The soul of the tengu longs to fly, knowing, instinctively, that the power to do so lies within them. Their study of sword-play is often geared toward awakening this power, allowing the tengu to reconnect with their elemental roots. The hishoken is a racial paragon class available to tengu which allows them to awaken their natural powers. The class focuses on lightning fast swordattacks, prodigious leaps, and ultimately limited flight. The class draws its power from the tengu’s natural affinity for the element of air.

Role: Hishoken are agile combatants, especially skilled with the sword. Their ability to leap and fly, even if only briefly, gives them great maneuverability. There are few physical obstacles they cannot simply bypass and they are more than capable of holding their own in a fight.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d10.

Class Skills

The hishoken’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Fly (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (religion), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Hishoken

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+2	+0	Master leaper, controlled blade
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+0	Uncanny dodge
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+1	Lightning strike 1/day
4th	+4	+4	+4	+1	Fast movement +10 ft.
5th	+5	+4	+4	+1	Electric resistance, hishoken flight
6th	+6/+1	+5	+5	+2	Bonus feat
7th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+2	Evasion
8th	+8/+3	+6	+6	+2	Lightning strike 2/day
9th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+3	Feathered step
10th	+10/+5	+7	+7	+3	Improved uncanny dodge
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+7	+3	Improved controlled blade
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+8	+4	Bonus feat
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+8	+4	Lightning strike 3/day
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+9	+4	Improved evasion
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+9	+5	Elemental body
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+10	+5	Feathered fall
17th	+17/+12/+7+/2	+10	+10	+5	Fast movement +10 ft.
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+11	+6	Bonus feat, lightning strike 4/day
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+11	+6	Lightning charge
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+12	+6	Electric resistance (immunity), flying blade

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the hishoken.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

The hishoken is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. He is proficient with light and medium armors.

Master Leaper (Ex)

When making an Acrobatic skill check to jump or leap, the hishoken adds double his hishoken class level to the check.

Furthermore, the hishoken always counts as having a running start when making a jump check using Acrobatics.

Controlled Blade (Ex)

Beginning at 1st level, when using a sword, the hishoken can choose to use either Strength or Dexterity to modify his attack roll.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

At 2nd level, so long as he is wearing light armor or no armor, the hishoken gains the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized or if an opponent successfully uses feint against him. If the hishoken already has uncanny dodge from another class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.

Lightning Strike (Ex)

Beginning at 3rd level, the hishoken is able, as a swift action, to make a lightning fast attack with any weapon he is proficient with using his full attack bonus. This attack must be made against a target which is within range of the weapon and, if it is not helpless or pinned, the creature is allowed a Reflex saving throw where the DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 the hishoken’s class level + the hishoken’s Dexterity modifier. Characters with uncanny dodge gain a +4 to this saving throw. If the subject of the attack fails his saving throw, he is considered flat-footed against the attack. If the saving throw is successful, the attack is resolved as normal. A lightning strike does not preclude the hishoken from further actions during the round, including additional attacks. At 3rd level, the hishoken can make a single lightning strike each day. For every 5 levels beyond 3rd, the hishoken gains an additional lightning strike per day.

Fast Movement (Ex)

At 4th level, so long as he is wearing medium armor, light armor or no armor, and is not carrying a heavy load, the hishoken’s base speed increases by +10 ft. The hishoken’s speed increases an additional +10 ft. at 17th level. These bonuses stack with any other bonuses to the hishoken’s base speed.

Electric Resistance (Ex)

Beginning at 5th level the hishoken gains resistance to electricity equal to his hishoken class level. At 20th level, the hishoken gains immunity to electrical damage.

Hishoken Flight (Su)

At 5th level, the hishoken gains the ability to fly for brief periods of time.

Each day, the hishoken can fly for a number of rounds equal to his class level – 4. When flying, the hishoken has a flight speed equal to his normal speed and an average maneuverability.

The hishoken’s rounds of flight each day do not need to be used consecutively. A hishoken who uses all his rounds of flight while in the air is subject to falling as normal.

Bonus Feat (Ex)

At 6th level and every 6 levels thereafter the hishoken gains a bonus feat. The feat must be taken from the following: Acrobatic, Agile Maneuvers, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Quick Draw, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Skill Focus (Acrobatics), Skill Focus (Fly), Spring Attack, Weapon Focus. The hishoken must qualify, as normal, for the selected bonus feat.

Evasion (Ex)

At 7th level the hishoken gains the ability to avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. Any time he makes a successful Reflex save which would normally result in half damage, the hishoken instead takes no damage.

Evasion can only be used if the hishoken is wearing medium, light or no armor. A helpless hishoken cannot benefit from evasion.

Feathered Step (Ex)

At 9th level, the hishoken is considered, for all practical purposes, weightless. He can stand on thin branches without breaking them, does not trigger trap doors or terrain features dependent on weight, and gains a +10 bonus to Climb checks. Feathered stepcan only be used if the hishoken is wearing medium, light or no armor. A helpless hishoken cannot benefit from feathered step.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

At 10th level and higher a hishoken can no longer be flanked.

This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the hishoken by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the tengu has hishoken levels. If a character has uncanny dodge from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Improved Controlled Blade (Ex)

At 11th level, the hishoken’s control of his sword has improved so that when attacking with a sword, the hishoken can choose to modify his attack rolls with both his Strength and his Dexterity modifiers.

Improved Evasion (Ex)

At 14th level the hishoken’s evasion improves. While he continues to take no damage on a successful Reflex save, he now also takes only half damage on a failed save.

The same conditions affecting evasion likewise affect improved evasion.

Elemental Body (Su)

Beginning at 15th level, as a swift action, the hishoken gains the ability to take on the form of a medium air elemental, as with elemental body II. The hishoken can remain in this form for a number of rounds per day equal to 1/2 his hishoken class level. The rounds spent in the form of an air elemental do not need to be consecutive.

Feathered Fall (Su)

Beginning at 16th level, the hishoken no longer falls as normal and is considered to have feather fall, at will. This abilitycan only be used if the hishoken is wearing medium, light or no armor and a helpless hishoken cannot benefit from feathered fall.

Lightning Charge (Ex)

At 19th level, the hishoken can, when charging, put on a burst of speed, moving up to three times his normal distance before attacking (instead of double) and gaining a +3 charge bonus instead of the normal +2 bonus. The hishoken suffers the normal penalties to his AC when making a charge.

Flying Blade (Ex)

At 20th level, the hishoken masters the tengu flying blade technique. When flying, the hishoken gains a +4 dodge bonus to AC, Reflex saves and CMD. Furthermore, when using a sword, if the hishoken scores a critical hit, he may immediately make an additional attack against the same target, using the same attack bonus as he used to achieve the critical.

Favored Class Bonuses

Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever they gain a level in a Favored Class, some races have the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon their Favored Classes. The following options are available to the listed race who have hishoken as their Favored Class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed Favored Class reward.

Race	Bonus	Source
Paizo
3rd Party Publishers
Publisher

Archetypes & Alternate Class Features

When a character selects a class, he must choose to use the standard class features found or those listed in one of the archetypes presented here. Each alternate class feature replaces a specific class feature from its parent class. For example, the elemental fist class feature of the monk of the four winds replaces the stunning fist class feature of the monk. When an archetype includes multiple class features, a character must take all of them—often blocking the character from ever gaining certain familiar class features, but replacing them with equally powerful options. All of the other class features found in the core class and not mentioned among the alternate class features remain unchanged and are acquired normally when the character reaches the appropriate level (unless noted otherwise). A character who takes an alternate class feature does not count as having the class feature that was replaced when meeting any requirements or prerequisites.

A character can take more than one archetype and garner additional alternate class features, but none of the alternate class features can replace or alter the same class feature from the core class as another alternate class feature. For example, a paladin could not be both a hospitaler and an undead scourge since they both modify the smite evil class feature and both replace the aura of justice class feature. A paladin could, however, be both an undead scourge and a warrior of the holy light, since none of their new class features replace the same core class feature.

Archetypes are a quick and easy way to specialize characters of a given class, adding fun and flavorful new abilities to already established adventurers. Characters may take more than one archetype if they meet the requirements.

Table: Hishoken Archetypes / Alternate Class Features

Archetype / Alternate Class Feature	Class Features Changed or Replaced
	Class Skills	Skill Ranks per Level	Weapon & Armor Proficiency	Master Leaper	Controlled Blade	Uncanny Dodge	Lightning Strike				Fast Movement		Electric Resistance		Hishoken Flight	Bonus Feat			Evasion	Feathered Step	Improved Uncanny Dodge	Improved Controlled Blade	Improved Evasion	Elemental Body	Feathered Fall	Lightning Charge	Flying Blade
							3	8	13	18	4	17	Base Ability	Immunity		6	12	18
Paizo
3rd Party Publishers
Rite Publishing
X=replaced, (X)=optional replacement, C=changed