"I am a Grand Master of Flowers. You are not."
Fantasy literature's view of the "martial artist" has about as much to do with a real martial artist as its view of salamanders has to do with real salamanders. But let's face the facts: Monks are totally sweet. They flip out and kill people with their hands. A monk does not practice any sort of "real" martial art, we call those people "Fighters". A monk practices an entirely magical martial art that only works in areas where badgers can talk and winged horses can fly.
Every Monk follows a different martial path that involves jumping super high and having glowing things coming off of their hands when they perform their super moves. Some monks use weapons, but most just use their hands and feet to devastating effect. Some Monks shout the names of their techniques in battle to demoralize their opponents, others stay aloof and silent during even the toughest of challenges.
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Knowledge, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, and Tumble.
Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Intelligence Modifier
BAB: Full
Saves: All Good
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with all simple weapons, as well any weapon defined as a special monk weapon, such as the sai, the nunchuka, the kama, the shuriken, and the triple staff. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields of any kind.
Armored in Life (Su): A Monk has a special Armor bonus whenever they are not using armor or a shield. This Armor Bonus applies against Touch Attacks and Incorporeal Touch Attacks, and has a value of 4 + half level. The Monk can wear any "non-armor" outfit (eg: normal clothing, or camouflage clothing), including magical versions, while retaining their armored in life bonus. Other effects that grant an Armor bonus (such as Bracers of Armor, or the Mage Armor spell) don't stack with Armored in Life (only use the highest bonus).
Willow Step (Su): A true monk does not seek to outrun the fist, but to anticipate it. If a Monk would be allowed to add his Dexterity modifier to a Reflex Save or Armor Class, he may add his Wisdom bonus (if positive) instead.
Fatal Strike (Su): A Monk has a natural weapon Slam in addition to whatever else he is capable of doing. As a natural slam attack, if he uses no other natural or manufactured weapons he adds his Strength and a half to damage and may make iterative attacks if he has sufficient BAB. If the slam is used with other weaponry, it becomes a secondary natural attack, suffers a -5 penalty to-hit, and adds only half his Strength modifier to damage. A monk's slam attack does a base of 1d8 damage for a medium sized monk and does more or less damage as appropriate if the Monk is larger or smaller than medium size.
Fighting Style (Su): At levels 1, 3, 5, and 7, the Monk learns a Fighting Style. Each Fighting style requires a Swift Action to activate, lasts one round, and is usable at will. Each Fighting Style must have a name (see Naming Your Fighting Style, at the end), and provides two bonuses from the Basic Fighting Style Abilities list. Fighting Style effects that force a target struck to make a saving throw always have a DC of 10 + half level + wisdom modifier, and a creature struck only has to make one save per effect type per round (even if they're struck more than once). Effects that imitate a spell always have a caster level equal to your level.
- +4 Dodge Bonus to AC.
- +4 Dodge Bonus to Saving Throws.
- Concealment.
- +30ft Bonus to your movement rate.
- You can move through occupied spaces as if they were unoccupied and you provoke no attacks of opportunity for your movement.
- You can make an attack of opportunity against any opponent who attacks you. This attack of opportunity must be a trip or disarm attempt.
- Any opponent struck by your slam attack must make a Fortitude Save or be Stunned for one round.
- Your slam attacks to ignore hardness and DR.
- Your slam attacks inflict piercing damage and also 2 points of Constitution damage.
- Your slam attacks inflict slashing damage and reduce your opponent's movement rate by 10ft every time they suffer damage from it. This movement rate reduction can be healed like ability damage (treating 5ft of movement as 1 point of ability damage).
- Any bonuses your fighting style gives to your slam attack apply to any weapon attack you make. Ranged attacks must target creatures within 30ft to get your fighting style bonuses.
Rain of Flowers (Su): Any time a 2nd level Monk inflicts lethal damage, he may elect to inflict non-lethal damage instead. Any time a Monk inflicts non-lethal damage, he may elect to inflict lethal damage instead.
Abundant Leap (Su): At 2nd level, a Monk's Jump DCs are reduced by half.
Diamond Soul (Su): At 4th level, the Monk gains Spell Resistance equal to 5 + his character level. At 8th level, his soul becomes immaculate and his Spell Resistance improves to 10 + character level, and at 16th level he masters his diamond soul and his spell resistance improves to 15 + character level.
Walk of a Thousand Steps (Su): Once per day, a Monk of sixth level or higher may activate a Fighting Style and extend its duration to 1 round/level rather than 1 round. Activating this Fighting Style is still a Swift Action. Other Fighting Styles may be activated during this period, though their duration is normally going to be only 1 round.
Master Fighting Style (Su): At levels 9, 11, and 13, the Monk learns a Master Fighting Style. These are just like normal Fighting Styles, but select from a new list of abilities below. When a Monk gains a new Master Fighting Style, he may replace one of his Fighting Styles with a different Fighting Style.
- Teleport yourself and everything you are physically carrying 60 feet in any direction as a free action usable once per round.
- Total Concealment.
- Your slam attacks become Force effects that inflict Force damage.
- Any creature struck with your slam attack is affected as if by a Banishment effect that transports it back to its home plane unless it succeeds at a Will save. Outsiders suffer a -4 penalty to their saving throw. A creature so banished, may not return to the plane it was banished from for a year.
- Any creature struck by your slam attack must make a Reflex Save or be Helpless for one round.
- Gain the effects of an Air Walk spell and get a +20ft bonus to your movement speed.
- Any opponent tripped or bullrushed by you is automatically affected by a violent thrust from a Telekinesis effect.
- You can shoot energy out of your hands or mouth as a standard action. This is a Medium Ranged Touch Attack and deals 1d6 fire damage per character level. You can deal Fire, Acid, Cold, or Electric damage, selected when you learn the fighting style.
- Damage from your slam attacks can only heal while the target is within a Consecrate effect.
- Every creature within 10 feet of you must make a Will save or become Panicked for one minute.
- Any target you strike with your slam attack is affected by a targeted Greater Dispel Magic.
- Any time you inflict any damage on any target with your slam attack, all targets within 30ft of you take 5d6 Sonic damage. You are Immune to Sonic Damage.
- Instead of gaining a Master Fighting Style Ability, you may choose two regular Fighting Style Abilities.
Leap of the Clouds (Su): At 10th level, the DC for any Jump check is divided by 5.
Master of the Four Winds (Su): The Monk's breath of life is carried on the winds of fate. At 12th level, if the monk is restored to life, he doesn't lose a level for doing so. If the monk isn't restored to life by something else, they can choose to Reincarnate themselves after being dead for 1d4 weeks.
Master of the Four Seasons (Su): Time passes relentlessly in the world, but for a monk of 14th level, the change of seasons is as no change at all. The monk ceases to age.
Grand Master Fighting Style (Su): At levels 15, 17, and 19, the Monk learns a Grand Master Fighting Style. This is just like a normal Fighting Style, but selects from the list of abilities below. When a Monk gains a new Grand Master Fighting Style, he may replace one of his Fighting Styles or Master Fighting Style with a different Style of the same type.
- You and your equipment become Incorporeal. Your slam attacks become Incorporeal Touch Attacks.
- Time appears to slow around you, and you can take an additional Standard + Move action (or a Full-round Action) each round.
- You punch holes through time and space, allowing you to open a Gate (travel version) with any slam attack you make.
- All dimensional travel within 1 mile of you is blocked.
- Targets damaged by your slam attack have their spell resistance reduced by an amount equal to the damage you dealt.
- Targets struck by your slam attack must make a Fortitude save or die instantly.
- Targets struck by your slam attack must make a Fortitude save or be affected as if by Disintegrate.
- You gain Regeneration equal to your character level. Unarmed attacks and slam attacks deal regular damage.
- Targets struck by your slam attacks must make a Will save or be affected by Feeblemind.
- Every target you strike is automatically also affected by a violent thrust from a Telekinesis effect.
- Instead of gaining a Grand Master Fighting Style Ability, you may choose two Master Fighting Style Abilities.
Perfect Mastery (Su): Once per day, a Monk of 18th level or higher may activate a Fighting Style, Master Fighting Style, or Grand Master Fighting Style and extend its duration to 1 round/level rather than 1 round. Activating this style is still a Swift Action. Other styles may be activated during this period, though their duration is normally going to be only 1 round.
Grand Master of Flowers (Ex): At 20th level, the Monk becomes an Outsider, an immortal of legend. He gains the augmented subtype of his previous type, and has Damage Reduction of 20/Epic.
You can select a name randomly by rolling a d10 for each column on the chart. Or you could just pick a name I guess. You can also use words not on the chart, or make up your own chart entirely.
| d10 | Adjective | Animal | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Running | Ox | Fist |
| 2 | Hungry | Tiger | Strike |
| 3 | Angry | Dragon | Fist |
| 4 | Spirit | Crane | Attack |
| 5 | Drunken | Monkey | Technique |
| 6 | Fortunate | Turtle | Stance |
| 7 | Lazy | Manticore | Dance |
| 8 | Swift | Serpent | Movement |
| 9 | Powerful | Hummingbird | Touch |
| 10 | Enlightened | Demon | Fu |