While most adepts are content to hone their bodies and minds, some go looking for additional power outside themselves, tapping into traditional magical practice alongside the more standard physical conditioning all adepts take part in. More traditionally-minded adepts often frown on this practice, condemning such pursuits as "a pointless distraction" at best and a dangerous, spiritually-corrosive endeavor at worst, and it is from this condemnation from their fellows that Forbidden Fists get their name. Despite the taboo nature of this practice, there is no denying that its practitioners enjoy a higher degree of versatility than other adepts.
At 3rd level, you learn the flow of magic through the world and life through the body. You gain proficiency with the Arcana and Medicine skills and with alchemist's supplies.
At 3rd level, your defensive abilities also improve with some help from your magical studies.
If you have the Brutal Defense feature, you can spend 2 exertion points to infuse your armor with crackling magical energy for a minute. While this ability is active, a creature that hits you with a melee attack must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. A creature that fails the save takes force damage equal to your martial arts die.
If you have the Agile Defense ability, you instead may instead use Flurry of Blows, Long Step, or Patient Defense after casting a spell with a casting time of one action.
| Level | Cantrips Known |
Spells Known |
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 8 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 9 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 10 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 11 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 12 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 13 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 15 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 17 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 18 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 19 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Also at 3rd level, your eldritch dabbling grants you the ability to cast spells. Forbidden fists tap into mysterious and forgotten sources of power, drawing upon strange and alien magical energies.
At 3rd level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the warlock list or the unarmed school. These spells count as adept spells for you. You learn an additional cantrip at 10th level.
The Forbidden Fist Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st-level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock list or unarmed school. The Spells Known column of the Forbidden Fist Spellcasting table shows when you learn more spells of your choice from this feature. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the spells you know from this feature and replace it with another qualifying spell of a level for which you have spell slots.
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your spells. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Starting at level 6, you learn to merge your physical conditioning and your magical prowess. Choose five multiclass spells associated with the adept class (see p. 242- 243) and add them to your adept spells known. They do not count against your total spells known.
At 11th level, you learn to extend your supernatural abilities into your senses. You may spend 4 exertion points to gain Truesight with a range of 30 feet for one minute. While this ability is active, you may attack creatures on the Ethereal Plane (such as ghosts or creatures under an etherealness effect).
While this ability is active, you can use this awareness to perceive the flow of life force through creatures and disrupt it with your strikes. Attacks you make with adept weapons or your unarmed strikes do additional necrotic damage equal to your martial arts die.
At 17th level, you learn the most terrifying technique of all, the killing touch. When you hit with a melee attack, you may declare that you are using your killing touch ability. If you do, the creature you struck has fewer than 100 hit points, it is immediately slain. If the creature has 100 hit points or more, your attack deals damage as normal and the creature also takes an additional 50 points of necrotic damage. Once you have used this ability, you cannot use it again until you have finished a long rest