Unseen Hand

The unseen hands are the least conventional bodyguards in the Order of Vigilance. On the other hand, they very much exemplify the organization’s focus on teamwork. Almost all of their abilities require the participation of other members of the Order, and what little direct interaction they have with a charge being protected by the Order centers on keeping everyone uncertain about the charge’s location (including the charge himself).

Role: Unseen hands most often begin their careers as rogues, but many of them also started as rangers, bards, and even monks. They focus their efforts on maximizing teamwork between the various individuals on a team, making sure they are in just the right position to help and that their charge remains out of danger’s way, even in the midst of a chaotic battle.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements

To qualify to become an unseen hand, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

Alignment: Any non-evil.

Base Attack Bonus: +3.

Skills: Bluff 6 ranks, Escape Artist 6 ranks, Knowledge (local) 4 ranks, Sleight ofHand 4 ranks, Stealth 6 ranks.

Special: The unseen hand needs an instructor who is member of the Order of Vigilance in order to take the first level of this class. After that, he may gain levels normally, even if there is no instructor to teach him.

Class Skills

The unseen hand’s class skills (and the key ability for each) are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (local) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Table: Unseen Hand
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +0 +0 +1 +0 Team-up +1d6
2nd +1 +1 +1 +1 Swap spots, unseen hand talent
3rd +2 +1 +2 +1 Team-up +2d6
4th +3 +1 +2 +1 Heads up +2/–1, unseen hand talent
5th +3 +2 +3 +2 Team-up +3d6
6th +4 +2 +3 +2 Precise pairing +1d6
7th +5 +2 +4 +2 Team-up +4d6, unseen hand talent
8th +6 +3 +4 +3 Heads up +4/–2
9th +6 +3 +5 +3 Team-up +5d6, unseen hand talent
10th +7 +3 +5 +3 Precise pairing +2d6

Class Features

The following are class features of the unseen hand prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Unseen hands are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Team-Up

If an unseen hand can work together with another member of the Order of Vigilance to attack an opponent, he is able to time his blows in such a way as to exploit weaknesses in the enemy’s defense.

The unseen hand’s attack deals extra precision damage anytime his opponent is also threatened by one or more allies who have levels in an Order of Vigilance prestige class, and any time the unseen hand is flanking a target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every two unseen hand levels thereafter. Should the unseen hand score a critical hit with a team-up attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks cannot be team-up attacks.

With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage, an unseen hand can make a team-up attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a team-up attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

The unseen hand must be able to see both the target and at least one of the appropriate allies in order to make a team-up attack. He cannot use this power against opponents with concealment.

Swap Spots (Ex)

As a free action, an unseen hand may select a target ally to be the charge that he is particularly attempting to protect. Once this decision is made, the unseen hand cannot change his charge until there is no obvious threat to that charge (normally after a combat encounter ends), or an hour has passed (if the charge has the misfortune to suffer obvious threats for more than an hour). Any other character that has levels in an Order of Vigilance prestige class is also considered a charge of the unseen hand.

Whenever the unseen hand is adjacent to a charge, he can move into the charge’s square as part of a normal movement (including a 5-foot step). At the same time, the charge moves into the unseen hand’s previous space. Both the unseen hand and the charge must be willing, and neither can be immobilized, to make use of this ability. this ability functions on a charge up to one size category larger than you, but not any larger. The charge does not provoke an attack of opportunity from this movement, but you provoke as normal. This movement does not count against your charge’s movement on his next turn.

Unseen Hand Talent

As an unseen hand gains experience, he learns a number of talents that aid him and confound his foes. At 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 9th levels, an unseen hand gains one of the following talents. Talents marked with an asterisk add effects to the unseen hand’s team-up attack. only one of these talents can be applied to an individual attack and the decision must be made before the attack roll is made.

Bleeding Attack* (Ex): An unseen hand with this talent can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a team-up attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the unseen hand’s team-up attack. Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage from this talent does not stack with itself or any other bleeding ability. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.

Combat Trick: An unseen hand that selects this talent gains a bonus combat feat.

Crippling Strike* (Ex): An unseen hand with this talent can use team-up attacks to deliver blows that weaken and hamper his target. An opponent damaged by on of his team-up attacks also takes 2 points of Strength damage.

Duck And Weave (Ex): Once per day, as a move action an unseen hand with this talent can juke and dive about in such a confusing way that it is extremely difficult for opponents to pinpoint his exact location. Anyone who attempts to attack the unseen hand has a 50% miss chance as if he had total concealment. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the unseen hand’s Constitution bonus or until an attack successfully hits him, whichever comes first. The effect also ends if the unseen hand takes any movement other than a 5-foot step.

Misdirection (Ex): As part of a 5-foot step, the unseen hand may target an adjacent target and make a Bluff check in an attempt to a feint against that target. If the check is successful, the unseen hand gains no benefits, but all of his charges get a +2 attack bonus against that target until the start of the unseen hand’s next turn.

Opportunist (Ex): Once per round, the unseen hand can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by one of the unseen hand’s charges. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity for that round. Even an unseen hand with the Combat Reflexes feat cannot use this talent more than once per round.

Slow Reactions* (Ex): Opponents damaged by the unseen hand’s team-up attack can’t make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.

Syncopation (Ex): The unseen hand is able to extend the effect of his duck and weave talent to also cover an adjacent charge. For the duration of the effect, attacks against either the unseen hand or his charge have a 50% miss chance. If the effect ends for one of the characters, it also ends for the other. So if either character makes a move action other than a 5-foot step, or if one of them is hit by an attack, the effect is over for both. The unseen hand must have the duck and weave talent before selecting syncopation.

Heads Up (Ex)

At 4th level, an unseen hand may help adjacent charges to avoid the effects of certain attacks. Once per round, if the unseen hand and the charge at both targeted by an attack that deals half damage on a successful save, the unseen hand may grant the charge a +2 insight bonus to the saving throw. However, as a result, the unseen hand suffers a –1 penalty to his saving throw. At 8th level, the bonus increases to +4 and the penalty increases to –2.

Precise Pairing

At 6th level, if an unseen hand provides a flanking bonus for another member of the Order of Vigilance, he is able to distract the enemy in such a way that his ally can exploit weaknesses in the enemy’s defense.

The ally’s attack deals extra damage any time the ally and the unseen hand are on exact opposite sides of an enemy. This extra damage is 1d6 at 6th level and increases to 2d6 at 10th level. It otherwise follows the same rules as the extra damage caused by the unseen hand’s

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Section 15: Copyright Notice
The Genius Guide To: The Order of Vigilance. Copyright 2010, Super Genius Games. Authors: Stan! and R. Hyrum Savage
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