Monk-Base Class
Monks have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Wisdom powers the monk’s special offensive and defensive capabilities. Dexterity provides the unarmored monk with a better defense and with bonuses to some class skills. Strength helps a monk’s unarmed combat ability.
Alignment: Any lawful
Hit Die: D8
Class Skills: The monk’s class skills are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points: 4 + Int modifier × 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
Class Features
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 monk is proficient are club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, quarterstaff, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields-in fact; many of the monk’s special powers require unfettered movement. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses their AC bonus, as well as their fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
AC Bonus (Ex): A monk is highly trained at dodging blows, and they have a sixth sense that lets them avoid even unanticipated attacks. When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds their Wisdom bonus (if any) to their 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. They lose these bonuses when they are immobilized or helpless, when they wear any armor, when they carry a shield, or when they carry 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, they may make one extra attack in a round at their highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before their next action. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to –1, and at 9th level it disappears. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.
When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons. They may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. For example, a 6th level, monk could make one attack with their unarmed strike at an attack bonus of +3 and one attack with a special monk weapon at an attack bonus of +3. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies their Strength bonus to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether they wield a weapon in one or both hands. The monk can’t use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.
In the case of the quarterstaff, each end counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using the flurry of blows ability. Even though the quarterstaff requires two hands to use, a monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes with quarterstaff strikes, assuming that they has enough attacks in their flurry of blows routine to do so. They cannot, however, wield any other weapon at the same time that they uses a quarterstaff.
When a monk reaches 11th level, their flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack they get from flurry of blows, they get a second extra attack at their full base attack bonus.
Unarmed Strike: Monks are highly trained in fighting unarmed, giving them considerable advantages when doing so. 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. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply their full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all their unarmed strikes.
Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but they can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on their attack roll. They have 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.
A monk also deals more damage with their unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown below. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with their unarmed attacks, while a large monk deals more damage.
Monk Unarmed Damage
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, since their meditation and training improve their resistance to mind-affecting attacks.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a monk’s unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Their unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character’s monk level. At 10th level, their unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, their unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
Slow Fall (Ex): At 4th level or higher, a monk within arm’s reach of a wall can use it to slow their descent. When first using this ability, they take damage as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. The monk’s ability to slow their fall (that is, to reduce the effective distance of the fall when next to a wall) improves with the monk’s level until at 20th level they can use a nearby wall to slow their descent and fall any distance without harm.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains control over their body’s immune system. They gain immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal their own wounds. They can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to twice their current monk level each day, and they can spread this healing out among several uses.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monk’s evasion ability improves. They still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon’s breath weapon or a fireball, but henceforth they take only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk (such as one who is unconscious or paralysed) does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Diamond Body (Su): At 11th level, a monk is in such firm control of their own metabolism that they gain immunity to poisons of all kinds
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, once per day. Their caster level for this effect is one-half their monk level (rounded down).
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to their current monk level + 10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spell caster must get a result on a caster level check that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. They can use this quivering palm attack once a week, and they must announce their intent before making their 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 their 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 the monk’s level + the monk’s Wis modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 17th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to their ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that they have already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when their time is up.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex): A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with any living creature.
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 round per monk level per day, as though using the spell etherealness. They may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day, as long as the total number of rounds spent in an ethereal state does not exceed their monk level.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk has tuned their body with skill and quasi-magical abilities to the point that they become a magical creature. They are forevermore treated as an outsider (an extraplanar creature) rather than as a humanoid for the purpose of spells and magical effects. For instance, charm person does not affect them. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/magic, which allows them to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonmagical 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 they were a member of their previous creature type.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, a monk may select either Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist as a bonus feat. At 2nd level, they may select either Combat Reflexes or Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat. At 6th level, they may select either Improved Disarm or Improved Trip as a bonus feat. A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Evasion (Ex): A monk of 2nd level or higher can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If they make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, they instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless monk such as one, who is unconscious or paralysed, does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to their speed. A monk in armor (even light armor) or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.
Unarmored
Speed Bonus