Aztec Warrior (3.5e Class)

Aztec Warrior

From the southern jungles come the Aztecs; a warrior tribe bent upon conquering all to prove their stength and to provide sustenance for the Sun God. Sustenance in the form of heart sacrifice. They are cruel, vicious and savage, but their savagery belies their true strength. Strength that should be rightly feared once more by the people of the north...

Adventures: A typical Aztec Warrior adventures deep in the jungle, seeking out new tribes to conquer, more people to capture to sacrifice, and more riches for the Aztec People. The Aztecs will never stop hunting for more potential sacrifices, as they believe that the Sun God is always hungry. Hungry for more human hearts, ripped out of a living human's chest as an offering. And if the Sun God is not sustained with constant supplies of living hearts, it will stop moving round the sky, and the world will come to a premature end...

Characteristics: Aztec Warriors are vicious, ruthless and unmerciful. They are cruel to others to an extent that few can match. Aztecs are warriors born and bred- they earn their first warrior gear at an earley age and are not considered an adult until they slay an enemy in combat. On the battlefield they fight like savages, baiting the enemy to strike first, and attacking with savagery somewhat akin to a barbarian.

Alignment: All Aztec Warriors are Lawful and usually Lawful Neutral. They follow strong laws, and although they believe they follow causes that are good, in truth they are needlessly destructive (but not truly evil).

Religion: The Aztec warriors worship the Mesoamerican Gods. They believe in ritual sacrifice- namely heart sacrifice. This process involves an unwilling victim (captured by an Aztec Warrior raid party) being restrained and held upon a curved altar so that their chest is forced upwards. The heart is then cut out by an obsidian dagger, and ripped out of the chest cavity while it is still beating. The Aztecs believe that this "feeds" the Sun God, keeping the sun moving around the sky.

Background: Aztec Warriors come from Aztec Warrior Families, descended from the Aztecs of old that wandered the lands in search of a home. Aztec Warriors are trained in their great cities, where Temple-Pyramids dwarf the entire city. In the Aztec homelands, one is surrounded by monuments of skulls, gold and the stench of death. The history of the Aztecs are written not i ink, but in blood... the blood of those sacrificed by the Aztecs in the cruel, sadistic fashion.

Races: Only members of the Aztec Empire can become Aztec Warriors, and only humans are members of the Aztec Empire, so only Humans can become Aztec Warriors. Besides, most races are disgusted by the barbaric Aztec ways, and so will not join their cause.

Other Classes: Aztec Warriors treat Aztec Priests with great reverence, but treat members of most other classes with scorn. They share an understanding of Barbarians, as both are people of the wild. They mistrust Sorcerers and Wizards for the strange powers they possess.

Role: The Aztec Warrior's role in the adventuring party is as a front line combat specialist. He combines toughness with martial prowess and great strength. An Aztec warrior is relatively unarmoured, but survives on mobility. The Aztec Warrior can dish out and take lots of damage, but is weaker against armored foes, who can be difficult to kill with obsidian weaponry.

Game Rule Information

Starting Gold: 6d4×10gp (150gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Abilities: An Aztec warrior needs to be strong because of his combat role. Dexterity can help the Aztec Warrior to have a high AC, as he would ordinarily wear only leather armor. An Aztec Warrior needs a high constitution score to have more hit points, and thus to resist damage.

Alignment: Any Lawful.

Hit Die: d12

Table: The Aztec Warrior

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Unarmed Damage	Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	1d6	Unarmed Strike, Fast Movement
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	1d6	Rage 1/day
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	1d6	Evasion
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	1d6
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	1d6	Damage Reduction 1/-
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	1d6	Rage 2/day
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	1d6
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	1d8	Uncanny Dodge
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	1d8	Damage Reduction 2/-
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	1d8	Rage 3/day, Bonus Feat
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	1d8
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	1d8	Improved Evasion
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	1d8	Damage Reduction 3/-
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	1d8	Rage 4/day
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	1d8	Bonus Feat
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5	1d10
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	1d10	Damage Reduction 4/-
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	1d10	Rage 5/day
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	1d10
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	1d10	Greater Rage, Bonus Feat
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Climb (Str), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Mesoamerican Ball Game1 (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str) and Climb (Str).

1. New skill for the Aztec Warrior. See Mesoamerican Ball Game.

Class Features

All the following are class features of the Aztec Warrior:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Aztec Warriors are proficient with padded and leather armor, Bucklers (chimalli), Macuahuitl, Daggers, Javelins, Short Spears, Punching Daggers, Clubs, Shortbows (Tlouitolli), Composite shortbows (Tlouitolli), Longbows (Tlouitolli), Composite Longbows (Tlouitolli), Atlatl and Greatclubs.

Unarmed Strike (Ex): At 1st level, an Aztec Warrior gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. An Aztec Warrior’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that an Aztec Warrior may even make unarmed strikes with his hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for an Aztec Warrior striking unarmed. An Aztec Warrior may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.

Usually an Aztec Warrior’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.

An Aztec Warrior’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

An Aztec Warrior also deals more damage with his unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table: Aztec Warrior Unarmed Damage by Size.

Table: Aztec Warrior Unarmed Damage by Size

Level	Fine Aztec Warrior Damage	Diminutive Aztec Warrior Damage	Tiny Aztec Warrior Damage	Small Aztec Warrior Damage	Medium Aztec Warrior Damage	Large Aztec Warrior Damage	Huge Aztec Warrior Damage	Gargantuan Aztec Warrior Damage	Colossal Aztec Warrior Damage
1st–7th	1	1	1	1d4	1d6	1d8	2d6	3d6	4d6
8th–15th	1	1	1d4	1d6	1d8	2d6	3d6	4d6	6d6
16th–20th	1	1d4	1d6	1d8	1d10	2d8	3d8	4d8	6d8

Fast Movement (Ex): An Aztec Warrior’s land speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor or light armor and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the Aztec Warrior’s speed because of any load carried or armor worn.

Rage (Ex): At 2nd level, an Aztec warrior can fly into a rage a certain number of times per day. In a rage, an Aztec Warrior temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Consitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Consitution increases the Aztec warrior’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Consitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While raging, an Aztec Warrior cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Consitution modifier. An Aztec Warrior may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, the barbarian loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (–2 penalty to Strength, –2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter (unless he is a 17th-level Aztec Warrior, at which point this limitation no longer applies; see below).

An Aztec Warrior can fly into a rage only once per encounter. At 2nd level he can use his rage ability once per day. At 6th level and every four levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of five times per day at 18th level). Entering a rage takes no time itself, but a barbarian can do it only during his action, not in response to someone else’s action.

Evasion (Ex): At 3rd level and higher, an Aztec Warrior can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the Aztec Warrior is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless Aztec Warrior does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Bonus Feats At 3rd level, an Aztec warrior can choose either Improved Grapple, Stunning Fist or Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat. He does not have to have any of the Prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them. At 10th level and every 5th level hereafter, and at 20th level, the Aztec Warrior gains another bonus feat. These bonus feats must be drawn from the feats noted as fighter bonus feats. An Aztec Warrior must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. An Aztec Warrior is not limited to the list of fighter bonus feats when choosing these feats.

Sneak Attack (Ex): At 4th level, if an Aztec Warrior can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

The Aztec Warrior’s attack deals extra damage any time his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the Aztec Warrior flanks his target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases to 2D6 at 16th level. Should the Aztec Warrior score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.

With a sap or an unarmed strike, an Aztec Warrior can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

An Aztec Warrior can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The Aztec Warrior must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. An Aztec Warrior cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Damage Reduction (Ex): At 5th level, an Aztec Warrior gains Damage Reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage the Aztec Warrior takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 9th level, and every four barbarian levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th level), this damage reduction rises by 1 point, to a maximum of 4/- at 17th level. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, an Aztec Warrior can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.

If an Aztec Warrior already has uncanny dodge from a different class he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see the Rogue class) instead.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 12th level, the Aztec Warrior still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth he henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless Aztec Warrior does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Greater Rage (Ex): At 20th level, an Aztec Warrior’s bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his rage each increase to +6, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +3. The penalty to AC remains at –2.

Ex-Aztec Warriors

If an Aztec Warrior who Conquers land larger enough to be a small country and fails to capture and bring back 20 sacrifice victims to a Aztec temple pyramid cannot level up in the Aztec Warrior class until he goes back to the land and achieves said task.

An Aztec Warrior who Ceases to revere the Aztec Gods cannot level up in the Aztec Warrior class until he continues to revere the Aztec gods.

The Epic Aztec Warrior

Hit Die: d12

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Rage: The epic Aztec Warrior gains one use of rage per day every four levels after 20th.

Damage Reduction (Ex): The epic Aztec warrior’s damage reduction increases by 1 point every three levels higher than 19th.

Bonus Feats: The epic Aztec Warrior gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Aztec Warrior bonus feats) every four levels higher than 20th, and at every 5 levels higher than 20th.

Epic Aztec warrior Bonus Feat List: Armor Skin, Chaotic Rage, Damage Reduction, Devastating Critical, Dire Charge, Epic Endurance, Epic Prowess, Epic Speed, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Fast Healing, Incite Rage, Legendary Climber, Legendary Leaper, Legendary Rider, Legendary Tracker, Legendary Wrestler, Mighty Rage, Overwhelming Critical, Ruinous Rage, Terrifying Rage, Thundering Rage.

Table: The Epic Aztec Warrior

Barbarian Level	Special
21st	-
22nd	Damage reduction 5/–
23rd	—
24th	Rage 6/day, bonus feat
25th	Bonus Feat
26th	—
27th	—
28th	Rage 7/day, bonus feat
29th	—
30th	Bonus Feat

Human Aztec Warrior Starting Package

Weapons: Macuahuitl (medium and two-handed), a buckler, Obsidian Dagger, 3 Javelins, an Atlatl and a Shortbow with 20 arrows.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Survival	4	Wis	—
Hide	4	Dex	-1
Spot	4	Wis	—
Swim	4	Str	-1
Move Silently	4	Dex	-1
Heal	4	Wis	—
Intimidate	4	Cha	—
Climb	4	Str	-1
Jump	4	Str	-1
Listen	4	Wis	—
Sense Motive	2	Wis	—
Use Rope	2	Dex	—
Mesoamerican Ball Game1	4	Dex	0 (-1)2

1: See Mesoamerican Ball Game
2: Buckler cannot be worn while using this skill. See Mesoamerican Ball Game: Equiptment Restrictions

Feat: Survival

Bonus Feat: Power Attack

Gear: Leather Armor, Winter Blanket, Waterskin, Belt Pouch, and a 50ft length of Hempen Rope.

Gold: 2d4gp

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