Okay. With folks getting their first looks at Unchained, I have decided to start a new thread where we can discuss the Unchained Monk.
Whether for good, for bad, for the big things, or the little things, this is the place to let it all hang out.
For myself, I haven't seen the PDF yet. I will be getting the book (and the PDF), but I am not a subscriber, so I've got to wait. Sigh. BUT, from what folks have said . . . I'm torn.
Some things look good. Very good. I like the change to flurry of blows (mostly, I need to read it carefully to make certain) no longer having a penalty AND the UM having full BAB. I like the concept behind the additional ki powers, but dislike that the ki pool remains so small. I like the new Styles (flying kick alone promises to be awesome and I cannot wait to see (or hear) about the others).
I'm not sure, however, that bumping up the hit die to a d10 was needed . . . especially with the Will save being reduced to poor. Now, Mark Robert Jordan has said (in the BIG Pathfinder Unchained thread) that there are several new powers feeding off of Still Mind that make the monk resistant to will effects. If so, that is good. I just hope that they do not cost ki, considering how small our pool already is.
Anyway, I am going to reserve opinion until I actually get the book (or PDF) and sit down and READ the class and new abilities several times.
But until then, feel free to post your own thoughts, opinions, and critiques.
MA
EDIT: It was actually Robert Jordan who told us about Diamond Mind and Flawless Mind, not Mark. Sorry about that, Robert.
Hello, all. This one has taken some time and it has been awhile since I lasted updated it. But now, I've got full compliance with the post-blog Monk and added a few new bells-and-whistles to the Tattoos themselves.
Good question. A lot of people want to see OPTIONS in the various character classes for Pathfinder. So, at its heart, this is just a monk with options. You've got the bare bones of what it is to be a monk . . . and then every single level he gets to pick a Tattoo of Power to activate. Each Tattoo has a different effect; some are limited use per day, while others are always active. Some duplicate existing monk abilities, while others are spell-like abilities.
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This is a thread for a simple question that has arisen time and time again:
When a character or creature is wearing an Amulet of Mighty Fists and attempts a grapple maneuver, does the enhancement bonus of the AoMF (if any) add to the character's roll to perform the grapple?
If it does, then does the enhancement bonus (if any) also apply to the character resisting a grapple maneuver?
I post this because the question keeps on popping up in thread after thread, and nowhere have I (with my admittedly weak search-fu) been able to find an answer from the developers. I, for one, would like to see the issue settled once and for all with a simple answer: YES or NO.
If you feel the same way, please click FAQ and here is hoping that we will finally receive an answer.
Post your own opinions and thoughts below, if you like.
We've done this for monks, so how about other classes? This thread is for posting your tales of awesome and inspiring acts that you have done (or seen) characters do in D&D or Pathfinder.
It is not for arguments about the various classes or discussions of power levels.
So let's have some stories that highlight just how great our games have been . . . and demonstrate to new guys just how fun they can be.
I'll start us off.
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I was playing 3.5 edition with a group of guys and gals in the Hattiesburg area back during the late '90s. We had a pretty diverse (and large) group with a total of nine (seven players and one DM, plus an assistant DM).
We were in the middle of a quest to find and recover a piece of an artifact before the villans could get to it and use it and had been travelling cross-country through an ancient forest.
Little did we know that the forest was infested with Drow. The Dark Elves.
Turns out that one of the exits to their underground citedals was smack-dab in the center of the forest that we were travelling through . . . and THEY also wanted the artifact that was our goal.
At the time, I was playing a Battle Sorcerer (from the 3.5 Unearthed Arcana) by the name of Sebastion. We were 10th level . . . and our DM was a hard-core bastard.
The Drow didn't attack us in force; they harassed us. They made hit-and-run attacks just to bleed away our spells and hit points; never sticking around to fight. If we pursued, they melted away in the forest that they KNEW like the back of their hand. If we ignored them, they followed us.
Well, it was getting close to night and we were all exhausted. I mean our characters were WORE OUT. We needed a good nights rest.
So, Sebastion, who had selected Leomund's Secure Shelter as one of his 4th level spells known (I know, it is not the best choice, but it IS the one I made), conjured up that nice little stone cottage so we didn't have sleep on the forest floor. AND so we would be safe and sound from the Dark Elves. Or so we thought.
Beav (real name Jerry James, our DM) just laughed and he said, OK.
That is when I knew we were in trouble.
Everyone came inside the house, we sealed the doors and windows, made a fire, cooked supper, and then retired for the night.
That is when one of the of those EVIL Dark Elves creep up close to the Secure Shelter . . . and dispelled it.
We all woke up as we hit the forest floor and jumped up . . . but there was no attack. Just a faint giggle coming from SOMEWHERE in the woods.
I cast the spell AGAIN, and we tried to get back to sleep.
And the damn Drow dispelled it again.
This was starting to get annoying.
I had TWO 4th level spell slots left, so I cast Secure Shelter a THIRD time and we tried to get back to sleep . . . and we did.
This time the Dark Elf harlequin/stand-up comic/ass decided to let us sleep for ONE HOUR before he dispelled it.
I was PISSED. Or rather Sebastion was pissed.
"Okay, Beav," I said. "You want to play?"
"I can do this all night," he answered laughing.
"Okay, let's play."
I owned at the time a Wand of fireball that still had 41 charges left in it. Warning the party to stand behind me, I began to systematically fire off 5d6 fireballs into the forest.
"You know the Drow is going to make his save?" Beav asked me.
"I'm not aiming for the Drow . . . I'm aiming for the TREES," Sebastion snarled.
Yep, I expended ALL FORTY-ONE charges by slowly turning aroudn in a circle and firing one every 8-9 degrees of the compass. And when it was exhausted, I used every FIFTH level spell I had to add Walls of Fire to the mix, with my own 10d6 third-level fireballs. I burnt out that wand and EVERY third and fifth level spell slot I had. (well, except for ONE 5th-level slot).
I used every SECOND-level spell slot I had left on gust of wind to stoke the fires as well.
And started a massive forest fire in the process. You see, I had neglected to consider that the area was currently suffering from a DROUGHT. Oops, I did it again. The conflagration was EPIC and we (the players) were laughing our butts off. Beav was a little bit shocked, but finally, he too began to laugh.
"They might save against my fireballs, Beav," I said, "but I'd like to see them dodge THIS."
Then I cast my last Secure Shelter and I ushered the party inside before casting my last Wall of Fire (hot side facing outwards) around the building to build a fire break.
We got our eight hours of sleep.
And when we woke up? The forest was GONE. Only ash remained, with charred trees and stumps sticking up through it . . . and here and there pieces of burnt bones that had once belonged to Dark Elves.
I burned out a fifty mile area before panicked Druids managed to extinguish the flames. Overkill much? I was asked by my fellow players. None of whom protested at the time while we were getting good nights sleep.
I shrugged and smiled at them and Beav. "They wanted a War; they GOT a War."
Of course, the consequences were (aa always) going to come back and bite us. Such as when a price was put on our heads by the regional Great Druid for 'crimes against nature'.
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Okay. Here is the question: now that the Amulet of Mighty Fists has seen a reduction in its price (and cost to craft), will there be any errata issued on the Bodywraps of Mighty Strikes to reduce their price?
The reason that I ask this question is because of the weird manner in which the Bodywraps function; only granting their enhancement bonus on a set number of individual attacks in a round depending on the BAB of the wearer. Yet, the Bodywraps are priced higher than a weapon with an equivalent enhancement bonus.
From the FAQ:
Quote:
The design team has decided to reduce the price of this item. The new prices are as follows: 4,000 gp (+1), 16,000 gp (+2), 36,000 gp (+3), 64,000 gp (+4), 100,000 gp (+5).
.......
This makes this item priced a bit more competitively for monks and creatures that rely on natural attacks.
This answer originally appeared in the 12/4/12 Paizo blog. The next printing of the Core Rulebook, NPC Codex, and Ultimate Equipment will be updated with this information.
—Pathfinder Design Team, 03/01/13
And for the Bodywraps:
Quote:
Price: 3,000 gp (+1), 12,000 gp (+2), 27,000 gp (+3), 48,000 gp (+4), 75,000 gp (+5), 108,000 gp (+6), 147,000 gp (+7).
And weapon prices from the Core Rulebook:
Quote:
Price: 2,000 gp (+1), 8,000 gp (+2), 18,000 gp (+3), 32,000 gp (+4), 50,000 gp (+5), 72,000 gp (+6), 98,000 gp (+7).
Let's look at these numbers for a moment, considering just the basic +1 versions (the numbers get worse for the Bodywraps as the enhancement bonus increases):
+1 AoMf . . . 4,000 gp. Good for ANY number of attacks made in a round with Natural Weapons or Unarmed Attacks.
+1 Weapon . . . 2,000 gp. Good for ANY number of attacks made in a round with a specific manufactured weapon.
+1 BWoMS . . . 3,000 gp. Good for 1-4 attacks only in each combat round, depending on BAB (0 to +5 is 1 attack, +6 to +10 is 2 attacks, +11 to +15 is 3 attacks, +16 to +20 is 4 attacks) with Natural Weapons or Unarmed Attacks.
Am I the only one for whom this makes little sense? Will there be any change to the Bodywraps in light of the recent changes to the Amulet?
EDIT: Feel free to add your voice to the question by clicking on the FAQ button at the right of the original post.
Okay. Here we are again. No, this not about spaying or neutering the monk, but transforming the class into a solid contributor to the party.
I have given much thought as to what a monk really needs and then whittled it down to the bare basics. Here is my view of what would make the monk into a competitive class; your own opinion may well vary from mine. :) No worries, just let me know what you think.
I deliberately went with a minimalist approach this time. Unless it is listed below, no current ability of the monk is changed. And with each, my reasoning for the change is listed. Changes are bolded . . . as are the names of ability in question. The monk still gets everything at the same level. I think you fellows and gals can figure it out.
Enjoy . . . and feel free to critique and criticize to your heart's content.
MA
Weapon Proficiency: Monks are proficient with the brass knuckles, cestus, club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, quarterstaff, shortspear, sword sword, sling, spear, and with any weapon with monk listed as a special property.
REASONING: A common fix on the boards. The unarmed fighter gets it; why shouldn't the monk?
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, a monk may select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following list:
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Gorgon's Fist, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, and Mobility.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list:
Greater Grapple, Greater Sunder, Improved Critical, Medusa's Wrath, Snatch Arrows, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Bull Rush, Greater Disarm, Greater Feint, and Greater Trip.
A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Reasoning: No longer do you need that Int 13 to get Greater Trip. It just makes sense to me.
Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a monk gains a pool of ki points, supernatural energy he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The number of points in a monk's ki pool is equal to 1/2 his monk level + his Wisdom modifier. As long as he has at least 1 point in his ki pool, he can make a ki strike.
At 4th level, ki strike allows his unarmed attacks to be treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Furthermore, when using ki strike the monk can use his Wisdom modifier instead of his Strength or Dexterity modifier on attack rolls with his unarmed attacks.
At 7th level, his unarmed attacks are also treated as cold iron and silver for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
At 10th level, his unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Furthermore, when using ki strike the monk can add 1/2 his Wisdom modifier (round down) on damage rolls with his unarmed attacks. The monk still adds his Strength modifier on damage rolls with his unarmed attacks.
At 16th level, his unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk can do one of the following:
*Make one additional attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack, or
*Move 20' as part of the same swift action used to activate this ability; when a monk activates this ability and either performs a charge or makes a full-attack, the monk's base attack bonus is equal to his monk level for this attack or attacks (as per flurry of blows, see above), or
*Give himself a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round.
The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest of meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
As the monk advances in level, he gains access to new uses of his ki pool, as detailed below.
REASONING: Okay. This is the big one. First off, starting at 4th level, a monk can use Wisdom for attack rolls instead of damage on unarmed attacks only. This will prevent the ability from being an easy dip for a Cleric or Druid, and since it applies only to unarmed attacks, isn't THAT great for a Cleric (a Druid on the other hand . . .). And starting at 10th level, the monk gets to add 1/2 his Wisdom mod to damage . . . plus his Strength mod. This should FIX the problems a monk has with attacks and damage.
The second change is another big one: moving 20' as part of the same swift action of spending ki? This will let monks to make short-range pounches and alleviates some of the disparity between a monk's abilities.
Catfall (Ex/Su): At 4th level or higher, a monk always lands on his feet after a fall (but not when deliberately tripped); this part of the ability is exceptional in nature. In addition, a monk is capable of falling great distances without harm. When this ability is first gained, the monk may spend 1 point from his ki pool as an immediate action to reduce the damage taken from a fall by 4d6.
For each additional level gained thereafter as a monk, the falling damage is reduced by an additional 1d6, to a maximum reduction of 20d6 for a 20th level monk, allowing a monk of such high level to fall any distance without suffering harm. A monk using this ability is not slowed when falling, nor does he require a wall or other surface within arm’s length; this part of the ability is supernatural. NOTE: This replaces Slow Fall.
REASONING: Now it is worth keeping. You don't have to have a wall handy, but is now based on an expendable resource . . . ki.
Acrobatics (Ex): At 5th level, a monks adds his level to all Acrobatics checks. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk gains a +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks for 1 round. NOTE: This replaces High Jump.
REASONING: Monks are tumbling fools . . . but only got bonuses on Jump? Not anymore.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal his own wounds. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a standard action, he may heal 4d6 points of damage. The amount of damage healed increased by an additional 1d6 at every odd level gained thereafter as a monk (9th, 11th, 13th, etc.) to a maximum of 10d6 at 19th level.
By spending 2 points from his ki pool, a monk can instead use this ability as a swift action.
REASONING: Damage healed is more random, but averages higher. Plus, by spending MORE ki, you can use this ability in combat as well as the paladin laying on of hands.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can magically slip between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, with the following exceptions: using this ability is a move action that consumes 2 points from his ki pool. His caster level for this effect is equal to his monk level. He may take up to two additional creatures with him using this ability by spending 2 additional points from his ki pool for each creature transported. He may take additional actions remaining after using this ability, as if he possessed the feat Dimensional Agility.
At 16th level, he may activate this ability on a charge instead of a move action, as if he possessed the feat Dimensional Assault. When a monk activates this ability, the monk's base attack bonus is equal to his monk level for this attack only (as per flurry of blows, see above).
REASONING: These two feats SHOULD have been part of the monk class all along. Note that the monk doesn't ACTUALLY have the feats; so if he wants Dimensional Dervish and the rest, he has to select Agility for real. And now the monk can actually rescue someone . . . at a STEEP cost in ki.
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to his current monk level +10 against any spell that lacks (harmless) in its saving throw. In order to affect the monk with a spell (or spell-like ability), a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk's spell resistance. As an immediate action, the monk may spend 1 point from his ki pool to gain a +4 bonus on his spell resistance for 1 round. The monk may voluntarily lower his spell resistance as a standard action; doing so lasts for one round. On the next round, his spell resistance automatically regains effect (unless the monk spends another standard action to lower it again).
REASONING: Made it an ability, not a LIABILITY like the original. Mostly.
Well, that's it. Just those changes and the monk (I believe) will come into his own as a solid class. Tell me your thoughts. Share. You know you want to. :)
Monk: Does the extra attack from spending ki as part of a flurry of blows stack with the extra attack from haste?
Yes. The extra attack described in the ki pool ability doesn't say it works like haste, nor does it say that it doesn't stack with haste, so the monk would get two additional attacks (one from spending a ki point as part of a flurry, one from haste).
—Pathfinder Design Team, yesterday
Wow. The extra attack from spending ki stacks with haste. Some will hate this ruling, others will look for way to exploit it, but I am glad that some issues are being addressed.
Okay, so here is probably the one thousandth and sixty-sixth (or is that sixty-SITH?) monk revision to hit these boards. Chime in and let me know how this one meets the goals to make the class a solid player in the game, and not a wanna-be.
MA
The Pathfinder Monk, version 1066!
For the truly exemplary, martial skill transcends the battlefield: it is a lifestyle, a doctrine, a state of mind. These warrior-artists search out methods of battle beyond swords and shields, finding within themselves weapons that are just as capable of crippling or killing as any blade. These monks (so called since they adhere to strict martial disciplines and ancient philosophies passed down through the generations since the mythical War between Law and Chaos) elevate their bodies to become weapons of war. Monks tread the path of discipline and self-enlightenment, and those with the will to endure that path discover within themselves not what they are, but what they are meant to be.
Role: This version of the monk class is, first and foremost, a skirmisher, a scout, a light fighter who relies on his innate abilities and ki to achieve literally inhuman results. He eschews clumsy armor and random weapons to instead achieve greatness through his own inner will and strength. His endurance and ability to sustain hardship is legendary, rivaled only by the toughest of barbarians and most skilled of rangers. His combat ability with attacks, damage, and maneuvers comes close to equaling more marital classes, yet he is more than merely a fighter. Wise beyond his years, the monk’s senses are keenly honed and he possesses an extensive array of techniques that permit him to accomplish acts that normally can be done only by a practitioner of magic. The varied selection of skills and talents that the monk has at his disposal make a valued member of any adventuring party.
Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
BAB: Full
Good Saves: Fort; Reflex; and Will
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex); Climb (Str); Craft (Int); Diplomacy (Cha); Escape Artist (Dex); Intimidate (Cha); Knowledge (Any) (Int); Linguistics (Int); Perception (Wis); Perform (Cha); Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex); Sense Motive (Wis); Stealth (Dex); and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with the club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, quarterstaff, shortspear, short sword, sling, and spear. Furthermore, monks are proficient with any weapon with the monk special quality.
Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields.
Body and Soul (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a monk gains a +1 inherent bonus to his lowest ability score. If the monk has two or more ability scores that are equally low, he may apply this bonus to the ability score of his choice.
At every level gained as a monk thereafter, the monk may assign another +1 inherent bonus to his lowest ability score (or his choice of an ability score of two or more are equally low) or instead increase any already assigned inherent bonus by 1. The monk may not exceed a +5 inherent bonus with any of his ability scores; he must always assign this inherent bonus to his lowest ability score, except if that ability score has already received +5 in inherent bonuses or if two or more ability scores qualify as the lowest.
Inherent bonuses received through the use of spells or magic items such as wish or various manuals or tomes are not so limited to the lowest ability score of a monk, but the character must still abide by a maximum limit of +5 inherent bonuses on any one ability score.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels gained as a monk thereafter, a monk may select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, and Scorpion Style.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Gorgon’s Fist, Improved Blind-Fight, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Mobility, Snatch Arrows, and Vital Strike.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Blind-Fight, Greater Grapple, Greater Sunder, Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, Medusa’s Wrath, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, the following feats are added to this list: Greater Bull Rush, Greater Disarm, and Greater Trip.
A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a monk can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action. When doing so he may make one additional attack using any combination of unarmed strikes or attacks with a special monk weapon (club, dagger, handaxe, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, siangham, as well as all other weapons with monk special quality not listed) at his highest base attack bonus. A monk takes a penalty of -2 on the attack roll of all attacks made during a flurry of blows and any attacks of opportunity that he may make during the same round he uses a flurry of blows, as well as all combat maneuvers made during that round. This penalty does not increase if the monk wields a one-hand weapon in his off-hand.
A monk using flurry of blows may make all of his attacks (the normal as well as the additional attack(s) from this ability) with just one weapon chosen from those above, or with two weapons. He may substitute an unarmed strike for any number of his attacks during a flurry of blows. A monk may substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers as part of a flurry of blows.
Starting at 8th level, the monk can make two additional attacks when he uses flurry of blows; the second additional attack is made at the highest attack bonus -5 (before applying the -2 penalty given to all attacks made during a flurry of blows).
At 15th level, the monk can make three additional attacks when he uses flurry of blows; the third additional attack is made at the highest attack bonus -10 (before applying the -2 penalty given to all attacks made during a flurry of blows).
A monk applies his normal full Strength modifier to his damage rolls for all successful attacks made with a flurry of blows, whether the attacks are made with an off-hand or with a weapon wielded in both hands; i.e., a monk does not apply one-half Strength for using an off-hand weapon or one and one-half Strength for using a two-hand weapon, regardless of how the weapon is wielded. A monk using the Power Attack feat during a flurry of blows treats all weapons, regardless of how they are wielded, as one-handed weapons wielded in a single hand, for the purpose of determining the bonus damage granted by that feat.
A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows. A monk with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.
Intuitive Defense (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four monk levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed.
The benefits from this class feature only apply if the monk is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load.
Stunning Fist (Ex): At 1st level, the monk gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if the monk does not meet the prerequisites. At 4th level, and every four levels gained as a monk thereafter, the monk gains the ability to apply a new condition to the target of his stunning fist. This condition replaces stunning the target for 1 round, and a successful saving throw still negates the effect.
At 4th level, he can choose to make the target fatigued.
At 8th level, he can make the target sickened for 1 minute.
At 12th level, he can make the target staggered for 1d6+1 rounds.
At 16th level, he can permanently blind or deafen the target.
At 20th level, he can paralyze the target for 1d6+1 rounds.
The monk must choose which condition will apply before the attack roll is made. These effects do not stack with themselves (for example, a creature sickened by a 8th level monk’s stunning fist cannot become nauseated if he is struck again), but additional hits do increase the duration. Creatures may be affected by multiple effects, if the monk successful strikes them and they fail their saving throw (for example, a creature sickened in one round can be stunned (or fatigued, if the monk prefers) the following round). In this case, both effects apply fully to the target creature.
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be performed with fist, elbows, knees, feet, and head. This means that a monk may make unarmed strikes with his hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply his full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all his unarmed strikes.
Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A monk’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 attacks (including the bonus attack granted by the spell haste).
A monk also deals more damage with his unarmed strikes than a normal person would, with a Medium monk dealing 1d6 points of damage. A Small monk deals 1d4 points of damage, whereas a Large monk deals 1d8 points of damage.
At 10th level, and again at 20th level, the damage a monk deals with his unarmed strikes increases: Medium monks deal 1d8 damage at 10th and 2d6 damage at 20th, Small monks deal 1d6 damage at 10th and 2d4 damage at 20th, and Large monks deal 1d10 damage at 10th and 2d8 damage at 20th.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher, a monk can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks. If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing no armor and carrying no more than a light load. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Fleet: Starting at 2nd level, a monk gains Fleet as a bonus feat. This increases his base speed (for his race) by +5 feet. This increase in speed is not an enhancement bonus. This benefit only applies if the monk is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load.
At 4th level, and every even level gained thereafter as a monk, the monk gains this feat again. Its benefits stack, to a maximum speed increase of +50 feet at 20th level.
Size Matters Not (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a monk is treated as one size category larger than his natural size whenever he performs a combat maneuver—but only when he attempts to perform a combat maneuver on a creature larger than himself.
At 8th level, a monk is treated as two size categories larger when he performs a combat maneuver, but only against creatures at least two size categories larger than himself.
At 14th level, a monk is treated as three size categories larger when he performs a combat maneuver, but only against creatures at least three size categories larger than himself.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against all mind-affecting spells and effects. Starting at 10th level, if the monk fails a saving throw against mind-affecting spell or effect, he may (as a free action) attempt to save at the start of his next turn on the following round against the same DC; a success on this second save attempt will immediately end the mind-affecting spell or effect.
Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a monk gains a pool of ki points, supernatural energy that he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The number of points in a monk’s ki pool is equal to his monk level + his Wisdom modifier.
As long as he has at least 1 point in his ki pool, he can make a ki strike. When a monk’s unarmed strikes are imbued with ki (i.e., when he has at least 1 point remaining in his ki pool), his unarmed strikes gain a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls (but not damage rolls) and are treated as magic weapons for all purposes, including bypassing damage reduction and striking incorporeal creatures.
Ki strike improves as the character gains additional levels as a monk. At 7th level, his unarmed strikes have a +2 enhancement bonus on attack rolls only, and are also treated as cold iron or silver weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
At 10th level, the enhancement bonus on his unarmed strikes increases to +3 and they are treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
At 13th level, his unarmed strikes have an enhancement bonus of +4 and are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
At 16th level, his unarmed strikes gain an enhancement bonus of +5 and overcomes all alignment based damage reduction.
At 19th level, a monk’s ki strike increases the critical threat range and multiplier to 19-20/x3 for his unarmed strikes (this increase with stack with the improved critical feat, if the monk has already or at some time later selects that feat for his unarmed strike).
By spending 1 point from his ki pool, a monk can make one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus when he performs a flurry of blows attack (see above). He may instead spend 1 point when he is charging, using the Spring Attack feat, or moves 10 feet or more in a round to gain one additional attack at his highest attack bonus. This additional attack must be made with an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon and suffers the same -2 penalty given under flurry of blows (and all attacks of opportunity and combat maneuvers performed in the same round also suffer the same -2 penalty). The additional attack granted by spending a point of ki does not stack with that provided by a speed weapon or by the spell haste.
In addition, the monk can spend 1 point to gain any of the following effects:
1. A +20’ enhancement bonus to his speed for 1 minute.
2. To take a second 5’ step in a round where he has already taken a 5’ step.
3. To gain a +4 bonus to the saving throw DC of his Stunning Fist ability for 1 attack (this option must be used before the attack is rolled); this use also applies to his Quivering Palm ability, once the monk gains the use of that class feature.
4. To gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round.
Each of these powers is activated as a swift action. A monk gains additional powers that consume point from his ki pool as he gains levels.
The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
Catfall (Ex/Su): At 4th level or higher, a monk always lands on his feet after a fall (but not when deliberately tripped). In addition, a monk is capable of falling great distances without harm. If the monk is within arm’s reach of a wall, a curtain, a tree, a cliff, etc., etc., etc., the monk may slow his fall and reduce his damage by 4d6. For each additional level gained thereafter as a monk, the falling damage is reduced by an additional 1d6, to a maximum reduction of 20d6 for a 20th level monk, allowing a monk of such a level to fall any distance without suffering harm—as long as he is within arm’s reach. This part of the ability is exceptional in nature.
If the monk is NOT within arm’s reach of a means of slowing his fall, he may spend 1 ki point as an immediate action to reduce the damage taken from a fall by 4d6. For each additional level gained thereafter as a monk, the falling damage is reduced by an additional 1d6, to a maximum reduction of 20d6 for a 20th level monk, along a monk of such a level to fall any distance without suffering harm. A monk using this ability is not slowed when falling, nor does he require a wall or other surface within arm’s length; this part of the ability is supernatural.
High Jump (Ex): At 5th level, a monk adds his level to all Acrobatics checks made to jump, both for vertical jumps and horizontal jumps. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk gains a +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.
Monastic Weapons Training (Ex): Starting at 6th level, a monk gains a +1 bonus on all attack rolls (but not damage rolls) made with unarmed strikes, special monk weapons, and simple melee or thrown weapons. Every six levels gained as a monk thereafter (12th and 18th), this bonus increases by an additional +1.
A monk also adds this bonus to any combat maneuver checks made with unarmed strikes, special monk weapons, or simple melee or thrown weapons, as well as any grapple checks which he makes. When wielding a special monk weapon, this bonus also applies to a monks Combat Maneuver Defense against disarm and sunder attempts.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level and higher, a monk can heal his own wounds. By spending 2 points from his ki pool as a swift action, the monk will heal a number of hit points of damage that he has suffered equal to his level as a monk plus 4d6. This ability cannot be used on others. The amount of damage healed increases by +1d6 for every odd level gained as a monk thereafter (i.e., 5d6+9 at 9th level, 6d6+11 at 11th level, etc.), to a maximum die of 10d6+19 at 19th level (but 10d6+20 at 20th level).
Starting at 14th level, a monk using wholeness of body can instead spend 2 ki points as a swift action to instead heal ability damage or drain that he has taken. The monk heals the same amount as given above; but this amount can only be applied to ability damage or drain. This ability cannot be used on others. The monk may split this restoration between as many ability scores as he chooses, but no score can be raised above its normal maximum value. Any excess ability score damage or drain restoration is lost.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monk’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Diamond Body (Su): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 2 points from his ki pool. His caster level for this effect is equal to his monk level.
Normally, he may not take other creatures with him when he uses this ability. However, if monk spends 2 additional points of ki for each willing creature he touches (to a maximum of two), he may transport those as well. Unlike the spell, using this ability does not end the character’s turn.
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to his current monk level +10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance.
By spending 1 point from his ki pool as an immediate action, a monk can gain a +4 bonus to his spell resistance for 1 round.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. He can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and he must announce his intent before making his attack roll.
Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter, the monk can try to slay the victim at a later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to his monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + one-half the monk’s level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger form that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time.
A monk can have no more than 1 quivering palm in effect at one time. If a monk uses quivering palm while another is still in effect, the previous effect is negated.
At 16th level, a monk may make additional quivering palm attacks by spending 2 points from his ki pool on each attack after the first made in a single day.
Timeless Body (Ex): At 17th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to his ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that he has already taken, however, remain in place. Age bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when his time is up.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex): A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with and understand any living creature.
Empty Body (Su): At 18th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 minute as though using the spell etherealness. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 3 points from his ki pool. This ability only affects the monk and cannot be used to make other creatures ethereal.
Walk Between Worlds (Su): Starting at 19th level, a monk gains the ability to plane shift, as per the spell. Using this ability requires 10 minutes of meditation and consumes 4 points from his ki pool. Normally, this ability only affects the monk, but by spending 4 points of ki per additional person, he may transport willing creatures with him.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. He is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monk’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical affects. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/chaotic and magic, which allows him to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonchaotic weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if he were a member of his previous creature type.
EX-MONKS
A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk, but retains all monk abilities.
Okay. The blog Monkeying Around has been out for a while now, so here is my thoughts on how the monk can be brought fully up to speed and equal to the other martial classes. It incorporates everything that Jason and his team have worked on with a few other ideas. Let me know what you think.
MA
The Pathfinder Monk: A New Take
For the truly exemplary, martial skill transcends the battlefield—it is a lifestyle, a doctrine, a state of mind. These warrior-artists search out methods of battle beyond swords and shields, finding weapons within themselves just as capable of crippling or killing as any blade. These monks (so called since they adhere to ancient philosophies and strict martial disciplines) elevate their bodies to become weapons of war, from battle-minded ascetics to self-taught brawlers.
Monks tread the path of discipline, and those with the will to endure that path discover within themselves not what they are, but what they are meant to be.
Role: Monks excel at overcoming even the most daunting perils, striking where it’s least expected, and taking advantage of enemy vulnerabilities. Fleet of foot and skilled in combat, monks can navigate any battlefield with ease, aiding allies wherever they are needed most.
Alignment: Any lawful.
Base Attack Bonus: Full.
Hit Die: d8.
Good Saves: Fort, Ref, and Will.
CLASS SKILLS
The monk’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier (but see monastic skill training, below).
CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the monk.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with the club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, siangham, sling, and spear.
Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields.
When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses his AC bonus, as well as his fast movement and flurry of blows abilities (see below).
AC Bonus (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four monk levels thereafter. These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any armor, when he uses a shields, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 2nd level, and every four levels gained thereafter as a monk, a monk may select a bonus feat. These feats must be chosen from the following list: Catch Off-Guard, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, Scorpion Style, and Throw Anything.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to this list: Gorgon’s Fist, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, and Mobility.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to this list: Greater Grapple, Greater Sunder, Improved Critical, Medusa’s Wrath, Snatch Arrows, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, the following feats are added to this list: Greater Bull Rush, Greater Disarm, and Greater Trip.
A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Fast Movement (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a monk gains a bonus of +10’ to his movement. At 7th level, and again at 14th level, this bonus increases by an additional +10’. This bonus is not an enhancement bonus and it applies to all movement modes that the monk may possess (including those granted by spells). A monk wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a monk can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action. When doing so he may make one additional attack using any combination of unarmed strikes or attacks with a special monk weapon (club, dagger, handaxe, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, and siangham) as if using the Two-Weapon Fighting feat (even if the monk does not meet the prerequisites for the feat).
Unlike Two-Weapon Fighting, a monk may make all of his attacks (normal as well as the additional attack(s) from this ability) with just one weapon chosen from those above, or with two weapons. When using two weapons (or a double weapon), a monk may choose which weapon to use when making any individual attack. He may substitute an unarmed strike for any number of his attacks during a flurry of blows.
A monk takes a penalty of -2 on the attack roll of all attacks made during a flurry of blows and any attacks of opportunity that he may make during the same round he uses a flurry of blows, as well as all combat maneuvers made during that round. This penalty does not increase if the monk wields a one-hand weapon in his off-hand.
Starting at 8th level, the monk can make two additional attacks when he uses flurry of blows, as if using Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (even if the monk does not meet the prerequisite for the feat.)
At 15th level, the monk can make three additional attacks using flurry of blows, as if using Greater Two-Weapon Fighting (even if the monk does not meet the prerequisites for the feat).
A monk applies his full Strength bonus (his Strength modifier) to his damage rolls for all successful attacks made with a flurry of blows, whether the attacks are made with an off-hand or with a weapon wielded in both hands. A monk using the Power Attack feat during a flurry of blows treats all weapons, regardless of how they are wielded, as one-handed weapons wielded in a single hand, for the purpose of determining the bonus damage granted by that feat.
A monk may substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers as part of a flurry of blows.
A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows. A monk with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.
Monastic Skill Training: At 1st level, a monk must choose two skills in which he does not possess skill ranks from the following list: Craft (any), Diplomacy, Knowledge (any), Linguistics, and Perform (any). This choice cannot be altered once made. These two skills become class skills for the monk and the monk gains 2 bonus skill ranks that must be applied the chosen skills. Each level gained as a monk thereafter, the monk gains 2 additional bonus skill ranks that must be applied to these skills.
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be performed with fist, elbows, knees, feet, and head. This means that a monk may make unarmed strikes with his hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply his full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all his unarmed strikes.
Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A monk’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 attacks (including the bonus attack granted by the spell haste).
A monk also deals more damage with his unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table 3-9: Monk. The unarmed damage values listed on Table 3-9 is for Medium monks. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with his unarmed strikes, while a Large monk deals more damage; see Table 3-10: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher, a monk can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks. If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects. This bonus increases to +4 upon reaching 10th level as a monk and again to +6 at 17th level.
Stunning Fist (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, the monk gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. At 4th level, and every 4 levels gained as a monk thereafter, the monk gains the ability to apply a new condition to the target of his Stunning Fist. This condition replaces stunning the target for 1 round, and a successful saving throw negates the effect. At 4th level, he can choose to make the target fatigued. At 8th level, he can make the target sickened for 1 minute. At 12th level, he can make the target staggered for 1d6+1 rounds. At 16th level, he can permanently blind or deafen the target. At 20th level, he can paralyze the target for 1d6+1 rounds. The monk must choose which condition will apply before the attack roll is made. These effects do not stack with themselves (a creature sickened by Stunning Fist cannot become nauseated if hit by Stunning Fist again), but additional hits do increase the duration of the effect.
Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a monk gains a pool of ki points, supernatural energy that he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The number of points in a monk’s ki pool is equal to his monk level + is Wisdom modifier.
As long as he has at least 1 point in his ki pool, he can make a ki strike. At 4th level, ki strike allows a monk’s unarmed strikes to be treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and striking incorporeal creatures. Ki strike improves as the character gains additional levels as a monk. At 7th level, his unarmed strikes are also treated as cold iron or silver weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 10th level, his unarmed strikes are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 16th level, his unarmed strikes are also treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
By spending 1 point from his ki pool, a monk can make one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus, but only with unarmed strikes or when wielding a special monk weapon that can be used in a flurry of blows (see flurry of blows above). In addition, he can spend 1 point to gain a +20’ enhancement bonus to his speed for 1 round. He can spend 1 point to take a second 5’ step in a round where he has already taken a 5’ step. He can spend 1 point to gain a +4 bonus to the saving throw DC of his Stunning Fist ability for 1 attack (this option must be used before the attack is rolled); this use also applies to his Quivering Palm ability, once the monk gains the use of that class feature. Finally, a monk can spend 1 point from his ki pool to give himself a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round. Each of these powers is activated as a swift action. A monk gains additional powers that consume point from his ki pool as he gains levels.
The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
Catfall (Ex): At 4th level or higher, a monk always lands on his feet after a fall (but not when deliberately tripped). In addition, a monk is capable of falling great distances without harm. When this ability is first gained, the monk may spend 1 ki point as an immediate action to reduces the damage taken from a fall by 4d6. For each additional level gained thereafter as a monk, the falling damage is reduced by an additional 1d6, to a maximum reduction of 20d6 for a 20th level monk, along a monk of such a level to fall any distance without suffering harm. A monk using this ability is not slowed when falling, nor does he require a wall or other surface within arm’s length.
High Jump (Ex): At 5th level, a monk adds his level to all Acrobatics checks made to jump, both for vertical jumps and horizontal jumps. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk gains a +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.
Monastic Weapons Training (Ex): Starting at 6th level, a monk gains a +1 bonus on all attack rolls (not damage rolls) made with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons. Every four levels gained as a monk thereafter (10th, 14th, and 18th), this bonus increases by an additional +1.
A monk also adds this bonus to any combat maneuver checks made with unarmed strikes or special monk weapons, as well as any grapple checks which he makes. When wielding a special monk weapon, this bonus also applies a monk’s CMD against disarm and sunder attempts.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level and higher, a monk can heal his own wounds. By spending 2 points from his ki pool as a swift action, the monk will heal 1d6 points of hit point damage for every two monk levels he possesses (round up, to a maximum of 10d6 at 19th level). If the monk instead spends 3 points from his ki pool to activate this ability, he adds his Monk level as a bonus to the amount of healing rolled.
Starting at 14th level, a monk using wholeness of body can instead spend 2 ki points as a swift action to restore 1 point of ability damage he has suffered for every two monk levels he possesses (round up, to a maximum of 10 at 19th level). The monk may split this restoration between as many ability scores as he chooses, but no score can be raised above its normal maximum value. Any excess ability score damage healing is lost.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monk’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Diamond Body (Su): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 2 points from his ki pool. His caster level for this effect is equal to his monk level. He may take other creatures with him when he uses this ability. Unlike the spell, using this ability does not end the character’s turn.
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to his current monk level +10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance. Once per round, as a free action that the monk can take even when it is not his turn, he may voluntarily lower his spell resistance in order to receive a single spell (typically from an ally, but it is possible for the monk to be tricked and receive a harmful spell). An unconscious monk retains his spell resistance and cannot voluntarily lower it, however a deceased monk is no longer so protected.
By spending 1 point from his ki pool as an immediate action, a monk can gain a +4 bonus to his spell resistance for 1 round.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. He can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and he must announce his intent before making his attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter, the monk can try to slay the victim at a later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to his monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + one-half the monk’s level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger form that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time. A monk can have no more than 1 quivering palm in effect at one time. If a monk uses quivering palm while another is still in effect, the previous effect is negated.
At 16th level, and every level gained thereafter, a monk gains one additional daily use of this ability.
Timeless Body (Ex): At 17th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to his ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that he has already taken, however, remain in place. Age bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when his time is up.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex): A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with any living creature.
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 minute as though using the spell etherealness. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 3 points from his ki pool. This ability only affects the monk and cannot be used to make other creatures ethereal.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. He is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monk’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical affects. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/chaotic and magic, which allows him to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonchaotic weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if he were a member of his previous creature type.
EX-MONKS
A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk, but retains all monk abilities.
This is a story based on a D&D adventure campaign that I ran several years ago. It recounts the story of my group at the time . . . names have been changed to protect the innocent. Heh. Like all myths and legends, this one is true . . . from a certain point of view.
This tale did happen. While some of the dialogue is not exact, it captures the spirit of my group well. Anyway, this tale won't last long, but I do hope that you manage to enjoy it.
The game was late 3.5, but with many custom and house rules. Including a reworked warlock that served as the basis for my Pathfinder Conversion. Any comments on the class or the story would be welcome.
Let us now be about it, and return to the age of high adventure.
Another monk related question: does ki strike, which allows a 4th level or higher monk bypass Damage Reduction x/Magic if he retains at least one point of ki in his ki pool, also mean that a monk's unarmed strikes count as magic weapons for the purpose of striking incorporeal targets?
With the flurry of FAQs today, we are missing one important one:
Does a monk using unarmed strikes gain an additional attack from the spell haste?
We know that the monk receives the dodge bonus to AC and the enhancement bonus to speed (which is overridden by the monk's own Fast Movement from 9th level onward) and that he gains the additional attack when using a manufactured monk weapon. But does he get that additional attack with his unarmed strikes?
Seems like today would be a good day to get that answered officially, Mister Bulmahn. Since you are already updating the FAQ.
What does the Prone Shooter feat do? The feat says that you do not take a penalty for shooting while prone, but there is no such penalty.
You are of course correct here. As currently written, the feat does not function as intended. To fix this issue, make the following changes.
Remove the Weapon Focus feat prerequisite from the feat. The benefit paragraph of the feat should be changed to read as follows:
Benefit: If you have been prone since the end of your last turn, the penalty to your Armor Class against melee attacks made against you is reduced to -2. In addition, the bonus to your Armor Class against ranged attacks made against you is increased to +6.
Finally, delete the special paragraph from the feat.
—Jason Bulmahn, today
Still not all THAT good of a feat, but now it actually does something!
Okay, this isn't a simple change to the monk and is something that we will probably never actually see happen; this is an entire alternate class to the monk. But I think that it does nicely in fixing all of the problems existing in the monk class.
1. Attack bonuses. The class gets pure Medium (3/4) BAB, but can spend a point of ki to gain a bonus to hit for 1 round equal to fighter weapon training. In addition, there is a tattoo which allows a monk to get an enhancement bonus (of up to +5) on his unarmed strikes.
2. DR. There are two tattoos which get through common DR, plus the monk still gets through adamantine and lawful and magic (depending on level). AND, this version lets you spend ki to bypass twice the tattooed monk's level in DR for 1 round.
3. Flurry. This tattooed monk doesn't get as many attacks, but those he does get take the place of his iterative attacks . . . they are all at the highest attack bonus and there isn't a penalty.
4. Mobility. There is a tattoo that lets a monk get two attacks on a charge.
5. Versatility. The sheer number of tattoos available give this monk a buffet of options that not even the Qinqong can match.
6. Skills. I have given the monk's skills a little boost, which lets him serve very nicely in the skill role.
Anyway, the class is posted here, and I will repost it below. Try it out, do what you can to break it, and tell me if it works or not.
I haven't found any problems with it yet in my group, but you might be able to identify some I haven't. So, get out your calculators and optimize this alternate class until it breaks or it balances.
A long time ago, in a campaign far, far away, I was part of a group that had a . . . well, let's just say quirky . . . DM. Now, he had a strong theme that he wanted to explore: that the player characters were heroes. Not that far out there, but heroes that were above average across the board . . . without being over the top.
This was back in 3.0, but I thought back on that campaign and wondered just how it would have worked in Pathfinder. Everyone could pick their class and race as normal, but their ability scores were already set in stone; well, almost.
Every ability score was a 12, from Strength to Charisma. Each player had the option of raising one score to 16, or three scores to 14, pre-racial. Giving the players the options of having 16, 12, 12, 12, 12, and 12; or 14, 14, 14, 12, 12, 12.
The players were allowed to arrange the scores as they wanted, and then apply the racial mods for their chosen race (this was 3rd edition, so humans and half-elfs had no.t modifiers, remember).
It was fun, and being above average in every single ability score was different. But the campaign didn't last that long before it died out (people moving away and all).
How would something like this go over in today's Pathfinder? Would you play in a game that had pre-selected your ability scores? Or you refuse to play? And why?
All right, I posted this on another thread, but Ciretose doesn't want that one to become another brainstorming session . . . so I decided to post it here in its own thread. As you can guess from the title, we are talking about Monks and how to overcome MAD (Multiple Ability Deficiency).
Monks as a class require moderate to high Strength (for attack rolls and damage rolls, as well as CMB), moderate to high Dexterity (for AC and reflex saves and skills), moderate to high Wisdom (for AC and will saves, and stunning fist/quivering palm DC, and ki points in the pool, and skill), moderate Constitution (they are a combat class and need to be able to take hits), and a moderate Intelligence (with 4 skill ranks per class level, that isn't a lot . . . and if you want Greater Trip or Disarm you need 13 Int for Combat Expertise).
Only stat you that you really don't care about is Charisma, with no class features based on it and just two class skills (Intimidate and Perform).
No other class, not even the Paladin, requires so many moderate to high ability scores in order to function. It is one factor in what makes a monk character created with 'lucky' die rolls sometimes a LOT more effective than one made with 15 or 20 point buy.
But what if we changed that paradigm? What I am thinking of is this:
Zen Combat (Ex): When using unarmed strikes or special monk weapons (see above), a monk may choose not add his Strength modifier on attack or damage rolls. Instead of relying upon brute force, a monk instead strikes intuitively, based upon his experience. Starting at 1st level, a monk gains a +2 bonus on all attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons, instead of his Strength modifier. He may instead apply his Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls if he so chooses, but he cannot apply both, nor may he split the bonuses (i.ee, using the class bonus for attacks and Strength bonus for damage). This bonus increases by +1 at 3rd level and every two levels gained thereafter, to a maximum bonus of +11 on attack rolls and damage rolls at 19th level.
Any penalty assessed to the monk because of a Strength ability score lower than 10 continues to apply.
This ability also applies to any feat or item which alters the ability score granting a bonus (or a penalty) on attack rolls or damage rolls.
This bonus on damage rolls does not increase or decrease for using a weapon with two hands or with an off-hand. Feats which increase Strength based damage do not apply when a monk is using his class based bonus on attack and damage rolls instead of Strength.
Okay, the name is a work in progress, and so is the ability. Now, what I want to do here is to take a look at this, determine whether or not it would work, and clean it up so that the wording works as intended. And for that, I would welcome your assistance, your critiques, your comments, and your suggestions.
Now, at low levels, this means that your monk might well have a lower bonus granted by this class feature than your actual Strength ability modifier. That's okay, because you can choose to use the bonus above (+2 at 1st level, increasing by +1 at every odd level thereafter), or your own Strength bonus on a round-by-round basis. So, it doesn't obsolete feats like the Dragon Style chain and if you find a +4 belt of giant strength, you don't feel like it is wasted.
Giving a bonus of +2 at 1st level is equal to a Strength score of 14. This goes up (effectively) to a 16 at 3rd level, an 18th at 5th level, a 20 at 7th level, a 22 at 9th level, a 24 at 11th level, a 26 at 13th level, a 28 at 15th level, a 30 at 17th level, and a 32 at 19th level. Which keeps paces really well with a martial character based on either Strength or Dexterity who puts his level advance ability scores into that single stat, buys a +5 inherent bonus, and gets a +6 enhancement bonus. By 20th level, a character who started with a 20 might have as much as a 36, for a total bonus of +13 . . . just +2 over the monk.
Yeah, I know the arguments, well just boost your own Strength. Well, I don't want to play Hulk Smash when I'm playing (or running) a monk. And neither do the majority of monk players that I know. And if you boost Dex, you have to reduce your enhancement bonus by +1 for an agile weapon to also get damage, or you are still doing your Strength modifier in damage.
Overall, I see this ability as accomplishing several things:
1. Reduces MAD, as Strength is no longer as important to the character. Remember 1st edition? Back in those days, monks didn't get ANY bonus to hit or damage from high strength.
2. Zen combat keeps pace with a martial type character scaling as the monk gains experience. By 20th level, most martials will have at least a 30 in their governing ability score . . . which is a +10 bonus (and they are likely to have a 34-36, which is a +12-13 bonus). The monk will be able to keep up, despite the call for other ability scores which have no affect on his attack and damage rolls.
3. This ability is tied to monk level, so there is no worry about other classes dipping to grab it up. They can, but unless the add levels in MONK, the only get their Strength or +2 before 3rd level monk.
4. Strength buffs and magical enhancements (belts of giant strength, potions of bull's strength, etc.) are no longer as necessary for the monk, unless he just wants to carry more, and since penalties apply to the zen combat bonus, there is a practical base minimum of 10 on Strength. Meaning the monk cannot dump it.
It is not a complicated system, but it is one that reduces the overall MADness of a Monk; in a way it is kind of an elegant solution to that problem that fits the theme of the monk. Your thoughts?
Remember how stunning was handled way back in AD&D's 1st edition? Basically, a monk that rolled high enough automatically stunned their opponent . . . if I recall correctly, it was a roll of 5 or more higher than their opponents AC. Of course, back in those days, you were also limited by your oppponents height/weight on what you could stun.
Third edition changed that, and in many ways for the worse. They made it so that stunning was no longer dependent on your attack roll, but instead was a free action you added to an attack before you rolled to hit . . . meaning you have to guess at which attacks hit and spend a finite resource. Pathfinder then continued that, but they did add all sorts of special conditions a higher level monk can bestow on a target instead of briefly stunning them.
But the core problem remains the same as it was in Third Edition (and 3.5): the monk has to declare his stunning attack before the roll is ever made. Then it has to deal damage, and then his opponent gets to save to negate it completely.
So, how about we take a page from old school and go back to a system that resembles that original method. Here is what I have come up with. We replace Stunning Fist with the following:
Stunning Strike (Ex): At 1st level, when the monk is attacking with his unarmed strike and scores a successful crical hit against an opponent, he is able to momentarily incapacitate or hinder his opponent. After successfully confirming the critical hit, if the opponent suffers any hit point damage, he must make a Fortitude saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + the monk's base attack bonus. A monk attacking with his flurry of blows special ability (see above) uses his effective base attack bonus for flurry for this DC.
If the opponent fails this saving throw, then he is stunned for 1 round. If the opponent is successful on this saving throw, he is instead staggered for one round.
The effects of this ability do not stack, nor do they extend the duration of the stagger or the stun beyond 1 round, regardless of how many successful critical hits the monk might land in a single turn. However, the creature must save versus each successful critical hit and is stunned if he fails his saving throw against any of these. Otherwise the creature is staggered.
If a monk attacks multiple opponents in the same round, and successful scores a critical hit against two or more of them, each opponent must save or be affected as described above.
Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned or staggered by this class ability.
A stunned opponent cannot take actions, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes an additional -2 penalty to AC.
A staggered opponent may take a single move action or standard action each round (but not both, nor can he take full-round actions). A staggered creature can still take swift and immediate actions.
This returns the monk to a level where he doesn't need to be prophetic and expend a stunning attempt for no gain . . . either he scores a critical hit or he doesn't. And if he does, then he gets to stagger or stun his opponent. It works the same way as the critical feats a fighter gets, but for a shorter duration. Since it can only be used with unarmed strike (and ki focus weapons), such a critical only happens on a roll of 20 (19-20 if the monk takes Improved Critical as a feat, standard or bonus), and then confirms that critical hit. Even with a ki focus weapon, I believe there is only one special monk weapon that has a base 19-20 threat range (the temple sword).
How does this change the game? Well, the monk isn't hit or miss with his stunning attempts anymore. If he gets a critical, he gets to apply one of two conditions. A good attack roll might just hinder his opponent long enough for the monk to finish him . . . or at least rough him up a bit. There is no daily usage limit, just the randomness of the dice and how often the monk rolls a critical hit.
When wielding a monk weapon, your attacks can be extremely precise.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Wis 13, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +8.
Benefit: You must declare that you are using this feat before you make your attack roll (thus a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). 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. If one of these rolls is a critical threat, the other roll is used as your confirmation roll (your choice if they are both critical threats). You may attempt a perfect attack once per day for every four levels you have attained (but see Special), and no more than once per round.
Special: A weapon master monk or zen archer monk receives Perfect Strike as a bonus feat at 1st level, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. A monk may attempt an perfect strike attack a number of times per day equal to his monk level, plus one more time per day for every four levels he has in classes other than monk.
FAQ/Errata wrote:
Can I use Perfect Strike with unarmed strikes?
As written, you can only use the feat with the specific weapons mentioned in the feat description.
So why does the feat have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, if you can't actually use it with unarmed strikes?
Because the feat is intended to be a cool thing that monks can do, and monks get Improved Unarmed Strike automatically (barring an archetype that replaces that feat), so having Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite means it's easy for monks to learn Perfect Strike but more difficult for other classes. The prerequisite could have been "monk level X," but that would mean that only monks could take the feat (prohibiting even other martial arts classes or archetypes). Note that the zen archer archetype allows you to use the feat with a bow, which means there's a precedent for creating an unarmed-combat archetype that modifies the feat for use with other weapons.
I mean, this one is a head-scratcher. Monks are unarmed combat specialists . . . yet this feat only benefits armed monks. And anyone else who uses a kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, or siangham, while having Improved Unarmed Strike, a Dex 13, a Wis 13, and a BAB of +8 or greater.
What is the problem with a monk's unarmed strikes? We cannot they seem to get any good things . . . but if you aren't a monk, then sure, we'll hand out these +2 bonuses to hit and damage like candy (aka, brawling armor property).
5 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the FAQ.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
On the discussion thread for the bodywraps of mighty strikes, Axolotl had a wicked good idea. I thought I would share it here.
Axolotl wrote:
Evil Lincoln wrote:
On the contrary, I repeatedly see suggestions from the boards make it into products.
...e.g., The Bodywrap. Well, it's true! Don't hit me!
Wait. What?
Couldn't Paizo make the Monk redesign a Paizo RPG Superstar challenge?
That is a truly good idea. Paizo has said they do not have the time to devote to the monk right now, so how about we see what the fans who play (and run games for) monks would like to include and how many different ideas are floating around out there for such a fix.
Now, this suggestion wasn't mine, but I think Axolotl had a good idea with it. So, if you want to bring this idea to developers, just click FAQ. If you don't, then don't. And let us see what happens.
Ability Score Limits in Pathfinder Or How to Restore Sanity to Your Game
I realize that this idea will be considered heretical to many modern gamers, who have known only Pathfinder, 3.5, and 3.0, not to mention on-line games such as World of Warcraft. That being said, the idea that any character (or creature) might constantly improve his or her (or its) ability scores to extreme levels is one of the structural problems in the game today. Back in 1st edition, there was no way to improve one’s ability scores and every single race had hard limits that they could transcend only with magic. It made, at least for me, the game a bit more challenging and a touch more in tune with the real-life capabilities of actual historical people.
As the game currently stands, you can start a character at 1st level with a Strength score of 20. That means in game terms you can pick up, carry, and move (20’ per move action, up to 40’ per round) 400 lbs. You can dead lift up to 800 lbs from the ground and stagger around with it (5’ per round). The world record for a dead lift (unassisted, without equipment) is 1,015 pounds in real-life. That would (roughly) equate to a Strength score of 22. And that was a straight lift, no staggering around in 5’ increments.
Yet, in game, that 20 Strength character at 1st level can increase his Strength up to a 30 by the time he retires at 20th level (+5 from the increase every four levels, +5 inherent). That would allow a dead lift of 3,680 lbs, more than three times the world record, more than 1.5 tons.
And more than the raw numbers involved in the weight such a character can lift, his bonuses on attack and damage rolls reach staggering proportions. He deals, on average, with a punch, more damage than a maxed out heavy crossbow bolt!
But what if we turned back the pages and took as our example the 1st edition of AD&D? Restored ability maximums to the rules?
What I am suggesting is this: humans, half-elves, and half-orcs have a maximum of 18 in all of their ability scores, across the board. They still get that floating +2 bonus, but they cannot raise any ability to greater than an 18. All other races, have a maximum of 20 in the ability scores they get a bonus for, and a maximum of 16 in the ability score they receive a negative in. For example, an Elf will have a maximum of Dex 20, Con 16, and Int 20, whereas a Dwarf will have Con 20, Wis 20, and Cha 16. All other ability scores have a hard limit of 18.
You still get a +1 bonus every four levels (4th, 8th, 12th, etc.), but this bonus cannot raise one of your ability scores above your racial maximum. You can still buy inherent bonuses (from tomes, manuals, and wishes), but these bonuses cannot exceed your racial maximums.
Magical enhancement bonuses CAN go over the top, however. Which means that a score of 26 will be the absolute modified magically-enchanted ability score any character can ever have (if that ability was capped at 20), with 24 (for an ability max of 18) being more common, and 22 (for an ability max of 16) there for a few.
We would have to change a few things (barbarian rage, for example), but that is easy to do. For every +2 bonus he would receive in Strength, a barbarian instead would get a +1 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls. For every +2 bonus he would receive in Constitution, he gets +1 hit points per class level and a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves. It is a simple change, but one that works.
How does this affect the game itself? Well, for starters, it makes the characters feel more ‘real’, more ‘heroic’. I mean, sure, some folks want to rival Hercules (a demi-god) in Strength, but not even Conan was that strong. I don’t think that such a change will really impact the fun that people have, but it will provide a means of keeping characters within the realms of what is possible for human beings.
What are your thoughts? What do you think? Would you like to see something like this, or do you prefer the advancement to infinity model of 3.x/Pathfinder as it currently is?
For this Edition of Good Morning Monks! (all your monk needs and concerns addressed by people who care!), I want to talk about the bodywrap of mighty strikes.
Ravennus said wrote:
I just started on the magic item section, however, and found this piece.
It seems they tried to solve the Monk/Unarmed enhancement dilemma, but I can't see this really helping anyone.
Bodywrap of Mighty Strikes
Slot: Body
Price: 3,000 gp (+1), 12,000 gp (+2), 27,000 gp (+3), 48,000 gp (+4), 75,000 gp (+5), 108,000 gp (+6), 147,000 gp (+7)
This long cloth is wrapped around the chest multiple times like a bandage. Once per round, the wearer may add an enhancement bonus of +1 to +5 on one attack and damage roll for an unarmed strike or natural attack (for one specific attack, not all attacks made with an unarmed strike that round). The wearer may use this item an dditional time per round when his BAB reaches +6, +11, and +16.
Choosing to enhance an unarmed strike is not an action and may occur when it is not the wearer's turn (such as when making an attack of opportunity). The wearer must decide to use the item before the attack roll is made, but does not have to expend all uses at the same time. For example, if the wearer can use the item twice per round, he can use it once on his turn when making an attack and save the second for the possibility of making an attack of opportunity.
Additionally, the bodywrap can grant melee weapon special abilities to a creature's unarmed attacks, so long as those special abilities to be added apply to unarmed attacks. See Table 3-8: Melee Weapon Special Abilities (page 137) for a list of abilities. Special abilities count as additional bonuses for determining the market value of the the item, but do not modify attack or damage bonuses. Any special abilities are set at teh time of creation. A bodywrap of mighty strikes cannot have a modified bonus (enhancement bonus plus special ability bonus equivalents) higher than +7. Unlike an amulet of mighty fists, a bodywrap needs to have a +1 enhancement bonus to grant a melee weapon special ability.
Now, we did have a discussion going about this item, but it got locked down prior to GenCon (Lack of Monk Gear in Ultimate Equipment) but I wanted to bring this subject back up.
My own thoughts? Sigh.
While it could be useful (especially for a monk who uses a mix of unarmed strikes and a weapon), I find the mechanics of this item very clunky. Is there a single other magic item anywhere in Pathfinder whose function literally depends upon the Base Attack Bonus of the character wielding it? I don't know of a single one. Low BAB? You get one use. Medium? Two. High? Three. Very high? Four. It works like nothing else in Pathfinder, and that I find . . . disturbing.
Second, you are literally paying more for this item and getting less than you would be for a magic weapon. A +2 longsword (for example) gives you a +2 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls for every single attack you make with that weapon, and it does so for the price of 8,315 gp. If you are fourth level, you make 1 attack on your turn with it, and you get the bonus. AND, if an opponent provokes an attack of opportunity, you get the bonus on that attack as well. AND if you have the feat Combat Reflexes and an 18 Dexterity, you might get up to four more attacks of opportunity in that single round.
At fourth level. Up to six attacks which the 8,315 gp price longsword +2 gives its full bonus on attack and damage rolls. Each round. Sure, it is not likely, but it can be done. At 20th level? You can get four attacks, plus up to another nine attacks of opportunity (depending on your Dex, if you have Combat Reflexes), plus one from haste, plus two from the feat Medusa's Wrath (if you can get your opponent in the proper condition) . . . for that same price of 8,315 gp.
The magic in the sword doesn't change according to game mechanics based upon your level or Base Attack Bonus or class. It remains the same, which is what it should do as a permanent magical item. Once enchanted, it should give its bonus and not worry about who or what wields it.
Not so the bodywraps. To get that +2 bonus, you are spending 12,000 gp (~50% more than longsword, mind) AND you only get that bonus on handful of attacks based upon your Base Attack Bonus: a pure game mechanic that cannot be explained (at least easily) in in-game fluff. You get to add that bonus on the attack rolls and damage rolls of either 1, 2, 3, or 4 attacks, depending on your BAB. Not on how much you paid for the item.
Does anyone else find this odd? Or am I the only out there who considers this item to use one of worst in-game mechanics I have ever seen in my 26 years of gaming?
You pay more to get less. It just boggles the imagination.
EDIT: Another glitch is that you can vary between the number of attacks you receive a bonus on as a monk, even without changing level. Your BAB is medium, except when you flurry . . . then it is equal to your class level. So, when you flurry, you (sometimes) gain 1 more attack you can add the enhancement bonus on. But when you move and make a standard attack (and let's say an attack of opportunity), you lose that extra attack because your BAB has dropped. It is a wonky mechanic.
Third, this item does the same thing that amulet of mighty fists does: it enhances unarmed strikes AND unarmed attacks. When are we players who like monks going to get an item that doesn't also enhance natural attacks? We keep asking and begging, but we don't ever get any results. Every other class does (see brawling armor property in Ultimate Equipment for details, I think there is a thread on that subject right now, LOL), but monks have to share their stuff with druids, animal companions, critters, and edilons (however they are spelled).
And as usual, it is more efficient for them. Why? Because few animal companions exceed three attacks, many have two, and some have just one. A mid-level animal companion will have a high enough BAB to get the bonus on all their attacks (un-hasted, of course). So for those classes and critters, it may well be cost-effective, especially compared to the very expensive AoMF. When will monks finally have something of their own, something that enhances their unarmed strikes, but not natural attacks, something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? When?
Finally, the location it takes up: the body. Really? You had to put this in the same slot as the Monk's Robes, didn't you? What about the Chest Slot, that never gets any love. That way, at least, it could be worn with the robes at the same time. You get the Monk's Robes, or you get . . . well, you get the shaft if you take this item, that's for certain (in my opinion).
And the name! Come on, you folks couldn't come up with a better name? Bodywraps of mighty strikes? It reminds me of baseball, where a strike is a swing and a miss, so I do admit it is thematically appropriate. From a certain point of view.
All that being said, it might be useful to certain builds that rely on a mix of weapons and unarmed strikes. But frankly, I can't see it. Would your character buy one of these? And if so why?
Tell us your thoughts. Share your own experience and impressions. And let's discuss the bodywraps of mighty strikes.
4 people marked this as FAQ candidate.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Okay, I have had some time to think on this issue since UE was released, and to be honest, I don't see how in the world the brawling special armor property was priced at only +1. For those who are not aware of this property, I will quote:
Quote:
Brawling
Price: +1 bonus
The wearer of brawling armor gains a +2 bonus on unarmed attack and damage rolls, including combat maneuver checks made to grapple. Her unarmed strikes count as magic weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. These bonuses do not apply to natural weapons. This special ability does not prevent the wearer's unarmed strikes from provoking attacks of opportunity or make the wearer's unarmed strikes count as armed attack. The brawling ability can be applied only to light armor.
Construction Requirements: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bull's strength
First thing that stands out to me is that it is restricted to light armor only (and Jason B. says in the Oh for a Muse of Fire thread that bracers of armor are not considered light armor). What? Is there any other armor property restricted to light armor?
That's weird, in and of itself, but it gets stranger. This item gives you a +2 (untyped) bonus on attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes, makes those unarmed strikes bypass DR/magic, and gives another +2 (untyped, again) bonus on Combat Maneuver Checks made to grapple. What the . . .?
Wow. You get all of this, for the cost of a +1 armor bonus. Since armor must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before adding special properties, that means the minimum cost of this property is 4,155 gp (for +1 brawling padded armor). And for that expense of 4,155 gp (which you can afford as early as 5th level, by the way), you get . . . (a) a +1 armor bonus to AC, (b) a +2 untyped bonus on attack rolls with unarmed strikes, (c) a +2 untyped bonus on damage rolls with unarmed strikes, and (d) a +2 untyped bonus on Combat Maneuver Checks with grapple maneuvers.
Let's look at a magic weapon. A +2 magic weapon that provides a bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls. That weapon costs 8,300 gp at a minimum, or nearly TWICE what this armor gives you. Never mind the +1 AC and the bonus on grapple checks.
That is merely the start, sports fans! It is even more of a price break than you think! Because you can Two-Weapon Fight with just your unarmed strikes! That makes it equal to TWO +2 magic weapons, or 16,600 gp (at a minimum).
Man, oh, man, is thing underpriced. We aren't even considering its costs compared to a +2 amulet of mighty fists (20,000 gp), an item which once again does not give that +1 to AC or +2 grapple checks.
Since this item gives untyped bonuses, that means it stacks with enhancement bonuses given by items such as amulet of mighty fists or the bodywraps of mighty striking or weapon focus or greater weapon specialization or weapon training . . . the list goes on. It stacks with everything.
How the devil is this item worth just 4,155 gp? How?
And, as usual, it cannot be used by monks. Why? Because it has to go on light armor and bracers of armor don't get to add it. This thing is just so outrageous that I am beyond words. After months of telling us that they would not obsolete the amulet of mighty fists and that the monk would be not receiving an item fix, and that there was no way to provide a bonus on unarmed strikes that doesn't also apply to natural attacks, they did just that.
Brawling is better--flat out better--than a +1 or +2 AoMF. At up to one-quarter the cost. And it stacks with the bonus from the AoMF as well. Notice too, that the bonuses listed above in the special property state "These bonuses do not apply to natural weapons". I guess that is okay if you are not playing a monk; we can divide up unarmed strikes and natural attacks then, but it breaks verisimilitude to do it for a monk. Right. Are you planning on trying to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge, next?
Look, Paizo guys. We know your jobs are hard and that you spend a great deal of time trying to make the game better for everyone. But nonsense like this item, for such an amazingly low price, for literally every single character class in the game except for the monk, just makes it seem like you are trying to torpedo the class.
Why is it when monk fans ask for an item that only applies an enhancement bonus to their unarmed strikes (not natural attacks), we get told it has to be priced as two weapons, plus an extra amount because you cannot be disarmed, sundered, or have your weapons stolen or lost?
But for this, which every last other class in the game can use (even arcane magic users, if they are willing to spend a swift action and a feat on Arcane Armor Training) and the monk CANNOT without losing his AC bonus, fast movement, and flurry of blows; for this item, well, the two weapons cost suddenly doesn't matter. Why?
Explain to us what you folks were thinking when you made this? When you published this. When you posted it here on the boards in a preview of UE. Tell us how you came to the realization that a +1 armor bonus equivalent is 'enough' for what brawling does, but that +2 amulet of mighty fists that does less, you are okay with it cost four times as much.
We are waiting, Paizo. And we are wondering.
Master Arminas
PS: There are some who will no doubt consider this post 'fighty'. I do not. I am speaking here from the heart and expressing my own viewpoint. And I would like to hear an answer to the questions I have posed and the points I have raised. I am not trying to provoke a fight, just to understand where the game is going.
Well sports fans, here we are again. Another month and guess what? Another new monk thread. I want to thank Ashiel, Dabbler, Tels, Talonhawke, and many, many others for giving me some ideas for this one. And I have to say, I think this one may finally do it. It accomplishes all that the monk, since its first showing in AD&D held the promise of. It doesn't outshine a fighter, or a barbarian, or a ranger, or a paladin, but it is a martial class that can hold its own and make a difference in combat.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoy it. Please feel free to make any comments or suggestions (for good or ill) that you wish.
In the thread over on Ultimate Equipment, it is kind of getting derailed a bit by the discussion on encumbrance. So I figured that I would start one for just this topic.
The background for this starts on page 6 and goes on, but the basic question I am posing here to you, the players of this game and the DMs who run this game is this: do you track equipment and gear weight? Do you use the encumbrance rules in the Core Rulebook?
I know, for myself, that I do. Perhaps it is because of how I came to the game, but I cannot really picture just hand-waving all the stuff that adventurers routinely carry on their backs. In my first games, if you didn't have a piece of equipment on your sheet, you were out of luck. And if you HAD a piece of equipment on your sheet, it had best have a weight alongside it!
Now, we used mules many times to haul our gear, especially when looting huge piles of treasure (and later on as we continued, bags of holding and portable holes).
What about you?
How do you play?
Do you figure encumbrance for everything your players carry, and or do you see it as something outside the story?
For myself, I don't like to advertise to any inquisitive NPC or PC exactly which items one my characters carries are magical in nature. And the magic aura spell is a fairly effective means of hiding their magic. The problem arises in that you have to keep getting the spell renewed over and over and over again, and that it never lasts more than thirty days (20th level caster with the Extend Spell feat).
So, I got to wondering: how much do you think it should cost to craft a magic item with an inherent magic aura effect built in? I am not talking about being able to cast the actual spell, I mean making that one item appear as mundane when examined under detect magic.
What do you think? How much is that worth? And does anyone else out there, player or DM, want to conceal their items like most of the characters (PC and NPC) that I run do?
Okay. There has been a lot of discussions about monks here lately, but I want to do something different. This thread is going to be a place where you can post your monk; any level, using any Paizo, with standard Wealth-by-level. Post a monk that you would play, or have played, or would like to play.
Let’s forget about DPR and competiveness and just celebrate in our monks. Short monks, tall monks, fat monks, drunk monks, ascetic monks, crazy kung-fu monks . . . let’s see all of them. And we can talk about why you play the class and your build.
I’ll start. My first character was a monk and I am just going to convert him over to Pathfinder. He (Arminas tar Valantil) wound up retiring as a Grand Master of Flowers well over a decade ago, but since Pathfinder only goes to level 20, here is what he would look like today.
First up, I had to use a 25-point buy to reflect the minimum ability scores for the class back in the good ‘ole days of AD&D. Arminas was human, who stood 6’ in height, weighed a tad over 180 lbs (182 to be precise). He had dark brown hair, green eyes, and wore a neatly trimmed mustache and beard.
His starting ability scores would be as follows: Str 13 (3 pts), Dex 15 (7 pts), Con 15 (7 pts), Int 13 (3 pts), Wis 15 (7 pts), and Cha 8 (-2 pts).
I put the +2 for being human into Strength, resulting in Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 15, and Cha 8.
Level ups were simple to figure: I have five over 20 levels and five odd ability scores. Str, Dex, Con, Int, and Wis each get one. Total to date: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 16, and Cha 8.
Next, I devoted 385,000 gp of my wealth to buy some Inherent bonuses: +2 each in Str, Dex, Con, Wis, and Cha; followed by a +4 in Int. That leaves 495,000 gp left to spend and ability scores (in an anti-magic field) of Str 18, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 18, Wis 18, and Cha 10.
With that 495,000 gp left over, I buy the following items: Amulet of Mighty Fists +5 (125,000 gp), Belt of Physical Perfection +6 (144,000), Winged Boots (16,000 gp), Bracers of Armor +8 (64,000 gp), Circlet of Persuasion (4,500 gp), Cloak of Resistance +4 (16,000 gp), Gloves of Swimming and Climbing (6,250 gp), Goggles of Night (12,000 gp), Handy Haversack (2,000 gp), Headband of Inspired Wisdom +6 (36,000 gp), Ring of Protection +5 (50,000 gp), Ring of Sustenance (2,500 gp), Robe of Blending (8,400 gp), and 10 x Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (2d8+3) (300 gp ea for 3,000 gp total). Equipment cost is 489,650 gp.
That leaves my character with a grand total of 5,350 gp left over in pocket change (heh). Final adjusted ability scores wind up at Str 24, Dex 24, Con 24, Int 18, Wis 24, and Cha 10.
(As you can see, I prefer a balanced approach for my monks.)
Arminas tar Valantil
Spoiler:
Human Monk 20 LE Medium Humanoid
Init: +7
Senses: Perception +x; Darkvision 60’
DEFENSE AC: 43 (47 w/ki; 23 in AMF)
Touch: 35 (39 w/ki; 23 in AMF)
Flat-footed: 35 (19 in AMF)
HP: 234 (174 in AMF)
Fort: +23 (+16 in AMF)
Ref: +23 (+16 in AMF)
Will: +23 (+16 in AMF)
Defensive Abilities: Still Mind, Purity of Body, Improved Evasion, Diamond Body, Diamond Soul (SR 30), Perfect Self (DR 10/chaotic), Mobility
OFFENSE Speed: 90’ (60’ fly w/good maneuverability 3/day for 5 minutes each)
Melee Unarmed Strike: +28 (2d10+12, 19-20/x2) (+19, 2d10+4, 19-20/x2 in AMF)
US, Power Attack: +24 (2d10+20, 19-20/x2) (+15, 2d10+12, 19-20/x2 in AMF)
Flurry of Blows: +31/+31/+26/+26/+21/+21/+16 (2d10+12, 19-20/x2) (+22/+22/+17/+17/+12/+12/+7, 2d10+4, 19-20/x2 in AMF)
FoB, Power Attack: +25/+25/+20/+20/+15/+15/+10 (2d10+24, 19-20/x2) (+16/+16/+11/+11/+6/+6/+1, 2d10+16, 19-20/x2 in AMF)
Ranged NONE Special Attacks
Stunning Fist (20/day; DC 27)
Quivering Palm (1/day; DC 27)
BAB: +15
CMB: +27 (+35 w/Disarm, Sunder, and Trip) (+24; +26 w/Disarm, Sunder, and Trip in AMF)
CMD: 50 (52 vs. Disarm, Sunder, and Trip (28, 30 vs. Disarm, Sunder, and Trip in AMF)
Languages: Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, and Halfling
Special Qualities: Ignore 20 feet of difficult terrain each turn
Class Abilities: AC Bonus +5, Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike (2d10), Stunning Fist, Evasion, Fast Movement (+60’), Maneuver Training, Still Mind, Ki Pool (17 ki points), Slow Fall (unlimited), Purity of Body, Wholeness of Body (2 ki for 20 hp), Improved Evasion, Diamond Body, Abundant Step, Diamond Soul (SR 30), Quivering Palm, Timeless Body, Tongue of the Sun and Moon, Empty Body, Perfect Self (DR 10/chaotic)
Equipment: Amulet of Mighty Fists +5, Belt of Physical Perfection +6, Winged Boots, Bracers of Armor +8, Circlet of Persuasion, Cloak of Resistance +4, Gloves of Swimming and Climbing, Goggles of Night, Handy Haversack, Headband of Inspired Wisdom +6, Ring of Protection +5, Ring of Sustenance, Robe of Blending, and 10 x Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (2d8+3).
Money: 5,350 gp
He’s a solid 20th level character, but a level-by-level build for this type of balanced (stat-wise) character might have some problems. It all comes together late in the game, but that is because of the cost of those inherent bonuses. Still, this is my ideal of a monk. Feel free to check the math; I did it by hand so it might be off.
What’s yours?
MA
EDIT: Corrected power attack for non-flurry Unarmed Strikes. BAB of +15 gives a -4 (-1, plus additional -1 for every four full points of BAB) and +8. Flurry power attack corrected since a monks BAB is equal to his level, so that is -6 and +12.
Well, since everyone else seems to be on a binder kick, I thought I would throw my hat in the ring. Here is my conversion of the 3.5 Tome of Magic Binder-class to Pathfinder. I will post the class and the 1st level vestiges, additional vestiges to follow in the coming days ahead. I hope you enjoy my take.
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Hello, everyone. Well, this one has been a tough one that I have spent a lot of time thinking about. The Shadowcaster is difficult to convert because it uses mechanics that are quite different from normal casters in Pathfinder. However, with the help of Smilodan, Shallowsoul, Kryzbyn, AlchemyPrime, and Hellacious Huni, I think we have a winner here.
The original discussion was in this thread (The Pathfinder Shadowcaster: A Conversion) and I have incoroporated a number of their suggestions. But I have also gone farther and changed the class to fit into Pathfinder a bit easier (also easier for players and DMs).
The three-tier arrangement of mysteries into appentice, initiate, and master are gone, as are the groups of three mysteries known as paths. No longer does the class have spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities, depending on their level. Instead, I have converted the mysteries into straight spells and made the shadowcaster into a powerful arcane caster.
Okay, Sammy the Sorcerer (Sor 6) is suprised by the thug Ted the Two-Weapon Fighter. Teddy Bear is using a double weapon (let's say a . . . quarterstaff) that has one end as a +1 magic weapon and the second end is merely masterwork.
Sammy wins initiative and he casts shatter. What happens to the double weapon? Is it . . .
1. The masterwork end is destroyed if Ted fails his saving throw?
2. The entire weapon is destroyed if Ted fails his saving throw?
3. The double-weapon is one weapon and if part of it is magical the entire thing is magical, just no enhancement bonus on the second head?
4. An unholy vortex opens to the Abyss and swallows Sam, Teddy Bear, and the accursed quarterstaff?
Seriously, if one end is destroyed, how does that affect a quarterstaff? You can't club anyone with the destroyed end? Huh? I mean, shatter can't destroy the magical end, if it breaks the other part of the weapon is it even still a quarterstaff?
It gets easier for things like a double sword or double ax, where one weapon head can be destroyed, but for a quarterstaff you will have a length of wood that Teddy Bear can swing either end.
I am posting this in a new thread so that maybe, once and for all, we might actually receive an offical answer.
The question is a simple one: does an amulet of mighty fists allow unarmed strikes and natural weapons to bypass damage reduction based on its enhancement bonus? Weapons do so, for example +3 heavy mace will bypass cold iron and silver DR, a +4 kukri will bypass those two material DRs and DR based on adamantine (but does not bypass hardness like an actual adamantine weapon), and a +5 greatsword bypasses all alignment and material based DR.
But does an amulet of mighty fists? I think it should, partially to justify the high price tag, but it isn't a magic weapon. It is a wondrous item. The only answer we have had on this question (official answer from a member of the Paizo staff) was from James Jacobs.
I hate the rule that enhancement bonuses eventually bypass DR. Hate it.
So I'm gonna say that the amulet of mighty fists does NOT help you. Monks have other ways of getting through DR in any case.
Now, some people say this is only JJs opinion, and not an official answer. That is why I am reposting this question and asking all that want an answer to click the FAQ button on the upper right hand of the post. Perhaps if enough of us do, we can finally receive an official answer to this.
Note, that there are reasons why it would not: I mean, a dragon or a hydra with an amulet of the mighty fists +4 can bypass cold iron, silver, and adamantine DR without any problems on every attack which they can make. So, if it does, say goodbye to those stoneskin spells; they don't protect you from this creature. I am certainly there are those who can come up with plenty of other examples; of course, I think that the AoMF should bypass DR, but if it is ruled to, it will affect far more than just monks.
Animal companions, critters of all sorts, eidolons, feral mutagen alchemists, unarmed fighters, certain types of barbarians and rangers, wildshaped druids . . . all of these could bypass DR with their natural weapons and unarmed attacks. So the question really does need to be answered. And I am asking for your help in trying to make the staff realize it NEEDS answering.
Rogue. Thief. Scoundrel. Burglar. Con-man. This class is an archetype found throughout fantasy literature, television, and film. From Fritz Lieber’s the Grey Mouser, to Bilbo Baggins of the Hobbit, to the Count of Monte Cristo, to Neal Caffrey of White Collar, we have all seen, read about, and enjoyed such characters.
But the rogue is widely acknowledged in Pathfinder to be a fairly weak class. The reasons for that is that so many others can do what the rogue is supposed to do, leaving many players feeling useless and unable to contribute. Here is my take on how the Pathfinder rogue should have, perhaps, been. I have added some talents, rewritten others, added some things that the rogue should have had all along.
Now, I don’t think the class is overpowered, but it is a very capable class now. Able to stand up proudly as the descendant of that back-stabbing thief of 1st Edition AD&D and take her place amongst the serried ranks of Pathfinder classes. As always, friends, I hope that you will post your comments and critiques, advice and suggestions. This is merely the starting point . . . not necessarily the finish line.
And above all else, remember that it is just a game. And we are here to have fun. Enjoy!
MA
Master Arminas’s Revised Rogue
Life is an endless adventure for those who live by their wits. Ever just one step ahead of danger, rogues bank on their cunning, skill, and charm to bend fate to their favor. Never knowing what to expect, they prepare for everything, becoming masters of a wide variety of skills, training themselves to be adept manipulators, agile acrobats, shadowy stalkers, or masters of any of dozens of other professions or talents. Thieves and gamblers, fast talkers and diplomats, bandits and bounty hunters, and explorers and investigators all might be considered rogues, as well as countless other professions that rely upon wits, prowess, and luck. Although many rogues favor cities and the innumerable opportunities of civilization, some embrace living on the road, journeying far, meeting exotic people, and facing fantastic danger in pursuit of equally fantastic riches. In the end, any who desire to shape their fates and live life on their own terms might come to be called rogues.
Role: Rogues excel at moving about unseen and catching foes unaware, and tend to avoid head-to-head combat. Their varied skills and abilities allow them to be highly versatile, with great variations in expertise existing between different rogues. Most, however, excel in overcoming hindrances of all types, from unlocking doors and disarming traps to outwitting magical hazards and conning dull-witted opponents.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8.
BAB: Medium.
Good Saves: Reflexes.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex); Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 8 + Intelligence modifier.
CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Rogues are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, short sword, and swordcane. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The rogue’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.
The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment.
Starting at 3rd level, a rogue may forgo up to one-half of her sneak attack damage dice (round down) to gain a competence bonus on attack rolls equal to the number of sneak attack damage dice sacrificed. To use this aspect of sneak attack, the rogue must be attacking a target eligible for sneak attack (see above).
Trapfinding: A rogue adds one-half her level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to all Disable Device skill checks (minimum +1). A rogue can use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.
Weapon Finesse: A rogue gains weapon finesse as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Dual Weapons Expertise (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, if a rogue is two-weapon fighting with either two different light weapons or two different weapons with which she may apply the Weapon Finesse feat, and the rogue is wielding one of these weapons in both and primary hand and off-hand (including unarmed strikes), any feat which the rogue possesses that modifies one weapon also applies to the second. For example, if a rogue is dual-wielding a short sword in one hand and a dagger in her off-hand, and she has Weapon Focus (short sword), she gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls with her dagger as well.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a rogue 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 rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Rogue Talents: As a rogue gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes. Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels rogue attained after 2nd level. A rogue cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Talents marked with an asterisk add effects to a rogue’s sneak attack. Only one of these talents can be applied to an individual attack and the decision must be made before the attack roll is made.
Acrobatic Master (Ex): A rogue that selects this talent gains a competence equal to one-half her rogue level (rounded down) on all Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim skill checks.
Agile Attack (Ex): A rogue that selects this talent replaces her Strength modifier on all damage rolls with her Dexterity modifier when she uses a light weapon or a weapon that is able to be used with the Weapon Finesse feat. This rogue talent has no effect on opponents immune to sneak attack.
Bastion of Self (Ex): A rogue that selects this talent gains a +2 bonus on her Will saves. This stacks with the bonus provided by the Iron Will feat. In addition, once per day, she may reroll a failed Will save; the rogue must abide by the results of the second roll, even if it is worse than the first. If the rogue also possesses the Improved Iron Will feat, she may reroll a failed Will save twice per day, but no more than once per round.
Bleeding Attack* (Ex): A rogue with this talent can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue’s sneak attack (e.g., 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Combat Trick: A rogue with this talent gains a bonus combat feat.
Deadly Range (Ex): When selected, this talent increases the range at which a rogue may use Sneak Attack with ranged weapons by +10 feet. This talent may be selected more than once; its effects stack.
Dodge (Ex): When selected, this talent gives the rogue Dodge as a bonus feat. The dodge bonus to her AC granted by this feat increases by an additional +1 when she becomes a 6th level rogue, and every six rogue levels gained thereafter.
Fast Stealth (Ex): This talent allows a rogue to move at full speed using the Stealth skill without penalty.
Ledge Walker (Ex): This talent allows a rogue to move along narrow surfaces at full speed using the Acrobatics skill without penalty. In addition, a rogue with this talent is not flat-footed when using Acrobatics to move along narrow surfaces.
Nimble Climber (Ex): When a rogue with this talent fails a Climb check by 5 or more, she can immediately make another Climb check at the surface’s base DC +10. If successful, she stops her fall by clinging to the surface. The rogue does not take falling damage when she stops her fall in this manner.
Powerful Strike* (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this take takes a full attack action, she can elect to take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls until the start of her next turn. If an attack during this time is a sneak attack, she treats all 1s rolled on the sneak attack damage dice as 2s.
Prone Fighting (Ex): When prone, a rogue with this talent suffers no penalty on her attack rolls or combat maneuver checks, and opponents gain no bonus on their melee attacks against her (ranged attacks still suffer a penalty). In addition, a rogue may stand up as a move-action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Quick Disable (Ex): A rogue with this talent takes half the normal amount of time to disable a trap using the Disable Device skill (minimum 1 round). In addition, a rogue can open a lock with the disable device skill as a standard action, rather than a full-round action.
Resiliency (Ex): Three times per day, but no more than once per round, a rogue who has taken hit point damage from an opponent that reduces her to 0 hit points or lower may use an immediate action to activate this talent. She immediately gains a number of temporary hit points equal to her level as a rogue. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute. In addition, a rogue with this ability may feign death at the same time, forcing her opponent to make a Sense Motive check (DC 10 + the rogue level + the rogue’s Intelligence modifier). Failure on this check results in the opponent believing that the rogue is dead and react accordingly as appropriate. While the rogue is feigning death, she remains fully alert and aware of what is occurring around her.
Silver Tongued Devil (Ex): A rogue who selects this rogue talent gains a competence bonus equal to one-half her rogue level (rounded down) on all Bluff and Diplomacy skill checks.
Slow Reactions* (Ex): Opponents damaged by the rogue’s sneak attack cannot make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
Strong Stomach (Ex): A rogue that selects this talent gains a +2 bonus on her Fortitude saves. This stacks with the bonus provided by the Great Fortitude feat. In addition, once per day, she may reroll a failed Fortitude save; the rogue must abide by the results of the second roll, even if it is worse than the first. If the rogue also possesses the Improved Great Fortitude feat, she may reroll a failed Fortitude save twice per day, but no more than once per round.
Surprise Attack (Ex): During the surprise round, opponents are always considered flat-footed to the rogue with this talent, even if they have already acted.
Trap Spotter (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent comes within 10 feet of a trap, she receives an immediate Perception skill check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the GM.
Weapon Training: A rogue that selects this talent gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat.
Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a rogue gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the rogue reaches 6th level, +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level.
Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a rogue can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She cannot be caught flat-footed, even if her attacker is invisible. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A rogue with this ability can still lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action (see Combat) against her.
If a rogue already has uncanny dodge from a different class, she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
Fisticuffs (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a rogue begins to learn how to use unarmed strikes in a more effective fashion. The rogue gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat, and is able to inflict both lethal and non-lethal damage with her unarmed strikes at no penalty. The rogue also deals great amounts of damage with unarmed strikes than normal: a Small sized rogue deals 1d4 with her unarmed strikes, while a rogue of Medium-size deals 1d6 points of damage, and a large rogue deals 1d8. This damage does not increase as the rogue increases in level.
Hidden Weapons (Ex): At 7th level, a rogue becomes a master of hiding weapons on her body. She adds one-half her rogue level (round down) to all Sleight of Hand skill checks made to prevent others from noticing them.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A rogue of 8th level or higher can no longer be flanked.
This defense denies another rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does.
If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Advanced Rogue Talents: At 10th level, and every two levels thereafter, a rogue can choose one of the following advanced rogue talents in the place of a rogue talent.
Cunning Defense (Ex): If the rogue selects this advanced rogue talent, she may add her Intelligence bonus to her AC in addition to her Dexterity. This advanced rogue talent may only be used with the rogue is wearing no armor or light armor.
In order to select this advanced rogue talent, a rogue must first have selected the dodge rogue talent (see above).
Deadly Strike* (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this advanced rogue talent uses the powerful strike rogue talent (see above), she treats all 1s and 2s rolled on the sneak attack damage dice as 3s.
In order to select this advanced rogue talent, a rogue must first have selected the powerful strike rogue talent.
Defensive Roll (Ex): With this advanced rogue talent, a rogue can roll with an opponents blow to take less damage from it than she normally would. Once per round, as an immediate action, the rogue may attempt to roll with the damage from she receives from a melee or ranged attack (but not a spell). To use this advanced rogue talent, the rogue must attempt a Reflex saving throw with a DC equal to her opponent’s attack roll. If the save succeeds, she takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, she takes full damage. She must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute her defensive roll—if she is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, she cannot use this ability. Neither evasion nor improved evasion applies to a defensive roll.
In order to select this advanced rogue talent, a rogue must first have selected the resiliency rogue talent. If the rogue fails her saving throw and is reduce to 0 or fewer hit points, or if the rogue makes her saving throw, but the attack still reduces her to 0 or fewer hit points, she may activate her resiliency talent as a free action.
Feat: A rogue may gain any feat that she qualifies for in place of an advanced rogue talent.
Opportunist (Ex): Once per round, a rogue with this advanced rogue talent can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity for that round. Even a rogue with the Combat Reflexes feat cannot use this advanced rogue talent more than once per round.
Skill Mastery: The rogue becomes so confident in the use of certain skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions.
Upon gaining this ability, she selects a number of skills equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, she may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. A rogue may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for skill mastery to apply to each time.
Slippery Mind (Ex): This advanced rogue talent allows a rogue to wiggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a rogue with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC, with a +2 bonus on the save. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.
Two Weapon Pounce (Ex): This advanced rogue talent allows a rogue, when wielding any combination of light weapons, weapons that can be used with the feat Weapon finesse, or unarmed strikes, to move up to her base speed and attack once with her primary weapon and once with her off-hand weapon, as if she is using Two-Weapon Fighting. She cannot use this advanced rogue talent while charging or when she uses the Spring Attack feat.
In order to select this advanced rogue talent, a rogue must have first selected the Two-Weapon Fighting feat.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 11th level, a rogue’s evasion improves. This ability works like evasion, except that while the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Light Steps (Ex): Starting at 13th level, a rogue learns to move while barely touching the surface underneath her. As a full-round action, she can move up to twice her speed, ignoring difficult terrain. While moving in this manner, any surface will support her, no matter how much she weighs. This allows her to move across water, lave, or even the thinnest tree branches. She must end her move on a surface that can support her normally. She cannot move across air in this way, nor can she walk up walls or other vertical surfaces. When moving in this way, she does not take damage from surfaces or hazards that react to being touches, such as lava or caltrops, nor does she need to make Acrobatics checks to avoid falling on slipper or rough surfaces. Finally, when using light steps, the rogue ignores any mechanical traps that use a location-based trigger.
Vanish from Sight (Ex): At 14th level, a rogue can use the Stealth skill while being observed as long as the following conditions are met: (a) there must be concealment within one move action of the rogue’s current position and (b) those who are observing the rogue are distracted, even if for an instant. If both of these conditions are met, the rogue can use the Stealth skill in order to hide. Many rogues carry thunderstones, flashbombs, and smoke bombs for just such a purpose. Alternatively, the rogue may use the Bluff skill in order to feint to distract any observers.
Weakening Strike (Ex): At 16th level, a rogue may forgo up to one-half of her sneak attack damage dice (round down) to instead deal either Strength or Dexterity damage equal to the number of sneak attack damage dice sacrificed. To use this aspect of sneak attack, the rogue must be attacking a target eligible for sneak attack (see above).
Master Strike (Ex): Upon reaching 20th level, a rogue becomes incredibly deadly when dealing sneak attack damage. Each time the rogue deals sneak attack damage, she can choose one of the following three effects: the target can be put to sleep for 1d4 hours, paralyzed for 2d6 rounds, or slain. Regardless of the effect chosen, the target receives a Fortitude save to negate the additional effect. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + one-half the rogue’s level + the rogue’s Intelligence modifier. Once a creature has been the target of a master strike, regardless of whether or not the save is made, that creature is immune to that rogue’s master strike for 24 hours. Creatures that are immune to sneak attack damage are also immune to this ability.
Well, here we are once again. I believe that this time we have done it, my friends. With this class, I think we have a monk that we can be proud of . . . not over the top, but a capable, solid, class that acts as wonderful skirmisher. It will never be officially adopted, of course, but this is the final version (hopefully) that will be part and parcel of my own game from this day forward. Feel free to use what you want and discard the rest.
Your critiques and comments are welcome, as always, even if you disagree with the concept or the idea that monk needs to be fixed. I would love to hear them, good or ill.
And without further ado, here then is the Once and Future Monk. Enjoy.
The Once and Future Monk by Master Arminas
For the truly exemplary, martial skill transcends the battlefield: it is a lifestyle, a doctrine, a state of mind. These warrior-artists search out methods of battle beyond swords and shields, finding within themselves weapons that are just as capable of crippling or killing as any blade. These monks (so called since they adhere to strict martial disciplines and ancient philosophies passed down through the generations since the mythical War between Law and Chaos) elevate their bodies to become weapons of war. Monks tread the path of discipline and self-enlightenment, and those with the will to endure that path discover within themselves not what they are, but what they are meant to be.
Role: This version of the monk class is, first and foremost, a skirmisher, a scout, a light fighter who relies on his innate abilities and ki to achieve literally inhuman results. He eschews clumsy armor and random weapons to instead achieve greatness through his own inner will and strength. His endurance and ability to sustain hardship is legendary, rivaled only by the toughest of barbarians and most skilled of rangers. His combat ability with attacks, damage, and maneuvers comes close to equaling more marital classes, yet he is more than merely a fighter. Wise beyond his years, the monk’s senses are keenly honed and he possesses an extensive array of techniques that permit him to accomplish acts that normally can be done only by a practitioner of magic. The varied selection of skills and talents that the monk has at his disposal make a valued member of any adventuring party.
Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
BAB: Medium
Good Saves: Fort; Reflex; and Will
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex); Climb (Str); Craft (Int); Escape Artist (Dex); Perception (Wis); Perform (Cha); Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex); Sense Motive (Wis); Stealth (Dex); and Swim (Str). See monastic skill training (below) for additional class skills.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Ability Score Requirements (Special): To become a monk, a character must have a minimum natural score of 12 in the following abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Player characters and NPCs cannot select the monk class if they do not meet the minimum ability scores listed previously. The ability scores must be the natural ability score of the character or creature; magical enhancement bonuses to ability scores do not count for this purpose . . . although inherent bonuses do, as well as an increase in an ability score gained through achieving a higher level of experience.
CLASS FEATURES
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A monk is proficient with short swords and all simple weapons, with the exception of the heavy crossbow, heavy mace, long spear, morning star, and spear. Monks are not proficient with any type of armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses his combat intuition, evasion, fast movement, flurry of blows, and improved evasion abilities (see below).
Combat Intuition (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD.
In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four monk levels thereafter, (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, etc., etc.).
These bonuses to AC (Wisdom and the additional level-based bonus) apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any armor, when he uses a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.
In addition to the benefits listed above, when using unarmed strikes or any of the melee weapons listed in the weapons and armor proficiency section above, a monk modifies his attack and damage rolls with his Wisdom modifier, not his Strength modifier. This modifier to damage is not adjusted for two-handed weapons or off-hand weapons—it always remains equal to the monk’s Wisdom modifier. The monk also uses his Wisdom modifier in place of his Strength modifier when calculated his Combat Maneuver Bonus. He still uses his Strength modifier when calculating his Combat Maneuver Defense, however.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels gained as a monk thereafter, a monk may select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Extra Ki, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves, Scorpion Style, and Weapon Focus.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Acrobatic Steps, Gorgon's Fist, Improved Blind-Fight, Improved Critical, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Ki Stand, Mobility, and Wind Stance.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list: Gliding Steps, Greater Blind-Fight, Greater Disarm, Greater Grapple, Ki Throw, Lightning Stance, Medusa's Wrath, Penetrating Strike, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, the following feats are added to the list: Critical Focus, Greater Penetrating Strike, Greater Sunder, Greater Trip, Improved Ki Throw, and Whirlwind Attack.
A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them, except as listed below. To select Greater Penetrating Strike, a monk must first have selected Penetrating Strike as a bonus feat. To select any Greater Combat Maneuver Feat, a monk must first have selected the Improved Combat Maneuver Feat for that maneuver.
Fast Movement (Ex/Su): A monk’s speed (in all movement modes which the monk is capable) is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This ability is extraordinary.
Fast movement gained as an extraordinary ability stacks with all other methods of increasing a monk’s speed, including spells such as expeditious retreat and haste.
At 4th level, when a monk gains access to his ki pool (see below), the character can achieve literally superhuman bursts of speed for limited periods of time. As a swift action, a monk can spend 1 point of ki to gain an enhancement bonus to his speed of +20 feet. This speed increase lasts for 1 round per monk class level and is a supernatural ability. At 6th level, and again every two levels gained thereafter, the monk's speed when using this ability increases by an additional +5 feet, to a maximum increase of +60 feet at 20th level.
The bonus speed granted to a monk through spending a point of ki is a supernatural ability.
Fast movement gained as a supernatural ability does not stack with other effects which grant the monk an enhancement bonus to his speed, including magic items such as boots of striding and springing and spells such as haste.
Monastic Skill Training: Different monasteries emphasize different skill sets for the monks that they train. At first level, a monk may choose any three of the following skills: Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Any) (Int), or Linguistics (Int). These skills become class skills for the monk. Once chosen, these selections are forever after fixed, even if the monk places no skill ranks in the specific skills selected.
Unarmed Strike (Ex): A monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s unarmed attack may be made with his fists, elbows, knees, feet, or even his head. This means that a monk may make unarmed strikes with his hands full. Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A monk deals more damage with his unarmed strikes than normal; at 1st level the damage is 1d6. At 8th level, a monk’s unarmed damage increases to 2d6. At 15th level, a monk’s unarmed damage increases to 3d6. The unarmed damage is for Medium monks. Small monks use d4s instead of d6s, while Large monks use d8s instead of d6s. If a monk wears a set of monk’s robes, his unarmed damage increases by +1d6, and gains the AC bonus of a monk five levels above his own; this supersedes the item description in the Core Rulebook.
Stunning Fist (Ex): The monk gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. At 4th level, and every 4 levels gained as a monk thereafter, the monk gains the ability to apply a new condition to the target of his Stunning Fist. This condition replaces stunning the target for 1 round, and a successful saving throw still negates the effect.
At 4th level, he can choose to make the target fatigued. At 8th level, he can make the target sickened for 1 minute. At 12th level, he can make the target staggered for 1d6+1 rounds. At 16th level, he can permanently blind or deafen the target. At 20th level, he can paralyze the target for 1d6+1 rounds. The monk must choose which condition will apply before the attack roll is made. These effects do not stack with themselves (for example, a creature sickened by Stunning Fist cannot become nauseated if hit by Stunning Fist again), but additional hits do increase the duration.
A monk can select which condition to apply each time he makes a stunning fist attack, limited only by his monk level.
A monk gains one use of this feat for every monk level he possesses, as described in the Stunning Fist feat.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher, a monk can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks. If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains the ability to make a flurry of blows. When using unarmed strikes, simple melee weapons with which he is proficient, short swords, or darts a monk can make a flurry of blows attack as a part of a full-attack action. When using flurry of blows a monk gains one additional attack at his highest attack bonus, but forfeits his normal iterative attacks. For example, a 3rd level monk using flurry of blows has two attacks (+2/+2). The monk may use any combination of unarmed strikes or weapons with which he is proficient for this additional attack.
At 8th level, the monk gains a second bonus attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, an 8th level monk using flurry of blows has three attacks (+6/+6/+6).
At 13th level, the monk gains a third bonus attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, a 13th level monk using flurry of blows has four attacks (+9/+9/+9/+9).
At 18th level, the monk gains a fourth bonus attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, a 18th level monk using flurry of blows has five attacks (+13/+13/+13/+13/+13).
A monk may freely substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of a flurry of blows. A monk with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.
Flurry of blows cannot be combined with two-weapon fighting (as per the feats) for additional attacks, even if the monk wields two weapons or a double weapon while making a flurry of blows attack.
Maneuver Training (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk uses his monk level in place of his base attack bonus when calculating his Combat Maneuver Bonus and his Combat Maneuver Defense. Base attack bonuses granted from other classes are unaffected and are added normally.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects. This bonus increases in value to +4 at 10th level and to +6 at 17th level.
Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a monk begins to slowly access his internal ki, a supernatural energy that he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The monk gains a pool of ki points, equal to his monk level + his Wisdom modifier. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk can invoke any one of the following options: he can gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round; he can gain one additional attack at his highest attack bonus when he uses his flurry of blows ability (see above); or he can gain one additional attack at his highest attack bonus when he charges, uses the Spring Attack feat, or when he moves more than 10’. In addition a monk can spend ki to activate his fast movement ability (see above).
A monk gains additional powers that consume points from his ki pool as he gains levels. The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a monk can focus his ki into his unarmed strikes, making them the equivalent of enchanted weapons. When first gained, the monk gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls only. At 9th level, and every 5 levels gained thereafter as a monk, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 19th level. This bonus stacks with that from an actual enhancement bonus to the monk’s unarmed strikes (such as that granted by the amulet of mighty fists). A monk gains the benefits of ki strike so long as he has at least one point of ki remaining in his ki pool.
When using ki strike, a monk’s unarmed strikes are considered magic weapons for the purpose of attacking incorporeal creatures and for overcoming damage reduction.
At 10th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes count as lawful-aligned, alchemical silver, and cold irons weapons for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction.
At 16th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes count as adamantine for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
When using a ki focus weapon, a monk gains the bonus on attack rolls grant by this ability when using that weapon and can bypass damage reduction as listed above with that weapon, depending on the level of the monk.
Ki strike counts as the fighter class ability weapon training for the purpose of using the magic item gloves of dueling. This supersedes the written text of this item.
Catfall (Su): At 4th level or higher, a monk can fall incredible distances without suffering damage. When falling, a monk always lands on his feet. In addition, he reduces the damage inflicted from a fall by 1d6 per monk level he possesses, to a maximum reduction of 20d6 at 20th level. Unlike magical spells (such as feather fall) with similar effects, a monk is not slowed during his descent, making this ability a favored method for higher level monks to rapidly descend great distances quickly. A monk gains the benefits of this ability so long as he has at least one point of ki remaining in his ki pool.
Agility Training (Ex): At 5th level, a monk adds one-half his level (round down) to all Acrobatics skill checks and to the monk’s choice of either Climb or Swim skill checks. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk can gain an additional +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks for 1 round.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases (such as lycanthropy and mummy rot).
Light as a Feather (Su): At 5th level, a monk may spend 1 point of ki to either use levitate or water walk, as per the spells but upon himself only, for a duration of 1 round per class level. When the monk uses light as a feather he may neither run nor may he charge; the monk may only use this ability if he is carrying no more than a light load and if he is not wearing armor or using a shield.
Speak with Animals (Ex): At 6th level, a monk can converse with any creature of the animal type, as per the spell speak with animals. Such conversations are limited by the animal’s intelligence (or lack thereof).
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal his own wounds as a standard action. He can expend 1 point from his ki pool to heal a number of hit points of damage equal to 2d8 + his monk level + his Wisdom bonus (if any). A monk can instead spend 2 points from his ki pool to use this ability as a move action. If the monk spends 3 points from his ki pool, he may use this ability as a swift action.
A monk may use any combination of this ability in a single round if he wishes. I.e., by spending 6 points from his ki pool, and a standard, move, and swift action, he may heal himself for the listed amount three times in the same round.
Spiritual Endurance (Ex): At 8th level, a monk's training and inner reserves of ki allow him to comfortably exist in environments and conditions that would quickly sap the strength from others. He is considered to be under the influence of an endure elements spell at all times, ignoring the extremes of heat and cold. In addition, he may go for a number of days equal to his monk level without eating or drinking before beginning to suffer adverse effects. He requires only four hours of sleep per night, provided that he also meditates for at least four hours as well. While meditating, a monk remains fully aware of his surroundings and may make Perception checks without penalty.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monk’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. Improved evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Duty Never Tires (Ex): At 10th level, a monk gains Endurance as a bonus feat. Furthermore, by spending 1 ki point as a swift action, he can ignore the effects of fatigue for 10 minutes per monk level. This ability only suppresses the fatigue; it does not remove it.
Diamond Body (Ex): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 2 points from his ki pool. His caster level for this effect is equal to his monk level. Unlike the normal use of dimension door, the monk may take any remaining actions in a round after using this ability. He may take up to one willing creature with him when he uses this ability. For the purpose of feats that require a prerequisite of Dimensional Agility, abundant step satisfies those prerequisites for a monk.
Unfettered Speech (Ex): At 12th level, a monk can converse with any creature of the plant type, as per the spell speak with plants. Such conversations are limited by the plant’s intelligence (or lack thereof). A monk can also converse with any creature of the magical beast type that has an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (for the purpose of this ability, treat magical beasts as though they are animals and refer to the spell speak with animals).
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to his current monk level +10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance. As a free action, no more than once a round, a monk may lower his spell resistance to receive the effects of a spell from his ally. His spell resistance is restored once the spell has been cast. A monk gains the benefits of this ability so long as he has at least one point of ki remaining in his ki pool.
Cloud Step (Su): At 14th level, a monk may spend 2 points from his ki pool to air walk, as per the spell, for a duration of 1 round per 2 class levels (round down). When the monk uses cloud step he may neither run nor may he charge; the monk may only use this ability if he is carrying no more than a light load and if he is not wearing armor or using a shield.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. He can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and he must announce his intent before making his attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter, the monk can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to his monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the monk’s level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier) it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target instead takes twice the damage of the monk's unarmed strike (as if the monk had threatened and then confirmed a critical hit) and the quivering palm attack ends; the target may still die if he suffers enough damage from this attack to reduce him to negative hit points equal to his Constitution score. A monk can have no more than one quivering palm in effect at one time. If a monk uses quivering palm while another is still in effect, the previous effect is negated. This ability is a death effect.
At each monk level gained after 15th, the monk gains one additional daily use of this ability, to a maximum of six times per day at 20th level.
Timeless Body (Ex): At 16th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to his ability scores to his physical ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that he has already taken, however, remain in place. The initial roll made by the DM for the character’s maximum age (according to race) is discarded, and a new maximum age calculated. The random dice are maximized. For example, a human monk who reaches 16th level will live to a ripe old age of 110 years, while an elf monk could see 750 years. Age bonuses to the monk’s mental ability scores still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when his time is up. This ability is not the same as immortality, and the monk can always die before his time due to violence.
Stalwart Soul (Ex): At 17th level, a monk no longer suffers any penalties for being fatigued (he still remains fatigued, however, for purposes of exhaustion). If the monk becomes exhausted, he may spend 2 ki points as a swift action to ignore the effects of exhaustion for 1 minute per monk level. This ability only suppresses the exhaustion; it does not remove it.
Tongues (Ex): At 18th level, a monk can converse with any creature, as per the spell tongues. To communicate, a creature must be within 30 feet of the monk and both the monk and creature must have line-of-sight to each other. Furthermore, the monk is able to commune with stone (as per the druid spell stone tell), however to commune with stone the monk must be touching the stone object.
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 minute as though using the spell etherealness. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 3 points from his ki pool. This ability only affects the monk and cannot be used to make other creatures ethereal.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk transcends his mortal limitations. He gains blindsight in a 30-foot radius. He gains immunity versus all hostile mind-affecting spells, spell-like abilities, and other effects (this replaces and does not stack with the still mind ability), as well as being the recipient of constant nondetection and undetectable alignment effects (as per the spells). Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/chaotic, which allows him to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonchaotic weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction.
The few monks who reach this level of achievement often retire from adventuring to explore what they are becoming. Only those with the strongest of ties to their companions and their homelands remain, but even these will eventually simply vanish one night, never to return.
Ex-Monks: A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.
Brawling Armor Property and Bracers of Armor: Brawling may be applied to bracers of armor as well as light armor. This supersedes the text in Ultimate Equipment.
For those of you who are familiar with my warlock class, here are a couple of Pathfinderized magic items for the Warlock. I think they are balanced against what they do, but any advice, comments, critiques, or suggestions would be welcome.
And here are the items, a conversion of the chasuble of fell power and the warlock's scepter. They are not the same as the 3.5 versions of them, so read carefully. And, for those of you not familiar with what a chasuble is, click the blue link and it will take you to the wikipedia page describing them, with pictures.
Chasuble of Fell Power Aura: moderate necromancy
CL: 10th
Slot: Body
Price: 20,000 gp
Weight: 1 lb.
Description: This heavy vestment is similar to other types of chasuble worn by many clergy over their normal robes and raiment. Although the exact appearance varies, a typical chasuble of fell power is usually crafted from crimson or scarlet cloth, backed by a lining of black silk, and sewn with intricate arcane and eldritch symbols in either gold or silver thread. When this garment is worn by a Warlock, and the Warlock use his eldritch blast modified by an invocation, the wearer gains a bonus of +2 to the save DC (this bonus does not stack with that granted by the Ability Focus feat).
Construction Requirements: Craft Wondrous Items, eldritch blast Cost: 10,000 gp
Warlock’s Scepter Aura: moderate necromancy (+1, +2, and +3), strong necromancy (+4 and +5)
CL: 10th (+1, +2, and +3), 12th (+4), 15th (+5)
Slot: None (held)
Price: 5,000 gp (+1), 14,000 gp (+2), 29,000 gp (+3), 50,000 gp (+4), 77,000 gp (+5)
Weight: 3 lbs.
Description: This light mace is constructed from cold iron, with a handgrip of wrapped leather bindings and features an enhancement bonus of between +1 and +5. Many of these weapons have a sculpted head that resembles the skull of some creature. The warlock’s scepter grants its enhancement bonus not only on attack and damage rolls made with the weapon itself, but also on all ranged touch attacks made while the weapon is firmly grasped in one hand. This is a continous effect and requires no activation.
Furthermore, the warlock’s scepter allows a Warlock to expend one of his spell slots as a swift action in conjunction with his use of the eldritch blast class feature. By expending a 1st or 2nd level spell slot, a Warlock may add +1d6 damage to his eldritch blast. By expending a 3rd or 4th level spell slot, a Warlock may add +2d6 damage to his eldritch blast. By expending a 5th or 6th level spell slot, a Warlock may add +3d6 damage to his eldritch blast.
A warlock’s scepter may be upgraded to add additional weapon properties, but the cost to do so is calculated at 3,000 gp x (the total bonus of the enhancements and special weapon properties added together) squared, plus 2,000 gp (for the cold iron material). For example, a +2 frost warlock’s scepter will cost 29,000 gp (3,000 gp x 3 (effective total bonus) x 3 = 27,000 gp + 2,0000 gp = a total of 29,000 gp).
Only light or one-handed bludgeoning weapons may be enchanted as warlock scepters.
Construction Requirements: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Items, eldritch blast, magic weapon, caster level must be three times that of the bonus granted (minimum 10th)
Cost: 2,500 gp (+1), 7,000 gp (+2), 14,500 gp (+3), 25,000 gp (+4), 38,500 gp (+5).
Seriously, did you guys hide the entire thread Lack of Monk Gear in UE? It just up and vanished. It is not locked, it has not been deleted (as far as I can tell), and I can still get in through my posts and thread portion of my profile, but is the whole thing now hidden?
Well. Apparently Ultimate Equipment is out and the verdict is . . . bzzzzzzz. I'm sorry, the monk gets hosed.
here is the current discussion going on, but there is one thing which was revealed that has me asking Why God? What did the poor monk do to the writers at Paizo to deserve this?
Two things, actually. First, the special weapon property agile isn't in the book. The one property out there that actually (in combination with Weapon Finesse) makes the monk less MAD. The one that rogues and ninjas and bards and rangers love. No, it's not there.
Second, we get the bodywrap of mighty strikes. I'm not going to go into the full details, but it is worn around the chest (like a sports bra?) and grants an enhancement bonus to unarmed strikes or natural attacks. . . .kinda. You see, it grants you one (1) (uno) attack which gets that enhancement bonus each round. Oh, you get two at +6 BAB, three at +11 BAB, and four at +16 BAB. And you get to choose which attack rolls before you roll, so unless you save one for an attack of opportunity, that one won't get the bonus.
Nor will your iterative attacks. Or those from flurry. Or those from haste or similar effects. Or from spending a point of ki. Or from Medusa's Wrath.
Sigh.
But, as usual, this item is better for animal companions and eidolons because it also effects natural attacks! Especially since they don't usually get iterative attacks and your total number of attacks each round is based on the BAB of the wearer.
Wow. I am now just so impressed. No. No, I'm not. Because, the thing that makes this item the bodywrap of absolute suck is that it costs MORE than a normal magic weapon of the same bonus.
Yep, you heard me right, monk-fans. Bonus squared x 3,000 gp for this little piece of glass masquerading as a gemstone. But it is all costume jewelry. Unlike the amulet of mighty fists this one goes up to +7 (why? why?) . . . but has to have a +1 enhancement bonus before any special weapon property. From there, it follows standard weapon rules; enhancement can't be over +5, yada-yada-yada.
So, monk-fans, we get shafted once again. Draw up a chair, hoist a round, and let's share our sorrows together!
Well, here we are again. I warn you ahead of time; some of the changes are rather subtle; others, not so much. Let me know what you think.
MA
Master Arminas’s New Model Monk
Alignment: Any lawful.
BAB: Medium.
Good Saves: Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Any) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier.
CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features for the monk.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with the club, crossbow (light and heavy), dagger, dart, javelin, light mace, quarterstaff, punching dagger, shortspear, short sword, sickle, sling, and unarmed strike.
Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields.
When wearing armor, wearing or wielding a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses his fast movement, flurry of blows, and intuitive defense class abilities.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, a monk may select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, and Weapon Focus.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Improved Blind-Fight, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Ki Stand, and Mobility.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Grapple, Greater Sunder, Improved Critical, Medusa's Wrath, Snatch Arrows, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Bull Rush, Greater Disarm, Greater Trip, Penetrating Strike, and Whirlwind Attack.
A monk need not have to meet any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Fast Movement (Ex): A monk gains a +10’ enhancement bonus to his speed. This bonus applies to all movement modes possessed by the monk. At 4th level, and again every 3 levels gained thereafter as a monk, this enhancement bonus increases by an additional +10’, to a maximum enhancement bonus of +60’ at 16th level.
Intuitive Defense (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four monk levels thereafter.
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any armor, when he wears or wields a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.
Intuitive Offense (Ex): A monk relies upon his skill and intuition more than brute force or pure speed. Accordingly, a monk substitutes his Wisdom bonus (if any) instead of his Strength bonus for all attack rolls, damage rolls, and CMB. A monk still adds his Strength bonus to his CMD.
If the monk has a penalty as the modifier of his Strength ability score, that penalty still applies to his attacks and damage.
Unarmed Strike (Ex): A monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk may make an Unarmed Strike with his fists, elbows, feet, knees, and head; thus, a monk may make an unarmed strike even when his hands are full. A monk always applies his full Wisdom bonus on damage rolls for his unarmed strikes, regardless of which limb he is using to make the attack.
Usually a monk’s unarmed strike deals lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A monk’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 monk also deals more damage with his unarmed strike than a normal person. At 1st level, a monk deals 1d6 points of damage. At 4th level, this increases to 2d4 points of damage. At 8th level, and every four levels gained thereafter as a monk, a monk’s damage with his unarmed strike increases by an additional 1d4.
This damage is for a Medium monk. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given with his unarmed strike, while a Large monk deals more damage. Small monks deal 1d4 points of damage at 1st level, increase to 1d6 at 4th level, and thereafter follow the normal monk progression four levels behind a Medium monk. A Large monk deals 2d4 points of damage at 1st level and adds an additional +1d4 at 4th level and every four levels gained as a monk thereafter.
Evasion (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a monk can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks. If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor, and is carrying no more than a light load. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Maneuver Training (Ex): A monk of 2nd level or higher uses his monk level in place of his base attack bonus when calculating his Combat Maneuver Bonus. Base attack bonuses granted from other classes are unaffected and are added normally.
Monastic Martial Training (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a monk gains a +1 bonus on damage rolls for every two monk class levels he possesses (rounded down) when using the following weapons: club, crossbow (light and heavy), dagger, dart, javelin, light mace, quarterstaff, punching dagger, shortspear, short sword, sickle, and sling.
This damage bonus does not apply to a monk’s unarmed strike.
Stunning Fist (Ex): At 2nd level, the monk can attempt to stun his opponent. Once per round, as a free action, a monk who has successfully struck an opponent with an unarmed strike, and dealt damage to that opponent, may force his opponent to make a Fortitude save against a DC of 10 + one-half the monk’s level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier. Success on this saving throw results in negating the stunning attack; failure leaves the creature stunned until the beginning of the monk’s next turn. A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a -2 penalty to AC, and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).
A monk can make one stunning fist attack each day per monk level he possesses, but no more than once per round.
Constructs, Oozes, Plants, and Undead creatures are immune to stunning.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): A 3rd level monk can launch a lightning-fast series of blows as a full-attack action. When using flurry of blows, a monk must be attacking with his unarmed strike or the any of the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, javelin, light mace, quarterstaff, punching dagger, shortspear, short sword, or sickle. The monk gains one additional attack with either one of these listed weapons or his unarmed strike; this additional attack is made at the monk’s highest attack bonus.
At 10th level, the monk gains a second additional attack at his highest attack bonus when he makes a flurry of blows attack.
At 17th level, the monk gains a third additional attack at his highest attack bonus when he makes a flurry of blows attack.
Unlike Two-Weapon, a monk does not suffer a penalty to his attack rolls when performing a flurry of blows and he may use any combination of his unarmed strike and the above listed weapons to conduct the attack. He may choose to make all of his attacks in a flurry of blows with a single weapon listed above (including his unarmed strike) or he may use multiple weapons at his discretion. He may even combine one or more weapons and his unarmed strike. A monk may not use Two-Weapon fighting to gain one or more additional attacks while using flurry of blows.
A monk applies his full Strength bonus to his damage rolls with all successful attacks made with a flurry of blows, whether or not the attacks are made with an off-hand or with a weapon wielded in both hands. A monk may substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of a flurry of blows. A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or one of the weapons listed above as part of a flurry of blows. A monk with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.
Still Mind (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a monk gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects. This bonus improves to +4 at 10th level and again to +6 at 17th level.
Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a monk gains a pool of ki points, supernatural energy he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The number of points in a monk’s ki pool is equal to his monk level + his Wisdom modifier. As long as he has at least 1 point in his ki pool, the monk can make a ki strike. At 4th level, ki strike allows his unarmed strike to be treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and affecting incorporeal creatures. Ki strike improves with the character’s monk level. At 8th level, his unarmed strike is also treated as a lawful weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 12th level, his unarmed strike is also treated as a cold iron and silver weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 16th level, his unarmed strike is also treated as an adamantine weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
By spending 1 point from his ki pool, a monk can make one additional attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. In addition, he can spend 1 point to increase his speed by 20 feet for 1 round. A monk can spend 1 point from his ki pool to give himself a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round. Finally, a monk can spend 2 points from his ki pool to make one additional attack at his highest attack bonus when the monk performs a charge, uses the Spring Attack feat, or when he moves and then attacks as a standard action. This additional attack can only be made with a monk’s unarmed strike or with a weapon listed in his flurry of blows class ability, above. Each of these powers is activated as a swift action. A monk gains additional powers that consume points from his ki pool as he gains levels.
The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
Catfall (Ex): A monk of 4th level or higher can fall incredible distances without suffering damage. When falling, a monk always lands on his feet. In addition, he reduces the damage inflicted from a fall by 1d6 per monk level he possesses, to a maximum reduction of 20d6 at 20th level. Unlike magical spells (such as feather fall) with similar effects, a monk is not slowed during his descent, making this ability a favored method for higher level monks to rapidly descend great distances quickly.
Monastic Weapon Training (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a monk gains a +1 bonus on all attack rolls that makes with his unarmed strike and with the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, javelin, light mace, quarterstaff, punching dagger, shortspear, short sword, or sickle. Every four levels thereafter (9th, 13th, and 17th), this bonus on attack rolls increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level.
A monk also adds this bonus to any combat maneuvers made with unarmed strike (including grappling) or with the listed weapons. This bonus applies to the monk’s Combat Maneuver Defense when defending against disarm and sunder attacks made against the above listed weapons.
Physical Training (Ex): At 5th level, a monk adds one-half his class level to all Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim skill checks. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when he making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk can gain an additional +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.
Speak with Animals (Sp): Starting at 6th level, a monk can communicate with any creature with the animal type, as per the spell speak with animals. Such conversations are limited by the animal’s intelligence (or lack thereof).
Wholeness of Body (Ex): Starting a 7th level, a monk can heal his own wounds by focusing his ki ki into knitting whole his flesh, bone, and blood. As a swift action, a monk can spend 2 points from his ki pool to heal a number of hit points equal to 2d8 + the monk’s class level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier. Furthermore, a monk can spend 1 point from his ki pool as a standard action to heal the same number of hit points. A monk can use wholeness of body in this manner up to twice per round; once as a swift action and once as a standard action.
Opening the Third Eye (Su): At 8th level, a monk can spend 1 point from his ki pool as a standard action to gain blind-sense in a 10’ radius for 1 minute per monk level. At 14th level, this ability improves to grant blind-sense in a 20’ radius.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monk’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Spiritual Endurance (Ex): Staring at 10th level, a monk's training and inner reserves of ki allow him to comfortably exist in environments and conditions that would quickly sap the strength from others. He is considered to be under the influence of an endure elements spell at all times, ignoring the extremes of heat and cold. In addition, he may go for a number of days equal to one-half his monk level without eating or drinking before beginning to suffer adverse effects. He requires only four hours of sleep per night, provided that he also meditates for at least four hours as well. While meditating, a monk remains fully aware of his surroundings and may make Perception checks without penalty.
Diamond Body (Ex): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): Starting at 12th level, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 2 points from the monk’s ki pool. Unlike the spell, a monk using this ability can take any actions he has remaining after the teleportation effect. A monk may take willing creatures with him, but he is limited in this by his maximum encumbrance; any creature exceeding that limit does not accompany the monk. A monk’s caster level for this effect is equal to his monk level.
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to his current monk level + 10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance. Once per round as a free action, even if it is not the monk’s turn, the monk may choose to lower his spell resistance. Once lowered, it remains not in effect until the start of the monk’s next turn.
Cloud Step (Su): A monk of 14th level or higher may spend 2 points from his ki pool to air walk, as per the spell, for 1 round per 2 class levels (round down). When the monk uses cloud step he may neither run nor may he charge; the monk may only use this ability if he is lightly encumbered.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. He can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and he must announce his intent before making his attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter, the monk can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to his monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + one-half the monk’s level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack but it may still be affected by another one at a later time. A monk can have only one quivering palm in effect upon any single creature at one time.
At 17th level, and again at 19th level, the monk gains one additional daily use of this ability.
The Castle Crumbles (Su): Starting at 16th level, a monk can use his mastery of ki to cause vibrations within free-standing structures as well as creatures. By making contact with a solid object and concentrating for one minute (and spending 3 points from his ki pool), a monk can use sympathetic vibration as per the spell. By spending twice the amount of ki (6 points) a monk can affect a portion of a structure, such as a 10’ by 10’ square of a city wall, or the stone walls of his prison cell, etc., rather than a free-standing structure. In this case, the monk chooses what section will be affected; he must still concentrate and place his bare hand upon the surface.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex): A 17th level monk can speak with any living creature.
Timeless Body (Ex): At 18th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to his ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that he has already taken, however, remain in place. Age bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when his time is up.
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 minute as though using the spell etherealness. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 3 points from his ki pool. This ability only affects the monk and cannot be used to make other creatures ethereal.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. He is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than a humanoid (or whatever the monk’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. His still mind class ability improves yet again, and the monk becomes immune to enchantment spells and effects. His opening the third eye class ability improves again, giving him blind-sense in a 30’ radius. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/magic and chaotic, which allows him to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonmagical, nonchaotic weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if he were a member of his previous creature type.
Ex-Monks: A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk, but retains all monk abilities.
I started this under the title of The Soulknight (thread here), but it has changed so much that I decided to give it a thread of its own. The Mystic Knight is an arcane adaptation of the Soulknife, with a few twists and wrinkles all of its very own. Throw mindblade has so many things wrong with it, I simply decided to ditch itself and give the class a few little gems of arcane use.
Now, I haven't playtested this, so any critiques or criticisms or suggestions you might have would be more than welcome. We all improve when we have feedback, after all. And I hope that you enjoy it!
MA
Mystic Knight
Never caught without a weapon at her fingertips, the Mystic Knight is a character who uses the arcane arts not for spellcasting, but to mold and to call to hand a powerful weapon comprised of mystical energy, the mystic blade. Invoking a mystic blade is the core of the Mystic Knight, and with it, she is a deadly combatant. Versatile and varied, the Mystic Knight can be found in all races and genders, wielding weapons unique to each wielder and customized to fit the needs of any situation.
Role: As a wielder of a weapon first and foremost, the Mystic Knight excels as a front-line combatant on the battlefield. Her limited armor options and defensive abilities can be a hindrance, but her varied blade abilities can make her an excellent mobile warrior or battlefield controller.
Alignment: Any.
BAB: Full
Hit Die: d10.
Good Saving Throws: Reflex and Will.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Mystic Knight is proficient with all simple weapons, with her own mystic blade (regardless of form or shape), with light and medium armor, but she is not proficient with heavy armor or any type of shield.
Bonus Feat (Ex): A Mystic Knight can select one of the following bonus feats at 1st level and again at 2nd level: Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, or Weapon Focus (mystic blade). The Mystic Knight does not need to meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it.
At 6th level, and every four Mystic Knight levels gained thereafter, the Mystic Knight may select an additional bonus feat from the list above. In addition, the following feats are added to the bonus feat list at 6th level: Great Cleave, Mobility, Two-Weapon Defense, and Weapon Specialization (mystic blade). Instead of choosing a feat, a 6th level Mystic Knight can instead gain a familiar as if she were a wizard of her Mystic Knight class -3.
At 10th level, add the following feats to the list of those that can be selected: Greater Weapon Focus (mystic blade), Improved Critical (mystic blade), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, add the following feats to the list of those that can be selected: Greater Weapon Specialization (mystic blade) and Penetrating Strike.
Fast Movement (Ex): A Mystic Knight gains a +10’ bonus to her base movement rate. Starting at 8th level, she is no longer slowed by wearing medium armor.
Form Mystic Blade (Su): As a move action, a Mystic Knight can form a semi-translucent weapon comprised of arcane energy distilled from the latent weave of the universe. This mystic blade is every bit as real and solid as any manufactured weapon.
At 1st level, a Mystic Knight must choose the form that her mystic blade will take: a light weapon, a one-handed weapon, or a two-handed weapon. Once chosen, her mystic blade remains in this form every time she summons the blade forth into her hand. Regardless of the form or the shape (see below), a mystic blade is obviously supernatural in origin. The weapon is comprised of arcane energy that ripples with and sparkles with eldritch forces. Although the color of her mystic blade may vary (typically being shades of black, blue, green, or red), the mystic blade is always semi-translucent and glows with the illumination of a candle. There are some who believe that the alignment of the Mystic Knight can be determined by the shade of her mystic blade, but this belief is a falsehood.
The Mystic Knight chooses the exact appearance of her mystic blade, although it is obviously a weapon and its shape must reflect the selections of both form and shape that the Mystic Knight has chosen: a bludgeoning mystic blade should have a blunt impact surface, slashing would have an edge, etc., a two hand weapon should require two-hands to wield, a light weapon should be quick and easy to maneuver in tight spaces.
The damage that a mystic blade inflicts is determined by its form. A light weapon deals 1d6 points of damage, the one-handed weapon deals 1d8 points of damage, and the two-handed weapon deals 2d6 points of damage. In all forms, the mystic blade has a critical range of 19-20/x2. All damages are based on a Medium-sized creature wielding Medium-sized weapons; adjust the weapon damage as appropriate for different sized Mystic Knights.
Despite the form chosen by the Mystic Knight, the mystic blade does not have a set damage type. When the Mystic Knight summons forth her mystic blade, she chooses whether it will deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. As a full-round action, a Mystic Knight may change the damage type of an existing mystic blade; otherwise, the mystic blade retains the last damage type chosen every time it is summoned.
The mystic blade can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points, plus those granted by any enhancement bonus possessed by the mystic blade); however, a Mystic Knight can simply create another on her next move action. The moment she relinquishes her grip on the mystic blade, it dissipates. A mystic blade cannot be thrown. A mystic blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and is considered a masterwork weapon (including the +1 bonus on attack rolls).
A Mystic Knight can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with her mystic blade just as if it were a normal weapon. She can also choose to designate her mystic blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Focus and Improved Critical. Spells that upgrade weapons (such as greater magic weapon) can be used on a mystic blade, but have no effect if the mystic blade already possesses a higher bonus than the spell would grant. In addition, any such spell automatically ends if the Mystic Knight releases her grip on her mystic blade. If the Mystic Knight has chosen a light weapon as her form, she can use feats such as Weapon Finesse, but only when the mystic blade is in light weapon form.
Even in places where magical effects do not normally function (such as within an anti-magic field), a Mystic Knight can attempt to sustain her mystic blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the Mystic Knight maintains her mystic blade for a number of rounds equal to one-half her class level before she needs to check again, although the mystic blade loses any enhancement bonus or speical weapon properties while it remains in the confine of the area of anti-magic. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mystic blade vanishes. As a move action on her turn, the Mystic Knight can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize her mystic blade if she remains within the magic-negating effect. She gains a bonus on Will saves made to maintain or form her mystic blade equal to the total enhancement bonus that her mystic blade normally possesses (see below).
A mystic blade cannot be dispelled or disjoined.
Arcane Eye (Su): A 2nd level or higher Mystic Knight can perceive magical auras, as if using the spell detect magic. Using arcane eye requires concentration and the Mystic Knight can take no additional actions—not even a move action or a 5-foot step—during the round which she uses this ability.
Starting at 4th level, the Mystic Knight may use this ability to read magic, as per the spell. The Mystic Knight can also read and activate any arcane scroll (bard, magus, sorcerer, witch, or wizard) with an effective caster level equal to her Mystic Knight class level -3. She still requires an ability score appropriate to the class in question of high enough score to cast the spell, however. Activating a scroll requires the same depth of concentration as specified above, and the Mystic Knight can take no further actions during a round in which she uses this ability.
Mystic Strike (Su): As a move action, a Mystic Knight of 2nd level or higher can imbue her mystic blade with destructive arcane energy by spending a move action to charge her mystic blade.
The mystic blade retains this charge until it is activated (even if the blade is sundered or dropped, when the Mystic Knight summons a new mystic blade it retains the charge), but a mystic strike charge harmlessly dissipates if the Mystic Knight is rendered unconscious or goes to sleep without using it. After a successful attack with her mystic blade, a Mystic Knight can, as a swift action choose to deal an extra 1d6 points of damage. This extra damage is not precision damage and can affect any creature, regardless of type or range. On a successful critical hit, the extra damage from a mystic strike is not multiplied. At 6th level, and every four Mystic Knight levels gained thereafter, the extra damage from a mystic strike increases by an additional 1d6 points to a maximum of +5d6 at 18th level.
Enhanced Mystic Blade (Su): As a Mystic Knight gains experience, her mystic blade slowly improves. At 3rd level, and every four Mystic Knight levels gained thereafter, a mystic blade gains a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls, to a maximum of a +5 enhancement bonus at 19th level.
Combat Slide (Su): At 4th level, upon striking an enemy in melee with her mystic blade, a Mystic Knight may immediately make a 5-foot step (even if she has already taken a 5-foot or spent a move action earlier in the round; this movement is bonus movement and does not subtract from the Mystic Knight’s subsequent actions). A Mystic Knight is limited to one combat slide per round.
Quick Draw (Su): At 4th level, a Mystic Knight may summon her mystic blade as a free action, although she may still only attempt to do so once per round.
Mystic Blade Weapon Property (Su): At 5th level, a Mystic Knights mystic blade gains a +1 special weapon property of the Mystic Knights choice from the following options: Bane, Defending, Flaming, Frost, Ghost Touch, Keen, Merciful, Mighty Cleaving, Shock, Thundering, and Vicious. The Mystic Knight can reassign this special property by spending 8 hours in concentration. After that period, the mystic blade materializes with the new ability selected by the Mystic Knight, and the prior ability is no longer in effect. The keen property applies to the Mystic Knight’s mystic blade regardless of whether or not it is a slashing weapon; this is an exception to the normal rules for keen weapons.
At 9th level, the Mystic Knight can apply a single +2 special weapon property from the following list or two +1 properties to her mystic blade: Anarchic, Axiomatic, Flaming Burst, Holy, Icy Burst, Shocking Burst, Unholy, or Wounding.
At 13th level can instead apply the Speed property, or any combination of less properties that totals a +3 bonus, to her mystic blade.
At 17th level, the Mystic Knight gains an additional +1 special weapon property from the options listed above, for a total bonus of +4 (in addition to the enhancement bonus of the mystic blade).
The Mystic Knight may apply any combination of special weapon properties to her mystic blade so long as the total bonus does not exceed her maximum allowed by level.
Vital Strike (Ex): Starting at 6th level, whenever a Mystic Knight takes a move action and then attacks with her mystic blade, she gains the benefits of having the Vital Strike feat on that attack.
Shape Mystic Blade (Su): At 7th level, a Mystic Knight is no longer bound to a single weapon form. As a full-round action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, the Mystic Knight can transform her mystic blade into a light weapon, a one-handed weapon, or a two-handed weapon. In addition, if she forms her mystic blade as a light weapon, she may split her mystic blade into two identical light weapons that deal 1d4 points of damage each. Each split mystic blade has an enhancement bonus 1 point less than her normal mystic blade, but both blades retain any special weapon properties.
For example, a 7th level Mystic Knight can form a +2 mystic blade with a +1 special weapon property. She has selected Keen. She forms a light mystic blade and splits it into two mystic blades. Each of her mystic blades carries a +1 enhancement bonus and is considered Keen. When split only one mystic blade can be charged with mystic strike at a single time.
In addition, a Mystic Knight can change the shape of her mystic blade between bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage as a free action no more than once per round.
Bladewind (Su): A Mystic Knight of 8th level gains the ability to momentarily fragment her mystic blade into numerous identical blades, each of which strikes at a nearby opponent. As a full-attack action, a Mystic Knight gives up her regular attacks and instead makes one melee attack at his highest base attack bonus against each opponent within reach. Each fragment inflicts the normal damage for a Mystic Knights mystic blade, including any special weapon properties and mystic strike damage (if any). The mystic blade immediately reverts to its previous form after the bladewind attack.
Reaper’s Blade (Su): At 9th level, a Mystic Knight automatically charges her mystic strike ability if she reduces an opponent’s hit points to below 0 with a melee attack using her mystic blade. If her mystic blade was already charged, her next mystic strike deals 1.5 times the damage rolled.
Rapid Reassignment (Su): At 10th level, a Mystic Knight may reassign the special weapon properties of her mystic blade after one hour of concentration instead of eight hours of concentration.
Wall of Steel (Su): Starting at 11th level, the Mystic Knight can choose to take a -2 penalty on all of her attack rolls (this penalty stacks with Combat Expertise, Power Attack, and/or Two-Weapon Fighting). If she does so, she concentrates on parrying her opponents blows and gains a +4 shield bonus to her armor class. The Mystic Knight must be engaged in melee combat and must attack at least once during the round in which she uses this ability.
Cleave the Soul (Su): At 12th level, when a Mystic Knight activates her mystic strike ability she may choose to substitute one or more 1d6 of mystic strike bonus damage for 1 point (per 1d6) of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage. The Mystic Knight can combine extra dice of damage and ability damage in any combination up to her total mystic strike damage, but she must choose how it will be distributed before she rolls damage.
Improved Vital Strike (Ex): Starting at 13th level, whenever a Mystic Knight takes a move action and then attacks with her mystic blade, she gains the benefits of having the Improved Vital Strike feat on that attack.
Tactical Reassignment (Su): Starting at 14th level, the Mystic Knight may reassign the special weapon properties of her mystic blade with just one minute of concentration instead of eight hours.
Improved Arcane Eye (Su): At 15th level, a Mystic Knight can concentrate on her arcane eye ability as a standard action rather than a full-round action (this includes reading scrolls). She also gains see invisibility, as per the spell, expect that the duration is only for her concentration + 3 rounds.
Deadly Blow (Su): At 16th level, a Mystic Knight’s mystic blade critical multiplier increases by 1, granting her mystic blade a critical threat range and multiplier of 19-20/x3.
Greater Cleave the Soul: At 17th level, the Mystic Knight deals 2 points of ability damage per d6 of mystic strike damage that she sacrifices with her cleave the soul ability.
Instant Reassignment (Su): Starting at 19th level, the Mystic Knight may reassign the special weapon properties of her mystic blade with just a full-round action instead of one minute.
True Mystic Blade (Su): At 20th level, a Mystic Knight reaches the pinnacle of her art and her connection to her mystic blade is so strong that it cannot be severed. She no longer requires a Will save to maintain her mystic blade in an anti-field field, although it still loses any enhancement bonus and special weapon properties. She may assign a total of +5 in special weapon properties to her mystic blade and her assignment options now include the Vorpal property. Her arcane eye ability now gives her true sight, as per the spell, except the duration is concentration +3 rounds. When the Mystic Knight takes a move action and then attacks with her mystic blade, she gains the benefits of having the Greater Vital Strike feat.
Well, this one is finished. I've made a few alterations to add some of my own ideas to the flurry and more traditional monkish class abilities, but by and large it is the class that so many of you have chimed in with. The original thread is here, if you want to read through any of that debate.
I hope you enjoy it, feel free to use it, and let me know what you think!
Master Arminas
Tattooed Mystic: A Monk Alternate Class
Adorned across his body with dozens of colorful and fearsome tattoos, the tattooed mystic is a martial character able to perform feats of magic and skill beyond the ken of most mortals. No two tattooed mystics have the exact range of powers and abilities: versatility is the watchword of this class. Skilled at fighting with the weaponry of peasents (and without weapons at all), the tattooed mystic relies upon the scores of magnificent tattoos that adorn his body from head to foot for his supernatural mystical powers. As it is his own life force that powers the tattoos, the tattooed mystic is more limited than a traditional spell caster . . . but then how many traditional spell casters truely want to engage in front-line combat?
Role: The tattooed mystic serves as a secondary combatent that is able to perform a limited number of magical tricks and abilities that enhance his role in and out of combat. Focused on the pursuit of internal perfection, the tattooed mystic often possesses a range of skills and abilities perfect for integration into any adventuring party.
Alignment: Any lawful.
BAB: Medium.
Hit Die: d8.
Saves: All good.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A tattooed mystic is proficient with all simple weapons, with the exception of the heavy crossbow, heavy mace, long spear, morning star, and spear. Tattooed mystics are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a tattooed mystic loses his AC bonus, as well as his fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
Intuitive Defense (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the tattooed mystic adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD. In addition, a tattooed mystic gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four tattooed mystic levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the tattooed mystic is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any armor, when he uses a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels gained as a tattooed mystic thereafter, a tattooed mystic may select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, and Weapon Focus.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Improved Blind-Fight, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Ki Stand, and Mobility.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list: Combat Expertise, Greater Blind-Fight, Improved Critical, Medusa’s Wrath, Snatch Arrows, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Bull Rush, Greater Disarm, Greater Grapple, Greater Sunder, Greater Trip, and Penetrating Strike.
A tattooed mystic need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Monastic Skill Training: Different monasteries emphasize different skill sets for the tattooed mystics that they train. At first level, a tattooed mystic may choose any three of the following skills: Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Any) (Int), or Linguistics (Int). These skills become class skills for the mystic. Once chosen, these selections are forever after fixed, even if the mystic places no skill ranks in the specific skills selected.
Tattoos of Power (Sp): A tattooed mystic begins the game with his arms, legs, back, stomach, chest, and perhaps even his neck and face, covered with brilliantly colored exquisite tattoos. These tattoos have been inked onto the tattooed mystic’s skin over the years that he spent in the monastery. As the tattooed mystic grows in experience, he may activate the latent individual tattoos; this allows him to access their powers.
Starting at 1st level, a tattooed mystic has activated a single Tier 1 tattoo of power. At each additional level gained in this class thereafter, one of the dozens of tattoos that cover the character’s body activates and bestows a magic property upon the tattooed mystic that he can then use. The mystic can select any of the magic tattoos listed below, so long as he is of sufficient level to activate the selected tattoo. At 4th level, the tattooed mystic gains access to Tier 2 tattoos, in addition to Tier 1. At 7th level, and every three levels gained thereafter, the tattooed mystic can select tattoos from a progressively higher Tier, to a maximum of Tier 6 tattoos of power at 16th level.
A magic tattoo must be activated in order to be used. Unless otherwise specified in the tattoo description below, each tattoo requires a standard action to activate. As a free action, the tattooed mystic can spend 1 ki point from his ki pool (see below) in order to instead activate a tattoo as a swift action.
If the tattoo has an effect that requires an opponent to make a saving throw, the DC for that saving throw is 10 + the level of the Tattoo + the tattooed mystic’s Wisdom modifier. Magic tattoos are considered spell-like abilities. The level of the tattooed mystic is the effective caster level for any effects listed.
A tattooed mystic may not selected the same tattooed multiple times.
Unarmed Strike (Ex): A tattooed mystic gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A tattooed mystic’s unarmed attack may be made with any part of his body, including his limbs or head. This means that a tattooed mystic may make unarmed strikes with his hands full. A tattooed mystic may apply his full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all his unarmed strikes.
Usually a tattooed mystic’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A tattooed mystic deals more damage with his unarmed strikes than normal; from 1st-3rd level the damage is 1d6. This increases to 2d4 at 5th level. At 9th level, the damage increases again to 2d6. At 13th level, and again at 17th level, a tattooed mystic gains an additional die of damage (to 3d6 and 4d6 respectively). This damage is for a tattooed mystic of Medium size. Small size tattooed mystics reduce the damage die by one step (to d3s and d4s), whereas Large size tattooed mystics increase the damage die by one step (to d6s and d8s).
Stunning Fist (Ex): The tattooed mystic gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. At 4th level, and every 4 levels gained as a tattooed mystic thereafter, the tattooed mystic gains the ability to apply a new condition to the target of his Stunning Fist. This condition replaces stunning the target for 1 round, and a successful saving throw still negates the effect.
At 4th level, he can choose to make the target fatigued. At 8th level, he can make the target sickened for 1 minute. At 12th level, he can make the target staggered for 1d6+1 rounds. At 16th level, he can permanently blind or deafen the target. At 20th level, he can paralyze the target for 1d6+1 rounds. The tattooed mystic must choose which condition will apply before the attack roll is made. These effects do not stack with themselves (a creature sickened by Stunning Fist cannot become nauseated if hit by Stunning Fist again), but additional hits do increase the duration.
A tattooed mystic can select which condition to apply each time he makes a stunning fist attack, limited only by his tattooed mystic level.
A tattooed mystic gains one use of this feat for every tattooed mystic level he possesses, as described in the Stunning Fist feat for the monk class
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher, a tattooed mystic can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks. If a tattooed mystic makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a tattooed mystic is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load. A helpless tattooed mystic does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): At 3rd level, a tattooed mystic gains the ability to make a flurry of blows. When using unarmed strikes, simple melee weapons with which he gains proficiency as part of this class, or darts a tattooed mystic can make a flurry of blows attack. A tattooed mystic may use flurry of blows as a part of a full-attack; it is not an action in and of itself. When using flurry of blows a tattooed mystic gains one additional attack at his highest base attack, but forfeits his normal iterative attacks. For example, a 7th level tattooed mystic using flurry of blows has two attacks (+5/+5). The tattooed mystic may use any combination of unarmed strikes or weapons with which he is proficient for this additional attack.
At 8th level, the tattooed mystic gains a second bonus attack at his highest base attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, an 8th level mystic using flurry of blows has three attacks (+6/+6/+6).
At 13th level, the tattooed mystic gains a third bonus attack at his highest base attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, a 13th level mystic using flurry of blows has four attacks (+9/+9/+9/+9).
At 18th level, the tattooed mystic gains a fourth bonus attack at his highest base attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, a 18th level mystic using flurry of blows has five attacks (+13/+13/+13/+13/+13).
A tattooed mystic applies his full Strength bonus to his damage rolls for all successful attacks made with a flurry of blows, whether the attacks are made with an unarmed strike, a weapon held in the mystic's off-hand, or a double weapon. A mystic may freely substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of a flurry of blows. A mystic with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.
Flurry of blows cannot be combined with two-weapon fighting (as per the feats) for additional attacks, even if the mystic wields two weapons or a double weapon while making a flurry of blows attack. A tattooed mystic can wield two weapons when using flurry of blows without penalty.
Maneuver Training (Ex): At 3rd level, a tattooed mystic uses his tattooed mystic level in place of his base attack bonus when calculating his Combat Maneuver Bonus and his Combat Maneuver Defense. Base attack bonuses granted from other classes are unaffected and are added normally.
Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a tattooed mystic begins to slowly access his internal ki, a supernatural energy that he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The tattooed mystic gains a pool of ki points, equal to his tattooed mystic level + his Wisdom modifier. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a mystic can invoke any one of the following options: he can gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round; he can gain a +4 insight bonus to his attacks for 1 round; he can gain a +2 insight bonus to his unarmed damage, melee weapon damage, and thrown weapon damage for 1 round; or he can gain a +4 insight sight on his saving throws for 1 round.
Certain tattoos of power (see below) may grant additional benefits that consume points from the tattooed mystics ki pool as he gains levels. The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a tattooed mystic’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless tattooed mystic does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a tattooed mystic can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the tattooed mystic so desires. He can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and he must announce his intent before making his attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the tattooed mystic strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter, the tattooed mystic can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to his tattooed mystic level. To make such an attempt, the tattooed mystic merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + one-half the tattooed mystic’s level + the tattooed mystic’s Wisdom modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time. A tattooed mystic can have no more than 1 quivering palm in effect at one time. If a mystic uses quivering palm while another is still in effect, the previous effect is negated.
Tattoos of Power List:
Tier 1 Tattoos:
Black Sun: Two times per day, a character with the black sun tattoo gains dark-vision out to a distance of 60’. He can see in both natural and magical darkness to the extent of his vision. Each use of the tattoo lasts for 10 minutes per tattooed mystic class level.
Cheetah: A character with the cheetah tattoo gains a +10’ bonus to his movement. This tattoo is always active, and is not considered an enhancement bonus. In addition, starting at 4th level a tattooed mystic can spend 1 point from his ki pool to gain a further +20’ enhancement bonus to his movement for 1 minute. At 7th level, and three levels gained as a tattooed mystic thereafter, this enhancement gained from spending ki improves by an additional +10’, to a maximum bonus of +70’ at 20th level.
Mask: Three times per day, a character with the mask tattoo may use disguise self, as per the spell, except with a duration of 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level. When the tattooed mystic reaches 10th level, this ability improves to alter self, as per the spell; however the duration remains 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Grasshopper: A character with the grasshopper tattoo gains a bonus on all Acrobatics checks made to jump equal to his tattooed mystic class level. This tattoo is always active. If the tattooed mystic spends 1 point of ki, he gains an additional bonus of +20 on the skill check.
Harp: A character with the harp tattoo gains a +4 competence bonus on all Diplomacy and Perform skill checks. At 7th level, and again at 13th and 20th level, this bonus increases by an additional +2. This tattoo is always active.
Oak: Three times per day, a character with the oak tattoo gains a natural armor enhancement bonus, as per the spell barkskin. This ability lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic level.
Shield: Two times per day, a character with the shield tattoo can activate this tattoo to gain a +2 shield bonus to his armor class for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level. This shield bonus is a force effect and applies against incorporeal touch attacks. In addition, this tattoo absorbs the force darts created by the spell magic missile. Once an active shield tattoo has absorbed a number of darts equal to the tattooed mystic’s class level, this ability immediately ends, and any remaining darts damage the character.
Snowflake: Three times per day, a character with the snowflake tattoo can, as an immediate action, use feather fall, as per the spell.
Spider: Two times per day, a character with the spider tattoo can use spider climb, as per the spell, except that this ability only lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
Tome: Three times per day, a character with the tome tattoo can use comprehend languages, as per the spell, except with a duration of 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Unicorn: Three times per day, a character with the unicorn tattoo can select an alignment opposed to his own and gains a measure of protection from the attacks of creatures of that alignment, as per the spells protection from chaos/evil/good/law. This ability lasts 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level. Lawful good tattooed mystics can select either protection from chaos or protection from evil; lawful neutral tattooed mystics must select protection from chaos; and lawful evil tattooed mystics can select either protection from chaos or protection from good.
Wolf: Three times per day, a character with the wolf tattoo gains low-light vision, scent, and he cannot be tracked by mundane means (as though under the effect of the spell pass without trace). Each use lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Tier 2 Tattoos:
Angel: Three times per day, a character with the angel tattoo can lay his hands upon a creature or character (but not himself) and heal their wounds. Each use of this ability cures 2d8 points of hit point damage, plus the character’s Wisdom modifier, plus the character’s tattooed mystic class level (to a maximum of +10).
Bear: Three times per day, a character with the bear tattoo gains a +4 enhancement bonus to his Strength ability score and is protected from heat and cold as per the spell endure elements. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Bloody Rose: Three times per day, a character with the bloody rose tattoo can heal a small amount hit point damage that he has taken. Each use heals the character 2d8 points of damage, plus the character’s Wisdom bonus (if any), plus 1 point for each of the character class levels as a tattooed mystic (to a maximum of +10). A tattooed mystic cannot use this ability on others, only himself.
Boar: Three times per day, a character with the boar tattoo gains a number of temporary hit points equal to 1d10 plus his tattooed mystic class level (maximum of +10). Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 hour per tattooed mystic class level or until the temporary hit points are used. This tattoo can be activated as an immediate action if the character is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by an attack, but only once per round.
Chameleon: Two times per day, a character with the chameleon tattoo may active this tattoo of power to become invisible, as per the spell.
Displacer Beast: Two times per day, a character with the displacer beast tattoo may activate this tattoo of power to grant himself blur, as per the spell. Each use of this ability lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic level.
Eye of Power: A character with the eye of power tattoo may use detect magic, as per the spell, at will. Three times per day, he may also use detect chaos/evil/good/law, as per the spell, and see invisibility, as per the spell, for up to 1 minute per use. When using the detect alignment ability of this tattoo, the tattooed mystic also gains an impression of the relative strength of the target observed (after three rounds of concentration, depending on class levels and/or hit die): weaker than the tattooed mystic, approximately the same as the tattooed mystic, or stronger than the tattooed mystic.
Feathered Serpent: Three times per day, a character with the feathered serpent tattoo gains a +4 enhancement bonus to his Wisdom ability score. While this tattoo is active, the tattooed mystic also gains a +2 enhancement bonus on his Perception and Sense Motive skill checks. This bonus increases to +4 at 7th level, to +6 at 13th level, and to +8 at 20th level. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Full Moon: A character with the full moon tattoo allows his unarmed attacks to be treated as silver weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. This tattoo is always active.
Hill Giant: Two times per day, a character with the hill giant tattoo can use enlarge person, as per the spell, upon himself and his possessions only. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
Hummingbird: Three times per day, a character with the hummingbird tattoo can use levitate, as per the spell.
Iron Fist: Three times per day, a character with the iron fist tattoo can activate this tattoo, as a swift action, to gain a +1 enhancement bonus to attacks and damage with his unarmed strike for the next minute. At 7th level, and every three levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum enhancement bonus of +6 at 19th level.
Lion: Three times per day, a character with the lion tattoo becomes immune to fear and fear effects. If the character performs a charge or uses the Spring Attack feat while this tattoo is active, he may spend 1 ki point as a swift action to gain an additional attack at his highest attack bonus. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
Maul: Three times per day, a character with the maul tattoo can use shatter, as per the spell.
Monkey: Three times per day, a character with the monkey tattoo gains a +2 competence bonus on all Acrobatics and Climb skill checks. At 7th level, and again at 13th and 20th level, this bonus increases by an additional +2. He may climb at his full speed and retains his Dexterity bonus to his Armor Class. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Scorpion: Twice per day, as an immediate action, a character with the scorpion tattoo can make an attack of opportunity against a creature that successful strikes him in combat. This attack of opportunity receives a competence bonus of +2 on the attack roll and deals double normal damage (as per a critical hit, neither precision damage nor elemental damage is multiplied). If this special attack of opportunity is successful, and if the creature attacking the mystic is reduced to zero hit points or lower by this attack, than the attack which provoked the use of the scorpion tattoo is completely negated. If the character fails to hit his opponent, or if he hits and deals insufficient damage to drop him to zero hit points or below, then the character with this tattoo suffers the full effects of his opponent’s attack.
Sprite: A character with the sprite tattoo allows his unarmed attacks to be treated as cold iron weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. This tattoo is always active.
Tiger: Three times per day, a character with the tiger tattoo gains a +4 morale bonus to his Dexterity ability score and can move through thickly overgrown areas without penalty (as per the druid ability woodland stride). Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Tier 3 Tattoos:
Broken Chains: Twice per day, a character with the broken chains tattoo receives the bonuses granted by the spell freedom of movement for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
Constrictor: A character with the constrictor tattoo gains a +2 competence bonus on all grapple checks. This tattoo is always active. In addition, twice per day, if the tattooed mystic successful strikes an opponent with an unarmed strike, he may start a grapple with a free action in addition to dealing his normal damage.
Erinyes: Two times per day, a character with the erinyes tattoo can use fear, as per the spell. A tattooed mystic can spend 2 ki points from his ki pool as a swift action to gain a +2 bonus to the save DC of this ability.
Falcon: A character with the falcon tattoo gains a constant +4 competence bonus on all visual Perception checks. This tattoo is always active. In addition, twice per day, he may use fly as per the spell, except that his speed while flying is equal to his normal land movement and his maneuverability is perfect. This use of the tattoo lasts for 1 round for tattooed mystic class level.
Flaming Sword: Three times per day, a character with the flaming sword tattoo can sheath his fists in magical flames that deal either cold or fire damage (chosen by the character when the ability is activated). Alternatively, he can choose one weapon that he is currently wielding instead of his unarmed strikes. This adds +1d6 of either cold or fire damage to the character’s unarmed strike damage (or weapon damage). Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
Gargoyle: Twice per day, a character with the gargoyle tattoo can active this tattoo to gain DR 5/adamantine. Each use of this ability lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level, or until the DR has absorbed 5 points of damage per tattooed mystic class level (maximum of 75 points). A tattooed mystic can spend 2 ki points from his ki pool as a swift action to make the damage reduction 5/adamantine and magic.
Ghostly Visage: Twice per day, a character with the ghostly visage tattoo can gain the ability to bestow ghost touch, as per the special weapon property, upon his unarmed strikes, melee or thrown weapons, and combat maneuvers. This ability lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
Heart: A character with the heart tattoo gains the Endurance feat as well as a +4 morale bonus against any magical effect that would fatigue or exhaust the character. If a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability that causes fatigue or exhaustion without a saving throw targets the character, the character instead make a Fortitude saving throw (without the above bonus) against an appropriate DC set by the GM for the effect in question. This tattoo is always active.
Lightning Bolt: Three times per day, a character with the lightning bolt tattoo can sheath his fists in magical crackling electricity that deals electrical damage. This adds +1d6 of electrical damage to the character’s unarmed strike damage. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level. On a successful critical hit, the character’s unarmed strikes also deal an additional 1d8 points of sonic damage.
Serrated Dagger: A character with the serrated dagger tattoo gains the ability to deal precision sneak attack damage as a Rogue. Three times per day, as a swift action, the tattooed mystic can activate this ability for 1 round. If his opponent is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC or is flanked, the tattooed mystic gains 1d6 of sneak attack dice. At 13th level, and again at 19th level, the number of sneak attack dice possessed by the tattooed mystic when he uses this ability increases by +1, to a maximum of 3d6 at 19th level.
Shark: Three times per day, a character with the shark tattoo can gain the ability to breath water as well as air and is immune to the effects of water pressure. While this tattoo is active, the character also gains a Swim speed equal to his normal land movement and a +8 bonus on Swim checks made to avoid hazards (no Swim check is necessary to move underwater). The character suffers no penalties for using slashing and bludgeoning weapons while submerged. This ability lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Tornado: Two times per day, a character with the tornado tattoo may use haste, as per the spell, for 1 round per tattooed mystic level. This tattoo affects only the tattooed mystic.
Viper: Twice per day, as a swift action, a character with the viper tattoo can inflict the victim of one of his successful unarmed strikes with a virulent poison, as per the spell poison. As a swift action, a tattooed mystic can spend 2 ki points from his ki pool to add +2 to the save DC of this effect.
Tier 4 Tattoos:
Anchor: Two times per day, a character with the anchor tattoo can use dimensional anchor, as per the spell, upon a single creature that he successfully touches. The tattooed mystic can make a single touch attack against a creature as part of using this ability, or he can hold the charge. This ability lasts for 1 minute per tattooed monk class level.
Bat: A character with the bat tattoo gains blind-sense out to a distance of 5’. This tattoo is always active. In addition, two times per day, the tattooed mystic may increase his blind-sense range to 60’. This use of the tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Battleaxe: A character with the battleaxe tattoo deals x3 damage on a successful critical hit with his unarmed strikes. In addition, he gains a +4 competence bonus on attack rolls made to confirm a critical hit with his unarmed strikes. This tattoo is always active.
Black Wave: A character with the black wave tattoo becomes immune to the effects of poison and disease. This tattoo is always active.
Crescent Moon: Two times per day, a character with the crescent moon tattoo can use dispel magic, as per the spell. When the tattooed mystic reaches 15th level in this class, this ability improves to greater dispel magic, as per the spell.
Dragon: Three times per day, a character with the dragon tattoo can exhale a 30’ cone of either cold or fire that deals a number of d6 in damage equal to one-half the level of the tattooed mystic (rounded down).
Eye of Knowledge: A character with the eye of knowledge tattoo can understand and communicate with all living creatures, as per the mystic class ability tongue of the sun and moon. This tattoo is always active.
Harlequin: Two times per day, a character with the harlequin tattoo can use either good hope or crushing despair, as per the spells. The tattooed mystic can select which specific spell he uses upon activating this tattoo of power.
Skull with Thorns: Two times per day, a character with the skull with thorns tattoo can produce a death ward, as per the spell, on himself. This ability lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
Werewolf: Two times per day, a character with the werewolf tattoo can use beast shape III, as per the spell, on himself. This ability lasts for 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Tier 5 Tattoos:
Blink Dog: Two times per day, a character with the blink dog tattoo can use the spell dimension door, but for himself only. Using this ability is a move action, and the character retains all of his remaining actions for the round once the teleportation effect is complete. If the tattooed mystic is in contact with a Medium-sized or smaller creature when he actives this ability, and he spends 1 ki point from his ki pool, he may transport that creature with him as he teleports. He may spend up to 2 ki points to transport a Large-sized creature or two Medium-sized or smaller creatures, but he cannot transport more than that with this ability.
Breached Wall: Once per day, a character with the breached wall tattoo can use the spell sympathetic vibration, as per the spell, upon a free standing structure which he touches. It requires one minute of intense concentration to activate this tattoo, during which time the tattooed mystic must remain in contact with the structure.
Castle: A character with the castle tattoo gains spell resistance equal to 10 + his tattooed mystic class levels. Once per round, if the tattooed mystic is the target of a spell cast by an ally, he may choose, as a free action that can be taken even if it is not his turn, to lower his spell resistance. His spell resistance is immediately restored after the completion of his ally’s spell (no action required). This tattoo is always active.
Eye of Truth: Two times per day, a character with the eye of truth tattoo can use true seeing, as per the spell, except with a duration of 1 minute per tattooed mystic class level.
Flaming Skull: Two times per day, a character with the flaming skull tattoo gains Resistance 30 to either fire or cold (chosen when the ability is activated). This ability lasts for 1 round per tattooed mystic class level.
White Stag: Two times per day, a character with the white stag tattoo can active this tattoo of power as an immediate action to reroll a saving throw, attack roll, skill check, or ability check. The tattooed mystic must take the results of the reroll, even if it is worse than the original. A tattooed mystic spend up to 4 ki points from his ki pool to add the same amount as he spend as an unnamed bonus on his second die roll.
Wraith: Two times per day, a character with the wraith tattoo can become ethereal, as per the spell etherealness. Each use lasts for only one minute and the character cannot affect any other creature (even willing creatures) with this ability.
Tier 6 Tattoos:
Chrysanthemum: A character with the chrysanthemum tattoo stops aging and cannot be magically aged. He no longer accrues any penalties to his physical ability scores, but this tattoo does not remove penalties he has previously gained. In addition, the character needs only two hours of meditation each night (rather than 8 hours of sleep) to rest and regain his abilities, and he no longer requires food or water to survive. This tattoo of power does not prolong life; when the tattoos mystic time (as calculated for his race) expires, he will still die. This tattoo is always active.
Compass Rose: Once per day, a character with the compass rose tattoo can shadow walk, as per the spell.
Helm of Glory: Once per day, a character with the helm of glory tattoo can use mind blank, as per the spell.
Phoenix: Once per day, a character with the phoenix tattoo can activate this ability to receive the effects of both a heal spell and a greater restoration spell.
Portal: Twice per day, a character with the portal tattoo can plane shift, as per the spell. In addition, the character always knows which way is north, and whether or not his is above or below ground level. After using plane shift, the tattooed mystic instinctively knows which direction the closest town, village, or city lies, but not the distance.
Shining Star: A character with the shining star tattoo becomes a magical creature. He gains damage reduction (DR/magic and chaotic) equal to one-half his tattooed mystic class level. He is immune to any spell which affects only humanoids. This tattoo is always active.
At long last, I have finished up this class. It has taken some time, and without all of your comments and suggestions and advice, it would have not have come to pass. The original thread is located here with all the of discussions, debates, and evolution into the current form of the class.
I would like to thank everyone who added their critiques and comments: without you this class would not be possible. In no particular order, this includes Nicos, Name Violation, Uriel393, Mordo, ChaiGuy, Azten, Kelvar Silvermace, Gerrinson, Kerebrus, SmiloDan, Nephril, Dragonamedrake, Ciaran Barnes, Ahorsewithnoname, Bruunwald, Cpt Jason, Joyd, Jpomzz, Dbass, Clawoftiamat, Stringburka, LazarX, Midnight_Angel, and Kyrzbyn. Thank you all once again.
Feel free to post any comments you want, but I think we have locked this one down pretty good.
Master Arminas
Warmage
Trained for war, the few who survive the arduous Collegium Bellum Arcanum to graduate as Warmages are proud individuals who yearn for the day when their talents can be unleashed on their foes. The Arcane War College is brutal in its training, but its graduates emerge with abilities that few other arcane casters can match. Skilled not only in magic, but in the mundane art of war, these warmages lead armies and use their talents to wipe their enemies from existence.
While they are often ridiculed (in private) by other arcanists as spell-casters who want to play at warrior, none can deny the warmage is the unquestioned master of the battlefield evocations. Of course, many wizards will point out that such magics are among the least effective overall, and even more general-themed sorcerers are quick to highlight that much of the famed warmage spell list is just some derivation of an area-effect damage spell. Neither class normally makes such jests and jeers directly to the face of a warmage, however, for both will acknowledge (however grudgingly) that a skilled warmage can reliably penetrate defenses specifically designed to counter many of his spells.
Despite this general viewpoint of other spellcasters of his inferiority, the warmage is confident (indeed, some almost say arrogant) in his own abilities. He knows well his own limitations and the effectiveness of other magic, magic that he cannot use. But for the true warmage that means little. A true warmage finds that he is happiest not in a library or a dusty archive, but in the midst of the chaos of battle, where his knowledge and skill and magic can turn even the darkest hour into victory for the side which he champions.
Role: A warmage controls the battlefield, isolating his opponents, reducing their effectiveness, and killing them in large numbers. Unlike many other spellcasters, the warmage has few utility spells at their disposal; instead these armored arcanists concentrate on what they see as the most important aspect of magic: the ability to quickly wound or kill large numbers of opponents in a precise and orderly military fashion.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A warmage is proficient in all simple and all martial weapons. He is proficient in light armor and medium armor, but not with heavy armor or with any type of shield. A warmage can cast warmage spells gained from the warmage class (but not other arcane spells gained from other spellcasting classes) in light armor or medium armor without suffering any arcane spell failure chance, but suffers the normal chance of failure for casting in heavy armor or when using any type of shield.
Spells: A warmage casts arcane spells drawn from the warmage spell list (see below). To cast a spell, a warmage must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a warmage’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the warmage’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a warmage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is the same as a Sorcerer. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.
A warmage automatically knows all of the spells on his spell list. He does not have to select these spells, nor does he have a spellbook. A warmage cannot add new spells to his spells known (with the exception of his advanced learning ability, see below).
Unlike a wizard or cleric, a warmage need not prepare his spells in advance. He can use any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.
Cantrips: Warmages learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted in the warmage spell list. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume slots and may be used again.
Arcane Weapons Training (Ex): A warmage knows well that in the heat of battle he might find himself forced to resort to mundane arms. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, a warmage can, as a swift action, expend a 1st level or higher spell slot that he not yet used during the day. Until the start of his next turn, any attack that the warmage makes with that weapon receives a +1 insight bonus equal to the level of the spell slot expended, to a maximum bonus of +9 when spending a 9th level spell slot on this ability.
If the warmage strikes at a target with concealment with a melee weapon while this ability is active, he may roll his miss chance twice. If either roll results in a hit, then the warmage successful strikes his opponent.
If the warmage also possesses the Arcane Strike feat, he may activate both this ability and the Arcane Strike feat with the same swift action.
Military Knowledge (Ex): A warmage is familiar with basic military protocol, including how to lay out a military encampment, setting watches, operating siege equipment, and the day-to-day details involved in coordinating hundreds of men and horses. He gains a competence bonus on all History (Engineering) and History (Knowledge) skill checks as it relates to war, armies, and the burden of logistics, equal to one-half his warmage class level (minimum of 1).
Warmage Edge (Ex): A warmage specializes in dealing damage with his spells. Whenever a warmage casts a spell that deals hit point damage, he adds a bonus to the damage dealt. This bonus equals the warmage’s Intelligence modifier +1. At 5th level, and every four warmage levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by an additional +1 to a maximum bonus of Intelligence modifier +5 at 17th level. The bonus from the warmage edge special ability applies only to spells that he casts as a warmage, not to those he might have by virtue of levels in another class.
If the spell is an area effect, this bonus damage applies to all targets within the area of effect. If the spell lasts for more than one round, then the bonus damage applies to all targets within the area of effect (if any) each round. A spell that creates more than one effect that can target any one individual (such as magic missile) only inflicts this bonus damage once per target, per round that the spell effect lasts.
Scrolls and wands used, scribed, or crafted by a warmage do not gain the benefit of this special ability; nor do staffs crafted by a warmage. However, staffs used by a warmage do receive the benefit of this special ability.
Judge of Steel (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a warmage gains a competence bonus on all Appraise skill checks he performs on armor or weapons. This bonus is equal to one-half of the warmage’s class level (round down). A warmage may use this ability to identify magic arms and armor, as per the spell identify, but using the bonus granted by this ability instead of the bonus listed in the spell.
Sudden Silent (Ex): At 3rd level, a warmage may use the Silent Spell meta-magic feat twice per day without any increase in casting time or in the level of spell being cast. A warmage may only apply one sudden metamagic to any single spell.
Advanced Learning (Ex): At 4th level, a warmage gains the knowledge of one spell of his choice that he may add to his spell-list. The spell chosen must be from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, the spell must be from either the conjuration school or the evocation school, the spell cannot be one that summons a creature, and the spell must be at least one level below the highest level spell a warmage is capable of casting. At 6th level, and every even level gained thereafter as a warmage, the character may add one additional spell to his spell-list. When this ability is gained at 20th level, a warmage may select a single sorcerer/wizard spell of any level to add to his spell list, so long as the spell selected is from either the conjuration school or the evocation school and the spell selected cannot be one that summons a creature.
Sudden Still (Ex): At 5th level, a warmage may use the Still Spell meta-magic feat twice per day without any increase in casting time or in the level of spell being cast. A warmage may only apply one sudden metamagic to any single spell.
Warmage Intensity (Ex): At 6th level, a warmage begins to be able to transcend the normal limitations of some of his magical spells. Twice per day, if the warmage casts a spell that deals hit point damage, and that spell has a damage cap based upon the warmage level (such as burning hands or fireball), that spell is affected as though the warmage had applied the Intensified Spell feat. This does not change either the level of the spell being cast nor does it increase the casting time. This ability does not stack with the feat Intensified Spell. At 10th level, and every four warmage levels gained thereafter, the warmage gains one additional daily use of this ability, to a maximum of 5 times per day at 18th level.
Energy Substitution (Ex): At 7th level, three times per day, a warmage may alter the energy of one of his spells to any of the following: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. The spell altered must be a spell that inflicts energy based damage. This ability is a free action that can be used once per round. At 10th level, the warmage may use this ability five times per day. At 15th level, the warmage may use this ability seven times per day. At 20th level, the warmage may use this ability eleven times per day.
Battlefield Counterspelling (Ex): At 8th level, once per day, as an immediate action, a warmage may counter any spell that is on his spell list, so long as the spell is cast within medium range (100 feet plus 10 feet per war mage level) of the warmage. He must expend a spell slot equal to that of the spell being cast or higher. At 13th level he may do this twice per day. At 19th level he may do this three times per day.
Sudden Empower (Ex): At 9th level, a warmage may use the Empower Spell meta-magic feat twice per day without any increase in casting time or in the level of spell being cast. A warmage may only apply one sudden metamagic to any single spell.
Penetrating Spell (Ex): At 10th level, when a warmage casts a spell that inflicts energy-based damage (such as fireball or lightning bolt), the warmage may ignore 10 points of an effected creature’s energy resistance (if any). This ability applies to innate energy resistance that is part of the creature itself as well as to energy resistance bestowed by magic items or spell effects. At each warmage level gained thereafter, the amount of resistance a warmage can bypass increases by 1, to a maximum of 20 at 20th level. Creatures with energy immunity (either natural or magical) are not affected by this ability.
Unavoidable Spell (Ex): At 11th level, the warmage may, twice per day, declare he is casting an unavoidable spell. The spell must be one that inflicts damage and has a Reflex saving throw. When the spell is cast, the warmage may instead choose to base the saving throw on either Fortitude or Will. All creatures within the area of effect must roll against the save type that the warmage chooses. Neither evasion nor improved evasion protect against an unavoidable spell, although stalwart (see the Inquisitor class) does. The warmage gains one additional daily use of this ability at 14th level, 17th level, and 20th level, to a maximum of 5 times per day at 20th level.
Sudden Widen (Ex): At 12th level, a warmage may use the Widen Spell meta-magic feat twice per day without any increase in casting time or in the level of spell being cast. A warmage may only apply one sudden metamagic to any single spell.
Shape Spell (Ex): At 13th level, a warmage can cast a spell and designate up to one ally per warmage level that is within the area of effect as immune to that spells effects. The spell must be an area effect spell, it must be instantaneous, and it must inflict hit point damage to be eligible for this ability. A warmage may use this ability twice per day. At 16th level, and again at 19th level, a warmage gains one additional daily use of this ability.
Sudden Maximize (Ex): At 15th level, a warmage may use the Maximize Spell meta-magic feat once per day without any increase in casting time or in the level of spell being cast. A warmage may only apply one sudden metamagic to any single spell.
Sudden Quicken (Ex): At 18th level, a warmage may use the Quicken Spell meta-magic feat once per day without any increase in casting time or in the level of spell being cast. A warmage may only apply one sudden metamagic to any single spell.
Archmage of War (Ex): A 20th level warmage selects one type of energy immunity (acid, cold, electricity, or fire). He may ignore this energy immunity when he casts a spell that inflicts hit point damage against a creature (either innate immunity or magically bestowed immunity). For the purpose of determining the damage of the warmage’s spells, the creature is considered to not possess energy immunity (but the creature retains any energy vulnerabilities it might possess). In addition, an archmage of war may roll any check to penetrate Spell Resistance twice and choose which roll to accept.
This is a question for the developers out there. Let's say you are a fighter with the following feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple, and Greater Grapple. Let us go ahead and say that you are wearing a +2 amulet of the mighty fists.
You are fighting a humanoid opponent while unarmed and wish to grapple him: do you get to add the +2 enhancement bonus from the amulet to your grapple check? If not why?
Now, let's say you are a fighter with a +2 man-catcher (medium-sized). And you decide to grapple a hobgoblin with it. Do you get the +2 enhancement bonus in THAT case, even if you didn't get it in the first example?
Remember, the phrasing from the amulet of the mighty fists gives that bonus on unarmed attacks and natural weapons. How is an unarmed grapple NOT considered an unarmed attack or a natural weapon, if the ruling is that the bonus does not apply? Grapple, after all, requires that the person attempting a grapple attempt have two free hands, so suffer a penalty of -4 on the check (the man-catcher being an exception to that rule).
So explain to me, how it is that an unarmed attack to grapple would not receive a bonus from a magic item that specifically provides a bonus to unarmed and natural weapon attacks? If in fact, an enhancement bonus to unarmed attacks does not apply.
You draw upon your strength of ki to temporarily debilitate your foes with precise strikes against their nerves.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Wis 15, Ki Pool class feature, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike), base attack bonus +10.
Benefit: Each use of this feat counts as a use of Stunning Fist for the day. You must have at least 1 point of ki remaining in your ki pool to use this feat. You may use this feat no more than once per round. You must declare that you are using this feat before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Pain Touch forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Wis modifier), in addition to dealing damage normaly. A defender who fails this saving throw suffers 1d4 points of ability damage to his Strength score. A successful saving throw reduces the ability damage to 1 point. The damage from this feat cannot reduce a foe's ability score to less than a score of 3. This damage is temporary and is automatically restored after ten minutes of rest. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected by this feat.
Special: If a monk meets all other prerequisites listed, he may ignore the base attack bonus requirement in order to select this feat.
I see it as the 'nerve cluster' attack so common to many martial arts legends and tall tales. Something that weakens your opponent so that he hits less often and his blows are not as powerful.
Too much? Too meh? Let me know what you think; I'm not real good with custom feats.
Okay, so once upon a time I was playing AD&D. This was after the Steve Baker campaign where I played Arminas, and I think we were still playing 1st edition (although we might have been trying out 2nd). Anyway, I had rolled up a magic-user . . . what's that? You don't know what a magic-user is?
Sigh. Kids, today. No sense of history. Magic-user was the 1st edition term for a wizard. ANYWAY. . .
I had rolled up a MU, and it was the very FIRST MU I had ever tried to play. Our DM, being the sadistic Gygaxian bastard that he was, decided to take us on a spin through the original I6 Ravenloft. Yeah, we were so screwed.
Anyway, he took some pity on us and gave us players a few things to help out. So, I'm a 7th level MU, and he gives me this magic staff: a staff of the magi. Actually, THAT got me worried. That he believed I NEEDED that item.
Game starts, and we get really creeped out by the Gates and the fog and the crimson-eyed black-furred wolves that just won't leave us alone as we trudge along to Barovia.
Yeah, the village was fun; and we did manage to rescue Ireena and drive away the Mysterious Rider. Sure enough, she joins us as an NPC, and off we go to see the wiz-. . . er, Count.
I don't have to go into all the details. Those of you who played this back in the day, you know all about it. It was one of the most memorable modules I have ever played in, and the creepy moods were perfectly set by our drama major DM.
My character did NOT have fun with the vampire's minions though. Halfway through the module, I was level drained all the way down to 3rd level. OUCH! Remember, back in those days, the cure for level draining was gain more experience. There were no easy restorations and the like.
Well, I've got the casting ability of a 3rd level MU now, and sure enough, we meet up with Strahd. Knowing that my character was weakened, he moved in and two hits later, I was a 1st level character all over again with 2 hit points left. YEAH!
So I did the only thing I could do. I broke the staff.
Yep, snapped it right over my knee, with forty-seven charges left. While I was standing right beside Count Strahd von Zarovich (Ireena right behind me).
You should have seen my DMs face. He WAS NOT expecting that to happen. And, not only did I fail my save, so did Strahd and Ireena. THEY took 235 points of damage (I think), I was simply annihilated in the explosion. With his bride dead and his eviscerated mist form snaking towards his coffin, the DM suddenly smiled at the REST of the group who had been JUST far enough away to survive.
Did I mention he was a bastard, that DM?
You guessed it: the explosion had shifted the interior castle walls, and broke the foundations, and stone blocks began to fall as the upper levels started to collapse atop of the party. ONE, (1), Uno, single party-member (the druid who shape-changed into the form of a peregrine falcon) managed to get clear before the ENTIRE Castle came a'tumbling down atop of my friends, crushing them and sealing off Strahd's tomb.
And that game ended.
So, my question to you, fellow gamers is this: what have you done to completely derail your DM's module or campaign using only the tools he gave you? In ways he never expected you to use them!
Give us your stories, mates. Tell us the tales of high adventure!
Okay, over on some of the other monk threads, we have been talking about what can be done to rebuild the monk; to make it better, stronger, more able to fill a place in a four-man adventuring party. And, while I like the heavily structured monk, a common complaint is that it doesn't have the options Pathfinder has become famous for. So, here it is. My vision of the Monk--with options.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think. Improvements do not come, after all, without honest criticism and solid peer review.
Master Arminas
A Monk with Options
For the truly exemplary, martial skill transcends the battlefield: it is a lifestyle, a doctrine, a state of mind. These warrior-artists search out methods of battle beyond swords and shields, finding within themselves weapons that are just as capable of crippling or killing as any blade. These monks (so called since they adhere to strict martial disciplines and ancient philosophies passed down through the generations since the mythical War between Law and Chaos) elevate their bodies to become weapons of war. Monks tread the path of discipline and self-enlightenment, and those with the will to endure that path discover within themselves not what they are, but what they are meant to be.
Role: This version of the monk class is, first and foremost, a skirmisher, a scout, a light fighter who relies on his innate abilities and ki to achieve literally inhuman results. He eschews clumsy armor and random weapons to instead achieve greatness through his own inner will and strength. His endurance and ability to sustain hardship is legendary, rivaled only by the toughest of barbarians and most skilled of rangers. His combat ability with attacks, damage, and maneuvers comes close to equaling more marital classes, yet he is more than merely a fighter. Wise beyond his years, the monk’s senses are keenly honed and he possesses an extensive array of techniques that permit him to accomplish acts that normally can be done only by a practitioner of magic. The varied selection of skills and talents that the monk has at his disposal make a valued member of any adventuring party.
Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
BAB: Medium
Spoiler:
I kept the BAB at Medium because it really is where the Monk, in my opinion, needs to be. The Monk is a fast-moving striker, a skirmisher, that can deal an impressive amount of damage and has many defensive options, but it shouldn't overshadow pure full BAB classes. It needs to remain competitive with them, and I think you will like how I have done that.
Good Saves: Fort; Reflex; and Will
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex); Climb (Str); Craft (Int); Escape Artist (Dex); Perception (Wis); Perform (Cha); Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex); Sense Motive (Wis); Stealth (Dex); and Swim (Str). See monastic skill training (below) for additional class skills.
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Spoiler:
Combined with Monastic Skill Training (see below), this list is a good representation of what a monk's skills should be. 4+Int mod is more than enough, if you don't assign a 7 or 8 to Intelligence. Especially since you devote your favored class bonus for an additional skill and maybe even get another if you are human.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A monk is proficient with the club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, siangham, sling, spear, and unarmed strike. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses his AC bonus, as well as his fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
Intuitive Defense (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four monk levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any armor, when he uses a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.
Spoiler:
Mostly the same, but I have gone ahead and let this bonus add to CMD as well.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels gained as a monk thereafter, a monk may select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Elemental Fist, Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, Punishing Kick, and Weapon Focus.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Improved Blind-Fight, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Ki Stand, Ki Throw, Mobility, and Wind Stance.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list: Combat Expertise, Greater Grapple*, Greater Sunder*, Improved Critical, Medusa’s Wrath, Snatch Arrows, and Spring Attack.
At 14th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Bull Rush*, Greater Disarm*, Greater Trip* Greater Penetrating Strike*, Penetrating Strike, and Whirlwind Attack.
A monk need not have to meet any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them (see below).
*In order to select a Greater Combat Maneuver feat as a bonus feat, a Monk must first select the appropriate Improved Combat Maneuver Feat. In order to select Greater Penetrating Strike as a bonus feat, a Monk must first select Penetrating Strike.
Spoiler:
Many folks feel that the bonus feat list, especially early on, is rather bland. With this, I have added another 'tier' of feats at 14th level and put many, not all, of the feats that monks most want on the list.
Fast Movement (Ex/Su): A monk’s land speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit only applies when he is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load. This ability is extraordinary.
At 4th level, when a monk gains access to his ki pool (see below), the character can achieve literally superhuman bursts of speed for limited periods of time. As a free action, a monk can spend 1 point of ki to increase his speed by +20 feet. This speed increase lasts for 1 round per monk class level and is a supernatural ability. At 6th level, and again every two levels gained thereafter, the monk's speed when using this ability increases by an additional +5 feet, to a maximum increase of +60 feet at 20th level. The bonus speed granted to a monk through the use of this ability is a supernatural ability.
Fast movement (both the constant speed increase and the increased speed from ki) stacks with any other bonuses to the monk’s land speed (such as the effects of an expeditious retreat spell, a haste spell, or any other effect that increases a monk’s speed).
Spoiler:
Huge change! No longer can monks outrun horses cross-country; instead they are as fast as barbarians, but are able to acheive short-term bursts of speed that are quite impressive. These bonuses are no longer enhancement, so they stack.
Monastic Skill Training: Different monasteries emphasize different skill sets for the monks that they train. At first level, a monk may choose any three of the following skills: Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Any) (Int), or Linguistics (Int). These skills become class skills for the monk. Once chosen, these selections are forever after fixed, even if the monk places no skill ranks in the specific skills selected.
Spoiler:
The first of the player options is the skills. This allows the monk player to customize his monk to his own ideas.
Unarmed Strike (Ex): A monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s unarmed attack may be made with his fists, elbows, knees, feet, or even his head. This means that a monk may make unarmed strikes with his hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply his full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all his unarmed strikes.
Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A monk deals more damage with his unarmed strikes than normal; from 1st-3rd level the damage is 1d6. This increases to 2d4 at 4th level and 2d4+1 at 8th level. At 8th level, the damage increases to 3d4. At 12th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, a monk’s unarmed damage increases by an additional +1d4 to a maximum of 5d4 at 20th level.
Smaller and Larger Monks deal either less or greater amounts of damage, appropriately. Small monks unarmed damage starts at 1d4, progress to 1d6 at 4th level, and then follows the normal progressing scale to a maximum of 4d4 at 20th level. Large monks unarmed damage starts at 2d4, progresses to 2d4+1 at 4th level, and then follows the normal progressing scale to maximum of 6d4 at 20th level. Higher level monks rely more on skill than size in order to inflict damage.
Spoiler:
I've always liked the 1st edition AD&D monk because of those d4, so I used them for this monk. It just, to me, seems to flow better and gives the monk player something unique. Besides, who doesn't like rolling a handful of dice for damage? Another change is that size really doesn't matter so much. Monks should be more about skill than brute force, and this shows that ability.
Stunning Fist (Ex): The monk gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. At 4th level, and every 4 levels gained as a monk thereafter, the monk gains the ability to apply a new condition to the target of his Stunning Fist. This condition replaces stunning the target for 1 round, and a successful saving throw still negates the effect.
At 4th level, he can choose to make the target fatigued. At 8th level, he can make the target sickened for 1 minute. At 12th level, he can make the target staggered for 1d6+1 rounds. At 16th level, he can permanently blind or deafen the target. At 20th level, he can paralyze the target for 1d6+1 rounds. The monk must choose which condition will apply before the attack roll is made. These effects do not stack with themselves (a creature sickened by Stunning Fist cannot become nauseated if hit by Stunning Fist again), but additional hits do increase the duration.
A monk can select which condition to apply each time he makes a stunning fist attack, limited only by his monk level.
A monk gains one use of this feat for every monk level he possesses, as described in the Stunning Fist feat.
A monk who selects Elemental Fist or Punishing Kick may use Stunning Fist and those feats a total number of times per day equal to his monk level, with all of the feats feeding from the same number of daily uses.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher, a monk can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks. If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains the ability to make a flurry of blows. When using an unarmed strike, a club, a dagger, a handaxe, a kama, a nunchaku, a quarterstaff, a sai, a shortspear, a short sword, a shuriken, a siangham, a spear, or any other weapon defined as a special monk weapon, a monk can make a flurry of blows attack.
A flurry of blows uses the full-attack action. When a monk uses flurry of blows, he gains one additional attack at his highest attack bonus, but forfeits his normal iterative attacks. For example, a 7th level monk using flurry of blows has two attacks (+5/+5). The monk may use any combination of unarmed strikes or weapons with which he is proficient for this additional attack.
At 8th level, the monk gains a second bonus attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, an 8th level monk using flurry of blows has three attacks (+6/+6/+6).
At 13th level, the monk gains a third bonus attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, a 13th level monk using flurry of blows has four attacks (+9/+9/+9/+9).
At 18th level, the monk gains a fourth bonus attack at his highest attack bonus when making a flurry of blows attack. For example, a 18th level monk using flurry of blows has four attacks (+13/+13/+13/+13/+13).
At 10th level, the monk may spend 1 point from his ki pool to gain an additional attack when he attacks as a standard action, or when he charges, or when he uses the Spring Attack feat. The monk gains one additional attack at his highest attack bonus when he uses this ability to move and then attack an opponent. The monk must make this additional attack and his normal attack with one or more of the weapons listed for the flurry of blows class ability. For example, a 10th level monk using flurry of blows can make two attacks as a standard action, or makes a charge, or uses the Spring Attack feat (+7/+7).
A monk applies his full Strength bonus to his damage rolls for all successful attacks made with a flurry of blows, whether the attacks are made with an unarmed strike, a weapon held in the monk's off-hand, or a double weapon. A monk may freely substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of a flurry of blows. A monk with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.
Flurry of blows cannot be combined with two-weapon fighting (as per the feats) for additional attacks, even if the monk wields two weapons or a double weapon while making a flurry of blows attack.
Spoiler:
Major changes. Some people will like, some won't. I know that going in. Monks shouldn't (and I've said this since 3.0) be about a huge number of attacks that don't connect. What this allows is for the monk to eliminate some of the randomness in his attack pattern (a lofty goal and thematic for a monk). Sure, you get less attacks, but the ones you get are more consistent and thus likely to ensure a hit.
Maneuver Training (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk uses his monk level in place of his base attack bonus when calculating his Combat Maneuver Bonus and his Combat Maneuver Defense. Base attack bonuses granted from other classes are unaffected and are added normally.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 3rd level or higher gains his choice of one of the three following special powers:
Catfall (Ex): A monk can fall incredible distances without suffering damage. When falling, a monk always lands on his feet. In addition, he reduces the damage inflicted from a fall by 1d6 per monk level he possesses, to a maximum reduction of 20d6 at 20th level. Unlike magical spells (such as feather fall) with similar effects, a monk is not slowed during his descent, making this ability a favored method for higher level monks to rapidly descend great distances quickly.
Intuitive Offense (Ex): A monk who selects this special power may use his Wisdom modifier instead of his Strength modifier on attack rolls and damage rolls. In addition, a monk gains a +1 damage bonus when using a club, a dagger, a handaxe, a kama, a nunchaku, a quarterstaff, a sai, a shortspear, a short sword, a shuriken, a siangham, a spear, or any other weapon defined as a special monk weapon. This bonus does not apply to a monk’s unarmed strikes. At 7th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, this damage bonus increases by an additional +1 to a maximum bonus of +5 at 19th level.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk who selects this special power gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects. This bonus increases in value to +4 at 10th level and to +6 at 17th level.
Spoiler:
And here we have the next set of options. What I have done is remove certain monk powers and provide a small list of things you can select from. I have tried to keep them on about the same level of power, but they need some feedback. Monks gain these new discipline powers at every odd level from 3-19. AND, you can pick lower level disciplines in the place of higher level, if you want.
Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a monk begins to slowly access his internal ki, a supernatural energy that he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The monk gains a pool of ki points, equal to his monk level + his Wisdom modifier. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk can invoke any one of the following options: he can gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round; he can gain a +4 insight bonus to his attacks for 1 round; he can gain a +4 insight bonus to his damage for 1 round; or he can gain one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus when he uses his flurry of blows ability as a full-attack action (see above).
A monk gains additional powers that consume points from his ki pool as he gains levels. The ki pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
Spoiler:
Bumped up the number of ki points. Otherwise, no change.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a monk can focus his ki into his unarmed strikes, making them the equivalent of enchanted weapons. By spending 1 point from his ki pool, a monk gains a +1 enhancement bonus to hit and damage with his unarmed strikes for one minute (10 rounds). At 8th level, and every 4 levels gained thereafter as a monk, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. Starting at 12th level, a monk can instead decrease this enhancement bonus by 2 and add the axiomatic weapons property to his unarmed strikes. A monk’s unarmed strikes are considered magic weapons for the purpose of attacking incorporeal creatures and for overcoming damage reduction.
At 8th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes count as lawful for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
At 12th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes count as alchemical silver and cold iron weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
At 16th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes count as adamantine for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
At 20th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes bypass any alignment based damage reduction.
If the monk is wielding a magic weapon with the ki focus property, he may substitute the enhancement bonus granted by ki strike in place of the normal enhancement bonus of the weapon. These enhancement bonuses do not stack; when activated, the bonus granted by ki strike overrides the existing enhancement bonus of the weapon, unless the weapon’s normal enhancement bonus is higher, in which case there is no effect. If the monk has chosen to add the axiomatic property to his unarmed strikes, then his ki focus weapon also gains that property.
Spoiler:
Substantial changes. Now it is more like the magus arcane pool. Not completely, but it resembles it. It does provide a monk with means of getting those vital enhancement bonuses without spending an arm and a leg, and I think it works.
Monastic Weapons Training (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a monk gains a +1 bonus on all attack rolls that he makes with the following weapons: club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, siangham, sling, spear, unarmed strike, or any other weapon defined as a special monk weapon. This bonus on attack rolls increases by +1 at 9th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, to a maximum bonus of +4 at 17th level. A monk also adds this bonus to any combat maneuver checks made with the listed weapons or with unarmed strikes. This bonus also applies to the monk's Combat Maneuver Defense when defending against disarm and sunder attempts made against any of the above listed weapons. This class ability does not stack (it overlaps) with the Fighter class ability weapons training. For the purpose of gaining the benefit of the magic item gloves of dueling, this ability is effectively considered to be Fighter weapons training.
Spoiler:
This isn't your fighter weapons training: it applies only on attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, CMD, and not damage. But, it goes a long way in decreasing the difference between a fighter and monk, both martial characters.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 5th level or higher gains his choice of one of the three following special powers:
Agility Training (Ex): A monk who selects this ability adds one-half his level (round down) to all Acrobatics skill checks and to the monk’s choice of either Climb or Swim skill checks. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk can gain an additional +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round.
Purity of Body (Ex): A monk who selects this ability gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases (such as lycanthropy and mummy rot).
Light as a Feather (Sp): A monk who selects this ability may spend 1 point of ki to either use levitate or water walk, as per the spells, for a duration of 1 round per class level. When the monk uses light as a feather he may neither run nor may he charge; the monk may only use this ability if he is lightly encumbered.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 6th level or higher, a monk can heal his own wounds as a standard action. He can expend 1 point from his ki pool to heal a number of hit points of damage equal to 2d8 + his monk level + his Wisdom bonus (if any). A monk can instead spend 2 points from his ki pool to use this ability as a move action. If the monk spends 3 points from his ki pool, he may use this ability as a swift action. A monk can use this ability multiple times during the same if he choose to spend the actions and the required points from his ki pool.
Spoiler:
Made the healing better. Easier to get access to. More likely to be used in the game. This turns a 'meh' ability into solid gold (in my humble opinion).
Monk Discipline: A monk of 7th level or higher gains his choice of one of the two following special powers:
Elf Sight (Ex): A monk who selects this ability gains low-light vision, as if he were an Elf. In addition, he gains a +2 bonus on all Perception skill checks. This bonus increases to +4 at 13th level and again to +6 at 20th level. At 15th level, the monk also gains darkvision out to 30’ and may see in both natural and magical darkness.
Speak with Animals (Sp): A monk who selects this power can converse with any creature of the animal type, as per the spell speak with animals. Such conversations are limited by the animal’s intelligence (or lack thereof). Starting at 12th level, a monk with this ability may also communicate with any creature with the plant type, as well as magical beasts with an intelligence of 1 or 2. Starting at 17th level, a monk with ability may also communicate with any living creature, regardless of type.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Spiritual Endurance (Ex): At 8th level, a monk's training and inner reserves of ki allow him to comfortably exist in environments and conditions that would quickly sap the strength from others. He is considered to be under the influence of an endure elements spell at all times, ignoring the extremes of heat and cold. In addition, he may go for a number of days equal to one-half his monk level without eating or drinking before beginning to suffer adverse effects. He requires only four hours of sleep per night, provided that he also meditates for at least four hours as well. While meditating, a monk remains fully aware of his surroundings and may make Perception checks without penalty.
Spoiler:
Monks should be trained in this area. This is an ability they have always needed. Same for Duty Never Tires and Stalwart Soul.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 9th level or higher gains his choice of one of the two following special powers:
Improved Evasion (Ex): A monk who selects this ability improves his evasion ability. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Stalwart (Ex): A monk who selects this ability can use his mental and physical resiliency to avoid certain attacks. If he makes a Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, he instead avoids the effect entirely. Stalwart can be used only if a monk is wearing no armor and is not carrying a medium or heavy load. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of stalwart.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Duty Never Tires (Ex): At 10th level, a monk gains Endurance as a bonus feat. Furthermore, by spending 1 ki point as a swift action, he can ignore the effects of fatigue for 10 minutes per monk level. This ability only suppresses the fatigue; it does not remove it.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 11th level or higher gains his choice of one of the two following special powers:
Diamond Body (Ex): A monk who selects this ability gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Stone Wall (Ex): A monk who selects this ability gains DR 1/adamantine. At 13th level, and every odd level gained thereafter, this damage reduction increases by +1, to a maximum DR of 5/adamantine at 19th level.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 2 points from his ki pool. His caster level for this effect is equal to his monk level. Unlike the normal use of dimension door, the monk may take any remaining actions in a round after using this ability. He may take up to one willing creature with him when he uses this ability.
Spoiler:
It now is a very nice ability that doesn't end ones turn. And a monk can take someone with him.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 13th level or higher gains his choice of one of the two following special powers:
Diamond Soul (Ex): A monk who selects this ability gains spell resistance equal to his current monk level +11. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance. A monk may lower or raise his spell resistance as a free action, even if it is not his turn, but he may only do so once per round.
Cloud Step (Su): A monk who selects this ability may spend 2 points from his ki pool to air walk, as per the spell, for a duration of 1 round per 2 class levels (round down). When the monk uses cloud step he may neither run nor may he charge; the monk may only use this ability if he is lightly encumbered.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Unarmed Combat Mastery (Su): At 14th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes have their critical modifier increased by 1, from x2 to x3. In addition, a monk gains a +4 bonus on all rolls made to confirm a critical hit with his unarmed strikes. This bonus does not stack with that granted by the feat Critical Focus.
Spoiler:
Monks should be the best unarmed fighters. End of discussion. This goes a LONG way in making them that.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 15th level or higher may select the following special power:
Quivering Palm (Su): A monk with this special ability can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. He can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and he must announce his intent before making his attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter, the monk can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to his monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the monk’s level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier) it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target instead takes three times the damage of the monk's unarmed strike (as if the monk had threatened and then confirmed a critical hit) and the quivering palm attack ends; the target may still die if he suffers enough damage from this attack to reduce him to negative hit points equal to his Constitution score. A monk can have no more than one quivering palm in effect at one time. If a monk uses quivering palm while another is still in effect, the previous effect is negated. This ability is a death effect.
At 17th level, and again at 19th level, the monk gains one additional daily use of this ability.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Adamantine Touch (Su): At 16th level, a monk’s unarmed strikes are treated as adamantine weapons for bypassing hardness. A monk gains the benefits of this ability so long as he has at least one point of ki remaining in his ki pool.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 17th level or higher may select the following special power:
Timeless Body (Ex): A monk who selects this ability no longer takes penalties to his ability scores to his physical ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that he has already taken, however, remain in place. The initial roll made by the DM for the character’s maximum age (according to race) is discarded, and a new maximum age calculated. The random dice are maximized. For example, a human monk who reaches 17th level will live to a ripe old age of 110 years, while an elf monk could see 750 years. Age bonuses to the monk’s mental ability scores still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when his time is up. This ability is not the same as immortality, and the monk can always die before his time due to violence.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Stalwart Soul (Ex): At 18th level, a monk no longer suffers any penalties for being fatigued (he still remains fatigued, however, for purposes of exhaustion). If the monk becomes exhausted, he may spend 2 ki points as a swift action to ignore the effects of exhaustion for 1 minute per monk level. This ability only suppresses the exhaustion; it does not remove it.
Monk Discipline: A monk of 19th level or higher may select the following special power:
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 minute as though using the spell etherealness. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 3 points from his ki pool. This ability only affects the monk and cannot be used to make other creatures ethereal.
Instead, a monk may choose one of the discipline powers that he did not select earlier instead of the ones listed here (see above). A monk may select a single power only once.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk transcends his mortal limitations. He gains blindsight in a 30-foot radius. His type changes to outsider and he is no longer affected by spells that target humanoids (or whatever his previous type was). He may still be raised or resurrected as though he were his previous creature type. If he already possesses the still mind ability, he gains immunity versus all hostile mind-affecting spells, spell-like abilities, and other effects (this replaces and does not stack with the still mind ability), as well as being the recipient of constant nondetection and undetectable alignment effects (as per the spells); otherwise he now gains still mind (see above). Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/chaotic, which allows him to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonchaotic weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. If the monk has selected the stone wall special ability, he instead gains DR 10/magic and adamantine. Furthermore, a monk who has attained this level of experience can go for twenty days without food or drink before suffering from ill effects. This replaces the duration listed under the duty never tires ability (see above).
The few monks who reach this level of achievement often retire from adventuring to explore what they are becoming. Only those with the strongest of ties to their companions and their homelands remain, but even these will eventually simply vanish one night, never to return.
Spoiler:
I've made it a true capstone. Lots of things that don't come into play into the very end game. Let me know what you think.
Ex-Monks: A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities
Lately, I have been doing some work on my own game. I truely dislike how the game has progressed to the point where everyone gravitates towards the weapons with larger critical ranges, ignoring the classic weapons of AD&D (long sword, mace, flail, warhammer, battleaxe, etc.). Part of this arises from when the Improved Critical feat becomes available, or the keen special weapon property.
These two provide the means of increasing the chances of acheiving that elusive critical hit--and ending the battle quickly. The problem that I have is that they do so in a disproportionate manner. Both of these abilities, in effect, double the size of your weapons critical threat range.
A weapon that crits on a 20, now does so on a 19-20. If you were wielding a weapon that crits on a 19-20, it now becomes 17-20. An 18-20 weapon becomes a 15-20 weapon. That dramatic increase in crit range just overshadows the normal weapons.
And it shouldn't be so. So, what I am thinking of doing for my own is simple: the feat Improved Critical adds +1 to the critical threat range, no matter what the original threat range was. 20 becomes 19-20; 19-20 becomes 18-20; 18-20 becomes 17-20. Keen does the same thing, but as usual, they do not stack.
This reduces the chance of a critical for power-gamers, and I am certain that I shall receive an earful for even proposing it. But frankly, I am tired of all the folks at my table picking weapons with better crit ranges in expectation of that day when almost a third of all their hits threaten a critical.
Anyway, that is what I am going to do. What about you? Do you have any problems with critical threat ranges and the growing expansion of 18-20 threat weapons?
Recently, there have been a number of threads on the Code of a Paladin. It has been rather suprising to me how many people appear to want to treat this Code as merely a mechanic of the class to justify the raw power of the Paladin. That isn't the point of the Paladin's Code of Conduct. It shound not be merely a means to off-set those parts of the class that grant power. Abiding for a set of rules only to gain power is not what a Paladin is about.
The Paladin's Code is--it should be, rather--a guide for how they live their life. It is with good reason that Paladin's are restricted to a Lawful Good alignment. This is because the Paladin--above and beyond all other classes--is a character of staunch moral and ethical beliefs, who sacrifices his own freedom of actions (of choices) to uphold a higher sacred trust.
Paladin's are not just fighters by another name; they are more than a knight in shining armor. They are--or rather, should be--pious and virtous, honorable and merciful, charitable and chivalrous. In all things. And this isn't something that a Paladin has to do to retain his powers; it is something that the Paladin does because that is who and what he is.
His Code does not restrict him; a Paladin's ethics and morals and his very life makes him live up to his beliefs.
The origin of the Paladin was based on the knights of Charlemagne, and on Sir Galahad from the Arthurian legends. Such beliefs are not suited for everyone--neither Arthur himself, nor Lancelot, nor any other of his Knights of the Round Table were Paladins. Because that is a hard path to follow. It is an act of faith and belief that the Paladin must live, everyday, so that he is true to himself.
Let's look at the Code of Conduct as presented in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.
Quote:
A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willing commits an evil act.
Additionally, a paladin's code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using posion, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents.
There is nothing that inherently wrong with this Code, except that it is vague. Many players, whether because they want the rules spelled out for them, or because of a desire to garner a Paladin's power without restriction on his actions, treat these words as nothing more than law that can be twisted, obeyed by the letter while forsaking the spirit of the words.
That should not happen when you play a Paladin. A Paladin lives by the the spirit of the law, not the letter. He, and his deity, know that absolute and unswerving allegiance to a Code is a path towards Evil. Laws must be adjusted for circumstances, to show compassion and mercy, to ensure that Good is upheld. Evil actions, and the breaking of the law must be punished, but a Paladin never (in my opinion) exacts a punishment greater than the crime.
For my own game, I modify the Code of Conduct above. I use a version of the old Medevial Code of Chivalry which represents what Paladin's in my game should life up to. Cavaliers, and many Fighters even, are taught the Code of Chivalry, although they can freely ignore it (as many Knights did in history). Paladin's though, should break the code only in the most dire of circumstances, and only for the right reasons.
I shall give oath to fear God and maintain His Church; to serve the liege lord in valor and in faith; to protect the weak and defenseless; to give succor to widows and orphans; to refrain from the wanton giving of offence; to live by honor and for glory; to despise pecuniary reward; to fight for the welfare of all; to obey those placed in authority; to guard the honor of fellow Knights; to eschew unfairness, meanness, and deceit; to keep faith; to at all times to speak the truth; to persevere to the end in any enterprise begun; to respect the honor of women; to never to refuse a challenge from an equal; to never to turn the back upon a foe.
Not so different from the Pathfinder Code, now is it? I prefer this one, however, though some might think it more archaic. Why? Because it fits the theme of the class.
1. to fear God and maintain His Church. Paladin's in my game must choose a Lawful Good deity. I run a Greyhawk campaign and although such Gods and Goddess as Pelor and Ehlona (both NG) represent GOOD, neither can have Paladin's in their service. There are no 'paladin's of an ideal'. This is because the very concept of Paladin means little without a God (or Goddess) and a Church. This places Paladin's in the strict heirarchy of their Church, their religion, their faith. They are not priests, nor clerics, but are Holy Warriors dedicated to the ideals of their chosen deity.
2. to serve the leige lord in valor and in faith. Paladin's hold a dual responsibility. Not just to the Church whose faith they hold dear, but to the secular authorities of the realm. They are Knights and their service is that of all Knights who have sworn oath. Having the right, in game, to add 'Sir' or 'Dame' before one's name is a very powerful tool in the game itself. As such, a Paladin should, of his own will, faithfully serve his temporal lord, much as his does his spiritual one.
3. to protect the weak and defenseless. This is the core of a Paladin. He adventures not for reward for himself, but to serve those in need, as much as he does his Church and his Leige. He defends those who cannot otherwise defend themselves, and he does his best to ensure that they do not suffer at the hands of others.
4. to give succor to widows and orphans. Charity. Paladin's are charitable and generous by nature. It goes hand in hand with helping people who need the aid and assistance of the Paladin. If he is able, he does not let others go hungry or without shelter. He is no miser who hoards his wealth, for the Paladin knows that what he uses to help others will be returned to him in full.
5. to refrain from the wanton giving of offence. Respect. Paladin's respect all life. They are not braggarts, nor do they fling witty cutting barbs designed to insult or injure another's sense of self-worth. They hold themselves to a higher standard--and they live by that standard.
6. to live by honor and for glory. Not to say that Paladin's don't have flaws, LOL. They seek glory, but the best Paladin's seek glory not for themselves, but for their Church and their Liege. They do their best to live their lives in a honorable fashion. A Paladin's word should be his bond; for he will not break it if it can be avoided.
7. to despise pecuniary reward. Ah, the wailings of munchkins doth arise in full. A Paladin doesn't need a monetary award to do what is right. He acts because he can, not because someone offers him money. Wealth, for it's own sake, is never something that a Paladin desires.
8. to fight for the welfare of all. This stanza refers to Justice. A Paladin should believe that all life is worthwhile. That all people should be treated with a basic modicum of dignity and respect, regardless of their station in life or what misfortune's may have fallen onto them. The Paladin will oppose those who do not care for the basic welfare of their own people, be he a Lord or a Knave; a Church elder or a King.
9. to obey those placed in authority. This is not the same thing as all authority, no matter how legitimate such authority might be. This refers to those placed in authority over the Paladin. His Church, his Leige, and those whom they appoint as his superior and commander. Sheriffs and baliffs and magistrates who serve them; generals and commanders who lead their troops.
10. to guard the honor of fellow knights. A Paladin is not one to let anyone speak ill of a brother in service of the Church or the Leige. Such men, by their oaths, have sacrificed themselves for the greater good; and for that respect is due, not malicious speech or gossip. If he suspects that a fellow Paladin or Cavalier or Cleric or Fighter has put himself in a position where their honor is compromised, a Paladin must speak up and confront them.
11. to eschew unfairness, meanness, and deceit. A Paladin does not take advantage of others. He does not use poison. He does not ambush his foes from hiding, or assault them in the darkness of an alley from behind. Others might, but not a Paladin.
12. to keep faith. Faith, in this instance, does not mean belief in a God or Goddess or in following the precepts of a Church. Rather, it means that the Paladin will remain true. He can expected to hold onto his given word, he can be trusted, he is stalwart and noble in bearing and his actions.
13. to at all times speak the truth. Truth is a very important issue for a Paladin. A Paladin does not lie, where it can be avoided. However, I would just remind you that truth is very much, at times, dependent upon one's point of view.
14. to persevere to the end in any enterprise begun. Paladin's do not give up. They do not stop. They do not quit when the going gets tough. Once a Paladin makes a commitment, he is expected to carry through and finish what he has started.
15. to respect the honor of women. Here is the reason that many today feel that Chivalry is misogynist in nature. It was a precept of Chivalry often violated in history, but a Paladin will always honor women, and respect them. For those women who choose the path of an adventurer, a knight, a priest, a wizard; a Paladin will support their choice. To do otherwise would be disrepectful.
16. to never to refuse a challenge from an equal. Honorable combat is part and parcel of being a Paladin. Although he might well try to avoid lethal combat or even try a Diplomatic means to resolve such a challenge, in the end if a matter can only be settled by the sword, he is a Holy Warrior.
17. to never to turn the back upon a foe. Evil creatures are, by their very nature, the antithesis of a Paladin. Trusting one to act against his own nature, to providing him an opportunity to strike at you most vulnerable point, is not something a Paladin should engage in. He must respect his foes, and he must acknowledge that given the opportunity, many dishonest, untrustworthy, and evil opponents will take advantage of any opportunity he gives them. Accordingly, he is warned against allowing them that opportunity.
This Code is merely what I use, for those wishing to play Paladin's in my game. Use what you will from this; borrow all that you want. Just remember this: no God or Goddess that has Paladin's as servants would go so far to strip their powers from a minor violation. They may well require an atonement and a confession of the action that was not worthy, but a Paladin's Fall should be based on more than telling a woman, "No, that dress doesn't make you look fat."
Pathfinder is a game, and it is a game which we play to have fun and enjoy ourselves in the company of men and women whom we like. Arguments and debates over every last comma are something for lawyers, not gamers. Have fun. That is what we are here for.
In closing, I hope that my words might make some sense and give you some idea of how I see the Paladin's Code of Conduct. Not as a straitjacket, but as a personification of what a character of Lawful Good alignment simply does.
Once upon a time, many years ago, a book was published. And within that tome of Unearthed Arcana E. Gary Gygax did write of a new class for D&D: the cavalier. This was the classic Arthurian Knight in Shining Armor, but one not quite so strict in his views as the Paladin. Indeed, there were Evil Cavaliers, and Neutral Cavaliers to go alongside the Good Cavaliers. These Knights were all characterized by their Code, the Code of Chivalry. Powerful horsemen, they exemplified for those long ago games the Mounted Knight.
But the seasons have changed, and many years have passed by. Editions have come and gone, and Gygax’s company is no more. Those who called themselves the Magi by the Sea, provoked many of their loyal fans by once again changing the rules after sucking them dry of their hard-earned gold (well, paper) currency.
But there were others to raise high the standards and Paizo stepped forward with its Pathfinder rules. Once again, we had no cavalier, for such a class wasn’t in the Core Rulebook. But Paizo listened, and they delivered unto to us the first Cavalier since those heady days of Unearthed Arcana.
Unfortunately, their vision—while a good class in its own right—does not meet what I consider to be the core of the Cavalier, that Mounted Knight that rode straight out of the pages of Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, or White’s The Once and Future King.
So here then, is my own humble attempt to reforge the legend that rose from the fertile mind of Gygax and fit so well into his own world of Knights and Sorcerers and Dragons and terrible, terrible Dungeons.
I hope that you enjoy it.
As always, any criticism, critiques, advice, suggestions, or comments you care to make will be appreciated.
Master Arminas
The Cavalier
Alignment: Any. While the Cavalier is expected to abide by the Knight’s Code (see below), that is merely a social convention and an expectation. Some Knights, particularly those miscreants known as Black Knights, routinely ignore the Code and act as they will. Unlike Paladins, who are held to their Code by higher powers, nothing other their own discipline forces a Cavalier to abide by its terms.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Cavalier is proficient with all simple and all martial weapons. He is proficient with all types of armor, and with all shields, except tower shields.
The Cavalier’s Code: Cavaliers are taught and expected to live by the Code of Chivalry. However, nothing prevents an individual Cavalier from disregarding the Code—nothing other than the displeasure of his fellows and his liege lord. Such disreputable Cavaliers are often known as ‘Black Knights’.
The Code of the Cavalier is as follows: I shall give oath to fear God and maintain His Church; to serve the liege lord in valor and in faith; to protect the weak and defenseless; to give succor to widows and orphans; to refrain from the wanton giving of offence; to live by honor and for glory; to despise pecuniary reward; to fight for the welfare of all; to obey those placed in authority; to guard the honor of fellow Knights; to eschew unfairness, meanness, and deceit; to keep faith; to at all times to speak the truth; to persevere to the end in any enterprise begun; to respect the honor of women; to never to refuse a challenge from an equal; to never to turn the back upon a foe.
Many commoners know of the Code; they also know that not all Cavaliers follow it. Still, for those who do live by the Code, these Knights find that their reputation quickly passes by word of mouth—and their respect grows throughout the lands.
Challenge (Ex): Once per day, a Cavalier can issue a challenge against a single opponent of his choice. The Cavalier gains a bonus on all weapons damage against that target equal to one-half his level as a Cavalier (to a minimum of +1). This bonus lasts until the target of the challenge is dead, has fled the combat, or the Cavalier is rendered unconscious. Once the Cavalier issues a challenge, he must attempt to engage his target in melee combat each round.
At 4th level, and again at every three levels thereafter, the Cavalier gains one additional daily use of this ability, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.
Courtly Etiquette (Ex): A Cavalier gains a competence bonus equal to one-half his Cavalier level (minimum 1) on all Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Knowledge (Nobility) skill.
Mounted Combat: Cavaliers gain Mounted Combat as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Special Mount (Ex): Cavaliers gain the service of a loyal and trusted steed to carry him into battle. This mount functions as a druid’s animal companion, using the Cavalier’s level as his effective druid level. The creature must be one that he is capable of riding and is suitable as a mount. A medium Cavalier can select a camel or a horse. A Small Cavalier can select a pony or riding dog. The DM might approve other animals as suitable mounts.
A Cavalier does not take an armor check penalty on Ride checks while riding his mount. The mount is always considered combat trained and begins play with proficiency in all barding. A Cavalier’s mount does not gain the share spells special ability.
A Cavalier's mount gains the same competence bonus on attacks that its master gains from the Lance Expertise class ability (see below) on its hoofs (horse and pony) or bite (dog).
A Cavalier’s bond with his mount is strong, with the pair learning to anticipate each other’s moods and moves. Should a Cavalier’s mount die, the Cavalier may find another mount after 24 hours have passed.
Bonus Feats: At 2nd level, 6th level, and every three levels gained as a Cavalier thereafter, a Cavalier gains a bonus feat from the following list: Alertness, Animal Affinity, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dazzling Display, Diehard, Endurance, Improved Critical, Improved Shield Bash, Intimidating Prowess, Ride-By Attack, Shield Focus, Toughness, Trample, Unseat, and Weapon Focus. The Cavalier must meet all the prerequisites of the chosen feat.
Lance Expertise (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Cavalier gains a +1 competence bonus on all attack rolls when using a lance (either mounted or dismounted). At 6th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum competence bonus of +5 at 18th level.
Spirited Charge (Ex): Cavaliers gain Spirited Charge as a bonus feat at 3rd level. If the Cavalier already possesses the Spirited Charge feat, they may instead select any feat from their Bonus Feat list (see above).
Sword Expertise (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a Cavalier gains a +1 competence bonus on all attack rolls when using a one-handed slashing blade, including scimitars and bastard swords if the Cavalier is proficient (either mounted or dismounted). At 7th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum competence bonus of +5 at 19th level.
Armor Mastery (Ex): Cavaliers learn to wear their armor like a second skin, ignoring the discomfort posed by medium and heavy armor and negating some of the penalties they normally bestowed. Starting at 4th level, the cavalier is no longer slowed when wearing medium armor. At 8th level, the Cavalier is no longer slowed by heavy armor.
Mace Expertise (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a Cavalier gains a +1 competence bonus on all attack rolls when using one of the following weapons: flail, light mace, heavy mace, or morningstar (either mounted or dismounted). At 8th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum competence bonus of +5 at 20th level.
Fierce Ride-By (Ex): At 5th level, a Cavalier that performs a Ride-By Attack (as per the feat) deals double damage (triple with a lance).
Shield Block (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a Cavalier can use shields to deflect blows most fighters would find impossible to stop. The Cavalier gains a +1 competence bonus on his Shield bonus. At 9th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to maximum competence bonus of +4 at 17th level. This bonus stacks with that granted by the feats Shield Focus and Greater Shield Focus.
Deadly Charge (Ex): At 10th level, a Cavalier can perform exceptionally deadly charge attacks. The Cavalier deals triple damage on a mounted charge (quadruple with a lance). This replaces (does not stack with) the bonuses granted by the Spirited Charge Feat.
Impetuous Ride-By (Ex): At 15th level, a Cavalier that performs a Ride-By Attack (as per the feat) deals triple damage (quadruple with a lance). This replaces (does not stack with) the bonuses granted by the Fierce Ride-By ability.
Unstoppable Charge (Ex): A 20th level Cavalier can almost move mountains with his mounted charge. The Cavalier deals quadruple damage on a mounted charge (quintuple with a lance). This replaces (does not stack with) the bonuses granted by the Spirited Charge feat and the Deadly Charge ability.
Adorned across his body with dozens of colorful and fearsome tattoos, the tattooed monk is a martial character able to perform feats of magic and skill beyond the ken of most mortals.
The tattooed monk uses the basic structure of the monk class except as noted here. BAB, hit dice, saves, class skills, skill points per level, and weapon and armor proficiencies are retained as per the Core Rulebook Monk class description. In addition, the tattooed monk retains the following class features: AC Bonus, Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike, Bonus Feat, Stunning Fist, Evasion, Maneuver Training, High Jump, Quivering Palm, and Perfect Self.
All other class features are removed from the class.
Starting at 1st level, a tattooed monk receives magic tattoos which allow him to perform certain superhuman feats. At 1st level, a tattooed monk starts the game with a single 1st level magic tattoo. At each additional level gained in this class thereafter, one of the tattoos that cover the character’s body gains a magic property. The monk can select any of the magic tattoos listed below, so long as he is of sufficient level to activate the selected tattoo. At 4th level, the monk can select 2nd level tattoos as well as 1st level tattoos. At 7th level, and every three levels gained thereafter, the tattooed monk can select tattoos from a progressively higher level, to a maximum of 6th level tattoos at 16th level.
Magic Tattoo Basics: A magic tattoo must be activated in order to be used. Unless otherwise specified in the tattoo description below, each tattoo requires a standard action to activate. If the tattoo has an effect that requires an opponent to make a saving throw, the DC for that saving throw is 10 + the level of the Tattoo + the tattooed monk’s Wisdom modifier. Magic tattoos are considered spell-like abilities. The level of the tattooed monk is the effective caster level.
Magic Tattoo List (Sp):
Angel: Three times per day, a character with the angel tattoo can lay his hands upon a creature or character (but not himself) and heal his wounds. Each use of this ability cures 2d8 points of hit point damage, plus the character’s Wisdom modifier, plus the character’s tattooed monk class level (to a maximum of +10).
Bear: Three times per day, a character with the bear tattoo gains a +4 morale bonus to his Strength ability score and is protected from heat and cold as per the spell endure elements. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed monk class level.
Black Sun: Two times per day, a character with the black sun tattoo gains dark-vision out to a distance of 60’. He can see in both natural and magical darkness to the extent of his vision. Each use of the tattoo lasts for 10 minutes per tattooed monk class level.
Black Wave: A character with the black wave tattoo becomes immune to the effects of poison and disease. This tattoo is always active.
Blink Dog: Two times per day, a character with the blink dog tattoo can use the spell dimension door. Using this ability is a move action, and the character retains all of his remaining actions for the round once the teleportation effect is complete.
Bloody Rose: Three times per day, a character with the bloody rose tattoo can heal a small amount hit point damage that he has taken. Each use heals the character 2d8 points of damage, plus the character’s Wisdom bonus (if any), plus 1 point for each of the character class levels as a tattooed monk (to a maximum of +10).
Boar: Three times per day, a character with the boar tattoo gains a number of temporary hit points equal to 1d10 plus his tattooed monk class level (maximum of +10). Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 hour per tattooed monk class level or until the temporary hit points are used. This tattoo can be activated as an immediate action if the character is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by an attack, but only once per round.
Broken Chains: Twice per day, a character with the broken chains tattoo receives the bonuses granted by the spell freedom of movement for 1 round per tattooed monk class level.
Castle: A character with the castle tattoo gains spell resistance equal to 10 + his tattooed monk class levels. This tattoo is always active.
Cheetah: A character with the cheetah tattoo gains a +10’ enhancement bonus to his movement. This tattoo is always active. At 4th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, the tattooed monk’s bonus to movement increases by an additional +10’ to a maximum movement bonus of +60’ at 20th level.
Chrysanthemum: A character with the chrysanthemum tattoo stops aging and cannot be magically aged. He no longer accrues any penalties to his physical ability scores, but this tattoo does not remove penalties he has previously gained. In addition, the character needs only two hours of meditation each night (rather than 8 hours of sleep) to rest and regain his abilities, and he no longer requires food or water to survive. This tattoo is always active.
Dragon: Three times per day, a character with the dragon tattoo can exhale a 60’ cone of fire that deals a number of d6 in damage equal to one-half the level of the tattooed monk.
Erinyes: Two times per day, a character with the erinyes tattoo can use fear, as per the spell.
Eye of Knowledge: A character with the eye of knowledge tattoo can understand and communicate with all living creatures, as per the spell tongues. This tattoo is always active.
Falcon: A character with the falcon tattoo gains a constant +4 competence bonus on all visual Perception checks. In addition, twice per day, he may use fly as per the spell, except that his speed while flying is equal to his movement (including all enhancement bonuses, if any). This use of the tattoo lasts for 1 round for tattooed monk class level.
Feathered Serpent: Three times per day, a character with the feathered serpent tattoo gains a +4 morale bonus to his Wisdom ability score. The character also gains see invisibility, as per the spell. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed monk class level.
Flaming Sword: Three times per day, a character with the flaming sword tattoo can sheath his fists in magical flames that deal either cold or fire damage (chosen by the character when the ability is activated). This adds +1d6 of either cold or fire damage to the character’s unarmed strike damage. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 round per tattooed monk class level.
Gargoyle: Twice per day, a character with the gargoyle tattoo can active this tattoo to gain DR 10/adamantine. Each use of this ability lasts for 1 minute per tattooed monk class level, or until the DR has absorbed 10 points of damage per tattooed monk class level (maximum of 150 points).
Heart: A character with the heart tattoo gains the Endurance feat as well as a +4 morale bonus against any magical effect that would fatigue or exhaust the character. If a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability that causes fatigue or exhaustion without a saving throw targets the character, the character instead can save (without the above bonus) to negate the effect. This effects of this tattoo are always active.
Hummingbird: Three times per day, a character with the hummingbird tattoo can use levitate, as per the spell.
Iron Fist: A character with the iron fist tattoo gains a +1 enhancement bonus to attacks and damage with his unarmed strike. This tattoo is always active. At 5th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum enhancement bonus of +5 at 17th level.
Knight in Armor: Three times per day, a character with the knight in armor tattoo can use mage armor, as per the spell.
Lightning Bolt: Three times per day, a character with the lightning bolt tattoo can sheath his fists in magical crackling electricity that deals electrical damage. This adds +1d6 of either electrical damage to the character’s unarmed strike damage. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 round per tattooed monk class level. On a successful critical hit, the character’s unarmed strikes also deal an additional 1d8 points of sonic damage.
Lion: Three times per day, a character with the lion tattoo becomes immune to fear and fear effects. If the character performs a charge while this tattoo is active, he gains an additional attack and may use his flurry attack bonus. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 round per tattooed monk class level.
Maul: Three times per day, a character with the maul tattoo can use shatter, as per the spell.
Monkey: Three times per day, a character with the monkey tattoo gains a +5 competence bonus on all Acrobatics and Climb skill checks. He may climb at his full speed and retains his Dexterity bonus to his Armor Class. Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed monk class level.
Oak: Three times per day, a character with the oak tattoo gains a natural armor enhancement bonus, as per the spell barkskin. This ability lasts for 1 minute per tattooed monk level.
Phoenix: Once per day, a character with the phoenix tattoo can activate this ability to receive the effects of both a heal spell and a greater restoration spell.
Rusted Gauntlet: Twice per day, a character with the rusted gauntlet tattoo can use rusting grasp, as per the spell.
Scorpion: Twice per day, as an immediate action, a character with the scorpion tattoo can make an attack of opportunity against a creature that successful strikes him in combat. This attack of opportunity receives a competence bonus of +2 on the attack roll and deals double normal damage (as per a critical hit, neither precision damage nor elemental damage is multiplied). If this special attack of opportunity is successful, and if the creature attacking the monk is reduced to zero hit points or lower by this attack, than the attack which provoked the use of the scorpion tattoo is completely negated. If the character fails to hit his opponent, or if he hits and deals insufficient damage to drop him to zero hit points or below, then the character with this tattoo suffers the full effects of his opponent’s attack.
Shark: Three times per day, a character with the shark tattoo can gain the ability to breath water as well as air and is immune to the effects of water pressure. While this tattoo is active, the character also gains a Swim speed equal to his normal movement and a +8 bonus on Swim checks made to avoid hazards (no Swim check is necessary to move underwater). The character suffers no penalties for using slashing and bludgeoning weapons while submerged.
Shield: Two times per day, a character with the shield tattoo can use shield, as per the spell.
Skull with Thorns: Two times per day, a character with the skull with thorns tattoo can produce a death ward effect on himself. This ability lasts for 1 round per tattooed monk class level.
Snowflake: Five times per day, a character with the snowflake tattoo can, as an immediate action, use feather fall, as per the spell.
Spider: Two times per day, a character with the spider tattoo can use spider climb, as per the spell.
Tiger: Three times per day, a character with the tiger tattoo gains a +4 morale bonus to his Dexterity ability score and can move through thickly overgrown areas without penalty (as per the druid ability woodland stride). Each use of this tattoo lasts for 1 minute per tattooed monk class level.
Unicorn: Three times per day, a character with the unicorn tattoo can select an alignment opposed to his own and gains a measure of protection from the attacks of creatures of that alignment, as per the spells protection from chaos/evil/good/law. This ability lasts 1 minute per tattooed monk class level.
Viper: Twice per day, after successfully striking an opponent with an unarmed strike, a character with the viper tattoo can, as a swift action, inflict the victim of one of his successful unarmed strikes with a virulent poison, as per the spell poison.
Wolf: Three times per day, a character with the wolf tattoo gains low-light vision, scent, and he cannot be tracked by mundane means (as though under the effect of the spell pass without trace). Each use lasts for 10 minutes per tattooed monk class level.
Wraith: Two times per day, a character with the wraith tattoo can become ethereal, as per the spell etherealness. Each use lasts for only one minute and the character cannot affect any other creature (even willing creatures) with this ability.
So, you’ve read all the way to the end. Thank you. And I am sure that you are asking the question: ah, what level are those tattoos?
Good question. Here is where I need your help. I am not sure which level to put them. Some, I do know. Phoenix is 6th level, and Snowflake is 1st. But I thought to myself, the best way to do this is listen to your advice and suggestions.
9th-level: Earthquake; Firestorm; Meteor Swarm; Wail of the Banshee; Whirlwind
Now, what I want to build a class that is designed for WAR. Spells that either (a) deal area of effect damage, (b) provide utility on the field of battle, or (c) deal with the logistics of a small army.
I am keeping with spells that are part of Pathfinder--so that means many spells on the original 3.5 Complete Arcane list aren't on the list above. None of the Orb or Lesser Orb spells, for example, among others.
There are few spells on the list that don't fit, such as read magic, magic missile, scorching ray, dispel magic, etc., etc. I included these because they are capable of targeting multiple individuals (magic missile and scorching ray) or because they are the basic tools of any spell-caster.
I would appreciate any suggestions you fellows might have. Thanks in advance.
