Monks are people who have dedicated their lives to serving the universe. They follow a strict oath of self improvement, seclusion and austerity. A monk must be true to their oath and strive to repay all debts. They live in monasteries with like minded individuals and adventure to gain spiritual growth and to expand the knowledge of the monastery of the outside worlds.
Ability Requirements: The monk must have at least +2 in both Strength and Dexterity.
Ability Focus: Strength
Hit Dice: d6
Races Allowed: Human Only
Natural Armor: The Monk gains +1 to their AC for each level of advancement. Wearing armor negates this bonus.
Active Defense: In place of one of their next attacks, a monk can use active defense rolling d20 + their Dex vs the attack roll (with modifiers). A successful roll means the monk moves out of the way of the attack.
Martial Artist: A monk goes 1d4 damage every 3 levels when using an unarmed attack.
Multiple Attacks: At every 3rd level the monk gains one additional unarmed attack.
Class Restrictions:
Armor restrictions: Monks can never wear armor of any type, nor can they ever use protective magical devices (such as rings, cloaks, etc.); they rely on their discipline for protection. Wearing armor negates any natural armor or multi-attack bonuses.
Weapon restrictions: Monks can use any weapons, however they lose all bonuses to attack, damage and multiple-attacks when they do.
Oath Bond: If the monk breaks an oath or is expelled from their monastery for any reason they will not gain any new levels of experience until their honor or membership in the monastery is restored.
- Oath of Cleanliness – A monk undertaking this vow must wash daily as well as change into fresh clothes in the event the robes become dirty. The vow forbids willingly touching the filthy, diseased, dead, or undead, though using weapons to attack these creatures is allowed.
- Oath of Fasting – A monk eats nothing but rice (or a similar bland, staple food) and drinks nothing but water. The monk cannot use tobacco, drugs, potions, alchemical items requiring eating or drinking, or any other thing that could be considered a food or beverage.
- Oath of Peace – A monk will always strive to incapacitate an opponent rather than kill and will always encourage others to do the same.
- Oath of Poverty – A monk strives to overcome materialism and will forgo treasure and other material worth. 10% of all treasure should be sent to their monastery and the remainder will be deducted from the monk’s experience unless the monk donates the treasure to those in need.
- Oath of Truth – A monk will always tell the truth when asked directly and will always encourage others to do the same.
Monk Abilities
Monks gain the following special abilities as they progress in experience levels:
3rd Level: Controlled Strike
5th Level: Awareness
7th Level: Self Healing
9th Level: Resistant
11th Level: Fortitude
13th Level: Disappear
15th Level: Touch of Death
Explanations of Monk Abilities
Controlled Strike: The monk can control the power of the strike to reduce damage and render a target unconscious rather than killing.
Awareness: +1 to checking if surprised for every 3 levels
Self Healing: Once per day, the monk my heal himself of 1 point of damage for each experience level.
Resistant: Half damage (round down) from all spells, gas or breath weapons.
Fortitude: The monk is immune to charm, command, sleep and hold spells.
Disappear: Once per day the monk can disappear and become completely undetectable for 1 round per level of experience.
Touch of Death: Once per day the monk can cause death upon a successful attack to any creature of lower hit dice than the monk.
Starting Equipment
Backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, rope, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a water skin.
