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Yakk
2008-05-09, 06:49 PM
The Dao Monk

Inspired by shallow readings of Daoism, I came up with a variant monk. :)

This monk has a resource pool (called Qi) and a per-round bonus pool (called Wu Wei) that are used to power the various "super-human" abilities of the class.

The Flurry is a standard action, which encourages movement by the Dao Monk.

There are a limited number of ways the Dao Monk can increase damage: the basic Flurry, Fist of Power, Quivering Palm and Qi Strike. The rest of the powers are utility in form. Adding more offensive powers runs into "alpha strike" problems, as the Dao Monk is limited on how many Qi is burnt on a per-power basis.

You could flavor this monk as a Psychic class -- many of the mechanics are similar to Psychic classes.

This is a resource management class. You'll want a bowl of beads for your Qi, and you have to reroll your Wu Wei every round and husband both carefully.

HD: d6
BaB: +3/4
Saves: All good
Skill points: 4 per level
Skills: As Monk, plus Autohypnosis
Alignment: Any Lawful.
A Dao Monk who performs a sufficiently Chaotic act loses up to half (rounded up) of their current Qi. A Dao Monk who isn't Lawful cannot advance in the class until they resume being Lawful.



Qi Wu Wei Talents Flurry Damage Flurry
1 1 1 2 1d6 +0/-5
2 3 1d2 2 1d6 +1/-3
3 6 1d2 3 1d6 +2/-1
4 10 1d3 3 1d8 +3/+1
5 15 1d3 4 1d8 +3/+3/-2
6 21 1d4 4 1d8 +4/+4/+0
7 28 1d4 5 1d8 +5/+5/+2
8 36 1d6 5 1d10 +6/+6/+4
9 45 1d6 6 1d10 +6/+6/+6/+1
10 55 1d8 6 1d10 +7/+7/+7/+3
11 66 1d8 7 1d10 +8/+8/+8/+5
12 78 1d10 7 2d6 +9/+9/+9/+7
13 91 1d10 8 2d6 +9/+9/+9/+9/+4
14 105 1d12 8 2d6 +10/+10/+10/+10/+6
15 120 1d12 9 2d6 +11/+11/+11/+11/+8
16 136 2d8 9 2d8 +12/+12/+12/+12/+10
17 153 2d8 10 2d8 +12/+12/+12/+12/+12/+7
18 171 3d6 10 2d8 +13/+13/+13/+13/+13/+9
19 190 3d6 11 2d8 +14/+14/+14/+14/+14/+11
20 210 4d6 11 2d10 +15/+15/+15/+15/+15/+15

(Note that the flurry attack progression is slightly broken at L 20. This is intentional. If you have BaB from other classes, it adds to your Flurry attack bonus for all attacks, but does not progress the extra attacks.)

One gains bonus Wu Wei equal to one's Charisma bonus, double that at level 10, and triple that at level 20.

One gains bonus Qi equal to one's Wisdom bonus every odd level.

One may spend Qi on Dao Monk talents. However, each round you roll your Wu Wei -- that much Qi spent is free of charge for that round.

Qi recovers after an 8 hour rest, once per day.

One may not spend more than your Dao Monk level on any one talent per round.

Flurry:
As a standard action, one may strike in a Flurry of Blows. This costs 1 Qi, and means that the Dao Monk does 1d6 damage per blow.

For every 4 levels, the Dao Monk may spend an extra Qi. This grants her attack a +1 enhancement bonus to hit and damage, and increases the weapon damage to 1d8/1d10/2d6/2d8 and 2d10 respectively.

The Dao Monk may choose to combine multiple attack rolls at the same attack bonus into one. When done so, the resulting hit does the sum of the damage in question.

The Dao Monk may choose to attack with a weapon in a Flurry. The material type of the weapon matters, but it does Flurry damage and uses the Flurry enhancement bonus instead. Extra damage dice from weapon enchantments are not applied.

All attacks in a flurry are considered Light Weapons attacks, and deliver full Strength bonus to damage.

Flurry is an (Ex) ability.

Unarmored Defense:
Gain an AC bonus equal to your Wisdom bonus, plus 1 for every 4 levels of Dao Monk. This does not stack with worn armor bonuses or other sources of non-dexterity stat bonuses to AC.

Gain a +1 shield bonus for every 2 Qi expended (cannot spend more than your monk level on this per round, and it lasts 1 round).

Unarmored Defense is an (Ex) ability.

Talents:
Activating a talent is, unless otherwise noted, a Free Action, and it lasts until the end of the round.

A Dao Monk gains 2 talents at level 1, and 1 additional talent every odd level.

Talents are (Su) abilities.

Fist of Power: Gain a +1 Dao damage bonus to your attacks for every Qi expended. (This applies to all attacks for one round).
5 Qi: Sunder without provoking an Attack of Opportunity, ignoring hardness.
10 Qi: Make an single attack a touch attack. Instead of doing damage, it reduces natural armor, worn armor, or a shield bonus by 1 for every 10 damage it would have done for 1 round.

Feet of Hare: Gain a +5' Dao bonus to your movement for every Qi expended. This ability only works when wearing no armor.
5 Qi: Do not provoke an attack of opportunity from leaving one specific square.
10 Qi: Gain a +20 bonus to Jump and Balance checks
20 Qi: Gain a Jump movement equal to twice your ground speed

Fists of Wu Xing:
For the purposes of damage reduction and hardness:
1 Qi: Your unarmed attacks are considered piercing, bludgeoning and slashing.
2 Qi: Your unarmed attacks are considered magical.
4 Qi: Your unarmed attacks are considered aligned with your alignment
6 Qi: Your unarmed attacks are considered alchemical silver
8 Qi: Your unarmed attacks are considered adamantine
9/14 Qi: Your unarmed attacks do half/full sonic damage
10/15 Qi: Your unarmed attacks do half/full fire damage
11/16 Qi: Your unarmed attacks do half/full cold damage
12/17 Qi: Your unarmed attacks do half/full acid damage
13/18 Qi: Your unarmed attacks do half/full electrical damage
20 Qi: You do half damage, but your attacks are considered touch attacks

Body of Leaf: Reduce damage from falling, being fallen on, or being thrown at another object by 5 for every Qi expended.
10 Qi: Full round action: Roll an opposed attack roll against any and all attacks that attempt to hit you. If you win, the attack misses.
20 Qi: Delay damage from one attack, or the effects of a spell targeted on you, for 1 round.

Neidan: Heal 1 damage to yourself for every Qi expended. No more than half, rounded down, of the Qi spent may come from Wu Wei. You may also heal 1 damage to another for every 1 Qi expended as a 10 minute action (this cannot use any Wu Wei).

Yin-Yang Defense: When you take damage, for every Qi burned and damage taken, gain 2 Wu Wei on your next turn.

Bend like Willow: Replace a failed save roll with a roll of 1d20, +1 per Qi expended. This may be repeated more than once, but 20 is not an automatic success. Other modifiers to your save don't apply to this reroll.

Qi Strike: Gain a +1 attack bonus on one attack for every Qi expended. If you do this while combining flurry blows, you have to pay for each of the attacks combined.

Body of Shadow:
1 Qi: Take no damage from a successful Reflex save against damage. Requires light or no armor.
2 Qi: Gain a +2 save bonus against spells from the school of enchantment. This is increased by +1 for every 4 additional Qi expended.
4 Qi: Cure any non-supernatural disease in oneself, or gain a +4 save bonus against a supernatural disease
8 Qi: Take half damage from a failed Reflex save. Requires light or no armor.
12 Qi: Cure and/or be immune to any poison.
16 Qi: Dimension Door at level 8. +1 caster level for every 2 additional Qi spent. Standard action, self only.
20 Qi: Become Ethereal for 1 round.

Body of Diamond:
Gain spell resistance 10+Qi expended.
1+2X Qi: Gain DR 1+X/-
15 Qi: Stop aging, forever.
20 Qi: Ascend. Become an outsider, 10/magic and chaotic damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, can still be brought back from the dead.

Quivering Palm:
Burn X Qi, then attack. Your attack deals +X damage, and marks the target with a DC X+Monk Wis Modifier Quivering Palm effect that lasts X days.

The monk may trigger this effect starting on the round after it is applied. The target must make a saving throw against the Quivering Palm effect or die.

A target can only have one Quivering Palm effect on them at once. The most recent replaces the older ones.

Burn 1+2X Qi, then attack as if the attack was a Stunning Fist attack, with DC 10+X+Wis modifier.

Feet of Feather:
1 Qi: Walk or Stand on on Liquid at half speed
2 Qi: Run on Liquid as if it where solid ground
3 Qi: Move 5' along a wall or other horizontal surface as if it where stable ground.
4 Qi: Gain trackless step for one round
5 Qi: Take an extra 5' step for every 5 Qi expended, only on your turn.
6 Qi: Be undetectable by Tremorsense.
7 Qi: You can walk on any physical object, even a ceiling, capable of supporting your weight, at half speed. +2 Qi for full speed.
11 Qi: Walk on any physical object, such as a tree or pole, so long as it is physically connected to something that can carry your weight, at half speed. +2 Qi for full speed.
15 Qi: Walk on disconnected physical objects, such as floating leaves, at half speed. You cannot ascend using this. +2 Qi for full speed.
19 Qi: Fly at your ground speed, good maneuverability.

Anchor of Nothingness:
1 Qi: Gain Blindsense 5', +5' for every 5 addional Qi expended.
2 Qi: Full Round Action, double your Wu Wei next round. 3 Qi, standard action.
4 Qi: Reroll a save against a mind-effecting effect.
5 Qi: Freedom of Movement
7 Qi: Cause an Attack of Opportunity to miss.
9 Qi: Move action: gain a move action next round
10 Qi: Deal no damage from a successful attack, and instead heal half as much yourself.
13 Qi: If Exhasted, become Fatigued
14 Qi: Reroll any one save
15 Qi: Immunity to mind-effecting powers.
17 Qi: Blindsight 15'
18 Qi: Become Invisible and Silent. This trumps true sight. Also become undetectable to Tremorsense and Blindsense (but not Blindsight).
19 Qi: Remove any one status effect on yourself.
20 Qi: Mind Blank

Iron Grasp:
Gain a +1 bonus to a grapple check for every Qi burnt.
10 Qi: Suppress all Freedom of Movement effects on touched or grappled target for 1 round.

Fists of Wind:
1 Qi: Your fists are considered Ghost Touch weapons.
2 Qi: As a standard action, you may make an unarmed attack 10' away, +10' for every 2 Qi spent, doing one hit of Flurry damage.
3 Qi: When you hit a target, make a free attack against someone you haven't hit yet this round with the same base attack bonus and weapon, etc.
5 Qi: As part of another attack sequence, make an unarmed attack 10' away, +10' for every 5 additional Qi spent.
7 Qi: Make an opposed attack roll against a ranged touch attack on you. If you succeed, the attack misses. +2 Qi do it against any ranged attack roll. +4 Qi to use this ability on any attack that passes within 5' of the Dao Monk.
15 Qi: Make an attack at full BaB.
17 Qi: Instead of dealing damage on an attack, push your target back 5' for every 5 damage done by your attack. If the target runs into a wall or other barrier, both it and the wall take the full damage from the attack.
19 Qi: Costs a Standard Action. Gain an extra Standard Action next round.

Shinton
2008-05-09, 08:44 PM
15 Qi: Walk on disconnected physical objects, such as floating leaves, at half speed. You cannot ascend using this. +2 Qi for full speed

AWESOME. Who would not wanna walk on leaves!?

Ilike teh other abilities too. Good variant IMO.

Ceiling009
2008-05-10, 01:00 AM
I'm confused by the Wu Wei.. not quite sure what the point is...and when do Qi recharge?

Yakk
2008-05-10, 09:20 AM
I'm confused by the Wu Wei.. not quite sure what the point is...and when do Qi recharge?

Wu Wei is "per round Qi". Each round you roll your Wu Wei. You can spend that much Qi without actually dipping into your pool -- that much Qi spent costs you nothing. (with the exception of the self-heal, which would be broken if that where the case)

The Dao Monk can fuel each and every Talent with up to the class level in Qi each round. That can be a ridiculous amount of Qi burnt in a single round, running the Monk short very quickly. However, if the Dao Monk keeps the spending under control -- stays under the Wu Wei for that round -- the Dao Monk can continue being useful for many rounds.

Ceiling009
2008-05-10, 12:17 PM
when you roll... I assume a D20?

Yakk
2008-05-10, 07:42 PM
Your Wu Wei per-round roll is on the table -- 2nd column, next to your Qi.