Now, currently the boards have problems with the Monk, giving them stink-eyes and watnot, and I have to admit, much as I love being the Party's rubber ball, bouncing all over the place and stunning the enemy for everyone's DPS pleasure, the Monk does fall a tad short.
However, I do believe that as it stands, the Monk doesn't need a higher BAB or Hit Dice, but rather greater skills, a revamped Wis/AC method and the ability to imbue their unarmed attacks with the 'spiritual properties' of the various DR-Overcoming Materials.
Furthermore, Monks tend to be built one or two ways to succeed, and that annoys me as just about every other class can be built in a wide variety of ways and still bring as much crunch as fluff to the game, whereas the Monk seems to be a mish-mash of cultural cliches.
Here's some old 3.5 'Racial Varian' Monks, and we'll build from there. I apologise for the nature of the posts, as they were built many years ago in the spirit of the variant class features of that era, found in the Races of Destiny/Stone/Dragon/Wilds etc.
I'd also like to take this moment to apologise to all the people whom I bailed on for the Races of Goblins/Orcs back then, as life proceeded to kick me firmly in the fork of the legs at that stage with several problems, one after the other, and I couldn't spare the time.
1st level: D6 HD, Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike.
Elven Monks may add the longsword or the rapier, and the longbow or the shortbow, to their Monk Weapon List. They also add Knowledge (Arcane) to their skill list and may choose the Dodge feat as their 1st level bonus feat, they also trade Evasion at level 2 for Uncanny Dodge.
9th level: D6 HD, Improved Uncanny Dodge.
Elven Monks gain Improved Uncanny Dodge instead of Improved Evasion at level 9.
12th level: D6 HD, The Wild Path.
Elven Monks gain the ability to move through trees, rather than slipping between dimensions. At 12th level, a Elf Monk may use Tree Stride once per day as a caster one-half her Monk Level (rounded down).
1st level: D10 HD, Decisive Strike, Unarmed Strike.
Dwarves are taught it's better to strike once and strike well, than to try to confuse a opponent with many weaker blows. Dwarf Monks start with the Decisive Strike variant as mentioned in the PHB II. Dwarf Monks may use Warhammers, Light Picks, Heavy Picks, Hand-Axe, Dwarven Urgosh and Dwarven Double Spear as special Monk Weapons, but cannot use normal Monk Weapons with their Decisive Strike class ability, examples of such being Butterfly Swords, Nunchaku, Baki-naga or Shuriken.
4th level: D10 HD, Skin of Stone, Ki Strike (Magic)
Dwarves focus on defence, so rather than being taught to slow themselves in a fall, Dwarven Monks instead practice punching stone walls, being buried in mineral-rich mud and pummelling each other till they drop. This punishing regimein eventually toughens the Monk's skin to all but the deadliest of blows. Dwarven Monks who take this level variant do not gain Slow Fall, and their AC bonus changes in that they add their Wisdom Bonus to their AC, but gain this bonus as a Natural Armour bonus. This bonus starts at 1 at level four, and increases by +1 at levels eight, twelve, sixteen and twenty.
12th level: D10 HD, Teeth of the Earth.
Dwarven Monks often fight underground in narrow tunnels or grand caverns. Rather than the ability to go to the enemy in the blink of a eye, the Dwarven Monk is trained to focus his or her Ki into the very stone around her, creating a effect identical to the Spike Stones spell, thereby making it costly for the enemy to come towards the Monk. The caster level for this effect is one-half the Monk Level, rounded down. This effect only works on Unworked or Natural Stone surfaces, and a Dwarf Monk cannot move through his own Spike Stones effect.
1st level: D8, Bloody Flurry, Unarmed Strike.
When a Hobgoblin is injured, their pain drives them on to greater martial prowess, to seek glory in the eyes of Maglubiyet. Whenever a Hobgoblin Monk takes at least 1+HD of the Hobgoblin Monk point of damage from a enemy, against that enemy their Attack and Damage rolls increase by 1 point solely against that enemy for one round. If multiple enemies successfully attack a Hobgoblin Monk, only one enemy may be targeted, and the bonus to Attack and Damage does not increase. At levels 5 and 9, this bonus increases by 1, to a maximum of +3 at level 9.
5th level: D8, Divine Hatred.
A Hobgoblin Monk channels the rage of Maglubiyet into combat against Elves. When in the presence of a Elf, even those normally considered Natural Outsiders or Aberrations, the Hobgoblin enters a state similar to a Barbarian's Greater Rage ability, gaining +6 to his Dex and Con scores and a moral bonus of +3 to Attack Rolls, but takes a -2 penalty to AC. A Hobgoblin Monk in the thrall of Divine Hatred cannot voluntarily end his Rage, and is fatigued at the end of the Divine Rage. This ability replaces the Purity of Body class ability, and can only be used once per point of Wisdom Bonus, and only once per encounter.
10th level: D8, Touch of Maglubiyet.
A Hobgoblin Monk at this level becomes a overwhelming zealot of the God of Goblins, and has focused his or her abilities to strike the enemies of her faith down with terminal force. From this level onwards, the natural weapons of the Hobgoblin Monk are considered Bane weapons against Elves, including Half-Elves and any race descended from Elves, even those normally considered Native Outsiders or Aberrations. This replaces the Ki strike (Lawful) class ability of the Monk.
As they stand, the changes are pretty much (-_-) against the might that is Pathfinder, but every monastic order is different. I'd rather see Monks able to choose and Order to which to belong, much like the Chevalier, or a God, much like a Cleric, and gain different abilities depending upon the path they follow.
For example,a Monk of Shelyn would naturally be able to Flurry with a Glaive, and would likely have abilities that tie into her domains of beauty, art, love and music, perhaps gaining a Dryad-like stunning ability and using her Charisma instead of her Wisdom towards her AC Bonus, gaining the ability to use Perform to achieve effects such as stunning her foes with a graceful dance or an exquisite bit of poetry. Otherwise, tie the Monk into the Domains, giving the Monk over the course of her career the ability to throw lightning, charm foes, smite evil, entice luck to her side and protect herself and her allies.
A Monk of Pharasma, on the other hand, would function closer to an Assassin rather than a Bard, being able to cause a variety of nasty status effects using his Ki to interfere with his enemy's natural functions, while on the other hand gaining the abilities to harm the Undead, summon the forces of Elemental Ice, Foresight and Rebirth to his side.
I'll stat up some changes I think will pump some new blood into the Monk Class and give it some Golarion/Pathfinder Spice, and hopefully we can give the Peeps at Path something to chew over without making an 'Over 9000!' Class.
Here's the 'rough draft' version of a Pathfinder Monk of Erastil
VARIANT MONKS:
Monks are as Pathfinder Standard, except for the following:
Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int Modifier.
Monks are proficient with the club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, hand-axe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short-spear, short-sword, shuriken, singham, sling and spear. Orders might grant the Monk proficiency with other weapons.
Monks are not proficient with armor or shields unless their Order grants them this proficiency.
When wearing armor, using a shield or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses his AC bonus, as well as his fast moment and flurry of blows abilities.
When not wearing prohibited armor or shields and unencumbered, a monk adds his Wisdom Bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD. In addition, a Monk gains a +1 bonus to AC and his CMD at 3rd level, and at 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 19th levels.
This AC bonus applies to touch attacks and when the Monk is Flat-Footed, but not if the Monk is Immobilized or Helpless.
Monks gain an Order ability at 2nd level and again at 6th, 12th and 18th levels.
Orders:
Orders are based upon the Gods that cultivate a monastic following, such as Erastil, Iomedae, Torag, Sarenrae, Shelyn, Abadar, Irori, Gozreh, Pharasma, Nethys, Asmodeus, Zun-Kuthon and Norgorber.
Erastil’s Monks tend to range far and wide, working alongside his more usual followers and working quietly to benefit the whole community.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:
A Monk from the Order of the Bow does not gain proficiency with any armor or shield. A Monk of the Order of the Bow adds the Longbow and Shortbow to her weapons list and can use the Longbow, Shortbow, Handaxe and Spear in her Flurry attack, but loses the ability to use Kama, Sai, Nunchaku, Shurkien and Singham in her flurry attack. Knowledge (Nature) and Survival are always class skills for a Monk from the Order of the Bow.
Order Abilities:
2nd Level: Deadeye’s Touch (Ex): A Monk of this Order can choose to add her unarmed damage to the damage-rolls of her attacks with a Shortbow or Longbow, but must remain absolutely still while doing so, unable to take advantage of the Shot on the Run feat and is effectively flat-footed until the beginning of her next turn. A Monk adds her Ki to the attack, treating any ammunition fired as magic so long as she has at least 1 point left in her Ki pool, but this does not stack with magical weapons.
At 10th level, the Monk can treat any arrows shot using this ability as Silvered Arrows or Lawful Arrows for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction, and at 16th level she can treat any arrows shot using this ability as Lawful Silvered Arrows or Lawful Adamantine Arrows for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction.
6th level: Bonds of Fellowship (Su): A Monk of this Order can, as a standard action, spend 1 point from her Ki pool to grant any allies within 5 feet for every point of Wisdom she possesses the chance to use her own saving throws for a number rounds equal to her Wisdom Bonus.
At 12th level, this increases to any allies within 10 feet for every point of Wisdom she possesses and a number of rounds equal to double her Wisdom Bonus.
12th level: Heart of the Stag (Su): A Monk of this order gains a morale bonus to attacks, saving throws and skill checks equal to her Wisdom Bonus so long as she is in a natural, out-doors setting. This does not apply in an Urban, Underwater or Underground setting or when outside of the Material Plane.
By Expending 2 Ki Points, a Monk of the Order of the Bow can grant this bonus to her allies as a full round action for a number of rounds equal to her Wisdom Bonus, but is fatigued when this effect ends.
16th level: Perfect Aim (Su): A Monk of the Order of the Bow can, at 16th level, by expending 2 Ki points, make a single attack using her Class Level as her BAB. This shot is treated as a Ranged Touch Attack, and is treated as a Bane attack in terms of Damage and Enhancement bonuses granted by the Monk’s Deadeye’s Touch ability. By Expending a further 2 Ki points, the Monk can add the Holy ability to her arrow.
And here is an updated version of the Dwarf, or Iron-Mountain, Style:
Racial Style Version:
Dwarf Style: Iron Mountain:
Changes:
Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Engineering) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex) and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int Modifier.
Iron-Mountain style monks lose proficiency with normal Monk weapons and instead gain access to Gauntlet, Javelin, Light Hammer, Warhammer, Battleaxe, Greatclub, Dwarven Waraxe and Dwarven Urgosh. An Iron-Mountain style Monk can Flurry with Gauntlet, Light Hammer, Warhammer, Greatclub, Dwarven Waraxe and Dwarven Urgosh.
A Iron-Mountain Monk is trained to fight in an aggressive fighting style, training by constantly being beaten with Saps, being buried in mineral-rich mud for days on end and a rich diet that encourages the body to develop thick muscles. A Iron-Mountain style monk gains his AC Bonus from his Constitution, not his Wisdom, and is treated as a Natural Armor Bonus instead and a +1 to his CMB at every level his normal AC bonus would increase.
An Iron-Mountain Monk attacks furiously and with great force, but at a cost. An Iron Mountain Monk can Flurry, but loses his Slow Fall ability, and his Fast Movement ability is halved, so at 3rd level, the Monk only gains a 5 foot increment to his Fast Movement Ability.
At 5th level, an Iron Mountain Monk adds his level to all Climb checks. In addition, an Iron Mountain Monk only needs to make a DC check against the DC of the surface he is climbing when he is attempting to catch himself while falling, and only requires a DC+5 to catch a Falling Character while climbing.
At 10th level, the Iron Mountain Monk can choose to have his unarmed attacks count as either a Silvered or Cold Iron weapon for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction. Once chosen, the effect is permanent.
At 12th level or higher, an Iron Mountain monk gains the Earth Glide ability of the Earth Elementals as a Supernatural Ability by expending 2 Ki points, and he can maintain this ability for a number of rounds equal to half his Monk level, but has to hold his breath to avoid suffocating.
at 15th level, the Iron Mountain Monk can make an attack that function exactly like the Quivering Palm, but instead of slaying the target, they are affected by a Flesh to Stone spell instead. This ability does not affect elementals or any other target that would not be affected by the Flesh to Stone Spell itself.
At 16th level, the Iron Mountain Monk can choose to have his unarmed strikes count as both Silver and Cold Iron Weapon or as an Adamantite weapon for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction. If the Monk chose to make his unarmed strikes count as both Cold Iron and Silvered, both effects apply when he makes an unarmed strike, but if the Monk chooses to make his unarmed strikes, it over-rides his previous choice in Lesser Strength of the Mountain.
at 19th level, the Iron Mountain Monk gains the ability to assume a form of metal, as per the spell Iron Body for 1 minute at the cost of 3 points from his Ki pool, but the Iron Mountain Monk can choose to assume the properties Adamantite or Mithril for an additional 3 Ki points, gaining +10 to Strength and a -8 to Dexterity for Adamantine and increasing your Unarmed Damage Dice as if you were one size larger, or gaining a +8 to Strength and -4 to Dexterity for Mithril.
I'd rather see Monks able to choose and Order to which to belong, much like the Chevalier, or a God, much like a Cleric, and gain different abilities depending upon the path they follow.
+1.
This would be awesome!
I think the theory we've got to go with, in the 'God-Based' version of the Monk is that they must have their Order abilities tie into the Domains and the Portfolios of the Gods in question, and yet somehow still be able to provide either additional damage, group benefits and/or protective abilities.
I'm a fan of the 'Racial Variant' style, because while there's nothing stopping a Human from learning the Iron Mountain style, the variant draws heavily upon the image of Dwarves and their close ties to stone, making this variant a very tough, very physical class, removing one of the Monk's Ability needs and allowing the players to focus more on Strength, Agility and Constitution and leave Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma at manageable levels. Minmaxers will still make their mouth-breathing martial experts who can't tie their own obi, but the Class itself will benefit from a minimisation on the need for multiple high ability scores.
Most importantly it fixes some of the flaws in the Monk, but doesn't give it too much of a buff. Monks still only have a moderate BAB when not flurrying, their abilities are still tied to a finite pool of Ki points and they still lack access to armor and shields, which would make them lethal.
I hate the thought of a 'dumb monk' because it flies in the g*++%#n face of martial arts, which is a thinking man's fighting style, requiring a lot of quick thinking to counter your opponent and feint so you can land in a blow yourself.
I think next up will be a Monk of (with Order abilities tied in to Fire, Slavery, Law and Evil) and the Goblinoid-style of Monk, which would be focus on outright stealth, poison use and cunning, as opposed to the 'wall of solid force' that is the Dwarf Monk.
Hum .... hitting a bit of a mental wall here. For the Monk of Asmodeus, trying to find abilities that tie in level/utility wise to overall power-level of melee/scout classes of the same level is tough.
Something I am also looking at is wether or not the Order abilities should replace certain monk abilities or not. Monks could use more abilities that could help them succeed, but at the same point too many abilities causes 'clutter' and the Class gets dragged down by the weight.
Skills:
Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis and Stealth (Dex).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int Modifier.
Skills reflect a Monk of Asmodeus is a commander of minds as well as a capable melee combatant, and loses Climb and Swim in exchange for additional knowledge of the local political environment and history (Knowledge skills Local and History) and ties into the magic domain of Asmodeus via the Use Magic Device skill. Lack of the two physical skills Climb and Swim ties in as well as the Monk is an able combatant but is more likely to a cultured, refined (if thoroughily evil!) person unused to getting themselves dirty.
Monks of Asmodeus are suave, cultured, learned and most of all, cruel. Taking their training from Devils themselves, each monk lives and breathes by the Doctrine recorded in the books that gave the order their name, and live in a strict heirachy, constantly striving against one another for dominance and power. Knowledge (Local) (Int) and Use Magic Device (Cha) are always class-skills for a Asmodean Disciple.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
Monks of Asmodeus gain proficiency with the Longsword, Glaive and Spiked Chain but lose proficiency with Hand-Axe, Quarterstaff, Javelin, Club, Shortspear, Singham and Sling.
A Monk of Asmodeus can Flurry with Shortsword, Longsword, Glaive, Spear and Spiked Chain in addition to the Sai, Kama, Nunchaku and Shuriken.
Monks of Asmodeus are trained in the weapons favoured by the Fiendish legions of Hell, and are experts in their use.
2nd Level: Touch of the Hamatulas (Ex):
Asmodean Disciples cultivate long nails on their hands, growing them to sharp points and laquering them with certain oils to harden the nail against breaking in combat. Whenever an Asmodean Disciple makes and Unarmed Strike, she can choose to deal either Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing Damage, but her Damage Dice is always treated as if she were one size smaller.
6th Level: Mark of Dark Favour (Su):
Asmodean Disciplies who work tirelessly for their Dark Master eventually earn his favour, and gain a Imp as a companion. Treat the Imp as a Familiar, using the Monk's Level as his Caster Level for determining the abilities of the Imp, with a few noticible differences.
Rather than increasing the Imp's Intelligence, every 2 levels of Monk grants the Imp an extra HD, instead of Speak with Animals, at 8th level an Imp grants the Monk it is bonded to the ability to see through it's eyes, and the Imp can channel any Ki ability it's Master can as long as they are within 5 feet per 2 levels of Monk, otherwise the Ki dissipates before the Imp can use it.
The Imp is there to serve the Monk, but also serves Asmodeus as a spy on the Monk in question, ensuring that the work she does always benefits Asmodeus, or the Imp will betray the Monk as soon as it can if the Imp believes the Monk is straying too far from her orders.
12th Level: Mark of the Malebranche (Su):
at 12th level level, an Asmodean Disciple can, by expending 2 Ki points, inbue either her unarmed strike or her weapon with the ability to cause an Infernal Wound much like that of a Horned Devil, causing 2d6 Bleed Damage for three rounds that can only be cured by a Heal-Check vs DC of 10 + 1/2 the Monk's level + her Wisdom Modifier or a Cure spell that can overcome the same DC, or can imbue any allies with this ability for one round, but afterwards is considered Fatigued for 3 rounds.
16th level: Dark Lord's Touch (Su):
At 16th level, the Asmodean Disciple can, by expending 2 Ki points, create an effect identical to Dominate Person, using her Monk level as her caster level, and needs to maintain three full rounds of contact with her target for the effect to work. The Asmodean Disciple can choose to have the Domination effect take place at a time of her choosing within a number of days equal to her Wisdom effect, which also counts against the duration.
By expending another 4 Ki points, the Asmodean Disciple can cause this ability to function as a Dominate Monster spell.
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Neat ideas!
I like the Erastilic 'Bow Monk' quite a bit.
I think, with the Asmodean, you may have gone a bit heavy on the devil motif. Asmodeus' Domains are Law, Magic, Evil, Fire and Trickery, IIRC, and so I could see, from that, Monk abilities related to;
Trickery - gaining some bonus deceiving others, perhaps a special Feint option, or the ability to get an attack of opportunity on someone who strikes you while you are using the Fighting Defensively, Total Defense or Combat Expertise actions, sort of 'pretending to be defensive' and punishing the fool who fell for it (no more than once / target / 24 hours, 'cause they don't fall for it again!)?
Magic - unarmed or weapon attacks as magic, pretty simple.
Law - ditto, attacks as lawful, but also perhaps a bonus ability that enhances one's attempts to grapple or restrain foes, to 'force them to submit' or to compel obedience. Maybe connected to an Intimidate check, or the ability to give someone a penalty versus your attacks with an Intimidate check?
Evil - ditto, attacks as Evil, but possibly also really painful? Replace stunning blow with a blow that nauseates the target with pain, and, even if they make their save, they are sickened by the pain for a number of rounds?
Fire - fists of fire! limited fire resistance, or pain resistance, due to painful branding and fire-walking rituals. The branding might even give the Monk a +1 natural armor bonus and bonus to Intimidate checks, due to extensive scarification (and a commensurate penalty to Diplomacy checks or to attempts to pretend to be anything other than a pentacle-tattooed fanatical devil-worshipper!) A bonus to saves vs. effects that cause pain, or to nonlethal damage, are popular mechanics for this sort of thing.
Perhaps, instead of a magical ability to spent ki to gain the flaming weapon property to one's fists (or, in addition to it), Asmodean initiates are taught to wrap their fists in oil-soaked ropes as a form of Rope Guantlet tactic, but the ropes are ignited, and inflict +1 fire damage, to start, and can be enhanced with rare oils that boost that up to +1d3 fire damage. Even a 1st level Asmodean Monk might be able to use this, long before the exciting magical ki fire fist or Amulet of Mighty (flaming) Fists is affordable.
my only concern is for the dwarf. a natural armor bonus is technically worse than a monks normal bonus, since it doesnt apply to touch attacks. maybe fluff it as natural armor, but leave it the untyped bonus, or replace it with DR maybe?
There is that. I was also thinking Natural Armor would protect the Dwarf against being flat-footed, but at the same point, having Damage Reduction would be great, but I fear that would be treading a bit too much on the Barbarian's toes.
Perhaps being able to spend Ki points to gain DR/Chaotic equal to the Monk's Constitution Bonus would be good, but again, perhaps it's treading too far onto the Barbarian's toes.
*facepalm* errrrgh. There is that too. Forgive me, I should have explained better. Natural Armor would allow the Dwarven Monk to increase his defence via Improved Natural Armor, would be with him even when immobilized or helpless (except against Touch Attacks, which normal monk AC does work against) and I was also trying to balance the Class's defensive abilities against the increase of the Monk's offensive ones, which ramped up significantly when I added weapons with larger HD, such as the Dwarven War-Axe, Greatclub and Dwarven Urgosh to the list.
On the other hand, if the Monk also gained DR/Chaotic 1 at the same rate his Natural Armor increased, it would make the Iron Mountain style monk a physically 'tough' opponent while still leaving a gap in his armor, the touch attack, which would completely ignore his hardened skin and thick layers of muscle. An interesting catch to the class, one the player could either ignore to make a narrow-focus character or work to compensate for, making a well-rounded combatant.
Eh, these are just 'rough drafts', after all. I'm trying to think of ways the Monk Class could be brought up to snuff with the other classes of it's ilk without making it over-powerful or a one-trick pony like the Fighter used to be.
However, I do believe that as it stands, the Monk doesn't need a higher BAB or Hit Dice, but rather greater skills, a revamped Wis/AC method and the ability to imbue their unarmed attacks with the 'spiritual properties' of the various DR-Overcoming Materials.
Furthermore, Monks tend to be built one or two ways to succeed, and that annoys me as just about every other class can be built in a wide variety of ways and still bring as much crunch as fluff to the game, whereas the Monk seems to be a mish-mash of cultural cliches.
I've been saying similar things since the Alpha playtest: give them 6 + Int mod skills (back to the 1st Ed AD&D roots) and fighting styles (the 3.5 SRD/UA versions were nice, but something along the lines of the sorcerer bloodlines would be great!).
It's not even that the monk (in 3.x and Pathfinder core) is a mish-mash, it's that the monk is pigeonholed into a karate/kobu-jutsu practitioner from the start, with only a few options to "add on" to the basic archetype. IMO, there's nothing preventing a "monk" from being based on pankration (a martial art developed in Ancient Greece), instead of one specific Japanese style.
That ... would be interesting. Have the Dwarf, Elf, Goblin styles, then have three Human Styles, Inner Sea Style, Vudrani and Unorthodox Tian Style.
Dwarf Style focuses on heavy weapons, stone-based abilities and greater defence, Elf Style focuses on mobile archery, nature-based abilities and extreme mobility, Goblin style depends heavily upon stealth, poison-use and the ability to generate shadow-based abilities.
Inner Sea Style could be based on the ancient monastic arts of the Azlanti Empire, and be the current Monk style, albeit hopefully enhanced to ensure the Class remains competitive while at the same time losing the oriental feel, trading Slow Fall and possibly even some of their Supernatural Abilities such as Quivering Palm and Dimension Step for more 'western' concepts such the abilities to chant religious prayers to stun, slow or cause pain to their enemies or remove such effects from their allies, and the abiltiy to call upon internal reserves of courage and training to perform spell-like miracles such as healing, smiting 'heretics' or even resurrection.
Vudrani could be a Monk style that focuses the spiritual growth, granting the Vudrani Monk abilities to deal with incorporeal spirits, smiting the 'Unclean', ie Good (or Evil, depending upon the specific/heretical Order!) Outsiders and the Undead and eventually granting the Celestial (Or Fiendish!) Template to the Monk. At higher levels, the Vudrani Monk should be getting close to 'reincarnation' as a 'higher being', an Outsider of their alignment and thus almost to Nirvana in this incarnation, rather than a few hundred more down the track.
Tian style of Monk could possibly focus on weapons, swords, spears and light weapons specifically, and have a very oriental-film feel to the class, losing slow-fall in exchange for an innate levitation ability to mimic the long, graceful leaps we see in eastern movies, elegant swordplay and pressure-point strikes to cripple or slow down the enemy and decisive applications of Ki in the form of elemental attacks born from the Four Celestial Animals (if they exist within Tian society as it is written, of course!) or perhaps the four highest Dragons guarding the Celestial Emperor himself.