| Dotted across the landscape are monasteries -- small, walled cloisters inhabited by monks who pursue personal perfection through action as well as contemplation. They train themselves to be versatile warriors skilled at fighting without weapons or armor. The inhabitants of monasteries headed by good masters serve as protectors of the people. Ready for battle even when barefoot and dressed in peasant clothes, monks can travel unnoticed among the populace, catching bandits, warlords, and corrupt nobles unawares. In contrast, the residents of monasteries headed by evil masters rule the surrounding lands through fear, as an evil warlord and his entourage might. Evil monks make ideal spies, infiltrators, and assassins.
The key feature of the monk is her ability to fight unarmed and unarmored. Thanks to her rigorous training, she can strike as hard as if she were armed and strike faster than a warrior with a sword. Though a monk casts no spells, she has a magic of her own. She channels a subtle energy, called ki, which allows her to perform amazing feats. The monk's best-known feat is her ability to stun an opponent with an unarmed blow. A monk also has a preternatural awareness that allows her to dodge an attack even if she is not consciously aware of it.
Class Features
• Alignment Restrictions: Any lawful - a monk's training requires strict discipline.
• Hit Die: d8
• Base Attack Bonus: Medium
• High Saves: All
• Weapon Proficiencies: 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, kama, quarterstaff, shuriken, and sling.
• Armor Proficiencies: Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields - in fact, many o the monk's special 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.
• Skill Points: (4 + Int modifier x 4 at first level) 4 + Int modifier
• Class Skills: Concentration, Craft Alchemy, Craft Trap, Diplomacy, Hide, Listen, Lore, Move Silently, Parry, Spot, and Tumble.
• AC Bonus: A monk has a sixth sense that lets her avoid even unanticipated attacks. When unarmored, 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). She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, or when she carries a shield.
• Flurry of Blows: When unarmored, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one 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. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 9th level it disappears. When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham).
• Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat.
• Evasion: A monk of 2nd level or higher can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as a red dragon's fiery breath or a fireball), she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor.
• Fast Movement: At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed. A monk in armor (even light armor) loses this extra speed.
• Still Mind: A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
• Ki Strike: At 4th level, a monk's unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her 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, becoming lawful for purposes of damage reduction at level 10 and adamantine for purposes of damage reduction at level 16.
• Purity of Body: At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases.
• Wholeness of Body: At 7th level or higher, 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.
• Improved Evasion: At 9th level, a monk's evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon's breath weapon or a fireball, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save.
• Diamond Body: At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
• Diamond Soul: At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to her current monk level + 10.
• Quivering Palm: Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up fatal vibrations within the body of another creature once per day. Unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the monk's level + the monk's Wis modifier), it dies.
• Empty Body: At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to fade from sight twice per day. The monk gains a 50% concealment bonus for a number of rounds equal to his class level.
• Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk has tuned her body with skill and quasi-magical abilities to the point that she becomes a magical creature. The monk gains damage reduction 10/magic, which allows her to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a non-magical weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn't have similar damage reduction.
Epic Level Benefits [MotB Only]
• New feats are gained every other level instead of every third level (levels 21, 23, 25, 27, 29). These feats are in addition to the bonus feats for specific classes.
• Ability score improvements continue every 4 levels (levels 24, 28).
• Base Attack Bonus and Base Saves continue as normal.
• Additional attacks per round with every 5 points of Base Attack Bonus, unlike in tabletop D&D where the base number of attacks is capped at 4.
• +1 AC at levels 25 and 30 (every 5 levels).
• Stunning Attack DC continues to increase (DC = 10 + 0.5*class level + Wis modifier).
• Wholeness of Body continues to improve (heal 2*class level 1/day).
• Diamond Soul continues to improve (SR = 10 + class level).
• Quivering Palm DC continues to increase (DC = 10 + 0.5*class level + Wis modifier).
• Empty Body's duration continues to increase (duration = 1 round/class level).
• Unarmed Strike continues to increase as follows:
20-23 2d10 (medium) 2d8 (small)
24-27 3d8 (medium) 2d10 (small)
28-30 3d10 (medium) 3d8 (small)
• +1 feat at levels 25 and 30 (every 5 levels).
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