TracerBullet42
First Post
edit: Thanks to Crothian....
I'm considering a monk...tell me how cool your monk is!
I'm considering a monk...tell me how cool your monk is!
Last edited:
Tell me about your monk
- Thread starter TracerBullet42
- Start date
Crothian
First Post
The SRD is your friend 
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 x 1-1/2 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: The Monk. The unarmed damage on Table: The Monk is for Medium monks. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large monk deals more damage; see Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage.
Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage
Level Damage
(Small Monk) Damage
(Large Monk)
1st–3rd 1d4 1d8
4th–7th 1d6 2d6
8th–11th 1d8 2d8
12th–15th 1d10 3d6
16th–19th 2d6 3d8
20th 2d8 4d8
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.
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.
Fast Movement (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.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
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.
Slow Fall (Ex): At 4th level or higher, 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) improves with her monk level until at 20th level she can use a nearby wall to slow her descent and fall any distance without harm.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds. She can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to twice her current monk level each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.
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.
Diamond Body (Su): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, once per day. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th 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.
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 week, 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 + 1/2 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.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 17th 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.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex): A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with any living creature.
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 round per monk level per day, as though using the spell etherealness. She may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day, as long as the total number of rounds spent in an ethereal state does not exceed her monk level.
Perfect Self: 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 nonmagical weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if she were a member of her previous creature type.
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 x 1-1/2 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: The Monk. The unarmed damage on Table: The Monk is for Medium monks. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large monk deals more damage; see Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage.
Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage
Level Damage
(Small Monk) Damage
(Large Monk)
1st–3rd 1d4 1d8
4th–7th 1d6 2d6
8th–11th 1d8 2d8
12th–15th 1d10 3d6
16th–19th 2d6 3d8
20th 2d8 4d8
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.
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.
Fast Movement (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.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
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.
Slow Fall (Ex): At 4th level or higher, 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) improves with her monk level until at 20th level she can use a nearby wall to slow her descent and fall any distance without harm.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds. She can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to twice her current monk level each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.
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.
Diamond Body (Su): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, once per day. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th 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.
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 week, 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 + 1/2 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.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 17th 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.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex): A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with any living creature.
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 round per monk level per day, as though using the spell etherealness. She may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day, as long as the total number of rounds spent in an ethereal state does not exceed her monk level.
Perfect Self: 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 nonmagical weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if she were a member of her previous creature type.
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Voadam
Legend
TracerBullet42 said:
It's all about attitude and hong kong action.
Your whole body is a weapon and you can get cinematic in your descriptions.
"I jump up and kick the ogre in the face. . . Three times!"
"I know Kung fu!"
"Your sword is no match for the power of my dragon claw strike!"
Thanee
First Post
TracerBullet42 said:
It's not my monk (me = cleric), but the monk in our current party is pretty cool. So cool, not even True Resurrection worked on him!
I fully expect to see him again, tho... wonder what kind of undead those vile necromancers have turned him into!
The player is rolling up a druid now, will be the first one in our 3rd edition games. That will be interesting!
Bye
Thanee
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Storminator
First Post
I have an enormously powerful monk. Of course, he's ECL 24, so he should be!
Get Beyond Monks, by Chainmail Bikini Games. Here's a review link from today's front page. http://www.mortality.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=206
It is loaded with awesome feats you really should check out.
So, cool things about high level monks... never need to count squares, if it's on the battle mat, you can get there. I switch tactics 3 or 4 times a combat.
Ha! Slaughter mooks...
Look! The BBEG is open, race over and smack him...
Uh, oh, our mage is trouble, run back and save him...
Our rogue needs a flanker, be right there!
Back to the BBEG!
Your saves rock, so you're safe from most magic (last session, I took zero damage from a Meteor Swarm...). You're immune to most everything. The 3.5 flurry means you don't fall that far behind the fighters in attack.
If you can convince your DM to use Arcana Unearthed you can take the Hands as Weapons feat, which allows your natural attacks to be enchanted like magic weapons (same cost and time, but you'll have magic enhancements on your fists). Otherwise, push for Bracers of Striking from Magic of Faerun (I think...), which has the same effect.
I like playing a monk because you can be fearless. I have the best saves, the best AC, lots of immunities, and high mobility. So I can go anywhere and do anything I want, without worrying about losing my character.
PS
Get Beyond Monks, by Chainmail Bikini Games. Here's a review link from today's front page. http://www.mortality.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=206
It is loaded with awesome feats you really should check out.
So, cool things about high level monks... never need to count squares, if it's on the battle mat, you can get there. I switch tactics 3 or 4 times a combat.
Ha! Slaughter mooks...
Look! The BBEG is open, race over and smack him...
Uh, oh, our mage is trouble, run back and save him...
Our rogue needs a flanker, be right there!
Back to the BBEG!
Your saves rock, so you're safe from most magic (last session, I took zero damage from a Meteor Swarm...). You're immune to most everything. The 3.5 flurry means you don't fall that far behind the fighters in attack.
If you can convince your DM to use Arcana Unearthed you can take the Hands as Weapons feat, which allows your natural attacks to be enchanted like magic weapons (same cost and time, but you'll have magic enhancements on your fists). Otherwise, push for Bracers of Striking from Magic of Faerun (I think...), which has the same effect.
I like playing a monk because you can be fearless. I have the best saves, the best AC, lots of immunities, and high mobility. So I can go anywhere and do anything I want, without worrying about losing my character.
PS
MarauderX
Explorer
Playing a Wiz1/Fighter2/Monk2 now, and multiclassed to get some cool feats for him.
I took the Wiz1 for the Mage Armor (+4 at lower levels is a must) since there are no arcane casters in the group.
2 levels of fighter get him the necessary feats to have Great Throw (OA) by 4th level, not to mention the hit points.
Monk 2, and will keep taking monk levels from here on out so he can get Grappling Block (again, OA) and be nearly untouchable with his higher will and fort saves.
Granted his attacks and BAB are a little weakened, but with Great Throw and AoOs for anyone standing from prone, he will just get to throw them around again for free (with damage). The feat can be much more effective than actually doing damage to an opponent, as rendering them useless on the ground for round after round does the same thing as incapacitating him. He also gets 2 tries to throw per round (flurry of blows) and will be trying to throw opponents into one another the next chance he gets.
With a high tumble skill he can launch himself to anywhere he will need to be in a fight and toss some opponents away from other PCs in trouble (like a mage) or can tumble to the foes' back lines and toss the mages around instead of grappling them, freeing him up in case another attacker would choose to assist the enemy mage. Plus, with Combat Reflexes, he will get to toss down bunches of opponents around him that move or stand from prone, while he just stands in his square hurling them about, using their own energies against themselves, or something zen like that.
I took the Wiz1 for the Mage Armor (+4 at lower levels is a must) since there are no arcane casters in the group.
2 levels of fighter get him the necessary feats to have Great Throw (OA) by 4th level, not to mention the hit points.
Monk 2, and will keep taking monk levels from here on out so he can get Grappling Block (again, OA) and be nearly untouchable with his higher will and fort saves.
Granted his attacks and BAB are a little weakened, but with Great Throw and AoOs for anyone standing from prone, he will just get to throw them around again for free (with damage). The feat can be much more effective than actually doing damage to an opponent, as rendering them useless on the ground for round after round does the same thing as incapacitating him. He also gets 2 tries to throw per round (flurry of blows) and will be trying to throw opponents into one another the next chance he gets.
With a high tumble skill he can launch himself to anywhere he will need to be in a fight and toss some opponents away from other PCs in trouble (like a mage) or can tumble to the foes' back lines and toss the mages around instead of grappling them, freeing him up in case another attacker would choose to assist the enemy mage. Plus, with Combat Reflexes, he will get to toss down bunches of opponents around him that move or stand from prone, while he just stands in his square hurling them about, using their own energies against themselves, or something zen like that.
Macbeth
First Post
My monk is the biggest stuck up, stick in the mud, pain in the ass (we can say ass, right? If not I'll edit...) you've ever seen. This of course makes him amazingly fun to play, and fun for everybody else to play with, in a kind of love-to-hate-him way. See the link in my sig to read about all his adventures.
cignus_pfaccari
First Post
TracerBullet42 said:
Tolthrak SMASH!!!!
Me Tolthrak in epic-level campaign. Me Tolthrak an-thro-po-mor-phic (sorry, big word) tyrannosaur half-dragon Brb2/SoL*2/Mnk20. Me like running at things, kicking really really really really hard, and then hitting thing with follow-up attacks. Me Tolthrak disappointed when things fall down and me no have secondary targets.
Me Tolthrak now follow path of Shinsei so Tolthrak can get feats and qualify to be Perfected One. Tolthrak used to diet of rice cakes and fish. Lots of fish. As little rice cakes as Tolthrak can get away with.
Tolthrak miss meat. Tolthrak want to find Shinsei and have long involved discussion about dietary choices.
Brad
* - Soldier of Light. Tolthrak started as a barbarian, and then gradually became more lawful...mostly because he thought people who could fight without claws or weapons were totally cool. And, yes, his in-game dialogue is modeled off of a certain Dinobot's, save when he's in the presence of Death; he then becomes very well-spoken.
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