According to the description of Sin Monk:
Well of Sin (Su)
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This replaces ki pool and alters high jump.
If the character is currently using Monk of the Sacred Mountain, which has:
Iron Limb Defense (Ex)
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This ability replaces high jump.
Since Sin Monk does not actually replace high jump,
the condition "another archetype the character had before she became an ex-member of her class replaces the same ability as the ex-class archetype" is not satisfied. Therefore, "she can retain both archetypes as normal." Is that correct?
Frankly, even though the original text says "alters high jump," I can find no trace of high jump remaining.
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About Ex-Class Archetypes
This archetype can be taken by an ex-member of the indicated class immediately upon becoming an ex-member of that class, regardless of character level, replacing some or all of the lost class abilities. If another archetype the character had before she became an ex-member of her class replaces the same ability as the ex-class archetype, she loses the old archetype in favor of the new one; otherwise, she can retain both archetypes as normal.
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You haven't actually asked a specific question here...
I presume High Jump is the only ki point using class feature remaining for the Sin Monk and was intended to now read as one of the following:
At 5th level, a sin monk adds his level to all Acrobatics checks made to jump, both for vertical jumps and horizontal jumps. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki sin pool as a swift action, a sin monk gains a +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round.or At 5th level, a sin monk adds his level to all Acrobatics checks made to jump, both for vertical jumps and horizontal jumps. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, a monk gains a +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round.
I'm guessing the first reading is probably intended, but that is just a guess.
High Jump has an option to spend 1 Ki point to gain a bonus of +20 to your acrobatics roll for 1 round. Since a Sin Monk does not have any Ki to spend, they lose that option but can still gain the other benefits of High Jump. That is an alteration to High Jump, so you cannot retain both archetypes.
You haven't actually asked a specific question here...
My core question is: if I choose Sacred Mountain, can it coexist with Sin Monk?
Since Sin "alters" high jump rather than "replaces" it,there is no "replaces the same ability".
According to the description in About Ex-Class Archetypes, I "can retain both archetypes as normal".
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Comment - being an Ex-Monk would likely ban you from gaining more monk levels, including monk archetypes.
The EX-CLASS ARCHETYPES special rules specifically allow for further advancement in the monk class.
The specific issue is the line "If another archetype the character had before she became an ex-monk replaces the same ability as the ex-class archetype, she loses the old archetype in favor of the new one; otherwise, she can retain both archetypes as normal" only mentions replaced abilities and High Jump is only altered.
Personally, I'd probably read this as 'replaces or alters' to keep it in line with the 'as normal' archetype stacking rules.
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High Jump has an option to spend 1 Ki point to gain a bonus of +20 to your acrobatics roll for 1 round. Since a Sin Monk does not have any Ki to spend, they lose that option but can still gain the other benefits of High Jump. That is an alteration to High Jump, so you cannot retain both archetypes.
I agree with your reading, but that's some really weird writing in the archetype.
It seems like if High Jump is altered, the Sin Monk should also alter purity of body, diamond body, diamond soul, timeless body, tongue of the sun and moon. Any of which can be given up for a sin point, which is not a normal option for those class features.
Or, to come at from another direction, the Martial Artist gives up their ki pool as well but doesn't alter High Jump. So why does the Sin Monk?
From yet a third viewpoint: there are archetypes of other classes that would grant a multiclassed Sin Monk a ki pool. Nothing in the Sin Monk archetype explicitly says it takes away the ability to spend Ki for the +20 bonus, so that would still work. So that's no change to High Jump.
The writing explicitly says it alters High Jump, so it doesn't stack with Monk of the Sacred Mountain. However as a home game GM, I don't think it actually does alter High Jump. I'd let them stack.
The way I see it is that there is a difference between having a choice to give up a class feature and removing part of a class feature. In the case of high jump, the class feature is modified because part of it no longer works. The Sin Monk does not have any Ki points to spend therefore cannot use that option. In the case of the abilities the sin monk can trade they either retain the entire class feature or lose it completely.
To me a class feature is the ability your character gains, not the choice of which ability it gains. Once you choose the ability that chosen ability becomes the class feature. A good example would be a rouge talent. At 2nd level the rouge gains the ability to choose a rouge talent. Whatever talent the player chooses becomes the class feature. The ability to choose is a one-time (excluding retraining) option of the player, not a class feature.
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It seems like if High Jump is altered, the Sin Monk should also alter purity of body, diamond body, diamond soul, timeless body, tongue of the sun and moon. Any of which can be given up for a sin point, which is not a normal option for those class features.
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I seem to recall there was some sort of exception for 'optional' changes like this where they don't count as 'altered' for stacking purposes because you can just choose not to take the alternative option and keep everything working correctly: For instance, a Monk whose archetype loses Purity of Body who then becomes a Sin Monk just doesn't have the option to trade out Purity of Body again for Sin Points (as they don't have the feature anymore).
Real rusty on the specifics, though...
Ah, looks like it was linked in an earlier post: Monk: Can a qinggong monk take a second archetype if the character doesn't swap out abilities the second archetype requires?
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The way I see it is that there is a difference between having a choice to give up a class feature and removing part of a class feature. In the case of high jump, the class feature is modified because part of it no longer works. The Sin Monk does not have any Ki points to spend therefore cannot use that option.
See my second and third points. 2) The Martial Artist archetype doesn't have a ki pool either, but it doesn't modify High Jump. 3) There are other ways to get a ki pool (mainly archetypes of other classes) where you would have ki points to spend. Point 3 is the one that makes me think the author was trying to be thorough but ended up overthinking it.
If the author really wanted to remove the ability to spend ki points on High Jump, they needed to put in language like "A sin monk with the High Jump ability may not spend ki points to increase his Acrobatics check to jump, even if he gains a ki pool from another source." But that doesn't fit thematically, and it's certainly not in the printed text.
Far more likely is that the author was going through the list of monk abilities that require a ki pool. "I replaced wholeness of body, abundant step, and empty body. I didn't replace High Jump. They can use the first part but without ki points they can't increase the bonus. So that's something different from a base monk. I should write that it alters High Jump." That causes a multiclass blip. The sin monk still has the ability to spend ki points on High Jump, he just doesn't have any ki points to spend (without some other source). So High Jump isn't really altered, only Ki Pool.
In the case of the abilities the sin monk can trade they either retain the entire class feature or lose it completely.
To me a class feature is the ability your character gains, not the choice of which ability it gains. Once you choose the ability that chosen ability becomes the class feature. A good example would be a rouge talent. At 2nd level the rouge gains the ability to choose a rouge talent. Whatever talent the player chooses becomes the class feature. The ability to choose is a one-time (excluding retraining) option of the player, not a class feature.
The class feature is "Rogue Talents", not the individual talent selected. A rogue can't have two archetypes that both modify Rogue Talents, even if the only change both make is to give more options without taking anything away.
Archetype Stacking and Altering: What exactly counts as altering a class feature for the purpose of stacking archetypes?
In general, if a class feature grants multiple subfeatures, it’s OK to take two archetypes that only change two separate subfeatures. This includes two bard archetypes that alter or replace different bardic performances (even though bardic performance is technically a single class feature) or two fighter archetypes that replace the weapon training gained at different levels (sometimes referred to as “weapon training I, II, III, or IV”) even though those all fall under the class feature weapon training. However, if something alters the way the parent class feature works, such as a mime archetype that makes all bardic performances completely silent, with only visual components instead of auditory, you can’t take that archetype with an archetype that alters or replaces any of the sub-features. This even applies for something as small as adding 1 extra round of bardic performance each day, adding an additional bonus feat to the list of bonus feats you can select, or adding an additional class skill to the class. As always, individual GMs should feel free to houserule to allow small overlaps on a case by case basis, but the underlying rule exists due to the unpredictability of combining these changes.
The choice for a Sin Monk to give up Diamond Body (for example) to gain a point in his Sin Pool is an option that only exists because of his archetype. Therefore it's a alteration of Diamond Body.
I think you and I are mostly on the same page. It's clearly written in the archetype description "alters High Jump." So in a strictly RAW game like PFS I wouldn't allow Sin Monk and Monk of the Sacred Mountain to stack. But in a home game I would allow them to stack because there's no actual change to High Jump. And I'd also allow it to stack with changes to purity of body, diamond body, diamond soul, timeless body, and tongue of the sun and moon. The reason I listed those was to say "hey, why is the author saying that High Jump is modified but didn't call out these class features?" to point out that the archetype needs examination.