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View Full Version : Pathfinder Healing Monk Archetype - Looking for Advice



TheVitulus
2014-02-16, 09:31 AM
Living Ki: In place of combative Ki abilities, the Monk gains an array of skills related to the well-being and health of living creatures, as well as additional Ki points to improve their capacity for this healing. The Monk loses the ability to spend a Ki point for an additional Flurry strike, and to improve his AC.

Instead, the Monk is able to spend a point to convert a flurry strike into a melee touch attack, dealing their unmodified unarmed damage in positive healing energy. This is accomplished by awakening the living Ki within the creature targeted using the Monk's refined Ki.

The healing strike does not require actual touch, but obstacles between the Monk and his target function as cover of equivalent size for purposes of successfully connecting.

At 4th level, the range of this strike is 10 ft, it increases by an additional 10 ft at 8th, 12th, and 16th level. At 20th level, the strikes require only line-of-sight with the target.

The Monk's Ki pool is increased to his Monk level plus his Wisdom modifier.

Ki Strike functions normally.

This ability replaces Stunning Fist and Maneuver Training.

Consume the Sickness: At 5th level, the Monk gains the ability to free a target of all diseases, including supernatural and magical, by absorbing the tainted Ki into the Monk's own body, acquiring the diseases himself. This takes a full-round action.

By spending 2 Ki points, the Monk is able to cast Remove Disease on himself as a spell-like ability (using his Monk level as the caster level) to obliterate the afflictions entirely.

This ability replaces Purity of Body.

Cleanse: At 7th level, the Monk gains the ability to undo the damage caused by negative energy in a subject by absorbing it, and then allowing his Ki to contain and bombard it over the course of one day. This process takes one minute.

By expending his Ki pool (minimum of half), the Monk is able to absorb all temporary negative levels (or one permanent negative level), ability drains, and ability damage from a target into his own body, and immediately use Restoration (with no need for a material component, even if permanent negative levels are present) as a spell-like ability to remove it.

After such an effort, the Monk does not regenerate Ki normally. His pool remains empty for a minimum of 24 hrs, and his pool completely refills at the next sunrise. This occurs regardless of whether or not permanent negative levels were present.

This ability is not subject to Restoration's one level per target per week limit.

This ability replaces Wholeness of Body.

Purify: At 11th level, the Monk gains the ability to draw all poison from a living creature in the form of a varying amount of foggy water, which the monk must then consume to fully liberate the target of the poison's effects. This process takes a single time increment from each poison being removed to be completed, during which the afflicted person neither suffers the effects of the poison, nor has the opportunity to save against it or consume anything which would improve their save.

The Monk is then able to immediately expend two Ki points to use Neutralize Poison on himself as a spell-like ability (using his Monk level as his caster level) to detoxify the poisons.

This replaces Diamond Body.

Noble Sacrifice: At 13th level, by expending his Ki pool (minimum of half), the Monk is able to use Resurrection as a spell-like ability (with no need for a material component). Embodied by his Ki in the worlds beyond the material, the Monk locates and offers a second chance to the dead soul, and then expels all of his energy to fully reconstitute their mortal form.

Following this effort, the Monk's Ki does not regenerate normally. He regenerates no Ki at all for a minimum of one week, and then for another day for every Ki point that was not in his pool when the ability was used.

This replaces Diamond Soul.

Use of Resurrection's standard material component (10,000gp of Diamond Dust) removes the Ki regeneration penalty, as the Monk becomes a channel for the energy instead of providing all of it himself.

Julian928
2014-02-16, 02:16 PM
I think that Maneuver Training should be removed (being able to punch someone so hard it does negative damage, after all, eclipses practicing at grapples).

I also think this should replace the entire Ki pool, save for getting damage effects (like the fists counting as magic and cold iron/silver, but at 10th level the Ki becomes Good-aligned instead of Lawful, to reflect the Positive Energy being used). I think that should balance things out pretty cleanly, much like how the Martial Artist Archetype eliminates Ki and replaces it with raw combat ability, this replaces it with raw support.

For Wholeness, perhaps it costs two uses of the daily healing ability, but the healing is magnified to 3Xd4+X+Wis, in accordance with whichever Xd4 the Monk uses normally (which makes it genuinely more effective than using the normal one twice, but requires two Full Rounds Actions per use). This power can alternatively be used (in accordance with Ki becoming a pure healing ability) as uses of Remove Disease, Remove Curse, and Delay Poison, all for the same two uses of the healing pool.

The Healing Hand Raise Dead ability still comes in, replacing Diamond Body and Quivering Palm.

I think that makes the Monk a pretty powerful healer. At level one, with a Wis of 16, that's between 12 and 24 points of healing every day. When the Monk gets the Wholeness-replacement (in place of Purity of Body at level 5, which is the same time a Cleric would get the aforementioned spells), they become a very powerful healer, with the same Monk now capable of healing as much as 48 points in-combat, and up to 64 out of combat. Could a Cleric heal more? Yes. Is this still a damn fine amount of healing? Yes, and it also can't be used to damage Undead, so it's still weaker.

I dub it the Way of Miyagi!

Or we could actually call it the Hand of Living Thunder, in honor of Thok, and in honor of the Monk both becoming a viable healer and remaining a credible damage-dealer, thereby not becoming a healbot.

TheVitulus
2014-02-16, 04:59 PM
I think that Maneuver Training should be removed (being able to punch someone so hard it does negative damage, after all, eclipses practicing at grapples).

Interesting. Yeah, that'd be a suitably large bonus to give up.


I also think this should replace the entire Ki pool, save for getting damage effects (like the fists counting as magic and cold iron/silver, but at 10th level the Ki becomes Good-aligned instead of Lawful, to reflect the Positive Energy being used). I think that should balance things out pretty cleanly, much like how the Martial Artist Archetype eliminates Ki and replaces it with raw combat ability, this replaces it with raw support.


I like Ki mostly because it makes it clear they're a supernatural fighter. I'm also thinking about letting them spend Ki to cast cure spells. 1 for light, 2 moderate and so on. The problem with basing it all on uses of Change One is that the monk doesn't have enough uses per day to have several abilities relying on it.


For Wholeness, perhaps it costs two uses of the daily healing ability, but the healing is magnified to 3Xd4+X+Wis, in accordance with whichever Xd4 the Monk uses normally (which makes it genuinely more effective than using the normal one twice, but requires two Full Rounds Actions per use). This power can alternatively be used (in accordance with Ki becoming a pure healing ability) as uses of Remove Disease, Remove Curse, and Delay Poison, all for the same two uses of the healing pool.

I like this idea. Instead of trying to build it from scratch, though, I think I'll give them Channel Positive Energy like paladins have but make it Wis-based.


The Healing Hand Raise Dead ability still comes in, replacing Diamond Body and Quivering Palm.

Might as well. I'll probably give it that capstone too, at least until I can think of something not completely awful.


I dub it the Way of Miyagi!

Or we could actually call it the Hand of Living Thunder, in honor of Thok, and in honor of the Monk both becoming a viable healer and remaining a credible damage-dealer, thereby not becoming a healbot.

Indeed! We'll go with whatever name you choose, as it's your character. Also please feel free to name abilities or fill in the fluff of how they actually work.

Julian928
2014-02-17, 01:43 AM
I like Ki mostly because it makes it clear they're a supernatural fighter. I'm also thinking about letting them spend Ki to cast cure spells. 1 for light, 2 moderate and so on. The problem with basing it all on uses of Change One is that the monk doesn't have enough uses per day to have several abilities relying on it.

I might be a little more willing to get rid of Ki than most, since the type of character I typically make is built around consistent, almost-always-active abilities, so I neglect abilities like Barbarian Rage, and Ki, until a boss fight. I'd be game for using Ki to cast Cure Spells, but I think that the functions of Ki built for really heavy combat (like getting the extra strike) should be replaced by being able to strike with healing and getting access to those spell-like effects.




I like this idea. Instead of trying to build it from scratch, though, I think I'll give them Channel Positive Energy like paladins have but make it Wis-based.

That'd be fine and dandy, too, especially if it draws from its own daily pool of uses. Maybe make the ability to use those core Remove/Delay abilities the product of a Feat?




Might as well. I'll probably give it that capstone too, at least until I can think of something not completely awful.

Honestly, this is a really good capstone. Being able to keep all of the other Monk abilities that are acquired after this point is more than anyone could ask for, and you don't need a few thousand gold worth of diamond dust to bring back a fallen party member. Maybe using the Raise Dead effect consumes every charge of channel healing, and you can get a Resurrection or a Raise Dead + Regeneration by using all of your charges for both in-combat and channel?




Indeed! We'll go with whatever name you choose, as it's your character. Also please feel free to name abilities or fill in the fluff of how they actually work.

Best to wait until all of these effects are finalized before adding too much fluff, eh?

TheVitulus
2014-02-17, 02:17 AM
That'd be fine and dandy, too, especially if it draws from its own daily pool of uses. Maybe make the ability to use those core Remove/Delay abilities the product of a Feat?

Gonna make it take two of Change One's uses like with LoH and yeah. I'll think about the Remove/Delay stuff. I might add those in at later levels.


Honestly, this is a really good capstone. Being able to keep all of the other Monk abilities that are acquired after this point is more than anyone could ask for, and you don't need a few thousand gold worth of diamond dust to bring back a fallen party member. Maybe using the Raise Dead effect consumes every charge of channel healing, and you can get a Resurrection or a Raise Dead + Regeneration by using all of your charges for both in-combat and channel?

Yeah. Raise dead is great. I mean the thing that literally wipes your character off the face of the planet after one use.


Best to wait until all of these effects are finalized before adding too much fluff, eh?

I suppose, but think about how you want the abilities to work. Is it his touch, does he channel the energy at them, does he hug them to restore hp?

Julian928
2014-02-25, 05:25 PM
For addition to the Archetype write-up:

Living Ki: In place of combative Ki abilities, the Monk gains an array of skills related to the well-being and health of living creatures, as well as additional Ki points to improve their capacity for this healing. The Monk loses the ability to spend a Ki point for an additional Flurry strike, and to improve his AC.

Instead, the Monk is able to spend a point to convert a flurry strike into a melee touch attack, dealing their unmodified unarmed damage in positive healing energy. This is accomplished by awakening the living Ki within the creature targeted using the Monk's refined Ki.

The healing strike does not require actual touch, but obstacles between the Monk and his target function as cover of equivalent size for purposes of successfully connecting.

At 4th level, the range of this strike is 10 ft, it increases by an additional 10 ft at 8th, 12th, and 16th level. At 20th level, the strikes require only line-of-sight with the target.

The Monk's Ki pool is increased to his Monk level plus his Wisdom modifier.

Ki Strike functions normally.

This ability replaces Stunning Fist and Maneuver Training.

Consume the Sickness: At 5th level, the Monk gains the ability to free a target of all diseases, including supernatural and magical, by absorbing the tainted Ki into the Monk's own body, acquiring the diseases himself. This takes a full-round action.

By spending 2 Ki points, the Monk is able to cast Remove Disease on himself as a spell-like ability (using his Monk level as the caster level) to obliterate the afflictions entirely.

This ability replaces Purity of Body.

Cleanse: At 7th level, the Monk gains the ability to undo the damage caused by negative energy in a subject by absorbing it, and then allowing his Ki to contain and bombard it over the course of one day. This process takes one minute.

By expending his Ki pool (minimum of half), the Monk is able to absorb all temporary negative levels (or one permanent negative level), ability drains, and ability damage from a target into his own body, and immediately use Restoration (with no need for a material component, even if permanent negative levels are present) as a spell-like ability to remove it.

After such an effort, the Monk does not regenerate Ki normally. His pool remains empty for a minimum of 24 hrs, and his pool completely refills at the next sunrise. This occurs regardless of whether or not permanent negative levels were present.

This ability is not subject to Restoration's one level per target per week limit.

This ability replaces Wholeness of Body.

Purify: At 11th level, the Monk gains the ability to draw all poison from a living creature in the form of a varying amount of foggy water, which the monk must then consume to fully liberate the target of the poison's effects. This process takes a single time increment from each poison being removed to be completed, during which the afflicted person neither suffers the effects of the poison, nor has the opportunity to save against it or consume anything which would improve their save.

The Monk is then able to immediately expend two Ki points to use Neutralize Poison on himself as a spell-like ability (using his Monk level as his caster level) to detoxify the poisons.

This replaces Diamond Body.

Noble Sacrifice: At 13th level, by expending his Ki pool (minimum of half), the Monk is able to use Resurrection as a spell-like ability (with no need for a material component). Embodied by his Ki in the worlds beyond the material, the Monk locates and offers a second chance to the dead soul, and then expels all of his energy to fully reconstitute their mortal form.

Following this effort, the Monk's Ki does not regenerate normally. He regenerates no Ki at all for a minimum of one week, and then for another day for every Ki point that was not in his pool when the ability was used.

This replaces Diamond Soul.

Use of Resurrection's standard material component (10,000gp of Diamond Dust) removes the Ki regeneration penalty, as the Monk becomes a channel for the energy instead of providing all of it himself.