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Monk, the Martial Artist


Monks are martial artists who have received training in a monastery or monk school. Their main concern is the perfection of their art. They progress towards this goal by overcoming challenges. This is the main reason for them to join a group of adventurers or to undertake missions. Monks are dispassionate and usually do not care about riches.

The monk's fighting technique is based on self-discipline and it focuses on speed, coordination and flexibility. It does not rely on weapons and armour at all.

Evil monks strive to climb the hierarchy within their monastery by completing missions that increase the monastery's power or benefit an evil deity. They are ruthless and merciless.





Hit Dice, Proficiencies, Alignment


D8 Hit Die. No armour or shield proficiency. Starts with simple-weapons proficiency, light-swords proficiency and natural-weapons proficiency. Monks are often lawful, but any alignment is possible.


Special Abilities


Monk Specialisation: During character creation, you must select a Monk Specialisation option for your character. You can choose between the following options.

Monk Specialisation, Way Of The Candle: Your focus on pious meditation in a candlelit monastery has granted you profound insights into energy manipulation through mystical means. You receive a +1 bonus on all Damage Rolls. You also gain an Energy Shield personal-range Free Action supernatural ability, as the spell Energy Shield (Wizard). You can use this ability once per day from level 1 to 3, twice per day from level 4 to 6, three times per day from level 7 to 9, four times per day from level 10 to 12, five times per day from level 13 to 15, six times per day from level 16 to 18, and seven times per day from level 19.

Monk Specialisation, Way Of The Heavens: Your long and exacting training as an ascetic Whirling Dervish has granted you an extraordinary sense of balance, precision and speed. You receive the feat Weapon Finesse for free at level 1. In addition, you gain the Greater Weapon Finesse ability: whenever you're attacking with a finesse or light weapon, and you're not grappling, you apply your Dexterity Modifier to Damage Rolls instead of your Strength Modifier if your Dexterity modifier is higher than your Strength modifier.

Monk Specialisation, Way Of The Oasis: Your past life as an ascetic Desert Monk has granted you deep insights into Fata Morganas and other mirages. You get a Mirror Image personal-range Free Action supernatural ability, as the Wizard spell Mirror Image. You can use this ability once per day from level 1 to 6, twice per day from level 7 to 12, three times per day from level 13 to 18, and four times per day from level 19.

Monk Specialisation, Way Of The Pillar: You have spent long periods of time living ascetically atop a stone pillar, like an ancient Stylite. As a result of this harsh lifestyle, your body has become extraordinarily robust. You receive the feat Toughness for free at level 1. Your Stunning Fist attack works even against targets that are immune to Critical Hits or Stunning. In addition, your Stunning Fist attack benefits from a damage bonus equal to your level. Against targets that are immune to Stunning, your Stunning Fist attack inflicts the Slowed condition for one round, instead of the Stunned condition. If the target is Hasted, it loses the Hasted condition instead of receiving the Slowed condition. Against targets that are immune to both Stunning and the Slowed condition, your Stunning Fist attack deals more damage. The damage bonus is then equal to your level plus half of your level (rounded up).

Monk Specialisation, Way Of The Seer: Like the Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, you are a practitioner of the art of divination through dreamlike trances. Consequently, no enemy creature can hide from your sight. You receive a +1 bonus on all Attack Rolls. You also gain a True Seeing personal-range Free Action supernatural ability, as the spell True Seeing (Wizard). You can use this ability once per day from level 1 to 6, twice per day from level 7 to 12, three times per day from level 13 to 18, and four times per day from level 19.

Flurry of Blows: When unarmed or while wielding a light weapon, and not wearing armour or holding a shield, a monk can decide to do a flurry of blows as a full attack action. The monk can then make a number of attacks using the attack bonus indicated in the Flurry of Blows column. The strength modifier applies to each damage roll. If the character is wielding two weapons, then he can perform off-hand attacks after the flurry. The two-weapon penalty for the primary hand will apply to all attacks in the Flurry chain.

If the creature has more than one primary natural-weapon attacks (for example, two claw attacks), then the Flurry replaces one of the primary natural-weapon attacks. The remaining attacks can be performed after the Flurry. They are treated as secondary attacks. Examples: A character with a single Slam attack performing a Flurry is not allowed to perform its Slam after the Flurry, because the Flurry replaces the Slam attack. A character with four Claw attacks can perform a Flurry and then three claw attacks, because the Flurry replaces the first Claw attack. In addition, when a Monk performs normal non-Flurry unarmed attacks as a full attack action, he receives additional attacks (two attacks from BAB 6, three attacks from BAB 11), just as if he was using a manufactured weapon. All excess natural weapons are treated as secondary natural weapons, but Monks receive the feat Multiattack for free at level 1.

AC Bonus: When unarmoured and not holding a shield, a monk gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to his wisdom bonus (if positive) plus the AC bonus indicated in the chart. Dodge bonuses are lost whenever a character loses his dexterity bonus to AC.

Stunning Fist: As part of a non-Flurry full attack or standard attack, you can perform a special unarmed strike to stun the victim for one round. This ability does not work on creatures that are immune to critical hits or stunning. If the attack is successful, you deal normal damage and the victim gets a Fortitude saving throw of difficulty class 10 + half of the monk's level + monk's wisdom modifier. If the attack fails the ability is not used up.

Tumble: A character with this ability does not trigger any attack of opportunity (AOO) when moving out of a threatened square. The character must be wearing no armour or light armour in order to benefit from this ability.

Fast Movement: When unarmoured and not holding a shield, the monk gains an enhancement bonus to speed as in the chart.

Tiger's Leap: The monk deals additional points of damage when charging.

Empty Body: When unarmoured and not holding a shield, the monk gains permanent concealment equal to the indicated percentage. This effect is negated by the True Seeing condition.

Ki Strike: Whenever the monk succeeds on an unarmed strike, the damage inflicted bypasses a number of points of Damage Reduction equal to the monk's level. This ability works with all types of damage reduction including DR/-. Against an opponent with DR 10/adamantine, the damage inflicted by a monk of level 8 with unarmed strikes would be reduced by 2 only, and the damage inflicted by a monk of level 12 would not be reduced at all.

Evasion: Whenever the character suffers damage from an effect that required a reflex saving throw (for example, a fireball or a breath weapon), the damage inflicted to the character is reduced by 50%. The character must not be paralyzed or asleep and he must be wearing no armour or light armour to benefit from this.

Diamond Body: The monk gains a permanent immunity to Ability Damage and Ability Drain.

Diamond Soul: The monk gains Spell Resistance equal to 10 + monk's level.

Grapple Bonus: The monk gains a permanent bonus on all grapple checks.

Deflect Arrows: The monk receives a permanent bonus of +2 to his Armour Class versus ranged attacks.


Monk Feats


Greater Dodge: A character with this feat benefits from another +1 dodge bonus to AC. Requires: Dodge, Dex 13, Level 3, Monk, Death Knight or Rogue.

Strength Focus: The character gains a bonus of +2 on all grapple checks and strength checks. The following spells can trigger a strength check: Entangle, Web, Ranger Web, Forcecage, Energy Push, Ectoplasmic Cocoon, Greater Ectoplasmic Cocoon, Mass Ectoplasmic Cocoon, Glue Arrow, Knockback Arrow.

Wade In: The full-attack action is now considered to be a standard action for you, rather than a full-round action. Consequently, you can launch a full attack after moving up to your speed, or after performing a single move action. Wade In can be used in combination with a full ranged attack, full melee attack or ready versus spell action. It has no effect on automatic actions, including AOOs and ready versus approach. It has no effect on Whirlwind attack (see the feat Fast Whirlwind Attack). Requires: Monk Level 9.

Melee Focus: You gain a competence bonus of +1 to all melee attack rolls. Requires: Level 9, Psychic Warrior, Rogue or Monk.

Shattermantle Strike: Each successful unarmed attack reduces the target's Spell Resistance by one point for one round, similar to the effect of a Shattermantle weapon. The effect is cumulative.

Extra Stunning Fist: You can use Stunning Fist one additional time during every encounter. Requires: Level 3.

Spiritual Stunning Fist: Your Stunning Fist attack benefits from a bonus to the attack roll equal to your Wisdom modifier. Requires: Monk Level 3, Wisdom 13.

Powerful Stunning Fist I: Your Stunning Fist attack benefits from a +2 bonus to the damage roll. Requires: Monk Level 3.

Powerful Stunning Fist II: Your Stunning Fist attack benefits from another +2 bonus to the damage roll. Requires: Powerful Stunning Fist I, Level 9.

Improved Empty Body: Your concealment rating from Empty Body increases by ten points of percentage. Requires: Level 9.

Improved Deflect Arrows: The Armour Class bonus versus ranged attacks gained from your Deflect Arrows ability increases from +2 to +4. Requires: Level 6.

Improved Spell Resistance: The spell resistance increases by two points. Requires: Level 13.



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