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[I would have just updated the original thread, but I can't seem to find it...]
Devil Taught Monks of Cheliax
In the Asmodean-sponsored monastaries of Cheliax, devils are called to Golarion to instruct the faithful in arts of combat forged in the fires of Hell itself. Noble sons and daughters, often having lobbied and sacrificed for the opportunity to train here, are tutored alongside foundlings and pardoned criminals, for the devils keep their own counsel who they choose to train in the arts of Hell.
The students of these styles must select the feats with their 1st, 2nd and 6th level Monk bonus feats (or later bonus feats at 10th, 14th, etc. if their training falls behind), and must take them in order. No more than one such style can be learned by a single character. The devils do not tolerate 'cross-training.'
Since I wrote this, the Kyton have ceased to be devils, and I'm not sure if the Hellcats still count as devils, but both seem like very appropriate styles to find in the lawful evil monastaries of Cheliax.
Hamatsula Style
Your teaching came from monks who studied under the cruel tutelage of a Hamatsula, also known as a ‘Barbed Devil.’
Benefit: You are trained to wear a special harness of leather straps over wrists, hands, forearms, shoulders, chest, waist and legs that are adorned with deadly steel spikes. Because of your special training, you can wear such armor (but no other) proficiently without impeding your Monk class abilities, and you ignore the Maximum Dex Bonus and Armor Check Penalty of such a harness. A Spiked Harness mainly serves as a platform to mount Armor Spikes, which you can use proficiently as a special Monk weapon (although you do not gain the ability to use the kama, nunchaku, sai and siangham as special Monk weapons as a result of this training, and you are not proficient with these weapons). Additionlly, your body has been toughened to constant puncture wounds, during this torturous training, and you suffer two less point of hit point damage per round from any bleed effect (to a minimum of zero damage). Ability point damage inflicted by a bleed effect is not mitigated by this training.
Prerequisites: 1st level Monk
Spiked Harness (Cost 60 gp, Armor Bonus +1, Maximum Dex Bonus +6, Armor Check Penalty -1, Arcane Spell Failure 10%, Light Armor, Weight 12 lbs. Time to don/remove as breastplate.)
Improved Hamatsula Training
Benefit: When you confirm a critical hit with an unarmed attack, you can rake your armor spikes across the victim to add +1d6 damage to the overall damage (this damage is not multiplied). You have learned to throw spikes as well, which are treated as darts (with which you gain proficiency), and as special monk weapons for the purpose of flurrying. You gain the benefits of the Quick Draw feat, but only for readying these spikes for throwing.
Prerequisites: 2nd level Monk, Hamatsula Style
Advanced Hamatsula Training
Benefit: You can now choose to inflict your unarmed attack damage with your armor spikes (the damage remains Piercing. Your continued exposure to puncturing wounds has toughened your body so that you now suffer one less point of ability damage from any bleed effect.
Prerequisites: 6th level Monk, Improved Hamatsula Training
Kyton Style
The lessons of the so-called ‘Chain Devils’ have been imparted during your oppressive instruction.
Benefits: You have been trained to use the spiked chain or scorpion whip (choose one) as monk weapon, and gain exotic weapon proficiency in that weapon (you do not gain the ability to use kama, nunchaku, sai and siangham as special Monk weapons in the process, however, and you are not proficient in these weapons). You also gain a +2 bonus to Escape Artist checks to escape ropes, chains or manacles.
Prerequisites: 1st level Monk
Scorpion Whip (Legacy of Fire Players Guide, as Whip but 5 gp, 3 lbs and inflicts 1d4 lethal Slashing damage. Uses same proficiency as Whip.)
Improved Kyton Training
Benefit: Your gain a +2 to your CMB and CMD for all grapple checks, and gain a +4 to your CMB for the purposes of determining the DC for others to escape bindings you have placed upon them (see Escape Artist, p. 95). You gain the equivalent of the Quick Draw feat, but only for the purposes of readying a spiked chain (or scorpion whip, if you chose that option at 1st level).
Prerequisites: 2nd level Monk, Kyton Style
Advanced Kyton Training
Benefit: You have been trained to fight while draped in chains, which are treated as a Spiked Harness (above) for statistics, minus the Armor Spikes. (As with Hamatsula style, you are trained to ignore the Max Dex Penalty and Armor Check Penalty that anyone else would suffer wearing chains in this manner, and can wear this ‘armor’ without impeding your Monk class abilities, as well as being treated as proficient in this form of 'armor'). Unlike a Spiked Harness, you have also been trained to don/remove such chains swiftly, and treat these protective layers as Studded Leather, for time to put on / remove purposes. Otherwise, statistics are identical to the Spiked Harness, save that weight is 10 lbs. Finally, and most importantly, you can choose to use your unarmed attack damage with your spiked chain (or scorpion whip, if you chose that weapon at 1st level) attacks (although the damage remains Piercing or Slashing, as appropriate).
Prerequisites: 6th level Monk, Improved Kyton Training
Chains worn as armor (Cost 45 gp, Armor Bonus +1, Maximum Dex Bonus +6, Armor Check Penalty -1, Arcane Spell Failure 10%, Light Armor, Weight 10 lbs. Time to don/remove as studded leather.)
Gelugon Style
The cold teachings of the ‘Ice Devils’ have taught you to keep your foes at arms’ length, while strengthening your flesh against the ravages of winter’s fury.
Benefit: You gain longspear proficiency, and can use the short spear, halfspear or longspear as special monk weapons (but lose the ability to use kama, nunchaku, sai and siangham proficiently or as special monk weapons). Finally, you gain a +2 to Fortitude saves vs. the effects of exposure to extremes of cold, and ignore the first 2 points of nonlethal damage from exposure to extreme cold.
Prerequisites: 1st level Monk
Improved Gelugon Training
Benefit: You can use a spear to conduct the effects of a Stunning Fist, and when you successfully strike with a Stunning Fist attack (whether from a spear or unarmed attack), you can choose for the victim to be slowed for 1d6 rounds instead of stunned for 1 round. Whenever you confirm a critical hit with a spear or unarmed attack, you deal extra Cold damage equal to that attacks critical multiplier.
Prerequisites: 2nd level Monk, Gelugon Style
Advanced Gelugon Training
Benefit: You can now use the Unarmed Damage rating for your Monk class levels when you hit with a spear, instead of using spear damage (although the damage remains Piercing). You can also spend a point of ki as a swift action to give your spear the Frost property for 1 round. You gain a +2 to all saving throws against lethal or nonlethal Cold damage, and 2 points of Cold Resistance (which stack with the benefits of Gelugon Style).
Prerequisites: 6th level Monk, Improved Gelugon Training
Bezikara Style
The cruel hellcats are not known to personally train human martial artists, but a style created to emulate their fighting tactics has indeed been developed.
Benefit: You sacrifice the training to use kama, nunchaku, sai and siangham proficiently or as special Monk weapons to instead learn to proficiently use Clawed Gauntlets (treat as spiked gauntlets, but as light martial weapons that inflict 1d4 S / 19-20, cost 10 gp each and weigh 2 lbs each) as special Monk weapons. Your training allows you to use your Unarmed damage in place of the clawed gauntlets (the 1d4 damage number therefore only applies to other users), but you retain the improved critical range (and slashing damage). You also gain a +2 bonus to all Stealth checks.
Prerequisites: 1st level Monk
Clawed Gauntlets (Martial Weapon, Cost 10 gp each, Dmg (S) 1d3, Dmg (M) 1d4, Critical 19-20 / x2, Range -, Weight 2 lbs each, Type Slashing)
Improved Bezikira Training
Benefit: You gain the ability to rend someone that you have hit with at least two of your attacks during a Flurry, inflicting an extra 1d6 damage for each attack after the first that hit from that Flurry (extra attacks from TWF, haste or other means are not counted in this calculation). For the purpose of passing through Damage Reduction, this extra damage is added to the last successful attack from that flurry. Your bonus to Stealth checks increases to +4.
Prerequisites: 2nd Monk, Bezikira Style
Advanced Bezikira Training
Benefit: You can now use a Flurry of attacks as a standard action at the end of a Charge. This does not allow you to take advantage of full-attack actions such as the additional attack(s) gained from two-weapon fighting or a haste spell, nor does it apply to a Flurry attack when you are not taking the Charge action. Your bonus to Stealth checks increases to +6.
Prerequisites: 6th level Monk, Improved Bezikira Training
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Interesting work you have done with them.
Thanks! I tried to unify these four as much as possible (at 1st level, ditching the asian-style weapons for a specific style weapon or attack, for instance) and then move on from there.
An Erinyes Style, based on use of the dagger and rope / whip / battle poi or something (perhaps with a dash of poison use) could be interesting, but I haven't nailed that one down yet.
A Glaive based Bearded Devil-trained monk that opens up bleeding wounds could also be neat.
I like this. Makes me think of chinese kung fu movies.
Sigurd
A Glaive based Bearded Devil-trained monk that opens up bleeding wounds could also be neat.
Yes it would indeed!
Good stuff btw, as usual. Getting somewhat of a fan it seems...
'findel
All of this gave me ideas to de-asian-ize the monk a bit. hum, food for thoughts...
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All of this gave me ideas to de-asian-ize the monk a bit. hum, food for thoughts...
Yeah, ditching the Asian-style exotic weapon proficiencies seemed like a no-brainer, as the devils wouldn't have the slightest reason to teach those weapons. (Although, I didn't bother to remove shuriken, as the Monk already lacks significant ranged utility.)
Thanks for the encouraging words!
The Spiked Harness and Chains-as-armor options seemed a bit too good, at first, as vehicles for magical armor enhancements, but I was reminded that the Monk can already wear Bracers of Armor for that very reason, making the point moot.
I was tempted to include battle poi and / or the meteor hammer to the list of Kyton weapon options, but decided that it didn't fit the theme, no matter how cool it would look.
If I work up a Feat for those weapons, it will probably be devil-adjacent, since the Erinyes would (traditionally) be a whip and dagger girl, and (in Pathfinder) would be a longsword, longbow and whip girl (which I don't care for as a Monk style, so I'd stick to the old whip and dagger, or maybe whip and short sword, splitting the difference).
I was tempted to include battle poi and / or the meteor hammer to the list of Kyton weapon options, but decided that it didn't fit the theme, no matter how cool it would look.
So far, your list of alternate monk weapons echo the 'light and functional' feel of the traditional Okinawan kata-weapons. I think your intuition is right and shouldn't include bigger and clumsier weapons in the mix (although I still like the glaive-wielding barbazu-trained monk idea)
(Although, I didn't bother to remove shuriken, as the Monk already lacks significant ranged utility.)
That's Ok, those look kind of devilish in the first place anyway...
'findel