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View Full Version : Pathfinder New Hybrid Class: Noetic Monk [PEACH]



lodger
2017-01-20, 11:24 AM
While most monks achieve their extraordinary abilities by tapping into the mystical webs of ki that bind all living things, some pursue enlightenment by exploring the world within. Harnessing the power of the mind, these ascetics attune themselves to new sources of knowledge, push their bodies far beyond normal limits, and mold consciousness itself into a weapon to terrify and destroy their foes.

The inspiration for this class was the iconic staredown, familiar from countless martial-arts themed movies, anime, and video games. The mesmerist’s stare ability seemed like a good springboard to give the power some mechanics, and the class itself is largely built on the bloodrager chassis for casting and power progression. The class is intended to be a martial character built around the concept of getting inside the enemy’s head and applying debuffs, rather than inflicting direct damage. Spellcasting will also hopefully add versatility, allowing the noetic monk to serve as party scout, or in other roles as needed.

My biggest concerns with the class, and where I am most looking for feedback, are on the following issues:
1. Is bloodrager the right model for the class, or would it work better as in the paladin/ranger mold, with prepared casting and the accompanying spell progression?
2. What should the capstone be? I’ve been trying to think of a logical culmination of the concepts and mechanics, but haven’t been able to think of a meaningful reward of an appropriate power level.

BASICS


Alignment: Any lawful
Hit Die: d10.
Parent Classes: Monk and Mesmerist

Starting Wealth: 1d6 × 10 gp (average 35 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less

The noetic monk's class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
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1: Unarmed Strike, Intense Stare, Painful Stare, Bonus Feat
2: Evasion, Bonus Feat, Flurry of Blows
3: Fast Movement, Still Mind
4: Spells, Phrenic Pool, Phrenic Strike
5: Suppress Symptoms
6: Bonus Feat, Style Strike (1/round)
7: Psychic Purification, Challenging Stare
8: Phrenic Amplification, Bold Stare
9: Improved Evasion
10: Bonus Feat, Style Strike
11: Flurry of Blows (bonus attack)
12: Bold Stare
13: Tongue of the Sun and Moon
14: Bonus Feat, Style Strike
15: Phrenic Amplification
16: Alethian Intellect, Bold Stare
17: Timeless Body
18: Bonus Feat, Style Strike (2/round)
19: Flawless Mind
20: Capstone

lodger
2017-01-20, 11:27 AM
CLASS FEATURES:


Level 1:
• Intense Stare: Once per day per class level, a noetic monk can focus her stare on one creature within 30 feet as a swift action. That creature takes a –2 penalty on Will saving throws. This penalty changes to –3 at 8th level. A noetic monk can maintain her stare against only one opponent at a time; it remains in effect until the noetic monk stares at a new target, the opponent moves farther than 30 feet away, or either one falls unconscious or dies. The object of the stare doesn't remember that it was affected (nor does it realize that it is currently being affected) unless the noetic monk allows it. The intense stare is a psychic effect, and can't be avoided in the same ways a gaze attack can. The noetic monk can use this ability even while blinded, but must succeed at a DC 20 concentration check to do so. Staring at a creature requires the noetic monk’s focus, so if she uses a gaze attack or similar ability, she must target the subject of his intense stare or voluntarily end the stare. The penalties from multiple stares don't stack, nor do they stack with penalties from witches' evil eye hexes. This is a mind-affecting effect.
• Painful Stare: When an attack that deals damage hits the target of her intense stare, the noetic monk can cause the target to take an amount of additional damage equal to 1/2 the noetic monk's class level (minimum 1). The noetic monk can use this ability as a free action, and can use it even if it isn't her turn. If the noetic monk uses this ability to increase her own damage, the additional damage increases by 1d6 points for every 3 class levels the noetic monk possesses. This damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit. A noetic monk can trigger this ability only once per round, but a single creature can take damage from multiple painful stares in a round.
• Bonus Feats: A noetic monk receives bonus feats on the same schedule as the Unchained Monk: at 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, and they select them from the same list of qualifying feats. Starting at 6th level, the noetic monk may also choose from Bleeding Stare, Demoralizing Stare, Excoriating Stare, Fatiguing Stare, and Intense Pain. Treat the noetic monk as a mesmerist of equal level for meeting prerequisites for these feats. A noetic monk may only possess one stare feat at a time. Whenever the character chooses a new stare feat, she immediately loses the benefits of the previous feat, and must retrain it.

Level 4:
• Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a noetic monk gains the ability to cast a small number of psychic spells drawn from the noetic monk spell list. To learn or cast a spell, a noetic monk must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. She can cast spells she knows without preparing them ahead of time. The saving throw DC against a noetic monk spell is 10 + the spell level + the noetic monk’s Wisdom modifier.
o Like other spellcasters, a noetic monk can cast only a certain number of spells of each level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table below. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. The noetic monk does not need to prepare these spells in advance; she can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she hasn't yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell's level.
o The noetic monk’s selection of spells is limited. At 4th level, a noetic monk knows two 1st-level spells of her choice. A noetic monk gains more spells as she increases in level. Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a noetic monk knows is not affected by her Wisdom score. At 8th level and every 3 levels thereafter, a noetic monk can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. This swap follows all the same rules as for a psychic.
• Phrenic Pool: A noetic monk has a small pool of supernatural mental energy that she can draw upon to manipulate spells as she casts them. The maximum number of points in a noetic monk phrenic pool is equal to 1/2 her class level. The phrenic pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours don’t need to be consecutive. This Replaces Ki Pool.
• Phrenic Strike: (Su) (Occult Origins pg. 16): As long as the noetic monk has at least 1 point in her phrenic pool, she can attempt an unarmed strike in place of a touch attack as part of casting a spell with a range of touch. This ability replaces Ki Strike.

Level 5:
• Suppress Symptoms: By force of will, the noetic monk can temporarily ward off the effects of several adverse conditions, but without curing the underlying cause. Once per day as a free action, she may spend a level 1 spell slot to cast Delay Poison, Delay Pain, Invigorate, or Surmount Affliction, but only targeting herself. This ability replaces Purity of Body.

Level 7:
• Challenging Stare: As a swift action, the noetic monk can subject the target of her intense stare to a single combat challenge. Upon doing so, she gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC against that foe as long as no one else threatens that opponent or until the single combat challenge ends. These bonuses increase to +3 at level 10, +4 at level 15 and +5 at level 20. If another combatant attacks her or her foe, the challenge ends and you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls and to AC for 1 round. Though s can declare a single combat challenge at will, once you declare it on a foe you can't declare it on the same foe for another 24 hours. If the noetic monk is knocked unconscious or rendered helpless by the challenged foe, she is unable to use this ability until she has undergone an extended rest.
• Psychic Purification: Once per day, the noetic monk may spend an hour of meditation to cast spells that are not normally available to her. By expending a first-level spell slot, she may cast Rite of Bodily Purity or Rite of Centered Mind. By expending a second-level spell slot, she may cast Visualization of the Body or Visualization of the Mind. When cast with this ability, these spells do not require the usual material components.

Level 8:
• Bold Stare: At 9th level and every 4 levels thereafter, a noetic monk’s intense stare imposes a further effect upon its target. The noetic monk chooses one option each time she gains a new bold stare improvement, and the choice can't be changed later. The noetic monk can't choose the same bold stare improvement more than once unless otherwise noted. All of the noetic monk's bold stare improvements affect the target as long as it is affected by the noetic monk’s intense stare.

Level 16:
• Alethian Intellect: At 16th level, the noetic monk’s sensitivity to psychic emanations allows her to see the truth of matters more clearly. Whenever she rolls to disbelieve an illusion effect, she can roll twice and take the better result.


Level 20: Capstone

lodger
2017-01-20, 11:29 AM
SPELLS:


Level 1:
Adjuring Step, Anticipate Peril, Aphasia, Bladed Dash, Bouncy Body, Build Trust, Burst of Adrenaline, Burst of Insight, Cause Fear/Remove Fear, Chill Touch, Déjà Vu, Dream Feast, Ear-Piercing Scream, Endure Elements, Expeditious Retreat, False Life, Feather Fall, Grace, Heightened Awareness, Line in the Sand, Lock Gaze, Long Arm, Memory Lapse, Mindlink, Mirror Strike, Object Reading, Obscuring Mist, Persuasive Goad, Psychic Reading, See Alignment, Sense Fear, Shadow Weapon, Share Language, Stunning Barrier, Telempathic Projection, Touch of Blindness, Touch of Bloodletting, Touch of Gracelessness, True Strike, Unbreakable Heart, Vanish, Ventriloquism, Wizened Appearance/Youthful Appearance

Level 2:
Ablative Barrier, Air Step, Analyze Aura, Anticipate Thoughts, Bestow Insight, Blur, Burning Gaze, Calm Spirit, Detect Thoughts, Eagle Eye, Erode Defenses, Extreme Flexibility, False Life, Force Hook Charge, Force Punch, Ghost Whip, Guiding Star, Hidden Presence, Hunter's Eye, Inflict Pain, Instigate Psychic Duel, Ironskin, Levitate, Mindshock, Mind Over Matter, Mirror Image, Misdirection, Pilfering Hand, Psychic Leech, Resinous Skin, Resist Energy, See Invisibility, Silence, Soothing Word, Spider Climb, Stricken Heart, Suggestion, Surmount Affliction, Touch of Idiocy, Touch of Madness, Versatile Weapon

Level 3:
Agonizing Rebuke, Blink, Burst of Speed, Channel Vigor, Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, Cloak of Winds, Deadly Juggernaut, Dimension Door, Disable Construct, Dispel Magic, Ectoplasmic Snare, Ego Whip, Elemental Aura, Enchantment Foil, Enshroud Thoughts, Ethereal Fists, Fearsome Duplicate, Find Fault, Fly, Forceful Strike, Greater Stunning Barrier, Hostile Levitation, Invisibility Purge, Isolate, Mantle of Calm, Mydriatic Spontaneity, Out of Sight, Phantasmal Reminder, Pierce Disguise, Vampiric Touch, Water Walk, Witness

Level 4:
Absorbing Inhalation, Aura of Doom, Aura Sight, Detect Scrying, Discern Lies, Dispel Chaos, Echolocation, , Explode Head, Flash Forward, Freedom of Movement, Greater False Life, , Mind Probe, Overwhelming Grief, Stoneskin, Synapse Overload, Telekinesis, Thoughtsense, Tough Crowd

PHRENIC AMPLIFICATIONS:
Complex Countermeasures, Defensive Prognostication, Focused Force, Intense Focus, Ongoing Defense, Overpowering Mind, Psychofeedback, Relentless Casting, Transfer Fear, Will of the Dead