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Having been discussing monks a lot recently, I was struck by someones comment on how the Inquisitor was what the monk should have been designed as. Now, I have liked the Inquisitor, and as I started to take a look, I thought about melding the two classes together. At first, I tried an archetype, but really, the changes are enough that it should be its own alternate class.
Which brings us to here. This Templar is not meant to be a mere hybrid between the two. I was struck by how nicely it synergized and think that it manages to fix many of the current problems with the monk, but it hasn't been designed to do everything a Monk can or everything an Inquisitor can.
Many of the ablities have subtle changes, so read carefully. And, as always, I would appreciate any comments, advice, suggestions, or critiques. And so, without further ado, I present to you my Templar, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy.
Master Arminas
There are those individuals who fanatical devotion to the precepts of a particular God or Goddess frighten even the clergy of those Deities. These zealots are the Templars. Devoting their entire lift to the cause of their chosen religious order, Templars are driven, ordered individuals. Orders of templars exist to carry out the will of the church. Acting as agents of their faith, templars are dispatched to deal with heretics, infidels, and those whom the church would see either captured or eliminated. Problem solvers and trouble shooters extraordinaire, templars rely on their own wits and faith to see them through dangerous situations. Unerringly lawful, these agents perform their tasks in a cold and methodical manner that causes many clerics and priests to question the wisdom of supporting such orders. Unswerving in their faith, the Templars care not for what the clergy thinks—they carry out the will of their Deity, as they see it.
Templars devoted to evil lords (such as Asmodeus) are feared throughout the land. Neutral templars as well garner much trepidation, especially if they inquire about a local. Even those Templars who serve Gods and Goddesses of the Light are avoided by most common folk if they can do so without appearing rude. The fanatical devotion and unflinching zealotry of these fanatics unnerves even the most stout-hearted.
In addition to their role as roving problem solvers, Templars can be found serving as Temple Guards for all lawful religions. In this role, their lack of heavy armor and obvious weapons grants them an advantage against blasphemers who would assault their chosen faith.
Role: Templars blend martial skill, acrobatics, and divine spell-casting into a seamless whole. While they may lack access to the most powerful divine magics, their mundane skills and physical abilities provides the class with an ability to engage in combat on their terms. Retaining the judgments first seen amongst the Inquisitors, Templars differ from them in being not so much monster-hunters par excellence, but a diverse and versatile class that can help fill all of the roles in an adventuring party: combat, skills, spells, and healing.
Alignment: Any lawful
Hit Die: d8
BAB: Medium
Saves: All good
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A templar is proficient with all simple weapons and with all monk weapons. A templar is proficient with light armor, but not with medium armor or heavy armor, or any type of shield.
Shielded Aura (Ex): A templar has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to her deity’s alignment. Regardless of her deity’s alignment, a templar radiates Law. The power of a templar’s aura is equal to her templar level. A templar can suppress her aura for one minute each day for each of her templar class levels. While suppressed, a templar’s alignment components cannot be detected, regardless of her class and character level. This duration does not need to be consecutive. Suppressing her aura is a swift action, but dropping the alignment shield and restoring her aura to its normal potency is a free action. The templar cannot shield her aura if she is unconscious.
Domain: A templar may choose one cleric or inquisitor domain granted by her deity. She gains all granted powers of the domain, using her templar level as her effective cleric level for this purpose only. She can select an alignment domain only if her alignment matches that domain. A templar does not gain the bonus spells listed for the domain, nor does she gain bonus spell slots. If the templar gains cleric levels, one of her two domain selections as a cleric must match her selection as a templar. Levels of templar and cleric stack for the purpose of determining domain powers and abilities, but not for bonus spells.
Improved Unarmed Strike: A templar receives Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A templar’s attacks may be with fist, elbows, arms, feet, knees, legs, and head. When using unarmed strikes, a templar may apply her full Strength bonus regardless of whether or not the unarmed strike is made with her primary hand or her off-hand.
Usually, a templar’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A templar’s unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.
A templar’s unarmed strike is considered to be one weapon for purpose of spells or effects that enhance weapons, regardless of which part of her body the templar uses to attack with. If the templar possesses the Two-Weapon Fighting feats, she may use her unarmed strike with all of the attacks granted through the use of that feat (and the Improved or Greater versions) if she so chooses. If the templar possesses the feat Two Weapon Defense, she may apply the shield bonus to her armor class even if she is fighting only with unarmed strikes and is not wielding a manufactured weapon.
A templar also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would. At 1st level, a templar deals 1d6 points of damage. This increases to 1d8 at 5th level, to 1d10 at 9th level, to 2d6 at 13th level, and to 2d8 at 17th level. These values are for Medium templars. A Small templar deals less damage than the amount given here with her unarmed strikes, while a Large templar deals more damage (see Monk class for details).
Beginning at 4th level, a templar’s unarmed strikes are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of affecting incorporeal creatures and bypassing damage reduction. The number of defenses that a templar’s unarmed strikes can bypass increases as the templar gains levels. At 8th level, the templar’s unarmed strikes are treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. At 12th level, they are treated as cold iron and silver weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. At 16th level, they are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction and the templar can ignore all hardness of less than 20. At 20th level, the templar’s unarmed strikes bypass all alignment-based damage reduction.
Intuitive Defense: When wearing no armor, light armor, and carrying no more than a light load, the templar adds a +1 insight bonus to her AC and CMD. This bonus increases by 1 for every four templar levels gained thereafter, to a maximum bonus of +5 at 17th level. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when the templar is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she is wearing medium or heavy armor, when she uses or otherwise equips a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.
Judgment (Su): A templar can pronounce judgment upon her foes as a swift action once per day. Starting when the judgment is made, the templar receives a bonus or special ability based on the type of judgment selected. At 4th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, the templar can use this ability one additional time per day (to a maximum of 6 times per day at 20th level). Once activated, the selected judgment lasts until the combat ends, at which point all of the bonuses or special abilities granted immediately end. The templar must participate in combat to gain these bonuses or special abilities. If she is frightened, panicked, paralyzed, stunned, unconscious, or otherwise prevented from participating in the combat, the ability does not end, but the bonuses are suspended until she can participate in the combat again.
When the templar uses this ability, she must select one of the following types of judgment to make. As a swift action on her turn, she can change this judgment to another type of her choice. If the templar is good, the bonuses granted below are sacred. If the templar is evil, the bonuses granted below are instead profane. Neutral templars must select, at 1st level, whether her bonuses will be sacred or profane. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.
Unless otherwise stated, each of the following judgments can only be selected once, even after the templar gains her Second Judgment ability or Third Judgment ability (see below).
Celerity: The templar moves with a speed and precision that few mortals can obtain. Divine insight allows her to gain an additional attack at her highest attack bonus when she makes a full-attack. This additional attack does not stack with those granted by spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities such as haste, or with those granted by a weapon with the speed property. When the templar gains her Second Judgment ability (see below) she may select this judgment twice if she so chooses, gaining two additional attacks at her highest attack bonus. The templar may not select this judgment a third time; even if she has gained use of her Third Judgment ability (see below).
Destruction: The templar is filled with divine wrath, gaining a +1 sacred or profane bonus on all weapon damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Justice: The templar is driven to seek justice and is granted a +1 sacred or profane bonus on all attack rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Protection: The templar is surrounded by a protective divine aura, granting her a +1 sacred or profane bonus to Armor Class. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Purity: The templar is protected from the vile taint of her foes, and receives a +1 sacred or profane bonus on all saving throws. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Resiliency: Her faith in the divine firm, the templar’s patron protects her from physical harm. She gains DR 2/-. The DR granted by this judgment increases to 4/- at 5th level, to 6/- at 9th level, to 8/- at 13th level, and to 10/- at 17th level.
Resistance: The templar is shielded by a flickering aura that grants her with 2 points per templar level of energy resistance against one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) of the templar’s choice when the judgment is declared.
Spells: A templar casts divine spells drawn from the templar spell list (see below). She can cast any spell she knows at any time without preparing it ahead of time, assuming she has not yet used up her allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
To learn or cast a spell, a templar must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a templar’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the templar’s Wisdom modifier.
A templar can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level each day. Her base daily spell allotment is equal to that of the Inquisitor class. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.
A templar’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A templar begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the templar’s choice. At each new templar level, she gains one or more new spells as indicated in the Inquisitor class description. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells an inquisitor knows is not affected by her Wisdom score. The numbers given on the Inquisitor table are fixed.)
Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third templar level thereafter (8th, 11th, and so on), a templar can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the templar ‘loses’ the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level Templar spell she can cast. The templar may swap out only a single spell at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.
Orisons: Templars learn a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, as noted in the Inquisitor class description under ‘Spells Known’. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Orisons cast using higher level spell slots, such as those due to metamagic feats, are expended normally.
Cunning Initiative (Ex): At 2nd level, a templar adds her Wisdom modifier on initiative checks, in addition to her Dexterity modifier.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 2nd level, a templar’s land speed increases by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when she is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses to the templar’s land speed.
Bonus Feat: Starting at 3rd level, and every three levels gained as a templar thereafter, a templar receives a bonus feat. She may select any of the following feats: Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Grapple, and Stunning Fist. At 6th level, she adds the following feats to the list of those she may select: Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, and Mobility. At 9th level, she adds the following feats to the list of those she may select: Improved Critical, Snatch Arrows, and Spring Attack.
A templar may select any of the listed feats even if she does not meet the prerequisites. If a selected feat contains special rules that apply to Monks, those rules also apply to a Templar.
Bane (Su): At 5th level, a templar can imbue one of her weapons (including unarmed strikes) with the bane special weapon property. She must select one creature type when she uses this ability (and a subtype if the creature type selected is humanoid or outsider). Once selected, the type can be changed as a swift action. This ability only functions while the templar wields the weapon. If dropped or taken, the weapon loses all benefits of this ability. The templar may use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to her templar level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Evasion (Ex): At 5th level, a templar can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the templar is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. A helpless templar does not gain the benefit of the evasion ability.
Second Judgment (Ex): At 8th level, whenever a templar uses her judgment ability, she can select two different judgments instead of one. This only consumes one use of her judgment ability. As a swift action, she can change one of the two judgments currently in effect to another judgment.
Stalwart (Ex): At 11th level, a templar can use mental and physical resiliency to avoid certain attacks. If she makes a Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, she instead avoids the effect entirely. This ability can only be used if the templar is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. A helpless templar does not gain the benefit of the stalwart ability.
Greater Bane (Su): At 12th level, whenever a templar uses her bane ability, the amount of bonus damage dealt by the weapon against creatures of the selected type increases to 4d6.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 14th level, a templar’s evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. Improved evasion can be used only if the templar is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. A helpless templar does not gain the benefit of the improved evasion ability.
Third Judgment (Ex): At 16th level, whenever a templar uses her judgment ability, she selects three judgments, instead of just two. This only consumes one use of her judgment ability. As a swift action, she can change one of the three judgments currently in effect to another judgment.
Empty Body: At 17th level, a templar may, as a standard action, become ethereal, as per the spell etherealness. This ability lasts for one minute and the templar may use this ability twice per day. At 18th, 19th, and 20th level, the templar gains one additional daily use of this ability.
True Judgment (Su): At 20th level, a templar can call true judgment down upon a foe in combat. Whenever a templar uses her judgment ability, the templar can invoke true judgment on a foe as a swift action. Once declared, the templar can make a single melee (or ranged attack, if the foe is within 30 feet) against the target. If the attack hits, it deals damage normally and the target must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + ½ the templar’s level + the templar’s Wisdom modifier. Regardless of whether or not the save is made, the target creature is immune to the templar’s true judgment ability for 24 hours. Once this ability has been used, it cannot be used again for 1d4 rounds.
TEMPLAR SPELL LIST
0-level Spells: Acid splash, bleed, create water, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, guidance, light, read magic, resistance, stabilize, virtue
1st-level spells: Alarm, bane, bless, bless water, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, curse water, detect alignment, detect undead, disguise self, divine favor, doom, expeditious retreat, feather fall, hide from undead, inflict light wounds, jump, magic weapon, protection from alignment, remove fear, sanctuary, shield of faith, true strike
2nd-level spells: aid, align weapon, clam emotions, consecrate, cure moderate wounds, darkness, death knell, delay poison, desecrate, detect thoughts, enthrall, find traps, hold person, inflict moderate wounds, invisibility, knock, resist energy, lesser restoration, see invisibility, shield other, silence, spider climb, spiritual weapon, tongues, undetectable alignment, whispering wind, zone of truth
3rd-level spells: arcane sight, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, dimensional anchor, dispel magic, glyph of warding, halt undead, heroism, inflict serious wounds, invisibility purge, keen edge, locate object, magic circle vs. alignment, magic vestment, greater magic weapon, nondetection, obscure object, prayer, protection from energy, remove curse, remove disease, searing light, speak with dead, water walk
4th-level spells: chaos hammer, cure critical wounds, death ward, detect scrying, dimension door, discern lies, dismissal, divination, divine power, fear, freedom of movement, lesser geas, hold monster, holy smite, inflict critical wounds, greater invisibility, neutralize poison, order's wrath, restoration, sending, spell immunity, stoneskin, unholy blight
5th-level spells: atonement, banishment, break enchantment, greater command, commune, mass cure light wounds, dispel alignment, disrupting weapon, flame strike, geas/quest, hallow, mass inflict light wounds, mark of justice, righteous might, spell resistance, telepathic bond, true seeing, unhallow
6th-level spells: air walk, blade barrier, blasphemy, circle of death, mass cure moderate wounds, dictum, greater dispel magic, find the path, forbiddance, greater glyph of warding, harm, heal, heroes’ feast, holy word, mass inflict moderate wounds, legend lore, repulsion, undeath to death, word of chaos
To keep with the norm of Paizo classes, I'd suggest spreading some of the abilities around a little to avoid 'empty levels'. For instance, the Templar gains abilities at 5th level, but I don't think he gains anything at 7th.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the Templar has to keep track of his different unarmed strikes when it comes to the Bane feature. He can only enhance one weapon this way, meaning his arm, his leg, his knee etc, and that could get a little confusing since the Templar gains a bunch of different attacks. I'd suggest adding in a little side note saying something like, "If a Templar chooses to enhance his unarmed strike, it applies to all unarmed strikes made by the Templar." That is, if you want to make it easier to run the class.
I really like this class. The one problem I see is it might be a bit 'too' good, similar to how the Ninja is mostly better than the Rogue. I'm no expert in Inquistors and never seen one in play, so I don't know if that's true.
To keep with the norm of Paizo classes, I'd suggest spreading some of the abilities around a little to avoid 'empty levels'. For instance, the Templar gains abilities at 5th level, but I don't think he gains anything at 7th.
I didn't even notice that when I did the class since I was converting directly from the Inquisitor. But I moved a few things around and that messed with the progression. Hmmmm. There are only three 'dead' levels. So what can I move or add to 7th, 10th, and 19th that would not be overpowering?
1st: Shield Aura; Domain; Improved Unarmed Strike (1d6); Intuitive Defense (+1); Judgment 1/day; Spells; Orisons
2nd: Cunning Intiative; Fast Movement
3rd: Bonus feat
4th: ISU (Magic); Judgment 2/day
5th: IUS (1d8); Intuitive Defense (+2); Bane; Evasion
6th: Bonus Feat
7th:
8th: ISU (Lawful); Judgment 3/day; Second Judgment
9th: IUS (1d10); Intuitive Defense (+3); Bonus Feat
10th:
11th: Stalwart
12th: IUS (Cold Iron/Silver); Judgment 4/day; Bonus Feat; Greater Bane
13th: IUS (2d6); Intuitive Defense (+4)
14th: Improved Evasion
15th: Bonus Feat
16th: IUS (Adamantine); Judgment 5/day; Third Judgment
17th: IUS (2d8); Intuitive Defense (+5); Empty Body
18th: Bonus Feat
19th:
20th: IUS (Alignment); Judgment 6/day; True Judgment
Master Arminas
The other thing to keep in mind is that the Templar has to keep track of his different unarmed strikes when it comes to the Bane feature. He can only enhance one weapon this way, meaning his arm, his leg, his knee etc, and that could get a little confusing since the Templar gains a bunch of different attacks. I'd suggest adding in a little side note saying something like, "If a Templar chooses to enhance his unarmed strike, it applies to all unarmed strikes made by the Templar." That is, if you want to make it easier to run the class.
A templar’s unarmed strike is considered to be one weapon for purpose of spells or effects that enhance weapons, regardless of which part of her body the templar uses to attack with.
Already in there, Tels.
Master Arminas
Okay, how about these to finish out the class and fill out the 7th, 10th, and 18th level dead levels?
Maneuver Training (Ex): At 7th level or higher Templar uses her templar class level in place of her BAB when calculating her CMB. She continues to apply her BAB from other classes as normal.
Conniving Aura (Su): At 10th level, a templar may instead of suppressing her aura (see Shielded Aura above for details) instead alter her aura to reflect an intensity and alignment of her choice. For example, a LN templar can suppress her aura to remove it completely, or she make her aura appear either weaker or stronger (to a maximum strength of overwhelming) and radiate law/chaos or good/evil, or even both if she so chooses.
Divine Sight (Sp): At 18th level, a templar may, as a swift action, use true sight, as per the spell, for a total duration in rounds each day equal to her templar class level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Too much? Too little? What do you think?
Master Arminas
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I wouldn't worry too much about 7th or 19th levels, as you get a feat then anyway.
I'm curious as to why a fanatical priest has the ability to suppress their alignment? If you are going for an undercover operative flavor I think it needs more to support that, otherwise it just sticks out.
My solution would be to allow the Templar to add their level to saves against spells or effects of the opposite alignment. This would let an Evil templar enter hallowed sites, or ignore the effects of holy word.
Interesting idea, Jal Dorak. Have to give it some thought.
Tracking down and finding heretics or aposates means that Templars oftentimes have associated with . . . questionable individuals not of their own alignment. And if those individuals can detect the Templar's aura of Law (and maybe Good or Evil), their suspicians might be raised. Especially since as their aura strength equals their class level (ala cleric and paladin), they tend to much stronger auras than most characters in the game. The Inquisitor doesn't have an aura--which I think was not a good decision. That class should have the same aura as a cleric, but have the means to shield (or suppress) it for a limited time to get close to the creatures they hunt.
This class vision isn't so much Monster Hunter D or von Helsing as the Inquisitor class, though. It really is much more in line with the historic Inquisition in that it hunts down those who have turned away from the Faith, or attacked the Church, or are heretics to the Cause.
Master Arminas
I was thinking more along the lines of shifting around already existing abilities. As it stands, 5th level and 12th level are super cheese levels as they either gain or improve 4 class abilities. When you look through the official classes, for the most part, each level you gain or improve 1 or 2 abilities. There are a few exceptions, like the Monk, who gains/improves 3 abilities on a couple levels, but there is an exception to every rule.
Anyway, what I would suggest is simply shifting Evasion to 7th, Stalwart to 10th and Greater Bane to 11th. I'm not sure what to do about 19th level, other than shifting Empty Body to 19th.
Remember, praise is great, but criticism is useful. If I seem overly critical, it's because I am. Constructive criticism is what helps people get better.
The Improved Unarmed Strike ability by itself breaks many of the core assumptions of the game. I'm aware this is fully intentional, but I maintain it is not a good idea. The increase to damage dice that unarmed strikes get from the monk class is their way to overcome DR (as well as make their method of attacking, many small attacks, add up to more damage). This still increases the damage dice, but also lets them bypass damage reduction at all times.
This nerfs Destruction and then gives the absurdly overpowered Celerity? And then buffs Justice? To-hits are generally far more important than +damage, and extra attacks are so far and beyond better than both it's not even a fair comparison.
And a huge buff to Resiliency too.
Intuitive Defense: Smart not to tie it to Wisdom, as these guys have even more reason to pump Wisdom.
Judgements: Celerity is an absolutely horrendous idea. It is so far and above better than any other judgment that there is very little reason to choose anything else. Unless you desire for this to be the best martial class in the game, this needs to go. Mmmm, Manyshot, rapid shot, 2 iteratives, and 2 more attacks at full BAB, all affected by Bane, and divine favor.
Resistance is stupid powerful too. The base inquisitor's is +2 per 3 inquisitor levels.
Maneuver Master: There should be at least something related to combat that they aren't amazing at.
Evasion and Stalwart: Ok, so they're great against spells too.
Conniving Aura: Cool. Not sure it fits with the strict Lawful that they have going on, but it's an interesting idea.
Spells: They can't cast Chaos Hammer. Or you're missing this line:
"An inquisitor can’t cast spells of an alignment opposed to her own or her deity’s (if she has one). Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaotic, evil, good and lawful descriptors in their spell descriptions."
This is a strict lawful class, so they probably shouldn't have the leeway to use chaotic spells.
All-in-all, it's true that this guy can't do everything the inquisitor can do. He can't do all the secondary abilities that don't come up often or require a serious investment in skill points. But he does far, far better at combat than the inquisitor can, at the cost of some abilities that rarely come up. The Inquisitor is already powerful at combat.
He has amazing saves and both evasion and stalwart.
He gets some wonderful spells that can buff him even further.
High skill points.
He is great at all aspects of fighting, and at 8th level is most likely better than a fighter at fighting. He definitely is at 1st level until 6th level. He's better at saving vs spells than the class that's already the best at it (monk). He's as good as anyone else but the lore warden at combat maneuvers, and can trade his extra attack from Celerity to get a combat maneuver in *and* a full attack.
This class is far, far too powerful and in need of a rewrite if your goal is balance.
I thought it might be Cheapy. I prefer to start out with everything I want to see on a design, and then whittle away until it gets to the right point for balance, playability, and fun. Don't worry none about my feelings, you points are well-reasoned and perfectly correct. Thank you for the critique.
Master Arminas
What are your goals for the class? "Fixing the monk" isn't quite as specific as I'd like. A class with supreme defenses who always has a powerful weapon on hand? Always having an effective weapon is a powerful ability, as is having wonderful abilities against spells. Throw in 6th levels of spells, and even before the combat portions you've got an OK class. Identifying what you want precisely will help fix the class.
It also has only combat abilities (empty body can be used for scouting, I guess, but at level 17?), where both the monk and inquisitor have a lot of non-combat abilities (amazing non-spell movement capabilities, IDing creatures, investigative prowess, etc).