Monk

The 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.

Class Details

Hit Points10
Key AbilityDEX, STR
PerceptionTrained
FortitudeExpert
ReflexExpert
WillExpert

Class Progression

FeatureLevels
Class Feats1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
Skill Feats2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
General Feats3, 7, 11, 15, 19
Skill Increases3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19

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 qi 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 LevelClass Features
1Ancestry and background, attribute boosts, initial proficiencies, flurry of blows, monk feat, powerful fist
2Monk feat, skill feat
3General feat, incredible movement +10 feet, mystic strikes, skill increase
4Monk feat, skill feat
5Attribute boosts, ancestry feat, expert strikes, perception expertise, skill increase
6Monk feat, skill feat
7General feat, incredible movement +15 feet, path to perfection, skill increase, weapon specialization
8Monk feat, skill feat
9Ancestry feat, metal strikes, monk expertise, skill increase
10Attribute boosts, monk feat, skill feat
11General feat, incredible movement +20 feet, second path to perfection, skill increase
12Monk feat, skill feat
13Ancestry feat, graceful mastery, master strikes, skill increase
14Monk feat, skill feat
15Attribute boosts, general feat, greater weapon specialization, incredible movement +25 feet, skill increase, third path to perfection
16Monk feat, skill feat
17Adamantine strikes, ancestry feat, graceful legend, skill increase
18Monk feat, skill feat
19General feat, incredible movement +30 feet, perfected form, skill increase
20Attribute 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.

Attribute Boosts

In addition to what you get from your class at 1st level, you have four free boosts to different attribute modifiers. At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you get four free boosts to different attribute modifiers. If an attribute modifier is already +4 or higher, it takes two boosts to increase it; you get a partial boost and must boost that attribute again at a later level to increase it by 1.

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 the Flurry of Blows action.

Flurry Of Blows A

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 a flourish ability, 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

Your fists are deadly weapons. The damage die for your fist increases to 1d6 instead of 1d4. You don't take the normal –2 circumstance penalty when making a lethal attack with your fist or any other unarmed attacks.

Skill Feats Level 2

At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill feat. You must be trained or better in the corresponding skill to select a skill feat.

General Feats Level 3

At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a general feat.

Incredible Movement Level 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 Strikes Level 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 (+1) to gain an item bonus to attack rolls or increase your attacks' weapon damage dice.

Skill Increases Level 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.

Ancestry Feats Level 5

In addition to the ancestry feat you started with, you gain an ancestry feat at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Expert Strikes Level 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. When you get a critical hit with an unarmed attack in the brawling group, you get its critical specialization effect.

Perception Expertise Level 5

You remain alert to threats around you. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to expert.

Path to Perfection Level 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 Specialization Level 7

You've learned how to inflict greater injuries with the weapons you know best. You deal an additional 2 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 Strikes Level 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 Expertise Level 9

Your proficiency rank for your monk class DC increases to expert. If you have qi spells, your proficiency rank for spell attacks and spell DCs increases to expert.

Second Path to Perfection Level 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 Mastery Level 13

You move with perpetual grace, turning aside blows. Your proficiency rank for unarmored defense increases to master.

Master Strikes Level 13

You've honed your body into an even deadlier weapon. Your proficiency ranks for unarmed attacks and simple weapons increase to master.

Greater Weapon Specialization Level 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 Perfection Level 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 Strikes Level 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 Legend Level 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 qi spells, your proficiency rank for spell attack modifiers and spell DCs increases to master.

Perfected Form Level 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.

Class Features

Level 1

  • Flurry of Blows
  • Powerful Fist

Level 3

  • Mystic Strikes
  • Incredible Movement

Level 5

  • Expert Strikes
  • Perception Expertise

Level 7

  • Weapon Specialization
  • Path to Perfection

Level 9

  • Monk Expertise
  • Metal Strikes

Level 11

  • Second Path to Perfection

Level 13

  • Graceful Mastery
  • Master Strikes

Level 15

  • Greater Weapon Specialization (Level 15)
  • Third Path to Perfection

Level 17

  • Graceful Legend
  • Adamantine Strikes

Level 19

  • Perfected Form