Monk



Monk is a base class in NWN2.

Monk
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.

Additional progessions

 * 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.

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.

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).

Unarmed strike
At 1st level, a monk gains improved unarmed strike as a bonus feat.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Diamond body
At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.

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 (kama, dagger, handaxe, quarterstaff and shuriken - the other special monk weapons, namely nunchaku, sai and saingham, are not coded into NWN2 in the official campaign).

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

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.

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.

Perfect self
At 20th level, a monk has tuned her body with skill and quasi-magical abilities to the point that she becomes a magical creature. The monk gains damage reduction 10/magic, which allows her to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a non-magical weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn't have similar damage reduction.

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.

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.
 * 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.

External resources

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