Randomly decided to check in after years and see talk of Doordie and Amel. Lots of fun memories! Arguably my first long time character, Narwyn, ended up closely aligned with Amel as his protege.
Doordie was one of the best RP's I ever played with. His stories, with his character Amel, were amazing. Rich, deep, complex. I hope Doordie is doing well! You have a really great Uncle!
Registered Member #642
Joined: 9:00:43 pm GMT 11/07/05
Posts: 86
This Informaton I dont believe is accurate to the /T/... But I have been getting asked a TON of questions about Monks. So here it is...
MONK
Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills The monk’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana/religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table: The Monk
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus Unarmed Damage1 AC Bonus Unarmored Speed Bonus 1st +0 +2 +2 +2 Bonus feat, flurry of blows unarmed strike –2/–2 1d6 +0 +0 ft. 2nd +1 +3 +3 +3 Bonus feat, evasion –1/–1 1d6 +0 +0 ft. 3rd +2 +3 +3 +3 Still mind +0/+0 1d6 +0 +10 ft. 4th +3 +4 +4 +4 Ki strike (magic), slow fall 20 ft. +1/+1 1d8 +0 +10 ft. 5th +3 +4 +4 +4 Purity of body +2/+2 1d8 +1 +10 ft. 6th +4 +5 +5 +5 Bonus feat, slow fall 30 ft. +3/+3 1d8 +1 +20 ft. 7th +5 +5 +5 +5 Wholeness of body +4/+4 1d8 +1 +20 ft. 8th +6/+1 +6 +6 +6 Slow fall 40 ft. +5/+5/+0 1d10 +1 +20 ft. 9th +6/+1 +6 +6 +6 Improved evasion +6/+6/+1 1d10 +1 +30 ft. 10th +7/+2 +7 +7 +7 Ki strike, (lawful) slow fall 50 ft. +7/+7/+2 1d10 +2 +30 ft. 11th +8/+3 +7 +7 +7 Diamond body, greater flurry +8/+8/+8/+3 1d10 +2 +30 ft. 12th +9/+4 +8 +8 +8 Abundant step, slow fall 60 ft. +9/+9/+9/+4 2d6 +2 +40 ft. 13th +9/+4 +8 +8 +8 Diamond soul +9/+9/+9/+4 2d6 +2 +40 ft. 14th +10/+5 +9 +9 +9 Slow fall 70 ft. +10/+10/+10/+5 2d6 +2 +40 ft. 15th +11/+6/+1 +9 +9 +9 Quivering palm +11/+11/+11/+6/+1 2d6 +3 +50 ft. 16th +12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +10 Ki strike (adamantine), slow fall 80 ft. +12/+12/+12/+7/+2 2d8 +3 +50 ft. 17th +12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +10 Timeless body, tongue of the sun and moon +12/+12/+12/+7/+2 2d8 +3 +50 ft. 18th +13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +11 Slow fall 90 ft. +13/+13/+13/+8/+3 2d8 +3 +60 ft. 19th +14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +11 Empty body +14/+14/+14/+9/+4 2d8 +3 +60 ft. 20th +15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +12 Perfect self, slow fall any distance +15/+15/+15/+10/+5 2d10 +4 +60 ft. 1 The value shown is for Medium monks. See Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage for Small or Large monks.
Class Features All of the following are class features of the monk.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. 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.
AC Bonus (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, 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. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries 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, 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. The resulting modified base attack bonuses are shown in the Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus column on Table: The Monk. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her 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 (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). She may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies her Strength bonus (not Str bonus x 1-1/2 or x 1/2) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether she wields 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 she has enough attacks in her flurry of blows routine to do so.
When a monk reaches 11th level, her flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack she gets from flurry of blows, she gets a second extra attack at her full 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. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. 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.
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.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, a monk may select either Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist as a bonus feat. At 2nd level, she may select either Combat Reflexes or Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat. At 6th level, she 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): 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 a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Monk. A monk in armor or carrying a medium or heavy load 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.
Ki Strike (Su): 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. 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.
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 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, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.
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. A helpless 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, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, once per day. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).
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 monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. She can use this quivering palm attack once a week, and she must announce her intent before making her 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 her 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 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.
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. She 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 her monk level.
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/magic, which allows her 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 she were a member of her previous creature type.
Ex-Monks A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.
Like a member of any other class, a monk may be a multiclass character, but multiclass monks face a special restriction. A monk who gains a new class or (if already multiclass) raises another class by a level may never again raise her monk level, though she retains all her monk abilities.
There you have it Thain.... let the discussions start.......Now!
! Registered Member #20
Joined: 8:30:40 am GMT 02/25/04
Posts: 7124
So what is this thread about? All I see in the OP is the SRD description for monks. Is there something we're supposed to be talking about here? Monk balance? Monk RP? Future monk changes?
Always Preceding Miggen Registered Member #136
Joined: 4:31:27 am GMT 06/13/04
Posts: 16130
BT wrote ... I have been getting asked a TON of questions about Monks.
Have all of these questions been answerable by telling the one with the inquiry to just read the manual? If not, what are the kinds of questions you get asked that might be unique to Thain as opposed to something one could find with a little search through the SRD?
Registered Member #642
Joined: 9:00:43 pm GMT 11/07/05
Posts: 86
Yes, it is the SRD description for Monks. *points to the tops where it says, asked a TON of questions* The build of a Monk depends on what you want the Monk to ultimately bring to the table of RP. I get asked regularly how to Build a good Monk. and My response is, how do you want to RP him/her. Do you want them to be a healer, an ass kicker....a spirtual being(with knowledge to back that up) I'd rather bring it to the forum than to get drilled in my RP. thats not to say that i wouldnt help anyone out.
TPK Insurance Specialist, call now for our low, low rates! 1-800-U KILL ME Registered Member #552
Joined: 4:34:52 am GMT 06/13/05
Posts: 2608
Below is a description of what it means to be a monk, as posted on the reference site for the City of Arabel server, found here. Now, obviously, everybody is free to RP their own way, but I think this gives some nice ideas. The page also contains a list of all the Orders referenced in the FR source materials - again, hopefully just to provide some ideas. Monks seek to understand timeless and eternal principles, the abstract ideals behind everything.
Deities are incarnations of those abstract ideals, and thus worthy of devotion and contemplation. But it is the ideals that matter, not their personifications. Justice matters, and Tyr matters only as an incarnation of that infinite, eternal principle. It's worth noting that while most monastic orders are nominally devoted to a deity, in some cases, it's not clear whether the identity of the deity really matters, as with the Order of the Long Death, or whether the deity actually exists at all, as with the Old Order.
It's also worth noting that the powers that monks obtain seem to come, not as gifts of the gods, but from within, from their own profound self-discipline and preternatural identification with their ideals.
Monks seek to overcome the limitations of their own identity, and become living incarnations of the eternal principles they believe in. In so doing, the mortal world of history and conflict trouble them less and less. They come to be in the world, but not of the world. They wander, seeking tests to refine and prove themselves. A monk fights a dragon, not because it's a test of his courage, but because it's a test of how his devotion to the principle of Courage. The dragon doesn't matter much, in itself.
The most wise and powerful of monks cease to be entirely mortal. They become "outsiders," literally dwelling in the world, but no longer part of the world.
Monks get along well with clerics who value the same ideals they do. But they find the absorption of clerics in worldly, temporal matters to be distracting. Druids, monks scarcely understand at all. Druids are entirely wrapped up in a chaotic, transient world, and ignore the abstract ideals that matter more than life. Druids and monks can pass each other by without even seeing each other, so to speak.[ Edited 03:16:27 AM 08/08/07 ]
Registered Member #637
Joined: 11:37:54 pm GMT 10/31/05
Posts: 374
Monks eh. well...
as BuddaT stated you can have good ole cliche chop socky types, or sit around looking Oooooomnipotent types.... but i guess the problem with monks though, its abit more.... i dunno, abstract with their "standard" code.
being a monk... well its kind of a type of thinking. What Galen posted above seems to be a pretty good way to start grasping the idea.
since there are no real guidelines as to what a good (or for the same matter, evil monks) monk really should or shouldn't do, the boundaries seems to be blurred quite abit. You don't get a "Rules of Monk-dom 101", but a baseline degree of self control and discipline i think, is the basics in starting the Way.
Personally I think a bunch of like minded monks simply fall together just because they have a similar type of goals, abit like how followers of the same god walk together easier.
well... I personally try to keep the monk-dom to a "ground level" (if this makes sense). I am not very good at philosophy... Probably if i try an example...?
say envision a problem or situation as... a cube maybe? While most would look at it from certain perspectives and base their opinions off this perspective, yet the said perspective is not the entirety of the cube... so... a monk sort of (mentally) runs around the cube (purposefully sometimes), taking in the options...
maybe this sounds like "being a monk means being impartial" or "this seems to be so tiresome if I treat everything like that!" I guess to a certain extent it is. nobody ever said the long way is always easier to walk.
Believing in challenging one's own boundaries, (whether the character alignment of course), is a very personal thing.
Only the monk knows what he/she wishes to achieve, and ultimately, it is a way of long humble learning about a persons inner light (or darkness, maybe ).
I hope i have not bored anyone to sleep... and reading through my two pence worth.
[ The Island of Thain ]
Lets talk about Monks...
