The Campaign Builder's Guild

In my campaign, I didn't feel like the monk having all of these supernatural powers. It wasn't the way I wanted the monk to be represented. Therefore, I created the Academy Monk and then adapted the Original Monk to be the Spirit Monk. The Spirit Monk has the same class stats as the monk does in the PHB. The Academy monk is a little different as it doesn't get the unarmed attack bonus like the original but still obtain the AC and speed bonuses as well as the unarmed damage.

Here is my partially constructed Academy Monk. Each training ability it gets is from the different school which will be reflected in the type of monk school the academy monk belongs to. The School Feats will also reflect upon it too but they'll just be feats that I've selected as bonus feats for the schooled monk. Please enjoy.

Academy Monk
Adventures: Same as original monk.
Characteristics: Same as sprit monk, except they have more warrior-like training and no magicks.
Alignment: Any alignment, but usually lawful neutral as their spirit monk counterparts.
Religion: Usually takes up the Enlightened Defenders, Quiet Champions, or Gifted Sages pantheons.
Background: As the original monk and always from a monastery.
Races: All except most savage humanoids and monsters.
Other Classes: Very distant from other class types.

Game Rule Information
Monks have the following game statistics.
Abilities:
Alignment: Any
Hit Dice: d6

Class skills
The monkâ,¬,,¢s class skills (and the key abilities for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

[table=Academy Monk]

[tr][th]Class Level[/th][th]Base Attack Bonus[/th][th]Fort Save[/th][th]Ref Save[/th][th]Will Save[/th][th]Special[/th][/tr]

[tr][th]1[/th][td]+1[/td][td]+2[/td][td]+2[/td][td]+2[/td][td]Unarmed Strike, Flurry of Blows, Evasion[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]2[/th][td]+2[/td][td]+3[/td][td]+3[/td][td]+3[/td][td]Deflect Arrows feat[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]3[/th][td]+3[/td][td]+3[/td][td]+3[/td][td]+3[/td][td][/td][/tr]

[tr][th]4[/th][td]+4[/td][td]+4[/td][td]+4[/td][td]+4[/td][td]Slow fall (20ft.), Training 1[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]5[/th][td]+5[/td][td]+4[/td][td]+4[/td][td]+4[/td][td]School Feat[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]6[/th][td]+6/+1[/td][td]+5[/td][td]+5[/td][td]+5[/td][td]Slow fall (30ft.), Improved Trip Feat[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]7[/th][td]+7/+2[/td][td]+5[/td][td]+5[/td][td]+5[/td][td]Leap of the Clouds[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]8[/th][td]+8/+3[/td][td]+6[/td][td]+6[/td][td]+6[/td][td]Slow fall (50ft.), Training 2[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]9[/th][td]+9/+4[/td][td]+6[/td][td]+6[/td][td]+6[/td][td][/td][/tr]

[tr][th]10[/th][td]+10/+5[/td][td]+7[/td][td]+7[/td][td]+7[/td][td]School Feat[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]11[/th][td]+11/+6/+1[/td][td]+7[/td][td]+7[/td][td]+7[/td][td]Improved Evasion[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]12[/th][td]+12/+7/+2[/td][td]+8[/td][td]+8[/td][td]+8[/td][td]Training 3[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]13[/th][td]+13/+8/+3[/td][td]+8[/td][td]+8[/td][td]+8[/td][td][/td][/tr]

[tr][th]14[/th][td]+14/+9/+4[/td][td]+9[/td][td]+9[/td][td]+9[/td][td][/td][/tr]

[tr][th]15[/th][td]+15/+10/+5[/td][td]+9[/td][td]+9[/td][td]+9[/td][td]School Feat[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]16[/th][td]+16/+11/+6/+1[/td][td]+10[/td][td]+10[/td][td]+10[/td][td]Training 4[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]17[/th][td]+17/+12/+7/+2[/td][td]+10[/td][td]+10[/td][td]+10[/td][td][/td][/tr]

[tr][th]18[/th][td]++18/+13/+8/+3[/td][td]+11[/td][td]+11[/td][td]+11[/td][td]Slow fall (any distance)[/td][/tr]

[tr][th]19[/th][td]+19/+14/+9/+4[/td][td]+11[/td][td]+11[/td][td]+11[/td][td][/td][/tr]

[tr][th]20[/th][td]+20/+15/+10/+5[/td][td]+12[/td][td]+12[/td][td]+12[/td][td]Training 5, School Feat[/td][/tr]

[/table]



[spoiler=Schools Currently Created]
Monk Schools
Veiled Gate School (Daisuke Togakure)
One of the most well known traditions in the realms, it encompasses more than one fourth of all the monasteries teachings. This martial arts path is known for its use of tactical stealth, shuriken wielding, and its general philosophy of existence.
School Feats: Iron Will,
Training 1:
Training 2:
Training 3:
Training 4:
Training 5:

Rock Tiger School (Cho Gyokko)
The Rock Tiger school is the oldest and most deadly of the martial arts paths. Students taking this path have a tendency to become severely injured or die during training. However, those who emerge are some of the most feared in the realm. The teachings focus on inner strength and ripping and tearing strikes to important muscles.
School Feats:
Training 1:
Training 2:
Training 3:
Training 4:
Training 5:

Nine Deadly Sins School (Izuma Kanja Yoshiteru)
A battleground type school who uses a wide range of weapon techniques to help them along their way. The weapons include longspears, two-bladed swords, javelins, staves, ranseurs, kama, dire flails, katars, and kukris. The techniques include any kind of ways to make the nine weapons more useful in combat and non-combat situations.
School Feats:
Training 1:
Training 2:
Training 3:
Training 4:
Training 5:

Wayward Heart School (Iga Gyokushin)
The most secretive and dangerous techniques lie within the Wayward Heart school. This way of the martial arts master focuses on the stealth aspect of training and how to take out multiple opponents while concealed. Ways to throw your opponent into really bad positions is also made possible with this training.
School Feats:
Training 1:
Training 2:
Training 3:
Training 4:
Training 5:
[/spoiler]

I will withhold my vote until I see the table, but the concept is sound.

Table up!

Much less mystical, more realistic.  What are the training trees to be?

There are none, parsay, but if you look at the schools, they'll kidna outline what kinda stuff they'll be getting for abilties.

I really think this is redundant.

First, there is already a variant for monks to have a school, found in both Unearthed Arcana and the SRD.  Link. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#monkVariantFightingStyles)

Second, its just not different enough, especially considering the fact that training already exists for monks.

I noticed you included Leap of the Clouds in the table.  Is this class based off of the v3.0 monk?

Why are the skills different?  If it is essentially a monk, then the skills shouldn't be any different.

If you want to mess around with stuff, that's cool, but make sure there's a good reason and do a little research first.  Hope I didn't come off as condescending, but there simply is not enough here to justify the difference.

I think it's awfully redundant, especially if you're still including the spirit monk in your games.  If you think it's necessary however, I can't stop you.  So good luck, and I look forward to how this turns out.

Yeah, I've been told by my loud friend that I'm stupid to do it since UA has it done already. However, mine is still different in the way that the Training abilities will be unique and I'm going to be putting in special feats (School Feats, if you will) for the Academy Monks.
The skills are almsot the same except I changed them around a little. I think I might take out Ride but other than that, I think it is good.

You could just add the descriptor [Monk] to the feats and say that a monk can replace his/her bonus feats with them.  You really don't need to change the class, especially if you already have the regular monk.

While it may seem like a cool idea, it will just overcomplicate things.  Make it easy on yourself.

Or don't.  Its your choice, just trying to help.

Quote from: The Lonely WixmanThere are none, parsay, but if you look at the schools, they'll kidna outline what kinda stuff they'll be getting for abilties.

There should be feats/abilities unique to each school, to keep the uninitiated from abusing the secrets of the universe.

It's not that complicated in the sense that you just pick one or the other. The Spirit Monk class is just the original class except different fluff. I need the schools in my game to make it more like someone is actually doing something with the kids and that each monk can have a different fighting style based on their school.

@CYRMO: Yeah totally, except they'll need more feats in their Bonus School Feat list from the regular PHB ones. Crazy Monkey Fighting [Monk] looks good!

I would say that instead of creating a redundant new class, you should create alternate class features for the existing monk, in the same way the PHB II does.  That way, you can have some monks that are normal and some that choose to learn non-supernatural abilities without splitting the monk class in two.

After all, having two monk classes makes things confusing and potentially problematic.  What happens when an academy monk multiclasses as a spirit monk?  What role does an academy monk play that a spirit monk doesn't play?  Are the two monk classes perfectly balanced?  (Even a small unbalance will result in every monk PC only playing the stronger monk class; at which point, there's little reason to keep the weaker monk class around.)

Quote from: Epic MeepoI would say that instead of creating a redundant new class, you should create alternate class features for the existing monk, in the same way the PHB II does.  That way, you can have some monks that are normal and some that choose to learn non-supernatural abilities without splitting the monk class in two.

After all, having two monk classes makes things confusing and potentially problematic.  What happens when an academy monk multiclasses as a spirit monk?  What role does an academy monk play that a spirit monk doesn't play?  Are the two monk classes perfectly balanced?  (Even a small unbalance will result in every monk PC only playing the stronger monk class; at which point, there's little reason to keep the weaker monk class around.)

Hmmm... then maybe I should make a few schools that give out supernatural abilities... hmmmm....

I've recieved some less-approving comments of my class in the post, and I take them with gratitude.

However, I need to know what to do...
Do I insert more mystical schools of thought? Create a different class mechanic? Something else?

I would say that the way to get the most out of the academy monk would be to drop the regular monk altogether and just give the academy monk some schools that duplicate ordinary monk class abilities.  The fact that you are trying to have two monk classes at once (instead of just one, more versatile monk class) is what seems to be causing most of the resistance to the academy monk class.

I think it'd be easier to do that anyway. Sounds good.