Monk

There are as many ways to express your will upon the world as there are people with a will to express. Probably the simplest and most direct way of doing this is to pick up a rock and hit something. Indeed, there are many, many powerful and capable adventurers who make their way through the world doing exactly that.

Then, there are the people who use less direct means of expressing their will upon the world, people who use aura-based powers and abilities, through song, raw martial talent, or magical aptitude in numerous varieties, to bend the world to their will.

And then, there are 'rock-hitter' types who are more mystical, more spiritual, more lyrical, in their way of doing things. These are warriors who seek to flow through conflicts like water, air, or sand, who express their will upon the world through martial conflict, but more subtly than most. These people come from many walks of life, such as swashbuckling sea-dwellers, light-footed scalawags from the back alleys, deeply meditative farmers and millers, and yes, travelers from exotic Eastern lands with strange practices.

All of them use the same ways of dealing with the world, namely, a light, fast, highly-skilled armed and unarmed fighting style with an extreme emphasis on footwork and speed, combined with the ability to project power directly through their aura to empower themselves in numerous amazing ways. They are most commonly called 'monks', but can be known by a thousand different names (rakes, scalawags, gypsy fighters, bare-knuckle boxers, scrappers, fightin' fools, and many more besides), as every one of these 'aura warriors' expresses their path in their own unique way.

For simplicity, we refer to all these styles of warriors here as 'monks', and their aura power is called their 'chi pool'. If the player and GM want to name these differently, we encourage such behavior, to match the story YOU are telling.

Monks all tend to be organized, disciplined people, able to focus on a long-term goal and stay focused on that goal for as long as required to reach it. This ability is how they are able to develop their amazing powers. A consequence of this required focus is the fact that all Monks have to have a Lawful alignment.

Role:

Monks can be fast-moving melee combatants, or do a decent job of screening and soaking damage from enemies, and even act as flankers and skirmishers, using their mobility to confound enemies.

Alignment: Any lawful

Hit Die: d8

Starting Wealth: 250 gp

Recommended Ability Score Priority:

• Wisdom: primary; used for to-hits, damage, AC, and Maneuver Defense.
• Dexterity: secondary; used for to-hits, damage, and AC.
• Constitution: tertiary; useful for improving your durability in close combat.
• Intelligence: low priority.
• Charisma: low priority.
• Strength: low priority.

Base To-Hit:

A monk does not calculate their to-hits normally. Monks get a class feature at 1st level (Water and Stone, below) that replaces their Strength modifier with their Dexterity modifier with all to-hit rolls, and adds their Wisdom modifier as well.

• Melee To-Hit: Base Attack Bonus (BAB) + Dexterity Modifier + Wisdom Modifier
• Ranged To-Hit: Base Attack Bonus (BAB) + Dexterity Modifier + Wisdom Modifier

Base Weapon Damage:

A monk does not calculate their damage normally. Monks get a class feature at 1st level (Water and Stone, below) that replaces their Strength modifier with their Dexterity modifier with all melee and ranged damage rolls, and adds their Wisdom modifier as well.

• Melee Damage: Base Weapon Damage + Dexterity Modifier + Wisdom Modifier
• Thrown Weapon Damage: Base Weapon Damage + Dexterity Modifier + Wisdom Modifier
• Projectile Weapon Damage: Base Weapon Damage + Wisdom Modifier (may add Dexterity Modifier (instead of Strength) only if the weapon has the Mighty quality)

Base Armor Class:

A monk's base armor class is 10, but monks cannot wear armor, or carry a shield. Monks do get a class feature at every experience tier (Shining Heaven Barrier, below) that grants them a Training Bonus to AC, however, which should help them somewhat.

• Armor Class: 10 + Adjusted Dexterity Modifier + Training Bonus + Racial Size Modifier (if any)

Maneuver Defense:

A monk's maneuver defense is not calculated normally. Monks get a class feature at 1st level (Water and Stone, below) that replaces their Strength modifier with their Wisdom modifier when calculating their maneuver defense value.

• Maneuver Defense: 10 + ½ Character Level (round down) + Wisdom Modifier + Dexterity Modifier + Size Modifier

Skills:

Monks get 6 + Int modifier skill ranks per Monk class level.

• Bailiwick Skill: Reason

Your bailiwick skill is always considered a Natural Talent skill, which means you can choose which of your ability modifiers are mapped to it. Furthermore, Natural Talent skills never suffer from an Armor Check Penalty, even if you map them to Strength or Dexterity.

• Linked Skill: Knowledge (Logic)

You automatically gain skill ranks in your linked skill equal to the number of ranks you place in your Bailiwick skill. Remember that you can never place more skill ranks into a skill than your character level. Your Linked skill, as a Knowledge skill, is always mapped to your Intelligence modifier unless you choose it as your Natural Talent skill.

• Natural Talent:

You may choose one skill (in addition to your Bailiwick skill) to be a Natural Talent at 1st level, which means you can choose which of your ability modifiers are mapped to it. Furthermore, Natural Talent skills never suffer from an Armor Check Penalty, even if you map them to Strength or Dexterity.

All characters receive an additional natural talent skill at character (not class) levels 11, 21, and 31. Additional natural talents may also be gained through Self-Improvement. Because natural talents are gained at particular character levels, dual-classed and multi-classed characters receive the same number of natural talent skills (and at the same levels) as a single-classed character.

• Suggested Skills:

The following skills may be somewhat more applicable or useful to this class than others. This list is by no means intended to limit which skills you choose for your character. Unless a particular skill has a note stating that it is important for this class, your character will likely function just fine without any of these skills. If you have a vision for how your character should be, follow that, instead. These are just suggestions.

• Acrobatics
• Might
• Movement

Favored Class: Monk

If the Monk class is your Favored Class, you gain the following benefits at level 1. This is in addition to those benefits and class features listed for the Courageous Monk (Levels 1 - 5) class tier table, below.

Level	Full Attack BAB				Fort	Ref	Will	Base AC	Favored Class Feature
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk
Fav	+0	-5	-10	n/a	+2	+2	+2	10	Nine Suns

Nine Suns (Ex)

If you choose Monk as your favored class, any time you successfully perform a Combat Maneuver, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage dealt (assuming you choose to deal damage with the maneuver).

Courageous Monk (Levels 1 - 5)

Level	Full Attack BAB				Saving Throws			Base AC	Class Features
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk	Fort	Refl	Will
1st	+0	-5	-10	-	+2	+2	+2	10	Water and Stone, The Way, Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows, Shining Heaven Barrier I
2nd	+1 (+1)	-4 (+1)	-9 (+1)	-	+3 (+1)	+3 (+1)	+3 (+1)	10	Martial Arts Disciple I, Rattling Fist
3rd	+2 (+1)	-3 (+1)	-8 (+1)	-	+3	+3	+3	10	Ki Pool, First Inner Gate
4th	+3 (+1)	-2 (+1)	-7 (+1)	-	+4 (+1)	+4 (+1)	+4 (+1)	10	Harmonious Breeze I, Evasion
5th	+3	-2	-7	-	+4	+4	+4	10	Laughing Moonlight I, Blood Mist Purge

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Monks are proficient with Brass Knuckles, Cestus, Club, Light and Heavy Crossbows, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin, Kama, Light Mace, Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, Short Spear, Shortsword, Shuriken, Siangham, Sling, Spear, and Temple Sword.

Of these proficiencies, brass knuckles, cestus, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short spear, short sword, siangham, and temple sword are considered to be special Monk Weapons (see below).

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses the use of many of their abilities.

Water and Stone (Ex)

Beginning at 1st level, monks use their Dexterity modifier in any place that would normally call for their Strength modifier, when calculating to-hit and damage for melee or ranged attacks. This includes any melee touch or ranged touch attacks they might make.

In addition, monks add their Wisdom modifier to all to-hit and damage calculations for melee or ranged attack damage, including melee touch or ranged touch attacks.

Finally, monks use their Wisdom modifier in place of their Strength modifier when calculating their Maneuver Defense score.

Monks never add their Strength modifier to their melee or ranged attacks (either attack or damage), nor do they ever include it in their Maneuver Defense calculations.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature, and instead calculate all of their to-hits, damage, and maneuver defense as normal.

The Way (Ex)

Monks gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat as a bonus feat at 1st level, however it does not provide any benefits to them, except as a prerequisite for other feats. (This is because the Monk's special attacks inflict considerably more damage than this feat grants.)

A monk's unarmed attacks may be with fist, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may make unarmed strikes even if their hands are full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. As a result, monks gain no benefits from 2-weapon fighting feats, and cannot use these feats to gain additional off-hand attacks. The same is true for monk weapons wielded by the monk — two-weapon fighting feats provide no benefit to a monk wielding monk weapons, and do not grant additional off-hand attacks.

Instead, when attacking unarmed or using monk weapons, the monk can make use of their Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows class feature (see below), which allows them to attack as fast as an expert at two-weapon fighting, without the need for all those feats.

Monk Special Attack Damage (Courageous Tier)

A monk deals different damage with their unarmed strikes and monk weapons than other classes would deal with those weapons. All monks, regardless of size, do the same damage with their attacks. Sized-small monks can hit their enemies most sensitive spots easily. Sized-medium monks may hit harder but their points of impact are more spread out. It all balances out!

The monk's attacks deal an amount of damage based on their current tier of the Monk class, regardless of whether they took any previous tiers of the Monk class. Refer to the table below for damage dealt at this tier:

Monk Level	Unarmed or Monk Weapon Damage
1st	1d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
2nd	1d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
3rd	1d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
4th	1d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
5th	2d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)

Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows (Ex)

At 1st level, any time the monk performs an Attack Action, and they are using either unarmed strike or a monk weapon to do so, they may attack twice at the same attack value as that attack. An attack action is an attack that can be performed with either a Standard Action, or with any attack during a Full Attack Action.

When the attack is performed as a Standard Action, it is called an Echoing Strike. The monk rolls to-hit twice, using their highest available attack value. Each roll is resolved as their own attack; that is, if both hit, the monk deals their monk special attack damage twice. If only one hits, they deal their monk special attack damage once.

When this class feature is used during a Full Attack Action, it is called a Flurry of Blows. Since the Monk's BAB allows them to perform three attack actions during a full attack action, they can perform up to six attacks (assuming they don't trade away any attacks for 5-foot steps; see Full Attack Action for details on that). The first two attacks are made at Full BAB, the second two attacks are made at BAB - 5, and the final two attacks are made at BAB -10. Each successful hit deals the monk's special attack damage.

The monk can always target anyone within their melee reach with each attack available to them. They are not required to apply both attacks of an Echoing Strike to the same creature, for example. Furthermore, the monk may perform a 5-foot step between each strike of an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows if they have a 5-foot step available to them (they can even perform multiple 5-foot steps, if they have multiple available).

A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon to perform an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. In such a case, each of the monk's attack actions would only produce one attack.

Shining Heaven Barrier I (Ex)

At 1st level, the monk learns to center the energy within themselves through meditation and a fierce willpower. As a result, they gain a +3 Training Bonus to their Armor Class (AC) at all times.

Unlike normal training bonuses, the training bonus to AC from Shining Heaven Barrier I stacks with the training bonus to AC from any other Shining Heaven Barrier class features you may possess. Training bonuses to AC provided by any other source (e.g. racial traits, or class features that aren't part of the Shining Heaven Barrier series) do not stack. Instead, only the highest available value is counted. Other bonus types to AC (e.g. dodge bonuses) still stack, as usual.

Martial Arts Disciple I (Ex)

At 2nd level, the monk may choose a bonus feat from the list provided below. Unless a feat specifically states otherwise, no feat can be taken more than once. In all cases, the monk must meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it. Once chosen, the selection cannot be changed except through the re-selection process.

• Combat Expertise (Feat)
• Combat Reflexes (Feat)
• Deflect Arrows (Feat)
• Dodge (Feat)
• Improved Combat Maneuvers (Feat)
• Power Attack (Feat)
• Scorpion Style (Feat)

Rattling Fist (Ex)

At 2nd level, the monk gains the Rattling Fist (Feat) as a bonus feat. The monk may attempt a Rattling Fist attack a number of times per day equal to their monk level, plus one additional time per day for every five levels they possess in classes other than monk.

The monk may use Rattling Fist as one attack during an Echoing Strike, or as any of the attacks during a Full Attack Action. It uses the same to-hit value as the attack it is replacing.

Rattling Fist may never be attempted more than once per round, even with the use of action points. Because Rattling Fist inflicts a status condition, creatures with roles that grant partial immunity to conditions (such as heavies or threats) will also be resistant to Rattling Fist.

Synergy: If a creature receives any other status condition while it is suffering from the Rattled condition laid by the monk's Rattling Fist, the Rattled condition may be replaced with a new effect. In such cases, the residual spiritual energy of the monk's attack is instantly released throughout the creature's body, dealing 1d6 points of damage per two Monk levels of the monk (rounding down, minimum 1d6, maximum 17d6 at Monk level 34) as slashing (physical, common) damage. There is no saving throw for this effect.

Ki Pool (Su)

Beginning at 3rd level, the monk gains a Ki Pool, allowing them to perform amazing feats by channeling and directing the spiritual energy that circulates through their body's meridians (or chakra points, if you prefer). The monk gains a number of Ki points equal to their monk class level + their WIS modifier per day. Once a ki point has been spent, it is gone until the monk completes a Full Night's Rest. After completing each full night's rest, the monk is fully restored back up to their maximum number of ki points for the day. Any ki points not spent prior to completing a full night's rest are lost — unspent points cannot be 'saved up' from previous days.

Spending ki points is usually a free action, and there is no limit on how many of the monk's remaining ki points they can spend in each round. However, wise monks should probably reserve at least a few ki points to ensure they can handle any surprises or unforeseen circumstances they might encounter before they get a chance to rest and restore their Ki Pool.

First Inner Gate (Su)

At 3rd level, the monk learns new ways to channel or direct the ki within their body to perform amazing and miraculous feats. They gain the ability to do the following:

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to grant themselves a bonus attack at their highest attack value (Full BAB). The bonus attack must be rolled before the end of their current turn, or it is lost. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to grant themselves a +4 circumstance bonus to their AC until the start of their next turn. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to prevent one enemy from making any attacks of opportunity against the monk (for any reason) until the start of the monk's next turn. This use of ki can be used up to once per enemy per round.

Harmonious Breeze I (Ex)

At 4th level, the monk's Walk speed permanently increases by 10 feet. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

Evasion (Ex)

Beginning at 4th level, a monk can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. Any attack, spell, or effect that deals damage and offers a Reflex-based saving throw can be mitigated with this ability. If the monk succeeds on their saving throw, the effect deals only one-quarter (¼) damage. Furthermore, even if the monk fails their Reflex saving throw, they take only three-quarters (¾) damage from the effect.

Evasion does not provide any protection against non-damaging effects or status conditions caused by the attack, it only reduces the damage portion of the attack. Evasion can only be used in circumstances where the monk is aware of the attack, is not using a shield or wearing heavy armor, and is not carrying a medium or heavier load.

Laughing Moonlight I (Ex)

At 5th level, the monk learns to twist, bend, and roll in mid-air to slow the rate of their falling, and reduce damage taken from falls. Any time the monk would suffer falling damage, whether from intentionally jumping, accidentally falling, or being subjected to forced movement off of a precipice of some kind, they take damage from the fall as if the distance they fell was 20 feet less than the actual distance. If the fall was intentional, the monk may combine this class feature with an Acrobatics check to attempt to mitigate the fall even more.

As with any falling creature, if a monk takes any damage from a fall, after any mitigation or damage reduction they have available, they are also knocked prone by the fall. However, if the monk is able to fully mitigate the falling damage, taking none, they land on their feet.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

Blood Mist Purge (Ex)

At 5th level, the monk becomes immune to all diseases.

Intrepid Monk (Levels 6 - 10)

Level	Full Attack BAB				Saving Throws			Base AC	Class Features
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk	Fort	Refl	Will
6th	+4 (+1)	-1 (+1)	-6 (+1)	-	+5 (+1)	+5 (+1)	+5 (+1)	10	Water and Stone, The Way, Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows, Ki Pool, Rattling Fist, Shining Heaven Barrier II
7th	+5 (+1)	+0 (+1)	-5 (+1)	-	+5	+5	+5	10	Martial Arts Disciple II
8th	+6 (+1)	+1 (+1)	-4 (+1)	-	+6 (+1)	+6 (+1)	+6 (+1)	10	Second Inner Gate
9th	+6	+1	-4	-	+6	+6	+6	10	Harmonious Breeze II, Shockwave Ki Barrage
10th	+7 (+1)	+2 (+1)	-3 (+1)	-	+7 (+1)	+7 (+1)	+7 (+1)	10	Laughing Moonlight II

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Monks are proficient with Brass Knuckles, Cestus, Club, Light and Heavy Crossbows, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin, Kama, Light Mace, Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, Short Spear, Shortsword, Shuriken, Siangham, Sling, Spear, and Temple Sword.

Of these proficiencies, brass knuckles, cestus, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short spear, short sword, siangham, and temple sword are considered to be special Monk Weapons (see below).

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses the use of many of their abilities.

Water and Stone (Intrepid Tier)

If you do not already have the Water and Stone class feature, you gain it at 6th level. See Water and Stone for details on how this works.

Remember that if a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature, and instead calculate all of their to-hits, damage, and maneuver defense as normal.

The Way (Intrepid Tier)

If you do not already know The Way, you learn it at 6th level. See The Way for details on how this works.

Monk Special Attack Damage (Intrepid Tier)

A monk deals different damage with their unarmed strikes and monk weapons than other classes would deal with those weapons. All monks, regardless of size, do the same damage with their attacks. Sized-small monks can hit their enemies most sensitive spots easily. Sized-medium monks may hit harder but their points of impact are more spread out. It all balances out!

The monk's attacks deal an amount of damage based on their current tier of the Monk class, regardless of whether they took any previous tiers of the Monk class. Refer to the table below for damage dealt at this tier:

Monk Level	Unarmed or Monk Weapon Damage
6th	2d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
7th	2d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
8th	2d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
9th	3d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
10th	3d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)

Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows (Intrepid Tier)

If you do not already have the Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows class feature, you gain it at 6th level. See Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows for details on how this works.

A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon to perform an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. In such a case, each of the monk's attack actions would only produce one attack.

Ki Pool (Intrepid Tier)

If you do not already have the Ki Pool class feature, you gain it at 6th level. See Ki Pool for details on how this works.

Rattling Fist (Intrepid Tier)

If you do not already have the Rattling Fist class feature, you gain it at 6th level. See Rattling Fist for details on how this works.

Shining Heaven Barrier II (Ex)

At 6th level, the monk learns to center the energy within themselves through meditation and a fierce willpower. As a result, they gain a +1 Training Bonus to their Armor Class (AC) at all times, and 5 points of Damage Reduction versus all physical damage types (DR 5/-).

The DR provided by this class feature stacks with any other source of DR x/- (DR that protects against all physical damage types), but not with any DR that only protects against some physical damage types (e.g. DR x/bludgeoning). In that case, only the highest available value is used.

Unlike normal training bonuses, the training bonus to AC provided by this class feature stacks with the training bonus to AC from any other Shining Heaven Barrier class feature you may possess. Training bonuses to AC provided by any other source (e.g. racial traits, or class features that aren't part of the Shining Heaven Barrier series) do not stack. Instead, only the highest available value is counted. Other bonus types to AC (e.g. dodge bonuses) still stack, as usual.

You do not automatically gain any Shining Heaven Barrier class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Martial Arts Disciple II (Ex)

At 7th level, the monk may choose a bonus feat from the list provided below. Unless a feat specifically states otherwise, no feat can be taken more than once. In all cases, the monk must meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it. Once chosen, the selection cannot be changed except through the re-selection process.

• Adroit Defender (Feat)
• Combat Expertise (Feat)
• Combat Reflexes (Feat)
• Deflect Arrows (Feat)
• Dodge (Feat)
• Gorgon's Fist (Feat)
• Improved Combat Maneuvers (Feat)
• Mobility (Feat)
• Power Attack (Feat)
• Scorpion Style (Feat)

Second Inner Gate (Su)

At 8th level, the monk learns new ways to channel or direct the ki within their body to perform amazing and miraculous feats. They gain the ability to do the following:

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to heal themselves an amount of damage equal to their Monk class level. This is a form of instantaneous healing. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to use their Reflex saving throw in place of any other saving throws (Fortitude or Will) they are required to make before the start of their next turn. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

Harmonious Breeze II (Ex)

At 9th level, the monk's Walk speed permanently increases by 10 feet. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

You do not automatically gain any Harmonious Breeze class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Shockwave Ki Barrage (Su)

At 9th level, the monk is able to hurl their ki outside of their body. By spending 1 ki point per attack, the monk can perform a melee attack as a ranged touch attack with a range of Close (25 feet + 5 feet per level). If the attack hits, it deals the same damage it would normally deal, if had been one of the monk's melee attacks. The monk can do this in place of any standard melee attack they can perform, including any attack action during a Full Attack Action. If used in conjunction with an Echoing Strike, a single ki point makes both attacks into ranged touch attacks (though the monk may choose to make one of them a melee attack, instead, if they prefer). The only limitations on the number of times a monk can use this ability in a given round are the monk's number of available attacks, and their available ki points.

Making a ranged touch attack while threatened by an enemy provokes attacks of opportunity, and the monk may suffer penalties for firing into melee or attempting to fire past allies in the path of their attack, unless they have feats to support this class feature, such as Point-Blank Shot (Feat).

The exact appearance of these attacks are left to the player and referee, but we urge you, please strive to be tasteful. In particular, shouting 'HADOKEN' or 'KAMEHAMEHA' when this ability is used is discouraged, as it grows tiresome quickly. Just... trust us.

Laughing Moonlight II (Ex)

At 10th level, the monk learns to twist, bend, and roll in mid-air to slow the rate of their falling, and reduce damage taken from falls. Any time the monk would suffer falling damage, whether from intentionally jumping, accidentally falling, or being subjected to forced movement off of a precipice of some kind, they take damage from the fall as if the distance they fell was 20 feet less than the actual distance. This distance is additive with any previous tiers of the Laughing Moonlight class feature the monk may possess. If the fall was intentional, the monk may combine this class feature with an Acrobatics check to attempt to mitigate the fall even more.

As with any falling creature, if a monk takes any damage from a fall, after any mitigation or damage reduction they have available, they are also knocked prone by the fall. However, if the monk is able to fully mitigate the falling damage, taking none, they land on their feet.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. The monk does not automatically gain any Laughing Moonlight class features of previous tiers, unless they actually took those previous tiers.

Heroic Monk (Levels 11 - 15)

Level	Full Attack BAB				Saving Throws			Base AC	Class Features
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk	Fort	Refl	Will
11th	+8 (+1)	+3 (+1)	-2 (+1)	-	+7	+7	+7	10	The Way, Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows, Water and Stone, Ki Pool, Rattling Fist, Shockwave Ki Barrage, Shining Heaven Barrier III
12th	+9 (+1)	+4 (+1)	-1 (+1)	-	+8 (+1)	+8 (+1)	+8 (+1)	10	Martial Arts Disciple III
13th	+9	+4	-1	-	+8	+8	+8	10	Third Inner Gate
14th	+10 (+1)	+5 (+1)	+0 (+1)	-	+9 (+1)	+9 (+1)	+9 (+1)	10	Harmonious Breeze III, Quivering Palm
15th	+11 (+1)	+6 (+1)	+1 (+1)	-	+9	+9	+9	10	Laughing Moonlight III

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Monks are proficient with Brass Knuckles, Cestus, Club, Light and Heavy Crossbows, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin, Kama, Light Mace, Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, Short Spear, Shortsword, Shuriken, Siangham, Sling, Spear, and Temple Sword.

Of these proficiencies, brass knuckles, cestus, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short spear, short sword, siangham, and temple sword are considered to be special Monk Weapons (see below).

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses the use of many of their abilities.

Water and Stone (Heroic Tier)

If you do not already have the Water and Stone class feature, you gain it at 11th level. See Water and Stone for details on how this works.

Remember that if a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature, and instead calculate all of their to-hits, damage, and maneuver defense as normal.

The Way (Heroic Tier)

If you do not already know The Way, you learn it at 11th level. See The Way for details on how this works.

Monk Special Attack Damage (Heroic Tier)

A monk deals different damage with their unarmed strikes and monk weapons than other classes would deal with those weapons. All monks, regardless of size, do the same damage with their attacks. Sized-small monks can hit their enemies most sensitive spots easily. Sized-medium monks may hit harder but their points of impact are more spread out. It all balances out!

The monk's attacks deal an amount of damage based on their current tier of the Monk class, regardless of whether they took any previous tiers of the Monk class. Refer to the table below for damage dealt at this tier:

Monk Level	Unarmed or Monk Weapon Damage
11th	3d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
12th	3d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
13th	4d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
14th	4d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
15th	4d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)

Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows (Heroic Tier)

If you do not already have the Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows class feature, you gain it at 11th level. See Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows for details on how this works.

A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon to perform an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. In such a case, each of the monk's attack actions would only produce one attack.

Ki Pool (Heroic Tier)

If you do not already have the Ki Pool class feature, you gain it at 11th level. See Ki Pool for details on how this works.

Rattling Fist (Heroic Tier)

If you do not already have the Rattling Fist class feature, you gain it at 11th level. See Rattling Fist for details on how this works.

Shockwave Ki Barrage (Heroic Tier)

If you do not already have the Shockwave Ki Barrage class feature, you gain it at 11th level. See Shockwave Ki Barrage for details on how this works.

Shining Heaven Barrier III (Ex)

At 11th level, the monk learns to center the energy within themselves through meditation and a fierce willpower. As a result, they gain a +1 Training Bonus to their Armor Class (AC) at all times, and 5 points of Damage Reduction versus all physical damage types (DR 5/-).

The DR provided by this class feature stacks with any other source of DR x/- (DR that protects against all physical damage types), but not with any DR that only protects against some physical damage types (e.g. DR x/bludgeoning). In that case, only the highest available value is used.

Unlike normal training bonuses, the training bonus to AC provided by this class feature stacks with the training bonus to AC from any other Shining Heaven Barrier class feature you may possess. Training bonuses to AC provided by any other source (e.g. racial traits, or class features that aren't part of the Shining Heaven Barrier series) do not stack. Instead, only the highest available value is counted. Other bonus types to AC (e.g. dodge bonuses) still stack, as usual.

You do not automatically gain any Shining Heaven Barrier class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Martial Arts Disciple III (Ex)

At 12th level, the monk may choose a bonus feat from the list provided below. Unless a feat specifically states otherwise, no feat can be taken more than once. In all cases, the monk must meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it. Once chosen, the selection cannot be changed except through the re-selection process.

• Adroit Defender (Feat)
• Adroit Diversion (Feat)
• Combat Expertise (Feat)
• Combat Reflexes (Feat)
• Critical, Improved (Feat)
• Deflect Arrows (Feat)
• Dodge (Feat)
• Gorgon's Fist (Feat)
• Improved Combat Maneuvers (Feat)
• Mobility (Feat)
• Power Attack (Feat)
• Scorpion Style (Feat)
• Spring Attack (Feat)

Third Inner Gate (Su)

At 13th level, the monk learns new ways to channel or direct the ki within their body to perform amazing and miraculous feats. They gain the ability to do the following:

• The monk can spend 2 points of ki as a move action during their turn to gain the effects of a Dimension Door spell, except that using this ability does not end the monk's turn. It does count as movement for purposes of using 5-foot steps, however. The monk qualifies to take feats that require the ability to cast Dimension Door. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to cause their next attack action (which can be the pair of attacks granted by an Echoing Strike) to ignore the target's DR and/or ER, if they have any. This use of ki can be used as many times as the monk has attack actions, assuming the monk has enough ki points to do so.

Harmonious Breeze III (Ex)

At 14th level, the monk's Walk speed permanently increases by 10 feet. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

You do not automatically gain any Harmonious Breeze class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Quivering Palm (Su)

Starting at 14th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that tears muscles and dislocates bones. They can use this quivering palm attack once per day, and they must announce their intent before making their attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully, the target must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the monk's level + the monk's Wis modifier), or it takes 10 points of damage per class level of the Monk. If the saving throw is successful, the attack still does half damage. This attack cannot be combined with other abilities such as Rattling Fist, but it may be used as one attack during a full attack action or as one of the attacks in an Echoing Strike.

Laughing Moonlight III (Ex)

At 15th level, the monk learns to twist, bend, and roll in mid-air to slow the rate of their falling, and reduce damage taken from falls. Any time the monk would suffer falling damage, whether from intentionally jumping, accidentally falling, or being subjected to forced movement off of a precipice of some kind, they take damage from the fall as if the distance they fell was 20 feet less than the actual distance. This distance is additive with any previous tiers of the Laughing Moonlight class feature the monk may possess. If the fall was intentional, the monk may combine this class feature with an Acrobatics check to attempt to mitigate the fall even more.

As with any falling creature, if a monk takes any damage from a fall, after any mitigation or damage reduction they have available, they are also knocked prone by the fall. However, if the monk is able to fully mitigate the falling damage, taking none, they land on their feet.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. The monk does not automatically gain any Laughing Moonlight class features of previous tiers, unless they actually took those previous tiers.

Undaunted Monk (Levels 16 - 20)

Level	Full Attack BAB				Saving Throws			Base AC	Class Features
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk	Fort	Refl	Will
16th	+12 (+1)	+7 (+1)	+2 (+1)	-	+10 (+1)	+10 (+1)	+10 (+1)	10	The Way, Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows, Water and Stone, Ki Pool, Rattling Fist, Shockwave Ki Barrage, Quivering Palm, Shining Heaven Barrier IV
17th	+12	+7	+2	-	+10	+10	+10	10	Martial Arts Disciple IV
18th	+13 (+1)	+8 (+1)	+3 (+1)	-	+11 (+1)	+11 (+1)	+11 (+1)	10	Fourth Inner Gate
19th	+14 (+1)	+9 (+1)	+4 (+1)	-	+11	+11	+11	10	Harmonious Breeze IV, Improved Evasion
20th	+15 (+1)	+10 (+1)	+5 (+1)	-	+12 (+1)	+12 (+1)	+12 (+1)	10	Laughing Moonlight IV, Blood Mist Seal

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Monks are proficient with Brass Knuckles, Cestus, Club, Light and Heavy Crossbows, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin, Kama, Light Mace, Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, Short Spear, Shortsword, Shuriken, Siangham, Sling, Spear, and Temple Sword.

Of these proficiencies, brass knuckles, cestus, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short spear, short sword, siangham, and temple sword are considered to be special Monk Weapons (see below).

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses the use of many of their abilities.

Water and Stone (Undaunted Tier)

If you do not already have the Water and Stone class feature, you gain it at 16th level. See Water and Stone for details on how this works.

Remember that if a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature, and instead calculate all of their to-hits, damage, and maneuver defense as normal.

The Way (Undaunted Tier)

If you do not already know The Way, you learn it at 16th level. See The Way for details on how this works.

Monk Special Attack Damage (Undaunted Tier)

A monk deals different damage with their unarmed strikes and monk weapons than other classes would deal with those weapons. All monks, regardless of size, do the same damage with their attacks. Sized-small monks can hit their enemies most sensitive spots easily. Sized-medium monks may hit harder but their points of impact are more spread out. It all balances out!

The monk's attacks deal an amount of damage based on their current tier of the Monk class, regardless of whether they took any previous tiers of the Monk class. Refer to the table below for damage dealt at this tier:

Monk Level	Unarmed or Monk Weapon Damage
16th	4d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
17th	5d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
18th	5d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
19th	5d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
20th	5d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)

Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows (Undaunted Tier)

If you do not already have the Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows class feature, you gain it at 16th level. See Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows for details on how this works.

A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon to perform an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. In such a case, each of the monk's attack actions would only produce one attack.

Ki Pool (Undaunted Tier)

If you do not already have the Ki Pool class feature, you gain it at 16th level. See Ki Pool for details on how this works.

Rattling Fist (Undaunted Tier)

If you do not already have the Rattling Fist class feature, you gain it at 16th level. See Rattling Fist for details on how this works.

Shockwave Ki Barrage (Undaunted Tier)

If you do not already have the Shockwave Ki Barrage class feature, you gain it at 16th level. See Shockwave Ki Barrage for details on how this works.

Quivering Palm (Undaunted Tier)

If you do not already have the Quivering Palm class feature, you gain it at 16th level. See Quivering Palm for details on how this works.

If you already have the Quivering Palm class feature, it improves at 16th level. You can use Quivering Palm one additional time per day.

Shining Heaven Barrier IV (Ex)

At 16th level, the monk learns to center the energy within themselves through meditation and a fierce willpower. As a result, they gain a +1 Training Bonus to their Armor Class (AC) at all times, and 5 points of Damage Reduction versus all physical damage types (DR 5/-).

The DR provided by this class feature stacks with any other source of DR x/- (DR that protects against all physical damage types), but not with any DR that only protects against some physical damage types (e.g. DR x/bludgeoning). In that case, only the highest available value is used.

Unlike normal training bonuses, the training bonus to AC provided by this class feature stacks with the training bonus to AC from any other Shining Heaven Barrier class feature you may possess. Training bonuses to AC provided by any other source (e.g. racial traits, or class features that aren't part of the Shining Heaven Barrier series) do not stack. Instead, only the highest available value is counted. Other bonus types to AC (e.g. dodge bonuses) still stack, as usual.

You do not automatically gain any Shining Heaven Barrier class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Martial Arts Disciple IV (Ex)

At 17th level, the monk may choose a bonus feat from the list provided below. Unless a feat specifically states otherwise, no feat can be taken more than once. In all cases, the monk must meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it. Once chosen, the selection cannot be changed except through the re-selection process.

• Adroit Defender (Feat)
• Adroit Diversion (Feat)
• Adroit Doom (Feat)
• Combat Expertise (Feat)
• Combat Reflexes (Feat)
• Critical, Improved (Feat)
• Deflect Arrows (Feat)
• Dodge (Feat)
• Gorgon's Fist (Feat)
• Improved Combat Maneuvers (Feat)
• Mobility (Feat)
• Power Attack (Feat)
• Scorpion Style (Feat)
• Spring Attack (Feat)

Fourth Inner Gate (Su)

At 18th level, the monk learns new ways to channel or direct the ki within their body to perform amazing and miraculous feats. They gain the ability to do the following:

• The monk can spend 2 points of ki as a free action during their turn to gain the effects of a Haste spell until the start of their next turn. As with the actual Haste spell, this does lay an Arcane Charge on the monk, which cannot be stacked with any other Arcane Charge. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to become able to squeeze into a space up to 2 size categories smaller than their actual size without penalty, until the start of their next turn. This ability also allows the monk to perform the Clamber action on creatures that are their own size or larger (instead of creatures at least 2 sizes larger than the monk), but they must use this ki ability each round once inside that creature's space, or they will be forcibly moved to an unblocked, unoccupied square adjacent to that creature's space (the GM chooses which space this is). This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

Harmonious Breeze IV (Ex)

At 19th level, the monk's Walk speed permanently increases by 10 feet. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

You do not automatically gain any Harmonious Breeze class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Improved Evasion (Ex)

Beginning at 19th level, a monk with this class feature improves their ability to avoid magical and unusual attacks. On any attack, spell, or effect that deals damage and permits a Reflex saving throw, the monk takes no damage on a successful save, and only half (½) damage on a failed save.

Improved evasion does not provide any protection against non-damaging effects or status conditions caused by the effect, it only reduces the damage portion of the attack. Improved evasion can only be used in circumstances where the monk is aware of the attack, is not using a shield or wearing heavy armor, and is not carrying a medium or heavier load.

Laughing Moonlight IV (Ex)

At 20th level, the monk learns to twist, bend, and roll in mid-air to slow the rate of their falling, and reduce damage taken from falls. Any time the monk would suffer falling damage, whether from intentionally jumping, accidentally falling, or being subjected to forced movement off of a precipice of some kind, they take damage from the fall as if the distance they fell was 20 feet less than the actual distance. This distance is additive with any previous tiers of the Laughing Moonlight class feature the monk may possess. If the fall was intentional, the monk may combine this class feature with an Acrobatics check to attempt to mitigate the fall even more.

As with any falling creature, if a monk takes any damage from a fall, after any mitigation or damage reduction they have available, they are also knocked prone by the fall. However, if the monk is able to fully mitigate the falling damage, taking none, they land on their feet.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. The monk does not automatically gain any Laughing Moonlight class features of previous tiers, unless they actually took those previous tiers.

Blood Mist Seal (Ex)

At 20th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.

Valorous Monk (Levels 21 - 25)

Level	Full Attack BAB				Saving Throws			Base AC	Class Features
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk	Fort	Refl	Will
21st	+16 (+1)	+11 (+1)	+6 (+1)	-	+13 (+1)	+13 (+1)	+13 (+1)	10	The Way, Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows, Water and Stone, Ki Pool, Rattling Fist, Shockwave Ki Barrage, Quivering Palm, Shining Heaven Barrier V
22nd	+16	+11	+6	-	+13	+13	+13	10	Martial Arts Disciple V
23rd	+17 (+1)	+12 (+1)	+7 (+1)	-	+14 (+1)	+14 (+1)	+14 (+1)	10	Fifth Inner Gate
24th	+17	+12	+7	-	+14	+14	+14	10	Harmonious Breeze V
25th	+18 (+1)	+13 (+1)	+8 (+1)	-	+15 (+1)	+15 (+1)	+15 (+1)	10	Laughing Moonlight V, Ascetic

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Monks are proficient with Brass Knuckles, Cestus, Club, Light and Heavy Crossbows, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin, Kama, Light Mace, Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, Short Spear, Shortsword, Shuriken, Siangham, Sling, Spear, and Temple Sword.

Of these proficiencies, brass knuckles, cestus, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short spear, short sword, siangham, and temple sword are considered to be special Monk Weapons (see below).

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses the use of many of their abilities.

Water and Stone (Valorous Tier)

If you do not already have the Water and Stone class feature, you gain it at 21st level. See Water and Stone for details on how this works.

Remember that if a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature, and instead calculate all of their to-hits, damage, and maneuver defense as normal.

The Way (Valorous Tier)

If you do not already know The Way, you learn it at 21st level. See The Way for details on how this works.

Monk Special Attack Damage (Valorous Tier)

A monk deals different damage with their unarmed strikes and monk weapons than other classes would deal with those weapons. All monks, regardless of size, do the same damage with their attacks. Sized-small monks can hit their enemies most sensitive spots easily. Sized-medium monks may hit harder but their points of impact are more spread out. It all balances out!

The monk's attacks deal an amount of damage based on their current tier of the Monk class, regardless of whether they took any previous tiers of the Monk class. Refer to the table below for damage dealt at this tier:

Monk Level	Unarmed or Monk Weapon Damage
21st	6d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
22nd	6d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
23rd	6d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
24th	6d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
25th	7d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)

Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows (Valorous Tier)

If you do not already have the Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows class feature, you gain it at 21st level. See Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows for details on how this works.

A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon to perform an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. In such a case, each of the monk's attack actions would only produce one attack.

Ki Pool (Valorous Tier)

If you do not already have the Ki Pool class feature, you gain it at 21st level. See Ki Pool for details on how this works.

Rattling Fist (Valorous Tier)

If you do not already have the Rattling Fist class feature, you gain it at 21st level. See Rattling Fist for details on how this works.

Shockwave Ki Barrage (Valorous Tier)

If you do not already have the Shockwave Ki Barrage class feature, you gain it at 21st level. See Shockwave Ki Barrage for details on how this works.

Quivering Palm (Valorous Tier)

If you do not already have the Quivering Palm class feature, you gain it at 21st level. See Quivering Palm for details on how this works.

If you already have the Quivering Palm class feature, it improves at 16th level. You can use Quivering Palm one additional time per day.

Shining Heaven Barrier V (Ex)

At 21st level, the monk learns to center the energy within themselves through meditation and a fierce willpower. As a result, they gain a +1 Training Bonus to their Armor Class (AC) at all times, and 5 points of Damage Reduction versus all physical damage types (DR 5/-).

The DR provided by this class feature stacks with any other source of DR x/- (DR that protects against all physical damage types), but not with any DR that only protects against some physical damage types (e.g. DR x/bludgeoning). In that case, only the highest available value is used.

Unlike normal training bonuses, the training bonus to AC provided by this class feature stacks with the training bonus to AC from any other Shining Heaven Barrier class feature you may possess. Training bonuses to AC provided by any other source (e.g. racial traits, or class features that aren't part of the Shining Heaven Barrier series) do not stack. Instead, only the highest available value is counted. Other bonus types to AC (e.g. dodge bonuses) still stack, as usual.

You do not automatically gain any Shining Heaven Barrier class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Martial Arts Disciple V (Ex)

At 22nd level, the monk may choose a bonus feat from the list provided below. Unless a feat specifically states otherwise, no feat can be taken more than once. In all cases, the monk must meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it. Once chosen, the selection cannot be changed except through the re-selection process.

• Adroit Defender (Feat)
• Adroit Diversion (Feat)
• Adroit Doom (Feat)
• Combat Expertise (Feat)
• Combat Reflexes (Feat)
• Critical, Improved (Feat)
• Deflect Arrows (Feat)
• Dodge (Feat)
• Gorgon's Fist (Feat)
• Improved Combat Maneuvers (Feat)
• Mobility (Feat)
• Power Attack (Feat)
• Scorpion Style (Feat)
• Spring Attack (Feat)

Fifth Inner Gate (Su)

At 23rd level, the monk learns new ways to channel or direct the ki within their body to perform amazing and miraculous feats. They gain the ability to do the following:

• The monk can spend 2 points of ki as a swift action during their turn to reduce the severity of one status condition they are currently afflicted with by one step. That is, a strong condition becomes the moderate condition on the same array. A moderate condition becomes a weak condition on the same array. A weak condition is immediately cleared. This ki ability can be used up to three times per round, assuming the monk has enough swift actions and ki points to do so.

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action to allow them to move diagonally around a blocked corner (i.e. cut the corner), or ignore up to one space of difficult terrain. There is no limit to the number of times the monk can use this ki ability each round, other than the number of ki points the monk has available.

Harmonious Breeze V (Ex)

At 24th level, the monk's Walk speed permanently increases by 10 feet. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

You do not automatically gain any Harmonious Breeze class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Laughing Moonlight V (Ex)

At 25th level, the monk learns to twist, bend, and roll in mid-air to slow the rate of their falling, and reduce damage taken from falls. Any time the monk would suffer falling damage, whether from intentionally jumping, accidentally falling, or being subjected to forced movement off of a precipice of some kind, they take damage from the fall as if the distance they fell was 20 feet less than the actual distance. This distance is additive with any previous tiers of the Laughing Moonlight class feature the monk may possess. If the fall was intentional, the monk may combine this class feature with an Acrobatics check to attempt to mitigate the fall even more.

As with any falling creature, if a monk takes any damage from a fall, after any mitigation or damage reduction they have available, they are also knocked prone by the fall. However, if the monk is able to fully mitigate the falling damage, taking none, they land on their feet.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. The monk does not automatically gain any Laughing Moonlight class features of previous tiers, unless they actually took those previous tiers.

Ascetic (Ex)

At 25th level, the monk no longer needs to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, although they still may do so if they want to. They must still take a Full Night's Rest to recover their ki pool, but the time can be spent in quiet contemplation, rather than sleeping.

Mythic Monk (Levels 26 - 30)

Level	Full Attack BAB				Saving Throws			Base AC	Class Features
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk	Fort	Refl	Will
26th	+18	+13	+8	-	+15	+15	+15	10	The Way, Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows, Water and Stone, Ki Pool, Rattling Fist, Shockwave Ki Barrage, Quivering Palm, Shining Heaven Barrier VI
27th	+19 (+1)	+14 (+1)	+9 (+1)	-	+16 (+1)	+16 (+1)	+16 (+1)	10	Martial Arts Disciple VI
28th	+19	+14	+9	-	+16	+16	+16	10	Sixth Inner Gate
29th	+20 (+1)	+15 (+1)	+10 (+1)	-	+17 (+1)	+17 (+1)	+17 (+1)	10	Harmonious Breeze VI, Koan of Winter
30th	+20	+15	+10	-	+17	+17	+17	10	Laughing Moonlight VI

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Monks are proficient with Brass Knuckles, Cestus, Club, Light and Heavy Crossbows, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin, Kama, Light Mace, Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, Short Spear, Shortsword, Shuriken, Siangham, Sling, Spear, and Temple Sword.

Of these proficiencies, brass knuckles, cestus, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short spear, short sword, siangham, and temple sword are considered to be special Monk Weapons (see below).

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses the use of many of their abilities.

Water and Stone (Mythic Tier)

If you do not already have the Water and Stone class feature, you gain it at 26th level. See Water and Stone for details on how this works.

Remember that if a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature, and instead calculate all of their to-hits, damage, and maneuver defense as normal.

The Way (Mythic Tier)

If you do not already know The Way, you learn it at 26th level. See The Way for details on how this works.

Monk Special Attack Damage (Mythic Tier)

A monk deals different damage with their unarmed strikes and monk weapons than other classes would deal with those weapons. All monks, regardless of size, do the same damage with their attacks. Sized-small monks can hit their enemies most sensitive spots easily. Sized-medium monks may hit harder but their points of impact are more spread out. It all balances out!

The monk's attacks deal an amount of damage based on their current tier of the Monk class, regardless of whether they took any previous tiers of the Monk class. Refer to the table below for damage dealt at this tier:

Monk Level	Unarmed or Monk Weapon Damage
26th	7d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
27th	7d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
28th	7d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
29th	8d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
30th	8d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)

Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows (Mythic Tier)

If you do not already have the Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows class feature, you gain it at 26th level. See Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows for details on how this works.

A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon to perform an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. In such a case, each of the monk's attack actions would only produce one attack.

Ki Pool (Mythic Tier)

If you do not already have the Ki Pool class feature, you gain it at 26th level. See Ki Pool for details on how this works.

Rattling Fist (Mythic Tier)

If you do not already have the Rattling Fist class feature, you gain it at 26th level. See Rattling Fist for details on how this works.

Shockwave Ki Barrage (Mythic Tier)

If you do not already have the Shockwave Ki Barrage class feature, you gain it at 26th level. See Shockwave Ki Barrage for details on how this works.

Quivering Palm (Mythic Tier)

If you do not already have the Quivering Palm class feature, you gain it at 26th level. See Quivering Palm for details on how this works.

If you already have the Quivering Palm class feature, it improves at 16th level. You can use Quivering Palm one additional time per day.

Shining Heaven Barrier VI (Ex)

At 26th level, the monk learns to center the energy within themselves through meditation and a fierce willpower. As a result, they gain a +1 Training Bonus to their Armor Class (AC) at all times, and 5 points of Damage Reduction versus all physical damage types (DR 5/-).

The DR provided by this class feature stacks with any other source of DR x/- (DR that protects against all physical damage types), but not with any DR that only protects against some physical damage types (e.g. DR x/bludgeoning). In that case, only the highest available value is used.

Unlike normal training bonuses, the training bonus to AC provided by this class feature stacks with the training bonus to AC from any other Shining Heaven Barrier class feature you may possess. Training bonuses to AC provided by any other source (e.g. racial traits, or class features that aren't part of the Shining Heaven Barrier series) do not stack. Instead, only the highest available value is counted. Other bonus types to AC (e.g. dodge bonuses) still stack, as usual.

You do not automatically gain any Shining Heaven Barrier class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Martial Arts Disciple VI (Ex)

At 27th level, the monk may choose a bonus feat from the list provided below. Unless a feat specifically states otherwise, no feat can be taken more than once. In all cases, the monk must meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it. Once chosen, the selection cannot be changed except through the re-selection process.

• Adroit Defender (Feat)
• Adroit Diversion (Feat)
• Adroit Doom (Feat)
• Combat Expertise (Feat)
• Combat Reflexes (Feat)
• Critical, Improved (Feat)
• Deflect Arrows (Feat)
• Dodge (Feat)
• Gorgon's Fist (Feat)
• Improved Combat Maneuvers (Feat)
• Mobility (Feat)
• Power Attack (Feat)
• Scorpion Style (Feat)
• Spring Attack (Feat)

Sixth Inner Gate (Su)

At 28th level, the monk learns new ways to channel or direct the ki within their body to perform amazing and miraculous feats. They gain the ability to do the following:

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a swift action during their turn to Walk up to half their Walk speed without provoking attacks of opportunity. This does not count as movement for purposes of performing 5-foot steps. This use of ki can be used as many times as the monk has swift actions, assuming the monk has enough ki points to do so.

• The monk can spend 1 point of ki as a free action during their turn to add a training bonus to all acrobatics checks they make prior to the start of their next turn equal to the number of Monk class tiers they possess (max of +7 if they have all seven tiers of the class). This ability lasts until the start of the monk's next turn, and while it is active, the monk is treated as having made a running start when performing any jump checks, even if they haven't moved prior to the jump. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

Harmonious Breeze VI (Ex)

At 29th level, the monk's Walk speed permanently increases by 10 feet. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

You do not automatically gain any Harmonious Breeze class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Koan of Winter (Ex)

At 29th level, the monk's unarmed attacks, and those attacks made with monk weapons, have their critical threat range increased by +1 (usually bringing them to a critical threat range of 19-20). The critical multiplier (usually x2) is unchanged. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses to critical threat range, such as that provided by the Improved Critical feat, or the Keen magic weapon property.

Laughing Moonlight VI (Ex)

At 30th level, the monk learns to twist, bend, and roll in mid-air to slow the rate of their falling, and reduce damage taken from falls. Any time the monk would suffer falling damage, whether from intentionally jumping, accidentally falling, or being subjected to forced movement off of a precipice of some kind, they take damage from the fall as if the distance they fell was 20 feet less than the actual distance. This distance is additive with any previous tiers of the Laughing Moonlight class feature the monk may possess. If the fall was intentional, the monk may combine this class feature with an Acrobatics check to attempt to mitigate the fall even more.

As with any falling creature, if a monk takes any damage from a fall, after any mitigation or damage reduction they have available, they are also knocked prone by the fall. However, if the monk is able to fully mitigate the falling damage, taking none, they land on their feet.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. The monk does not automatically gain any Laughing Moonlight class features of previous tiers, unless they actually took those previous tiers.

Legendary Monk (Levels 31 - 35)

Level	Full Attack BAB				Saving Throws			Base AC	Class Features
	1st Atk	2nd Atk	3rd Atk	4th Atk	Fort	Refl	Will
31st	+21 (+1)	+16 (+1)	+11 (+1)	-	+18 (+1)	+18 (+1)	+18 (+1)	10	The Way, Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows, Water and Stone, Ki Pool, Rattling Fist, Shockwave Ki Barrage, Quivering Palm, Shining Heaven Barrier VII
32nd	+21	+16	+11	-	+18	+18	+18	10	Martial Arts Disciple VII
33rd	+22 (+1)	+17 (+1)	+12 (+1)	-	+19 (+1)	+19 (+1)	+19 (+1)	10	Seventh Inner Gate
34th	+22	+17	+12	-	+19	+19	+19	10	Harmonious Breeze VII, Five Point Exploding Palm Strike
35th	+23 (+1)	+18 (+1)	+13 (+1)	-	+20 (+1)	+20 (+1)	+20 (+1)	10	Laughing Moonlight VII

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Monks are proficient with Brass Knuckles, Cestus, Club, Light and Heavy Crossbows, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin, Kama, Light Mace, Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, Short Spear, Shortsword, Shuriken, Siangham, Sling, Spear, and Temple Sword.

Of these proficiencies, brass knuckles, cestus, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, short spear, short sword, siangham, and temple sword are considered to be special Monk Weapons (see below).

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses the use of many of their abilities.

Water and Stone (Legendary Tier)

If you do not already have the Water and Stone class feature, you gain it at 31st level. See Water and Stone for details on how this works.

Remember that if a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature, and instead calculate all of their to-hits, damage, and maneuver defense as normal.

The Way (Legendary Tier)

If you do not already know The Way, you learn it at 31st level. See The Way for details on how this works.

Monk Special Attack Damage (Legendary Tier)

A monk deals different damage with their unarmed strikes and monk weapons than other classes would deal with those weapons. All monks, regardless of size, do the same damage with their attacks. Sized-small monks can hit their enemies most sensitive spots easily. Sized-medium monks may hit harder but their points of impact are more spread out. It all balances out!

The monk's attacks deal an amount of damage based on their current tier of the Monk class, regardless of whether they took any previous tiers of the Monk class. Refer to the table below for damage dealt at this tier:

Monk Level	Unarmed or Monk Weapon Damage
31st	8d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
32nd	8d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
33rd	9d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
34th	9d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)
35th	9d8 (+ Wis & Dex mods)

Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows (Legendary Tier)

If you do not already have the Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows class feature, you gain it at 31st level. See Echoing Strike / Flurry of Blows for details on how this works.

A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special monk weapon to perform an Echoing Strike or a Flurry of Blows. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. In such a case, each of the monk's attack actions would only produce one attack.

Ki Pool (Legendary Tier)

If you do not already have the Ki Pool class feature, you gain it at 31st level. See Ki Pool for details on how this works.

Rattling Fist (Legendary Tier)

If you do not already have the Rattling Fist class feature, you gain it at 31st level. See Rattling Fist for details on how this works.

Shockwave Ki Barrage (Legendary Tier)

If you do not already have the Shockwave Ki Barrage class feature, you gain it at 31st level. See Shockwave Ki Barrage for details on how this works.

Quivering Palm (Legendary Tier)

If you do not already have the Quivering Palm class feature, you gain it at 31st level. See Quivering Palm for details on how this works.

If you already have the Quivering Palm class feature, it improves at 16th level. You can use Quivering Palm one additional time per day.

Shining Heaven Barrier VII (Ex)

At 31st level, the monk learns to center the energy within themselves through meditation and a fierce willpower. As a result, they gain a +1 Training Bonus to their Armor Class (AC) at all times, and 5 points of Damage Reduction versus all physical damage types (DR 5/-).

The DR provided by this class feature stacks with any other source of DR x/- (DR that protects against all physical damage types), but not with any DR that only protects against some physical damage types (e.g. DR x/bludgeoning). In that case, only the highest available value is used.

Unlike normal training bonuses, the training bonus to AC provided by this class feature stacks with the training bonus to AC from any other Shining Heaven Barrier class feature you may possess. Training bonuses to AC provided by any other source (e.g. racial traits, or class features that aren't part of the Shining Heaven Barrier series) do not stack. Instead, only the highest available value is counted. Other bonus types to AC (e.g. dodge bonuses) still stack, as usual.

You do not automatically gain any Shining Heaven Barrier class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Martial Arts Disciple VII (Ex)

At 32nd level, the monk may choose a bonus feat from the list provided below. Unless a feat specifically states otherwise, no feat can be taken more than once. In all cases, the monk must meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to select it. Once chosen, the selection cannot be changed except through the re-selection process.

• Adroit Defender (Feat)
• Adroit Diversion (Feat)
• Adroit Doom (Feat)
• Combat Expertise (Feat)
• Combat Reflexes (Feat)
• Critical, Improved (Feat)
• Deflect Arrows (Feat)
• Dodge (Feat)
• Gorgon's Fist (Feat)
• Improved Combat Maneuvers (Feat)
• Mobility (Feat)
• Power Attack (Feat)
• Scorpion Style (Feat)
• Spring Attack (Feat)

Seventh Inner Gate (Su)

At 33rd level, the monk learns new ways to channel or direct the ki within their body to perform amazing and miraculous feats. They gain the ability to do the following:

• The monk can spend 5 points of ki as a swift action during their turn to cause all attacks they make before the start of their next turn to be performed at their highest attack value (i.e. at their full BAB). This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

• The monk can spend 2 points of ki as a free action during their turn to perform a bonus Echoing Strike at their highest attack value (i.e. at their full BAB). The bonus Echoing Strike must be rolled before the end of their current turn, or it is lost. This use of ki can be stacked with the bonus attack ability granted at Monk level 3 (First Inner Gate), as well as any bonus attacks granted by Haste spells or the Speed magic weapon property. This use of ki can never be performed more than once per round, even with the use of action points.

Harmonious Breeze VII (Ex)

At 34th level, the monk's Walk speed permanently increases by 10 feet. If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature.

You do not automatically gain any Harmonious Breeze class features of previous tiers, unless you actually took those previous tiers.

Five Point Exploding Palm Strike (Su)

At 34th level, the monk gains the ultimate attack. In this fearsome ability, the monk expends all five of their daily uses of Quivering Palm in a single, overwhelming, death strike. The monk performs a single melee attack against an enemy creature. If the attack hits, it inflicts damage equal to the target creature's Bloodied hit points value (half of their maximum health). However, if the target is already Bloodied when this attack is made against them, it does no damage. Timing is everything.

This attack is not a condition, so it affects creatures with roles (such as Heavies and Threats) just as effectively as it affects normal creatures.

If the monk has multi-classed, and does not possess all five daily uses of the Quivering Palm class feature, or if the monk has already used one or more of their Quivering Palm uses for the day, they can substitute one use of Quivering Palm with 10 points of ki. This means, for 50 points of ki, the monk can perform Five Point Exploding Palm Strike without using any of their daily uses of Quivering Palm. However, under no circumstances can a monk ever use Five Point Exploding Palm Strike more than once per day.

Laughing Moonlight VII (Ex)

At 35th level, the monk learns to twist, bend, and roll in mid-air to slow the rate of their falling, and reduce damage taken from falls. Any time the monk would suffer falling damage, whether from intentionally jumping, accidentally falling, or being subjected to forced movement off of a precipice of some kind, they take damage from the fall as if the distance they fell was 20 feet less than the actual distance. This distance is additive with any previous tiers of the Laughing Moonlight class feature the monk may possess. If the fall was intentional, the monk may combine this class feature with an Acrobatics check to attempt to mitigate the fall even more.

As with any falling creature, if a monk takes any damage from a fall, after any mitigation or damage reduction they have available, they are also knocked prone by the fall. However, if the monk is able to fully mitigate the falling damage, taking none, they land on their feet.

If a monk wears armor, carries a shield, or is burdened by a medium or heavier load, they lose the use of this class feature. The monk does not automatically gain any Laughing Moonlight class features of previous tiers, unless they actually took those previous tiers.

Apotheotic Monk (Levels 36+)

Level	Class Features
36+	Apotheosis!

Apotheosis!

Upon reaching level 36, and at every level above that, the character begins to gather their mantle of divinity around themselves. This can take many forms, but it is the first step to the ascension to godhood.

Reaching apotheosis is usually signified by a paradigm shift in the campaign. Traditional adventuring, such as fighting monsters and looting treasure, is largely beneath the dignity and power of such advanced creatures. Instead, they compete within the powers and intrigues of the Celestial Bureaucracy itself, gathering power, followers, allies, and potens machenvar to seize their places of power. Apotheotic creatures usually choose a theme around which their powers are centered, and use this theme as a common belief to gather their followers (or worshipers).

GMs are encouraged to completely break the rules, remove limitations and restrictions, and generally experiment with the extreme limits of power that this level of play offers. Characters are of a power level comparable to the most extreme super-heroes of comics and film, and can perform feats well beyond anything a mortal could ever dream. GMs are cautioned that games at this level can be very difficult to run, and presenting challenges for apotheotic characters can be a very daunting task. However, if you can pull it off, it's likely that your players will talk about how insane and awesome your campaign was for years after it ends.

Ex-Monks

A monk who ceases to be lawful loses all of their monk class features (but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). They may not progress any further in levels as a monk. They regain their abilities and advancement potential if they are able to restore their alignment to lawful, as appropriate.

Note: GMs are cautioned to avoid this scenario as much as is practical, providing multiple warnings to a player who continuously acts outside of their alignment before taking their monk-ly abilities away entirely. Because the loss of a character's class is so devastating, it is tantamount to making them start a new character, in many cases. While a long redemption arc of suffering and contrition can make for a really good story, make sure your player is willing to go through with that degree of suffering before forcing it upon them. In all cases, if a GM strips a monk of their class features due to some chaotic action (or actions), they should offer the player an opportunity to roll up a new character, instead of making them play the now-powerless one. (And then, much later, the GM should bring the ex-monk back as an NPC villain to torment the party. Obviously.)