monk

Ability Descriptions

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with certain basic peasant weapons and some

special weapons that are part of monk training. The weapons with which a Divine Monk is proficient

are the 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 as many of their powers

require unfettered movement. 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): A monk is highly trained at dodging blows, and she has a sixth sense that lets her avoid

even unanticipated attacks. When unarmored and unencombered the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if

any to her AC. In addition a monk gains a bonus to AC as listed on the above chart.

These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. She losees

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 take on 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

bonus is shown in the Flurry of Blows column. When the divine monk reaches 5th level the penalty lessens

to -1, and at 9th level it disappears.

When using flurry of blows a divine 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. For example, a 6th level divine monk could

make one attack with her unarmed strike at an attack bonus of +3 and one with a special monk weapon

at an attack bonus of +3. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows a monk applies her Strength

bonus (not STR bonus x 1.5 or x.5) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks regardless of whether

a weapon is in one or both hands. No other weapon may be used as part of a flurry of blows.

A quarterstaff's ends each count as a separate weapon for the purpose of the flurry of blows ability,

and even though it requires two hands to use the divine monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes in her

flurry routine. However, she may not wield any other weapon while utilizing a quarterstaff.

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 (Ex): Monks are trained in fighting unarmed, giving them considerable advantages

when doing so. At 1st level the monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk's attacks

may be either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that there is no such

thing as an off-hand for a monk's unarmed strikes and that unarmed strikes may be used even when her

hands are full. The monk's unarmed strike does lethal damage, though she may choose to convert to

nonlethal damage without a -4 penalty. This option is viable even while grappling.

The monk's unarmed strike is treated 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

(such as the magic fang and magic weapon spells).

A monk also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal pesron would. The damage

listed is for Medium monks. A small monk deals less damage (scale the die progression back by

one (1d6 becomes 1d4 for the lower end of the progression)) while a large monk deals more damage

(1d6 becomes 1d8, 1d8 becomes 2d6, 1d10 becomes 2d8, 2d6 becomes 3d6, 2d8 becomes 3d8, and

2d10 becomes 4d8).

Bonus Feat: At 1st level a Monk may select either Stunning Fist or Improved Grapple as a bonus feat.

At 2nd level a Monk may select either Deflect Arrows or Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat.

At 6th level a Monk may choose either Improved Disarm or Improved Trip as a bonus feat.

A monk need not have the prerequisites to gain any of these feats.

Evasion (Ex): A Monk can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful

reflex save against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save she takes no damage

instead. This ability can only be used while wearing light or not armor. A helpless monk (one who is

unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Fast Movement (Ex): A monk gains an enhancement bonus to speed as listed in the class features. The

divine monk loses this bonus while wearing any armor or carrying a medium or heavy load.

Still Mind (Ex): A Monk gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of

enchantment. Her meditations, trainings, and closeness to the divine improves her resistance to mind-

affecting effects and helps keep her mind clear.

Ki Strike (Su): A Monk's unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic

weapons for the purpose of overcoming a creature's damage reduction. As she advances in level

her unarmed strikes become further empowered with ki. This allows her unarmed strikes to be further

treated as lawfully aligned, and eventually adamantine for purposes of bypassing damage reduction. A

Monk whose unarmed strikes count as adamantine may also ignore the hardness of an object when

attempting to damage it.

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

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): A monk gains control over her body's immune system, preventing her from being

felled by wily diseases that may be utilized by particularly wily foes. She gains immunity to all diseases

except supernatural and magical diseases (such as mummy rot and lycantrhopy).

Wholeness of Body (Su): 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 amongst several uses.

Improved Evasion (Ex): The monk's evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a

successful saving throw against attacks such as a fireball or exploding invention, but henceforth she takes

only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Assisting Grace (Su): The monk's becomes able to magically slip between spaces, as if using the dimension

door spell, once per day. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).

Diamond Soul (Ex): A monk gains spell resistance equal to her current monk level +10. In order to affect the

monk with a spell a spell caster must succeed at a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or

exceeds the monk's spell resistance.

Quivering Palm (Su): 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 per 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 monk's level + monk's WIS mod), it

dies. If the saving throw is successful the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm

attack, but it may be affected by another one at a later time.

Timeless Body (Ex): A monk no longer takes penalties to her ability scores for aging and cannot be magically

aged. Any such penalties remain in place, and bonuses still accrue

Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Su): A monk's understanding transcends the bounds of language. The monk

is able to speak with any living creature.

Empty Body (Su): 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 occassions during any

single day as long as the total number of rounds spent in an ethereal state do not exceed her monk level.

Perfect Self: A monk's body becomes tuned with her enlightenment, skillls, and quasi-magical abilities such

that she becomes more than a mere mortal. She is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than a

humanoid for the purpose of spells and magical effects. For instance, charm person does not effect her.

Additionally, she gains damage reduction 10/magic, which allows her to ignore (instantly regenerate) the

first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonmagical weapon or by any natural attack from 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.

Ex-Monks

A divine monk who becomes nonlawful or nongood cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk

abilities. Like a member of any other class a monk may multiclass, though once she gains a new level in a class other than divine monk or (if already a multiclass character) raises another class level she may never again raise her monk level. The path of a divine monk requires constant attention to training, discipline, and faith. Such a character still retains her class abilities, however.