The Monk Reborn - A Fully Rewritten Monk for 3.5

[Ziegander]

The Monk

"Your worldly possessions weigh you down and slow your mind. Witness truly unrestrained fighting spirit!" - Hwainyn, Human Monk.

Hit Dice: d8

Saving Throws: Good Fort, Good Ref, Good Will.

Alignment: Any.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Unfettered Dmg/Spd/AC|M.Known|M.Ready|Stances

1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+2|Unfettered, Still Mind|
1d6/+10/+2|
3|
3|
0

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+3|Evasion|
1d6/+10/+2|
4|
3|
0

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+3|Slowfall|
1d8/+10/+2|
5|
4|
1

4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+4|Ki Strike (magic)|
1d8/+20/+3|
5|
4|
1

5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+4|Heaven Opener|
1d8/+20/+3|
6|
4|
1

6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+5|
+5|Diamond Soul|
1d10/+20/+3|
6|
5|
2

7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+5|Free Stride|
1d10/+20/+4|
7|
5|
2

8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+6|
+6|Mettle|
1d10/+30/+4|
7|
5|
2

9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+6|Abundant Step|
1d10/+30/+4|
8|
5|
2

10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+7|
+7|Empty Self|
2d6/+30/+4|
8|
6|
2

11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+7|
+7|Ki Strike (metallic)|
2d6/+30/+5|
9|
6|
3

12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+8|
+8|Mental Reach|
2d6/+40/+5|
9|
6|
3

13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+8|
+8|Sight Beyond Sight|
2d6/+40/+5|
10|
6|
3

14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+9|
+9|On the Breeze|
2d8/+40/+5|
10|
6|
3

15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+9|
+9|Tongues of the Sun and Moon|
2d8/+40/+6|
11|
7|
3

16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+10|
+10|Ascetic Curtain|
2d8/+50/+6|
11|
7|
4

17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+10|Zen Perception|
2d8/+50/+6|
12|
7|
4

18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+11|
+11|Ki Strike (epic)|
2d10/+50/+6|
12|
7|
4

19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+11|
+11|Astral Body|
2d10/+50/+7|
13|
7|
4

20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+12|
+12|Perfect Self|
2d10/+60/+7|
13|
7|
4[/table]

Class Skills (4+Int): Climb, Craft, Escape Artist, Jump, Knowledge (Arcana/Religion), Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, and Tumble (See maneuvers).

Proficiencies: All simple weapons, no armors, no shields (See maneuvers).

Maneuvers: Choose any two martial disciplines as outlined in the Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. You have access to the maneuvers and stances of the two chosen disciplines. You add the favored skill of your chosen disciplines to your skill list (if it isn't there already), and become proficient with the favored weapons of your chosen disciplines (if you weren't already). You ready and recover your maneuvers as a Swordsage.

Unfettered (Ex): As long as a Monk wears no armor or shield, and carries no more than a light load, he benefits from the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, his unarmed strikes deal more damage than normal, and he gains a bonus to his land speed and AC, as shown in the table above, and on top of that adds his Wisdom modifier as a bonus to his AC. The bonus to AC from this ability applies both to the Monk's Touch AC and Flatfooted AC.

Still Mind (Ex): A Monk gains a +3 bonus to will saves vs Charm, Compulsion, and Fear effects. This bonus increases by +1 at 3rd level and every three levels thereafter.

Evasion (Ex): 2nd level.

Slowfall (Su): A Monk of 3rd level or higher may, as an immediate action, lose the benefit of any stance he is currently in to enter the Slowfall stance. While in this stance, the Monk ignores all falling damage, and falls no more than 60ft per round, and may elect to fall less than that, to as few as 10ft, if he wishes.

Ki Strike (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a Monk's unarmed strikes overcome damage reduction as if they were magical weapons. This ability improves at 11th level allowing his unarmed strikes to overcome damage reduction as if they were silvered, cold iron, and adamantine. This ability improves once more at 18th level allowing his unarmed strikes to overcome even Epic damage reduction.

Heaven Opener (Su): Starting at 5th level, a Monk can expend a readied maneuver of 3rd level or higher to gain a Fly speed equal to his land speed with average maneuverability for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 his Wisdom modifier. This ability can't be used if the Monk doesn't benefit from his Unfettered bonuses to unarmed damage, speed, and AC.

Diamond Soul (Ex): Starting at 6th level, a Monk gains spell resistance equal to 5+his Wisdom modifier+his class level.

Free Stride (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a Monk can spend a swift action to gain the benefits of the Freedom of Movement spell for 1 round. This ability can't be used if the Monk doesn't benefit from his Unfettered bonuses to unarmed damage, speed, and AC.

Mettle (Ex): 8th level.

Abundant Step (Su): Starting at 9th level, as a swift or immediate action, a Monk can expend a readied of 5th level or higher to teleport up to a distance equal to 1/2 his Unfettered speed bonus. This ability can't be used if the Monk doesn't benefit from his Unfettered bonuses to unarmed damage, speed, and AC.

Empty Self (Su): Starting at 10th level, as as swift action, a Monk may choose to lose the benefits of any stance of 3rd level or higher that he is currently in to enter the Empty Self stance. While in this stance the Monk is considered Ethereal during his turns, and he may expend a readied maneuver to extend this benefit until the beginning of his next turn. This ability can't be used if the Monk doesn't benefit from his Unfettered bonuses to unarmed damage, speed, and AC.

Mental Reach (Su): Starting at 12th level, a Monk gains telepathy out to 50ft and as a standard action can duplicate the effects of the Detect Thoughts spell as a supernatural ability against a creature within his telepathy at will.

Sight Beyond Sight (Su): Starting at 13th level, a Monk can expend a readied maneuver of 7th level or higher to gain the benefits of True Seeing until the beginning of his next turn.

On The Breeze (Ex): Starting at 14th level, as as swift action, a Monk may choose to lose the benefits of any stance of 5th level or higher he is in to enter the On The Breeze stance. While in this stance, the Monk gains the benefits of Improved Evasion. This ability can't be used if the Monk doesn't benefit from his Unfettered bonuses to unarmed damage, speed, and AC.

Tongues of the Sun and Moon (Su): Starting at 15th level, a Monk can speak with any living creature, and is able to communicate even complex ideas to living creatures of negligible intelligence, such as animals or even vermin.

Ascetic Curtain (Su): Starting at 16th level, as a swift action, a Monk can expend a readied maneuver of 8th level or higher to issue forth an Antimagic Field effect as the spell for which lasts a number of rounds equal to 1/2 his Wisdom modifier, with the exception that the Field doesn't effect the Monk's possessions or class features. This ability can't be used if the Monk doesn't benefit from his Unfettered bonuses to unarmed damage, speed, and AC.

Zen Perception (Ex): Starting at 17th level, a Monk constantly benefits from a Foresight effect, as the spell.

Astral Body (Su): Starting at 19th level, Monks can slip in and out of reality with a moment's thought. As a swift action, and by expending a readied maneuver of 8th level or higher, if the Monk is on a Plane which is coterminous with the Astral Plane, the Monk may choose to lose the benefits of any stance of 8th level or higher that he is currently in to enter the Astral Body stance. Upon entering this stance the Monk travels to the Astral Plane. Leaving this stance returns him to the Plane he was on before entering the stance. This ability can't be used if the Monk doesn't benefit from his Unfettered bonuses to unarmed damage, speed, and AC.

Improved Mettle (Ex): Removed for now.

Perfect Self (Ex): At 20th level, a Monk's body, mind, and soul are so finely tuned with extraordinary talent and supernatural power that he can no longer be considered mortal. He becomes an Outsider rather than his normal creature type native to the Dreamscape (the closest thing to Nirvana I could think of), gains Fast Healing 10, along with the ability to reattach lost limbs as if he had the Regeneration ability. Further, if the Monk is slain, he is automatically returned to life 1 week later within the Dreamscape, as if through the combined efforts of Wish and True Resurrection, even if his body had been entirely destroyed. A Monk of this level is able to navigate freely within the Dreamscape, but must have other means of travel if he means to leave the plane itself.

[Signmaker]

Uhm...

No offense, but it seems as if you threw everything people said that monks lack in to a blender, with a really really blunt blade, pushed the button, and waited to see if what popped out was a smoothie.

I'm of the opinion that this is far too much 'stuff' for one class, and that this is not, in fact, a smoothie. It's closer to the normal monk, with ToB, full attack, Flight, Mettle, and a few other random class abilities from other classes.

Edit: I highly suggest you fix Diamond Soul. Being conservative (a +3 Wis mod at 6th level), that's SR21. At 6th level.

[Ziegander]

No offense, but it seems as if you threw everything people said that monks lack in to a blender, with a really really blunt blade, pushed the button, and waited to see if what popped out was a smoothie.

No offense taken. This class wasn't designed with the thoughts or comments of any "people" taken into consideration, but rather, I simply sought to create a highly supernatural warrior class built around the concepts of unarmed/unarmored fighting, and perfection of mind, body, and soul.


I'm of the opinion that this is far too much 'stuff' for one class, and that this is not, in fact, a smoothie. It's closer to the normal monk, with ToB, full attack, Flight, Mettle, and a few other random class abilities from other classes.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. Just so you know however, the other class abilities were not randomly thrown in there. Mettle is a natural extension of the perfection of mind/soul concept, as well as the Still Mind class feature. Mental Reach represents the Monk applying his ability to physically cross great distances to the mental sphere. Ascetic Curtain represents the Monk's attempt to use supernatural power to enforce his simple, unfettered lifestyle on the world around him.


Edit: I highly suggest you fix Diamond Soul. Being conservative (a +3 Wis mod at 6th level), that's SR21. At 6th level.

I know what it is. That's exactly where I want the SR. It's very easy for casters to boost CL, and easier to boost it just to break SR. Further, many spells simply do not allow SR.

[Ziegander]

The class has gone through substantial revisions, while keeping most of the features it had from the beginning, several have been edited, fixed, or tweaked in some way.

[Realms of Chaos]

An interesting approach to fixing the monk.

Seeing as there is no flurry of blows to worry about, the full BAB looks appropriate.
Also, maneuvers look nice with this class as the monk never had much of an offensive arsenal to begin with (other than quivering palm).

The fact that speed and AC bonuses are granted at 1st level definitely help the class and the way that you condensed so many class features into the unfettered class feature is really slick.

Heaven Opener should designate a maneuverability for your flight.

Also, as has been pointed out, Diamond soul is a bit insane when you get is at 6th level (although it mellows out by higher levels). Perhaps it would be better written as SR 5 + Wis modifier + class level. After all, SR 15 is much better than SR 21-22.
Another thinng to note is that, barring retraining, it is impossible to use Empty Self until 11th level (when you get a new stance that can be of the requisite level).
Perfect self seems a bit extreme, all things considered. DR 5/-, energy resistance (all) 10, and fast healing 1 (plus regeneration of limbs) would be more than enough to justify it as a class feature. Strangely, once the monk is revived in their dreamscape, they can only escape via their astral body class feature.

[Ziegander]

An interesting approach to fixing the monk.

Thanks for the compliments, and you bring up some great points. Time to address them!


Heaven Opener should designate a maneuverability for your flight.

Indeed! Average seems appropriate to me, but what do you think?


Also, as has been pointed out, Diamond soul is a bit insane when you get is at 6th level (although it mellows out by higher levels). Perhaps it would be better written as SR 5 + Wis modifier + class level. After all, SR 15 is much better than SR 21-22.

It is not "insane," although I have been trying to think of how to write it in order to make it more manageable at low level, while maintaining the same result at higher levels. So, thanks, your suggestion is perfect.


Another thinng to note is that, barring retraining, it is impossible to use Empty Self until 11th level (when you get a new stance that can be of the requisite level).

Yep. I'll have to tweak this one again.



Perfect self seems a bit extreme, all things considered. DR 5/-, energy resistance (all) 10, and fast healing 1 (plus regeneration of limbs) would be more than enough to justify it as a class feature. Strangely, once the monk is revived in their dreamscape, they can only escape via their astral body class feature.

On the one hand, I feel that it's a 20th level class feature and should be appropriately powerful and rewarding. On the other hand, it's a 20th level class feature and as such... does it really even matter what it does? And if not, why do I care about it so much. :smallwink:

You make a good point about the dreamscape though. I'll have to take another look at the whole Outsider bit and the auto-res clause.