Fang of the Four Winds (3.5e Prestige Class)

Fang of the Four Winds
"It's hard to believe the desert's hot arid winds are the same air of the frigid north, yet they are. All winds are one in the same. As winds from different directions blow different weather, so too shall We shift like the wind."

The desert's wind is not the only wind in the world which blows with harsh power. Students of the Desert Wind learn to expand their horizons and master the elements in their supernatural stances and strikes.

Becoming a Fang of the Four Winds
Fangs of the Four Winds are typically Swordsages, who have access to the school. Rarely someone with enough martial study feats also joins the ranks.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Fang of the Four Winds.

You must meet a maneuver's prerequisites to learn it. You add your full fang of the four winds level to your initiator level to determine your highest level maneuvers known. At 3rd and every three levels, you gain an additional maneuver readied.

You must meet a stance's prerequisites to learn it.

It is one of four, comprising the art of shocking lightning, freezing cold, and scalding acid. They are called the Arctic Wind (north), the Desert Wind (south), the Tempest Wind (east), and the Jungle Wind (west).

All students already know the desert wind, but at 1st, 4th, and 7th level a fang of the four winds chooses one of these new disciplines. It augments the pre-existing desert wind maneuvers and stances to deal with cold (for arctic), electric (for tempest), or acid (for jungle) damage. Whenever you employ a desert wind stance or maneuver you may change it to one of these new elements you know.

 (Su): At 2nd level you learn how to cloak yourself in swirling winds tainted with the appropriate element of your current wind. Whenever you are in a Wind stance, be it Desert Wind or another, you may forgo its normal benefit to gain the effects of the Howling Wind stance. This ability lasts as long as you maintain the Howling Wind stance or as described below. You gain a constant 20% miss chance from all ranged attacks from the swirling winds around your body, and all those who attack you in melee take 2 points of the appropriate elemental damage as the stinging motes of energy scour at them.

In addition you may end your stance as an immediate action when someone attacks you in melee. The winds burst outward in an explosion dealing 1d6 damage per class level of the appropriate element in a 10 ft. radius burst away from yourself. The attacker gets no save, all others in the area may make a Reflex save for half, DC 10 + class level + Wis. This stance is considered a 4th level stance for martial lore checks.

 (Ex): A fang of the four winds understands the elemental forces in this world and knows how to move to avoid or reduce their effect. At 3rd level and every 3 levels you gain a +1 bonus on saving throws against any effect which deals fire, cold, electrical, or acid damage, so long as you know the appropriate wind for that type of damage (see Another Wind). For example, a 6th level fang of the four winds who knows the Desert, Arctic, and Tempest Wind styles gains a +2 bonus on saves against fire, cold, and electrical damaging effects.

 (Su): At 5th level, the mastery over the elements can be used to augment existing abilities from the Desert Wind discipline (and the subsequent Arctic, Tempest, and Jungle variants). The maneuver may be empowered dealing 150% of its dice in damage. To employ this the fang of the four winds must expend an additional maneuver readied, and he may only perform this once every 1d4 rounds.

 (Su): At 8th level you learn how to channel the elemental energies so well as to have it pummel through your enemies defenses. Whenever you are in a Wind stance, be it Desert Wind or another, you may forgo its normal benefit to gain the effects of the Howling Storm stance. This ability lasts as long as you maintain the Howling Storm stance or as described below. You gain a constant 20% miss chance from all ranged attacks from the swirling energies around your body, and reduces all elemental energy (acid, cold, electric, and fire) in half.

You apply half of any energy damage you took last round to your next successful attack, within 1 round. For example, you are hit by a fireball for 40 damage, and a shocking grasp for 14 damage. You take 20 and 7 respectively. On your next successful attack, you deal an extra 20 fire and 7 electric damage. This stance is considered a 6th level stance for martial lore checks.

 (Su): At 10th level a fang of the four winds may expend a maneuver readied and instead produce a powerful windstorm of multiple elements. The fang of the four winds breaths out in a 60 ft. cone, dealing 1d6 damage per initiator level from each element (fire, cold, electricity, and acid). For example with an initiator level of 15, you deal 15d6 fire, 15d6 cold, 15d6 electrical, and 15d6 acid damage. As a result of such powerful energies, you are dealt a quarter of the damage as non-lethal backlash damage. The DC is 10 + 1/2 initiator level + Wis with a Reflex save for half and you may perform this ability 1/encounter. This is considered a 9th level maneuver for martial lore checks.

At 10th level the fang of the four winds becomes an elemental, with the augmented subtype, and no elemental subtype for he is an elemental of balance. He gains immunity to critical hits, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning. He no longer needs to breath, eat, or sleep, and gains darkvision out to 60 ft. Unlike other elementals he may be raised and resurrected as a member of his original type. When observed up close, and more noticeable in motion or combat, the fang of the four winds is surrounded by a constant stormy aura which ripples with tongues of flame, daggers of lightning, flakes of ice, and acidic mist.

The epic Fang of the Four Winds gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Fang of the Four Winds feats) every 3 levels after 10th.

Epic Fang of the Four Winds Bonus Feat List: Blinding Speed, Devastating Critical, Dire Charge, Energy Resistance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Prowess, Epic Reflexes, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Speed, Epic Will, Great Constitution, Great Dexterity, Great Strength, Great Wisdom, Improved Darkvision, Legendary Climber, Legendary Leaper, Overwhelming Critical, Penetrate Damage Reduction.

Playing a Fang of the Four Winds
Combat: A fang of the four winds is at heart a swordsage, a martial adept who excels at quick strikes, skills, and mobility. The mastery over elements accessable on the fly means they are versatile when facing foes who are resistant to their powers, or weak against certain elements.

Advancement: Any option good for a swordsage is good for a fang of the four winds.

Resources: gs of the Four Wings have a loose cabal of students who consist of Desert Wind masters who have gone into the world to travel and explore all the winds of the world. They come off as rather druidic, and are always nomadic, so no set school exists. They come and go as the wind.

Fang of the Four Winds in the World
"I am a storm moving over the land, you cannot stop a force of nature..."

Martial nomads, they wander the world in search for enlightnment, adventure, or trouble.

NPC Reactions: Few NPCs know of what the Fangs of the Four Winds are. Depending on how they are first scene they may be confused with druids, mystical monks, or spellcasting gish.

Fang of the Four Winds Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Nature can research Fang of the Four Winds to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Fang of the Four Winds in the Game
Adaptation: Perhaps Sonic and Force damage should be accessible, at one lower die of damage. They can be gained at 10th and 13th (epic) respectively (Pandemonic Wind and Astral Wind disciplines). If so, increase the requirements to include 8 ranks in Knowledge The Planes to represent the boost in power with these outer planar winds.

Sample Encounter: A Fang of the Four Winds is among a party of evil druids and clerics in service to the Eye of the Elemental Evil.