Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, and sling. Monk's are also proficient with the following weapons which are considered special monk weapons; kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham (including unarmed strikes). Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields.
Centered (Ex): In order to use their special abilities, monks must be in a state of physical and mental balance called being centered. To remain centered a monk cannot wear armor, use a shield, encumbered above a light load and must fight unarmed or with special monk weapons.
An uncentered monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows. She also loses 4 ki per round and cannot obtain more. Further she drops out of he stance as well.
AC Bonus (Ex): When centered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five monk levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level). These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): While centered a monk's base attack bonus is equal to her class level. This benefit can be used to meet feat prerequisites requiring a certain base attack bonus, however as always the monk loses the benefits of the feat if she becomes unable to meet the prerequisites, such as losing center and no longer having the required base attack bonus.
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk's attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. This is no way prevents her from using her body for two weapon fighting. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed though this does not prevent her from using her unarmed attacks for two weapon fighting. A monk may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.
Usually a monk's unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A monk's unarmed strike is treated both 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. As a natural weapon, the monk is proficient with her unarmed strikes.
A monk also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table: The Monk. The unarmed damage on Table: The Monk is for Medium monks. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large monk deals more damage; see Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage.
Ki (Su): Though intense physical training and mental discipline, monks gain the ability to generate and control ki. They use this vital energy to launch powerful combination attacks and project amazing beneficial effects. A monk starts the encounter with an amount of ki based on her concentration modifier and gains additional ki with successful attacks (typically 1 per attack). A monk may store an maximum amount of ki equal to her concentration modifier times five. However, ki stored above her concentration modifier drains out at the rate of -2 ki per increment of her of her concentration modifier her. This loss cannot result in a value lower than her concentration modifier in ki and will instead stop at an equal value. Expending ki for a monk abilty is a free action.
For example, if she has a concentration modifier of 15 and 18 Ki she would lose 2 ki on her turn dropping her ki pool to 16. On her next turn she would lose 2 ki again which would put her below her concentration modifier so instead her ki storage is set to 15.
Stance (Su): As a full round action while centered a monk map enter an elemental stance slimier to the stances presented in the Tome of Battle (see Elemental Stances below). In higher levels, additional stances requires an ability score to be at or above a certain value in order to enter them, for the purposes of these prerequisites only the ability score's base value, racial enhancements, inherent bonuses and increases derived from leveling count. Other bonuses such as enchantment, profane, sacred, and even other unnamed bonuses are ignored.
Ki Strike (Su): At 1st level or higher, a monk may expend a certain amount of ki to add extra damage to her unarmed attacks preformed with special monk weapons. This damage is shown in parenthesis in Table: The Monk under Unarmed Damage.
The amount of ki that can be spent increases as the options to deal more damage increases. By expending 5 ki a monk may augment her attack with +1d4 damage. In order to augment her attack with +1d6 it costs 6 ki and the monk must be 7th level or higher. For d8s it's 7 ki and d10s cost 8 ki. You cannot gain the benefit of this ability twice on the same attack.
The bonus damage dealt must be elemental and you can choose one of the following; acid, cold, electricity or fire. The bonus damage's element behaves as normal, for instance fire deals extra damage against creatures with the cold subtype. In addition, at the 3rd level a monk gains one of two special types of elements to use. Positive and negative, the positive energy dealt by ki strike harms living subjects rather than healing them and deals an additional die of damage against undead. At level 8 a monk can choose force as an element allowing the both the damage and monk's attack to ignore incorporeal and ethereal miss chances (though this ability does not allow the monk to see ethereal creatures) however the bonus damage is halved.
At 4th level, a centered monk's unarmed attacks are always empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
Finisher: By using ki strike to deal additional damage a monk can set up and use a combination finisher move. A finisher must be done on the same target hit with the entire ki strike line required to use it however the chain does not have to be preformed in a single round. Hitting another creature, becoming uncentered, or rendered into any kind of state preventing movement stops the combination attack preventing use of a finisher.
Unless noted otherwise, finishers are a swift action preformed as part of an attack action. Lingering affects have the duration of one round and the save DC (if any) is 10 + 1/2 monk level + wisdom modifier.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, a monk may select a bonus feat. At 2nd level, she may another bonus feat. And finally, at the 6th level, she may select one more bonus feat. A monk must meed the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher if a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the monk is centered.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Monk. An uncentered monk loses this extra speed.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
Path Choice: At the 3rd level the monk must choose to follow the path of Harmonious Balance or the path of Inevitable Dominion.
- Path Of Harmonious Balance
Grants a special elemental that can be used with Ki Strike referred to Fist Of Positive. This allows access to finishers requiring Positive as a set up. - Path Of Inevitable Dominion
Grants a special elemental that can be used with Ki Strike referred to Fist Of Darkness. This allows access to finishers requiring Negative as a set up.
Slow Fall (Ex): At 4th level or higher, 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 (that is, to reduce the effective distance of the fall when next to a wall) 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): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a centered monk can heal her own wounds by expending ki. Once per hour a monk may enter a trance, expending 10 ki in the process, to gain fast healing 1 + her wisdom modifier. The duration is equal to her class level and during the trance she may not do anything else (as an elf trancing for a restful night's sleep).
Void Strike (Su): At 8th level or higher, a monk can select force for an elemental strike (see ki strike).
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monk's evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. As evasion, an uncentered monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Diamond Body (Su): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher and while centered, a monk can step on the air granting them a fly speed equal to their land speed with perfect maneuverability for one round by expending 10 ki.
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to her current monk level + 10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk's spell resistance.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a centered monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can be fatal. This strike costs 25 ki and on a successful hit kills the target unless they succeed on a fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the monk's level + the monk's Wis modifier). Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 17th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to her ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that she has already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when her time is up.
Shining Star (Su): At the 18th level the monk gains a special finisher, the Shining Star Strike.
Empty Body (Su): At 18th level, a centered monk gains the ability to assume an quickened state for 1 minute per monk level by expending 10 ki allowing her to move quickly to her destination. While in this state her land speed is increase by 30 ft. and she gains a 50% miss chance from concealment (slimier to blur). Becoming uncentered or interacting with the world, such as opening a door or attacking, ends this affect.
Monk Serenity: Your understanding of things has evolved to a level that defies description. you're a paragon of centeredness. You gain a +10 insight bonus to concentration and generate one ki per round allowing you to freely use your monk abilities without requiring combat.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. She is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monk's creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/epic, which allows her to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonepic weapon or by any natural attack made by 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.
