Character Classes

MONK

Alignment: Any lawful.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

The monk’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana/religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Table: The Monk

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the monk.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. A monk's class features occasionally refer to "special monk weapons": all weapons listed here are considered such.

Monks are proficient with light armor.

Chakra: A monk's strikes (see below) are powered by chakra-energy. A monk receives the amount listed on the table, plus their Wisdom modifier, on a daily basis. 8 hours of uninterrupted rest, meditation, or prayer recharges this amount.

Strikes: As part of an attack action, a monk may activate any strike she knows by spending one point of chakra. Unless otherwise indicated, a strike's effects endure until the beginning of her next turn. A monk may only have one strike active at any given time; should she activate two or more strikes on one turn, the most recent overrides the older strikes. Any strike that allows a saving throw has a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 monk level + Wis mod.

There are four tiers of strikes. First-level strikes become available upon the first level of the monk class. Fifth-level strikes are only available to fifth-level and higher monks. Tenth-level strikes are only available to tenth-level and higher monks. Fifteenth-level strikes are only available to fifteenth-level and higher monks.

A monk knows one strike at first level and acquires new strikes at the rate shown on the table. A monk recieves 'Stunning Fist' as a bonus strike at first level.

AC Bonus (Ex): A monk is trained to perceive and avoid attacks before they land. A monk receives her Wisdom modifier as an insight bonus to her Armor Class while wearing light or no armor, not carrying a medium or heavier load, and not using a shield.

Flurry of Blows (Ex): When wearing light or no armor, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to –1, and at 9th level it disappears. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.

When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). She may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies her Strength bonus (not Str bonus x 1-1/2 or x 1/2) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether she wields a weapon in one or both hands. The monk can’t use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.

In the case of the quarterstaff, each end counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using the flurry of blows ability. Even though the quarterstaff requires two hands to use, a monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes with quarterstaff strikes, assuming that she has enough attacks in her flurry of blows routine to do so.

Unarmed Strike: A monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat at first level. In addition, her unarmed strikes deal improved damage according to her level, as displayed on the table.

Furthermore, a monk who uses a special monk weapon uses either the weapon's base damage or her unarmed strike damage, whichever is higher.

Evasion (Ex): At second level or higher if a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Weapon Finesse: At second level, a monk gains the Weapon Finesse feat as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites.

Fast Movement (Ex): At third level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on the table. A monk in medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.

Still Mind (Ex): A monk of third level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.

Ki Strike (Su): At fourth level, a monk's unarmed attacks are empowered with ki . Her unarmed attacks and attacks with special monk weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character's monk level. At eighth level, her unarmed attacks and attacks with speical monk weapons are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At fourteenth level, her unarmed attacks and attacks with special monk weapons are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.

Purity of Body (Ex): At fifth level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.

Skill Mastery: The monk becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions.

Upon gaining this ability at seventh level, she selects two skills. When making a skill check with one of these skills, she may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. She selects an additional two skills at eleventh, fifteenth, and nineteenth levels.

Diamond Body (Su): At tenth level, a monk's mastery of her own physiology improves. She receives immunity to poison and also gains Spell Resistance equal to 14 plus her monk level.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At tenth level, a monk's evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Athletic Avoidance (Ex): At thirteenth level, in any round in which she utilizes either the Spring Attack feat or makes a Tumble check to successfully avoid an attack of opportunity, she receives a 20% miss chance on melee attacks made against her until her next turn.

Clear Mind (Su): At seventeenth level, a monk's mastery over her inner self is complete. She is affected as if continuously under a mind blank spell with a caster level equal to her monk level.

Improved Athletic Avoidance (Ex): At twentieth level, the monk becomes so capable of perceiving her foes' attacks before they make them that she is able to avoid them with preternatural ease. Whenever her Athletic Avoidance ability would grant her a miss chance, it grants her 50% instead of 20%.

STRIKES

Level 1 strikes

• Gentle Fist: This strike allows a monk to overcome her target's damage reduction. She subtracts her Wisdom modifier from her target's damage reduction before determining her damage. Her attacks also ignore miss chance from incorporeality (but not any other form of miss chance).

• Forceful Form: This strike allows a monk to push her foes back with the force of her attacks. Whenever striking a foe, the monk may immediately begin a bull rush. She does not provoke an attack of opportunity for this bull-rush. She forgoes all other attacks in this round, but gains a +2 bonus on the bull-rush check per attack lost in this fashion. If she succeeds in the bull-rush, she may move her foe as far as her check would allow, but she does not need to move with her target.

• Nervestrike: This strike allows a monk to knock out her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save or fall asleep for 1d3+1 rounds. This strike only affects targets vulnerable to critical hits.

• Sickening Grasp: This strike allows a monk to sicken her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save or be rendered sickened for 1d3+1 rounds.

• Stunning Fist: This strike allows a monk to stun her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save or become stunned for 1 round.

• Terrifying Onslaught: This strike allows a monk to terrify her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save or be rendered shaken for 1d3+1 rounds. Multiple applications of this strike do not stack.

• Throat Punch: This strike allows a monk to silence her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Reflex save or be rendered unable to speak for one minute. This strike only affects targets vulnerable to critical hits.

Level 5 strikes

• Addling Strike: This strike allows a monk to confuse her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save or become confused (as the spell) for 1d3 rounds.

• Dayburst Fist: This strike causes a monk to deal extra damage to undead creatures and blind nearby creatures. The monk forgoes all other attacks in the round when making using this strike. A bright flare bursts from the monk's fist on her attack, permanently blinding creatures who fail a Fortitude save within 15'. If the target of the strike is undead, they take 1d6 extra damage per two monk levels (no save).

• Eagle Talon: This strike allows a monk to greatly damage objects. Any object struck while this strike is active--including during a sunder attempt--takes double damage.

• Eviscerating Slash: This strike allows a monk to overcome her foe's defenses. The monk's attacks this round are considered of a damage type that overcomes their foe's regeneration ability (if they have it) and damage reduction of the following types: DR/adamantine, DR/mithril, DR/cold iron, DR/magic, and DR/silver.

• Fiery Fist: This strike coats a monk's attacks in a wreath of flame. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Reflex save or take an additional 1d6 fire damage, plus 1d6 fire damage per three monk levels (2d6 total at fifth level, 3d6 at sixth, 4d6 at ninth, etc).

• Forcewind: This strike allows a monk to attack her foes from a distance. The monk may use her melee attacks as ranged attacks this round, with a 10' range increment. For purposes of determining damage and utilizing feats, she treats her attacks as if they were thrown weapons.

• Impeding Attack: This strike allows a monk to hinder her foe's movement. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save or be affected as if by the slow spell for 1d3+1 rounds.

• Pain Touch: This strike allows a monk to damage her foes over time. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save or take an additional 1d6 damage (plus 1d6 damage per four monk levels) on the round following the attack. This strike only affects targets vulnerable to critical hits. Multiple applications of this strike do not stack.

• Paralyzing Touch: This strike allows a monk to paralyze her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save or be paralyzed for 1 round. This strike only affects targets vulnerable to critical hits.

• Salvo: This strike allows a monk to randomly damage her foe's capabilities. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save or take 1d2 damage to a random ability score. This strike only affects targets vulnerable to critical hits.

Level 10 strikes

• Arcane Recoil: This strike allows a monk to damage foes that are currently under the effects of arcane magic. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save or take damage equal to the total caster level of all active spells (not magical items) upon them. For instance, an opponent under the effects of a bull's strength spell cast by an eighth-level caster would take eight extra points of damage. Similarly, an opponent under the effects of a shield spell and a mage armor spell, both cast by a fifteenth-level spellcaster would take 15 points of damage from each spell, for a total of 30 extra points of damage.

• Destructive Touch: This strike allows a monk to ruin wood and metal objects. Any object struck while this strike is active is affected as if by a warp wood or rusting grasp spell (chosen upon activation), with a caster level equal to the monk's class level.

• Envenomed Strike: This strike allows a monk to poison her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save or be affected as if by the poison spell, with a caster level equal to the monk's class level.

• Metabolic Unbalancing: This strike allows a monk to make her foe into a ticking time bomb. Upon activating this strike, the monk forgoes all other attacks in this round: she receives a +1 bonus on the DC of this ability for each attack she forgoes in this fashion. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save. If they fail this save and they are reduced to 0 or less HP within 1d4+1 rounds, they explode in a gigantic ball of fire. Treat this explosion as a fireball spell with a caster level equal to one-third the target's hit dice. A creature slain in this fashion cannot be reanimated or resurrected by anything short of a limited wish, wish, or miracle spell: there simply isn't enough left to reanimate.

• Opening the Weak Spot: This strike allows a monk to weaken her foe's defenses. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Reflex save or have their Damage Reduction and Spell Resistance be halved for 1 round.

• Plaguegrasp: This strike allows a monk to disesae her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save or be affected as if by the contagion spell, with a caster level equal to the monk's class level.

• Roots of the Earth: This strike allows a monk to immobilize her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Reflex save or be immobilized for 1d4+1 rounds. Further, they are affected as if by a dimensional anchor spell, with a caster level equal to the monk's class level.

• Spellreaving Fist: This strike allows a monk to dispel magic on her foes. Any creature struck by this strike is affected as if by a targeted dispel magic spell, with a caster level equal to the monk's class level. The monk forgoes all other attacks in this round upon activating this strike. She receives a +2 bonus on her dispel check for each attack she forgoes in this fashion.

• Spell Theft: This strike allows a monk to take an ongoing magical effect from her opponent for herself. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save. If they fail, the monk may select one ongoing spell effect from her opponent, remove its effects from them, and apply them to herself. The original caster, remaining duration, and other variables remain unchanged: only the target is changed.

Level 15 strikes

• Arcane Denial: This strike allows a monk to strip arcane spellcasting ability from her foes. Upon activating this strike, she forgoes any other attack she would make in this round. This strike receives a +1 bonus on its save DC for each attack forgone in this manner. Any foe struck by this strike must make a Will save or lose the ability to cast arcane spells for 1d4 rounds.

• Divine Interdiciton: This strike allows a monk to strip divine spellcasting ability from her foes. Upon activating this strike, she forgoes any other attack she would make in this round. This strike receives a +1 bonus on its save DC for each attack forgone in this manner. Any foe struck by this strike must make a Will save or lose the ability to cast divine spells for 1d4 rounds.

• Frozen in Time: This strike allows a monk to freeze her foes in time. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Will save or be affected as if by the temporal stasis spell, with a caster level equal to the monk's class level.

• Quivering Palm: This strike allows a monk to slay her foes. Any foe struck while this strike is active must make a Fortitude save or be struck dead.