JAM’s Hybrid Archetype Guide: The Monk

[asdffghjkl01]

Sin Monk can stack with:
Black Asp
Far Strike Monk
Flowing Monk
Harrow Warden
Invested Regent
Maneuver Master
Monk of the Empty Hand
Scaled Fist
Sensei (somewhat ironically)
Zen Archer

Bonus info: This archetype does not stack well with Quinggong as you can't spend sin points for abilities that require ki points

[Moonheart]

666bender wrote:

Great guide,a few notes:

1.no Sohei? (or done I with a full mount)?

Sohei is one of those archetypes you rarely find explained in a class guide, simply because it completly shift the base paradigms of the base class.

Almost everything you can write for another monk isn't true for a sohei, and almost everything you can write for a sohei isn't true for another monk.
I'm currently theorycrafting a Sohei build and I'm amazed how much you just DON'T feel at all like a monk once you started.

Some other exemples of archetypes like this are:
- the Dawnflower Dervish (Bard)
- the Holy Tactician (Paladin)
- the Phantom Blade (Spiritualist)

Those archetypes are like classes on their own, and would need their own guides.

[asdffghjkl01]

The Sohei Monk is a pretty hefy archetype that does transform the class into something almost completely new. It is a very good archetype and you do keep a couple monk abilities, but it almost feels like a Samurai rather than a monk

[JAMRenaissance]

Sohei and Zen Archer stack with almost nothing. Hence, they get mentioned in the "These archetypes change enough to make it a completely different class" group (with Tetori) and then basically not mentioned again.

Wow Paizo has been hooking the monk up! Thanks zer0darkfire; I credited you for the Nornkith, Sin Monk, and Nimble Guardian. It's going to take a moment for me to update the document, but I do have my workload set: Elemental Monk, Hellcat, Menhir Guardian, Wasteland Militant, Water Dancer, and Treetop Monk are all on the agenda to add in! I'll hopefully have the document updated in the next week or so.

[asdffghjkl01]

No problem @JamRenaissance, this is one of my favorite documents and I look at it quite often. Adding archetype compatibilities here lets me store them somewhere and contribute to a public resource. Thanks for all your work!

[asdffghjkl01]

Actually, having now reread sin monk/zen archer, I don't think they stack, my bad.

[JAMRenaissance]

OK, with Pathfinder 2.0 announced, I decided to come back into this and try to move towards a "final" version. Here's my update:

* All new archetypes should now be in, though obviously the more eyes to doublecheck the compatibility the better.

* The Peaceful Sensei has been given its own section. After playing with the build a few times I'm pretty convinced it is up there with the Zen Archers and Tetoris, with utility as the shining point rather than attacking... at least past level three. I have yet to try it out at first level, and I admit I do suspect it would have a tough time then.

* I noted a number of modular "add-ons" that are sets of things that synergize well with any monk. Healing/Condition Removal, Martial Flexibility, Psychic Abilities, Specialized Equipment, and a very convenient one level dip (Reliquarian Occultist) are all analyzed.

I don't anticipate this to be "final", but I suspect that there won't be a lot more new monk archetypes coming...