TEXT: Sword and Fist FAQ 
  1 
  5/8/03 
  Sword and Fist 
  Frequently Asked Questions 
  Last Updated 5/8/03 
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  Sword and Fist FAQ 
  2 
  5/8/03 
  I play a devoted defender character from Sword and Fist. 
  I was wondering when the Armor Class (AC) bonus 
  affects my character. The AC bonus footnote implies that 
  the bonus applies only when my character is defending 
  his charge from an attack, but the AC bonus class feature 
  section implies my character gets the bonus at all times. If 
  my character gets it only when defending his charge, does 
  this mean that it applies only for harm’s way? Or can my 
  character be, say, 20 feet away from his charge and still 
  give and get the AC bonus? My character uses both 
  ranged and reach weapons. 
   A devoted defender gets a dodge bonus to Armor Class 
  when actively defending her charge from attack (see Table 2–
  2: The Devoted Defender in Sword and Fist). The DM is free 
  to define “actively defending her charge from attack,” but the 
  general intention is whenever the devoted defender is within 
  5 feet of her charge. There are conditions when the character 
  will be denied a dodge bonus despite sticking with her charge 
  (see page 119 in the Player’s Handbook). A devoted defender 
  never gives her charge an Armor Class bonus, although the 
  devoted defender’s harm’s way and deflect attack abilities 
  can keep attacks from hitting her charge. 
   
   How is the ghostwalker’s painful reckoning power 
  supposed to work? Sword and Fist says that you get this 
  bonus after you lose 50% or more of your hit points in an 
  initial encounter. Does this mean that if my character is at 
  50% or less hit points in the middle of a fight, I get this 
  bonus for the remainder of the fight? Would I also get the 
  bonus if one or the other party flees and the fight happens 
  with the same foe again at a later date? If so, do I have to 
  wait until I drop to 50% of my hit points or less before I 
  get the bonus? How many “initial encounters” can be 
  stacked up? I can count numerous times that one party 
  fled a battle only to have it happen at a later time in the 
  campaign, and these were fairly numerous. I could see 
  this rule getting abused if used in this fashion. What kinds 
  of things is the bonus effective against? What other 
  bonuses does the painful reckoning bonus stack with? 
   If the ghostwalker finishes an encounter and has lost 50% 
  or more his hit points during that encounter, he forever after 
  gets his painful reckoning bonus against the foe or foes he 
  faced in that encounter, provided the ghostwalker is alive 
  when the encounter finishes. The DM has to decide when the 
  encounter is “finished,” but if one side or the other flees, 
  that’s pretty much the end of the encounter. The bonus does 
  not automatically apply whenever the ghostwalker’s hit 
  points fall below 50%. 
   Once a ghostwalker gains a painful reckoning bonus 
  against a particular foe, he can’t gain it again against the 
  same opponent. (Though if the ghostwalker goes up a level, 
  his painful reckoning bonus goes up against all foes.) He 
  does not, however, have to wait until his hit points fall below 
  50%; he gets the bonus whenever he faces the foe again. 
   A painful reckoning bonus applies to Armor Class, attack, 
  and damage rolls, as noted in the class description. It stacks 
  with all other bonuses except itself. Note that the Armor 
  Class bonus applies against touch attacks and when the 
  ghostwalker is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied his 
  Dexterity bonus. 
   
   The order of the bow initiate prestige class has a class 
  ability called close combat shot that lets a character fire a 
  ranged weapon while threatened by an opponent without 
  provoking an attack of opportunity. Can a character 
  using this ability claim or provide a flanking bonus while 
  using this ability? 
   No. Nor does the character threaten the area around him. 
  The character cannot use his ranged weapon to make attacks 
  of opportunity against foes. 
   
   The Pain Touch feat from Sword and Fist makes an 
  opponent the user has stunned with a successful stunning 
  attack nauseous as well. What is a “stunning attack” and 
  what good is making a foe who’s already stunned 
  nauseous? 
   In this case, “stunning attack” is a successful use of the 
  Stunning Fist feat from the Player’s Handbook or the monk’s 
  stunning attack power. Opponents who fail their saving 
  throws are stunned 1 round, as normal, then nauseated for 1 
  round after that. (See page 280 in the Player’s Handbook for 
  the effects of nausea.) 
   
   The prerequisites for the Pain Touch feat are base 
  attack bonus +2 or more, the Stunning Fist feat, and a 
  Wisdom of 19+. The Stunning Fist feat itself requires an 
  attack bonus of +8 or higher, so aren’t the Pain Touch 
  prerequisites in error? 
   In this case, no. The monk’s stunning attack counts as a 
  “virtual” Stunning Fist feat and any monk with a base attack 
  bonus of +2 or more and a Wisdom of 19 or higher can 
  qualify for Pain Touch. 
   
   How does the Circle Kick feat work for a monk or 
  other character with multiple attacks? Or for a monk 
  who uses a flurry of blows? Does each successful unarmed 
  attack roll allow a second attack against a different 
  opponent? 
   A character using Circle Kick makes one attack. If this 
  single attack hits, the character makes a second attack at the 
  same attack bonus as the first. 
   
   How does the Dirty Fighting feat work with multiple 
  attacks? 
   Just as with Circle Kick (see previous question), a 
  character using Dirty Fighting makes one attack and adds an 
  extra 1d4 points of damage if the attack succeeds. Dirty 
  fighting is not effective against opponents that are not subject 
  to critical hits. 
   Dirty Fighting isn’t a bad deal if you’re allowed only one 
  attack a round, but it’s not a great option for high-level 
  characters. You might consider an Improved Dirty Fighting 
  feat: 
   
  Improved Dirty Fighting [General] 
  You are a master of the brutal and effective fighting tactics of 
  the streets and back alleys. 
  Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6, Dirty Fighting 
  Benefit: When you perform the full attack action, you can 
  give up your regular attacks and instead make one melee 
  attack at your full base attack bonus. If successful, your 
  attack deals extra damage, as follows: 
  
  Sword and Fist FAQ 
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  5/8/03 
   
  Base Attack  
  Extra Damage 
  +5 to +9 
  +2d4 
  +10 to +14 
  +3d4 
  +15 to +19 
  +4d4 
  +20 or more 
  +5d4 
   
   Can a rogue use Dirty Fighting in the same round as a 
  sneak attack?  
   No. Both rely on the ability to smack the foe where it 
  really hurts. 
   
   How does the Lightning Fists feat work with multiple 
  attacks or flurry of blows? Can you combine Lightning 
  Fist with a flurry of blows? 
   Lightning Fists works exactly like a flurry of blows, except 
  that you add two extra attacks and you take a –5 penalty on 
  all your attacks. Lightning Fists actually isn’t a very good 
  option unless the opponent is really easy to hit or you can 
  expect to deal a lot of damage with each hit (or both). You 
  cannot use Lightning Fists and flurry of blows at the same 
  time. 
   
   If you have the Snatch Arrows feat, can you use it only 
  once a round, like the Deflect Arrows feat? Or can it be 
  used multiple times in a round?  
   As the feat description says, Snatch Arrows works exactly 
  like Deflect Arrows, except you catch the missile instead of 
  just deflecting it. You can try to catch one missile each round, 
  and if you do so, you cannot also try to deflect a missile that 
  same round. 
   
   Say my monk has the Snatch Arrows feat and the 
  Throw Anything feat. Can I catch an arrow or bolt and 
  throw it back at the attacker?  
   No. The Throw Anything feat allows you to throw a 
  weapon. Ammunition is not a “weapon” for this purpose. Nor 
  can you throw something that is not a melee weapon, such as 
  a bow or crossbow. 
   
   How often can you attempt Feign Weakness against one 
  opponent? Does the Bluff check take a standard action or 
  is it a free action? 
   You can use Feign Weakness as often as the DM lets you. 
  You might want to add a +5 to the foe’s Sense Motive check 
  for the second and further attempts against the same foe on 
  the same day.  
   Using Feign Weakness is a standard action, just like a feint 
  (see the Bluff skill description on page 64 of the Player’s 
  Handbook), except that if you succeed you get to make your 
  attack immediately. 
   
   Does the fighter with the Knockdown feat get a free 
  attack from Improved Trip against a creature that he 
  trips due to a knockdown? 
   No. 
   
   If you have the Prone Attack feat, can you regain your 
  feet as a free action if you don’t attack? 
   Technically, Prone Attack only lets you get up for free if 
  you make a successful attack. I suppose you could claim to 
  attack the floor (using the strike an object rule) and then get 
  up if you hit it; remember that any attack automatically fails 
  if you roll a 1. In any case, you have to at least use the attack 
  action to get up, so you can make only a single move after 
  getting up. 
   
   What classes from the Sword and Fist book, if any, can 
  combine their attack bonus with monk attack bonus for 
  purposes of getting multiple unarmed attacks?  
   The classes that let you freely multiclass with monk (the 
  red avenger and the weapon master), and the drunken master, 
  who gains multiple unarmed attacks at the monk’s favorable 
  rate, can combine them. 
   
   Is there any limit to how many 5-foot steps a master 
  samurai can make when using the supreme cleave ability? 
  The Cleave feat says you can attack another creature in 
  the immediate vicinity when you drop a foe with a melee 
  attack. What is the definition of “immediate vicinity?” 
  How does that change when using supreme cleave? 
   A character can take only one 5-foot step each round, and 
  then only if the character has not otherwise moved during the 
  round. Supreme cleave lets you step between cleave attacks, 
  but you still can step only once. 
   In the case of Cleave, “immediate vicinity” means within 
  melee reach. A character using supreme cleave can first take 
  a 5-foot step to determine who is within melee reach before 
  choosing a target for a cleave attack 
  
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