Monk
Legacy Content
Source Core Rulebook pg. 154 4.0The strength of your fist flows from your mind and spirit. You seek perfection—honing your body into a flawless instrument and your mind into an orderly bastion of wisdom. You’re a fierce combatant renowned for martial arts skills and combat stances that grant you unique fighting moves. While the challenge of mastering many fighting styles drives you to great heights, you also enjoy meditating on philosophical questions and discovering new ways to obtain peace and enlightenment.Key Attribute: STRENGTH OR DEXTERITYAt 1st level, your class gives you an ability boost to your choice of Strength or Dexterity.
Hit Points: 10 plus your Constitution modifierYou increase your maximum number of HP by this number at 1st level and every level thereafter.
Roleplaying the Monk
During Combat Encounters...
You speed into the fray, dodging or leaping past obstacles with acrobatic maneuvers. You strike opponents in a rapid flurry of attacks, using your bare fists or wielding specialized weapons that you mastered during your monastic training. Stances let you change up your combat style for different situations, and ki abilities allow you to perform mystic feats like healing yourself and soaring through the air.
During Social Encounters...
Your perceptiveness lets you see through falsehoods, and your philosophical training provides insight into any situation.
While Exploring...
You climb up walls, dodge traps, overcome obstacles, and leap over pits. You usually stay toward the outside of the group to protect more vulnerable members, and you’re well suited to looking for danger or moving stealthily.
In Downtime...
You diligently exercise, eat healthy foods, meditate, and study various philosophies. You might also take up a craft that you strive to perfect.
You Might...
- Maintain a regimen of physical training and meditation.
- Face adversity with a calm and measured approach, never panicking or succumbing to despair.
- Look to the future for ways you can improve, while remaining at peace with your present self.
Others Probably...
- Marvel at your feats of physical prowess.
- Think you’re more than a bit uptight, given your vows and tenets.
- Come to you for philosophical advice.
Initial Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain the listed proficiency ranks in the following statistics. You are untrained in anything not listed unless you gain a better proficiency rank in some other way.
Perception
Trained in Perception
Saving Throws
Expert in Fortitude
Expert in Reflex
Expert in Will
Skills
Trained in a number of skills equal to 4 plus your Intelligence modifier
Attacks
Trained in simple weapons
Trained in unarmed attacks
Defenses
Untrained in all armor
Expert in unarmored defense
Class DC
Trained in monk class DC
Class Features
You gain these features as a Monk. Abilities gained at higher levels list the levels at which you gain them next to the features' names.
| Your Level | Class Features |
| 1 | Ancestry and background, initial proficiencies, flurry of blows, monk feat, powerful fist |
| 2 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 3 | General feat, incredible movement +10 feet, mystic strikes, skill increase |
| 4 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 5 | Ability boosts, alertness, ancestry feat, expert strikes, skill increase |
| 6 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 7 | General feat, incredible movement +15 feet, path to perfection, skill increase, weapon specialization |
| 8 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 9 | Ancestry feat, metal strikes, monk expertise, skill increase |
| 10 | Ability boosts, monk feat, skill feat |
| 11 | General feat, incredible movement +20 feet, second path to perfection, skill increase |
| 12 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 13 | Ancestry feat, graceful mastery, master strikes, skill increase |
| 14 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 15 | Ability boosts, general feat, greater weapon specialization, incredible movement +25 feet, skill increase, third path to perfection |
| 16 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 17 | Adamantine strikes, ancestry feat, graceful legend, skill increase |
| 18 | Monk feat, skill feat |
| 19 | General feat, incredible movement +30 feet, perfected form, skill increase |
| 20 | Ability boosts, monk feat, skill feat |
Ancestry and Background
In addition to the abilities provided by your class at 1st level, you have the benefits of your selected ancestry and background, as described in Chapter 2.
Initial Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain a number of proficiencies representing your basic training, which are noted at the start of this class.
Flurry of Blows
You can attack rapidly with fists, feet, elbows, knees, and other unarmed attacks. You gain the Flurry of Blows action.
Flourish Monk Source Core Rulebook pg. 156 4.0
Make two unarmed Strikes. If both hit the same creature, combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to the Strikes normally. As it has the flourish trait, you can use Flurry of Blows only once per turn.
Monk Feats
At 1st level and every even-numbered level thereafter, you gain a
monk class feat.
Powerful Fist
You know how to wield your fists as deadly weapons. The damage die for your fist increases to 1d6 instead of 1d4. Most people take a –2 circumstance penalty when making a lethal attack with
nonlethal unarmed attacks, because they find it hard to use their fists with deadly force. You don't take this penalty when making a lethal attack with your fist or any other unarmed attacks.
Skill FeatsLevel 2
At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill feat. Skill feats are listed in Chapter 5 and have the skill trait. You must be trained or better in the corresponding skill to select a skill feat.
General FeatsLevel 3
At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a general feat. General feats are listed in Chapter 5.
Incredible MovementLevel 3
You move like the wind. You gain a +10-foot status bonus to your Speed whenever you’re not wearing armor. The bonus increases by 5 feet for every 4 levels you have beyond 3rd.
Mystic StrikesLevel 3
Focusing your will into your physical attacks imbues them with mystical energy. Your unarmed attacks become magical, allowing them to get past resistances to non-magical attacks. However, you still need an item such as
handwraps of mighty blows to gain an item bonus to attack rolls or increase your attacks' weapon damage dice.
Skill IncreasesLevel 3
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill increase. You can use this increase to either become trained in one skill you’re untrained in, or become an expert in one skill in which you’re already trained.
At 7th level, you can use skill increases to become a master in a skill in which you’re already an expert, and at 15th level, you can use them to become legendary in a skill in which you’re already a master.
Ability BoostsLevel 5
At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you boost four different ability scores. You can use these ability boosts to increase your ability scores above 18. Boosting an ability score increases it by 1 if it’s already 18 or above, or by 2 if it starts out below 18.
AlertnessLevel 5
You remain alert to threats around you. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to expert.
Ancestry FeatsLevel 5
In addition to the ancestry feat you started with, you gain an ancestry feat at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter. The list of ancestry feats available to you can be found in your ancestry’s entry in Chapter 2.
Expert StrikesLevel 5
You’ve practiced martial arts and have now surpassed your former skill. Your proficiency ranks for unarmed attacks and simple weapons increase to expert.
Path to PerfectionLevel 7
You have progressed along your own path to enlightenment. Choose your Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throw. Your proficiency rank for the chosen saving throw increases to master. When you roll a success on the chosen saving throw, you get a critical success instead.
Weapon SpecializationLevel 7
You’ve learned how to inflict greater injuries with the weapons you know best. You deal 2 additional damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you are an expert. This damage increases to 3 if you’re a master, and 4 if you’re legendary.
Metal StrikesLevel 9
You can adjust your body to make unarmed attacks infused with the mystic energy of rare metals. Your unarmed attacks are treated as cold iron and silver. This allows you to deal more damage to a variety of supernatural creatures, such as demons, devils, and fey.
Monk ExpertiseLevel 9
Your proficiency rank for your monk class DC increases to expert. If you have ki spells, your proficiency rank for spell attacks and spell DCs with the tradition of magic you use for your ki spells increases to expert.
Second Path to PerfectionLevel 11
You’ve learned to find perfection in every success. Choose a different saving throw than the one you chose for your path to perfection. Your proficiency rank for the chosen saving throw increases to master. If you roll a success with the chosen saving throw, you instead critically succeed.
Graceful MasteryLevel 13
You move with perpetual grace in battle, eluding and turning aside blows. Your proficiency rank for unarmored defense increases to master.
Master StrikesLevel 13
You have honed your skill in using your body as a weapon. Your proficiency ranks for unarmed attacks and simple weapons increase to master.
Greater Weapon SpecializationLevel 15
Your damage from weapon specialization increases to 4 with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you’re an expert, 6 if you’re a master, and 8 if you’re legendary.
Third Path to PerfectionLevel 15
You have made great progress in your personal studies of enlightenment. Choose one of the saving throws you selected for path to perfection or second path to perfection. Your proficiency rank for the chosen type of save increases to legendary. When you roll a critical failure on the chosen type of save, you get a failure instead. When you roll a failure on the chosen type of save against an effect that deals damage, you take half damage.
Adamantine StrikesLevel 17
When you focus your will into your limbs, your blows are as unyielding as the hardest of metals. Your unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine.
Graceful LegendLevel 17
Your sublime movement grants you unparalleled protection and offense. Your proficiency rank for unarmored defense increases to legendary, and your proficiency rank for your monk class DC increases to master. If you have ki spells, your proficiency rank for spell attack rolls and spell DCs with the tradition of magic you use for your ki spells increases to master.
Perfected FormLevel 19
You have purged incompetence from your techniques. On your first Strike of your turn, if you roll lower than 10, you can treat the attack roll as a 10. This is a fortune effect.