Hmm, drat, my Aurelian monk Pugilist variant is rather incomplete in special ability descriptions right now, but I'll post what I got. Some of it may be helpful. Something to note, all my Aurelia material is based on 3.0 rules, so a few little terms/abilities may be outdated.
Side note: I really, really want to find out sometime how to put stuff within a 'spoiler' shrinking/expanding box with a button.....
The Pugilist:
Class Attack Fort. Ref. Will
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special
1 +0 +2 +0 +0 Martial Artist, Bonus Feat
2 +1 +3 +0 +0 Martial Arts Talent
3 +2 +3 +1 +1 Bonus Feat
4 +3 +4 +1 +1 Training Focus
5 +3 +4 +1 +1 Bonus Feat
6 +4 +5 +2 +2 Martial Arts Talent, Training Mastery
7 +5 +5 +2 +2 Bonus Feat
8 +6/+1 +6 +2 +2 Training Focus
9 +6/+1 +6 +3 +3 Bonus Feat
10 +7/+2 +7 +3 +3 Martial Arts Talent
11 +8/+3 +7 +3 +3 Bonus Feat
12 +9/+4 +8 +4 +4 Training Focus
13 +9/+4 +8 +4 +4 Bonus Feat, Training Mastery
14 +10/+5 +9 +4 +4 Martial Arts Talent
15 +11/+6/+1 +9 +5 +5 Bonus Feat
16 +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 Training Focus
17 +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 Bonus Feat
18 +13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +6 Martial Arts Talent
19 +14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +6 Bonus Feat
20 +15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +6 Training Mastery, Strengthen
Pugilist Unarmed/Unarmored Combat Capabilities:
Class Unarmed Unarmed Unarmored
Level Base Attack Damage AC Bonuses
1 +0 1d8/1d6 1+Wis
2 +1 1d8/1d6 1+Wis
3 +2 1d8/1d6 1+Wis
4 +3 1d8/1d6 2+Wis
5 +3 1d10/1d8 2+Wis
6 +4/+1 1d10/1d8 2+Wis
7 +5/+2 1d10/1d8 3+Wis
8 +6/+3 1d10/1d8 3+Wis
9 +6/+3 1d12/1d10 3+Wis
10 +7/+4/+1 1d12/1d10 4+Wis
11 +8/+5/+2 1d12/1d10 4+Wis
12 +9/+6/+3 1d12/1d10 4+Wis
13 +9/+6/+3 1d20/1d12 5+Wis
14 +10/+7/+4/+1 1d20/1d12 5+Wis
15 +11/+8/+5/+2 1d20/1d12 5+Wis
16 +12/+9/+6/+3 1d20/1d12 6+Wis
17 +12/+9/+6/+3 2d12/1d20 6+Wis
18 +13/+10/+7/+4/+1 2d12/1d20 6+Wis
19 +14/+11/+8/+5/+2 2d12/1d20 7+Wis
20 +15/+12/+9/+6/+3 2d12/1d20 7+Wis
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The pugilist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Iaijutsu Focus (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (humanoid lore) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (war) (Int), Listen (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A pugilist is proficient with all simple weapons and all martial weapons. However, a pugilist may choose upon taking their first level in this class to forego gaining proficiency in all martial weapons, to instead gain proficiency in the short sword, longsword, butterfly sword, jitte, kama, nunchaku, sai, siangham, shuriken, and tonfa.
Martial Artist: Pugilists train intensively in the martial arts of some sort, and are skilled in fighting with only their bare hands, or perhaps even just their knees, elbows, etc. Thus, pugilists gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat for free at 1st-level. Also, at 1st-level this allows the pugilist, whenever they desire, to deal normal damage with unarmed strikes and grapple checks instead of subdual damage, at no penalty to their attack or damage rolls. This also significantly improves the amount of damage they deal with their unarmed strikes and grapple checks, increasing their damage to 1d8 at 1st-level, 1d10 at 5th, 1d12 at 9th, 1d20 at 13th, and 2d12 at 17th-level. Small pugilists instead increase their unarmed damage to 1d6 at 1st-level, 1d8 at 5th, 1d10 at 9th, 1d12 at 13th, and 1d20 at 17th-level, due to their smaller size and normally lower unarmed damage. Monstrous pugilists with natural weapons, or those polymorphed into such creatures, may also use these damage dice for their natural weapons, if and when these damage values are greater, replacing each die of damage from their natural attacks with an appropriately greater die as mentioned above. Thirdly, a pugilist's martial arts prowess allows them to attack more rapidly unarmed than they would ever be able to with most any weapon. Thus, while unarmed or while wielding a butterfly sword, club, jitte, kama, lajatang, nekode, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, siangham, three-section-staff, or tonfa, or when using natural weapons, with no other weapons but these in their hands, the pugilist may use their Unarmed Base Attack instead of their normal Base Attack Bonus for determining their number of attacks per round and the attack bonus of each. Consult the tables below. Base Attack Bonus does not stack with Unarmed Base Attack, and vice versa.
Pugilist AC Bonuses: Another of the pugilist's many benefits from martial arts training is that they become very good at perceiving and dodging attacks, even better than the more-mystically-minded common monk. This allows a pugilist to add their Wisdom modifier, if positive, to their Armor Class as a dodge bonus that stacks with other bonuses, and is lost whenever the pugilist would be denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, if any. As the pugilist gains levels, this dodge bonus improves, increasing the AC bonus by +1 per three pugilist levels acquired in total, rounded up. The AC bonuses are an extraordinary ability, and do not function when the pugilist wears armor or carries a heavy load.
Flurry of Blows: A pugilist's martial arts prowess allows them to perform a rapid series of attacks. To use Flurry of Blows, the pugilist must take a full-attack action, gaining an additional attack at their highest base attack bonus. However, when using Flurry of Blows, the pugilist suffers a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, including attacks of opportunity, until the beginning of their next turn. Using Flurry of Blows prevents the pugilist from performing any other special full-attack actions in the same turn, such as using the Whirlwind Attack feat. *NEEDS ADDITIONAL QUALIFIER LIMITING TO UNARMED STRIKES AND CERTAIN MONKISH WEAPONS*
Bonus Feats: As pugilists train so much in the martial arts, they learn numerous martial arts techniques ranging from special punches and kicks to special meditation and heightened awareness. Pugilists gain a bonus martial arts feat at 1st-level, and at each odd-numbered pugilist class level thereafter, chosen from the list below.
Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist, and Whirlwind Attack. *LIST INCOMPLETE, HAVEN'T FINISHED*
Martial Arts Talent: Starting at 2nd-level, a pugilist develops a special technique harnessing martial arts. He develops another special ability at every fourth pugilist class level beyond that. These special talents are chosen from amongst the following, each of which may only be gained once, and some of which have prerequisites noted in their description.
Diamond Body (Ex): Something.
Evasion (Ex): Something.
Fast Movement (Ex): Pugilists train to become swift and agile so as to evade attacks, but they also learn to close with enemies quickly, and when a battle cannot be won, a wise pugilist will not fight at all and instead simply retreats to save their energy and life for other times. A pugilist's speed training initially allows them to move a little swifter than the average member of their race, granting them a +10 foot bonus to their base speed. Fast Movement is an extraordinary ability. The pugilist's Fast Movement speed bonus does not apply when the pugilist is wearing armor or carrying a heavy load.
Greater Fast Movement (Ex): With this ability, the pugilist gains an additional +10 foot bonus to their base speed from their Fast Movement Martial Arts Talent. Greater Fast Movement is an extraordinary ability, and only applies when the Fast Movement Martial Arts Talent applies. The pugilist cannot gain Greater Fast Movement as a Martial Arts Talent if it would increase their total base speed beyond double their racial base speed.
Improved Evasion (Ex): Something.
Leap Of The Clouds (Ex): No limit, and adds tumble ranks to jump checks.
Purity Of Body (Ex): Something.
Slow Fall I (Ex): Works up to 40 feet.
Slow Fall II (Ex): Works up to 80 feet.
Training Focus: Pugilists develop some minor talents through the course of their training and practice with various martial arts, alongside the more important milestones they surpass. At 4th-level and every four pugilist levels thereafter, the character gains a Training Focus of their choice from the selection below, and each Training Focus may be gained multiple times.
Attack Focus: Something. Each time this Training Focus is selected, it grants the pugilist a +1 bonus to damage with any single type of weapon they are proficient in, such as the longsword, shortspear, javelin, kama, or shuriken. This damage bonus only applies in situations where the pugilist is proficient in the chosen weapon. Each time this Training Focus is selected, the new copy of Attack Focus must be applied to a different type of weapon.
Basic Feat: This Training Focus represents the development of increased willpower, reaction times, intestinal fortitude, or skill familiarity through a particular concentration of practice amidst the pugilist's main training. Each time this Training Focus is gained, the pugilist receives either Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Quick Draw, Skill Focus, or Toughness, as an additional bonus feat. These feats follow their normal restrictions and prerequisites, so for instance the pugilist cannot gain Iron Will in this way if they already possessed that feat or vice versa. Each copy of Skill Focus gained in this way must be applied to a normal pugilist class skill, as a special extra restriction.
Defense Focus: Something, like +1 dodge AC against either melee or ranged attacks from one enemy each round, with each copy applying against a different enemy.
Resistance Training: Something, grants +1 to a single base saving throw, may choose a different base save each time this is gained.
Stability Training: Something, +2 on balance checks and any checks to resist bull rushes, trips, unbalancing effects, and other undesired movement, each time.
Training Mastery: The pugilist masters a few significant attack or defense methods over time through their martial arts training. At 6th-level and every seventh pugilist level thereafter, the character gains a Training Mastery of their choice from the selection below, and each Training Mastery may be gained multiple times.
Attack Mastery: Something, grants +1 to actual base attack bonus each time, does not apply to unarmed base attack.
Defense Mastery: Something, like +1 dodge AC in general, per copy of this.
Endurance Mastery: Something, grants DR 2/- each time.
Feat Mastery: Something, gains a bonus martial arts feat and a bonus basic feat, each time.
Resistance Mastery: Something, grants +4 to a single base saving throw or +2 to each of two base saving throws, may choose a different base save or pair of saves each time this is gained.
Stability Mastery: Something, like stability training but the bonus is +3, and also applies on checks to force such movement on opponents.
Style Mastery: Something, each time gains a bonus martial arts feat, and one associated martial arts mastery ability for which they must meet all but one feat and/or skill prerequisite, cannot choose a martial arts mastery that provides any benefit that directly improves the use of the disregarded feat or skill.
Weapon Mastery: Something, each time applies to one type of melee weapon they are proficient in, such as the shortspear, allows that weapon to be freely used with flurry of blows, unarmed base attack, and pugilist base unarmed damage instead of its normal base damage, allows weapon to deal subdual damage at no attack roll penalty, and grants +1 to melee damage with the weapon.
Strengthen: At 20th-level the pugilist grows a bit stronger from their training, naturally increasing their Strength score by 1 point.
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), but are there any other varients out there hiding in your house rule books or in your internet bookmarks that you've found that are original or different in some way?
), and I'd love to see what others have done with the concept.
