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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kerrick" data-source="post: 4254032" data-attributes="member: 4722">The monk could have been a cool class, but instead it ended up being a bunch of disparate abilities tossed together with no thought to cohesion or logic. To be fair, it was built off the foundations of the 1E monk, but still... immunity to poison and disease? Spell resistance? Ability to speak to any living creature? Come on... where are they getting this stuff?So, here's my effort to remake the monk. First, I needed an archetype. Martial artist worked well enough, and could be divorced from the Oriental flavor/baggage that has always seemed to weigh it down (why do martial artists HAVE to be Oriental? Just because the majority of martial arts in the real world originated in the Far East doesn't mean they have to in a fantasy world...).With that in mind, gutted the class - all the abilities except ki strike, flurry of blows, and (imp) evasion got tossed because, quite frankly, none of them made sense, nor did they fit the archetype. Timeless body got to stay because it was kind of cool (I can see the ancient martial arts master who can still open the can of whoopass) and not overly powerful. Then, I started to rebuild it. I used some ideas my DM has been using for a new campaign - monk have different fighting styles named for the four elements and the directions. Each element has a different style, and the directions are focuses within the disciplines. I also added a combination of sun and moon, which ended up becoming two separate styles - Dawn (life/positive energy) and Twiligh (death/negative energy).Ability focus changed from Wis to Cha (although I'm not totally set on this change...). A lot of the abilities they get are manifestations of your force of will - ki strike, for instance. I standardized the AC bonus - it's still there, but based off level instead of Wis bonus (so monk/clerics or monk/druids can't boost their Wis score and get huge bonuses); it's also a dodge bonus, instead of unnamed. Speed boost is still there, as it fits their archetype of "fast, unarmed damage dealer". The extra attack from the flurry was dropped - 5 attacks/round at 2d10 each was a bit much, IMO, but the Wind style gets an extra attack as one of their abilities. After I'd filled in everything else, I had a few dead levels left, so I tossed in some bonus feats - but spread out this time, instead of all bunched up at the bottom. Additionally, they're not free - the monk has to qualify to take them.So here's what I've got so far. Feedback, comments, and ideas are welcome. (I put it in spoiler blocks to save space. If the ability has only a name and no description, like flurry of blows or unarmed combat, it's the same as the PHB.)The MonkBAB: MediumSaves: Fort low, Ref/Will high1: Flurry of blows, unarmed combat2: Fighting style acolyte3: Evasion, slow fall 20 ft.4: Ki strike (magic)5: Bonus feat6: Slow fall 30 ft.7: Wholeness of body8: Fighting style initiate9: Bonus feat, slow fall 40 ft.10: Ki strike (lawful)11: Purity of body12: Slow fall 50 ft.13: Bonus feat14: Fighting style mastery15: Rapid flurry, slow fall 60 ft.16: Ki strike (adamantine)17: Bonus feat18: Slow fall 70 ft.19: Timeless body20: Fighting style grandmastery[sblock]Awareness of Self (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk gains a +3 dodge bonus to AC, as she is always ready to avoid any threats to her well-being. She loses this bonus when immobilized,  helpless, or unconscious, when wearing any armor or carrying a shield, or when carrying a medium or heavy load. This bonus increases at different rates different for each style, as noted below. (see Table further in the thread)  Fighting Style: All monks are taught how to fight. At first, it is just the basics, but when they reach 2nd level, they must choose a specific style. The styles are keyed to the elements (Air, Earth, Fire, Water) or a combination of the sun and moon; the comass points (North, East, West, South) dictate the style's focus – offense (attack bonus), defense (AC), damage, or duration (of abilities). Each style is thus named based on a combination of compass point and element – Northern Wind, for example, or Southern Mountains.  Once a monk has chosen a fighting style, she cannot learn a new one. She can, however, choose a different compass point in the same style any time she reaches a new rank – this is simply learning a new focus in the same fighting style.  Monks often identify themselves by name and their rank in their chosen fighting style. For instance, Jalya, a 10th level monk with the Sun (fire) style and North compass point, would be "Jalya, Initiate of the Northern Sun."  The various fighting styles are listed below.  Evasion (Ex): If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes one-quarter 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.  Slow Fall (Ex): A monk within arm’s reach of a wall can use it to slow her descent. When first using this ability, she takes damage as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. The monk’s ability to slow her fall (that is, to reduce the effective distance of the fall when next to a wall) increases by 10 feet every three levels – 30 feet at 6th, 40 feet at 9th, etc.  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.  Bonus Feat: At 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels, a monk can choose from a list of bonus feats specific to her fighting style (if she is trained in multiple styles, she can choose from any valid list). She must fulfill the prerequisites normally.  Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds. She can heal a number of hit points equal to three times her monk level each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.  Purity of Body (Ex): Due to their diet and rigorous training, monks are more resistant to normal poisons and diseases than most people. They gain a +4 resistance bonus to saves vs. both.  Rapid Flurry (Ex): At 15th level, a monk can make her flurry of blows as a standard action instead of a full-round action.  Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 19th 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.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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