Discipline of the Serpent

Circles

1^st Circle - External Techniques^EX

Choose five weapon properties other than [Arcane], [Barbed], [Distant], [Hold-out], or [Quick-draw]. At 3rd, 5th, and 7th circles, you may choose an additional weapon property. Your Unarmed Strike natural weapon gains those properties. If you possess any other natural weapons, they gain any 2 of your Unarmed Strike natural weapon’s chosen properties at 1st circle, and 1 more at 3rd, 5th and 7th circles. These choices are permanent.

Additionally, whenever you switch to a weapon, you may grant it a number of weapon properties your Unarmed Strike natural weapon possesses. You may grant it 2 such properties at 1st circle, 3 at 3rd, 4 at 5th, and 5 at 7th. The weapon retains those properties for as long as you wield it.

Attacks you make as part of a Disarm, Grapple, Pin, or Trip attempt deal additional damage with the [Precision] descriptor equal to your level.

2^nd Circle - Internal Principles^EX

Your combat maneuvers, and opponents’ attempts to escape or act in a [Grappled] or [Pinned] condition you inflict, have a DC of (11 + 1/2 your level + your KOM). This DC increases by 1 at 4th circle, and again at 6th circle. In addition, you gain access to the following special combat maneuvers, which benefit from the additional damage of External Techniques:

• Pushing Blow: As a standard action, you make a single melee attack that deals normal damage. If the attack hits, the target must make a Fortitude save or be pushed 5 ft, and you can choose to move into their previously occupied space. If you choose not to move into their space, you may instead push them 5 ft in the same direction per circle of Discipline of the Serpent you possess. These movements do not provoke attacks of opportunity. A successful Pushing Blow benefits from abilities that would enhance a successful Bull Rush.
• Neutralize: As a standard action, you make a single melee attack that deals normal damage. If the attack hits, the target must make a Will save or take a penalty to damage equal to the number of circles you possess in Discipline of the Serpent for 1 [Round]. This penalty does not stack with itself.

3^rd Circle - Open and Close^EX

You gain access to the following special combat maneuvers, which benefit from the additional damage of External Techniques:

• Close Meridian: As a standard action, you make a single melee attack that deals normal damage. If this attack hits, the target must make a Fortitude save or be [Sickened] for 1 [Round].
• Open Gate: As a standard action, you make a single melee attack that deals normal damage. If the attack hits, the target must make a Will save or all creatures gain a +2 bonus to skill checks against the target and saves against the target’s abilities for 1 [Round].

In addition, when an opponent fails a save against your Close Meridian, Disarm, Grapple, Neutralize, Open Gate, Pushing Blow, or Trip, you may immediately make a [Bonus attack].

4^th Circle - Ceaseless Flow^EX

Once per [Round], you may replace any one melee attack other than an attack of opportunity with any of the following combat maneuvers, at the same attack bonus as the replaced attack: Close Meridian, Disarm, Grapple, Neutralize, Open Gate, Pushing Blow, or Trip. If the combat maneuver hits, you can use Ceaseless Flow an additional time this [Round]. If you replace a [Bonus attack] using Ceaseless Flow, it still counts as your [Bonus attack] for that [Round].

5^th Circle - Stop the Breath^EX

Your combat maneuvers increase in potency: when an opponent fails a save against your Close Meridian, Disarm, Grapple, Neutralize, Open Gate, Pin, Pushing Blow, or Trip, it is [Flat-footed] until the beginning of its next turn.

6^th Circle - Poison the Blood^EX

[Imbalances]: [Imbalances] are used to track the effects of Poison the Blood and have no qualities of their own.

Each time you deal [Precision] damage to an opponent with Close Meridian, Disarm, Grapple, Neutralize, Open Gate, Pin, Pushing Blow, or Trip during an attack action, or an opponent fails a save against any of those combat maneuvers during an attack action you make, that opponent gains an [Imbalance]. These [Imbalances] cause the opponent to gain various conditions, as below, and have no other effects on the opponent. [Imbalances] disappear at the end of each attack action, but conditions your opponents have gained from this ability do not disappear when [Imbalances] do.

• Two [Imbalances]: The opponent is [Battered] for 2 [Rounds].
• Four [Imbalances]: The opponent is [Blinded] for 1 [Round].
• Six [Imbalances]: The opponent is [Slowed] for 1 [Round].
• Eight [Imbalances]: The opponent is [Nauseated] for 1 [Round].
• Ten [Imbalances]: The opponent is [Stunned] for 1 [Round].

If multiple opponents would gain [Imbalances] from a single combat maneuver, you instead choose one of those opponents to gain an [Imbalance].

7^th Circle - On Power^EX

You can now use Ceaseless Flow any number of times per [Round] and Stop the Breath now affects any opponent you hit with Close Meridian, Disarm, Grapple, Neutralize, Open Gate, Pin, Pushing Blow, or Trip, regardless of whether they successfully save against it or not.