Yet another Monk remake (3.5e, PEACH)

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2010-05-23, 06:46 PM
UserShadow7989

Yet another Monk remake (3.5e, PEACH)

...because all the cool kids are doing it. I wanted to try my hand at a Monk revision just for practice/because I was bored. I have access to core, but nothing else, so I decided to make the remake usable with nothing but the bare minimum. I want to bump the Monk up to a weak tier 3 or strong tier 4 to make it a more valid choice, and read the "What makes Monks a weak class?" and "Why Tier 5s are Tier 5s" topics for information.

Monk
Races: Any
Alignment: Any Lawful
Starting Gold: 4d6×10 gp (140 gp).
Starting Age: As Core Monk

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills
The monk’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) x4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier.

The Monk
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Move Bonus|AC Bonus|Unarmed damage|Special

1st|
+1
|
+2
|
+2
|
+2
|
+0ft.
|
+0
|
1d6
|Unarmed Specialist, Flurry of Blows, Bonus Feat

2nd|
+2
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+0ft.
|
+1
|
1d6
|Armor of the Soul, Evasion, Bonus Feat

3rd|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+10ft.
|
+1
|
1d6
|Pressure Point Strike, Feet of the Wind

4th|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+10ft.
|
+1
|
1d8
|Ki Strike (Magic), Cunning Combatant

5th|
+5
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+10ft.
|
+2
|
1d8
|Purity of Body, Purity of Mind

6th|
+6/+1
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|
+20ft.
|
+2
|
1d8
|Wholeness of Body, Bonus Feat

7th|
+7/+2
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|
+20ft.
|
+2
|
1d8
|Force Palm

8th|
+8/+3
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|
+20ft.
|
+3
|
1d10
|Improved Evasion

9th|
+9/+4
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|
+30ft.
|
+3
|
1d10
|Giant's Strength (2 Sizes)

10th|
+10/+5
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|
+30ft.
|
+3
|
1d10
|Flawless Strike, Ki Strike (Lawful)

11th|
+11/+6/+1
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|
+30ft.
|
+4
|
1d10
|Diamond Body, Diamond Soul

12th|
+12/+7/+2
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+40ft.
|
+4
|
2d6
|Abundant Step

13th|
+13/+8/+3
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+40ft.
|
+4
|
2d6
|Slow Fall, Giant's Strength (3 Sizes)

14th|
+14/+9/+4
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|
+40ft.
|
+5
|
2d6
|Mind's Eye Sight

15th|
+15/+10/+5
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|
+50ft.
|
+5
|
2d6
|Quivering Palm

16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|
+50ft.
|
+5
|
2d8
|Empty Body, Ki Strike (Adamantine)

17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|
+50ft.
|
+6
|
2d8
|Tongue of the Sun and Moon, Giant's Strength (4 Sizes)

18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|
+60ft.
|
+6
|
2d8
|Timeless Body

19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|
+60ft.
|
+6
|
2d8
|Enlightened Palm

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

CLASS FEATURES
All of the following of are class features of the monk.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A monk is proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, gauntlet, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, sling, and her unarmed strike. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields.

Unarmed Specialist (Ex)
At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.

Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling. A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons. A monk also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table: The Monk.

Flurry of Blows (Ex)
When unarmored, 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. The resulting modified base attack bonuses are shown on Table: Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus below. 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 6th level, the penalty increases to -3 in exchange for 2 extra attacks, at 11th level the penalty jumps to -4 with 3 extra attacks, and at level 16 the penalty caps at -5 for 4 extra attacks. A monk can use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows, or take an additional -2 penalty to attack rolls to use it as a standard action.

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 × 1½ or ×½) 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.

Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus
{table=head]Level|Flurry of Blows Base Attack Bonus

1st
|
-1/-1
2nd
|
+0/+0
3rd
|
+1/+1
4th
|
+2/+2
5th
|
+3/+3
6th
|
+3/+3/+3/-2
7th
|
+4/+4/+4/-1
8th
|
+5/+5/+5/+0
9th
|
+6/+6/+6/+1
10th
|
+7/+7/+7/+2
11th
|
+7/+7/+7/+7/+2/-3
12th
|
+8/+8/+8/+8/+3/-2
13th
|
+9/+9/+9/+9/+4/-1
14th
|
+10/+10/+10/+10/+5/+0
15th
|
+11/+11/+11/+11/+6/+1
16th
|
+11/+11/+11/+11/+11/+6/+1/-4
17th
|
+12/+12/+12/+12/+12/+7/+2/-3
18th
|
+13/+13/+13/+13/+13/+8/+3/-2
19th
|
+14/+14/+14/+14/+14/+9/+4/-1
20th
|
+15/+15/+15/+15/+15/+10/+5/+0
[/table]

Bonus Feat
At 1st level, a monk may select either Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist as a bonus feat. At 2nd level, she may select either Combat Reflexes or Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat. At 6th level, she may select either Improved Disarm or Improved Trip as a bonus feat. A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.

Armor of the Soul (Su)
From 2nd level, the monk receives special benefits when not wearing armor. When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains +1 to AC at 2nd level. This bonus increases by +1 for every 3 monk levels thereafter. These bonuses apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat footed, but not if she is helpless or immobilized. Monks wearing light armor have these bonuses halved, and wearing any other armor or a shield negates the bonus entirely. If in an anti-magic field or effected by anything that negates (Su) abilities, only the Wisdom bonus to AC is negated.

Evasion (Ex)
At 2nd 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.

Pressure Point Strike (Ex)
Starting at 3rd level, a monk may use her knowledge of the human body to target an enemy's pressure points in place of dealing damage. When attacking with an unarmed strike or special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham), the monk declares her intent to use this ability, and specifies which attack rolls are for this ability's effects instead of damage. By taking a -2 penalty to each specified roll, the monk's attack inflicts 1 point Strength or Dexterity ability damage that lasts until the end of the day. Failing any of the specified rolls causes all of the monk's attack rolls this round to fail and provokes an attack of opportunity.

This ability can only target living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to pressure point strikes. The monk must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A monk cannot pressure point strike while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

A creature can suffer no more than the Monk's Wisdom Modifier in damage to one of their ability scores at a time from Pressure Point Strike.

Feet of the Wind (Ex)
Starting at level 3, monks not wearing armor receive an untyped bonus to their movement speed as shown on Table: The Monk. If wearing light armor, they receive half the bonus. If wearing medium or heavy armor, encumbered, or wearing a shield, this bonus is negated.

Ki Strike (Su)
At 4th level, a monk’s unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed strikes and strikes with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. The monk may also use her Wisdom modifier in place of her Strength modifier for attack rolls and damage rolls with an unarmed strike.

Ki strike improves with the character’s monk level. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks and attacks with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham) are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks and strikes with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham) are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.

Cunning Combatant (Ex)
Technique is far more important than force; a brute of great strength can spend all day striking a boulder without making process, while an educated man of slender figure can shatter it.

From 4th level on, the monk can substitute her Wisdom Modifier for her Strength Modifier on grapple checks and attack rolls made to sunder something, or to disarm or trip an opponent.

The monk still provokes an attack of opportunity for these actions, unless she has the Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, Improved Disarm, or Improved Trip feat, respectively. An unarmed monk or a monk using a special monk weapon does not take a -4 penalty for using a light weapon for Sunder or Disarm checks.

Purity of Body (Ex)
At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases. The monk is no longer penalized by fatigue, but when exhausted receives both fatigue's normal penalties and the penalties from exhaustion.

Purity of Mind (Ex)
Monks of level 5 and above gain immunity to Fear effects, and can no longer be Confused, Dazed, or Fascinated. In addition, the monk gains a +2 untyped bonus to saves against mind-affecting spells and effects.

Wholeness of Body (Su)
At 6th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds as a free action. She can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to half her maximum hit points each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.

Force Palm (Ex)
Starting at 7th level, the monk gains the ability strike far away foes with nothing but the force of her attacks. The monk can perform an unarmed strike on any foe within (Wisdom modifier x 10) ft. of herself with a -2 to attack rolls during this round. This has all the normal benefits and effects of the monk's unarmed strike, and can be combined with any other monk class ability involving an unarmed strike. Attacks made beyond the monk's normal reach with this ability are considered ranged attacks.

Improved Evasion (Ex)
At 8th 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.

Giant's Strength (Su)
9th level monks gain the 'Giant's Strength' ability. A number of times per day equal to her Wisdom modifier, she can spend a Swift Action to activate this ability. For a number of rounds equal to half her monk class levels, the monk is treated as if she were two sizes larger then her base size for the purposes of calculating unarmed damage (see Table: Monk Unarmed Damage by Size below), reach, and grapple modifier. The monk can end this early as a free action, but the use still counts towards her per day limit.

This ability becomes more powerful as the monk's level grows. At level 13, the monk is treated as 3 sizes larger then her base size for the purposes of calculating unarmed damage, reach, and grapple modifier. At level 17, she is treated as 4 sizes larger then her base size for the same purposes, and this ability is treated as an Extraordinary (Ex) ability. For every size this would put the character above Colossal, take the Colossal benefits and add 1d8 to their total unarmed damage, 5 ft. to their reach, and add +2 to their grapple modifier.

Monk Unarmed Damage by Size
{table=head]Level|Fine|Diminutive|Tiny|Small|Medium|Large|Huge|Gargantuan|Colossal

1-3
|
1
|
1d2
|
1d3
|
1d4
|
1d6
|
1d8
|
2d6
|
3d6
|
4d6

4-7
|
1d2
|
1d3
|
1d4
|
1d6
|
1d8
|
2d6
|
3d6
|
4d6
|
6d6

8-11
|
1d3
|
1d4
|
1d6
|
1d8
|
1d10
|
2d8
|
3d8
|
6d6
|
6d8

12-15
|
1d4
|
1d6
|
1d8
|
1d10
|
2d6
|
3d6
|
4d6
|
6d8
|
8d6

16-19
|
1d6
|
1d8
|
1d10
|
2d6
|
2d8
|
3d8
|
4d8
|
6d8
|
8d8

20
|
1d8
|
1d10
|
2d6
|
2d8
|
2d10
|
4d8
|
6d8
|
8d8
|
12d8
[/table]

Flawless Strike (Ex)
Starting at 10th level, the monk gains the ability to strike true against all odds. A number of times per encounter equal to the monk's Wisdom modifier, the monk can spend a free action to ignore concealment, etherealness, incorperealness, invisibility, and any magical effects that provide an AC bonus or miss chance until their next round. This does not allow the monk to automatically know the position of an invisible creature, only removing the penalty to hit if they attack the creature's square.

Diamond Body (Ex)
At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds. The monk cannot become blinded, dazzled, deafened, paralyzed, petrified, sickened, or stunned. If the monk was already blind or deaf, this ability does not repair their vision or hearing.

Diamond Soul (Su)
At 11th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to her current monk level + 10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance. If Diamond Soul would be ignored by a feat or ability, or a spell that ignores spell resistance, Diamond Soul is not ignored but only provides spell resistance against the spell equal to the monk's class level +5. Unlike normal spell resistance, the monk can enable and disable Diamond Soul as a free action.

Abundant Step (Su)
At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces as if using the dimension door spell a number of times per day equal to her Wisdom modifier. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).

Slow Fall (Su)
At 13th level or higher, a monk can use his/her ki to slow her descent. When first using this ability, she can fall any distance without harm.

Mind's Eye Sight (Su)
Monks of 14th level and higher have unlocked the power of their mind's eye. The monk is treated as being under the effects of the true seeing spell. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down). In addition, the monk can 'sense' creatures and traps within 60 ft. of herself as if she succeeded a spot check to locate them. This ability works even when the monk is blind or is under a condition that hampers eyesight.

Quivering Palm (Su)
Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. She can use this quivering palm attack once a day, and she must announce her intent before making her attack roll. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter the monk can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to her monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the monk’s level + the monk’s Wis modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time.

Empty Body (Su)
At 16th level, a monk can assume an ethereal state for up to 2 minutes, as though using the spell ethereal jaunt, a number of times per day equal to her Wisdom modifier. Unlike a cleric, sorcerer, or wizard, an ethereal monk may physically interact with any ethereal and/or non-ethereal object as she wishes, and change what she wants to interact with at any time as a free action. While in this state, the monk is no longer bound by the laws of physics, and has a perfect fly speed equal to her total movement speed.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex)
A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with any living creature.

Timeless Body (Ex)
Upon attaining 18th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to her ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that she has already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accumulate, and the monk still dies of old age when her time is up. The monk is now immune to death effects and level drain.

Enlightened Palm (Su)
A monk of 19th level has learned the ultimate non-lethal technique, the Enlightened Palm. A number of times per day equal to the her Wisdom modifier, she may unleash such a powerful burst of Ki energy that all non-friendly creatures within 50 ft. of herself take non-lethal damage equal to the monk's unarmed strike damage and Wisdom modifier x2. Damage from this technique ignores all forms of damage reduction, and is treated as if under the effect of the monk's Flawless Strike class ability (you do not need to spend a use for this ability). Any creature damaged by this ability must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the monk’s level + the monk’s Wis modifier) or be stunned for 1 round and sickened for 5.

Perfect Self (Ex)
At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. She is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monk’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 15/adamantine, which allows her to ignore the first 15 points of damage from any attack made by a non-adamantine weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. All Supernatural (Su) class features of the monk are treated as Extraordinary (Ex) abilities instead. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if she were a member of her previous creature type.

Ex-Monks
A monk who becomes non-lawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.

ALTERNATE CLASS FEATURES

Name: Way of Arms (Ex)
Requirements: None
Replaces: Pressure Point Strike
Level: 3
Benefit: At character creation, select any Simple or Martial Melee weapon. If it's a weapon the monk is not normally proficient with, replace either the first or second level bonus feat with Simple Weapon Proficiency or Martial Weapon Proficiency for that weapon. At level 3, the monk may treat the weapon as a special monk weapon for the purposes of his class abilities, and gains +2 to attack rolls made with the selected weapon. The bonus from this ability stacks with Weapon Focus, Weapon Finesse, and Weapon Specialization.

Name: Bonus Feat (Alternate)
Requirements: Way of Arms Alternate Class Feature
Replaces: Bonus Feat (1st level, 2nd level, and/or 6th level)
Level: 1, 2, and/or 6
Benefit: The monk may select Weapon Focus and/or Weapon Finesse (if a light weapon) for the weapon chosen for 'Way of Arms' instead of the usual level 1, 2, and/or 6 bonus feats. She may also choose Weapon Specialization (does not require 4 fighter levels in this manner) for their level 6 bonus feat if they have Weapon Focus for the selected weapon.

Name: Pugilist (Ex)
Requirements: None
Replaces: Ki Strike, Purity of Mind, Diamond Soul, Mind's Eye Sight, Tongue of the Sun and Moon
Level: 4, 5, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17
Benefit: At character creation, declare your intent to use this alternate class ability. The alignment restriction of this class is changed to Any Chaotic. Treat the monk's Armor of the Soul, Wholeness of Body, Giant's Strength, Abundant Step, and Quivering Palm class abilities as Extraordinary abilities. Treat Slow Fall as an Ex ability that only works near a wall. Starting from 4th level, the monk substitutes her wisdom modifier with her charisma modifier for the effects of her class abilities. The monk becomes proficient with light and medium armor, and gains the full benefits of her "Unarmed Specialist", "Armor of the Soul", and "Feet of the Wind" class ability even when wearing light or medium armor.

This ability improves as the monk grows in level. At level 10, the monk ignores the first points of damage resistance of creatures she attacks with her unarmed strike equal to her monk class levels. At level 16, the monk's strength modifier is doubled. Lastly, the monk gains a free bonus feat from the fighter bonus feat list at levels 5, 11, 14, and 17. The monk must meet the prerequisites of the feats she selects for the free bonus feats provided by this class ability.

A monk taking this alternate class ability removes Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), and Knowledge (religion) (Int) from her class skills list and adds Bluff (Cha) and Knowledge (local) (Int) in their place.

A monk who becomes non-chaotic cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities. This replaces the normal 'Ex-Monks' restrictions.

Unmoving Feet (Ex)
Requirements: None
Replaces: None
Level: Any
Benefit: When taking a level in monk, the player may choose to receive "Unmoving Feet" as an extra class ability at their newest level. A monk must have lost the ability to walk under the power of her own legs prior to taking this class ability.

A monk with Unmoving Feet can still stand, despite losing the ability to walk. The monk can still move by using one or both hands (both hands are required to run or hustle), but having to use her arms to run reduces her carrying capacity as if her Strength was 2 lower then it is. This awkward way of moving reduces her base land speed by 10 ft.

However, the constant strain on her arms causes her upper body strength to increase greatly. The monk's Strength increases by 1 + 1 for every three class levels after the first. The monk has a climb speed of 20ft., equal to an Ape's.

If the monk's legs are repaired through magic after having this class ability for 3 or more levels, the bonuses remain but do not increase until the monk loses the use of her legs again.

Name: Vow of Silence (Ex)
Requirements: None
Replaces: None
Level: Any
Benefit: When taking a level in monk, the player may choose to receive "Vow of Silence" as an extra class ability at their newest level. When the Monk takes a Vow of Silence, they promise to no longer communicate using their vocal cords (no talking, humming, or screaming, and no verbal components).

In exchange, the monk learns to observe her surroundings carefully, and notices far more then she would with the distraction of speaking. The monk gains a +1 to initiative and awareness, and a +2 to Listen, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. The bonuses increase by +1 every for every 4 monk levels the character has. The monk may take 10 on Listen and Spot checks, even when rushed or threatened.

A monk that breaks her Vow of Silence by speaking, humming, or shouting, lose all benefits from this ability for 1 hour for every time she breaks it (each hour is added to the end of the last). During that time, she receives a -1 penalty to her initiative and awareness, and a -2 penalty to Listen, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks, due to her not being used to splitting her attention between speaking and listening.

If the monk is literally unable to speak, due to damage to her vocal cords, being born without them, or deep rooted trauma, the bonuses are increased by +1. A monk may purposely damage her vocal cords at any time to show her determination to stick to her new way, and may do so later to receive this extra bonus (they still don't receive the benefits from this vow until they gain a level).

If the monk revokes her Vow of Silence, she loses all benefits and penalties from it and can never gain the ability again. A monk that purposely damages her vocal cords cannot revoke her Vow of Silence.

Name: Vow of Blindness (Ex)
Requirements: None
Replaces: None
Level: Any
Benefit: When taking a level in monk, the player may choose to receive "Vow of Blindness" as an extra class ability at their newest level. When the Monk takes a Vow of Blindness, she swears never to use her eyes to see, but her soul. A blindfold is common for this purpose.

By honing her other senses, the monk makes up for her disability. She receives Tremorsense out to 20ft. plus 20ft. for every 4 monk class levels. The monk also gains a limited Blindsight out to 5ft. + 5ft. for every 5 monk levels. Lastly, the monk receives a +3 to Listen checks made while unable to see.

A monk that breaks her Vow of Blindness loses these benefits until she blinds herself again for at least 1 hour of time (time spent resting does not count). If she attempts to use her eyesight, she has a -10 to Spot and Search checks, and must make a DC 10 Spot check to identify any object beyond 10 ft. from herself.

If a monk is literally unable to see anything with her normal eye sight, due to not having eyes, having her eyes damaged, or being born blind, the distance of Blindsight is doubled. A monk may purposely damage her eyes at any time to show her determination to stick to her new way, and may do so later to receive this extra bonus (they still don't receive the benefits from this vow until they gain a level).

If the monk revokes her Vow of Blindness, she loses all benefits and penalties from it and can never gain the ability again. A monk that purposely damages her eyes cannot revoke her Vow of Blindness.

Name: Vow of Bound Arms (Ex)
Requirements: Cannot take/be taken with Unmoving Feet
Replaces: None
Level: Any
Benefit: When taking a level in monk, the player may choose to receive "Vow of Bound Arms" as an extra class ability at their newest level. When the Monk takes a Vow of Bound Arms, she swears never to depend on her arms. This is usually done by binding her hands with steel chains or tightly wrapped bandages.

The monk's carrying capacity is reduced as if her strength was 2 lower then it actually is and takes a -4 penalty to grapple checks. The monk can never equip a weapon or shield, and cannot climb. When making an attack roll for Stunning Fist, Pressure Point Strike, or Quivering Palm, she receives a -4 penalty. She can't use her arms or shoulders for an unarmed strike, but can still make unarmed attacks with her legs, knees, shoulders, and torso.

Due to her dependence on her legs for fighting, her lower body strength is increased. Her base movement speed is increased by 10ft., and her unarmed attacks with her legs and knees receive a +1 on the attack roll (does not apply to Flurry of Blows).

A monk that breaks her Vow of Bound Arms loses these benefits and penalties until she binds her hands for 1 hour to every minute spent without the binds on (rounded up, time spent resting does not count). The monk takes a -4 penalty to all attack rolls or skill checks/rolls for abilities that require her to use her hands.

If a monk is literally unable to use her arms, due to not having arms, having her arms broken, or lacking control over them, she receives no penalty to her grapple checks and gains an additional 10 feet base movement speed increase. A monk may purposely break her arms at any time to show her determination to stick to her new way, and may do so later to receive this extra bonus (they still don't receive the benefits from this vow until they gain a level).

If the monk revokes her Vow of Bound Arms, she loses all benefits and penalties from it and can never gain the ability again. A monk that purposely breaks/removes her arms cannot revoke her Vow of Bound Arms.
---------
Any suggestions? Comments?

Change list:

Spoiler
Show

5/23/10: Posted, removed spelling errors, changed Gargantuan Strength to increase size by 2, 3, and 4, instead of changing them to Huge, Gargantuan, and Colossal. Separated the AC bonuses and the Movement bonus from Unarmed Specialist into their own abilities. Clarified Mind's Eye Sight and made the Pugilist alternate class ability switch some class skills. Changed Buddha's Palm's name to Enlightened Palm.

Forgot to add unarmed strike to the monk's weapon proficiency (*facepalm*), and fixed that. Reduced the AC bonus from Armor of the Soul to +1 at second level and +1 for every 3 levels after. Specified Purity of Mind to provide a bonus to saves against mind-affecting spells AND effects. Specified Force Palm as ranged attacks. Clarified Giant's Strength and Flawless Strike. Nerfed Diamond Soul- still provides some resistance to spells that ignore resistance, but much less (monk levels + 5), and changed the normal spell resistance to the normal amount.

Abundant step is now per day. Nerfed Empty Body, now lasts 2 minutes per use at max, imitates Ethereal Jaunt instead of Etherealness, and is a Wisdom modifier/per day ability. Reworded Timeless Body to be clearer. Changed Perfect Self's damage reduction to 10/Adamantine. Updated table to reflect name change of Enlightened Palm. Changed Starting Age to "As Core Monk", as it's simpler then "As Cleric". Fixed the description of Enlightened Palm to reflect it's name change. Fixed an error in the Perfect Self description caused by it's modification.

5/24/10: Added Vow of Silence, Vow of Blindness, and Unmoving Feet to the alternate class features list. Credit for the ideas and the base for the crunch goes to Leaf-Eater. Added Vow of Bound Arms, based on the concept of other three abilities but otherwise not the idea or crunch of Leaf-Eater.

5/25/10: Fixed a grammar error.

5/27/10: Fixed a spelling error.

5/28/10: Added PEACH to the title, boosted Perfect Self's Damage Reduction from 10 to 15. Nerfed Vow of Bound Arms.

5/30/10: The Strength increase of Unmoving Feet now only becomes permanent after 3 levels with the class feature.

7/11/10: Specified Wholeness of Body as a Free Action, fixed a minor wording error.

7/12/10: Increased Skill Points to 8 + Int Modifier. The Classic Monk was supposed to be capable of skill monkeying alongside the Rogue and similar, and has too many attributes to worry about as is to put anything in Int. As such, it needs the highest possible bonus to serve that purpose.

7/19/10: Minor spelling errors corrected.

7/25/10: Pressure Point Strike now does 2 ability damage per hit instead of 1, as per suggestion by Leaf Eater a few months back.

9/29/10: Added Slow Fall to level 13, so the Monk has something aside from better BAB and a minor upgrade to Giant's Strength.

10/14/10: Fixed Skill list order (Intimidate and Jump were mixed up).

4/5/11: Minor spelling error correction.

9/23/11: Dropped skill points from 8 x Int Mod to 6 x Int Mod so it doesn't step on the Rogue's toes. (Holy crap am I seriously still updating this?)

11/20/11: Added the Cunning Combatant class ability.

12/17/11: Added Heal to class skill list, because A. The stereotypical Hollywood portrayal of a monk's monastery is some high in the mountains place far from the latest hospital and they wouldn't last long without knowing at least some first aid, and B. Their studies revolve around improvement of the body and soul, and they sometimes practice martial arts to varying degrees (read: always, when it comes to fiction) to further this, so I think they'd know how to deal with an accidental injury or two.

6/24/13: Modified Pressure Point Strike, as it was found to be able to trivialize encounters with strength-focused enemies too easily. Ability damage was cut in half, and given a hard limit of the monk's Wisdom Modifier. There's only so much damage you can do to a specific spot, and only so many spots to target (assuming the monk even knows of them all).
2010-05-23, 07:44 PM
Vaynor

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

One of the first things I notice is that there is no ability description for the AC bonus. Might wanna add that so people don't get an untyped bonus to AC even when wearing armor.

Also, for the Giant's Strength ability, I wouldn't automatically give them huge. That would be too great of a benefit for smaller-than-medium monks, I'd say an increase of +2, then more depending on level.
2010-05-23, 08:17 PM
UserShadow7989

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vaynor

One of the first things I notice is that there is no ability description for the AC bonus. Might wanna add that so people don't get an untyped bonus to AC even when wearing armor.

Also, for the Giant's Strength ability, I wouldn't automatically give them huge. That would be too great of a benefit for smaller-than-medium monks, I'd say an increase of +2, then more depending on level.

The AC bonus is described in the third paragraph of Unarmed Specialist. Should I separate it into it's own ability for clarity?

I changed the Giant's Strength ability according to your suggestion. The little guys will have to settle for a less powerful bonus and the normal benefits of being small.
2010-05-23, 08:27 PM
Vaynor

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserShadow7989

The AC bonus is described in the third paragraph of Unarmed Specialist. Should I separate it into it's own ability for clarity?

I changed the Giant's Strength ability according to your suggestion. The little guys will have to settle for a less powerful bonus and the normal benefits of being small.

I would, as it's a separate ability, and it doesn't make much sense being included with Unarmed Specialist (not wearing armor is different from being unarmed). I'll edit this post in a bit with a more complete PEACH.

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserShadow7989

Monk
Races: Any
Alignment: Any Lawful
Starting Gold: 4d6×10 gp (140 gp).
Starting Age: As Cleric

Hit Die: d8.

Standard stuff, but I'm curious why the starting age is "as cleric" when both the cleric and monk starting ages are the same. Seems a bit easier just to leave that part out entirely, or at least say "As Monk".

Quote:

The Monk
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Move Bonus|AC Bonus|Unarmed damage|Special

1st|
+1
|
+2
|
+2
|
+2
|
+0ft.
|
+0
|
1d6
|Unarmed Specialist, Flurry of Blows, Bonus Feat

2nd|
+2
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+0ft.
|
+1
|
1d6
|Evasion, Bonus Feat

3rd|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+10ft.
|
+1
|
1d6
|Pressure Point Strike

4th|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+10ft.
|
+2
|
1d8
|Ki Strike (Magic)

5th|
+5
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+10ft.
|
+2
|
1d8
|Purity of Body, Purity of Mind

6th|
+6/+1
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|
+20ft.
|
+3
|
1d8
|Wholeness of Body, Bonus Feat

7th|
+7/+2
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|
+20ft.
|
+3
|
1d8
|Force Palm

8th|
+8/+3
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|
+20ft.
|
+4
|
1d10
|Improved Evasion

9th|
+9/+4
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|
+30ft.
|
+4
|
1d10
|Giant's Strength (2 Sizes)

10th|
+10/+5
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|
+30ft.
|
+5
|
1d10
|Flawless Strike, Ki Strike (Lawful)

11th|
+11/+6/+1
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|
+30ft.
|
+5
|
1d10
|Diamond Body, Diamond Soul

12th|
+12/+7/+2
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+40ft.
|
+6
|
2d6
|Abundant Step

13th|
+13/+8/+3
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|
+40ft.
|
+6
|
2d6
|Giant's Strength (3 Sizes)

14th|
+14/+9/+4
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|
+40ft.
|
+7
|
2d6
|Mind's Eye Sight

15th|
+15/+10/+5
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|
+50ft.
|
+7
|
2d6
|Quivering Palm

16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|
+50ft.
|
+8
|
2d8
|Empty Body, Ki Strike (Adamantine)

17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|
+50ft.
|
+8
|
2d8
|Tongue of the Sun and Moon, Giant's Strength (4 Sizes)

18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|
+60ft.
|
+9
|
2d8
|Timeless Body

19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|
+60ft.
|
+9
|
2d8
|Buddha's Palm

20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5
|
+12
|
+12
|
+12
|
+60ft.
|
+10
|
2d10
|Perfect Self[/table]

Full BAB! Always good, and one of the main problems (in my opinion) with the monk class. The AC bonus seems like it could get a tad high (when paired with Wisdom) but we'll see.

Quote:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A monk is proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, gauntlet, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields.

YOUR MONK IS NOT PROFICIENT WITH ITS UNARMED STRIKE!!

This is very important.

Quote:

Unarmed Specialist (Ex)
At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.

Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling. A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons. A monk also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table: The Monk.

The monk receives special benefits when unarmored. When wearing no armor, a monk gains an untyped bonus to her land speed as shown on Table: the monk. When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains +1 to AC at 2nd level. This bonus increases by +1 for every 2 monk levels thereafter. These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat footed, but not if she is helpless or immobilized. Monks wearing light armor have these bonuses halved, and wearing any other armor or a shield negates the bonus entirely.

The "hands full" thing is nice, potentially letting them use wands/magic items even when attacking. Like I mentioned earlier, the AC bonus seems to be a bit higher than it should. At level 20, you get +10 AC, plus your Wisdom modifier, plus all of the standard AC increasing magic items (even armor bonus ones). Just looking at the armor bonuses, that's easily more than a fighter (or any other heavy armor-wearing class) in +5 full-plate with the same magic items. This may or may not be a bad thing, we'll see how powerful the class is.

Quote:

Pressure Point Strike (Ex)
Starting at 3rd level, a monk may use her knowledge of the human body to target an enemy's pressure points in place of dealing damage. When attacking with an unarmed strike or special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham), the monk declares her intent to use this ability, and specifies which attack rolls are for this ability's effects instead of damage. By taking a -2 penalty to each specified roll, the monk's attack inflicts 1 Strength or Dexterity ability damage that lasts until the end of the day. Failing any of the specified rolls causes all of the monk's attack rolls this round to fail and provokes an attack of opportunity.

This ability can only target living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to pressure point strikes. The monk must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A monk cannot pressure point strike while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Pretty good for 3rd level, but not overpowering due to the many restrictions. I like it.

Quote:

Ki Strike (Su)
At 4th level, a monk’s unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed strikes and strikes with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. The monk may also use her Wisdom modifier in place of her Strength modifier for attack rolls and damage rolls with an unarmed strike.

Cool, now Strength is pretty much obsolete.

Quote:

Purity of Body (Ex)
At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases. The monk is no longer penalized by fatigue, but when exhausted receives both fatigue's normal penalties and the penalties from exhaustion.

Purity of Mind (Ex)
Monks of level 5 and above gain immunity to Fear effects, and can no longer be Confused, Dazed, or Fascinated. In addition, the monk gains a +2 untyped bonus to saves against mind-affecting spells.

Wholeness of Body (Su)
At 6th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds. She can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to half her maximum hit points each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.

Quite a few immunities pretty fast. Paired with the healing, this is pretty good. The daze and fascinate immunities strike me as the best, and it seems a bit much to give them disease, fatigue, fear, confusion, daze, and fascinate immunity and a bonus to mind-affecting spells in a single level. Might wanna specify "mind-affecting spells and effects" unless you meant it to only include spells.

Quote:

Force Palm (Ex)
Starting at 7th level, the monk gains the ability strike far away foes with nothing but the force of his attacks. The monk can perform an unarmed strike on any foe within (Wisdom modifier x 10) ft. of herself with a -2 to attack rolls during this round. This has all the normal benefits and effects of the monk's unarmed strike, and can be combined with any other monk class ability involving an unarmed strike.

Given their reliance on their Wisdom modifier, this pretty much makes the monk a ranged class. Do these attacks count as melee or ranged attacks?

Quote:

Giant's Strength (Su)
9th level monks gain the 'Giant's Strength' ability. A number of times per day equal to her Wisdom modifier, she can spend a Swift Action to activate this ability. For a number of rounds equal to her monk class levels/2, the monk is treated as if she were two sizes larger for the purposes of calculating unarmed damage (see Table: Monk Unarmed Damage by Size below), reach, and grapple modifier. The monk can end this early as a free action, but the use still counts towards her per day limit.

This ability becomes more powerful as the monk's level grows. At level 13, the monk is treated as 3 sizes larger for the purposes of calculating unarmed damage, reach, and grapple modifier. At level 17, she is treated as 4 sizes larger for the same purposes, and this ability is treated as an Extraordinary (Ex) ability. For every size this would put the character above Colossal, take the Colossal benefits and add 1d8 to their total unarmed damage, 5 ft. to their reach, and add +2 to their grapple modifier to it.

Changing the wording to "half her monk class levels" might make it more clear. Does this ability stack with other size-increasing effects such as Enlarge Person? or is it an increase based on the base size of the creature? The Wisdom dependency makes this usable in pretty much every encounter, and most likely for the whole encounter (on average). That increases the monk's damage quite a bit. Not sure if this needs fixing.

Quote:

Flawless Strike (Ex)
Starting at 10th level, the monk gains the ability to focus their senses to a razor's edge and strike true even against all odds. A number of times per encounter equal to the monk's Wisdom modifier, the monk can spend a free action to ignore concealment, etherealness, incorperealness, invisibility, and any magical effects that provide an AC bonus or miss chance until their next round.

Again, Wisdom dependency makes this usable for the majority of an encounter. If the effect that grants an AC bonus/miss chance also negates the monks ability to see them, does this ability counteract that? Basically, does this allow the monk to see where an invisible creature is, or just ignore the miss chance if they happen to attack the right space?

Quote:

Diamond Body (Ex)
At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds. The monk cannot become blinded, dazzled, deafened, paralyzed, petrified, sickened, or stunned. If the monk was already blind or deaf, this ability does not repair their vision or hearing.

A lot of immunities, but that comes fairly standard with monk. Still a lot of immunities though.

Quote:

Diamond Soul (Su)
At 11th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to her current monk level + 15. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance. Diamond Soul cannot be ignored by any feat or ability, and affects spells that normally ignore spell resistance. Unlike normal spell resistance, the monk can enable and disable Diamond Soul as a free action.

It affects spells that normally do not allow for spell resistance? That is powerful. The ability states that it cannot be ignored by any feat or ability, does that include spells such as Assay Resistance? I'd consider changing this to still be ignored by spells that do not allow for spell resistance. Especially considering that their spell resistance is higher than normal (assuming straight monk levels), most creatures/classes get 10+level SR (basically letting equal level casters affect them with SR-allowing spells half of the time, this lowers that to 3/4 of the time).

Quote:

Abundant Step (Su)
At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces as if using the dimension door spell a number of times per encounter equal to her Wisdom modifier. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).

That's gonna be at least 6-7 times per encounter at level 12. Very good, but its power is lessened by it eating up their action for that round. I'd still suggest making it Wisdom mod/day, regardless.

Quote:

Mind's Eye Sight (Su)
Monks of 14th level and higher have unlocked the power of the mind's eye. The monk is treated as being under the effects of the true seeing spell. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down). In addition, the monk can 'sense' creatures and traps within 60 ft. of herself as if she succeeded a spot check to locate them.

Wow that's good. Permanent true seeing, and even mind/trap-sight within 60 ft.

Quote:

Quivering Palm (Su)
Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. She can use this quivering palm attack once a day, and she must announce her intent before making her attack roll. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter the monk can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to her monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the monk’s level + the monk’s Wis modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time.

Pretty standard, but changed from the never-useful 1/week. Looks good to me.

Quote:

Empty Body (Su)
At 16th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for as long as she wishes, as though using the spell etherealness. She may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day. Unlike a cleric, sorcerer, or wizard, an ethereal monk may physically interact with any ethereal and/or non-ethereal object as she wishes, and change what she wants to interact with at any time (free action). While in this state, the monk is no longer bound by the laws of physics, and has a fly speed equal to her total movement speed.

Permanent, at will etherealness? You can interact with non-ethereal objects while remaining ethereal? First part, ok, even if it is a huge increase from the normal two minutes. But the second? That's a bit much. The etherealness at will is good enough already without being able to fly and attack normally while remaining ethereal. You might want to specify that it emulates the spell ethereal jaunt, not etherealness (7th level spell vs. 9th level spell, the second allowing passengers). Still, this ability emulates a level 7 spell, giving it to them at will for as long as they want when the normal is 1 round/level, half movement speed (not flying) and unable to affect material creatures normally. Very overpowered.

Quote:

Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex)
A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with any living creature.

Standard monk fluff ability. Moving on.

Quote:

Timeless Body (Ex)
Upon attaining 18th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to her ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that she has already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when her time is up. Spells and abilities that instantly kill their target(s) no longer have any effect on the monk, and she cannot have her levels drained.

The last part should state that the monk is immune to death effects and level drain.

Quote:

Buddha's Palm (Su)
A monk of 19th level has learned the ultimate non-lethal technique, the Buddha's Palm. A number of times per day equal to the her Wisdom modifier, she may unleash such a powerful burst of Ki energy that all non-friendly creatures within 50 ft. of herself take non-lethal damage equal to the monk's unarmed strike damage and Wisdom modifier x2. Damage from this technique ignores all forms of damage reduction, and is treated as if under the effect of the monk's Flawless Strike class ability (you do not need to spend a use for this ability). Any creature damaged by this ability must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the monk’s level + the monk’s Wis modifier) or be stunned for 1 round and sickened for 5.

Interesting ability, not terribly overpowered, but you may want to rename it for the sake of these forums (real-world religion not being permitted).

Quote:

Perfect Self (Ex)
At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. She is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monk’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/magic, which allows her to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a non-magical weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. All Supernatural (Su) class features of the monk are treated as Extraordinary (Ex) abilities instead. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if she were a member of her previous creature type.

A 20th level ability granting DR 10/magic? The DR may as well not even be there, I'd make it something a tad more useful. If your enemies don't have magic weapons you're probably fighting the wrong guys. The Su -> Ex part is very good though, allows you to ignore anti-magic fields and such.

Overall, I'd say this is a solid tier 3, but only after some abilities are fixed (potentially very overpowered). Namely the etherealness part.
2010-05-23, 09:01 PM
The Anarresti

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

I personally greatly enjoy the "Monk's Eye Sight." Does it work if the monk is blindfolded? I've always had a soft spot for the "blind monks" and I've always wanted to play a blind character.
Do you think that you could have certain class abilities, taken at first level, that represent more restrictive/less restrictive vows? Such as, a monk who is blind gets a certain amount of tremorsense and blindsight, or a monk with a vow of silence gets a bonus against enchantments and illusions (by quieting your speech, you allow yourself to notice much more things around you. Try going a whole day without speaking, you'd be surprised what you notice)
This seems great but there is one thing I don't get: Pressure point. I think that one point of damage that remains just for a day is underpowered. I'd say instead make the effect paralysis for 2d4 minutes, or something similar, if the target succeeds on a Fortitude save (DC=10+(1/2 monk level)+(monk's Wis. modifier), and it must be unarmed strike only, not special monk weapons. It seems a bit strong, but remember that the monk first has to hit the creature, with a -2 penalty, and the creature can still make a save (the DC of which is equivalent to the save DC for a sorcerer of the appropriate level casting a spell of their maximum level). Unarmed strike only because you have more control over your unarmed strike than a kama or some such: you can deal nonlethal damage without penalty with your unarmed strike, but not with weapons.
For the pugulist alternate class feature: love it. Reminds me of Fight Club. I'd suggest, though, that instead of replacing WIS with STR occasionally, just replace all WIS stuff with CHA stuff from level one. Force of personality versus awareness: a person with low wisdom, high charisma is going to be slightly manic, a la Tyler Durden. I'd also put Bluff and Knowledge: Local on their skill list, for the pugilist only, and remove Knowledge: Religion, Knowledge: Arcana and Decipher Script.
Lastly, Buddha's Palm. The crunch is, to my eyes, fine, but I'm a bit iffy about naming it after a real world religious figure. That'd be like calling a paladin a "Knight Templar," calling a cleric of a desert god an imam, or making a human (cultural, not genetic) subrace and calling them Jews. Not inherently insulting, just iffy, and not for all games, especially ones that want to deviate from RL. I'd call it "Pacifist's Strike" or something like that.
All in all, the best monk fix I've seen. The first one that really kept the flavor of a monk. I'd just like to say though, tremorsense would be cool....
2010-05-23, 09:28 PM
UserShadow7989

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leaf-Eater

I personally greatly enjoy the "Monk's Eye Sight." Does it work if the monk is blindfolded? I've always had a soft spot for the "blind monks" and I've always wanted to play a blind character.

Do you think that you could have certain class abilities, taken at first level, that represent more restrictive/less restrictive vows? Such as, a monk who is blind gets a certain amount of tremorsense and blindsight, or a monk with a vow of silence gets a bonus against enchantments and illusions (by quieting your speech, you allow yourself to notice much more things around you. Try going a whole day without speaking, you'd be surprised what you notice)

Yes, you can use Mind's Eye's Sight even when blind or blindfolded, and I updated it to be clearer on that.

I'll probably make an optional class feature that allows for making a vow/taking a disability in return for benefits when I get the motivation to do so. That's an awesome idea that fits in with the monk perfectly, and makes it more flexible for character concepts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leaf-Eater

This seems great but there is one thing I don't get: Pressure point. I think that one point of damage that remains just for a day is underpowered. I'd say instead make the effect paralysis for 2d4 minutes, or something similar, if the target succeeds on a Fortitude save (DC=10+(1/2 monk level)+(monk's Wis. modifier), and it must be unarmed strike only, not special monk weapons. It seems a bit strong, but remember that the monk first has to hit the creature, with a -2 penalty, and the creature can still make a save (the DC of which is equivalent to the save DC for a sorcerer of the appropriate level casting a spell of their maximum level). Unarmed strike only because you have more control over your unarmed strike than a kama or some such: you can deal nonlethal damage without penalty with your unarmed strike, but not with weapons.

I'm not sure about the paralysis effect. 2d4 minutes would take someone out of a fight easily (every minute is 10 rounds, so on average they lose 50 rounds of actions). I agree that a single point of ability damage per hit is weak, especially since the only way to make that add up in any significant way is to combine it with Flurry of Blows (which increases the penalties further). I'll have to think about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leaf-Eater

For the pugulist alternate class feature: love it. Reminds me of Fight Club. I'd suggest, though, that instead of replacing WIS with STR occasionally, just replace all WIS stuff with CHA stuff from level one. Force of personality versus awareness: a person with low wisdom, high charisma is going to be slightly manic, a la Tyler Durden. I'd also put Bluff and Knowledge: Local on their skill list, for the pugilist only, and remove Knowledge: Religion, Knowledge: Arcana and Decipher Script.

Lastly, Buddha's Palm. The crunch is, to my eyes, fine, but I'm a bit iffy about naming it after a real world religious figure. That'd be like calling a paladin a "Knight Templar," calling a cleric of a desert god an imam, or making a human (cultural, not genetic) subrace and calling them Jews. Not inherently insulting, just iffy, and not for all games, especially ones that want to deviate from RL. I'd call it "Pacifist's Strike" or something like that.

Done and done. The name of Buddha's Palm was a reference to Kung Fu Hustle, which was what inspired me to make the class.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leaf-Eater

All in all, the best monk fix I've seen. The first one that really kept the flavor of a monk. I'd just like to say though, tremorsense would be cool....

Thank you. I was trying to stay close to the class as it was in core to keep the very nice flavor in tact. I kept Tongue of Sun and Moon, and almost kept Slow Fall, for that very reason. I'll have to make those vow of blindness/vow of silence optional abilities sometime, as the blind monk and handicapped badasses in general appeal to me greatly.

EDIT: Just updated everything to Vaynor's suggestions. Clarified in several parts, and toned down Diamond Soul and Empty Body to be much less ridiculous. Diamond Soul I'm worried about, as I made the resistance 5 greater then normal to compensate for any spellcaster worth their salt taking Greater Spell Penetration (I don't know what Assay Resistance is, I only have access to core), but reduced it to 10 + class levels as standard anyways.

I modified the 'still works when it would normally be ignored' portion to only provide 5 + class levels instead of removing it, since the monk is supposed to be the anti-spell guy (*snort* like that's gonna happen) and it at least makes him a semi-annoyance instead of a 'did you feel that?' speed bump. The only other thing is that I didn't limit/drop/spread out the immunities, simply because I don't know what to drop/what to keep/where to move what or even if it's necessary to do so. Thank you for your in-depth analysis, Vaynor.
2010-05-23, 10:38 PM
Vaynor

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserShadow7989

EDIT: Just updated everything to Vaynor's suggestions. Clarified in several parts, and toned down Diamond Soul and Empty Body to be much less ridiculous. Diamond Soul I'm worried about, as I made the resistance 5 greater then normal to compensate for any spellcaster worth their salt taking Greater Spell Penetration (I don't know what Assay Resistance is, I only have access to core), but reduced it to 10 + class levels as standard anyways.

I modified the 'still works when it would normally be ignored' portion to only provide 5 + class levels instead of removing it, since the monk is supposed to be the anti-spell guy (*snort* like that's gonna happen) and it at least makes him a semi-annoyance instead of a 'did you feel that?' speed bump. The only other thing is that I didn't limit/drop/spread out the immunities, simply because I don't know what to drop/what to keep/where to move what or even if it's necessary to do so. Thank you for your in-depth analysis, Vaynor.

Assay Spell Resistance is a spell in the Spell Compendium that gives you a +10 bonus on caster level checks to overcome the spell resistance of a specific creature (swift action). At this point you've probably realized that that has nothing to do with ignoring spell resistance, so it has nothing to do with Diamond Mind. My bad. The immunities aren't a problem really, I was more just surprised how many you got at a single level(s).

No problem. :smallsmile:
2010-05-24, 11:25 AM
The Anarresti

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

Ideas for Disability/Benefits Vows/trade-offs:(Crunch is a suggestion only, feel free to scale up/down)
1. Blindness for Tremorsense (20ft + 20 ft for every fourth level), limited Blindsight: (5ft + 5ft for every fifth level).

2. Silence (cannot make sounds that required vocalization, including humming or screaming) for increased perception: +1 bonus to Initiative, Ability to take 10 on Listen and Spot checks even when rushed or threatened, +2 on Listen, Spot, Sense Motive and Search.

3. Crippled (Legs shriveled and weak, can stand up under own power but cannnot walk, base land speed reduced to 20ft, requires at least three limbs on ground to hustle or walk, four to run, carrying capacity reduced as if STR -2) for Climb speed 20ft (as ape's climb speed).

Maybe more later, hope these help

EDIT: Typo
2010-05-24, 01:04 PM
UserShadow7989

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e)

Vow of Silence and Vow of Blindness are up. I'll make the crippled equivalent later.

Thank you for the idea and crunch, Leaf-Eater. I hope you like them.

EDIT: Added "Unmoving Feet" (the crippled legs ability) based on Leaf-Eater's ideas and crunch. I also came up with three vows of my own, one of which is "Vow of Bound Arms" which is up now and the other two are still brewing in my head.
2010-05-28, 10:18 PM
UserShadow7989

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e, PEACH)

I'm going to bump this just this once before I let it lie. Does anyone have suggestions or nitpicks? How are the alternate class features? Should I throw Slow Fall back in just for flavor (not like it's useful enough to make a big difference balance-wise)?
2010-05-29, 04:06 AM
CN the Logos

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e, PEACH)

Well, I'm no great authority on game design, but this looks like a monk I could actually play or let a player in one of my games use without losing much ground compared to other (Tier 3) classes. It's not competing with the Wizard, but you already knew that, and I personally prefer tiers 2 through 4 for the purposes of retaining some dramatic tension in my RPGs.

The alternate class features look alright, though I'm wondering if you might have trouble with munchkins trying to break their own legs immediately before taking a new monk level and regenerate them immediately afterward to gain the benefits of Unmoving Legs. I think "constant strain" implies that the monk's legs have to be useless for the full three levels prior to getting the strength bonus, but the climb speed could still be useful regardless... make them suffer through at least three full levels of the feature's drawback before the effect becomes permanent, the same way the monk has to go through the drawback for three levels to get the first point of strength bonus.

All in all, I approve. :smallcool:
2010-05-30, 01:30 AM
UserShadow7989

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e, PEACH)

I'm glad you like it. I've updated Unmoving Feet as per your suggestion.

I also just noticed that, other then a BAB increase and Giant's Strength getting a minor upgrade, you get nothing for level 13. Should I make a weak class ability, like Slow Fall Any Distance, to fill it? I know it's not really a dead level because of the Giant's Strength upgrade, but I hate when a player doesn't get anything new for a level (if it's something for flavor, like Tongue of Sun and Moon).

I've also been thinking about making a short prestige class for the Monk. I was thinking a one-with-nature theme (maybe requiring levels of Druid or Ranger?) about improving your spiritual connection to nature as well as your physical form. Does this sound like a good idea?
2010-05-30, 07:09 AM
SlyGuyMcFly

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e, PEACH)

The way I'm reading it, this Monk becomes worse at AoOs the higher his level. At level 1 a -1 penalty to AoOs. At 16 it's a -5. Seems a bit unfair.
2010-05-30, 10:41 AM
UserShadow7989

Re: Yet another Monk remake (3.5e, PEACH)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Even Human

The way I'm reading it, this Monk becomes worse at AoOs the higher his level. At level 1 a -1 penalty to AoOs. At 16 it's a -5. Seems a bit unfair.

~~The penalty only applies to Flurry of Blows. It's meant to keep regular Full Attacks/Standard Attacks a worthwhile option while not rendering FoBs useless.~~

I just ~~realized~~ remembered (what is wrong with me?) that it weakens the AoOs made after using Flurry of Blows, but only until your next turn. It's meant to keep regular Full Attacks/Standard Attacks a worthwhile option while not rendering FoBs useless.