In a rush of random inspiration I wanted to create a monk archetype that threw out much of the eastern, or shaolin elements. Gone is Slow Fall, unarmed strike and increased base speed. Even gone is the Ki Pool.
The Monastic Monk is a scholar and a master of simple weapons. These monks follow the same alignment restrictions as Clerics and they gain divine power which they use internally rather than casting spells.
What I have so far theoretically works decently well for levels 1-10, but since the class lacks some of those later ki abilities there are alot of blank levels up there.
I also feel I need to create an ability which functions as the "heart" of the class. I feel that taking away the ki abilities creates a class that's sort of paladin, sort of bard and sort of inquisitor/cleric.
Class skills: The following are the class skills of the Monastic Monk.
Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all), Perception (Wis), Profession (Int), Linguistics (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device
Weapon Proficiencies: Monastic monks are proficient with all simple weapons, but no armor or shields.
Sense Magic: At 1st level a monk can Sense Magic as the spell at will. This ability replaces unarmed strike.
Domain: At 1st level monastic monk may choose one cleric domain. The monk gains only the ability from this domain and gains no spellcasting from this ability. This ability replaces flurry of blows, evasion, and improved evasion.
Breadth of Knowledge: At 1st level, a monastic monk gains a bonus on Knowledge skill checks equal to half her class level (minimum +1) and can make Knowledge skill checks untrained.
Scribe Scroll: At 2nd level a monastic monk gains the feat Scribe Scroll. Even though they do not cast divine spells a monastic monk may scribe any scroll from the Cleric spell list, including any bonus spells from his domain. A monastic monk uses his monk levels as Cleric levels for the purpose of creating scrolls.
Lay on Hands: At 4th level a monastic monk may use the ability Lay on Hands as a paladin of his monk level -2. This ability replaces Wholeness of Body, Ki pool, slow fall, high jump, abundant step, quivering palm, timeless body and empty body.
The Breadth of Knowledge and Scribe Scroll and the Domain are certainly not worth replacing Flurry of Blows, imo. I can see the Evasions getting replaced, but not Flurry with that.
Lay on Hands does certainly not replace every other monk ability out there. Easily Slow Fall and High Jump, but not everything else. Just no. The "______ Body" features should stay with the archetype, as should the Ki Pool (but at a much reduced rate). Maybe have the Lay on Hands be activated by 2 Ki Points, much like Wholeness of Body, if you wish to replace it.
To fit the flavor, Quivering Palm and Abundant Step should probably be replaced, but I'm not sure with what.
Monastic Monks still train, maybe with staffs and simple weapons, and should not have Flurry replaced. IMO
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Friar
Class skills: The following are the class skills of the Friar.
Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all), Perception (Wis), Profession (Int), Linguistics (Int), and Sense Motive (Wis)
Weapon Proficiencies: Friar's are proficient with all simple weapons, but no armor or shields. They are also proficient with their deity's weapon, if applicable.
Cudgel Master : Whenever the friar is using a staff or cudgel (club), the friar treats his BAB as his level of Friar. This ability replaces Improved Unarmed Strike.
Staff Master : A friar becomes an expert in using his walking stick as a weapon. A friar gains the Two-Weapon Fighting feat for free at 1st level, but may only apply it to either a staff being used as a double weapon, or when using two cudgels (clubs). At 8th level, the Friary gains the Improved Two-Weapon feat, with the same restrictions. The Friar does not need to meet the pre-requisites for these feats. This replaces Flurry of Blows
Brew master : Friars are reknown as brewmasters, and gain the Brew Potion feat at 1st level, they do not need to meet the pre-requisites for this feat. A friar may use Craft (Alchemy) to craft any cleric potion as if he had the Master Craftsman feat. His caster level for determining what level of potions he can make is equal to his levels in Friar. This replaces stunning fist.
Lay on Hands : At level 3 friar gains the ability to sooth and heal with a touch, just as a Paladin. His effective Paladin level is equal to his Friar level - 2. His ability to lay on hands uses his Wisdom, not his Charisma, to determine the strength and number of uses per day. This ability replaces Fast Movement, Slow Fall, and Still Mind.
Mercy : At 6th level, the friar gains the ability to apply mercies to his Lay On Hands ability, like a Paladin. His effective Paladin level for this is his Friar level - 2. This replaces Ki Pool.
That's all I can come up with while half asleep. But it's a good start. This gives a more Friar Tuck vibe.
Western monk already exists, called the "Cleric" hth
I am not skilled with mechanics but I do like fluff.
As most fantasy worlds are Pantheistic it is difficult to wedge the fighting Monk based off the Christian west into such a world. Especially when the fighting monks were the Templars, and Hospitilars more accustomed to wearing chain-mail and fighting from horseback.
Within western civilization before the rise of Christianity in the schools (Gymnasia as they were know) of ancient Greece and Rome you had the Greek Philosophers.
The Ancient Greeks were masters of mind and body believed in perfecting both. They were also less internally focused as the Asian philosophers actively seeking scientific answers to the nature world that surrounded them.
The Greeks also had 3 martial arts Boxing, Wrestling and All forms (or All fighting).
Below are some fighting schools based loosely on the real world Greek Schools of Philosophy. These schools did clash and sometimes violently.
The Milesian school - held that all things arise from water.
Their fighting style could favor combat maneuvers and grapples and bull-rushes simulating water.
Xenophanes school - Claimed there was one god and that god was the world. They would possibly good at resisting illusions and divine magic.
Pythagoreanism - The followers of Pythagoras believed in balancing the rational and the divine - they saw divinity in mathematics. They may be good at calculating distance (dropping range penalties), jumping and so on.
Heraclitus - Heraclitus taught that "everything flows" or "everything is in flux," the closest element to this flux being fire; he also extended the teaching that seeming opposites in fact are manifestations of a common substrate to good and evil itself. Fast furious attacks
Eleatic philosophy - Motion did not exist and all things travel in opposite directions and that there is only thought and nothing else. Their style could be based around resistance to charm and immovability.
Stoicism - The Stoics believed that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.
Epicurus - believed that the greatest good was to seek modest pleasures in order to attain a state of tranquility (ataraxia) and freedom from fear, as well as absence of bodily pain (aponia) through knowledge of the workings of the world and the limits of one's desires. Maybe DR
I'd play that, mdt.
Thanks. I've always liked Friar Tuck, an archetype that gives him most of what he does is hard to argue with.
I think most of the rest of the monk abilities (other than wisdom to AC) could probably be traded out for the paladin spell progression, gained at the same time a Paladin does. So, sort of a pallymonk. :)
Friar
Class skills: The following are the class skills of the Friar.
Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all), Perception (Wis), Profession (Int), Linguistics (Int), and Sense Motive (Wis)Weapon Proficiencies: Friar's are proficient with all simple weapons, but no armor or shields. They are also proficient with their deity's weapon, if applicable.
Cudgel Master : Whenever the friar is using a staff or cudgel (club), the friar treats his BAB as his level of Friar. This ability replaces Improved Unarmed Strike.
Staff Master : A friar becomes an expert in using his walking stick as a weapon. A friar gains the Two-Weapon Fighting feat for free at 1st level, but may only apply it to either a staff being used as a double weapon, or when using two cudgels (clubs). At 8th level, the Friary gains the Improved Two-Weapon feat, with the same restrictions. The Friar does not need to meet the pre-requisites for these feats. This replaces Flurry of Blows
Brew master : Friars are reknown as brewmasters, and gain the Brew Potion feat at 1st level, they do not need to meet the pre-requisites for this feat. A friar may use Craft (Alchemy) to craft any cleric potion as if he had the Master Craftsman feat. His caster level for determining what level of potions he can make is equal to his levels in Friar. This replaces stunning fist.
Lay on Hands : At level 3 friar gains the ability to sooth and heal with a touch, just as a Paladin. His effective Paladin level is equal to his Friar level - 2. His ability to lay on hands uses his Wisdom, not his Charisma, to determine the strength and number of uses per day. This ability replaces Fast Movement, Slow Fall, and Still Mind.
Mercy : At 6th level, the friar gains the ability to apply mercies to his Lay On Hands ability, like a Paladin. His effective Paladin level for this is his Friar level - 2. This replaces Ki Pool.
That's all I can come up with while half asleep. But it's a good start....
Stolen for future use.
I may be going out on a limb, and probably some will not like the suggestion, but look at the friar class from Dark Ages of Camelot MMO. They used staffs as their main weapon, and there may be other abilities that provide inspiration. A class description should be availabe for free via the web.