of Monte Cook's articles on his website that he suggests that any feats a prestige class character should definitely have should be requirements rather than a part of the PrC itself, and that the abilities granted by a PrC should be abilities that a character couldn't pick up without the PrC (so as to make them more distinctive, more special.)On the other hand, you might consider requiring only Improved Unarmed Combat or Improved Grapple (either one, not specifically one or the other,) rather than both, and then grant the character the other as a 1st level ability, along with improved damage with unarmed and grappling attacks.  The monk gets both, after all, along with a ton of other goodies at first level, with only an alignment requirement (aside from armor restriction)as a balancer.And while we're on the subject, how about Weapon Focus [Unarmed Strike] or Weapon Focus [Grapple]?  Expertise (if that's what the feat that allows a character to substitute his Dex bonus instead of his Str bonus to a certain type of attack) could substitute for either Weapon Focus, if it were more advantageous to the character.8. IMO, "Breaking Open" would only be balanced if restricted to a single or at most a few uses per day, with increasing usages staggered across levels in the PrC.An alternative that I'd like to suggest (and something completely different,) would be to allow the Hala to retain their Dex bonus to AC when grappling and avoid the usual penalties (an attacker outside the grapple wouldn't gain an attack bonus against the character, and the character wouldn't lose any bonuses lost when a Dex bonus is lost.)  9. Although I continue to urge you away from rules that involve AoOs, I do favor this one.10. Give the Hala a base 1d6 damage with unarmed strike, grapples, and tiny weapons at first level of the PrC.  (Base damage and weapon size assumes a Medium sized character, of course.)  This can increase with level, especially if you were to spread the PrC over 10 of them.One other note: This text is redundant if you're speaking of unarmed strikes and grapples if the character has both Improved Grapple and Improved Unarmed Combat.  If you mean to include weapon attacks as well, that's a whole different story, and it doesn't seem to fit.I look forward to reading your reactions.  I think you've got something good here, the makings of a really great PrC!</blockquote>

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