The Wraith's page

Maybe Battle Medicine is basically the Hokuto Shin Ken.
You press the tsubo of your companion - gently with a finger (one hand free), or in vigorous way with a kick (no hands free) - and stop his bleeding.

I mean as a bonus... to the bonus itself.
We know that a Ranger with high Survival can help his fellow companions to their Survival checks. The same with the Rogue with high Stealth who can help with their Stealt checks.
We still don't know HOW they help them effectively in the final version. Maybe they give them a flat bonus ? Maybe they give them their Proficiency Bonus ? Their Ability bonus ? A minimum value based on 'something' ? A maximum value not higher than their one ?
Charisma could give an additional boost to this bonus - maybe not giving a final roll higher than the roll the inspiring character could have made himself, which effectively would help more the less proficient members of the group (like Untrained people) but would be less effective to the more adept ones.
Of course, the official rules are already set by now, so this is a simple 'what if', so to speak.

Maybe Charisma could help a character when he uses tactics to help the rest of the party during Exploration Mode. What I mean is, if the Ranger is giving a boost to Survival checks or the Rogue is helping in Stealth checks, they could add their CHA Bonus to 'whatever kind of boost' they usually give. Nothing mandatory but a good 'Leadership' bonus if present, so to speak.

Pls tell me Ki Blast's damage depends on how many actions you spend on it.

Kaiseer....

I still think that the fact they got rid of all those 'xxx I-IX', 'Greater xxx' and 'Minor xxx' only for having the poor Sorcerer and the poor Bard stuck to the old version of 'learn the same spell over and over if you want to do something different with it' is... baffling at best.
I mean, Clerics and Druids learn all common spells FOR FREE. All of them.
And Wizards have only to buy (or find) Summon Monster (I) once to have all versions available to them.
Sorcerers and Bards, with their 'huge' selection of 3 (+ 1 forced by Bloodline) spells known per level have to burn their resources if they want to have some variety WITH THE SAME SPELL - either selecting the same spell over and over or using a 'spontaneous' ability which they have to PREPARE in the morning. They are already shafted with the Beta Core spells only, with more rulebooks (and so, more spells available) in the future their possibilities will be a joke.
Meanwhile, decision paralysis outside of combat is good, fine and balanced it seems, since the Wizard can swap in 10 minutes one of their prepared spells, again and again and again.
And just to solve a doubt of mine, you cannot use a lower-level spell in a higher-level slot without metamagic (like, casting an unscaled 1st level Magic Missile in a 3rd level slot), am I right ? If this is the case, the supposed versatility of a Spontaneous caster is even lower than in the previous editions...

The Sorcerer needs to be redone. Like, completely.
At the moment is a sub-par caster which uses one of the 4 magical traditions but is not comparable to the other classes which share their same spell list. Arcane Sorcerer has to compete with the Wizard, their spellbook and their free Quick Preparation, Primal Sorcerer has no Wild Shape and no Animal Companions, Divine Sorcerer has an abysmal portion of the spells known by a Cleric, worse Saves, no Armors and no Channel Energy (they have to spend 1 feat to gain ONE Channel per day) and even the other Spontaneous caster, the Bard, is a better Occult magic user than the Occult Sorcerer (more skills, better HD, better proficiencies with Weapons and Armor, Bardic Compositions).
If Paizo doesn't want to rewrite the 'Spontaneous' Heightening (which is not spontaneous at all - they have to choose which spells can be powered up every morning and the choice is fixed for the entire day...) they have to at least power up the whole Bloodlines.
If they don't change anything, well, at least this edition will have just one Core class totally surclassed by every one else, instead of three in the whole 3.x/PF1 era (Fighter, Rogue, Monk). Let's call it a progress.

Freedom of Movement, in my personal opinion, is just one of those 'sacred cows' which should simply be butchered and eaten once and for all.
It causes too much trouble, it reduceds to nothingness at least one Combat Maneuver (immunity to Grapple, hello there) and creates a lot of comical situations when the result is not completely cut-clear (like the aforementioned 'snared but not really snared' , or 'tripped but you can still move normally').
All of these for a LOT of time (we are speaking of more than 1 hour at the minimum level).

If it simply gave a large bonus to checks/saving throws/CMB to escape 'situations which impede movement' (and situational bonuses, like 'stand up as swift action which does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity' and so on) it would have been a lot less messy and a lot more balanced...

Just my 2c.

the most abnormal i played a tiefling, was a small framed red haired girl with human features with miniature bat-wings protruding from her back that she bound beneath her shirt with a bandeau and a long and slender yet sharp tipped and prehensile tail that she concealed beneath a long skirt. unless her skirt was intentionally lifted or she were stripped nude, she could pass herself off as human. she had no horns nor hooves. having a human head/cranial structure and human feet.

You are basically giving a portrait of Majin Etna from the Disgaea videogame series :)

Law doesn't mean following the laws. It means internal consistency and personal codes that one follows. This is why some incarnations (see up) of Batman are lawful good, he's very firm in his rules like "no killing". It's also why Paladins must be Lawful Good because of their code.

Sherlock holds himself to an internal code, he still tries to obey the law, the letter and it's intent, but many of his cases require him to commit minor crimes in order to serve a higher good.

Just to point out:

Nowhere is written that a Chaotic character has no personal code. Quite the contrary, it is precisely him which has a self-made personal code (not 'imposed by above', be it a religious order, a sovereign, or any other authority like a Lawful person should have).
A character without any personal code at all is not Chaotic - it's a crazy lunatic which one day could eat dirt 'because it tastes good' and the following day could cross-dress 'because it's funny'.

Judging from the above definitions, RDJ Sherlock Holmes could be NG or even CG, not LG (after all, he doen't work WITH Scotland Yard - the official authority - , he solves cases 'on a whim' by himself, although he does so for a just cause).

Just my 2c.

Just to point out a little misconception about Max Dex with Armors (in this specific case, Heavy Armors), which was already mentioned by TriOmegaZero:

PRD > Equipment > Armor
"Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to AC that this type of armor allows. Dexterity bonuses in excess of this number are reduced to this number for the purposes of determining the wearer's AC. Heavier armors limit mobility, reducing the wearer's ability to dodge blows. This restriction doesn't affect any other Dexterity-related abilities."

Of course, the Armor Check Penalty of the armor would give penalties to Dex-based abilities, but a character would still keep his original Dex bonus for Reflex Saving Throws, Weapon Finesse, Ranged Weapons, Skills, and so on.

Just my 2c.

All right, I double-checked my APG manual and these are my conclusions:

- the text for Elemental Fist and Punishing Kick is basically the same as that of Stunning Fist. Elemental Fist = "On a successful hit, the attack deals damage normally plus 1d6 points of damage of the chosen type."; Punishing Kick = "On a successful hit, the attack deals damage normally and you can choose to push your target 5 feet or attempt to knock them prone." Judging from these, they can either be combined in the same attack (and with Stunning Fist, too) or in different attacks in one Flurry.

- the text for Touch of Serenity is the same as Stunning Fist, however the ability of Touch of Serenity supersedes that of Stunning Fist/Elemental Fist/Punishing Kick. "On a successful hit, the attack deals no damage and bestows no other effect or condition, but the target cannot cast spells or attack (including attacks of opportunity and attacks as immediate actions) for 1 round" Judging from this, you can use it in a different attack in one Flurry, because combining in the same attack with Stunning Fist/Elemental Fist/Punishing Kick would be useless (Touch of Serenity would nullify all the other special attacks).

- the text for Perfect Strike, again, is the same as Stunning Fist. However, it also specifies that it can be used only with a Monk special weapon, and Unarmed Strike is NOT mentioned. "You must use one of the following weapons to make the attack: kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, and siangham. You can roll your attack roll twice and take the higher result." Judging from this, you can only use it in a different attack in a Flurry (made with a Monk weapon), unless you have a Ki Focus Monk weapon, which would deliver the effects of Stunning Fist, too - since the text for Ki Focus says "allowing her to use her special ki attacks through the weapon as if they were unarmed attacks. These attacks include the monk’s ki strike, quivering palm, and the Stunning Fist feat (including any condition that the monk can apply using this feat)." (ask your GM if he would also apply the result of Elemental Fist and Punishing Kick - those abilities didn't exist at the time of the introduction of the Ki Focus special ability, but I believe that they should work too). Since Touch of Serenity doesn't mention any limitation on the special ability granted by Perfect Strike (except for the fact that the attack would deal no damage), I believe that a Ki Focus Monk weapon could deliver it in the same attack as well (of course, all other special abilities like Stunning Fist, Elemental Fist and Punishing Kick would be redundant in that attack), provided your GM allows it to be delivedered through a Ki Focus special weapon as well.

As a recap:
different attacks in a Flurry = yes (but Precise Strike needs a Monk weapon)
same attack = yes for Stunning Fist, Elemental Fist, Punishing Kick. If using a Ki Focus Monk weapon, yes for Precise Strike and Stunning Fist (Elemental Fist and Punishing Kick if your GM allows it). (If your GM allows it, same attack with Ki Focus Monk weapon for Precise Strike and Touch of Perfection.) Otherwise, Touch of Perfection and Precise Strike can be used only in different attacks.

Just my 2 ki points ;) .

I think but not 100% sure that WotC had an article on how to break the different vampire abilities out over levels. I know they did it for aasimar, tiefling and drow so someone could start out playing them as lvl 1 characters then as they went, raise their race or class levels as they wished.

You can find it HERE.

Oh, look WHO wrote it back then :D ...

The party notably doesn't have anyone who could cast Fly. So if the Sorcerer uses fly on herself and the archer, the party looks like they'd be in serious trouble (and those slots are lower than Dimension Door).

I agree with this suggestion. Please note, however, that some ranks in Fly are indicated (especially to the Archer), since you have to make a Fly check DC 15 in order to hover in place (and pepper the party with arrows).

For a real slaughter, I suggest to give Black Tentacles as a 4th level spell. Difficult terrain + Grapple checks every round is brutal against melee-only characters or charging ones...

Even a couple of potions of Fly would be good without having to rely too much on limited resources from the Sorcerer, although the bonus given to the Fly check for a caster level 5th potion is only +2.

Try giving Blur (20% miss from the few suboptimal ranged attacks of the Bard/Ranger) and Mirror Image; of course, only the Sorcerer can benefit from Mirror Image, but Blur is a Touch spell...

The Archer should obviously take Deadly Aim, since he would gain a +4 damage for only a -2 to hit... easy to overcome with the help of a couple of spells or abilities from the Sorcerer (see below). And maximize Fly as much as he can; of course, to build a 'credible' character, I suggest you not to give ranks in Fly for the first 3-4 levels... in order to recreate the situation of a character who couldn't afford reliably to Fly and so couldn't take ranks in the skill before.

So, with Blur, Mirror Image (eventually), Slow, Haste (or Fireball, if you want to crisp them with a combo Arrows+Fire) and Black Tentacles, 3-4 potions of Fly (2 for each character, just in case of a Dispel Magic from the Cleric), you still have all 1st-level spells and one 2nd-level spell to choose . Or two 2nd-level spells, if you make the Sorcerer a Destined Bloodline (bonus spell Blur + Touch of Destiny 6/7 times per day, just to give an additional +4 to hit on ALL attacks to the Archer for 1 round).

Just my 2c.

I know I'm opening a can of worms, but:

1) the Alchemist has absolutely no Alignment restriction in his prerequites (as opposite, for example, to Monks, Barbarians, and Paladins), nor any kind of specification on the use of Poison depending on his own alignment (there is no sentence, for example, which says 'Use poison: this ability is restricted to non-lawful and non-good Alchemists only', as could be, for example, with the Channel Positive or Negative energy for Clerics).

2) regarding 'cheating' and 'fighting with honor', I hardly can consider Sneak Attack to be 'honourable' (EDIT: or, for what matters, as Set pointed out above, using a long-range weapon in sniping), yet a Rogue can be of any alignment - even LG. And again, no rules are specified regarding 'Sneak Attack: a Lawful Rogue cannot use this kind of special ability, since it is not honourable', or 'Stealth: a Lawful character cannot use Stealth, since it's not honourable', or 'Ranged weapons: Lawful characters cannot use a ranged weapond beyond the 3rd range increment, since it is considered dishonourable to fight away from the enemy'.
Now, can a LG Rogue steal or use Sneak Attack ? Well, why not I answer, it all depends on the circumstance. Could it be LG to enter the mansion of an evil Warlord and steal his plans for mass genocide in order to twart them ? I say that a LG character is not stupid, and if 'stealing' such plans can save thousands of life, isn't it better than letting soldiers die in vain ? Of course, the very same LG Rogue who steals apples in the street can still be Good, but decidedly not Lawful...

EDIT: In the same way, can an Alchemist be Lawful Good and still using poison ? Why not, it all depends on the type of poison he uses, why, and how. Sneaking and pouring a Con poison into the food of an evil lord to kill him could be considered CG at the very best, of course not LG; but using an incapacitating poison to capture him and bring him to justice, LG all the way.
LG doesn't mean 'All right, I'm standing in the middle of the street waiting for the whole horde to come challenging me', not even a Paladin can be so much stupid (IMHO), unless this is the only way to save the life of other people.

I hope this shows my point of view without starting another heated Alignment debate...

Is it possible for a Medium PC to use a Large Orc Double Axe which is a two handed weapon?

I can see the -2 penalty to attack rolls but I would think a 1 handed Large weapon wielded by a Medium Character would require 2 hands to use.

From PRD -> Equipment -> Weapon Size:

"Weapon Size: Every weapon has a size category. This designation indicates the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed.

A weapon's size category isn't the same as its size as an object. Instead, a weapon's size category is keyed to the size of the intended wielder. In general, a light weapon is an object two size categories smaller than the wielder, a one-handed weapon is an object one size category smaller than the wielder, and a two-handed weapon is an object of the same size category as the wielder.

Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature can't make optimum use of a weapon that isn't properly sized for it. A cumulative –2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. If the creature isn't proficient with the weapon, a –4 nonproficiency penalty also applies.

The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder's size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. For example, a Small creature would wield a Medium one-handed weapon as a two-handed weapon. If a weapon's designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can't wield the weapon at all."

Basically, since a Double Axe is a Two-Handed melee weapon, only a creature of the size of the weapon or larger can wield it.
In other words, a Large Double Axe is:
* a Two-Handed weapon for a Large creature
* a One-Handed weapon for a Huge creature (with a -2 to hit due to size difference)
* a Light weapon for a Gargantuan creature (with a -4 to hit due to two size difference)

Colossal creatures cannot wield a Large Double Axe at all, since it would be too small for them; on the other end, Medium creatures (or smaller) cannot wield it, too, since it would be a, uh, Three-Handed (or more) weapon - a category that doesn't exist.

The problem with Ora/Sor has nothing to with attributes or amount of spells per day.

It's all about you being Ora4/Sor4/MT1 and having access just to 2nd level spells. At 9th character level. A straight caster has at this point 5th level spells, including such useful ones as: Fly, Teleport, Overland Flight, Scrying, True Seeing, Plane Shift.

Being one spell level behind the possible maximum is not good, being two is bad, three = strikeout. You can't get there from here if your party needs a quick escape and all you can do is bull's strength everyone.

Exactly, the Mystic Theurge is already a class which suffers from the lowered spell caster/ access to higher level spells. Most people do not realize this, and try to jump on the 'PrC train' ASAP; and this leads to characters who, albeit interesting from a role-playing point of view, are often of low contribute to the party.

My humble opinion is NOT TO enter the PrC at low levels, but spread levels from the two spellcasting classes and the PrC in order to minimize the spellcasting lag.

For example, let's take a classic Mystic Theurge, Wizard 5/ Cleric 5/ MT 10. This character at 20th level has the spellcasting ability of both a Cleric 15 and a Wizard 15. Although not a powerhouse (a better build could be either Wizard 7/ Cleric 3/ MT 10 or Wizard 3/ Cleric 7/ MT 10, which would give 9th level spells of one spellcasting class and 7th level spells of the other), he can defend itself quite well - having 8th level spells from both spellcasting classes. However, it suffers A LOT in the 4th-9th level range; it can be played, but you have to endure (and know that your benefit to the party would be lowered). Overall, it can be played - but you have to be patient, and play in a party where your gimped spellcasting ability is tolerated, both power-wise and role-wise (the only worst thing in playing a less-than-optimal character are the sarcastic comments of your party directed towards him - and yes, I made that mistake in the past, too, of being a j**k towards players who guided less-than-optimal characters).

I made a MT starting at 5th level, being a Wizard 3/ Cleric 2 and going on from that point with the 'classic' build - currently, I'm 12th level, W 3/ C 3 / MT6, with both 5th level spells at 12th level (which is only 1 spell level below the maximum allowed for a 12th level character - the worst moment are the odd levels, where full casters take the new spell level and I lag behind, but IT CAN be managed somehow). It had hard moments and fun moments - overall, I am satisfied of such a character, but I have to admit that my group never pointed towards me saying 'boooh! what a crappy spell list you have !' (I had to improvise with lower level spells more often than not - having another full Cleric in the party somehow lessened my lower-level spell tier, however).

However, if a player would take 5 levels of Wizard, then 3 levels of Cleric (or the opposite), it would access the MT later, but having 3rd level spells earlier (Fly, Fireball, Dispel Magic for the Arcane build; Dispel Magic, Cure Serious Wounds, Invisibility Purge for the Divine build). If the character wants to have the 17/ 13 spell progression, this is (IMHO) the way to follow - having 4th level spells at 7th level, then a slight lag on the 8-10 range (when he takes the other class), and then starting the PrC which basically improves your 'main' spellcasting class and improves the 'secondary' spellcasting class.

For the Oracle/ Sorcerer build, which is definetely harder to follow, having access to your best spells is the only suggestion I can give. Making a Sorc4 / Oracle 4/ MT 1 gives you basically only 2nd level spells at 9th level... which is horrible (to put it simple). Taking 6 levels in one class and 4 levels in the other (possibly mixing them, but I personally suggest to pump up only one of them and then starting the other) at least gives you 3rd level spells - of course, living with only 3rd level spells at 9th-10th level is bad (again, IMHO), but still better than having only 2nd-level ones !

However, I personally think that the best way to multiclass Oracle/ Sorcerer/ MT is NOT to complete the PrC. Take 8-10 levels of one class, 4 of the other, and then 6-8 levels of MT. You will end with 8th level spells of your main spellcasting class, 5th-6th level spells of your secondary spellcasting class, and some class benefits which you would have missed otherwise (more Bloodline Powers, Spells and Feats as Sorcerer, more Revelations, Mystery spells and lessened Curse effects as Oracle).

Just my 2c.

On page 53 under Animal Choices it says that "All animal attacks are made using the creature's full base attack bonus unless otherwise noted."

So how does my druid's ape companion attack. Is it bite +2 (1d4), 2 claws -3 (1d4+1)?. That sentence confuses me when it mentions getting Multiattack at a later level. Surely that means that the bite or claws aren't at their full base attack bonus?

Cheers

It's Bite +2 (1d4+1), 2 Claws +2 (1d4+1); since all of these are Primary Natural Attacks, they use the Full BaB and the Full Strength bonus to damage.

The Multiattack bonus Feat gained at 9th level is really useful only for 1) creatures with a single Primary Natural Attack (like a Wolf, or a Boar), since by the special rules for Animal Companions, they gain a second attack at -5 (think of an 'iterative' attack with the Natural Weapon; it even uses the full x1,5 Str bonus to damage, since it's a single Primary Natural Attack, like a Two-Handed weapon), and 2) creatures with Secondary Natural Attacks (like a Horse), whose penalty changes from -5 to -2.

Of the Animal Companions in the Core Rulebook, these are the animals which benefit from the bonus feat:

From the Bestiary, these are the animal which benefit from the bonus feat:

And finally, from the Bonus Bestiary, these are the animal which benefit from the bonus feat:

All others... gain nothing from it.

That is not when reach a BA of +4 and EACH +4 you gain -1/+2 ? so
BA +1: -1/+3
BA +4: -2/+6
BA +9: -3/+9 ?

Actually, it is

BaB___Off-Hand___One-Handed__Two-Handed
+1______-1/+1_______-1/+2______-1/+3
+4______-2/+2_______-2/+4______-2/+6
+8______-3/+3_______-3/+6______-3/+9
+12_____-4/+4_______-4/+8______-4/+12
+16_____-5/+5_______-5/+10_____-5/+15
+20_____-6/+6_______-6/+12_____-6/+18

not BaB +9... otherwise, you are correct.

This was the official answer to this question in the Official 3.5 FAQ:

"With the rules erratum that prohibits overruns as part of a charge, the Ride-By Attack feat is now nearly useless. You must use the charge action to use the Ride-By Attack feat, and that requires you to travel in a straight line toward your target. Using the example in the PH, this would appear to rather specifically mean along a line from your entire square (or squares if riding a horse or other mount with a space of 10 feet or greater), to the target square. Ride-By Attack allows you to continue moving along the straight line of the charge after your attack. This would have to mean that at some point you would enter the square (or squares) of the creature you attacked. (At least I cannot conceive of any other way it could be done). Since you cannot enter your foe’s space unless the creature is already dead, Ride-By Attack is now pretty much useless if you can’t also overrun the foe. Some have suggested that you could charge in a manner that would not bring you through the target creature’s square (or squares). To do so, you would not be charging directly toward the target and likely not moving by the shortest route (also a charge requirement) or attacking it from the first possible square (another charge requirement). In any of these cases, you would be breaking the rules for a charge. Am I wrong about any of this?
No, you’ve got it about right.
When using the Ride-By attack feat, you must conduct your charge so that you move in a straight line toward the closest square from which it is possible to attack your chosen foe, so long as it is a square that allows you to attack and then continue on in the straight line of the charge. You still must attack your foe the moment you reach that square. (Although the feat description doesn’t say so, you and your mount also must move at least 5 feet after you make your attack to get the benefit of the feat.) This is a special rule for charging when using the Ride-By Attack feat. Note that the Flyby Attack feat (discussed in the previous question) does not require you to move in a straight line. You merely make a single move and take another standard action at some point during that move."

I think it's reasonable to allow it in Pathfinder, too.

I decided to start this thread in order to post the errata which have not been corrected in the Manual (and in the PDF, either).

I started noticing this:

page 23:
"Defensive Training: Gnomes get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant type."

It should read 'giant subtype', like in the Dwarf entry.

Currently, Crossbow combatants need some love; they cannot use iterative attacks at all without the use of a Repeating Crossbow or a Light Crossbow with Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot can be used ONLY in the aforementioned examples, and Manyshot cannot be used at all (it specifies that it can be used only with Bows); worse yet, the cannot grant a Strength bonus to the damage they deal. Their only advantages are a slightly better range increment (120 ft. Heavy Xbows vs. 110 ft. Composite LBows) and a better critical threat range. On top of that, the Heavy Crossbow is one of the worst weapons in existance, requiring a full-round action to be reloaded (or a move action with Rapid Reload...)
A Ranged-specialized Ranger would choose a Crossbow ONLY for the purpose of sniping from a prone position - not exactly a stellar option.
IMHO, something should be done for this (at least, allowing Manyshot to be used also with crossbows , and reducing the reload time of Heavy Xbows to move action if the character has a minimum Str required).
And yes, Rapid Shot should either specify that you must have Rapid Reload to use it with a non-Repeating Crossbow, or 'swallow' the Rapid Reload feat and give the two bonuses altogether (and eliminate the Rapid Reload feat at all)...
A sightly pretentious wish-list, I admit (especially the Rapid Shot&Reload part)...
Just my 2c.

Adding comment from other thread:

Pathfinder Beta wrote:

Empower Spell: All variable, numeric effects of an empowered spell are increased by one-half.

So to rephrase (and again, this is interpretable differently): All effects that are variable and numeric are increased by one-half.

1d4+1 is the damage effect of a magic missile, thus increased by one-half.

1d6+caster level is the penalty effect of a Ray of Enfeeblement, thus increased by one-half.

If an effect is numeric, and it is variable, it is increased.

There is another reason why I'm not convicend on this interpretation, and it's game balance with Maximize spell.

If rules are as you suggested:
Maximize Spell, 1d6+5 = 11
Empower Spell, (1d6+5)x1,5: minimum 9, maximum 16, average 12,75
A spell slot less for more damage ? Sorry, but that would be poor game-design...

On the contrary, if it would be as I suggested:
Maximize spell, 1d6+5 = 11
Empower Spell, 1d6x1,5 +5= minimum 6,5, maximum 14, average 10,25
More game balanced, IMHO...

The Monk however doesn't really seem to the type that should just go for a generic PrC, there should be a manifold campaign/order/monastic specific ones. With the respective rivalries between. :) "You're Southern style moves are no match for a master of Shaolin! On the contrary it is clear that your Chi and your moves are weak!"

Yes, something like the bitter rivalry between Hokuto Shinken and Nanto Seiken from Fist of the North Star (the Animes, NOT the live-action movie !...), with different specialized moves as well !