Monk

Monks are masters of the mystic arts and have access to magic of a different sort. They do not cast spells, but instead create magical effects through their devotion to physical and spiritual perfection. Years of tirelessly training both body and mind have allowed monks to hone themselves into living embodiments of will.

d8 hit die, 3 + Intellect skill points per level

Class skills: Insight, Medicine, Mysticism, Sense, Spot, Survival, Athletics, Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, Stealth, Craft

Good resistances: Power, Finesse, Grace, Vitality, Stature, Acumen, Resolve, Ego

Proficiencies: Monk Weapons.

**Unarmed Fighting:**

At 1st level, a monk gains a dodge bonus to their AC equal to their Acumen modifier (min 0). They add this bonus to TED against attempts to trip, shove, reposition, overrun, or grapple them. A monk is able to move faster than a typical creature of their type, and gains a bonus to their ground speed as described by their class table in the column labelled “speed”. A monk is unable to use any of their monk class features if they are wearing any kind of armor or wielding a shield.

A monk’s unarmed strike damage deals more damage than a regular unarmed strike, and continues to increase as seen in the class table under “unarmed”. The damage in the table above is for a creature of Stature 6 to 20. For smaller or larger monks, see the following table:

**Flurry:**

A monk can make a flurry of attacks as a full-round action. When making a flurry, a monk makes a series of attacks, each with an attack bonus given by the column labelled “Flurry Bonus” in the class table. The monk can use any exploit which replaces an attack in place of any attack in a flurry. The monk adds other modifiers to these attack rolls as normal (i.e. Power mod, flanking bonuses, etc.). A flurry is not a full attack. A flurry can be made with any combination of monk weapons. Any attacks made as part of a flurry count as one-handed attacks for the purpose of calculating damage. None of the attacks are considered off-hand attacks, and the monk cannot use two handed weapons in a flurry.

A character with levels in other classes adds their combat bonus gained from other classes to the flurry bonus, but does not gain additional attacks from this increased combat bonus. For instance, an 8th level monk has a flurry bonus of 4/3/1/0/-1. If this character then takes 6 levels of soldier, the combat bonus gained from these soldier levels is 3. If this character makes a flurry, their flurry bonus would be 7/6/4/3/2. If the character does not want to flurry, this character’s combat bonus is 8, and making a full attack would be at a bonus of 8/5/3. Taking the feats Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting would allow a full attack at 6/6/3/3/1/1.

Flurry cannot be used in combination with Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Rapid Shot, or any other feats that allow additional attacks per round.

**Bonus Feat:**

At the listed levels, monks gain a bonus feat. These feats must be from Exploit, Style, or Combat Feats.

**Ki Pool:**

At 3rd level, a monk gains a pool of energy called *ki,* with a number of points equal to half their monk level plus their Acumen modifier. This pool is refilled after a long rest. At 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter, the monk can choose to take a vow which can increase the number of points in their Ki Pool, though they are not required to.

**Ki Powers:**

Ki powers are mystic abilities available to monks. Using ki powers to activate feats and other physical abilities is not considered magical. However, ki powers that activate spell-like abilities are considered magical for the purposes of being dispelled or functioning within an anti-magic field etc. Ki powers that replicate spells consume the same action as casting the spell would. At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the monk gains a ki power.

All ki powers are listed with the cost (in point) required to activate them. The DC of all ki powers is 16 + ½ lvl + R.

Available at 3rd Level:

Acrobatic (1): Gain a bonus equal to monk level on one Athletics or Acrobatics checks.

Additional Attack (1): Make 1 additional strike at the highest flurry bonus during a flurry as a free action. Can only be used once per round.

Bypassing(0+): The monk’s unarmed strikes count as magic, cold iron, silver, and the monk’s alignment for the purposes of bypassing DR. The monk may add one additional property as a free action for one round by expending 1 ki point.

Defense (1): Gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC for one round as a swift action. This increases by 1 for every 2 levels gained

Endure(1): As a quick action, gain DR/- equal to level and DD equal to twice level against one attack.

Evasion (0+): Whenever the monk succeeds a Grace resistance to take half damage from an effect, they instead take no damage. As no action, they may also choose to expend ki points to gain an additional 1d6 bonus to this resistance roll for every point spent.

Improved Exploit (1): As a swift action, gain one improved exploit feat (such as Improved Trip) for one round per level.

Leap Before You Look (1): Gain advantage on an attack roll or exploit, as no action.

*Message* (1): As per the spell.

Mighty Swing (0+): Gain Mighty Swing as a bonus feat. Expend 1 ki point as a free action to ignore the penalty to hit for using it on one attack.

*Precise Strike* (1): As per the spell. Self only.

Quick Draw (0+) Gain Quick Draw as a bonus feat feat. Expend 1ki point to draw a weapon as no action.

Slow Fall (0+): The monk ignores 20 feet of height while calculating fall damage. This increases by 10 feet for every 3 levels the monk has attained, and can be doubled by expending a ki point as a quick action.

Speed (1): For 2 rounds as a swift action, the monk increases their move speed by 10ft + an additional 10ft per four levels.

Available at 7th level:

Block (2): As a quick action the monk can attempt a sunder or disarm exploit against a melee weapon that is used to attack them.

*Curing* (1): As a 1st level spell, self only. The monk may expend an additional 2 ki points per spell level, and cast as a higher-level *Curing* spell.

*Dimension Door* (2): As a move action. The monk cannot take other creatures with them.

Greater Exploit (1): Requires Improved Exploit. When using Improved Exploit,  expend another ki point to also gain the associated greater exploit feat.

Mobile Strikes (3): Make a flurry as a standard action

*Remove Fear* (1): As per the spell. Additionally, the monk gains immunity to fear.

*Remove Disease* (1):  As per the spell. Additionally, the monk gains immunity to disease.

Available at 11th level:

Brace for Impact (1+): The monk gains a +6 shield bonus to their AC as a quick action, against a single attack. This can be used as no action for 3 ki points.

Elemental (1+): As a free action. For one round, the monk’s unarmed strikes deal 1d6 elemental damage per 3 levels. The type of elemental damage is selected when the monk selects this ki power. This damage can be increased to 1d10s by expending 2 ki points.

Improved Evasion (1): Requires the Evasion ki power. When the monk uses Evasion, they may expend an additional ki point in order to only take half damage if they fail the resistance roll.

Pain (2): As a standard action, cause targets in a 30ft cone to take 1d6 force damage per level. Failed VR *staggers* them with pain for one round.

*Regeneration* (2): As per the spell. Self only.

Available at 15th level:

Spell Immunity (2): As a swift action. The monk gains SI equal to 16 + ½ lvl + the monk’s Resolve modifier, for 1 round per level.

*Iron Body* (2): As per the spell.

Marked Heart (3): The monk can declare the use of this power before an attack, as a free action once per long rest. If the attack is successful, the monk is linked to the beating heart of their target’s body. This effect lasts for a number of days equal to the monk’s level. At any point during this period, the monk can end the link and attempt to stop the target’s heart as no action. If the target succeeds a VR, they are *staggered* for 1d4 rounds. On a failure, the target dies.

Available at 19th level:

Great Strike (1): As a standard action, the monk can make a single attack with a monk weapon. The base dice damage of the weapon is multiplied by 8.

*Break* (3): As per the spell.

*Empty* (3): As per the spell.

Flawless (0+): The monk gains advantage on all Acumen, Resolve, and Ego resistances. Expend one ki points as no action to roll an additional 1dW and take the highest of the three.

*Force* (3): As per the spell.

*Alter* (4): As per the spell. Self only.

*Scream* (3): As per the spell.

*Time Stop* (5): As per the spell, but one round only.

**Purity:**

At 6th level, the monk selects two resistances. They roll twice and take the higher result when rolling these resistances. They select an additional resistance to gain this benefit at 10th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

**Perfection:**

At 20th level, the monk can meditate to regain ki at a rate of 1 point per minute. They can retrieve a maximum number of ki points in this fashion equal to their total Acumen ability score each short rest. They gain DR 10/- and Tolerance 10 against all damage.

**Vows:**

If a monk breaks their vows, they are unable to use ki for 24 hours and cannot gain extra ki from this vow again.