Monk

From NWN2Wiki

Monk is a base class in NWN2.

Contents 1 Description 2 Class Features 2.1 Additional progressions 2.2 AC bonus 2.3 Flurry of blows 2.4 Unarmed strike 2.5 Stunning Fist 2.6 Evasion 2.7 Deflect Arrows 2.8 Fast movement 2.9 Still mind 2.10 Ki Strike 2.11 Purity of body 2.12 Improved Knockdown 2.13 Wholeness of body 2.14 Improved Evasion 2.15 Diamond body 2.16 Greater Flurry 2.17 Diamond soul 2.18 Quivering palm 2.19 Empty body 2.20 Perfect self 3 NWN comparison 4 DnD 3.5 comparison 5 Special Notes 6 External resources

[edit] Description

The key feature of the monk is her ability to fight unarmed and unarmored. Thanks to her rigorous training, she can strike as hard as if she were armed and strike faster than a warrior with a sword. Though a monk casts no spells, she has a magic of her own. She channels a subtle energy, called ki, which allows her to perform amazing feats. The monk's best-known feat is her ability to stun an opponent with an unarmed blow. A monk also has a preternatural awareness that allows her to dodge an attack even if she is not consciously aware of it. As a monk gains experience and power, her mundane and ki-oriented abilities grow, giving her more and more power over herself and, sometimes, over others.

Alignment restrictions: Any lawful - a monk's training requires strict discipline.

• Ex-monks - A monk who becomes non-lawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields - many of the monk's special features have specific equipment-related conditions. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.

[edit] Class Features

Hit die : d8
Base Attack Bonus progression :	Medium

Saving Throws :
	High =	Fortitude, Reflex & Will.
	low =	NONE

Proficiencies :
	Weapons:	Monk ~ club, crossbow (light), crossbow (heavy), dagger, handaxe, kama, quarterstaff, shuriken, and sling.
	Armor:	NONE

Skill Points : ( 4 + Int modifier ) ×4 at 1st Character level.

Class Skills : Concentration, Craft alchemy, Craft trap, Diplomacy, Hide, Listen, Lore, Move silently, Parry, Spot, and Tumble.

[edit] Additional progressions

Level	Features gained	Flurry of blows attack bonus	Unarmed damage	AC bonus	Unarmored speed bonus (ft)
1	AC bonus, Flurry of blows, Improved unarmed strike, Stunning fist, Unarmed strike	-2/-2	1d6/1d4	+0	+0
2	Evasion, Deflect arrows	-1/-1	1d6/1d4	+0	+0
3	Still mind, Monk speed	-0/-0	1d6/1d4	+0	+10
4	Ki strike (Magic)	+1/+1	1d8/1d6	+0	+10
5	Purity of body, AC Bonus +1	+2/+2	1d8/1d6	+1	+10
6	Knockdown, Improved knockdown	+3/+3	1d8/1d6	+1	+20
7	Wholeness of body	+4/+4	1d8/1d6	+1	+20
8		+5/+5/+0	1d10/1d8	+1	+20
9	Improved evasion	+6/+6/+1	1d10/1d8	+1	+30
10	Ki strike (Lawful), AC Bonus +2	+7/+7/+2	1d10/1d8	+2	+30
11	Diamond body, Greater Flurry	+8/+8/+8/+3	1d10/1d8	+2	+30
12		+9/+9/+9/+4	2d6/1d10	+2	+40
13	Diamond soul	+9/+9/+9/+4	2d6/1d10	+2	+40
14		+10/+10/+10/+5	2d6/1d10	+2	+40
15	Quivering palm, AC Bonus +3	+11/+11/+11/+6/+1	2d6/1d10	+3	+45
16	Ki strike (Adamantine)	+12/+12/+12/+7/+2	2d8/2d6	+3	+45
17		+12/+12/+12/+7/+2	2d8/2d6	+3	+45
18		+13/+13/+13/+8/+3	2d8/2d6	+3	+50
19	Empty body	+14/+14/+14/+9/+4	2d8/2d6	+3	+50
20	Perfect self, AC Bonus +4	+15/+15/+15/+10/+5	2d10/2d8	+4	+50
21		+15/+15/+15/+10/+5	2d10/2d8	+4	+50
22		+16/+16/+16/+11/+6/+1	2d10/2d8	+4	+50
23		+17/+17/+17/+12/+7/+2	2d10/2d8	+4	+50
24		+18/+18/+18/+13/+8/+3	3d8/2d10	+4	+50
25	Bonus feat, AC Bonus +5	+18/+18/+18/+13/+8/+3	3d8/2d10	+5	+50
26		+19/+19/+19/+14/+9/+4	3d8/2d10	+5	+50
27		+20/+20/+20/+15/+10/+5	3d8/2d10	+5	+50
28		+21/+21/+21/+16/+11/+6/+1	3d10/3d8	+5	+50
29		+21/+21/+21/+16/+11/+6/+1	3d10/3d8	+5	+50
30	Bonus feat, AC Bonus +6	+22/+22/+22/+17/+12/+7/+2	3d10/3d8	+6	+50

• A monk's flurry of blows attack bonus is still affected by multiclassing. Characters may gain additional attacks by taking a higher BAB progression class (e.g. fighter levels), or reduced attacks from taking a lower BAB progression class (e.g. wizard levels).

• The first unarmed damage stat is for medium size, and the second stats is from small size.
  • Unarmed damage for (potential) large monks in game is larger than medium sized monks.

[edit] AC bonus

A monk has a sixth sense that lets her avoid even unanticipated attacks. When unarmored, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five monk levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level). She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, or when she carries a shield.

[edit] Flurry of blows

When unarmored, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 9th level it disappears. When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with a kama, a quarterstaff or shuriken (dagger and handaxe don't work with Flurry of blows - the other special monk weapons, namely nunchaku, sai and saingham, are not coded into NWN2 in the official campaign).

The Flurry of Blows mode can be activated as long as the weapon in your main hand is one of the monk weapons listed above, or unarmed strike. It can be activated even when the character is wearing armor, or carries a shield. However, wearing armor/shield negates the extra attacks, although the attack penalty still applies. E.g. If a level 1 monk activates Flurry of blows while wearing armor or carrying a shield, he gets a -2 attack penalty, but does not receive the extra attacks.

[edit] Unarmed strike

At 1st level, a monk gains improved unarmed strike as a bonus feat. In addition, a Monk does more damage than other characters with unarmed attacks, and can deal lethal damage with his fists.

[edit] Stunning Fist

At 1st level, a monk gains stunning fist as a bonus feat.

[edit] Evasion

A monk of 2nd level or higher can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as a red dragon's fiery breath or a fireball), she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor.

[edit] Deflect Arrows

A monk of 2nd level or highter can attempt to deflect one incoming missile attack per round. This is treated as a reflex save made against a difficulty class of 20. As long as the monk is not caught flat-footed, the chance to deflect an arrow is automatically applied to the first missile attack in any given round.

[edit] Fast movement

At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed. A monk in armor (even light armor) loses this extra speed.

[edit] Still mind

A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment, since her meditation and training improve her resistance to mind-affecting attacks.

[edit] Ki Strike

At 4th level, a monk's unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character's monk level, becoming lawful for purposes of damage reduction at level 10 and adamantine for purposes of damage reduction at level 16.

[edit] Purity of body

At 5th level, a monk gains control over her body's immune system. She gains immunity to all diseases.

[edit] Improved Knockdown

At 6th level, a monk receives both the knockdown and improved knockdown feats for free, ignoring prerequisites.

[edit] Wholeness of body

At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds. She can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to twice her current monk level each day.

[edit] Improved Evasion

At 9th level, a monk's evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon's breath weapon or a fireball, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save.

[edit] Diamond body

At 11th level, a monk is in such firm control of her own metabolism that she gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.

[edit] Greater Flurry

At 11th level, a monk receives a second extra attack when using Flurry of Blows and using unarmed strikes or his special monk weapons. The only weapons this works with (besides unarmed attack) are kama, quarterstaff or shuriken -- a dagger/handaxe/etc will not work with flurry, and the other special monk weapons, namely nunchaku, sai and saingham, are not coded into NWN2 in the official campaign.

[edit] Diamond soul

At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to her current monk level + 10.

[edit] Quivering palm

Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up fatal vibrations within the body of another creature once per day. Unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the monk's level + the monk's Wis modifier), it dies. Quivering Palm does not work on creatures that have immunity to critical hits. Creatures that have higher hit die or level than the monk are also immune to this ability.

[edit] Empty body

At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to fade from sight twice per day. The monk gains a 50% concealment bonus for a number of rounds equal to his class level.

[edit] Perfect self

The monk gains immunity to all mind-affecting spells and effects, and damage reduction 10/magic.

[edit] NWN comparison

• The discipline skill that was created for NWN was removed in NWN2 and combat feats relating to it now function closer to 3.5 rules.
• Changes in damage reduction mean that it is no longer only bypassed depending on the level of magical enchantment but by a wider range of values, including materials and alignment.
• Flurry of blows and unarmed attack bonus were restricted to Kamas and Unarmed attacks only.
• The monk speed bonus was a percentage increase instead of an absolute number.
• The monk class in NWN2 does not start out with the Cleave feat, as with NWN.

[edit] DnD 3.5 comparison

• The parry skill was created by NWN and is not a feature of DnD 3.5. It has returned in NWN2 for the same reasons it was in NWN.
• In DnD 3.5, A monk who gains a new class or (if already multiclass) raises another class by a level may never again raise her monk level, though she retains all her monk abilities. In the Forgotten Realms, monks who are members of canon monk orders are granted more leniency.
• The skills climb, jump and swim are not implemented in NWN2.
• Knowledge skills are not in NWN2. The collective lore skill is used instead, though without the specific skill synergies.
• Improved grapple is excluded.
• Both aging and languages are not in NWN2.Timeless body and tongue of the sun and moon are not implemented.
• NWN2 does not give players teleportation and the abundant step class feature is not included.
• Unarmed monk cannot be targeted for any weapon or attack enchanting spell (like magic fang, holy sword, bless-, magic- or flame weapon)
  • With the exception of jagged tooth
• Monk (or any other character), for purposes of two-weapon fighting, can't make an off-hand unarmed attack.

[edit] Special Notes

• In a special PRC hakpack found in the NWVault, there is a feat called Intuitive Attack, which allows a character to use convert their Wisdom bonus modifier into AB in a similar fashion to Weapon Finesse. It's a hak feature only.

[edit] External resources

• NWNWiki:Monk
• DnD 3.5 monk
• Official 3.5E D&D FAQ (esp. for TWF & Flurry of Blows issues)