Incarnum Monk Variant

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Why an incarnum monk, you ask? Well, it didn't end up as my final concept, but my first idea for the Hybrid Theory PrC contest was a monk/incarnate who focused on the whole ki/chakra fluff connection. I drafted it up as a PrC, but after I decided not to enter that into the contest I figured I might as well flesh it out into a full variant monk, given the plethora of variant monks in recent weeks.

So here's the incarnum monk: it's not meant to be a "fix" by any means, though the power level has been ramped up a bit and things have been tweaked to fit the incarnum theme better and to make things mesh overall. It's kind of been thrown together without my usual rigorous(-ish) testing, since I've been a bit busy of late, so please poke plenty of holes in it and critique away. Without further ado...


Incarnum Monk

Table: The Monk
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Soulmelds|Essentia |Chakra Binds|Open Chakras
1st|+1|+2|+2|+2|Flurry of Blows|0|2|0|
2nd|+2|+3|+3|+3|Invest Chakras|0|4|0|Crown
3rd|+3|+3|+3|+3|Ki Strike (magic)|0|6|0|
4th|+4|+4|+4|+4|Enhanced Flow (capacity)|0|7|0|Hands
5th|+5|+4|+4|+4|Empty Mind|1|9|0|
6th|+6/+1|+5|+5|+5|Stunning Fist|1|9|0|Feet
7th|+7/+2|+5|+5|+5|Ki Strike (law)|1|11|0|
8th|+8/+3|+6|+6|+6|Enhanced Flow (chakras)|1|12|1|Arms
9th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+6|Improved Maneuvers|1|14|1|
10th|+10/+5|+7|+7|+7|Channel Chakras|2|16|1|Brow
11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+7|+7|Ki Strike (cold iron)|2|16|1|
12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+8|+8|Enhanced Flow (capacity)|2|18|1|Shoulders
13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+8|+8|Timeless Body|2|20|1|
14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+9|+9|Quivering Palm|2|22|1|Waist
15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+9|+9|Ki Strike (adamantine)|3|23|2|
16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+10|+10|Enhanced Flow (binds)|3|24|2|Throat
17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+10|+10|Empty Body|3|26|2|
18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+11|+11|Harmonize Chakras|3|28|2|Heart
19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+11|+11|Ki Strike (—)|3|30|2|
20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+12|+12|Perfect Soul|4|32|2|Soul[/table]

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the monk.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Monks are proficient with their own unarmed strikes and any weapons noted as being special monk weapons, as well as light armor (but not shields). In addition, each monk may choose one additional weapon per point of Wisdom bonus with which to become proficient, and these additional weapons are also treated as being special monk weapons for all purposes.

Meldshaping
As it normally works; shapes soulmelds from the soulborn list and gains open chakras as a soulborn.

Flurry of Blows
The monk may invest essentia into this ability as if it were an incarnum feat. When the monk makes an attack as a standard action, he may choose to make a number of additional attacks up to the amount of essentia invested in the ability; each additional attack imposes a -2 penalty to all attacks made as part of that standard action. For instance, a level 6 monk with a total attack bonus of +9 who has invested 2 essentia into this ability could make one attack at +9, two attacks at +7/+7, or three attacks at +5/+5/+5.

Invest Chakras
A monk is in tune with his chakras to the point that he can make use of them without binding soulmelds to them. Each ability below may be used as long as the associated chakra is not occupied with a magic item or shaped soulmeld (bound or not), and are treated as soulmelds for the purposes of essentia investment.

Arms: The monk adds the invested essentia as an insight bonus to combat maneuver checks (trip, grapple, etc.).

Brow: The monk gains darkvision to a range of 5 feet per point of invested essentia.

Crown: The monk adds the invested essentia as an insight bonus to Will saves against mind-affecting effects.

Feet: The monk gains an insight bonus to his land speed equal to 5 feet per point of invested essentia.

Hands: The monk increases the damage dice of his unarmed strikes or monk weapons by one step per point of invested essentia.

Heart: The monk adds the invested essentia as an insight bonus to saves against fear and negative energy effects.

Shoulders: The monk adds twice the invested essentia as a shield bonus to AC.

Soul: The monk gains SR equal to 5 times the invested essentia.

Throat: The monk adds the invested essentia as an insight bonus to Fortitude saves against poison and disease.

Waist: The monk adds the invested essentia to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks.

Ki Strike
As the monk grows in enlightenment, he becomes better able to penetrate the physical defenses of others. At 3rd level, his unarmed strikes or attacks with monk weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. At 7th level, his unarmed strikes and monk weapons are treated as being lawful; at 11th level, they are treated as being cold iron; at 14th level, adamantine. At 19th level, the monk ignores all damage reduction with his attacks.

Enhanced Flow
At 4th and 14th level, the essentia capacity of the monk's Invest Chakra abilities increases by +1. At 8th level, the monk can use his Invest Chakras abilities even if the desired chakra is occupied by an unbound soulmeld. At 16th level, the monk can use his Invest Chakra abilities even if the desired chakra is occupied by a bound soulmeld. For the 8th and 16th level abilities, if any essentia is invested into the soulmeld, the appropriate Invest Chakra ability is treated as having the same amount of essentia invested into it.

Empty Mind
The monk has learned to quell every thought, so no magic to detect his mind or its contents can touch him. While the monk has at least 10 free essentia not invested in his soulmelds or chakra, he is immune to divination effects which target or concern him.

Stunning Fist
The monk gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat at 6th level, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.

Improved Maneuvers
At 9th level, the monk no longer provokes an attack of opportunity due to initiating a combat maneuver.

Channel Chakras
At 10th level, the monk learns to focus the energies of his chakras through his soulmelds. As long as the monk has a soulmeld occupying a given chakra, he gains the appropriate benefit below.

Arms: The monk is treated as two size categories larger for the purposes of performing combat maneuvers.

Brow: The monk gains constant true seeing.

Crown: The monk gains immunity to [compulsion] effects.

Feet: The monk is always treated as having a running start when making jumps. (If he does have a running jump, he receives a +10 circumstance bonus to the check.)

Hands: The monk increases his reach by 5 feet.

Heart: The monk gains fast healing 3.

Shoulders: The monk has a 50% chance to ignore critical hits.

Soul: The monk gains immunity to spells with the [chaotic] descriptor.

Throat: The monk gains immunity to poison.

Waist: The monk does not take falling damage.

Timeless Body
The monk no longer takes penalties to his ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged, but any such penalties that he has already taken remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age.

Harmonize Chakras
At 18th level, the monk achieves perfect synchronization and reinforcement of the soul energy flowing through his chakras and his soulmelds. As long as the monk has a soulmeld bound to a given chakra, he gains the appropriate benefit below.

Arms: The monk gains the improved grab ability.

Brow: The monk gains blindsight to a radius of 60 feet.

Crown: The monk cannot be surprised.

Feet: The monk gains the improved evasion ability.

Hands: The monk dazes any creature struck by his unarmed attacks or monk weapons unless it succeeds on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ monk level + Wis modifier).

Heart: The monk gains immunity to ability damage and ability drain.

Shoulders: The monk gains improved uncanny dodge.

Soul: The monk gains the mettle ability

Throat: The monk no longer needs to eat, drink, or breathe.

Waist: The monk becomes immune to spells that would move him against his will, and he adds his HD to opposed checks that would move him physically (trip, bull rush, etc.).

Quivering Palm
The monk may make a single attack as a standard action which causes lethal vibration's in the target's body. At any point within the next minute, the monk may will the target to die or be destroyed (as applicable) if the target fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ level + Wis modifier). If it succeeds, it instead takes 10 damage per point of invested essentia (the amount of essentia being determined at the point in time when the monk wills it to die, not when the ability is used).

Empty Body
The monk has learned to forsake all attachments, including his own body. While the monk has at least 30 free essentia not invested in his soulmelds or chakra, he can become incorporeal (or return to corporeality) at will as a swift action. The monk may remain incorporeal for up to 1 minute per monk level per day, broken up as desired in 1-round increments.

Perfect Soul
At 20th level, the monk finally reaches the pinnacle of being. Once per day per point of Wisdom bonus, as a free action the monk may treat all of his soulmelds and incarnum feats as if they had essentia invested into them equal to their maximum capacity for one round. At the end of the round, all essentia is uninvested from his soulmelds.

[Draken]

... Too much essentia. At 20 level it looks like the character could have all four of his soulmelds at maximum capacity and still have 26 essentia to invest anywhere else.

Makes the perfect soul capstone somewhat... Moot.

[Primal Fury]

Huh. This is vaguely similar to my idea, but too different for me to see any significant overlap.

Anywho, I noticed that you didn't indicate what level they gained new open chakra's at. So do they have to take the Open Chakra feats then?

[PairO'Dice Lost]

... Too much essentia. At 20 level it looks like the character could have all four of his soulmelds at maximum capacity and still have 26 essentia to invest anywhere else.

Makes the perfect soul capstone somewhat... Moot.

Not really all that much, considering he has 10 class feature "soulmelds" to invest essentia in before considering (A) actual soulmelds and (B) effects that improve essentia capacity. On a second glance, though, it looks like I added the clause about soulmeld essentia counting towards chakra investment without toning down the essentia gained, so I will cut it back a little bit.

EDIT: How's it look now?


Huh. This is vaguely similar to my idea, but too different for me to see any significant overlap.

That's good; more class variety is always better.


Anywho, I noticed that you didn't indicate what level they gained new open chakra's at. So do they have to take the Open Chakra feats then?

I'd meant for them to open chakras as the soulborn; I'll specify that.

[Draken]

Yeah... Looking again, there is a total of 90 points of essentia needed to fuel all of the class features to the max.

Let me compare... For an incarnate it will be 54 points to max his nine soulmelds. That with... 26 Essentia to work with for starters. Hmm... Half.

On the other hand the Incarnate has class features that aren't dependant on essentia, everything this monk has depends on it.

But there is danger to be had here... With an alotment of essentia so large...

My actual recommendation would be to disentangle a few class features from essentia. As is, there is just too high a need for essentia.

[Solaris]

Combining two of my favorite classes. Outstanding.

[Draken]

Gave another read and at eight level the class compresses the essentia investment of soulmelds with that of the matching Essentia Investment. For a reduction that, I believe, makes the amount of essentia I poitnted earlier look slightly high again.

It might be too late in the night for me to give a good analisys now.

[Glimbur]

You have useless abilities for Harmonize Chakra. Specifically, Soulborns never get the ability to bind to their Heart or Soul pre-epic. Consider giving this class a better progression.

What do you use your Essentia for at level 1?

Empty Mind and Empty Body are... weird.

[Cieyrin]

Channel Chakra (Feet) is an anachronism. The height limit on Jump got dropped when D&D 3.5 came out.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

You have useless abilities for Harmonize Chakra. Specifically, Soulborns never get the ability to bind to their Heart or Soul pre-epic. Consider giving this class a better progression.

Good point; I'd forgotten they didn't get those. Changed.


What do you use your Essentia for at level 1?

Flurry of Blows.


Empty Mind and Empty Body are... weird.

A little, yeah. I was trying to think of a way to give the monk a constant ability while still involving a tradeoff--immunity to divinations isn't really a big deal at level 5, since few enemies really rely on them at that point, but I didn't just want to say he's flat-out immune. Suggestions?


Channel Chakra (Feet) is an anachronism. The height limit on Jump got dropped when D&D 3.5 came out.

D'oh. Removed the height limit.

[Godskook]

Am I reading Invest Chakras right? From what I gather, it is contesting with Channel/Harmonize Chakras, making Invest Chakra useless on any slot that you want to access the later features in.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Am I reading Invest Chakras right? From what I gather, it is contesting with Channel/Harmonize Chakras, making Invest Chakra useless on any slot that you want to access the later features in.

Whoops, Channel is supposed to remove that restriction when you get it. I'll note that.

[Godskook]

The harmonize waist chakra seemed good at first glance, but not so much anymore. At first, it read:

"Monks can't be moved."

Now I see it reads:

"Monks can only be move physically by things that move things physically and magically by things that move things magically."

Seriously. From combat abilities like trip and such are going to be used primarily by creatures larger than the monk. Casters worth their salt, at L18, are going to have a caster level higher than 18, even if they lost caster levels in their build(practiced spellcaster, Ioun stone).

Also, the flat check without a roll makes it more weird to me. Giving him bonuses on opposed roles would make more sense to me.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Seriously. From combat abilities like trip and such are going to be used primarily by creatures larger than the monk. Casters worth their salt, at L18, are going to have a caster level higher than 18, even if they lost caster levels in their build(practiced spellcaster, Ioun stone).

Also, the flat check without a roll makes it more weird to me. Giving him bonuses on opposed roles would make more sense to me.

The point of the ability is not meant to make the monk unmovable period, it's meant to make them unmovable by mooks--the lower-level support casters, the grapple-spec fighters, etc. If you think it would be better to make them totally immovable period, I could do that, but I felt it would be better to improve it later than have to tone it down.

[Godskook]

The point of the ability is not meant to make the monk unmovable period, it's meant to make them unmovable by mooks--the lower-level support casters, the grapple-spec fighters, etc. If you think it would be better to make them totally immovable period, I could do that, but I felt it would be better to improve it later than have to tone it down.

But as it is, a L1 large mook can easily move a L20 medium monk(assuming no or equal size adjustments are in play)

I'd rather see "A monk adds his HD to any roll made to resist being moved" for the physical aspect of the ability, or something similar.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

But as it is, a L1 large mook can easily move a L20 medium monk(assuming no or equal size adjustments are in play)

I'd rather see "A monk adds his HD to any roll made to resist being moved" for the physical aspect of the ability, or something similar.

Point. How's it look now?

[Godskook]

Point. How's it look now?

Now it at least works the way you intended it to work.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Now it at least works the way you intended it to work.

No need to get snarky. :smallsigh: Do you think it works better this way or not?

[Godskook]

No need to get snarky. :smallsigh: Do you think it works better this way or not?

I wasn't getting snarky, I was just avoiding rehashing a difference in design principle between us(I don't like flat immunities). The physical side works now, and decently well. The magical side, on the other hand, works too well for my tastes. I.e., the gods themselves can't move a L18 monk, which seems really weird in the opposite direction of the mook example from earlier.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

I wasn't getting snarky, I was just avoiding rehashing a difference in design principle between us(I don't like flat immunities). The physical side works now, and decently well. The magical side, on the other hand, works too well for my tastes. I.e., the gods themselves can't move a L18 monk, which seems really weird in the opposite direction of the mook example from earlier.

Well, I generally tweak the rules in my home group to remove most flat immunities, but they exist in 3e rules and at higher levels they're often needed to cope with common tactics, so if I'm making a standalone class/feat/etc. I tend to use them whether I like their existence or not.

Keep in mind, also, that "spell immunity" or being immune to X spell(s) in 3.5 is simply infinite SR rather than flat-out immunity, so spells that would move the monk could still affect him if they're SR: No (like reverse gravity, for instance).

[Tavar]

There's some confusing language regarding the 8th and 16th level Enhanced Flow abilities and the Channel Chakras ability. The first two seem to imply that you can start to use the invest Chakras ability at level 8 for unbound soulmelds, but the Channel Chakras implies that you can't do it till level 10, while at the same time implying that you can now do what the 16th level ability would allow you to do. Might want to clear up that language.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

There's some confusing language regarding the 8th and 16th level Enhanced Flow abilities and the Channel Chakras ability. The first two seem to imply that you can start to use the invest Chakras ability at level 8 for unbound soulmelds, but the Channel Chakras implies that you can't do it till level 10, while at the same time implying that you can now do what the 16th level ability would allow you to do. Might want to clear up that language.

Gah. When I was fixing Godskook's issue, I entirely forgot about Enhanced Flow and added in a contradiction. Removed the language in Channel now.