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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pawsplay" data-source="post: 5372397" data-attributes="member: 15538">When I was working on the Martial Artist, I pulled apart the monk class and figured out that the only reason they have medium BAB is legacy. Between their overly complicated flurry of blows mechanic and full CMB, they are a full BAB class in all ways except:- About 1 less hit point per level- A lower attack bonus on a standard attack or a single attackMonks need and deserve a full d10. Further, the latter seems to actually discourage their schtick, which is mobility. For instance, Spring Attack + Stunning Fist should be awesome, but for a monk raises accuracy issues.Now, based on their damage, a monk could be considered, in a certain light, to be a high damage, low accuracy class. In a certain sense, I can understand how monks would have more trouble hitting heavily armored foes. However, the reality is that a focused fighter can out-damage the monk bare-handed. So I think the flavor works fine, but the monk needs help. W Focus (unarmed strike) is shockingly efficient, of course.But really, the monk needs to be able to take Improved Critical (unarmed strike) at about the same time as the other martial classes, and needs some kind of scaling to-hit bonus, like a fighter's weapon training, paladin smite, ranger's favored enemy, barbarian's escalating Str bonus. If I were absolutely committed to legacy medium BAB, I would take a peek at 3.0 and modify the concept thusly; full BAB on attacks when fighting unarmed or using any monk weapon, period (full or standard attack). Then, with the high damage, is it as if the monk had a scaling to-hit bonus and traded it in for an inherent Power Attack type bonus. I think the amulet of mighty fists type item is correctly priced at a higher level; it affects all limbs, and affects multiple attacks (primarily natural attacks or flurry attacks). Further, the monk with, say, a +3 item when the fighter has a +5 is consistent with the theme, lower accuracy with more effects (stunning, high damage, etc.). The knuckles are not a good idea. Apart from the street fighter stylistic problems, slapping an enhancement bonus on top of monk damage at the higher rate leads to somewhat inflated numbers. In other words, everyone goes straight for the knuckles, and that's not what I want monks to do in my campaigns. Brass knuckles shouldn't be a superior option to nunchaku or a quarterstaff. There are very few real world styles that teach them, for that matter. And it really doesn't go into detail about readying, disarming, or sundering brass knuckles.</blockquote>

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