Alternate Class features, the Cleric and you.

[Ahrimon]

I was wondering. What would you take away from the cleric if they were to get the AC bonus of the monk. i.e. Wis to AC, bonus by level keep them when flat footed, etc.

I would definately take away his armor and sheild proficiencies. But I'm not sure that would be enough. It's trading a class feature for armor and sheild proficiencies. But I guess those are technically class features themselves.

I'm kind of going for a more monkish type cleric. Kind of a cleric that trains in defensive martial arts instead of armor training. It would keep the normal cleric weapon proficiencies, for offensive capability.

 

[Li Shenron]

I would definately take away his armor and sheild proficiencies. But I'm not sure that would be enough. It's trading a class feature for armor and sheild proficiencies. But I guess those are technically class features themselves.

(erased)

Actually I think it's quite ok, because even if they decide to take those feats, using an armor/shield automatically negates the Monk-like AC bonuses.

Take away the proficiency more for flavor reasons than balance, but you probably needs nothing else.

 

[Sadrik]

No armor or shields.

Add wis to AC

But dont have it scale up with level.

Reasoning is that their primary stat is wisdom and so can really crank it up. The monk needs a lot of stats so the additional bonuses by level are in effect not as great.

 

[Arkhandus]

I don't find it unbalancing at all.

The most a cleric could likely boost their Wisdom to is 37 (+13 Wis modifier). 18 base, +3 from aging to venerable, +5 from levels, +5 inherant (Tome of Understanding, or Clear Thought, or whatever it was called), +6 enhancement (Periapt of Wisdom).

If given an AC bonus from this, the cleric would only match what a normal cleric in +5 full plate would get (at a slightly greater expense in GP I think, from the high price of the inherant-bonus Tome; but I'm not gonna bother calculating it to check it). If the cleric gets the full Monkish AC advancement (reaching 5 + Wis mod by 20th-level) he or she will match a normal cleric with +5 full plate and +3 large/heavy shield.

Considering the fact that said cleric will be venerable (-6 to Str, Dex, and Con), I find this a rather sub-par character advancement choice. Even if not venerable, the 34 Wisdom will not be 'broken' if available for +12 AC.

So long as the monk's restrictions apply to the cleric (only gains the bonus in no armor with no shield and only a light load) there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving the standard monkish AC advancement in exchange for losing the cleric's normal armor and shield proficiencies.

 

[maggot]

Of course, the cleric is going to use bracers of armor or mage armor just like a monk, so he will probably have at least a +4 armor on top of his wisdom bonus. Still, I kind of like the idea. The cleric could always purchase a monk's belt, but this class feature does it for him.