Monk template - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Monk template

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
eltacolibre
Sep 30, 2008 12:52:42 I remember reading for awhile, a monk template/article which used the ranger two fighting style as a base but changed the blade weapons for fist weapons but I can't seem to find it anymore, does someone still have the link for it?
#2
Krusk
Sep 30, 2008 13:13:21 Don't have the link, but I saved their suggestions into notepad. Here was the monk's.

1. Choose the two-blade ranger build (p104). (Don’t worry, this will make sense in a minute.)
2. Give up your leather and hide armor proficiencies, gaining a +3 bonus to AC when wearing no armor or cloth armor. You’re now only a point behind the normal ranger’s AC.
3. Gain a +2 bonus to Will defense (in addition to the ranger’s normal defense bonuses).
4. Replace Dungeoneering and Nature on your class skill list with Arcana, Diplomacy, Insight, and Religion. Choose five trained skills from your class list.
5. Give up your martial weapon proficiencies. Grant your unarmed strike a +3 proficiency bonus, increase the damage to 1d8, and add the off-hand property. Now you’re wielding two melee weapons that are as good as the martial melee options available to the ranger.
6. Rename Hunter’s Quarry as Monastic Battle Focus, and lose the Prime Shot class feature. (You thought you were getting that +2 bonus to Will for free, didn’t you?)
7. Focus on mobility-oriented powers, particularly those that reward a high Wisdom score (such as evasive strike, yield ground, and weave through the fray). As desired, you can rename those powers with a flavor that befits your monkish heritage (peerless balance of the crane instead of fox’s cunning, for example).
8. Pick up feats to recreate other 3E monk class features—Evasion, Fleet-Footed, Long Jumper—and use multiclass feats (p209) to replicate the supernatural features. For example, the warlock has several teleportation powers reminiscent of abundant step.
#3
Tectorman
Sep 30, 2008 13:40:03 Problem: The Ranger uses weapons and weapons are assumed to have an enhancement bonus. An item has to be homebrewed to allow Monks to have access to that same level of enhancement bonus in order for things to stay equivalent (probably an easy homebrew to make, but I was surprised to see the temporary Monk fix forget it).

Or, just use spiked gauntlets from the Adventurer's Vault and let Monks (and only Monks) pump up the damage to 1d8.
#4
exposed_wires
Sep 30, 2008 13:46:53 I was thinking about that same problem. I came up with a couple dumb ideas like enchanted hand wraps and other such nonsense. I hope they come up with an elegant solution to the problem.

I have to say though that I'm not necessarily pleased with the ranger template being used to recreate the monk from 3. I'm not a fan of the static +3 to AC or +2 to will. It's very true to the 3.5 monk, but I think they took that class in the wrong direction in the first place.

I'm hoping to see a more universal unarmed fighter when they release the monk in 4e. Like with more than one path for being a brawler or a kung fu master.
#5
fenris_lathiin
Sep 30, 2008 13:47:37
Problem: The Ranger uses weapons and weapons are assumed to have an enhancement bonus. An item has to be homebrewed to allow Monks to have access to that same level of enhancement bonus in order for things to stay equivalent (probably an easy homebrew to make, but I was surprised to see the temporary Monk fix forget it).

Or, just use spiked gauntlets from the Adventurer's Vault and let Monks (and only Monks) pump up the damage to 1d8.

I figure you could just enchant your hands like normal weapons. Yes, that means your left hand can be lightning and your right can be fire. That's just plain badass right there.

Think about it: kicking ogres in the face with feet of fire.
#6
eltacolibre
Sep 30, 2008 14:05:49 thanks for the swift reply, I actually like the way it is made.
#7
stmickael
Sep 30, 2008 14:40:51 In v3.5 i had a monk/warlock and use my eldrich in my fist, but i wander if warlock still have those kinda of power that had the spell to an attack, and if they do could u make a monk from a warlock?:D
#8
eltacolibre
Sep 30, 2008 15:41:40 I believe Hideous Blow is no more in 4.0 but suppose it wouldn't be too hard to recreate this power.
#9
calronmoonflower
Oct 01, 2008 1:13:32 Here's the link: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4dnd/20080613a
#10
Krusk
Oct 01, 2008 8:33:25
I figure you could just enchant your hands like normal weapons. Yes, that means your left hand can be lightning and your right can be fire. That's just plain badass right there.

Think about it: kicking ogres in the face with feet of fire.

Actually that even makes for some cool flavor.

You have the wizard craft up some potions using residium and magic ingrediants, drink it, and then your hands can catch fire when you want.
#11
yrogerg
Oct 01, 2008 10:14:04
Don't have the link, but I saved their suggestions into notepad. Here was the monk's.

1. Choose the two-blade ranger build (p104). (Don’t worry, this will make sense in a minute.)
2. Give up your leather and hide armor proficiencies, gaining a +3 bonus to AC when wearing no armor or cloth armor. You’re now only a point behind the normal ranger’s AC.
3. Gain a +2 bonus to Will defense (in addition to the ranger’s normal defense bonuses).
4. Replace Dungeoneering and Nature on your class skill list with Arcana, Diplomacy, Insight, and Religion. Choose five trained skills from your class list.
5. Give up your martial weapon proficiencies. Grant your unarmed strike a +3 proficiency bonus, increase the damage to 1d8, and add the off-hand property. Now you’re wielding two melee weapons that are as good as the martial melee options available to the ranger.
6. Rename Hunter’s Quarry as Monastic Battle Focus, and lose the Prime Shot class feature. (You thought you were getting that +2 bonus to Will for free, didn’t you?)
7. Focus on mobility-oriented powers, particularly those that reward a high Wisdom score (such as evasive strike, yield ground, and weave through the fray). As desired, you can rename those powers with a flavor that befits your monkish heritage (peerless balance of the crane instead of fox’s cunning, for example).
8. Pick up feats to recreate other 3E monk class features—Evasion, Fleet-Footed, Long Jumper—and use multiclass feats (p209) to replicate the supernatural features. For example, the warlock has several teleportation powers reminiscent of abundant step.

Personally, I've never been a huge fan of this particular conversion resource, or the equivalent for 2e-3e. Yes, it tries very hard to replicate the specific class abilities the class had in 3.5, but IMO, it falls a bit short of an ideal thematic conversion, especially given everything surrounding the Martial power source, which should obviate the need for explicitly supernatural abilities. I never saw flurry of blows as a thematic cornerstone of the class, and I always felt kinda meh about the alphabet soup of class features that they 3e monk got, so I personally have always advocated using the 4e rogue as a base; it's sorta ideal for the highly-mobile, lightly armored, opportunistic skirmisher, and it comes complete with shiruken proficiency. At that point, it's just a matter of switching around a couple of ability scores and skill proficiencies.

Just for another perspective on how to make a 4e monk.
#12
_sushigaski_
Oct 01, 2008 12:15:22 I've found that adjusting class features / class basics is the easiest way to mold 4e to fit your character's concept. Much like the Tempest Fighter, I imagine many of the character options will come from variant classes, moreso than from new classes themselves.

I've made a duelist by slightly modding the Rogue's class features a bit, and most recently I had a player who wanted to be a "juggler" (juggling weapons and throwing them at enemies). At first I said "No way, that's just not possible with the rules" but... upon closer inspection, we were able to make a Ranger that fit the bill, with very few modifications.

This has actually made creating characters a lot more fun for me. It was a chore when I only went with RAW, but having a flexible and creative DM (and being a flexible and creative DM)... these little variants are what make all the characters special and more fun to play than it would be otherwise.

I don't think I'd like the game very much if we were more strict to the RAW.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 eltacolibre Sep 30, 2008 12:52:42	I remember reading for awhile, a monk template/article which used the ranger two fighting style as a base but changed the blade weapons for fist weapons but I can't seem to find it anymore, does someone still have the link for it?
#2 Krusk Sep 30, 2008 13:13:21	Don't have the link, but I saved their suggestions into notepad. Here was the monk's. 1. Choose the two-blade ranger build (p104). (Don’t worry, this will make sense in a minute.) 2. Give up your leather and hide armor proficiencies, gaining a +3 bonus to AC when wearing no armor or cloth armor. You’re now only a point behind the normal ranger’s AC. 3. Gain a +2 bonus to Will defense (in addition to the ranger’s normal defense bonuses). 4. Replace Dungeoneering and Nature on your class skill list with Arcana, Diplomacy, Insight, and Religion. Choose five trained skills from your class list. 5. Give up your martial weapon proficiencies. Grant your unarmed strike a +3 proficiency bonus, increase the damage to 1d8, and add the off-hand property. Now you’re wielding two melee weapons that are as good as the martial melee options available to the ranger. 6. Rename Hunter’s Quarry as Monastic Battle Focus, and lose the Prime Shot class feature. (You thought you were getting that +2 bonus to Will for free, didn’t you?) 7. Focus on mobility-oriented powers, particularly those that reward a high Wisdom score (such as evasive strike, yield ground, and weave through the fray). As desired, you can rename those powers with a flavor that befits your monkish heritage (peerless balance of the crane instead of fox’s cunning, for example). 8. Pick up feats to recreate other 3E monk class features—Evasion, Fleet-Footed, Long Jumper—and use multiclass feats (p209) to replicate the supernatural features. For example, the warlock has several teleportation powers reminiscent of abundant step.
#3 Tectorman Sep 30, 2008 13:40:03	Problem: The Ranger uses weapons and weapons are assumed to have an enhancement bonus. An item has to be homebrewed to allow Monks to have access to that same level of enhancement bonus in order for things to stay equivalent (probably an easy homebrew to make, but I was surprised to see the temporary Monk fix forget it). Or, just use spiked gauntlets from the Adventurer's Vault and let Monks (and only Monks) pump up the damage to 1d8.
#4 exposed_wires Sep 30, 2008 13:46:53	I was thinking about that same problem. I came up with a couple dumb ideas like enchanted hand wraps and other such nonsense. I hope they come up with an elegant solution to the problem. I have to say though that I'm not necessarily pleased with the ranger template being used to recreate the monk from 3. I'm not a fan of the static +3 to AC or +2 to will. It's very true to the 3.5 monk, but I think they took that class in the wrong direction in the first place. I'm hoping to see a more universal unarmed fighter when they release the monk in 4e. Like with more than one path for being a brawler or a kung fu master.
#5 fenris_lathiin Sep 30, 2008 13:47:37	Problem: The Ranger uses weapons and weapons are assumed to have an enhancement bonus. An item has to be homebrewed to allow Monks to have access to that same level of enhancement bonus in order for things to stay equivalent (probably an easy homebrew to make, but I was surprised to see the temporary Monk fix forget it). Or, just use spiked gauntlets from the Adventurer's Vault and let Monks (and only Monks) pump up the damage to 1d8. I figure you could just enchant your hands like normal weapons. Yes, that means your left hand can be lightning and your right can be fire. That's just plain badass right there. Think about it: kicking ogres in the face with feet of fire.
#6 eltacolibre Sep 30, 2008 14:05:49	thanks for the swift reply, I actually like the way it is made.
#7 stmickael Sep 30, 2008 14:40:51	In v3.5 i had a monk/warlock and use my eldrich in my fist, but i wander if warlock still have those kinda of power that had the spell to an attack, and if they do could u make a monk from a warlock?:D
#8 eltacolibre Sep 30, 2008 15:41:40	I believe Hideous Blow is no more in 4.0 but suppose it wouldn't be too hard to recreate this power.
#9 calronmoonflower Oct 01, 2008 1:13:32	Here's the link: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4dnd/20080613a
#10 Krusk Oct 01, 2008 8:33:25	I figure you could just enchant your hands like normal weapons. Yes, that means your left hand can be lightning and your right can be fire. That's just plain badass right there. Think about it: kicking ogres in the face with feet of fire. Actually that even makes for some cool flavor. You have the wizard craft up some potions using residium and magic ingrediants, drink it, and then your hands can catch fire when you want.
#11 yrogerg Oct 01, 2008 10:14:04	Don't have the link, but I saved their suggestions into notepad. Here was the monk's. 1. Choose the two-blade ranger build (p104). (Don’t worry, this will make sense in a minute.) 2. Give up your leather and hide armor proficiencies, gaining a +3 bonus to AC when wearing no armor or cloth armor. You’re now only a point behind the normal ranger’s AC. 3. Gain a +2 bonus to Will defense (in addition to the ranger’s normal defense bonuses). 4. Replace Dungeoneering and Nature on your class skill list with Arcana, Diplomacy, Insight, and Religion. Choose five trained skills from your class list. 5. Give up your martial weapon proficiencies. Grant your unarmed strike a +3 proficiency bonus, increase the damage to 1d8, and add the off-hand property. Now you’re wielding two melee weapons that are as good as the martial melee options available to the ranger. 6. Rename Hunter’s Quarry as Monastic Battle Focus, and lose the Prime Shot class feature. (You thought you were getting that +2 bonus to Will for free, didn’t you?) 7. Focus on mobility-oriented powers, particularly those that reward a high Wisdom score (such as evasive strike, yield ground, and weave through the fray). As desired, you can rename those powers with a flavor that befits your monkish heritage (peerless balance of the crane instead of fox’s cunning, for example). 8. Pick up feats to recreate other 3E monk class features—Evasion, Fleet-Footed, Long Jumper—and use multiclass feats (p209) to replicate the supernatural features. For example, the warlock has several teleportation powers reminiscent of abundant step. Personally, I've never been a huge fan of this particular conversion resource, or the equivalent for 2e-3e. Yes, it tries very hard to replicate the specific class abilities the class had in 3.5, but IMO, it falls a bit short of an ideal thematic conversion, especially given everything surrounding the Martial power source, which should obviate the need for explicitly supernatural abilities. I never saw flurry of blows as a thematic cornerstone of the class, and I always felt kinda meh about the alphabet soup of class features that they 3e monk got, so I personally have always advocated using the 4e rogue as a base; it's sorta ideal for the highly-mobile, lightly armored, opportunistic skirmisher, and it comes complete with shiruken proficiency. At that point, it's just a matter of switching around a couple of ability scores and skill proficiencies. Just for another perspective on how to make a 4e monk.
#12 _sushigaski_ Oct 01, 2008 12:15:22	I've found that adjusting class features / class basics is the easiest way to mold 4e to fit your character's concept. Much like the Tempest Fighter, I imagine many of the character options will come from variant classes, moreso than from new classes themselves. I've made a duelist by slightly modding the Rogue's class features a bit, and most recently I had a player who wanted to be a "juggler" (juggling weapons and throwing them at enemies). At first I said "No way, that's just not possible with the rules" but... upon closer inspection, we were able to make a Ranger that fit the bill, with very few modifications. This has actually made creating characters a lot more fun for me. It was a chore when I only went with RAW, but having a flexible and creative DM (and being a flexible and creative DM)... these little variants are what make all the characters special and more fun to play than it would be otherwise. I don't think I'd like the game very much if we were more strict to the RAW.