A monk is a student of the Ancient martial arts disciplines. The the monk, these disciplines represent more than self-defense and combat expertise. The training includes a profound philosophy that teaches restraing and humility. The monk works to master his mind as well as his body, attuning both to work in harmony through the techniques he has learned.
Prerequisites: BAB +2, BDB +2, Acrobatics (3 ranks), Knowledge (Philosophy) (3 ranks), Weapon Proficiency (Simple Weapons, Unarmed Combat, Brawl, Improved Brawl).
Hit Points: 3 hit points per class level.
Combat Ability: Good Attack, excellent Defense.
Saving Throws: Fair Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
Skills: 4 skill points per class level, fair skill selection.
Armour and Weapons: Weapon Proficiency (Monk Weapons).
Class Talents: Monk talents at 3rd and 5th levels.
Talent Trees: Defensive, Increased Dexterity, Increased Speed, Sneak Attack, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike).
Special Abilities: Flurry of Blows (at 1st), Stunning Attack (at 1st), Defense Bonus (at 1st), Living Weapon (at 2nd and 4th).
To be eligible for the Monk advanced class, a character must meet the following prerequisites:
Hit Points: Monks gain 3 hit points per class level.
Combat Ability: Monks have a good attack progression and excellent defense progression.
Saving Throws: Monks have well-balanced saving throws, with fair Fortitude, Reflex, and Will progressions.
Skills: Monks have a good selection of physical skills. At each class level, monks gain 4 + Int modifier skill points. The monk's class skills are: Acrobatics, Athletics, Awareness, Endurance, Knowledge (Philosophy, Tactics), Linguistics, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Sneak, and Treat Injury.
The character's background can provide additional class skills to choose from. Some skills (indicated by italics) may be unavailable or of limited use to characters from low-tech backgrounds.
Armour and Weapons: Monks gain the special talent, Weapon Proficiency (Monk Weapons). Monk weapons include kama, nunchaku, and siangham. These weapons can be used in conjunction with a monk's Flurry of Blows and Stunning Attack special abilities.
Monk Talents: At 3rd and 5th levels, the monk selects a class talent from the Defensive, Increased Dexterity, Increased Speed, Sneak Attack, and Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike only) talent trees. (These talents are detailed in the enforcer and scavenger class descriptions.) The player may choose to substitute a general talent, if desired. The character's genotype can also provide additional talents to choose from.
Note: A monk's Flurry of Blows, Stunning Attack, Defense Bonus, and Living Weapon special abilities can only be used if the character is unarmoured and unencumbered. An armoured or encumbered monk can still utilize his class talents, however.
Flurry of Blows: At 1st level, an unarmoured and unencumbered monk gains the ability to attack with a flurry of blows. The monk may make one extra attack in a round at his highest base attack, but this attack and each other attack made that round suffer a -2 penalty apiece. The monk must use the full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows. A monk may only use the flurry of blows if unarmed or with a special monk weapon. If armed with one such weapon, the monk makes the extra attack either with that weapon or unarmed. If armed with two such weapons, he uses one for the regular attack (or attacks) and the other for the extra attack. In any case, his damage bonus on the attack with his off hand is not reduced.
Stunning Attack: Also at 1st level, an unarmoured and unencumbered monk can make a stunning attack while unarmed or using monk weapons. This ability can be used a maximum of once per day per monk level. The monk must declare he is using a stun attack before making the attack roll (thus, a missed attack roll ruins the attempt) and can make only one stunning attack per round. A foe struck by the monk is forced to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the monk's class level). In addition to receiving normal damage, If the saving throw fails, the opponent is stunned for 1 round.
Defense Bonus: Monks do not use armour or shields, but they are highly trained at dodging blows, and can avoid even unanticipated attacks. When unarmoured and unencumbered, a monk adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his Defense. This bonus applies even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. He loses this bonus when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any armour or carries a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.
Living Weapon: The monk attacks with either fist interchangeably, or even with elbows, knees, and feet. This means that the monk may even make unarmed strikes when his or her hands are full, and there is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. While unarmoured and unencumbered, the monk also deals more damage with unarmed strikes. At 2nd level, a monk's unarmed attacks inflict 1d10 points of damage, and this increases to 1d12 points of damage at 4th level.
| Level | Att | Def | Fort | Ref | Will | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Monk Weapons, Flurry of Blows, Stunning Attack, Defense Bonus |
| 2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Living Weapon (d10) |
| 3 | +3 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Monk Talent |
| 4 | +4 | +4 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Living Weapon (d12) |
| 5 | +5 | +5 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Monk Talent |
Monks gain 3 hit points and 4 skill points per level.