Argus Decimus Mokira
First Post
Hey
This is an attmept to combine the psionic warrior and monk class. To preface the class, let me add that I don't use psionic combat, in any shape or form, in my campaign - psionic people fight each other the same as wizards and clerics, not with special combat modes only they possess. It's a hassle for me to have that stuff, so I dropped it, and haven't run into any problems.
Anyway, here's the class.
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MONK
[Flavor text]
Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The monk's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the monk.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling.
Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields
When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
AC Bonus (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five monk levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.
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 in the Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus column on Table: The Monk. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 9th level it disappears. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.
When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). She may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies her Strength bonus (not Str bonus x1-1/2 or x1/2) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether she wields a weapon in one or both hands. The monk can't use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.
In the case of the quarterstaff, each end counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using the flurry of blows ability. Even though the quarterstaff requires two hands to use, a monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes with quarterstaff strikes, assuming that she has enough attacks in her flurry of blows routine to do so.
When a monk reaches 11th level, her flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack she gets from flurry of blows, she gets a second extra attack at her full base attack bonus.
Unarmed Strike: 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: Monk Unarmed Damage.
Powers: A monk manifests psionic powers. A monk begins play knowing two 0-level powers (talents). At each level, the monk discovers one or more powers, as indicated on Table: Monk Powers. These powers are chosen from the psychic warrior power list.
To manifest a power within a particular discipline, a monk must have a key ability score of at least 10 + the power's level. The DC for saving throws to resist a monk's powers is 10 + the power's level + the monk's key ability modifier.
Certain powers can be enhanced as they are manifested, at the cost of additional power points.
Note: A monk may choose to discover a lower-level power in place of a higher-level power normally granted by level advancement.
Power Points: A monk can manifest a certain number of 1st-level and higher powers per day based on her available power points. Monks do not gain bonus power points for exceptional ability scores. Special rules govern the manifestation of 0-level powers and psionic combat modes.
0-level Powers: Also called talents, 0-level powers have a special power point cost. A monk can manifest any talent she knows for free a number of times per day equal to his or her level +2. After exhausting her daily allotment, the monk must pay 1 power point per manifestation of a 0-level power for the rest of the day.
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.
Speed Bonus (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Monk. A monk in armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a monk's unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character's monk level. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th 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.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 20th 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.
Ex-Monks
A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.
Like a member of any other class, a monk may be a multiclass character, but multiclass monks face a special restriction. A monk who gains a new class or (if already multiclass) raises another class by a level may never again raise her monk level, though she retains all her monk abilities.
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So, there you go. As always, I'm concerned about balance ... I KNOW this is overpowered compared to SRD classes, but I'd love to hear some ideas on where/how to tone it down.
Help/criticisms greatly appreciated
-Matt
This is an attmept to combine the psionic warrior and monk class. To preface the class, let me add that I don't use psionic combat, in any shape or form, in my campaign - psionic people fight each other the same as wizards and clerics, not with special combat modes only they possess. It's a hassle for me to have that stuff, so I dropped it, and haven't run into any problems.
Anyway, here's the class.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONK
[Flavor text]
Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The monk's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Code:
Table: The Monk
Base
Attack Fort Ref Will Flurry of Blows AC Speed
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special Attack Bonus Bonus Bonus
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 +0 +2 +2 +2 Flurry of blows, -2/-2 +0 +0
unarmed strike
2 +1 +3 +3 +3 Evasion -1/-1 +0 +0
3 +2 +3 +3 +3 +0/+0 +0 +10
4 +3 +4 +4 +4 Ki strike (magic) +1/+1 +0 +10
5 +3 +4 +4 +4 +2/+2 +1 +10
6 +4 +5 +5 +5 +3/+3 +1 +20
7 +5 +5 +5 +5 +4/+4 +1 +20
8 +6/+1 +6 +6 +6 +5/+5/+0 +1 +20
9 +6/+1 +6 +6 +6 Improved evasion +6/+6/+1 +1 +30
10 +7/+2 +7 +7 +7 Ki strike (lawful) +7/+7/+2 +2 +30
11 +8/+3 +7 +7 +7 Greater flurry +8/+8/+8/+3 +2 +30
12 +9/+4 +8 +8 +8 +9/+9/+9/+4 +2 +40
13 +9/+4 +8 +8 +8 +9/+9/+9/+4 +2 +40
14 +10/+5 +9 +9 +9 +10/+10/+10/+5 +2 +40
15 +11/+6/+1 +9 +9 +9 +11/+11/+11/+6/+1 +3 +50
16 +12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +10 Ki strike (adam.) +12/+12/+12/+7/+2 +3 +50
17 +12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +10 +12/+12/+12/+7/+2 +3 +50
18 +13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +11 +13/+13/+13/+8/+3 +3 +60
19 +14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +11 +14/+14/+14/+9/+4 +3 +60
20 +15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +12 Timeless body +15/+15/+15/+10/+5 +4 +60Class Features
All of the following are class features of the monk.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling.
Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields
When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
AC Bonus (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five monk levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.
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 in the Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus column on Table: The Monk. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 9th level it disappears. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.
When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). She may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies her Strength bonus (not Str bonus x1-1/2 or x1/2) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether she wields a weapon in one or both hands. The monk can't use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.
In the case of the quarterstaff, each end counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using the flurry of blows ability. Even though the quarterstaff requires two hands to use, a monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes with quarterstaff strikes, assuming that she has enough attacks in her flurry of blows routine to do so.
When a monk reaches 11th level, her flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack she gets from flurry of blows, she gets a second extra attack at her full base attack bonus.
Unarmed Strike: 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: Monk Unarmed Damage.
Code:
Table: Monk Unarmed Damage
Small Medium Large
Level Monk Monk Monk
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1-3 1d4 1d6 1d8
4-7 1d6 1d8 2d6
8-11 1d8 1d10 2d8
12-15 1d10 2d6 3d6
16-19 2d6 2d8 3d8
20 2d8 2d10 4d8Powers: A monk manifests psionic powers. A monk begins play knowing two 0-level powers (talents). At each level, the monk discovers one or more powers, as indicated on Table: Monk Powers. These powers are chosen from the psychic warrior power list.
To manifest a power within a particular discipline, a monk must have a key ability score of at least 10 + the power's level. The DC for saving throws to resist a monk's powers is 10 + the power's level + the monk's key ability modifier.
Certain powers can be enhanced as they are manifested, at the cost of additional power points.
Note: A monk may choose to discover a lower-level power in place of a higher-level power normally granted by level advancement.
Code:
Table: Monk Powers
---------Powers Discovered---------
Power
Level Pts/Day 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 2 - - - - - -
2 3 3 - - - - - -
3 4 3 1 - - - - -
4 5 3 2 - - - - -
5 8 3 3 1 - - - -
6 11 3 3 2 - - - -
7 16 3 3 3 1 - - -
8 21 3 3 3 1 - - -
9 26 3 3 3 2 - - -
10 33 3 3 3 2 1 - -
11 40 3 3 3 3 1 - -
12 47 3 3 3 3 2 - -
13 56 3 3 3 3 2 1 -
14 65 3 3 3 3 3 1 -
15 74 3 3 3 3 3 2 -
16 85 3 3 3 3 3 2 1
17 96 3 3 3 3 3 3 1
18 107 3 3 3 3 3 3 2
19 118 3 4 3 3 3 3 2
20 129 3 4 3 3 3 3 3Power Points: A monk can manifest a certain number of 1st-level and higher powers per day based on her available power points. Monks do not gain bonus power points for exceptional ability scores. Special rules govern the manifestation of 0-level powers and psionic combat modes.
0-level Powers: Also called talents, 0-level powers have a special power point cost. A monk can manifest any talent she knows for free a number of times per day equal to his or her level +2. After exhausting her daily allotment, the monk must pay 1 power point per manifestation of a 0-level power for the rest of the day.
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.
Speed Bonus (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Monk. A monk in armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a monk's unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character's monk level. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th 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.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 20th 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.
Ex-Monks
A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.
Like a member of any other class, a monk may be a multiclass character, but multiclass monks face a special restriction. A monk who gains a new class or (if already multiclass) raises another class by a level may never again raise her monk level, though she retains all her monk abilities.
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So, there you go. As always, I'm concerned about balance ... I KNOW this is overpowered compared to SRD classes, but I'd love to hear some ideas on where/how to tone it down.
Help/criticisms greatly appreciated
-Matt
Last edited:
IMO, natch.
