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View Full Version : Idea for quick Monk Fix: Domains?



Treblain
2011-03-29, 04:29 PM
So, I had this idea of a fairly simple monk fix. On top of the commonly-mentioned fixes like full BAB, flurry as standard action, etc...

Give them limited spellcasting from one domain, like the Divine Crusader. Start with two 1st level spells per day at level one, advance spell levels at odd numbered levels, about two or three spells +wis bonus spells per spell level. Maybe give a second domain at higher levels, too. As a bonus, give them the high-level ability to overcome dispelling and antimagic fields with their spells due to their high concentration, to make them unique. The granted ability from the domain is nice, too.

It fits with the flavor, since monks typically serve gods anyway and you can fluff it as having a discipline they master depending on their order. It fits the character type because it can give them a limited amount of quick tricks they can pull out. It's still fairly simple to for inexperienced players to use, since you only have to keep track of a few spells.

It fits very well into customization and optimization, because it's not really homebrew, so it's easy to find cool tweaks and tricks using domains in-system. Take a domain that gives Magic Fang to solve the "unenchantable unarmed strike" problem, or Fly to reach your foes easily. Take a domain that can turn elementals, and now you've got free turn attempts to spend on devotion feats and divine feats.

There are plenty of neat PrCs that add bonus domains, so there's even more room for modification. The monk can now qualify for a lot of the PrCs in CDiv and elsewhere that require divine spellcasting, too. Granted, advancing cleric spellcasting with them would be much more powerful, but we're not going for Tier 1.

Is it workable? What does the Playground think?

Dvandemon
2011-03-29, 04:45 PM
Monk spellcasting gives a strange new flavor to an old, contested dish :d

Merk
2011-03-29, 05:20 PM
I love the idea of a divine monk. This is a pretty fun concept.

Epsilon Rose
2011-03-29, 05:37 PM
Mantles could also work fairly well if someone wanted a less divine monk.

AtlanteanTroll
2011-03-29, 09:30 PM
I love the idea of a divine monk. This is a pretty fun concept.

I mean, they are in 4E and considering their real world equivalents, it only makes sense.

In simple words, I agree with you.

Sacrieur
2011-03-29, 10:45 PM
It could make for a monk variant, but wouldn't really fix the monk. There's still a handful of bad class abilities to deal with. Like flurry of misses.

I really am convinced that whoever made the monk class was on drugs at the time. And I am curious where in the hell they got slow fall from. Seriously, WTF.

Zaydos
2011-03-29, 10:58 PM
It could make for a monk variant, but wouldn't really fix the monk. There's still a handful of bad class abilities to deal with. Like flurry of misses.

I really am convinced that whoever made the monk class was on drugs at the time. And I am curious where in the hell they got slow fall from. Seriously, WTF.


Although the chance of falling while climbing walls is the same as that of
a thief of equal level, monks can escape taking damage as follows:
-
At 4th level (Disciple), a monk can fall up to 20' if he or she is
within 1' of a wall.
-
At 6th level (Master), a monk can fall up to 30' if he or she is
within 4' of a wall.
-
At 13th level (Moster of Winter), a monk can fall any distance
if he or she is within 8' of a wall.

It goes way back to when monks added half their level to damage (when that meant you were doing more damage per hit than anybody else), and stunned automatically if they beat your AC by 5 or more with an unarmed strike.