Ponce
2007-04-25, 08:17 PM
Sorry about the title. It hurts me as much as it does you.
Monk (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm))
Alignment: Any Lawful
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, and Tumble. (Unchanged)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + int modifier
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Flurry Of Blows|Damage|AC Bonus|Speed
1st|
+1
|
+2
|
+2
|
+2
|Bonus Feat, Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike|-1/-1|1d6|+1|+0ft
2nd|
+2
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|Bonus Feat, Evasion|+0/+0|1d6|+1|+0ft
3rd|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|Still Mind|+1/+1|1d6|+1|+10ft
4th|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|Ki Strike (magic), Slow Fall|+2/+2|1d8|+1|+10ft
5th|
+5
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|Purity of Body|+4/+4|1d8|+2|+10ft
6th|
+6/+1
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|Anatomic Strike 1/5ft|+5/+5/+0|1d8|+2|+20ft
7th|
+7/+2
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|Wholeness of Body|+6/+6/+1|1d8|+2|+20ft
8th|
+8/+3
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|Ki Strike (invigorating)|+7/+7/+2|1d10|+2|+20ft
9th|
+9/+4
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|Improved Evasion|+9/+9/+4|1d10|+2|+30ft
10th|
+10/+5
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|Ki Strike (lawful), Anatomic Strike 2/10ft|+10/+10/+5|1d10|+3|+30ft
11th|
+11/+6/+1
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|Diamond Body, Greater Flurry|+11/+11/+11/+6/+1|1d10|+3|+30ft
12th|
+12/+7/+2
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|Rapid Step|+12/+12/+12/+7/+2|2d6|+3|+40ft
13th|
+13/+8/+3
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|Diamond Soul|+13/+13/+13/+8/+3|2d6|+3|+40ft
14th|
+14/+9/+4
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|Anatomic Strike 3/15ft|+14/+14/+14/+9/+4|2d6|+3|+40ft
15th|
+15/+10/+5
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|Quivering Palm|+15/+15/+15/+10/+5|2d6|+4|+50ft
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|Ki Strike (adamantine)|+16/+16/+16/+11/+6/+1|2d8|+4|+50ft
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|Timeless Body, Tongue of the Sun and Moon|+17/+17/+17/+12/+7/+2|2d8|+4|+50ft
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|Anatomic Strike 4/20ft|+18/+18/+18/+13/+8/+3|2d8|+4|+60ft
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|Empty Body|+19/+19/+19/+14/+9/+4|2d8|+4|+60ft
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5
|
+12
|
+12
|
+12
|Perfect Self, Anatomic Strike 5/25ft|+20/+20/+20/+15/+10/+5|2d10|+5|+60ft[/table]
They need help. The monk ought not to be able to stand toe to toe with a well-built fighter or barbarian, that isn't the purpose of this modification. He should be far better at flanking, however, and he ought to be able to deal with caster with greater ease.
Changes and Revisions
Hit Dice: Monks. Masters of the body. The ultimate artists in the perfection of the self. Though apparently their “rigorous training” (PHB) could only result in a flimsy d8 hit die. What? Hand them a d12, unless you feel that is a privilege only barbarians are worthy of (for some reason, I’m not here to judge). I’d like to think a lifetime of grueling training and dedication results in a tougher build than a lifetime of eating berries and making dreamcatchers for tourists (an exaggeration, but you get the idea). Removed. HD as normal.
Skills: They’re fine, plenty of class skills, and enough points per level, even with a weak intelligence due to MAD.
Base Attack Bonus: Why does a class that can do nothing but punch have 3/4s base attack bonus? WHY? It isn’t as though they can simply cast Divine Power and proceed to decimate every chaotic-aligned creature and mundane object within a 50 mile radius! What’s worse, is that a low BaB renders their Flurry of Blows ability nigh unusable for the first few levels. This is, of course, combined with the fact that Monk strength is astoundingly low for a melee class. Even if you tried to overcome some MaD through weapon finesse or intuitive attack, you’re still getting short changed in the long run, and immediately in the damage department. Change to full base attack bonus progression. This might even let your monk utilize the coveted power attack.
Saves: At least they have this going for them.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: As normal, but add the Shortbow.
Unarmed Damage: Not that great, but as you’ll see later on, we hopefully won’t need to change this. Leave it as it is for now.
AC Bonus: Increase every value in this table by 1 (+1 AC from levels 1-4, +2 AC from level 5-9, etc). As a noncaster who can’t wear armor of any kind, monks really have no choice but to pump dexterity and wisdom for what meager AC they will provide. Even with double 18s, a character in a fullplate with 10 dexterity has the same AC, and it didn’t take them all their ability scores! The blanket AC bonus helps a bit, but I think a little boost is needed to get things rolling.
Unarmored Speed Bonus: Again, leave it alone. A base land speed of 90ft is plenty, it doesn’t need to be any higher. You might consider adjusting the spread so they get a +10ft bonus immediately, but I wouldn’t increase the final +60ft value.
Bonus Feats: The monk’s seemingly arbitrary system of bipolar feat selection leaves me puzzled. I would work it into a system of designating ‘monk bonus feats’ and allowing them to pick one at each level they normally get a bonus feat. This list would include the feats already designated as monk feats, plus other feats oriented around bodily functions and ‘perfection of the self.’ Improved Initiative, Dodge, Iron Will, Toughness, and Alertness are all good examples. These examples are not nearly exhaustive, as that would require going through ever source book ever officially released and picking feats. Use your discretion; would Jackie Chan have that feat? Weapon finesse and intuitive attack are also plausible choices for this department. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#bonusFeat))
Unarmed Strike: The trademark. Unfortunately, as it stands, it isn’t that great. We’ll fix it – indirectly. Leave it alone for now. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#unarmedStrike))
Evasion: Helps against those pesky evocations, though any wizard worth his beans wouldn’t hit you with that anyway. Still, its nice to have.
Still Mind: Kind of odd. +2 versus enchantment spells certainly fits the class, but what about illusions or fear? Change the bonus to apply to mind-affecting spells and effects of any kind. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#stillMind))
Ki Strike: Nice, though its there out of total necessity. If he couldn’t overcome damage like this, what good could he possibly be? I see no way to improve this, short of making it available at earlier levels. I don’t think this is necessary, so I’ll leave it alone. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#kiStrike))
Slow Fall: This one make my head hurt. An ability that can ALMOST replicate the effect of a level 1 spell? Pardon me, the effect of a level 1 spell that a bard can cast. Honestly. How about instead, we consider the monk to have the Extraordinary ability to replicate the Feather Fall spell on himself, constantly. He can activate or deactivate the ability as an immediate action (like the spell itself). I understand it fits the theme, but how often do characters actually plummet to their deaths? This will erase all entries of Slow Fall beyond the first one, as they are now totally unnecessary. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#slowFall))
Purity of Body: Mundane diseases aren’t often used, so this is more of a fluff. It’s a nice fluff though, if you want your goodie monk to help out around the leper colony. Lets combine Diamond Body’s poison immunity with Purity of Body, and move it under this ability name. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#purityofBody))
Wholeness of Body: An interesting concept, but at 2 hit points/level/day, it isn’t terribly useful: it won’t even amount to one full healing from 0. Even the paladin laughs at this one. Lets change it around a bit. The monk is still limited to using it on himself, but he can heal a total number of points per day equal to his class level times his wisdom modifier. It takes a bit from the Paladin, but this is inherent in the special ability itself. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#wholenessofBody))
Improved Evasion: Also nice to have. Monsters and villains alike enjoy throwing fireballs and other such effects, though they could be doing better things. Definitely fits the theme.
Diamond Body: This is empty, since its poison immunity feature has been moved to Purity of Body. Diamond Body now grants immunity to ability damage (not ability drain). (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#diamondBody))
Greater Flurry: The extra attack gained at 11th level has been moved to 13th level to accommodate the extra attack gained due to the new, perfect BaB. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#greaterFlurry))
Abundant Step: A clever ability, but at one use a day, it isn’t exactly “abundant,” now, is it? Lets leave it at once per day, but make it an immediate action, and rename it to something like “Rapid Step.” An immediate action? Blasphemy, you say! I think not. This ought to help overcome rapid-fire spell combos from wizards in particular. It is very nice to start the battle right where you want to be. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#abundantStep))
Diamond Soul: Now we’re talking. One of the monk’s better abilities, mainly because scaling SR is hard to come by otherwise, barring high LA races. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#diamondSoul))
Quivering Palm: A dandy little ability, but… once per week? At 2-3 encounters per day, this isn’t exactly going to tip the scales. Any decent BBEG will reliably be immune to death effects, so it won’t break the campaign if they have this ability handy. Change its usage to once per day. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#quiveringPalm))
Timeless Body: Essentially lets you gain an extra point in wisdom by advancing to the Middle Age category. It is otherwise fluff, so no changes here. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#monkTimelessBody))
Tongue of the Sun and Moon: More fluff, really. Not overly useful either, as the monk will probably dump charisma to overcome his MAD. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#tongueoftheSunandMoon))
Empty Body: Useful, particularly to get past armor and through otherwise impassible barriers. Definitely a keeper. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#emptyBody))
Perfect Self: Essentially turns the monk into a Native Outsider. While the SRD does not explicitly state this, let’s just rule that this is what the feature does. It also grants damage reduction 10/magic. Utterly useless, of course. How about damage reduction 10/chaotic? Much better! I should also note that Monks probably shouldn't gain the Outsider proficiencies with weapons and armor. Other than the damage reduction, all this ought to do is grant Darkvision (60ft) if the Monk doesn't already have it. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#perfectSelf))
Additions and Removal
Ki Strike (axiomatic): This added ability at level 8 grants the Monk extra emphasis in his unarmed strikes. Any unarmed strike a Monk makes that would deal damage to a chaotic-aligned creature deals an extra amount of damage equal to his Wisdom Modifier. This ability has no effect on nonchaotic creatures. Removed.
Ki Strike (invigorating): Through the use of Ki, the Monk can enhance the force of his unarmed attacks. He may use his wisdom modifier in place of his strength modifier for any damage roll dealt by his unarmed strikes.
Slow Fall: Entries from 30ft to 90ft are removed. The first Slow Fall entry should just be referred to as Slow Fall, as opposed to Slow Fall (20ft).
Sneak Attack: It just works. A class designed to flank and deliver multiple attacks in a round: it’s just meant to be, don’t fight it. Aren’t one of the underlying premises of martial arts the ability to strike or subdue the opponent with minimal effort? This is done not just by striking them, but by striking them correctly, in the proper critical points. That’s all the fluff I need. Give them 1d6 sneak attack damage (as the rogue ability of the same name) at levels 6, 10, 14, and 18, for a total of 4d6. Lets give it a fancy name to reflect on the monk's use of pressure points and critical areas. How about Exploitation? This extra damage is also gains the benefit of the Monk's Ki Strike ability.
Anatomic Strike: Starting at level 6, the Monk may attempt Anatomic strikes as part of a full attack or as a standard action. It cannot be used in conjunction with Flurry of Blows. For this attack to be effective, the target must have a discernible anatomy; as well, any target that would be immune to sneak attacks is also immune to Anatomic Strike.
An Anatomic strike begins as a regular attack, albeit at a -4 penalty. If it hits, roll damage as normal, but do not apply the damage to the target. Instead, the target must make a fortitude save versus the damage dealt, or suffer one of the following ailments (Monk's choice): 1 point of strength damage, 1 point of dexterity damage, reduction in one of their base speeds by 5 feet. Treat a reduction in base speed by 5ft as 1 point of regular ability score damage in all respects related to recovery.
The ability score damage and base speed damage dealt by Anatomic Strike increases by 1 and 5ft, respectively, every 4 levels after 6th and again at level 20 to a maximum of 5/25ft damage at level 20.
Notes
I'm largely concerned about the fact that the current setup gains 2 extra attacks on a single level (11). Your thoughts on this? Should the greater flurry ability be postponed until, say, level 13? Further, should the monk's saves be less than perfect? Perhaps poor fort? Any criticisms are welcome.
Monk (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm))
Alignment: Any Lawful
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, and Tumble. (Unchanged)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + int modifier
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Flurry Of Blows|Damage|AC Bonus|Speed
1st|
+1
|
+2
|
+2
|
+2
|Bonus Feat, Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike|-1/-1|1d6|+1|+0ft
2nd|
+2
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|Bonus Feat, Evasion|+0/+0|1d6|+1|+0ft
3rd|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|Still Mind|+1/+1|1d6|+1|+10ft
4th|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|Ki Strike (magic), Slow Fall|+2/+2|1d8|+1|+10ft
5th|
+5
|
+4
|
+4
|
+4
|Purity of Body|+4/+4|1d8|+2|+10ft
6th|
+6/+1
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|Anatomic Strike 1/5ft|+5/+5/+0|1d8|+2|+20ft
7th|
+7/+2
|
+5
|
+5
|
+5
|Wholeness of Body|+6/+6/+1|1d8|+2|+20ft
8th|
+8/+3
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|Ki Strike (invigorating)|+7/+7/+2|1d10|+2|+20ft
9th|
+9/+4
|
+6
|
+6
|
+6
|Improved Evasion|+9/+9/+4|1d10|+2|+30ft
10th|
+10/+5
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|Ki Strike (lawful), Anatomic Strike 2/10ft|+10/+10/+5|1d10|+3|+30ft
11th|
+11/+6/+1
|
+7
|
+7
|
+7
|Diamond Body, Greater Flurry|+11/+11/+11/+6/+1|1d10|+3|+30ft
12th|
+12/+7/+2
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|Rapid Step|+12/+12/+12/+7/+2|2d6|+3|+40ft
13th|
+13/+8/+3
|
+8
|
+8
|
+8
|Diamond Soul|+13/+13/+13/+8/+3|2d6|+3|+40ft
14th|
+14/+9/+4
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|Anatomic Strike 3/15ft|+14/+14/+14/+9/+4|2d6|+3|+40ft
15th|
+15/+10/+5
|
+9
|
+9
|
+9
|Quivering Palm|+15/+15/+15/+10/+5|2d6|+4|+50ft
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|Ki Strike (adamantine)|+16/+16/+16/+11/+6/+1|2d8|+4|+50ft
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2
|
+10
|
+10
|
+10
|Timeless Body, Tongue of the Sun and Moon|+17/+17/+17/+12/+7/+2|2d8|+4|+50ft
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|Anatomic Strike 4/20ft|+18/+18/+18/+13/+8/+3|2d8|+4|+60ft
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4
|
+11
|
+11
|
+11
|Empty Body|+19/+19/+19/+14/+9/+4|2d8|+4|+60ft
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5
|
+12
|
+12
|
+12
|Perfect Self, Anatomic Strike 5/25ft|+20/+20/+20/+15/+10/+5|2d10|+5|+60ft[/table]
They need help. The monk ought not to be able to stand toe to toe with a well-built fighter or barbarian, that isn't the purpose of this modification. He should be far better at flanking, however, and he ought to be able to deal with caster with greater ease.
Changes and Revisions
Hit Dice: Monks. Masters of the body. The ultimate artists in the perfection of the self. Though apparently their “rigorous training” (PHB) could only result in a flimsy d8 hit die. What? Hand them a d12, unless you feel that is a privilege only barbarians are worthy of (for some reason, I’m not here to judge). I’d like to think a lifetime of grueling training and dedication results in a tougher build than a lifetime of eating berries and making dreamcatchers for tourists (an exaggeration, but you get the idea). Removed. HD as normal.
Skills: They’re fine, plenty of class skills, and enough points per level, even with a weak intelligence due to MAD.
Base Attack Bonus: Why does a class that can do nothing but punch have 3/4s base attack bonus? WHY? It isn’t as though they can simply cast Divine Power and proceed to decimate every chaotic-aligned creature and mundane object within a 50 mile radius! What’s worse, is that a low BaB renders their Flurry of Blows ability nigh unusable for the first few levels. This is, of course, combined with the fact that Monk strength is astoundingly low for a melee class. Even if you tried to overcome some MaD through weapon finesse or intuitive attack, you’re still getting short changed in the long run, and immediately in the damage department. Change to full base attack bonus progression. This might even let your monk utilize the coveted power attack.
Saves: At least they have this going for them.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: As normal, but add the Shortbow.
Unarmed Damage: Not that great, but as you’ll see later on, we hopefully won’t need to change this. Leave it as it is for now.
AC Bonus: Increase every value in this table by 1 (+1 AC from levels 1-4, +2 AC from level 5-9, etc). As a noncaster who can’t wear armor of any kind, monks really have no choice but to pump dexterity and wisdom for what meager AC they will provide. Even with double 18s, a character in a fullplate with 10 dexterity has the same AC, and it didn’t take them all their ability scores! The blanket AC bonus helps a bit, but I think a little boost is needed to get things rolling.
Unarmored Speed Bonus: Again, leave it alone. A base land speed of 90ft is plenty, it doesn’t need to be any higher. You might consider adjusting the spread so they get a +10ft bonus immediately, but I wouldn’t increase the final +60ft value.
Bonus Feats: The monk’s seemingly arbitrary system of bipolar feat selection leaves me puzzled. I would work it into a system of designating ‘monk bonus feats’ and allowing them to pick one at each level they normally get a bonus feat. This list would include the feats already designated as monk feats, plus other feats oriented around bodily functions and ‘perfection of the self.’ Improved Initiative, Dodge, Iron Will, Toughness, and Alertness are all good examples. These examples are not nearly exhaustive, as that would require going through ever source book ever officially released and picking feats. Use your discretion; would Jackie Chan have that feat? Weapon finesse and intuitive attack are also plausible choices for this department. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#bonusFeat))
Unarmed Strike: The trademark. Unfortunately, as it stands, it isn’t that great. We’ll fix it – indirectly. Leave it alone for now. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#unarmedStrike))
Evasion: Helps against those pesky evocations, though any wizard worth his beans wouldn’t hit you with that anyway. Still, its nice to have.
Still Mind: Kind of odd. +2 versus enchantment spells certainly fits the class, but what about illusions or fear? Change the bonus to apply to mind-affecting spells and effects of any kind. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#stillMind))
Ki Strike: Nice, though its there out of total necessity. If he couldn’t overcome damage like this, what good could he possibly be? I see no way to improve this, short of making it available at earlier levels. I don’t think this is necessary, so I’ll leave it alone. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#kiStrike))
Slow Fall: This one make my head hurt. An ability that can ALMOST replicate the effect of a level 1 spell? Pardon me, the effect of a level 1 spell that a bard can cast. Honestly. How about instead, we consider the monk to have the Extraordinary ability to replicate the Feather Fall spell on himself, constantly. He can activate or deactivate the ability as an immediate action (like the spell itself). I understand it fits the theme, but how often do characters actually plummet to their deaths? This will erase all entries of Slow Fall beyond the first one, as they are now totally unnecessary. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#slowFall))
Purity of Body: Mundane diseases aren’t often used, so this is more of a fluff. It’s a nice fluff though, if you want your goodie monk to help out around the leper colony. Lets combine Diamond Body’s poison immunity with Purity of Body, and move it under this ability name. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#purityofBody))
Wholeness of Body: An interesting concept, but at 2 hit points/level/day, it isn’t terribly useful: it won’t even amount to one full healing from 0. Even the paladin laughs at this one. Lets change it around a bit. The monk is still limited to using it on himself, but he can heal a total number of points per day equal to his class level times his wisdom modifier. It takes a bit from the Paladin, but this is inherent in the special ability itself. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#wholenessofBody))
Improved Evasion: Also nice to have. Monsters and villains alike enjoy throwing fireballs and other such effects, though they could be doing better things. Definitely fits the theme.
Diamond Body: This is empty, since its poison immunity feature has been moved to Purity of Body. Diamond Body now grants immunity to ability damage (not ability drain). (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#diamondBody))
Greater Flurry: The extra attack gained at 11th level has been moved to 13th level to accommodate the extra attack gained due to the new, perfect BaB. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#greaterFlurry))
Abundant Step: A clever ability, but at one use a day, it isn’t exactly “abundant,” now, is it? Lets leave it at once per day, but make it an immediate action, and rename it to something like “Rapid Step.” An immediate action? Blasphemy, you say! I think not. This ought to help overcome rapid-fire spell combos from wizards in particular. It is very nice to start the battle right where you want to be. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#abundantStep))
Diamond Soul: Now we’re talking. One of the monk’s better abilities, mainly because scaling SR is hard to come by otherwise, barring high LA races. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#diamondSoul))
Quivering Palm: A dandy little ability, but… once per week? At 2-3 encounters per day, this isn’t exactly going to tip the scales. Any decent BBEG will reliably be immune to death effects, so it won’t break the campaign if they have this ability handy. Change its usage to once per day. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#quiveringPalm))
Timeless Body: Essentially lets you gain an extra point in wisdom by advancing to the Middle Age category. It is otherwise fluff, so no changes here. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#monkTimelessBody))
Tongue of the Sun and Moon: More fluff, really. Not overly useful either, as the monk will probably dump charisma to overcome his MAD. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#tongueoftheSunandMoon))
Empty Body: Useful, particularly to get past armor and through otherwise impassible barriers. Definitely a keeper. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#emptyBody))
Perfect Self: Essentially turns the monk into a Native Outsider. While the SRD does not explicitly state this, let’s just rule that this is what the feature does. It also grants damage reduction 10/magic. Utterly useless, of course. How about damage reduction 10/chaotic? Much better! I should also note that Monks probably shouldn't gain the Outsider proficiencies with weapons and armor. Other than the damage reduction, all this ought to do is grant Darkvision (60ft) if the Monk doesn't already have it. (Original (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/monk.htm#perfectSelf))
Additions and Removal
Ki Strike (axiomatic): This added ability at level 8 grants the Monk extra emphasis in his unarmed strikes. Any unarmed strike a Monk makes that would deal damage to a chaotic-aligned creature deals an extra amount of damage equal to his Wisdom Modifier. This ability has no effect on nonchaotic creatures. Removed.
Ki Strike (invigorating): Through the use of Ki, the Monk can enhance the force of his unarmed attacks. He may use his wisdom modifier in place of his strength modifier for any damage roll dealt by his unarmed strikes.
Slow Fall: Entries from 30ft to 90ft are removed. The first Slow Fall entry should just be referred to as Slow Fall, as opposed to Slow Fall (20ft).
Sneak Attack: It just works. A class designed to flank and deliver multiple attacks in a round: it’s just meant to be, don’t fight it. Aren’t one of the underlying premises of martial arts the ability to strike or subdue the opponent with minimal effort? This is done not just by striking them, but by striking them correctly, in the proper critical points. That’s all the fluff I need. Give them 1d6 sneak attack damage (as the rogue ability of the same name) at levels 6, 10, 14, and 18, for a total of 4d6. Lets give it a fancy name to reflect on the monk's use of pressure points and critical areas. How about Exploitation? This extra damage is also gains the benefit of the Monk's Ki Strike ability.
Anatomic Strike: Starting at level 6, the Monk may attempt Anatomic strikes as part of a full attack or as a standard action. It cannot be used in conjunction with Flurry of Blows. For this attack to be effective, the target must have a discernible anatomy; as well, any target that would be immune to sneak attacks is also immune to Anatomic Strike.
An Anatomic strike begins as a regular attack, albeit at a -4 penalty. If it hits, roll damage as normal, but do not apply the damage to the target. Instead, the target must make a fortitude save versus the damage dealt, or suffer one of the following ailments (Monk's choice): 1 point of strength damage, 1 point of dexterity damage, reduction in one of their base speeds by 5 feet. Treat a reduction in base speed by 5ft as 1 point of regular ability score damage in all respects related to recovery.
The ability score damage and base speed damage dealt by Anatomic Strike increases by 1 and 5ft, respectively, every 4 levels after 6th and again at level 20 to a maximum of 5/25ft damage at level 20.
Notes
I'm largely concerned about the fact that the current setup gains 2 extra attacks on a single level (11). Your thoughts on this? Should the greater flurry ability be postponed until, say, level 13? Further, should the monk's saves be less than perfect? Perhaps poor fort? Any criticisms are welcome.