Monastic Shinobi (3.5 PrC)

[Morth]

The Monastic Shinobi

Some seek the training in a monastery to master the art of fighting unarmed.
Some seek the training of the shadows and master the art of the Shinobi.
Some take these trainings and use them together, becoming ascetic stalkers.
Some take these ideals further, spending their lives to perfect the art of becoming masters, master of the fist and of the shadows, of balance and inner strength. This is the way of the monastic shinobi.

Requirements
Base Attack Bonus: +3
Abilities: Ghost Step, Still Mind
Feats: Ascetic Stalker

Monastic Shinobi
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+2| Master Ascetic

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+3| Ki Sense

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+3| Subtle Strike (1d4 rounds)

4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+4| Ki Step

5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+4| Speed Striking

6th|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+5| Ki Darkness

7th|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+5| Darkened Storm

8th|
+8|
+6|
+6|
+6| Ki Vision

9th|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+6| Subtle Strike (1d10 rounds)

10th|
+10|
+7|
+7|
+7| Ki Tempest[/table]

Weapon and Armor proficiency: The ultimate ascetic gains no armor or weapon proficiencies.

Master Ascetic: You are a master of the monastic and shinobi ways, learning to meld them together to strike down your foes. Your monk, ninja and monastic shinobi levels stack to determine your Flurry of Blows, Sudden Strike, and Ki pool based ninja abilities. You also may add your monastic shinobi levels for the purpose of the effects of the Ascetic Stalker feat.

Ki Sense (Su): Your senses are augmented by your Ki power, giving you an edge in battle. You are treated as having the Alertness feat and may spend a use of Ki power to pinpoint the place of all invisible or concealed targets within 30ft. of yourself.

Subtle Strike (Ex): You move and strike with silence and subtlety that tricks even the opponents body into naivety. If your target is unaware of your presence, you may make a subtle strike by sacrificing 1d6 of your sudden strike damage. If you do, your target doesn't take the damage of the attack for 1d4 rounds. You may choose to make this damage non-lethal at no penalty. This improves to 1d10 rounds at level 9.

Ki Step (Su): You can move like a ghost, shifting through structure and soldier to reach your goal. You may spend a use of Ki power to move 10ft. in a straight line from your current position. You are considered incorporeal for this movement, letting you pass through solid objects.

Speed Striking (Ex): You are a blur on the battlefield, throwing punches and kicks like a tornado. If you move during your turn, you are treated as though you are in your current position and the position you started your turn in for the purpose of flanking until the end of your turn.

Ki Darkness (Su): You can focus your Ki to create a haze of darkness, obscuring the vision of all around you. You may mimic the effects of a Darkness spell from a caster equal to your monastic shinobi level as long as you have Ki power left in your pool.

Darkened Storm (Ex): You are like the lightning in the night, separating the darkness with a violent storm of strikes, ushering end to your foes. You may make a Flurry of Blows during as a surprise round and when flanking a target as a standard action.

Ki Vision (Su): Your eyes are like that of the hawk, ever watchful, ever glaring. You may expend a use of your Ki power to grant you the effects of a True Seeing spell cast by a caster of your monastic shinobi level.

Ki Tempest (Su): You have mastered the art of both unarmed combat and Ki channeling. You may enter a Ki tempest by spending two uses uses of your Ki power left in your Ki pool. When in a Ki tempest, you gain the effects of the Pounce ability and may distribute the attacks during the charge, as while as turn up to 360 degrees, but no more then 90 at any one time. You also gain an untyped bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the number of remaining Ki power uses left in your Ki pool. A Ki tempest lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2(Monk+Ninja+Monastic Shinobi levels).

Insights and constructive criticism are welcomed and endorsed.

[DragoonWraith]

First, you should mention needing Ki Strike (Magic) in your pre-requisites, since Ascetic Stalker requires it.

Noticing this, this is a Monk 4/Ninja 2 entry, minimum. I can think of few things I would like less to be at 6th level than Monk 4/Ninja 2. Just saying.

And does the fact that Master Ascetic levels stack for determining the size of your Ki Pool, and for Ascetic Stalker (which has Monk levels also count for Ki Pool), mean that your Master Ascetic levels count twice (so full Master Ascetic levels instead of half)? If so, say so. If not, reconsider. The fact that Ki Pool is equal to half your Ninja level to begin with is hideous.

Going down the line:
Ki Sense - Alertness is worthless but why not, the 2 Ki for automatic pin-pointing is interesting. That's a good ability. Considering that it uses 1/5 of your daily resources at twentieth level, however, it's far too costly.

Subtle Strike - this is cool, but... the times when this will be useful are extremely limited. At the very least, allow the Ascetic to choose how many rounds it's delayed for, so you can hit the guy 4 times over 4 rounds and have him take 4x damage on the 5th round, it'll be... not that impressive, but whatever, it's something.

Ki Step - nice, way, way, way too costly. Also, why not just teleportation?

Speed Striking - I love the imagery on this. Too bad moving is awful for you (can't Flurry) and flanking doesn't do you much good (Sudden Strike requires flat-footed).

Ki Darkness - Why can't this be at-will? Using Ki for this is a complete waste.

Ki Vision - nice, True Seeing is stupidly hard to get for non-mages, but again, so costly!

Ki Tempest - Too little. Pounce is a one-level dip to gain all the time, the enhancement bonus is a single casting of Greater Magic Weapon/Fang from a friendly caster (or, ugh, a UMD'd wand), and the Move Action is extremely costly and less useful now that you have Pounce.

Overall - you take two of the weakest base classes in the game, merge them flavorfully with some interesting abilities, but the abilities are too little, too late, and too expensive. It's well thought out and possibly balanced with the entry classes (which is a good thing in general in terms of PrC design...), but goddamn, Monks and Ninjas are so, so bad. As usual, Unarmed Swordsage X >> Monk 4/Ninja 2/Master Ascetic X-6.

The class is well done. I recommend that no one ever plays it, however, because really there's exactly one reason to ever play a Monk (and that's Tashalatora), and there's pretty much no reason ever to play a Ninja (use a Rogue or a Factotum or a Beguiler or a Swordsage or a Spellthief or a Scout or, hell, a Tashalatora Monk), and this does nothing to change that. An Unarmed Swordsage can do almost everything this class can, plus tons of otherstuff, and do it far more elegantly. This is not your fault, but Wizards', but it is what it is.

Finally, I am somewhat disappointed that this wasn't a class that combined all of the Ascetic ______ features to advance them all at once. That... would be something. Probably not particularly good, but it would be interesting.

[Morth]

First, you should mention needing Ki Strike (Magic) in your pre-requisites, since Ascetic Stalker requires it.

Noticing this, this is a Monk 4/Ninja 2 entry, minimum. I can think of few things I would like less to be at 6th level than Monk 4/Ninja 2. Just saying.

And does the fact that Master Ascetic levels stack for determining the size of your Ki Pool, and for Ascetic Stalker (which has Monk levels also count for Ki Pool), mean that your Master Ascetic levels count twice (so full Master Ascetic levels instead of half)? If so, say so. If not, reconsider. The fact that Ki Pool is equal to half your Ninja level to begin with is hideous.

Going down the line:
Ki Sense - Alertness is worthless but why not, the 2 Ki for automatic pin-pointing is interesting. That's a good ability. Considering that it uses 1/5 of your daily resources at twentieth level, however, it's far too costly.

Subtle Strike - this is cool, but... the times when this will be useful are extremely limited. At the very least, allow the Ascetic to choose how many rounds it's delayed for, so you can hit the guy 4 times over 4 rounds and have him take 4x damage on the 5th round, it'll be... not that impressive, but whatever, it's something.

Ki Step - nice, way, way, way too costly. Also, why not just teleportation?

Speed Striking - I love the imagery on this. Too bad moving is awful for you (can't Flurry) and flanking doesn't do you much good (Sudden Strike requires flat-footed).

Ki Darkness - Why can't this be at-will? Using Ki for this is a complete waste.

Ki Vision - nice, True Seeing is stupidly hard to get for non-mages, but again, so costly!

Ki Tempest - Too little. Pounce is a one-level dip to gain all the time, the enhancement bonus is a single casting of Greater Magic Weapon/Fang from a friendly caster (or, ugh, a UMD'd wand), and the Move Action is extremely costly and less useful now that you have Pounce.

Overall - you take two of the weakest base classes in the game, merge them flavorfully with some interesting abilities, but the abilities are too little, too late, and too expensive. It's well thought out and possibly balanced with the entry classes (which is a good thing in general in terms of PrC design...), but goddamn, Monks and Ninjas are so, so bad. As usual, Unarmed Swordsage X >> Monk 4/Ninja 2/Master Ascetic X-6.

The class is well done. I recommend that no one ever plays it, however, because really there's exactly one reason to ever play a Monk (and that's Tashalatora), and there's pretty much no reason ever to play a Ninja (use a Rogue or a Factotum or a Beguiler or a Swordsage or a Spellthief or a Scout or, hell, a Tashalatora Monk), and this does nothing to change that. An Unarmed Swordsage can do almost everything this class can, plus tons of otherstuff, and do it far more elegantly. This is not your fault, but Wizards', but it is what it is.

Finally, I am somewhat disappointed that this wasn't a class that combined all of the Ascetic ______ features to advance them all at once. That... would be something. Probably not particularly good, but it would be interesting.

Lowered the ability costs, changed the name as to save Ultimate Ascetic for what you described. Changed Ki tempest, and would like to point out that it advances Ki pool based abilities, not Ki pool.