Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 pupoochi Jun 27, 2015 22:06:01	Here my spin on one of my favorite prestige class from 3.5 ed: the sacred fist!  Originally, it was a multi class cleric/ monk (prestige class in fact), using divine magic to enhance their unarmed attacks, and for protection.    The Way of the Sacred Fist   You follow a monastic tradition that incorporate divine magic in you daily combat routine. Sacred fists are independent orders found within many temples and shrines. They vary a lot in styles, and mentality; like the Gods they worships. Magic is a blessing for them and the way they use their Ki energy reflects that approach. They are strong in body, spirit and will.    Disciple When you choose that tradition at 3rd level, you learn to cast divine spells to augment you martial arts. Choose one Cleric domain from the suggested domains of your Deity (PHB, p.294-296)  You may learn spells from your domain, even if they are not on the cleric spell list.   Cantrips: you learn two cantrips from the Cleric spell list You learn an additional cantrip at 10th level.   Spell Slots: as eldritch knight (PHB p.75) Spell Known of 1st level and higher: as eldritch knight (PHB p.75) The spells you learn at 8th, 14th and 20th level can come from the paladin spell list instead.   Spellcasting Ability: WISDOM Spellcasting Focus: you can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus for your Sacred Fist spells.                      Sacred Strikes At 3rd level you may invoke divine power to strikes at your enemies. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you deal an additional 1d6 radiant damage per attacks.   Channel Divinity Starting at 6th level, you gain the ability to channel divine from your deity, using that energy to fuel magical effects. You can only use the channel divinity option of your chosen domain, and only the 2nd level option. You must finish a long rest to use your channel divinity again. Alternatively, you can meditate for 10 minutes and spend 3 Ki points to regain the use of your channel divinity. Some channel divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your Sacred Fist spell saves.   Inner Armor Beginning at 11th level, a Sacred Fist inner peace and divine essence protects him from external threats. At the end of a long rest, and as long as you’re not wearing armor or wielding a shield, you are surrounded by a divine aura; you gain the effect of an aura of life spell (self only)   Divine Power When you reach 17th level, you can call on your deity to unleash godly power upon your enemies. Imploring your deity’s aid requires complete devotion and come with a high price. As an action, you can spend 7 Ki points to cast destructive wave without providing material components. Additionally, you can spend Ki point to increase the radiant damage by 1d6, for each Ki points spend.   Variation on a Theme While I was writing the Sacred Fist, I ask myself; what if I used the druid class instead of the cleric class as divine source? The idea stuck and I came up with this variation. Some orders takes a different path, and dedicate themselves to more abstract beings like; the Elements, Nature itself, the Moon and Sun, and so on. Acolyte When you choose that tradition at 3rd level, you learn to cast divine spells to augment you martial arts. Choose one Druid circle from the suggested circles list (PHB, p.68)  You may learn spells from your circle, even if they are not on the druid spell list.   Cantrips: you learn two cantrips from the Druid spell list You learn an additional cantrip at 10th level.   Spell Slots: as eldritch knight (PHB p.75) Spell Known of 1st level and higher: as eldritch knight (PHB p.75) The spells you learn at 8th, 14th and 20th level can come from the ranger spell list instead.   Spellcasting Ability: WISDOM Spellcasting Focus: you can use a druidic focus as a spellcasting focus for your Sacred Fist spells.                      Elemental Strikes At 3rd level you may invoke divine power to strikes at your enemies. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you deal an additional 1d6 acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage per attacks (your choice)   Natural Recovery Starting at 6th level, you regain some of your magical energy by sitting in meditation and communing with nature. During a short rest, you choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than a third of your Sacred Fist level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be of 4th level. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest. Alternatively, during a short rest, you can meditate for 10 minutes and spend Ki points to regain spell slots. You can spend 2 Ki points to regain a first level spell slot, 3 Ki points for a second level spell slot and 5 Ki points for a third level spell slot. Only one spell slot per short rest can be regained this way.   Dampen Elements Beginning at 11th level, a Sacred Fist inner connections with the divine protects him from elemental damage. At the end of a long rest, you gain resistance to one energy type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder (your choice) that last until the start of your next long rest. During a short rest, you can spend 1 Ki point to change the type of energy damage.   Nature’s Fury When you reach 17th level, you can unleash Nature’s Fury upon your enemies. Summoning that kind of power requires complete devotion and come with a high price. As an action, you can spend 7 Ki points to cast destructive wave without providing material components. Additionally, you can spend Ki point to increase the thunder damage by 1d6, for each Ki points spend.
#2 pupoochi Jun 30, 2015 18:14:57	Made a few changes, like the new mods.
#3 Yunru Jul 01, 2015 3:59:13	Haven't read past the spellcasting and it's already better than the Path of the Elements Monk. That's a good thing btw :P Although how do you deal with CDs based on Cleric level?
#4 jaappleton Jul 01, 2015 4:20:26	Others know how to do the math better than myself. While I'm all for a Divine oriented Monk (Sun Soul FTW!), I'm curious about how this can totally overshadow other Monks. Spellcasting and Ki also seems like odd resource management, in that no other class has to keep track of two things. Also, IIRC, your proposed Channel Divinity is the only one that doesn't refresh on a short rest. It may be smarter to dip two levels into Cleric instead.
#5 pupoochi Jul 01, 2015 11:20:05	Yunru wrote:
#6 jaappleton Jul 01, 2015 11:34:32	I wonder one thing in general about spell having Monks; so this applies to your proposed homebrew as well as Four Elements. How much of it is alleviated if they got another two Ki points at level 3?
#7 Macv12 Jul 01, 2015 20:28:31	Sorcerers have both spell slots and sorcery points, which are very similar in effect to ki. I don't see that as a huge problem in itself. Anyway...   I would get rid of the note that "you can't change your domain, so choose wisely." Clerics and Druids don't have language like this. Of course they still can't change domains at will without houseruling, but the fact that you go out of your way to say it can never happen even if the monk changes gods, shifts domains under the same god, or betrays their god, it a bit strange.   Sacred Strikes seems like a strange addition. Clerics and druids aren't known primarily for doing a bunch of extra weapon damage. Clerics (some of them) get Divine Strike at level 8, because they never get Extra Attack. It seems like this should be conditional or cost something. At the very least it should come later, on par with Divine Strike.   Channel Divinity is a short-rest-recharge effect, which you could get by multiclassing cleric for two levels. Having to wait until level 6 for it anyway, I don't see a problem with making it available once per short rest. Also, spending ki to recharge it during a short rest needs clarification, since you get your ki back at the end of said rest. If you want ki to be spent to reuse the CD, I would just let them spend a handful of ki at any time to activate the effect, without rests factoring in.   Inner Armor also seems odd. Shield of Faith is just +2 AC; the only clarity you might get by calling it by the spell name is that it lasts only 10 minutes and requires concentration, which I don't think was your intent. I think you'd be better off just saying they get +2 AC while unarmored and unarmed, but then that doesn't seem like a very interesting effect. The Open Hand's Tranquility effect would be more fitting here. Or you could perhaps allow Shield of Faith as one of the bonus actions monks can spend a ki for, allowing them to target themself or an ally.
#8 pupoochi Jul 03, 2015 11:43:46	Macv12 wrote:
#9 Mazzy Jul 04, 2015 12:02:29	There a couple problems with the Channel Divinity feature   One is that the Channel Divinity powers granted by the cleric domains are not designed to stand on their own. Each domain is balanced according to a wide range of abilities that taken together are debatably well balanced but taken individually are not. Nature Domain for example has a horribly siituational CD, but it has very powerful abilities at levels 1 and 6 so its not that bad a domain.    Secondly the language on some of the cleric CDs become confusing. Like the Life domain which heals based on cleric level.   I think these are problems that happen anytime you take select features of one class and shoehorn them into another. The system is not designed to work that way. I realize that the Favored Soul took a domain feature as well, but that domain feature was a spell list; and spells are designed to stand on their own in a way that isolated class features are not. If I were going to design a Sacred Fist I would not try to grab cleric abilities but instead try to model the design after the other spell-caster lite additions Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster.
(Reply to #8) Macv12	pupoochi wrote: