Living Weapon (Legendary Fighter Simple Archetype)

Unarmed Attack (Ex)

At 5th level, a fighter’s unarmed strikes can be with fist, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a fighter may make unarmed strikes with his hands full. A fighter applies his full Strength modifier (not half ) on damage rolls for all his unarmed strikes. A fighter can choose to deal lethal or nonlethal damage with his unarmed strikes with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling. A fighter’s unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

Fighting Strikes (Ex)

At 5th level, a fighter’s unarmed strikes are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 9th level, his unarmed attacks are also treated as cold iron and silver for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 13th level his unarmed attacks are also treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

This replaces weapon guard, tenacious grip, and weapon unity.

Ascetic Discipline (Ex)

At 7th level, a living weapon counts his fighter levels as monk levels for the purpose of qualifying for combat feats and for the purpose of feats, magic items, and other options that have different effects based on whether the character has levels in the monk class (such as Stunning Fist or a monk’s robe). This ability does not automatically grant feats normally given to monks based on class level, such as Stunning Fist.

This ability replaces secure weaponry.

Unarmed Specialist Training

At 7th level, a living weapon gains access to the following advanced weapon training options.

This ability replaces weapon adaption.

Greater Unarmed Attack (Ex)

The damage for a living weapon’s unarmed strikes increases by one step as if the living weapon’s size had increased by one category. If the living weapon has the focused weapon advanced weapon training option with unarmed strikes then this focused weapon damage increases in the following manner instead. A Tiny living weapon uses the Small focused weapon table, a Small living weapon uses the Medium focused weapon table, and a Medium living weapon uses the Large focused weapon table. This has no effect on the focused weapon damage of living weapon fighters of other size categories. A living weapon is treated as being one size category larger for the purpose of which size category of opponent he can perform combat maneuvers on. For example, a Medium living weapon with this ability can bull rush Huge foes as opposed to being limited to only Large or smaller foes without this ability.

The living weapon must be 7th level to select this option.

Awesome Blow (Ex)

A living weapon can as a standard action perform an awesome blow combat maneuver against a corporeal creature of his size or smaller. The living weapon adds his weapon training bonus to this combat maneuver check. If the combat maneuver check succeeds, the opponent takes damage as if the living weapon hit it with an unarmed strike, it is knocked flying 10 feet in a direction of the living weapon’s choice, and it falls prone. The living weapon can only push the opponent in a straight line, and the opponent can’t move closer to the brawler than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent’s move, the opponent and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent is knocked prone in the space adjacent to the obstacle.

The living weapon must be 15th level to select this option.

Penetrating Blow (Ex)

At 11th level, as part of an unarmed strike attack, a fighter can deliver a penetrating blow as a swift action. If the attack hits, it bypasses any damage reduction or hardness possessed by the target of that attack.

This ability replaces autonomic grasp.

Recommendation: This archetype doesn’t automatically gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat or a way to make unarmed strike damage scale with level (such as the focused weapon advanced weapon training option). We recommend taking feats and options to gain these abilities, as well as combining this archetype with the brawler archetype, unarmed fighter, or a similar archetype.