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A lot of people are talking about ways to fix the monk, and I've had an idea of how to do it for a while, so I figured now was as good a time as any to share.
Step One: Tear pages 57-60 out of the Core Rulebook. There is no such class as a "monk". Sounds like a cleric archetype to me. Also we've always been at war with Eastasia.
Step Two: Errata the following feats:
Improved Unarmed Strike now changes the damage die of your unarmed attacks to 1d6 (if Medium) and lets you add your full Strength bonus to your off-hand unarmed attacks as though you had Double Slice. You can use IUAS as the prereq for Two-Weapon Rend, but if you do so you can only Rend with unarmed attacks.
Stunning Fist and other feats like it are now usable a number of times per day equal to 3+ your Wisdom modifier.
Step Three: Add the following feats:
Greater Unarmed Strike
Prereq: BAB +3, Improved Unarmed Strike, STR 13
Your unarmed attacks gain a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls. For every 4 points of BAB you have, this bonus increases by 1, to a maximum of +5 at BAB +19.
Intuitive Reaction
Prereq: WIS 15, Sense Motive 1 rank, Survival 1 rank
As long as you are not wearing armor, add your WIS bonus to your AC and CMD. This bonus applies against touch attacks and even while you are flat-footed, but does not apply while you are paralyzed, helpless, or wearing armor of any kind.
Pre-emptive Defense
Prereq: Intuitive Reaction, Dodge
As a swift action, you can focus on your defense, gaining a +4 insight bonus to your AC until the beginning of your next turn. You may not use this feat under any circumstances in which the AC bonuses from Intuitive Reaction or Dodge do not apply.
Quivering Palm
Prereq: Stunning Fist, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
As a swift action, you may attempt to finish off an enemy whom you have hit with three or more melee attacks this turn. Make one additional unarmed attack, at your lowest BAB and including any penalties from TWF, fighting defensively, or otherwise, against your target's Touch AC. If successful, your target takes damage as normal and must make a Fortitude save (DC 10+your BAB+your WIS modifier) or die. This attack counts as one of your daily uses of Stunning Fist.
I know it's not perfect-- there's more work to be dome. But I feel like this could save unarmed combat as PF knows it, by opening it up to other martial classes. That's why I'm opening it up to the forums.
I'd love to come up with some rogue talents or rage powers that would compliment this idea, to allow different classes to go bare-knuckled in their own ways.
Thoughts?
Go make a Brawler (The fighter archetype.) That uses Dragon Style and Two weapon fighting. Unarmed combat is not the thing that is broken in this game. Damage output is not the issue.
~ Love, Chaotic Fighter using Shimesen's profile.