Armored Monk

[NineThePuma]

Is there any feat or magical enhancement, or ANYTHING that will allow a monk to wear armor?

[turkishproverb]

Being a warforged.

[Keld Denar]

Monks CAN always wear armor.

They just lose a few key features when they do...like AC bonus and Flurry. Oh, and evasion if the armor is heavier than light.

Oh, and they aren't normally proficient, so...ouch.

Being a warforged.

Warforged monks have to take Unarmored Body or lose all the same features that any other monk with armor would have. Feat tax.

[Kylarra]

If you want to be snarky, unarmed swordsages can wear armor and still get the wis bonus, but they need to acquire proficiency again.

[Psyren]

Argent Fist (FoE) can wear full plate+shield and keep the monk AC bonus at level 2.

[CodeRed]

Shou Disciple gives you light armor prof, a dodge bonus that works while wearing light armor, advances Flurry of blows, lets you flurry with any martial weapon, and flurry while wearing light armor.

It's a prestige class in Unapproachable East that gives perfect BaB for five levels and two bonus feats along the progression while upping your unarmed damage. It's a pretty decent class for monk if your focusing on it.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Argent Fist (FoE) can wear full plate+shield and keep the monk AC bonus at level 2.

Along these lines, if you take Overwhelming Strike instead of Flurry of Blows, you can just multiclass after 1st level, take Paladin or something with one of those synergy feats, and go to town, since that variant isn't lost if you are wearing armour.

I make me some lean mean fullplate fisticuffs machines like that!

[NineThePuma]

Overwhelming strike is where? (Sounds awesome to me)

[Pinnacle]

Warforged monks have to take Unarmored Body or lose all the same features that any other monk with armor would have. Feat tax.

The feats that give them better than standard composite plating make them count as wearing armor for such purposes.
The normal built-in armor does not.

[Keld Denar]

Nope, that was clarified. Default composite plating is armor, with all the benefits and drawbacks that go with it.

[Marnath]

Nope, that was clarified. Default composite plating is armor, with all the benefits and drawbacks that go with it.

{Citation needed.}
Monk sucks bad enough without robbing them of even that miniscule advantage. Also, I don't see anything that says they need to take unarmored body.

[turkishproverb]

Nope, that was clarified. Default composite plating is armor, with all the benefits and drawbacks that go with it.

Races of Ebberon (page 23) says otherwise. Explicitly. Mentions that warforged is a good race for monks for that reason. Also notes that

You can choose to increase that advantage with Addamantine Body or Mitral Body, but both of those feats cause you to take penalties to skills important to most monks.

If you're right, then it is funny. After all, how can you lose something you don't have?


And Unarmored Body mentions nothing about Monks. Mentions casters though.

No record I can find of ANYTHING saying otherwise in RAW.

[Temotei]

Shameful plug of an old homebrew.

[Keld Denar]

Hmmm, this is what I remembered:

Is a warforged considered to be wearing armor for the purpose of using special abilities, such as a monk’s fast movement?

The composite plating of a typical warforged doesn’t count as armor. Certain warforged feats, such as Adamantine Body (ECS 50) specifically state that the character is considered to be wearing armor, and thus would limit use of such abilities.

The second part contradicts Races of Eberron, but follows with the Eberron Campaign Setting. I could have sworn it included something about normal composite plating though...

[turkishproverb]

You do realize what you just posted supports me, right?

Also, the second part does not contradict races of Eberron, at least not the part I quoted.

[Keld Denar]

Hey, chill out, I admitted it...

It does contradict Races of Eberron though.

Monk: Monk is a good class choice for a warforged character. Monks do not normally wear armor, so the armor bonus inherent to the race is a great advantage. You can choose to increase that advantage with Adamantine Body or Mithral Body, but both of those feats cause you to take penalties to skills important to most monks. <snip>

Emphasis mine.

So yea...the FAQ, and its reference to the Eberron Campaign Setting support that composite plating = ok. They do contradict Races of Eberron, though. Thats what I was pointing out.

[turkishproverb]

Hey, chill out, I admitted it...

It does contradict Races of Eberron though.


Emphasis mine.

So yea...the FAQ, and its reference to the Eberron Campaign Setting support that composite plating = ok. They do contradict Races of Eberron, though. Thats what I was pointing out.

Races of Eberron supports composite plating = Ok. It's the improvements that get you. Just like FAQ (a rare case of it making sense ).

[Leon]

If you want to be snarky, unarmed swordsages can wear armor and still get the wis bonus, but they need to acquire proficiency again.

They are not however monks and are irrelevant to the question.

[Pinnacle]

It does contradict Races of Eberron though.

Races of Eberron contradicts itself on this point. The warforged monk advice section recommends feats that the person who wrote it obviously didn't bother to read. Adamantine and Mithral Body are reprinted in RoE, and explicitly say that you lose class abilities like that (Twice! It's mentioned in both the body of the feat and in the "Special" section).

There are.. issues, with that book.

[Prime32]

Is there any feat or magical enhancement, or ANYTHING that will allow a monk to wear armor?

Swordsages can wear light armour.

[Emmerask]

Swordsages can wear light armour.

Firstly you are several hours late with this remark (see fourth post), secondly since swordsages are not monks the relevance to the topic is doubtful at best

[Sir_Chivalry]

Overwhelming strike is where? (Sounds awesome to me)

To answer your question, Player's Handbook 2, monk page. Take the -2 penalty to make one attack that deals double damage. As the improvements go up, you lessen the penalty and triple the damage instead.

[Sir Swindle89]

Bracers of Armor or if that doesn't work for some reason Amulet(or is it a ring?) of Natural Armor.

you can put armor enchants on the bracers per the Arms and Equipment Guide(way in the back) if thats what you wanted.

Otherwise Light Armor Proficiency and the rest of that tree do rather well.(what do you have to lose really?)

[Pinnacle]

Otherwise Light Armor Proficiency and the rest of that tree do rather well.(what do you have to lose really?)

Class features... ?