Shen

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The Shen is a Prestige Class for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition tucked away in the pages of Dragon Magazine #319. It can be basically summed up as the D&D version of the famous "Animal Kung Fu Styles", being a class for martial artists who practice a specific animal-inspired fighting style and blend it with kung fu magic to the point they can transform into a anthro version of their totem beast. Obviously, this PrC is best suited for Monks, though anyone who is interested in unarmored ass-kicking may find it potentially useful.

What makes the Shen more unique than some is that it's technically 7 prestige classes; there are seven Shen styles - Crane, Dragon, Mantis, Monkey, Panther, Snake and Tiger - and each has its own unique abilities and prerequisites. The article even says that "each animal Shen is treated as a different prestige class", so theoretically you could take multiple Shen PrCs from different styles.

All Shens are 10 level Prestige Classes which have a D8 Hit Die and these base requirements:

Base Attack Bonus: +5

Skills: Knowledge (Nature) 2, Survival 3

Feat: Improved Unarmed Strikes

They also all gain the following core class features: Unarmed AC Bonus (as per Monk, stacks with Monk), Unarmed Damage (ditto), Ki Strike (Silver) at 4th level, Uncanny Dodge at 5th level, Evasion at 6th level, Improved Uncanny Dodge at 7th level, and the unique PrC features Hybrid Form, Shen Ability, and Wild Spirit.

Hybrid Form (Su) is gained at 3rd level and can be sed once per day, gaining bonus uses per day at every 2nd level (5th, 7th, 9th). Activating Hybrid Form is a Standard Action that provokes Attacks of Opportunity, but the transformation grants the Shen's unarmed attacks the Ghost Strike property (including letting them grapple incorporeal creatures - yes, you can chokeslam a ghost), heals damage as per a day's rest, and lasts for 1 minute per 2 class levels. Each Shen's hybrid form also grants its own specific bonuses.

Shen Ability is the secondary meat of the sandwich, after Hybrid Form. At every even level (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), the Shen gains a special ability based on which Animal Shen they are actually following the path of.

Wild Spirit (Ex) grants the shen a +4 bonus to all saves agaionst effects that specifically target humanoids, and forces Animal Type creatures to need to pass a Will save (DC 10 + shen's level + shen's Cha modifier) to be able to charge or attack the shen.

Crane Shen

The Crane shen's combat style emphasizes agility and defensive fighting, combining swift dodges and parries, evasive footwork and powerful jumps with high kicks, wide arcing punches, and "crane's beak" hand-thrusts. The style is very popular with elves, thanks to its combination of graceful movements and dramatic, beautiful stances.

In Hybrid Form, a Crane shen gains +2 Dexterity and can Fly with Good Manueverability at a speed equal to 1/2 their land speed.

Additional Requirements: Combat Expertise, Dodge, Balance 5 ranks, Jump 5 ranks.

Additional Class Skills: Bluff

1st Shen Ability - Gather The Blossoms (Ex): You gain Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat. When in hybrid form, you can also deflect Magic Missile, Melf's Acid Arrow, and any Ray spell of 2nd level or lower.

2nd Shen Ability - Defensive Mastery (Ex): You gain a +2 Armor Class when fighting defensively, using Combat Expertise or using the total defense option, which stacks with the normal AC boost from using the relevant option.

3rd Shen Ability - Wuxia (Ex): You get a +10 competence bonus on Jump checks and always count as having made a jump with a running start.

4th Shen Ability - Slay the Ape (Su): Once per day per 2 shen levels, as a full attack action, you can make a single attack at your highest attack bonus. If this hits, the target must pass a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or be blinded, even if wearing armor or using a supernatural sense like blindsight or tremorsense.

5th Shen Ability - Crane Dances in the Shallows (Su): You can move and stand on top of water or any other liquid medium as if it were solid ground for a total of 2 rounds per crane shen level each day. This doesn't protect you from damage if you try to walk or stand on acid or lava or whatever, but you do get a +4 bonus to any saving throws this prompts.

Dragon Shen

Dragon shens combine martial arts inspired by the coiling and whipping movements of an Oriental Dragon with the cultivation of their ki through meditation and esoteric breathing patterns.

In Hybrid Form, a Dragon shen gains +2 Strength and +2 Constitution, and can choose to do Slashing damage with its unarmed strikes.

Additional Requirements: Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strikes), Concentration 4 ranks, Intimidate 3 ranks

Additional Class Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidation

1st Shen Ability - Heart of the Dragon (Ex): You gain Great Fortitude as a bonus feat.

2nd Shen Ability - Mandate of Heaven (Ex): You gain Iron Will as a bonus feat.

3rd Shen Ability - Celestial Emperor's Blessing (Sp): You can unleash the Celestial Emperor's Blessing once per day per 2 class levels as a standard action. This functions like a Burning Hands spell (caster level equal to your class level), except it can do acid, cold, electric or fire damage.

4th Shen Ability - Four Hidden Sounds (Su): As a free action, once per day per two class levels, you can imbue your unarmed strikes for the next round with elemental energy, doing +1d6 Acid, Cold, Electric or Fire damage (you choose which each time you use this ability).

5th Shen Ability - Heaven's Hand (Ex): Once per day, for 1 round, you can resolve your unarmed strikes as if both you and your targets with standing in an antimagic field.

Mantis Shen

Characterized by its use of the "mantis fist" punch, in which the practitioner bends their wrist and uses their extended finger and thumb to focus their striking damage, mantis shen style emphasizes quickly-delivered precision brutality; joint locks, trips, disarms and fast strikes to eyes, temple and throat are the signature methods of these shen.

In Hybrid Form, a Mantis shen gains +4 natural armor bonus and the Improved Grab feat, and can choose whether to do bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage with its unarmed strikes.

Additional Requirements: Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Concentration 2 ranks, Escape Artist 5 ranks.

Additional Class Skills: Intimidate

1st Shen Ability - Improved Grapple (Ex): You gain Improved Grapple, if you lack it, or increase your Grapple bonus to +6 if you do.

2nd Shen Ability - Chi Sau (Ex): You gain Blind-Fight as a bonus feat.

3rd Shen Ability - Defang the Snake (Ex): You no longer suffer penalties for using light weapons or unarmed strikes to disarm foes.

4th Shen Ability - Superior Trip (Ex): When you trip a target, the foe also takes damage as if you hit them with an unarmed strike.

5th Shen Ability - One Finger Strike (Ex): Once per day per mantis shen level, you can declare a successful unarmed strike to be a One Finger Strike, causing the target to also take 1 Constitution damage due to blood loss. This ability doesn't affect creatures immune to critical hits.

Monkey Shen

Characterized by chaotic acrobatics and footwork that allows them to quickily strike from every angle with hands, feet and quarterstaff, monkey style shens are often misjudged as clowns and fools by the unwise.

In Hybrid Form, a Monkey shen gains +4 Dexterity, a Climb speed equal to their base land speed, and the ability to use their feet like hands to do anything except for cast a spell.

Additional Requirements: Weapon Focus (Quarterstaff), Balance 5 ranks, Tumble 5 ranks

Additional Class Skills: Bluff, Perform

1st Shen Ability - Tall Monkey (Ex): You automatically succeed on Jump checks made to leap onto any inanimate object equal to you in height or smaller.

2nd Shen Ability - Clever Monkey (Ex): You gain the benefits of Improved Two-Weapon FIghting when using unarmed strikes or a quarterstaff - if you already have that feat, you instead gain the benefits of Greater Two-Weapon Fighting when using unarmed strikes or a quarterstaff. If you already have that feat, then you're shit out of luck and gain no bonus from this Shen Ability.

3rd Shen Ability - Monkey King Staff (Ex): You can utilize Weapon Finesse with both ends of a quarterstaff, and deliver a Stunning Fist attack with a quarterstaff.

4th Shen Ability - Drunken Monkey (Ex): You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC when you provoke an attack of opportunity due to moving through a threatened area.

5th Shen Ability - Tumbling Boxing (ex): You can always take 10 when attempting a tumbling manuever, and if you are tripped or overrun, you can instantly regain your footing by passing a DC (10 + opponent's Strength score) Tumble check - this even negates the follow-up free attack from Improved Trip, if your assailant has it.

Panther Shen

Also known as leopard shens, these warriors practice a style often likened to a combination of Crane and Dragon, with the former's speed and agility married to the latter's power and combined with an emphasis on stealth all the panther shen's own. Panther shens prefer to punch rather than kick like a Crane shen, and their signature element is the panther fist, where the first two fingers are curled towards the palm.

In Hybrid Form, a Panther shen gains +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, the benefits of the Spring Attack feat, and the ability to do either bludgeoning or slashing damage with unarmed strikes.

Additional Requirements: Improverd Initiative, Hide 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks

Additional Class Skills: Search

1st Shen Ability - Panther Step (Ex): You gain an unarmored speed bonus like a Monk, and your panther shen levels stack with your monk levels to determine your speed boost.

2nd Shen Ability - Like the Wind (Ex): You gain Lightning Reflxes as a bonus feat.

3rd Shen Ability - Chain Punches (Ex): You only suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls when using Flurry of Blows.

4th Shen Ability - Seize the Moment (Ex): You gain a +4 bonus to Initiative.

5th Shen Ability - Swift Reprisal (Ex): If an opponent in your threatened area makes a melee attack against you and misses, you can immediately make an attack of opportunity against them.

Snake Shen

Snake shen center their unique fighting styles on exploiting the body's pressure points and meridian lines, allowing them to know where the body is most vulonerable to damage. This medicinal knowledge means that snake shens prize intelligence, but are also much in demand as doctors and healers as well as warriors.

In Hybrid Form, a Snake shen gains +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, and a Bite Attack that does Piercing damage equal to the shen's unarmed strike damage.

Additional Requirements: Stunning Fist, Concentration 4 ranks, Heal 2 ranks

Additional Class Skills: Heal, Profession

1st Shen Ability - Stunning Blow (Ex): You can use Intelligence instead of Wisdom when making a Stunning Fist attack, and can use it +1 time per day.

2nd Shen Ability - Calculated Blow (Ex): You gain Improved Critical (Unarmed Strike) as a bonus feat.

3rd Shen Ability - Hands of a Surgeon (Ex): When using unarmed strikes against a humanoid opponent that is not a Construct, Undead, incorporeal or immunity to critical hits, your damage modifier keys off of Intelligence rather than Strength and you threaten a critical on an 18-20.

4th Shen Ability - Poison Hand Method (Ex): Once per day per class level, you can declare you are using Poison Hand Method when you make an unarmed strike. If this attack hits, it's automatically a critical hit. Obviously, this doesn't work on creatures immune to critical hits.

5th Shen Ability - Healing Touch (Su): Once per day per 2 snake shen levels, as a full round action, you can grant yourself or a creature you can touch one of the following benefits: heal HP equal to a day's rest, neutralize poison, cure blindness or deafness, remove paralysis, or cancel a Hold spell.

Tiger Shen

Brute force is the focus of the Tiger shen's fighting style, signature to which is the use of the tiger claw hand strike. These fighters weather blows and rend their enemies limb from limb with brutal ferocity, earning them a fearsome reputation .

In Hybrid Form, a Tiger shen gains +4 Strength and, like the Panther shen, can choose to deal either bludgeoning or slashing damage with unarmed strikes.

Additional Requirements: Power Attack, Concentration 2 ranks, Intimidate 4 ranks

Additional Class Skills: Intimidate

1st Shen Ability - Paralyzing Stroke (Ex): Once per day per shen level, you can make a Paralyzing Stroke as a full-round action. To do so, you make an unarmed strike, and if it hits, the target must pass a DC (10 + your Shen level + your Str modifier) Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1 round.

2nd Shen Ability - Tiger's Toughness (Ex): You gain Toughness as a bonus feat.

3rd Shen Ability - Fearful Symmetry (Ex): You become Immune to Fear.

4th Shen Ability - Primal Force (Ex): You gain Endurance as a bonus feat.

5th Shen Ability - Frenzy (Ex): Once per day, you can enter a berserker frenzy as a free action, during which time you gain +4 Strength, Damage Reduction 1/-, immunity to stunning and immunity to nonlethal damage. It lasts for rounds equal to 1 + Frenzied Str modifier (so a hybrid form tiger shen using frenzy calculates their duration by using their newly acquired baseline + 8 Strength score). Unlike the rage of a Barbarian, using frenzy doesn't leave you fatigued when it ends.