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Sohei are warrior monks.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sohei are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all armor (but no shields). Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a —1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried.

Weapon Focus: Sohei gain Weapon Focus with a weapon of their choice as a bonus feat. Many sohei choose the naginata, the traditional weapon of the sohei.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a sohei gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells. To cast a spell, the sohei must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level, so a sohei with a Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Sohei bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a Difficulty Class of 10 + spell level + Wisdom modifier. When the sohei gets 0 spells of a given level, such as 0 1st-level spells at 4th level, the sohei gets only bonus spells. A sohei without a bonus spell for that level cannot yet cast a spell of that level. The sohei's spell list appears in Chapter 7. A sohei has access to any spell on the list and can freely choose which to prepare. A sohei prepares and casts spells just as a cleric or shaman does. Through 3rd level, a sohei has no caster level. Starting at 4th level, a sohei's caster level is one-half her class level.

Ki Frenzy: Starting at 1st level, a sohei gains the ability to focus her ki power into a frenzy of berserk energy. In this frenzied state, she temporarily gains +2 to Strength and +2 to Dexterity. Her speed increases by 10 feet, and she can choose to make a flurry of blows with a full attack action in melee, making one extra attack per round while suffering a —2 penalty on every attack.

While in a ki frenzy, a sohei cannot use skills or abilities that require patience or concentration, such as moving silently or casting spells. (She cannot use any class skills in a frenzy.) She can use any feat she might have except for Expertise, item creation feats, metamagic feats, and Skill Focus (if it's tied to a skill that requires patience or concentration). A ki frenzy lasts for a number of rounds equal to three + the sohei's Constitution modifier. The sohei may prematurely end the frenzy voluntarily. At the end of the frenzy, the sohei is fatigued (—2 to Strength, —2 to Dexterity, can't charge or run) for the duration of that encounter. The sohei can only enter a frenzy once per encounter, and only a certain number of times per day (determined by level). Entering a frenzy takes no time itself, but the sohei can only do it during her action, not in response to somebody else's action.

Deflect Arrows: At 3rd level, a sohei gains the Deflect Arrows feat, even if she doesn't have the prerequisite feat and Dexterity score.

Remain Conscious: At 5th level, a sohei gains the Remain Conscious feat, even if she doesn't have the pre-requisite feats.

Strength of Mind: A sohei of at least 5th level is immune to stunning and sleep spells and effects.

Defensive Strike: At 7th level, a sohei gains the Defensive Strike feat, even if she doesn't have the prerequisite feats and ability scores.

Mettle: The sohei's special blessing allows her to shrug off magical effects that would otherwise damage or harm her. If a sohei of at least 9th level makes a successful Will or Fortitude saving throw that would normally reduce the spell's effect, she suffers no effect from the spell at all. Only those spells with a Saving Throw entry of "Will partial," "Fortitude half," or similar entries can be negated through this ability.

Damage Reduction: Starting at 11th level, the sohei gains the extraordinary ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow or attack. Subtract 1 from the damage the sohei takes each time she is dealt damage. At 14th level, this damage reduction rises to 2. At 17th, it rises to 3. At 20th, it rises to 4. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0.

EX-SOHEI
A sohei who becomes nonlawful loses all spells and her ki frenzy ability. She also may not progress in levels as a sohei. She regains her spells and ki frenzy ability if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description in the Player's Handbook), as appropriate.

Advancement