Everyone always asks for Psionic Monks. It is probably a combination of wanting to emulate anime or video game characters, or because something about the psionics system just screams Ki and resembles Wuxai films. I too love the idea of a Psionic Monk, so I've built this.
PrePS: A more simple way to build a psionic monk is to add the following bonus feats to the monk's list; 1st: wild talent; 2nd: mental leap; 5th: psionic meditation. I did this once, and it worked nicely. Additionally, I advise changing all stunning fist feats to psionic feats; they require focus expenditure. Reduce the BAB requirements to allow a 1st level monk to select it; you won't have to worry about every fighter picking it up because they'd have to take wild talent first.
In my games, this class replaces both the Psychic Warrior and the standard Monk. In more traditional games, it could serve as a replacement for the Soulknife base class. I have left this writeup entirely without flavor because the flavor is simple: it is a monk, their striving for spiritual perfection through training their body and mind. This variant on the monk can attain more supernatural effects than the standard monk, but I believe I've taken enough away to warrant the additions.
Because it is replacing both the Psychic Warrior and the Monk, I did my best to eyeball balance it between those two.
And because someone will ask: For simplicity, use the Psychic Warrior power list for this Monk currently. I'll have a power list to post. This is a beta post; once it is balanced and has passed a peer review, I'll put it up on my webspace.
MONKAlignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
Class SkillsThe monkâ,¬,,¢s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics) (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 at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) xï,¬Â 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
[th]Level[/th][th]BAB[/th][th]Fort[/th][th]Ref[/th][th]Will[/th][th]Special[/th][th]Power Points[/th][th]Powers Known[/th][th]Maximum Power Level Known[/th]
[th]1st[/th]| +0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Unarmed Strike, Insightful Awareness, Bonus Feat, Wild Talent | - | - | - |
[th]2nd[/th]| +1 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Bonus Feat, Evasion | - | - | - |
[th]3rd[/th]| +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Purity of Mind | - | - | - |
[th]4th[/th]| +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Ki Strike (Magic) | 3 | 2 | 1st |
[th]5th[/th]| +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Bonus Feat | 3 | 2 | 1st |
[th]6th[/th]| +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Purity of Body | 4 | 3 | 1st |
[th]7th[/th]| +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | - | 5 | 3 | 1st |
[th]8th[/th]| +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Bonus Feat | 12 | 4 | 2nd |
[th]9th[/th]| +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Improved Evasion | 13 | 4 | 2nd |
[th]10th[/th]| +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | Ki Strike (Lawful) | 15 | 5 | 2nd |
[th]11th[/th]| +8 | +7 | +7 | +7 | Bonus Feat | 16 | 5 | 2nd |
[th]12th[/th]| +9 | +8 | +8 | +8 | Diamond Body | 27 | 6 | 3rd |
[th]13th[/th]| +9 | +8 | +8 | +8 | - | 29 | 6 | 3rd |
[th]14th[/th]| +10 | +9 | +9 | +9 | Bonus Feat | 31 | 7 | 3rd |
[th]15th[/th]| +11 | +9 | +9 | +9 | Diamond Soul | 33 | 7 | 3rd |
[th]16th[/th]| +12 | +10 | +10 | +10 | Ki Strike (Adamantine) | 48 | 8 | 4th |
[th]17th[/th]| +12 | +10 | +10 | +10 | Bonus Feat | 51 | 8 | 4th |
[th]18th[/th]| +13 | +11 | +11 | +11 | Timeless Body | 54 | 9 | 4th |
[th]19th[/th]| +14 | +11 | +11 | +11 | - | 57 | 9 | 4th |
[th]20th[/th]| +15 | +12 | +12 | +12 | Perfect Self | 60 | 10 | 4th |
Class FeaturesAll 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 their AC bonus.
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat (which increases their unarmed damage to 1d6). A monkâ,¬,,¢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 their 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 monkâ,¬,,¢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 monkâ,¬,,¢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.
Insightful Awareness (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds their Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC.
This bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. They loses 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.
Bonus Feat: At 1st, 2nd, 5th, and every 3 levels there after, the monk gains a bonus feat. This feat may be selected from any psionic or fighter bonus feat, though all prerequisites must be met as normal.
Wild Talent: Monks begin with wild talent as a bonus feat. This feat gives them 1 power point, allowing them to attain psionic focus and purchase psionic feats.
Evasion (Ex): At 3rd level or higher if a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, they instead take 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.
Purity of 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.
Power Points/Day: At 4th level, a monk gains the ability to manifest a small number of psionic powers. A monkâ,¬,,¢s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points they have available. Their base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Monk. In addition, they receive bonus power points per day if they have a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). Their race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items. A 1st through 3rd-level monk gains no power points, and has no manifester level. From 4th level and on, their manifester level is equal to 1/2 their class level.
Powers Known: A monk learns two monk powers of your choice at 4th level. Each time they achieves a new even level, they unlock the knowledge of a new power.
Choose the powers known from the monk power list. (Exception: The feats Expanded Knowledge and Epic Expanded Knowledge do allow a monk to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) A monk can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than their manifester level (which is equal to half their class level).
The total number of powers a monk can manifest in a day is limited only by their daily power points.
A monk simply knows their powers; they are ingrained in their mind. They do not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though they must get a good nightâ,¬,,¢s sleep each day to regain all their spent power points.
The Difficulty Class for saving throws against a monk's powers is 10 + the powerâ,¬,,¢s level + the monkâ,¬,,¢s Wisdom modifier.
Maximum Power Level Known: A monk gains ability to learn 1st-level powers at 4th level. As they attain higher levels, they may gain the ability to master more complex powers.
To learn or manifest a power, a monk must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the powerâ,¬,,¢s level.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a monkâ,¬,,¢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 characterâ,¬,,¢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.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 6th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monkâ,¬,,¢s evasion ability improves. The still take no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth they takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Diamond Body (Su): At 12th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 15th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to their 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 monkâ,¬,,¢s spell resistance.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 18th 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.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. They are forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monkâ,¬,,¢s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. 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 doesnâ,¬,,¢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.
Ex-MonksA monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.
It looks good and balanced to me. It's a bit unusal seeing a psionic base class with no powers or power points untill 3rd level, but I think it fits the class.
It has power points; it gets Wild Talent for free at first level, just like the Soul Knife. Originally I had tried to build the class with a 1-6 power progression like the Psychic Warrior, but such a build would require it to have no bonus feats. When building such monks, the lack of bonus feats really hurt the variety of such monks.
And thanks for the reply.
I think its the opposite problem. We have so many psionics fans here that I'm betting a fair number of them have already done the psionic monk thing.
Yes; but as a note: I will be posting the "true" monk power list, and it won't include shapeshifting powers. If I do include the claw and bite powers, they will be reflavored: claw of the beast will increase your unarmed damage, and bite of the beast will give you a "special attack" each round as a secondary attack (at -5 penalty) that deals more damage than regular.
A very nice class. I'd advise just using the psychic warrior list. It works for the Fist of Zouken. (You didn't include still mind so that some munchkin wouldn't be able to take FoZ, didn't you?)
BTW, what's wrong with FoZ.