Man in the Funny Hat
Hero
For starters went over their rather long list of abilities. Most of them are fairly minor but they start to add up. Changed some (mostly just to make them work more simply and straightforward) and replaced a few with something else that fit my vision of the class better. For example, I removed the ability to talk to animals. It just made no sense at all, especially since druids had to cast a spell to do it. But I added an ability to break stones, boards, etc. Even just adding some clarifications meant few abilities were actually left as-is. I took away their ability to open locks and find/remove traps.
Tweaked and re-tweaked their AC. They still have a natural AC that increases with level, but it was adjusted to allow them to use the same dex adjustments and also get a bonus to their AC from high wisdom. Then the progression for their AC improvement was adjusted to make sure they didn't actually wind up with a better armor class than a comparable level straight fighter generally would have. All of which was necessary because they were clearly meant to be IN COMBAT and that meant they had to be able to survive it and be effective at it.
Similar changes to Open Hand and weapon combat abilities - they get to use strength, dex, adjustments the same as any other class but no longer get the 1/2 pt per level damage bonus. Strength bonuses apply to Open Hand damage. OH damage starts at 1d4 but maxes out at 2d6 at 8th level, but the number of attacks with it is about the same. Attack as clerics. Hit dice are 1d8 per level up to a max of 8d8 at 8th and +3 points per level after that. All that combined made them viable combatants but not dominant in combat - on the principle that the dominant combatants should almost always be straight-up fighters.
They still need to participate in a combat test to advance - but the test is clearly detailed as more a matter of roleplaying. The nature of the test varies according to the traditions of the monastery where the monk returns to in order to get his training. I saw it as a good means to differentiate between various monasteries in the game world. The monk mostly follows the same rules for training/advancement as any other character but the higher level monk needs to plan a little better to make that pilgrimage and prove to his mentor(s) that he is deserving of the honor of the higher rank. It's a combat test, to be sure, but just because a PC might go down first doesn't need to mean he FAILS THE TEST. Even if he does "fail", it doesn't have to mean the PC can't take the test again in a timely manner. Once the monk actually establishes his own monastery he obviously no longer needs to prove himself to his mentors - but if he ever gets high enough level students then he needs to arrange for THEIR combat tests. Mostly it was a matter of ensuring that this isn't just a pointless means of the DM standing on the PC's neck. It isn't going to make the game any more fun or interesting for ANYONE if a PC monk repeatedly gets the crap kicked out of him and CANNOT advance in levels while every other PC does so nearly without effort. The fight-to-advance for monks (and druids too!) needs to serve a USEFUL purpose in the game or else it needs to just be dropped as being a pathetic excuse for the DM to be a jerk. It should be rare that a PC monk can't actually advance.
Oh, and xp progression was also changed - same at lower levels but alterations at higher levels.
Monks get a lot of initial special abilities but also face many restrictions and limitations - fewer weapons useable (weapons which don't do a lot of damage anyway), lower AC than typical fighters (albeit some adjustment), fewer hit points than fighters, later advancement restrictions, alignment restrictions, etc. Lots of changes, lots of versions tried and rejected over the years (including the Dragon Mag version), but I'm pretty satisfied with what I have now for my own games.
If you like I can send you the whole treatment.
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