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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Class Yet Another Monk Fix (YAM Fix)



Outdated_Meme
2014-07-07, 10:50 AM
"Raised in monasteries, monks are taught discipline from a young age. They master the power of their minds, their bodies and even their souls. They call upon divine power, not from gods, but from their own selves. They may seem arrogant and aloof to you or I, but their confidence is well-placed and they are perhaps more grounded than the two of us combined."

This is an idea I've been playing around with for a long time. Basically, the core monk is an inelegant class. It's also a relatively weak class, but what pains me so much is how clumsy it is. All the monk abilities seem thrown together without much rhyme or reason, as though all the generic Eastern-themed class abilities had to be straddled onto this poor class's back.

So I tried to come up with a way to smooth this out, to retain a lot of those abilities, whilst making it less messy compared to other core classes. I also tried as hard as possible to veer away from anything too blatantly Eastern-inspired, as that's where I felt that a lot of the problems were coming from. I wanted something either culturally generic or something that would fit in with the vaugely European feel of the other core classes.

Umm... but making a Western monk wasn't my guiding principle. I was actually trying to make a jack of all trades, similar to a bard, but more selfish. That's the niche that this monk fills. Not able to work well within a group, but able to excel on their own.

Whilst this, and perhaps a lot of other monk abilities, might seem overpowered, keep in mind that the monk still suffers from MAD to a large extent. Wisdom, Dexterity, Strength and Constitution all have varying levels of importance to the monk. As such, I tried to pump up the class abilities to compensate for that. The fact that I'm unsure how well this worked is why I'm sharing it here to get feedback.

Anyway, none of this preramble is all that important. All you need to know is that the monk's role (in theory) is to act as something of an all-rounder, not vital to the party, but still more than able to carry their own weight.


The Monk

Alignment: Any lawful.
Starting Age: Complex.
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (8 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at each Level: 8 + Int modifier.



Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
1st
2nd
3rd
4th


1st
+1
+2
+2
+2
Uncanny Insight
-
-
-
-


2nd
+2
+3
+3
+3
Evasion
-
-
-
-


3rd
+3
+3
+3
+3

-
-
-
-


4th
+4
+4
+4
+4
Perfect Heart
0
-
-
-


5th
+5
+4
+4
+4

0
-
-
-


6th
+6/+1
+5
+5
+5
Mettle
1
-
-
-


7th
+7/+2
+5
+5
+5

1
-
-
-


8th
+8/+3
+6
+6
+6
Perfect Body
1
0
-
-


9th
+9/+4
+6
+6
+6

1
0
-
-


10th
+10/+5
+7
+7
+7
Spell Resistance
1
1
-
-


11th
+11/+6/+1
+7
+7
+7

1
1
0
-


12th
+12/+7/+2
+8
+8
+8
Perfect Mind
1
1
1
-


13th
+13/+8/+3
+8
+8
+8

1
1
1
-


14th
+14/+9/+4
+9
+9
+9
Improved Evasion
2
1
1
0


15th
+15/+10/+5
+9
+9
+9

2
1
1
1


16th
+16/+11/+6/+1
+10
+10
+10
Perfect Youth
2
2
1
1


17th
+17/+12/+7/+2
+10
+10
+10

2
2
2
1


18th
+18/+13/+8/+3
+11
+11
+11
Improved Mettle
3
2
2
1


19th
+19/+14/+9/+4
+11
+11
+11

3
3
3
2


20th
+20/+15/+10/+5
+12
+12
+12
Perfect Soul
3
3
3
3




Class Features

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies
A monk is proficient with the club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff and sling.

Monks are not proficient with any armour or shields.

A monk wearing armour or carrying a shield loses many of their monk abilities.


Uncanny Insight (Ex)
A monk gains an insight bonus to their AC equal to their Wisdom bonus (if any) plus 1 point per four monk levels.

This bonus applies to their AC applies even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. They lose this bonus when they are helpless, in armour or carrying a shield.


Evasion (Ex)
At 2nd level and higher, a monk takes no damage instead of half damage on successful Reflex saves. A monk does not gain the benefits of evasion if they are helpless, armoured or carrying a shield.


Spells
Beginning at 4th level, a monk gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from a subset of the monk spell list (see below). A monk does not need to prepare spells beforehand, may cast spells on their spell list spontaneously.

To cast a spell, a monk must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a monk’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier.

A monk may only cast so many spells of each spell level per day, as shown on the above table. A monk also receives bonus spells per day if they have a high enough Wisdom score. This allows a monk to cast spells, even when they gain 0 spells per day of a given spell level, providing their Wisdom score is high enough.

Upon reaching 12th level, and at every third monk level after that (15th and 18th), a monk can choose to learn a new spell in place of one they already know. In effect, the monk "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level monk spell that the monk can cast. For instance, upon reaching 12th level, a monk could trade in a single 1st-level spell for a different 1st-level spell. A monk can swap only a single spell at any given level, and they must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that they gain new spells known for the level.

Until 4th level, a monk has no caster level. At 4th level, their caster level becomes half their monk level. A monk may not cast spells if they are wearing armour or carrying a shield.




Level
1st
2nd
3rd
4th


1st
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-


4th
21
-
-
-


5th
2
-
-
-


6th
3
-
-
-


7th
3
-
-
-


8th
4
21
-
-


9th
4
2
-
-


10th
4
3
-
-


11th
4
3
21
-


12th
4
4
3
-


13th
4
4
3
-


14th
4
4
4
21


15th
4
4
4
3


16th
4
4
4
3


17th
5
4
4
4


18th
5
5
4
4


19th
5
5
5
4


20th
5
5
5
5


1: Provided the monk has sufficient Wisdom to have a bonus to this spell.


Perfect Heart (Ex)
At 4th level, a monk becomes immune to fear, magical or otherwise.


Mettle (Ex)
At 6th level and higher, a monk suffers no ill effects instead of lesser effects (such as half or partial damage) on successful Fortitude and Will saves. An unconscious or sleeping monk does not gain the benefits of mettle.


Perfect Body (Ex)
At 8th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons and diseases, supernatural or otherwise.


Spell Resistance (Ex)
At 10th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to 10 + their monk level. A monk may lower their spell resistance as a standard action. A monk's own spells and abilities automatically bypass their own spell resistance.


Perfect Mind (Ex)
At 12th level, a monk gains immunity to spells and effects of the charm subschool.


Improved Evasion (Ex)
At 14th level, a monk gains improved evasion. This ability works like evasion, except that while the monk still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, henceforth they take only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk (or one that is wearing armour or carrying a shield) does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.


Perfect Youth (Ex)
At 16th level, a monk becomes immune to having their ability scores lowered by magical or mundane means, even from natural causes such as ageing.


Improved Mettle (Ex)
At 18th level, a monk gains improved mettle. This ability works like mettle, except that while the monk still takes the lesser effect on a successful Fortitude or Will saving throw against attacks, henceforth they take only the lesser effect on a failed save. An unconscious or sleeping monk does not gain the benefits of improved mettle.


Perfect Soul (Ex)
At 20th level, a monk becomes immune to negative energy effects (or positive energy effects if undead), death spells, magical death effects and energy drain. Additionally, instead of dying when they reach their maximum age, the monk simply stops ageing.



Ex-Monks
A monk who becomes non-lawful loses their ability to cast monk spells and may not gain more levels as a monk. All other monk abilities remain unaffected. If the monk becomes lawful again, they regain their ability to cast spells and may resume taking levels as a monk once more.



Monk Spell List
1st: Divine Grip, Divine Health, Divine Instinct, Divine Resistance, Magic Flesh, Magic Strike, Thick Skin, Wholeness I.
2nd: Divine Endurance, Divine Grace, Divine Strength, Divine Wisdom, Lawful Flesh, Lawful Strike, Minor Blessing, Wholeness II.
3rd: Adamantine Strike, Divine Haste, Divine Leap, Divine Protection, Divine Tongue, Greater Magic Flesh, Subtle Skin, Wholeness III.
4th: Divine Purification, Divine Sight, Divine Stasis, Divine Transcendence, Greater Lawful Flesh, Major Blessing, Spirit Strike, Wholeness IV.



Adamantine Strike
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
Your weapons become charged with destructive energy. As long as the effects of the spell last, any melee weapon you wield (be it a natural weapon or a manufactured one) counts as an adamantine weapon for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and hardness.


Divine Endurance
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to your Constitution score.


Divine Grace
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to your Dexterity score.


Divine Grip
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
You gain a +12 competence bonus on all climb checks, a +8 competence bonus on all attack rolls to resist disarming, and a +4 competence grapple checks to initiate a grapples or pins (but not to escape them).


Divine Haste
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
You become hasted. Being hasted grants you an extra attack with each weapon wielded, a +1 bonus on attack rolls, a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves, as well as a +30 enhancement bonus to speed.


Divine Health
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain temporary hit points equal to 6 + your caster level (to a maximum of 16 temporary hit points at 10th caster level).


Divine Instinct
School: Divination
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
You become more aware of your surroundings. So long as this spell is in effect, you can not be caught flat-footed.


Divine Leap
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain a +20 enhancement bonus on Jump checks.

Additionally, when landing from a fall that would damage you, you may choose to transfer up to 2d6 points of fall damage per caster level (to a maximum of 20d6 at 10th caster level) to the object, creature or patch of ground that you land on.


Divine Protection
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level or until discharged
You gain immunity to one type of energy that you specify when you cast it (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). When the spell absorbs 12 points per caster level of energy damage (to a maximum of 120 points at 10th caster level), it is discharged.


Divine Purification
School: Abjuration
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain the ability to break free from enchantments, transmutations, and curses. Each attempt takes a full minute of uninterrupted concentration. After that minute, you make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level, maximum +10) against a DC of 11 + caster level of effect. Success means you are freed from the effects of the spell, curse or effect. Failure allows you to try again, so long as the duration of this spell hasn't run out. For a cursed item, the DC is 25.

If the spell is one that cannot be dispelled by dispel magic, divine purification works only if that spell is 5th level or lower.


Divine Resistance
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level or until discharged
You gain a +4 resistance bonus on your next saving throw.


Divine Sight
School: Divination
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain blindsight out to 120 feet.


Divine Stasis
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level
You no longer get hungry, thirsty or tired so long as this spell is in effect. You also don't need to breathe. You can exist comfortably underwater and can comfortably exist between -50 and 140 degrees without having to make Fortitude saves. Additionally, the fact that you don't grow tired renders you immune to fatigue and exhaustion, as well as sleep spells and effects.


Divine Strength
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to your Strength score.


Divine Transcendence
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level or until discharged
You can, as a free action on your turn, choose to become ethereal. When you become ethereal, your equipment and belongings become ethereal too. You become invisible and intangible to the material plane and enter the ethereal plane.

You may spend up to 10 rounds in this ethereal state. It doesn't have to be all at once, you may enter and leave it as many times as you wish before the spell runs out or is discharged.


Divine Tongue
School: Divination
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level
You gain the ability to speak and understand the spoken component of any language. This spell does not grant you the ability to read languages you don't naturally speak, nor does it allow you to communicate with creatures that don't speak.


Divine Wisdom
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to your Wisdom score.


Lawful Flesh
School: Abjuration
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level or until discharged
You gain damage reduction 5/chaos. Once this spells has prevented a total of 10 points of damage per caster level (maximum 100 points) it is discharged.


Lawful Flesh, Greater
School: Abjuration
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 hour/level or until discharged
You gain damage reduction 10/chaos. Once this spells has prevented a total of 10 points of damage per caster level (maximum 100 points) it is discharged.


Lawful Strike
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
Your weapons become charged with lawful energy. As long as the effects of the spell last, any melee weapon you wield (be it a natural weapon or a manufactured one) counts as a lawful weapon for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.


Magic Flesh
School: Abjuration
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level or until discharged
You gain damage reduction 5/magic. Once this spells has prevented a total of 10 points of damage per caster level (maximum 100 points) it is discharged.


Magic Flesh, Greater
School: Abjuration
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour./level or until discharged
You gain damage reduction 10/magic. Once this spells has prevented a total of 10 points of damage per caster level (maximum 100 points) it is discharged.


Magic Strike
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
Your weapons become charged with magical energy. As long as the effects of the spell last, any melee weapon you wield (be it a natural weapon or a manufactured one) gains an enhancement bonus on all attack and damage rolls equal to +1 per two caster levels.


Major Blessing
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
Your base attack bonus is increased by +5, which grants you an extra attack. You also gain a +5 bonus to your effective caster level. This bonus to caster level only affects spells cast whilst major blessing is active; does not affect major blessing itself.


Minor Blessing
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
You gain a +1 competence bonus on all attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks.


Spirit Strike
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
Your weapons phase slightly out of existence. As long as the effects of the spell last, any melee weapon you wield (be it a natural weapon or a manufactured one) are able to pass through non-living matter if you so wish it.

Weapons that bypass non-living matter ignore the target's armour and shield bonus to AC (including the enhancement bonuses to the armour). Other bonuses to AC (including natural armour bonuses) are unaffected. Undead, constructs and objects are unaffected by weapons that pass through non-living matter.


Subtle Skin
School: Abjuration
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level
You become harder to hit. All weapon attacks against you have a 20% miss chance, as though you had partial concealment.


Thick Skin
School: Transmutation
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
You gain an enhancement bonus to your natural armour bonus equal to +1 per two caster levels (to a maximum of +5 at 10th caster level).


Wholeness I
School: Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Mnk1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
You recover 3 points of damage per round, starting with nonlethal damage.


Wholeness II
School: Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Mnk2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
This spell works as Wholeness I, except you recover 6 points of damage per round. Additionally, each round, you may choose to repair or damaged minor body part (such as an eye, an ear, a finger or a toe). Each repair must be done independently. This spell does not allow you to repair or regrow major body parts (such as limbs).


Wholeness III
School: Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Mnk3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
This spell works as Wholeness II, except you recover 9 points of damage per round. Additionally, each round, you may choose to repair one major damaged body part (such as a broken limb). Each repair must be done independently. However, whilst you may repair damage to major body parts, you may not regrow them from scratch.


Wholeness IV
School: Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Mnk4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
This spell works as Wholeness III, except you recover 12 points of damage per round. Additionally, each round, you may choose to fully regrow or repair any lost or damaged body part. Each body part must be regrown or repaired independently.





Enhanced Unarmed Strike
Prerequisites: 1st Monk Level. Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefit: The damage of your unarmed strikes is improved. If you're Small, your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 points of damage. If you're Medium, your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 points of damage. If you're Large, your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 points of damage.



Improved Uncanny Insight
Prerequisites: 8th Monk Level.
Benefit: Improve insight bonus to your AC by +1.


Greater Uncanny Insight
Prerequisites: 16th Monk Level. Improved Uncanny Insight.
Benefit: Improve insight bonus to your AC by +1.



Shield Staff
Prerequisites: Con 12. 3rd Monk Level.
Benefit: Whilst wielding a quarterstaff, you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC. You do not gain the benefits of this feat if you used your quarterstaff as a double or two-handed weapon on your last turn.


Improved Shield Staff
Prerequisites: Con 14. 9th Monk Level. Shield Staff.
Benefit: Whilst wielding a quarterstaff, you gain a +2 shield bonus to your AC. You do not gain the benefits of this feat if you used your quarterstaff as a double or two-handed weapon on your last turn.


Greater Shield Staff
Prerequisites: Con 16. 15th Monk Level. Improved Shield Staff.
Benefit: Whilst wielding a quarterstaff, you gain a +4 shield bonus to your AC. You do not gain the benefits of this feat if you used your quarterstaff as a double or two-handed weapon on your last turn.



Striking Staff
Prerequisites: Str 12. 7th Monk Level.
Benefit: When wielding a quarterstaff two-handed, you apply 2 times your Strength score to damage rolls.


Improved Striking Staff
Prerequisites: Str 14. 13th Monk Level. Striking Staff.
Benefit: When wielding a quarterstaff two-handed, you apply 2½ times your Strength score to your damage rolls.


Greater Striking Staff
Prerequisites: Str 16. 19th Monk Level. Improved Striking Staff.
Benefit: When wielding a quarterstaff two-handed, you apply 3 times your Strength score to your damage rolls.



Swift Staff
Prerequisites: Dex 12. 5th Monk Level.
Benefit: When wielding a quarterstaff as a double weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with the primary end of the quarterstaff.


Improved Swift Staff
Prerequisites: Dex 14. 11th Monk Level. Swift Staff.
Benefit: When wielding a quarterstaff as a double weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with the off-hand end of the quarterstaff.


Greater Swift Staff
Prerequisites: Dex 16. 17th Monk Level. Improved Swift Staff.
Benefit: When wielding a quarterstaff as a double weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with either end of the quarter staff.



Spell Breakdown
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 2nd-level monk spells.
Benefit: At will, as a free action, you may give up an unused 2nd-level spell slot in order to replenish two 1st-level spell slots.

This feat (and all other forms of Spell Breakdown) only works with monk spells, can not be applied to spell slots gained from other classes.


Improved Spell Breakdown
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 3rd-level monk spells. Spell Breakdown.
Benefit: At will, as a free action, you may give up an unused 3rd-level spell slot in order to replenish a 2nd-level spell slot and a 1st-level spell slot.


Greater Spell Breakdown
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 4th-level monk spells. Improved Spell Breakdown.
Benefit: At will, as a free action, you may give up an unused 4th-level spell slot in order to replenish either a 3rd-level spell slot and a 1st-level spell slot, or two 2nd-level spell slots.



Spell Build-Up
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 2nd-level monk spells.
Benefit: At will, as a free action, you may give up two unused 1st-level spell slots in order to replenish a 2nd-level spell slot.

This feat (and all other forms of Spell Build-Up) only works with monk spells, can not be applied to spell slots gained from other classes.


Improved Spell Build-Up
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 3rd-level monk spells. Spell Build-Up.
Benefit: At will, as a free action, you may give up three unused 1st-level spell slots or an unused 2nd-level spell slot and an unused 1st-level spell slot in order to replenish a 3rd-level spell slot.


Greater Spell Build-Up
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 4th-level monk spells. Improved Spell Build-Up.
Benefit: At will, as a free action, you may give up two unused 2nd-level spell slots, or an unused 3rd-level spell slot and an unused 1st-level spell slot, in order to replenish a 4th-level spell slot.