6.7 Monk

Rank (Level)	Airdancer	Esoteric Warrior	Ki	Perfected Form	Transcendent Sage
1 (1)	Float like air	Esoteric maneuvers, esoteric weaponry	Ki barrier, ki energy	Unarmed warrior, unhindered agility	Feel the flow of life
2 (4)	Evasion	Augmented maneuvers	Ki manifestations	Perfect precision	Transcend frailty
3 (7)	Death from above	Esoteric maneuvers+	Invested blow	Perfect body	Transcend uncertainty
4 (10)	Heart of air	Augmented maneuvers+	Ki barrier+	Unarmed warrior+, unhindered freedom	Transcend emotion
5 (13)	Evasion+	Esoteric maneuvers+	Ki manifestation	Brawling precision	Transcend mortality
6 (16)	Float like air+, move like wind	Augmented maneuvers+	Ki-focused mind	Perfect body+	Feel the flow of life+, transcend frailty+
7 (19)	Airdance	Esoteric maneuvers+	Endless ki, ki barrier++	Unarmed warrior+, unhindered agility+	Inner transcendence

Monks are agile masters of “ki” who hone their personal abilities to strike down foes and perform supernatural feats. They undergo extensive training to control their mind and body in unison, using each to improve the other. The techniques required to become a monk are strange and unintuitive, and only a legendary few can discover them on their own. Instead, most monks are trained at monastaries, where they learn how to master themselves long before they turn their attention to besting others in combat.

Unlike every other class capable of magical feats, monks draw their power entirely from themselves. They have learned to tap into the life energy within their bodies, use it to cause dramatic effects in the world around them, and then reclaim that energy instead of letting it dissipate into the world. This process is deeply dangerous if misapplied, which is why the training required to become a monk is so rigorous. Expending one’s life energy without being able to reclaim it is a fast path to inadvertent death.

Monks are famous for their ability to fight completely unarmed, and for their tendency to use unusual weapons that few non-monks use. This is more a matter of tradition than any necessity. Some monks prefer more common weapons, and any fighter could learn how to use monk weapons given time to train with them. However, the monk weapons are well suited to the fighting styles that monks learn as part of their training.

The combat training for monks often consists of dueling other monks, and rarely involves fighting non-humanoid monsters. As a result, they often try to trip, grapple, or distract their foes in combat. These strategies are all most effective against humanoid opponents.

Alignment: Any.

Archetypes: Monks have the Airdancer, Esoteric Warrior, Ki, Perfected Form, and Transcendent Sage archetypes.

6.7.1 Base Class Effects

If you choose monk as your base class, you gain the following benefits.

Attributes

You gain a +1 bonus to your Dexterity and Willpower. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to either your Perception or your Intelligence.

Hit Points

You have 8 hit points + twice your Constitution, plus 2 hit points per level beyond 1. This increases as your level increases, as indicated below.

• Level 7: 20 hit points + three times your Constitution, plus 3 hit points per level beyond 7.
• Level 13: 40 hit points + six times your Constitution, plus 6 hit points per level beyond 13.
• Level 19: 80 hit points + twelve times your Constitution, plus 12 hit points per level beyond 19.

Resources

You learn four trained skills from among your class skills (see Skills).

Weapon Proficiencies

You are proficient with simple weapons and monk weapons.

Armor Proficiencies

You are proficient with light armor.

Class Skills

You have the following class skills:

• Strength: Climb, Jump, Swim.

• Dexterity: Balance, Flexibility, Perform, Ride, Stealth.

• Constitution: Endurance.

• Intelligence: Deduction, Medicine.

• Perception: Awareness, Creature Handling, Deception, Persuasion, Social Insight, Survival.

• Other: Intimidate.

6.7.2 Airdancer

This archetype improves your acrobatic ability and mobility in combat.

Rank 1 – Float Like Air

Your maximum jumping height is equal to your maximum horizontal jump distance, rather than half that distance (see Jumping). You can also use Willpower in place of Strength to determine your horizontal jump distance.

Rank 2 – Evasion

You take no damage from glancing blows or misses caused by abilities that affect an area and attack your Armor or Reflex defense. This does not protect you from any non-damaging effects of those abilities, or from abilities that affect multiple specific targets without affecting an area. If you have the evasion rogue ability with the same effect as this ability, you also gain a +2 bonus to your Armor and Reflex defenses against area attacks.

Rank 3 – Death From Above

Rank 4 – Heart of Air ✨

When you jump, you can land in midair as if it was solid ground. Your landing location has a height limit of 30 feet, like a fly speed (see Flight). You cannot walk in the air, but you can continue jumping or remain in place. The air holds you until the end of the current round, at which point you fall normally. After you land on air in this way, you briefly cannot do so again.

Rank 5 – Evasion+

This ability also protects you from area attacks against your Fortitude and Mental defenses.

Rank 6 – Float Like Air+

You gain a +10 bonus to your maximum horizontal jump distance. In addition, you are immune to falling damage.

Rank 6 – Move Like Wind

You gain a +10 foot bonus to your land speed.

Rank 7 – Airdance ✨

You gain a fly speed equal to your base speed with a height limit of 30 feet (see Flight). While flying, you can jump as if you were on solid ground, allowing you to rapidly gain height and change directions unexpectedly.

6.7.3 Esoteric Warrior

This archetype improves your combat prowess with unusual abilities you can use in combat.

Rank 1 – Esoteric Maneuvers

You can perform a wide variety of unusual attacks. You gain access to one of the following combat styles: dirty fighting, flurry of blows, or mobile hunter . In addition, you gain access to any combat style of your choice (see Combat Styles). You may spend insight points to gain access to one additional combat style per insight point. You can only learn esoteric maneuvers from esoteric combat styles that you have access to.

You learn two rank 1 esoteric maneuvers. You may spend insight points to learn one additional maneuver per insight point.

When you gain access to a new rank in this archetype, you can exchange any number of maneuvers you know for other maneuvers, including maneuvers of a higher rank.

Advancement: Some esoteric maneuvers also increase in power in unique ways based on your rank in this archetype, as indicated in their descriptions.

Rank 1 – Esoteric Weaponry

If you spend an insight point, you can become proficient with exotic monk weapons (see Exotic Weapons). You must already be proficient with all non-exotic monk weapons.

Rank 2 – Augmented Maneuvers

You gain the ability to customize your esoteric maneuvers. For each rank 1 esoteric maneuver you know, choose one augment from the list below and apply it to that maneuver. Augments scale in power with your “excess rank”. Your excess rank with a maneuver is equal to your rank in this archetype minus the rank of the maneuver.

Whenever you increase your rank in this archetype, you can change your augments. However, you must still apply them to rank 1 esoteric maneuvers.

Counter Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to twice your excess rank against creatures who made a strike against you during the previous round. You can only apply this augment to maneuvers which cause you to make a strike.

Debilitating Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to twice your excess rank. However, you cannot get a critical hit. You can only apply this augment to maneuvers which deal damage and can inflict a condition.

Mighty Maneuver: You take an accuracy penalty equal to 5 - your excess rank but the strike deals double weapon damage. If your excess rank is at least 6, this becomes an accuracy bonus. You can only apply this augment to maneuvers which cause you to make a strike.

Mobile Maneuver: You can walk up to 5 feet per excess rank before or after using your chosen maneuver, up to a maximum distance equal to your land speed. You cannot apply this augment to maneuvers that already allow you to move using one of your movement modes. This movement is never Swift. If your chosen maneuver is Swift, you can only walk after using the maneuver, not before.

Precise Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to your excess rank.

Rank 3 – Esoteric Maneuvers+

You learn an additional esoteric maneuver. In addition, you gain access to rank 3 esoteric maneuvers.

Rank 4 – Augmented Maneuvers+

You can also choose an augment for each of your rank 3 esoteric maneuvers.

Rank 5 – Esoteric Maneuvers+

You gain access to rank 5 esoteric maneuvers.

Rank 6 – Augmented Maneuvers+

You can also choose an augment for each of your rank 5 esoteric maneuvers.

Rank 7 – Esoteric Maneuvers+

You gain access to rank 7 esoteric maneuvers.

6.7.4 Ki

This archtype grants you unusual abilities based on tapping into your inner ki. If you have any encumbrance, you lose the benefit of all abilities from this archetype.

Rank 1 – Ki Barrier ✨

While you are not wearing other body armor, you gain a ki barrier around your body. This functions like body armor that provides a +2 bonus to your Armor defense and has no encumbrance. It also provides a bonus to your damage resistance equal to four times your rank in this archetype.

You can also use a free hand to wield the barrier as a shield. This functions like a buckler, granting you a +1 bonus to your Armor defense, except that you do not need to be proficient with light armor. Since this bonus comes from a shield, it does not stack with the benefits of using any other shield.

Rank 1 – Ki Energy ✨

Whenever you make a strike, you can choose to treat it as a magical ✨ ability. This allows you to use your magical power to determine your damage instead of your mundane power (see Power).

Rank 2 – Ki Manifestations ✨

You can channel your ki to temporarily enhance your abilities. Choose two ki manifestations from the list below. You can also spend insight points to learn one additional ki manifestation per insight point.

After you use a ki manifestation, you briefly cannot use a ki manifestation again.

Rank 3 – Invested Blow ✨

Rank 4 – Ki Barrier+ ✨

The damage resistance bonus increases to five times your rank in this archetype, and the Armor defense bonus increases to +3.

Rank 5 – Ki Manifestation ✨

You learn an additional ki manifestation.

Rank 6 – Ki-Focused Mind ✨

You gain a +1 bonus to your Willpower.

Rank 7 – Endless Ki ✨

After using a ki manifestation, you can use a different ki manifestation after the end of the current round. You still cannot use the same ki manifestation in two consecutive rounds.

Rank 7 – Ki Barrier++ ✨

The damage resistance bonus increases to seven times your rank in this archetype.

6.7.5 Perfected Form

This archetype improves the perfection of your physical body through rigorous training.

Rank 1 – Unarmed Warrior

You gain a +2 accuracy bonus with the punch/kick natural weapon, and you deal 1d4 damage with it (see Natural Weapons). In addition, you treat that weapon as having the Light weapon tag, which allows you to make dual strikes with it more easily (see Dual Strikes).

Rank 1 – Unhindered Agility

You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor defense while you have no encumbrance.

Rank 2 – Perfect Precision

You gain a +1 bonus to accuracy with attacks using weapons from the monk weapons weapon group, natural weapons, and Brawling abilities. In addition, you can use your Dexterity instead of your Strength to determine your brawling accuracy (see Brawling Accuracy).

Rank 3 – Perfect Body

Choose a physical attribute: Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution (see Attributes). You gain a +1 bonus to that attribute.

Rank 4 – Unarmed Warrior+

Your punch/kick damage increases to 1d6.

Rank 4 – Unhindered Freedom

While you have no encumbrance, you are immune to being slowed (half speed, -2 Armor and Ref), immobilized (-4 Armor and Ref, cannot use movement speeds), and paralyzed (cannot move).

Rank 5 – Brawling Precision

You gain a +1 bonus to your brawling accuracy.

Rank 6 – Perfect Body+

The bonus applies to all physical attributes, not just the one you chose.

Rank 7 – Unarmed Warrior+

Your punch/kick damage increases to 1d10.

Rank 7 – Unhindered Agility+

The defense bonus increases to +2.

6.7.6 Transcendent Sage

This archetype grants you abilities to ignore debilitating effects and sense life energy.

Rank 1 – Feel the Flow of Life ✨

You become so attuned to the natural energy of life that you can sense it even when sight fails you. You gain lifesense with a 120 foot range, allowing you to sense the location of living things without light (see Lifesense). In addition, you gain lifesight with a 30 foot range, allowing you to see living things without light (see Lifesight).

Rank 2 – Transcend Frailty

You gain a bonus to your damage resistance equal to three times your rank in this archetype. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to your vital rolls (see Vital Wounds).

Rank 3 – Transcend Uncertainty

You are immune to being stunned (-2 defenses) and confused (-2 defenses, randomly attack or defend).

Rank 4 – Transcend Emotion

You are immune to Emotion attacks. In addition, you are immune to being frightened (-2 Mental, -2 accuracy vs. source) and panicked (-4 Mental, cannot attack source).

Rank 5 – Transcend Mortality ✨

You are no longer considered a living creature for the purpose of attacks against you. This means that attacks which only affect living creatures have no effect against you. In addition, you no longer take penalties to your attributes for aging, and cannot be magically aged. You still die of old age when your time is up.

Rank 6 – Feel the Flow of Life+ ✨

The range of your lifesense increases by 240 feet, and the range of your lifesight increases by 60 feet.

Rank 6 – Transcend Frailty+

The damage resistance bonus increases to four times your rank in this archetype.

Rank 7 – Inner Transcendence

You are immune to conditions.