Monk

Monks are versatile warriors skilled at fighting without weapons or armor. Good-aligned monks serve as protectors of the people, while evil monks make ideal spies and assassins. Though they don't cast spells, monks channel a subtle energy, called ki. This energy allows them to perform amazing feats, such as healing themselves, catching arrows in flight, and dodging blows with lightning speed. Their mundane and ki-based abilities grow with experience, granting them more power over themselves and their environment. Monks suffer unique penalties to their abilities if they wear armor, as doing so violates their rigid oaths. A monk wearing armor loses their Wisdom and level based armor class bonuses, their movement speed, and their additional unarmed damage bonus and attacks per round.

**Note:** You can find more information on the roleplay aspects of this class on our forums by clicking here.

- **Base Attack Bonus:** +3 / 4 Levels.
- **Alignment Restrictions:** Any lawful.
- **Hit Die:** d8.
- **Primary Saving Throws:** Fortitude, Reflex, Will.
- **Proficiencies:** All monk weapons. Monks are not proficient with armor or shields.
- **Skill Points (\*4 at 1st level):** 4 + Int Modifier.
- **Multiclassing:** Monks can only multiclass with the following classes: Assassin, Blackguard, Divine Champion, Dwarven Defender, Shadowdancer, and Weapon Master.

**Class Skills:** Concentration, Discipline, Heal, Hide, Influence, Listen, Lore, Move Silently, Parry, Perform, Spot, Tumble.
**Unavailable Skills:** Animal Empathy, Use Magic Device.

**Level**
1: Cleave - Make a free attack on a nearby enemy when you land a killing blow.
Evasion - A successful Reflex save for half damage results in no damage.
Flurry of Blows - Gain an extra attack per round when fighting unarmed or with monk weapons.
Improved Unarmed Strike - Unarmed attacks no longer incur attacks of opportunity.
Monk AC Bonus - Add Wisdom Modifier to AC.
Stunning Fist - Special attack that can stun an opponent.
2: Deflect Arrows - Reflex save to parry incoming projectiles.
Fiery Fist - Can use one Stunning Fist use to deal extra fire damage.
3: Monk Speed - Movement speed increases by 10% for every 3 levels.
Still Mind - +2 bonus on saving throws vs. mind effects.
5: Purity of Body - Immune to disease.
6: Improved Knockdown - Knockdown attempts are made as if made by a larger creature.
7: Wholeness of Body - Can heal self of damage equal to two times class level.
8: Fiery Ki Defense - Can use one Stunning Fist use to cover the body in flames, causing fire damage to melee attackers.
Ki Blast - Can channel and throw an orb of ki energy at a target.
9: Improved Evasion - Take half damage even on a failed Reflex save.
10: Ki Strike +1 - Unarmed strikes act as +1 weapons for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction only.
11: Diamond Body - Immune to poison.
12: Diamond Soul - Gain spell resistance equal to class level + 10.
13: Ki Strike +2.
15: Quivering Palm - Special attack that can instantly slay an opponent.
16: Ki Strike +3.
18: Empty Body - Assume an ethereal state, as though using the spell Ethereal Jaunt.
20: Perfect Self - Immune to mind-affecting spells, and gain 20/+1 damage reduction. Racial type changes to Outsider.

A monk's Base Attack Bonus does not determine the number of attacks per round when fighting unarmed or with a monk weapon (bagh nakh, cutting wheel, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and war fan). Instead, a monk gains an additional attack at level 6, and an additional attack for every 4 levels thereafter, to a maximum of 5 attacks at level 18.

**Monk Bonuses:**

**Note:** A monk's UBAB, armor class bonuses (from wisdom and every 5 levels), and speed are all negated when the monk wears armor other than clothing or uses a shield.