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Hi, I'm working with a PC to create a PrC for his monk character. His goal is to increase his defense/utility and to have more options, he also wanted us to work in some stuff from the Tome of Battle, which is where the counters and Ki stances come in, they're all pathfinder re-writes of ToB maneuvers and stances. Here is what we've come up with so far. I'm looking for review of abilities for balance, especially at higher levels, I don't want him to be at a lower point then he would be as a monk at the same level. Also I've lost all creative juices and need ideas on abilities for levels 7, 8, and 9. So I can take all suggestions, and as the player wants to take his first level now, I'd like to get it as polished as I can ASAP. Also the player and I are having a discussion of what monk abilities should continue to progress. The only one we're 100% sure on is flurry since that gives him more attacks to forgo for counters.
Some monks forgo the martial training of their brothers and choose a path of spiritual wholeness. They study the flow of ki through the body and work towards enhancing it, learning to shape it, channel it, and even block the flow ki in others. They begin this training by becoming less outwardly offensive, by taking a defensive stance they are then able to focus on the energies flowing around them and by using that awareness, respond to any attempt to break that flow of energy. When they reach the penultimate state, a spiritual focus can never completely deplete their ki energy and can shape it in multiple ways.
Alignment: Spiritual Focus are always lawful, it takes rigid self control to shape and manipulate the flow of ki, however they can vary in all other aspects of their personality, however most tend towards neutrality.
Hit Die d8
Lawful Alignment
Ki pool
Acrobatics 5 ranks
The Spiritual Focus class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Knowledge (History), Sense Motive (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha)
Skill Ranks at Each Level 4 + int modifier
lvl BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +0 +1 +1 +1 Flurry of Blows, Countersense, Ki Growth, Ki Focus
2nd +1 +1 +1 +1 Ki Surge, Counter: Disrupting Blow
3rd +2 +2 +2 +2 Ki Blast
4th +3 +2 +2 +2 Ki Stance: Step of the Wind, Counter: Scorpion Parry
5th +3 +3 +3 +3 Ki Surge, Spiritual Reactions
6th +4 +3 +3 +3 Block Chakras, Counter: Scything Blade
7th +5 +4 +4 +4 Ki Stance: Hearing the Air,
8th +6 +4 +4 +4 Counter: Comet Throw,
9th +6 +5 +5 +5 Ki Surge,
10th +7 +5 +5 +5 Ki Mastery, Ki Stance: Aura of Perfect Order, Counter: Tombstone Strike
Flurry of Blows: A spiritual focus adds his focus level with his monk level to determine how many attacks he can make during a flurry of blows.
Counter Sense: A spiritual focus may choose to forgo an attack during his round. He must declare which attack he is forgoing during his action. For the rest of the round, if he is attacked he may make an immediate counter attack after the attack is resolved. This counter attack (with the exception of scorpion parry) does not interrupt the attack that caused it but may interrupt further actions the enemy would take. He can make a number of counter attacks up to the number of attacks he gave up. This counter attack uses the attack bonus of the attack that was forgone as well as any relevant modifiers (power attack, fighting defensively, etc.), starting with the attack that had the highest bonus and ending with the counters with the lowest bonus. In addition a Spiritual Focus may declare fighting defensively and forgo all attacks while still gaining the fighting defensively bonus (normally you have to make an attack to gain the fighting defensive bonus), when doing so he will still take the penalty to attacks on any counterattacks made. If a counter attack requires a specific action, the monk must have had the ability to make that action when he gave up the attack. For example if he gave up one attack of a flurry he could not then use a counter that required a standard action be forgone.
Ki Growth: A spiritual focus has a much stronger connection to his chakras, spiritual focus levels stack with monk levels for the purpose of determining your ki pool. The formula for determining ki points also changes to monk level + wisdom modifier.
Ki Focus: A spiritual focus can channel the chaotic energy of a battle to replenish their ki, while in combat a spiritual focus can take a move equivalent action to replenish a ki point.
Ki Surge: Once per round a spiritual focus may spend an additional ki point to lessen the action type of a ki ability by 1 step using the following graph: full round - standard - move - swift - free.
At 5th level a spiritual focus can do this twice per round by spending 1 point for the first and 2 points for the second.
At 9th level a spiritual focus can surge as many times as he can afford to pay each time he uses this ability it costs an additional ki point (3 for the third, 4 for the 4th etc.).
Counter: At 2nd level the Spiritual Focus learns to spot the flow of ki in those around them. When an opponent ki flow would disrupt the Focus’ own ki flow the Focus can instead redirect the opponents flow of ki as it makes contact with his own resulting in viscious counters that are even more devastating than normal attacks. Counters can only be used with attacks that result from the countersense ability, spending ki to perform a counter requires no action although the counter itself may require a specific type of action to use.
Disrupting Blow: The first counter a Focus learns is to temporarily halt the flow of the opponent’s ki. This leaves the opponent momentarily disoriented and unable to move. As part of this maneuver pay 2 ki points and make a melee attack. If this attack hits your target takes normal damage and must make a will save (DC 15 + your str mod) or be unable to take any action for 1 round. The target does not suffer any other drawbacks or penalties. He can still make Attacks of opportunity but is unable to take immediate actions until his next turn.
Scorpion Parry: The second counter a Focus learns is the ability to predict the opponent’s moves by the subtle variations in the flow of their ki, knowing where their blow is aimed allows you to redirect it where it wasn’t intended. As part of this maneuver pay 1 ki point and make an opposed attack roll. If your foe’s result is higher, he attacks you as normal. If your result is higher, you can choose a creature adjacent to you and within your opponent’s threatened area. The chosen creature is the new target of your foes attack. Use your enemies original attack roll result to determine if he strikes the new target.
Scything Blade: The third counter a Focus learns is to channel the opponent’s ki into a preternatural burst of speed for himself that can be used to against unsuspecting targets. As part of this maneuver pay 3 ki points and make a melee attack. If the attack hits you can immediately make a free attack at your highest attack bonus against a different enemy you threaten. You can only gain one free attack each time you initiate this maneuver, regardless of how many successful attacks you make in the round.
Comet Throw: The fourth counter a Focus learns is to read the flow of ki in an opponents body to learn how he shifts his weight and balances. Using this knowledge a focus can then use the opponents own equilibrium against him, pulling him off balance and sending him flying. As part of this maneuver pay 4 ki points and make a CMB check against your opponent, this CMB does not provoke an AoO. This resolves as a trip attempt against your enemy. You gain a +4 bonus on the CMB. If you succeed in tripping your foe you can throw him up to 10ft away from you in a direction of your choice. You select your enemy’s destination square. The target falls prone in that space and takes 4d6 points of falling damage. For every 5 points by which you beat the CMD, you gain an additional 5 feet or throw range. You can throw your opponent into a space occupied by a second foe. In this case, the opponent in the target square also takes 4d6 non-lethal damage and is knocked prone. A Reflex save (DC 14 + your Str mod) halves this damage and allows the second target to remain standing. The thrown creature then falls prone in a clear space of your choice adjacent to the second target.
Tombstone Strike: The final counter a Focus learns is to use the opponents ki in a blow that stops the opponents heart. As part of this maneuver pay 6 ki points and make a melee attack using a standard action. If this attack hits, you deal 2d6 points of Constitution damage in addition to your normal damage.
Ki Blast: As a standard action a Spiritual Focus can channel his ki into a sphere of force that he sends hurtling towards the enemy. A spiritual focus may spend an amount of ki equal to his focus level to perform this maneuver he makes a ranged touch attack. If successful, he deals 1d8 damage for each point of ki spent. The ki blast has a range of 25 feet + 5 feet per two levels, monk levels and spiritual focus levels stack for the purposes of determining range. For the cost of 2 additional points the monk may also use one of his daily stunning fist uses to modify the blast as if it was an unarmed strike.
Ki Stance: As long as a spiritual focus has at least 1 point in his ki pool, he may enter a ki stance as a swift action. Ki stances are active as long as the Spiritual Focus remains standing and in combat (falling prone or fleeing ends a stance), although a focus may only have one stance active at any time.
Step of the Wind: The first stance a Focus learns is a meditative stance that allows the Focus to easily pick out steady spots in rough terrain and to gauge how an opponent distributes his weight on uneven footing to give yourself an advantage. While you are in this stance, you ignore penalties to speed, movement, or skill checks associated with movement incurred by moving through difficult terrain. If you attack an opponent standing on difficult terrain while you are in this stance, and if that opponent takes a movement penalty for moving through difficult terrain, you gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls, and a +2 bonus on CMB vs. bull rush or trip attempts against that enemy. You also gain the same bonus to your CMD vs. trip or bull rush attempts that opponent makes against you.
Hearing the Air: An opponent can conceal himself from your eyes, but he cannot conceal the flow of Ki around him. By entering this meditative stance you are acutely aware of the flow of Ki around you, allowing you to pinpoint the presence of concealed foes. While you are in this stance, you gain Blindsense out to 30ft and a +5 bonus on perception checks involving non-construct creatures.
Aura of Perfect Order: While in this meditative stance a Spiritual Focus is a sea of calm in an ocean of chaos. This stance allows you to treat a potential d20 result as an 11. You must decide to use this ability immediately before rolling the d20. You can use this ability once per round. Using this ability does not take an action. You simply decide to invoke it before rolling a d20 for any reason, such as an attack, save, or check.
Spiritual Reactions: As an immediate action following a saving throw a spiritual focus may spend 4 ki points to reroll any saving throw. This roll must be made after the initial roll but before results are adjudicated.
Block Chakras: As a free action on a successful strike a spiritual focus may spend 1 ki point. If he does so the enemy struck looses one random supernatural or spell like ability for the round. By spending two points he may instead target a specific ability, but the enemy gains a fortitude save equal to 10 + spiritual focus level + cha modifier. If the monk targets an ability that is not supernatural or spell like, or if the the recipient of this effect has no abilities of those types the effect is wasted.
Ki Mastery: The spiritual focus has mastered his ki. Any ability that says “As long as he has at least 1 point in his ki pool” now operates even if there are no more points. Whenever the spiritual focus uses his ki focus ability he regains 2 points instead of one. He also adds his wisdom modifier to his ki blast damage and deals an additional point of damage per ki point spent (for example if he spends 5 ki points on a ki blast he deals 5d8+5+wis mod damage) and is no longer limited in how many points he may spend on this ability. Any ki effect with a listed duration has its duration doubled.
Ki Focus: bad, adds all sorts of exploits, like training with the party for a minute to refill ki like 8hrs of rest. I'd nix it.
Ki Surge: bad, too much. First off, would have to specify that you can only reduce it once. Second, if ki power includes attacks/counters, then no good at all. I'd rename this to specify the abundant step and monk loh, giving the ability to spend 2 extra ki to lower the ability by one step, 4 to lower by two steps.
Counter Sense: no way he should be able to make both an attack and a counter ability in response to an incoming attack.
Instead, I'd have the Ki Focus give up his flurry of blows ability, require Combat Reflexes instead, and get Karmic Strike or Robilar's Gambit as bonus feat, with the option of replacing the AoO with a Counter. If the Ki Focus runs out of AoOs, he can spend an additional 1 ki to get another one. Instead of having the class stack with FoB, stack unarmed damage, AC, abundant step.
Scorpion Parry seems nifty, but Disrupting Strike seems useless when you've got Stunning Fists to burn. Instead of a lesser SF, why not change it to being able to spend 1 additional ki to use another SF after the 1st per round.
Scything Blade too clunky with 2 rolls and one of them a fake attack, I'd just make a 2ki ability that allows you to take your AoO and treat it as a Cleave.
Comet Throw should work like Scorpion Parry to activate, 2ki, start with a 0' moved trip, +5' shift per each 5 over the CMD, dealing damage = to character's unarmed damage dice (no bonuses).
Tombstone Strike is about the level that you would've got Quivering Palm, so I'd make it 2ki usuable X/day and ditch the standard action requirement, possibly allowing the monk to use it as a standard action when not making a Counter.
Ki Blast: I'd change it to 2ki, standard action to make a single attack at the stated close spell range.
Hearing The Air: I'd get rid of the +5, blindsense is plenty awesome on its own.
Aura of Perfect Order: as a capstone, weak, let them take 11 on everything while in stance.
Block Chakras: How to randomly determine which ability? Simplify & amplify, make this a stunning fist upgrade that blocks all spells and spell-like abilities for some time.
Ki Mastery: I'd keep the ki powers operating even with empty pool, then give a flat +5 to +10 (or maybe wis bonus again?) bonus to ki pool, getting rid of the extra.
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Well some things I guess still need to be specified. If its a stance or a counter, it's from the ToB just modified slightly to work with the system I set up, so I don't really need an opinion on whether or not it's good, just whether or not it's balanced at the level you're getting it.
Now for your individual comments
Ki Focus: bad, adds all sorts of exploits, like training with the party for a minute to refill ki like 8hrs of rest. I'd nix it.
Um rest and or training do not equal combat, this ability specifies that it only works in combat, and I'm the DM playing with someone who isn't an a$!++#%, so I'm not going to have to deal with him trying to game it/exploit it. But even if I did, it's still specifically combat only.
Ki Surge: bad, too much. First off, would have to specify that you can only reduce it once. Second, if ki power includes attacks/counters, then no good at all. I'd rename this to specify the abundant step and monk loh, giving the ability to spend 2 extra ki to lower the ability by one step, 4 to lower by two steps.
You do have a good point about only allowing it to be used to reduce it one step. As for the counters, the ki expenditure isn't an action, so he can't reduce those with this ability, I already saw that abuse. Thanks for catching the idea that you can reduce it multiple steps, I'll fix that.
Counter Sense: no way he should be able to make both an attack and a counter ability in response to an incoming attack.
Instead, I'd have the Ki Focus give up his flurry of blows ability, require Combat Reflexes instead, and get Karmic Strike or Robilar's Gambit as bonus feat, with the option of replacing the AoO with a Counter. If the Ki Focus runs out of AoOs, he can spend an additional 1 ki to get another one. Instead of having the class stack with FoB, stack unarmed damage, AC, abundant step.
In order to attack and counter he would have to attack less than he could as a full attack and get hit by the enemy, and then hit them again. My player likes the ability and so do I, so unless there's a balance reason it doesn't work, I'm okay with it.
Scorpion Parry seems nifty, but Disrupting Strike seems useless when you've got Stunning Fists to burn. Instead of a lesser SF, why not change it to being able to spend 1 additional ki to use another SF after the 1st per round.
Scything Blade too clunky with 2 rolls and one of them a fake attack, I'd just make a 2ki ability that allows you to take your AoO and treat it as a Cleave.
Comet Throw should work like Scorpion Parry to activate, 2ki, start with a 0' moved trip, +5' shift per each 5 over the CMD, dealing damage = to character's unarmed damage dice (no bonuses).
Tombstone Strike is about the level that you would've got Quivering Palm, so I'd make it 2ki usuable X/day and ditch the standard action requirement, possibly allowing the monk to use it as a standard action when not making a Counter.
see above.
Ki Blast: I'd change it to 2ki,
standard action to make a single attack at the stated close spell range
why?.
Hearing The Air: I'd get rid of the +5, blindsense is plenty awesome on its own.
as with counters see above.
Block Chakras: How to randomly determine which ability? Simplify & amplify, make this a stunning fist upgrade that blocks all spells and spell-like abilities for some time.
that's actually not a bad idea, I'll have to think about that and what I want to do with it.
Ki Mastery: I'd keep the ki powers operating even with empty pool, then give a flat +5 to +10 (or maybe wis bonus again?) bonus to ki pool, getting rid of the extra.
Nah, I think that a flat increase is boring capstone and something I already did at level 1, as Ki Mastery is what I'm going for as the capstone ability of the class I'm not gonna turn it into a flat bonus, but interesting takes on the abilities or if it needs more gloss then I'm all ears.
Aura of Perfect Order: as a capstone, weak, let them take 11 on everything while in stance.
Well it's not a capstone, Ki mastery is the capstone, this like the other stances and the counters are stuff converted from the ToB and as such aren't really needing to be discussed because all we'll do is pick a different stance from the ToB, not create entirely new abilities.
Anyways, thanks for the feedback so far, please keep it coming.
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Fixed Ki Surge
Ki Surge: Once per round a spiritual focus may spend an additional ki point to lessen the action type of a ki ability by 1 step using the following graph: full round - standard - move - swift - free. You cannot reduce an ability more than one step even if you can reduce more than one per round.
Shouldn't Block Chakra's be WIS based instead of CHA based? That's what stunning fist and most monk abilities are based on.
Make his ki pool to over come damage (eg ki pool(adamantine)) progress at least at the same rate as a normal Monk, because that only makes sense.
Maybe give him Diamond Soul at high levels because a normal Monk would be getting it around that time and it helps him to deal with spellcasters he can't counterattack.