Human Paragon 3
2010-02-24, 04:24 PM
These are a take off on the fighting styles from unearthed arcana, except (I hope) they are actually good.
Design goals:
1) Emulate real life kung fu styles
2) Let the monk have some sort of role in combat
3) Increase monk power up to that of other core melee classes
4) Make monk more fun to play
5) Styles should feel cohesive and synergenistic, not like a hodgepodge of random abilities.
6) Strongly compatible with E6, where a sixth level monk style practitioner is considered a master of their martial art.
The Styles
All: Do not gain Purity of Body or normal Monk Bonus Feats.
First Level: Gain first style power (Philosophy) and bonus feat
Second Level: Bonus Feat
Fifth Level: Bonus Feat
Sixth Level: Second style power (Stance)
Monks do not need to meet the prerequisites of the feats they receive as bonus feats.
Tiger
Focus of the Tiger: Class levels in monk count as fighter levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats and PrCs. In addition, you may substitute your character level for any BAB requirements in feats and PrCs.
First Level Feat: Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)
Second Level Feat: Power Attack
Fifth Level Feat: Versatile Unarmed Strike
Sixth Level Stance: Treat unarmed strike as a two-handed weapon for purpose of Str bonus and Power Attack.
Design Notes:
WTF? Weapon Focus makes monk better? Well, actually it does, a little. The power attacking style from U.A. gives monk power attack at level 1, but there's a problem with that. With BAB+0, it doesn't actually do anything. I moved power attack to level two, and threw in weapon focus to give the monk some leeway when it comes to actually using power attack.
Crane
Discipline of the Crane: Dodge bonuses to AC also increase your reflex saving throws.
First Level Feat: Dodge
Second Level Feat: Combat Expertise
Fifth Level Feat: Overwhelming Assault
Sixth Level Stance: Take 10 on all balance, concentration and tumble checks. Gain double dodge bonus from Dodge and Combat Expertise.
Design Notes:
There's certainly an archetype for a monk who practices an extremely defensive style, and is nearly impossible to hit. The crane exemplifies this. However, just surviving is not enough, so I gave him overwhelming assault, a feat from PHbII, which gives opponents an incentive to actually attack you, and gives you a bonus to hit when they don't. This fits with crane's defensive nature, and ability to wait patiently for an opening before striking.
Snake
Speed of the Serpent: Add 1/3 class level to initiative. +2 to stunning fist DC vs. opponents who have not yet acted in combat.
First Level Feat: Stunning Fist
Second Level Feat: Extra Stunning
Fifth Level Feat: Rapid Stunning
Sixth Level Stance: You may expend an extra stunning fist attempt to blind for 1d4 rounds instead of stun, two extra attempts to nauseate for 1d4 rounds instead of stun, or 3 extra attempts to paralyze for 1d4 rounds instead of stun.
Design Notes:
Snake strikes quickly and accurately, disabling foes by striking at their vitals. Stunning fist seemed like a good way to focus. I wrapped up many of the stunning fist expansion feats in the sixth level stance. The initiative boost fits with snake style's speed.
Mantis
Reflexes of the Mantis: Whenever you make an attack of opportunity, make an extra unarmed strike at your best attack bonus.
First Level Feat: Combat Reflexes
Second Level Feat: Karmic Strike
Fifth Level Feat: Defensive Sweep
Sixth Level Stance: Opponents you threaten are treated as standing on difficult terrain (can't take 5 foot steps, must spend two squares of movement to move one square).
Design Notes:
Mantis relies on extremely fast reflexes, so I built the style around attacks of opportunity, getting more of them and forcing situations when you can make them.
Monkey
Agility of the Monkey: You may make one additional 5 foot step each round as a swift action.
First Level Feat: Dodge
Second Level Feat: Mobility
Fifth Level Feat: Elusive Target
Sixth Level Stance: Gain skirmish ability as a 5th level scout. Classes that advance Sneak Attack or Skirmish also advance unarmed strike progression and flurry of blows.
Design Notes:
Monkey is the true skirmishing monk style, granting enhanced mobility and a reason to use it. My only regret is that dodge is necessary due to elusive target.
Python
Strength of the Python: Add your Wis modifier as a bonus to all grapple checks and damage rolls in a grapple.
First Level Feat: Improved Grapple
Second Level Feat: Improved Trip
Fifth Level Feat: Brutal Strike
Sixth Level Stance: You do not automatically fail grapple checks due to size or the Freedom of Movement spell. Additionally, you are considered one size category larger than your actual size while grappling. Lastly, you may make attacks with light weapons while in a grapple at no penalty.
Design Notes:
Python is the dedicated grappler, so improved grapple is a must. Improved trip is to simulate takedowns. Brutal Strike is a stand in for the painful holds that grapplers can put on their opponents. Between adding Wis to grapple modifiers at level 1 and gaining a +4 size bonus at level 6, you should be able to grapple anything, which is especially good because I took away the size limitations. Adding Wis to grapple also gives monk the edge over a raging barbarian in a grapple! Yay! Being able to attack in a grapple at no penalty is a useful trick that I haven't seen anywhere else. It also lets you activate brutal strike while grappling.
Leopard
Guile of the Leopard: Add wis modifier to bluff checks and as a bonus to damage vs. flatfooted opponents.
First Level Feat: Improved Feint
Second Level Feat: Improved Critical (unarmed strike)
Fifth Level Feat: Power Critical
Sixth Level Stance: You may perform a feint as a swift action, and your wisdom bonus to feints and damage against flatfooted opponents doubles. In addition, the critical multiplier on your unarmed strike increases by one.
Design Notes:
I didn't want to just give this style sneak attack, as it seemed too easy, and too similar to monkey, so instead I use the wis modifier. A secondary benefit to this is that the extra damage is multiplied on a critical hit. The support to crits seemed natural for leopard monks, since they rely on technique to guide their powerful strikes. The end result is some highly respectable damage if you get a feint off before a critical and/or decisive strike. This style works well with FoB (for more chances at a crit) or Decisive Strike, which will also double the bonus damage.
Dragon
Way of the Dragon: You do not take the usual -2 penalty when you make a flurry of blows attack. At levels when the penalty would be reduced, you gain a +1 to hit while flurrying.
First Level Feat: Dodge
Second Level Feat: Combat Expertise
Fifth Level Feat: Lunging Strike
Sixth Level Stance: You may combine a lunging strike with a flurry of blows (effectively increasing the reach on your flurry attacks by five feet). In addition, any feat, spell or special ability that grants a dodge bonus to your AC also grants an equivalent competence bonus to damage.
Design Notes:
Dragon focuses equally on attack and defense, efficiently turning the motion from their quick dodges into additional power for their strikes. Possibly the best style in a toe-to-toe fight, dragon also allows you to switch to range at a moment's notice, surprising opponents with powerful kicks. Negating the flurry penalties let the Dragon monk make the best possible use of combat expertise.
Design goals:
1) Emulate real life kung fu styles
2) Let the monk have some sort of role in combat
3) Increase monk power up to that of other core melee classes
4) Make monk more fun to play
5) Styles should feel cohesive and synergenistic, not like a hodgepodge of random abilities.
6) Strongly compatible with E6, where a sixth level monk style practitioner is considered a master of their martial art.
The Styles
All: Do not gain Purity of Body or normal Monk Bonus Feats.
First Level: Gain first style power (Philosophy) and bonus feat
Second Level: Bonus Feat
Fifth Level: Bonus Feat
Sixth Level: Second style power (Stance)
Monks do not need to meet the prerequisites of the feats they receive as bonus feats.
Tiger
Focus of the Tiger: Class levels in monk count as fighter levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats and PrCs. In addition, you may substitute your character level for any BAB requirements in feats and PrCs.
First Level Feat: Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)
Second Level Feat: Power Attack
Fifth Level Feat: Versatile Unarmed Strike
Sixth Level Stance: Treat unarmed strike as a two-handed weapon for purpose of Str bonus and Power Attack.
Design Notes:
WTF? Weapon Focus makes monk better? Well, actually it does, a little. The power attacking style from U.A. gives monk power attack at level 1, but there's a problem with that. With BAB+0, it doesn't actually do anything. I moved power attack to level two, and threw in weapon focus to give the monk some leeway when it comes to actually using power attack.
Crane
Discipline of the Crane: Dodge bonuses to AC also increase your reflex saving throws.
First Level Feat: Dodge
Second Level Feat: Combat Expertise
Fifth Level Feat: Overwhelming Assault
Sixth Level Stance: Take 10 on all balance, concentration and tumble checks. Gain double dodge bonus from Dodge and Combat Expertise.
Design Notes:
There's certainly an archetype for a monk who practices an extremely defensive style, and is nearly impossible to hit. The crane exemplifies this. However, just surviving is not enough, so I gave him overwhelming assault, a feat from PHbII, which gives opponents an incentive to actually attack you, and gives you a bonus to hit when they don't. This fits with crane's defensive nature, and ability to wait patiently for an opening before striking.
Snake
Speed of the Serpent: Add 1/3 class level to initiative. +2 to stunning fist DC vs. opponents who have not yet acted in combat.
First Level Feat: Stunning Fist
Second Level Feat: Extra Stunning
Fifth Level Feat: Rapid Stunning
Sixth Level Stance: You may expend an extra stunning fist attempt to blind for 1d4 rounds instead of stun, two extra attempts to nauseate for 1d4 rounds instead of stun, or 3 extra attempts to paralyze for 1d4 rounds instead of stun.
Design Notes:
Snake strikes quickly and accurately, disabling foes by striking at their vitals. Stunning fist seemed like a good way to focus. I wrapped up many of the stunning fist expansion feats in the sixth level stance. The initiative boost fits with snake style's speed.
Mantis
Reflexes of the Mantis: Whenever you make an attack of opportunity, make an extra unarmed strike at your best attack bonus.
First Level Feat: Combat Reflexes
Second Level Feat: Karmic Strike
Fifth Level Feat: Defensive Sweep
Sixth Level Stance: Opponents you threaten are treated as standing on difficult terrain (can't take 5 foot steps, must spend two squares of movement to move one square).
Design Notes:
Mantis relies on extremely fast reflexes, so I built the style around attacks of opportunity, getting more of them and forcing situations when you can make them.
Monkey
Agility of the Monkey: You may make one additional 5 foot step each round as a swift action.
First Level Feat: Dodge
Second Level Feat: Mobility
Fifth Level Feat: Elusive Target
Sixth Level Stance: Gain skirmish ability as a 5th level scout. Classes that advance Sneak Attack or Skirmish also advance unarmed strike progression and flurry of blows.
Design Notes:
Monkey is the true skirmishing monk style, granting enhanced mobility and a reason to use it. My only regret is that dodge is necessary due to elusive target.
Python
Strength of the Python: Add your Wis modifier as a bonus to all grapple checks and damage rolls in a grapple.
First Level Feat: Improved Grapple
Second Level Feat: Improved Trip
Fifth Level Feat: Brutal Strike
Sixth Level Stance: You do not automatically fail grapple checks due to size or the Freedom of Movement spell. Additionally, you are considered one size category larger than your actual size while grappling. Lastly, you may make attacks with light weapons while in a grapple at no penalty.
Design Notes:
Python is the dedicated grappler, so improved grapple is a must. Improved trip is to simulate takedowns. Brutal Strike is a stand in for the painful holds that grapplers can put on their opponents. Between adding Wis to grapple modifiers at level 1 and gaining a +4 size bonus at level 6, you should be able to grapple anything, which is especially good because I took away the size limitations. Adding Wis to grapple also gives monk the edge over a raging barbarian in a grapple! Yay! Being able to attack in a grapple at no penalty is a useful trick that I haven't seen anywhere else. It also lets you activate brutal strike while grappling.
Leopard
Guile of the Leopard: Add wis modifier to bluff checks and as a bonus to damage vs. flatfooted opponents.
First Level Feat: Improved Feint
Second Level Feat: Improved Critical (unarmed strike)
Fifth Level Feat: Power Critical
Sixth Level Stance: You may perform a feint as a swift action, and your wisdom bonus to feints and damage against flatfooted opponents doubles. In addition, the critical multiplier on your unarmed strike increases by one.
Design Notes:
I didn't want to just give this style sneak attack, as it seemed too easy, and too similar to monkey, so instead I use the wis modifier. A secondary benefit to this is that the extra damage is multiplied on a critical hit. The support to crits seemed natural for leopard monks, since they rely on technique to guide their powerful strikes. The end result is some highly respectable damage if you get a feint off before a critical and/or decisive strike. This style works well with FoB (for more chances at a crit) or Decisive Strike, which will also double the bonus damage.
Dragon
Way of the Dragon: You do not take the usual -2 penalty when you make a flurry of blows attack. At levels when the penalty would be reduced, you gain a +1 to hit while flurrying.
First Level Feat: Dodge
Second Level Feat: Combat Expertise
Fifth Level Feat: Lunging Strike
Sixth Level Stance: You may combine a lunging strike with a flurry of blows (effectively increasing the reach on your flurry attacks by five feet). In addition, any feat, spell or special ability that grants a dodge bonus to your AC also grants an equivalent competence bonus to damage.
Design Notes:
Dragon focuses equally on attack and defense, efficiently turning the motion from their quick dodges into additional power for their strikes. Possibly the best style in a toe-to-toe fight, dragon also allows you to switch to range at a moment's notice, surprising opponents with powerful kicks. Negating the flurry penalties let the Dragon monk make the best possible use of combat expertise.