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Samadhi

by Rich Redman
Editing: Marc Schmalz
Layout and Typesetting: Marc Schmalz
Artist: Clarence Harrison

Samadhi is a free legendary staff off ered in promotion of Staves of Ascendance, the second publication from The Game Mechanics, Inc.

Samadhi, the Staff of Transfiguration

An ancient weapon passed down to the greatest among an order of warrior monks.

The Ultimate Chamber

The legend of Samadhi begins with an order of monks famed for their unarmed combat skills. Legends of their abilities to shatter castle gates with a word and to cut stone with the edge of their hands were the stuff of tavern talk around their monastery.

Check Required: Knowledge (history) DC 20.

An orphan sought refuge in the monastery when his family was killed by barbarians who conquered the surrounding kingdom. The boy took a keen interest in the combat skills of the elder brothers, but the abbot saw the hatred and thirst for revenge in the boy's heart. Rather than forbidding the boy to learn, he encouraged him to seek the highest level of skill for which he was qualified. He spent many years training in the monastery, learning humility as he progressed through higher and higher chambers, learning the secrets of the monk's combat style. At last he, too, sat among the eldest brothers, serenely meditating. Still, his heart yearned to return to his village and teach his people to defend themselves.

The abbot knew the young man's heart well and, when he judged the young man was ready, explained that there was one further chamber in the style. In order to master it, the young man would have to defeat one of the monastery's masters in single combat. The young man could choose any weapon he wished, and the abbot chose a master to oppose him. Mastery of the ultimate chamber would mean that the young man was ready to journey in the outside world and teach the monastery's wisdom. He chose a quarterstaff, the weapon with which he and his contemporaries had the most experience, and was soundly defeated. A month later he faced the challenge again, this time armed with twin fighting sticks, and was again defeated.

A few days later, he watched some initiates trying to clear reeds from the riverside. The reeds bent when struck, and quickly entangled unwary initiates. Inspired, the young man transformed a quarterstaff by cutting it into thirds and linking the pieces with chain. After a month of practice with his new weapon, the young man faced the challenge a third time and triumphed.

He returned to his village and taught the people how to defend themselves with the farming implements they used everyday. His fame grew, and other villages sent people to learn from him.

Check Required: Knowledge (history) DC 10.

Over time he grew in such wisdom that he surpassed the limitations of his frail human form. On his deathbed, he asked his brothers to bring him the weapon he invented. Clasping it to his chest, he smiled and passed away. When the brothers removed the weapon to prepare him for burial, they found it transformed into a bronze-shod quarterstaff. Revering it out of respect for its owner, they named it Samadhi (an ancient word meaning "a state of deep contemplation") and returned it to the monastery where his learning began.

Check Required: Knowledge (history) DC 20.

 The monastery was destroyed a century later when the monks took up arms against an oppressive emperor. Down through the centuries, simple men who stood up for their fellow peasants often seemed to possess a peculiar, bronze-shod staff they could manipulate to form various weapons.

Check Required: GM only.

Requirements

To qualify to wield the Samadhi as its swiftstaff scion, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any lawful
Base Attack Bonus: +3
Base Saves: All at +4
Feats: Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike
Skills: Jump 7 ranks, Sense Motive 7 ranks, Tumble 7 ranks

Ex-Scions

A monk who takes levels in this swiftstaff scion prestige class can gain new levels as a monk.

Attributes

Table 5-7: Abilities Granted by Samadhi

Samadhi appears as a sturdy staff of pale wood with nicks and dents from long use in combat. It has bronze caps at each end and three bronze bands along its length. Two bands are evenly spaced between the head and the base of the staff, and the third is in the midst of the space between the other two.

Hardness/Hit Points: 13/50.

Value: To someone other than a swiftstaff scion, Samadhi appears to be worth as much as a masterwork quarterstaff (600 gp).

Special Abilities

Samadhi provides the following special abilities to its wielder, depending upon the character's level in the swiftstaff scion prestige class (see Table 5-7: Abilities Granted by Samadhi ).

Initial Abilities: Anyone who wields it, whether a swiftstaff scion or not, may use Samadhi as a masterwork quarterstaff, and may also use its light ability (see below).

Light (Sp): As a free action, the wielder may cause Samadhi to radiate light as a torch. Extinguishing it requires another free action taken on any subsequent round.

AC Bonus (Ex): When unarmored and unemcumbered, the scion may add his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC. In addition, the scion gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level, increasing to +2 at 10th level. These bonuses apply even against touch attacks or when flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when immobilized or helpless, when wearing any armor or carrying a shield, or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Flurry of Blows: Beginning at 1st level, Samadhi's scion gains access to the flurry of blows class ability (see the monk class description in the Player's Handbook for details on flurry of blows). If she has levels of monk, she adds her scion level to those monk levels when determining her attack bonus with a flurry of blows.

When using this ability, the scion may only attack with unarmed strikes or with one of Samadhi's forms. She may attack with unarmed strikes and Samadhi interchangeably as desired. Each end or each weapon of Samadhi's form counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using flurry of blows. Even though all Samadhi's forms require two hands to use, the scion may still intersperse unarmed strikes with weapon strikes (though she can't wield any other weapon at the same time she uses Samadhi).

Purity of Body (Ex): At 1st level, the scion gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.

Second Form: When the scion takes her first level in this swiftstaff prestige class, Samadhi reveals its second form to her. As a free action, the scion twists the upper and lower halves of the staff in opposite directions and it separates into two sticks which function as masterwork clubs.

Bonus Feat I: The scion may select either Deflect Arrows or Weapon Focus (quarterstaff) as a bonus feat upon reaching 2nd level. She may use any form of Samadhi with Deflect Arrows, and apply its bonuses to her roll. She must meet the prerequisites of a feat in order to select it as a bonus feat.

Enhancement Bonuses: In the hands of its 2nd-level scion, Samadhi gains a +1 enhancement bonus to attacks and damage, making it either a +1/+1 quarterstaff or two +1 clubs, depending on the form the scion uses. This set of bonuses increases to +2 at 4th level.

Wholeness of Body (Su): The scion can cure her own wounds beginning at 3rd level. She can cure up to twice her current character level in hit points each day, and can spread this healing out among several uses.

Bonus Feat II: The scion may select either Mobility or Weapon Focus (club) as a bonus feat upon reaching 4th level. She must meet the prerequisites of a feat in order to select it as a bonus feat.

Damage Increase: The damage done by Samadhi increases when its scion reaches 4th level. Instead of doing 1d6 points of damage with each successful attack (1d4 for Small scions, 1d8 for Large scions), Samadhi now deals 1d8 with each successful attack (1d6 for Small scions, 2d6 for Large scions). All such damage is Bludgeoning damage.

Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability works like evasion, except that while the scion still takes no damage on a successful Reflex save against spells such as fireball or a breath weapon, she now takes only half damage on a failed save. The scion gains this ability at 5th level.

Bonus Feat III: The 6th-level scion may select either Whirlwind Attack or Exotic Weapon Proficiency (three-section staff) (see Third Form, below) as a bonus feat. She must meet the prerequisites of a feat in order to select it as a bonus feat.

Diamond Body (Su): At 7th level, the scion is in such control of her own metabolism that she gains immunity to poison of all kinds.

Third Form: At 6th level, Samadhi reveals a third form to its scion. As a free action, the scion twists the upper and lower thirds of the staff in the opposite directions. This transforms Samadhi into a +3/+3 three-section staff, a weapon composed of three sections of wood of equal lengths, linked by bronze chains. The three-section staff is a double weapon and must be used with both hands.

In this form, Samadhi does damage as explained in the 4th-level Damage Increase ability. It' threatens a critical on a natural roll of a 20 on an attack roll. A successful critical does x3 damage.

In addition, all enhancement bonuses for previous forms increase to +3, making Samadhi a +3/+3 three-section staff, a +3/+3 quarterstaff, or a pair of +3 clubs.

At 8th level, all enhancement bonuses in all forms are raised to +4. These bonuses increase once again, at level 10, to +5.

Bonus Feat IV: The 8th-level scion may select either Combat Expertise or Weapon Focus (three-section staff) as a bonus feat. She must meet the prerequisites of a feat in order to select it as a bonus feat.

Diamond Soul: At 9th level, a scion gains spell resistance. Her spell resistance equals her character level + 10. A spellcaster must roll the monk's spell resistance or higher on 1d20 + the spellcaster's level.

Bonus Feat V: The 10th-level scion may select either Whirlwind Attack or Improved Critical (quarterstaff) as a bonus feat. She must meet the prerequisites of a feat in order to select it as a bonus feat.

No-Shadow Strike: The scion may make an attack with Samadhi or with an unarmed strike and deal damage normally against incorporeal creatures. An incorporeal creature's 50% chance to avoid damage does not apply to no-shadow strike. The scion may not combine this ability with flurry of blows.

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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

 

Swords of Our Fathers Copyright 2003, The Game Mechanics, Inc.

 

Staves of Ascendance Copyright 2003, The Game Mechanics, Inc.

 

Samadhi Copyright 2003, The Game Mechanics, Inc.