Monk

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Barbarian	Bard	Cleric	Favored Soul	Fighter	Monk	Paladin	Ranger	Rogue	Sorcerer	Wizard

[edit] Class Summary

• The Monk class is free for VIP accounts but FTP and premium accounts must purchase the class in the DDO store for 795 Turbine Points.

Alignment: Any Lawful

Hit die: d8

[edit] Class Skills

Skill points at 1st level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x4

Skill points at each additional level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

	Balance (Dex)
	Concentration (Con)
	Diplomacy (Cha)
	Hide (Dex)
	Jump (Str)
	Listen (Wis)
	Move Silently (Dex)
	Spot (Wis)
	Tumble (Dex)

[edit] Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:

	Simple weapons (Club, Dagger, Heavy Crossbow, Light Crossbow, Quarterstaff, Unarmed)
	Martial weapons (Handaxe)
	Exotic weapons (Kama, Shuriken)

Note: Monks will become uncentered if they use any armor other than robes or if they equip any weapons other than kamas, a quarterstaff or shuriken(s).

[edit] Advancement Table

• For a monk who was reborn from a past monk (and takes the active feat), the unarmed damage is one rank higher than the current( i.e. level 1-3 does 1d8 instead ). For level 20, the damage is 2d12.

[edit] Ki

Characters with one or more levels of monk will possess a yellow bar under their HP meter, called the Ki Meter. It displays three numbers.

The first number is the current Ki. The second number is the maximum Ki the monk can achieve. Your base maximum Ki is equal to ten times the character's monk level plus forty. To that number, you add five times your Wisdom modifier. The third one is written between parentheses and represents the rate at which a monk's Ki regenerates or decays. A rate of (+1) means you're gaining 1 Ki per six seconds, however, a rate of (-2) means you're losing 2 Ki at every six seconds.

The rate at how much you gain or lose Ki is determined by your Concentration skill. Concentration is a critical skill for the monk. If your Ki is equal to or less than your Concentration skill, it does not decay. For each multiple of your Concentration skill that it exceeds it by, you receive -1 Ki for every 6 seconds. If your Concentration score is zero or negative, it's treated as if it were 1, which makes retaining Ki difficult.

[edit] Gaining Ki

There are different ways to gain Ki. The first is by attacking a monster. In general a melee attack that does more than zero damage will generate 1 Ki and scoring a critical hit will net you 3 Ki. If you are in fire stance you gain 2 Ki instead. Way of the Tenacious Badger allows your monk to gain more Ki while damaging an opponent for as long as the monk is below a certain percentage of health and Way of the Elegant Crane increases the Ki a monk will receive when scoring a critical hit. Also, Mountain stance grants Ki on being hit. Ranged attacks will not generate Ki.

The second way to gain Ki is to rest at a Rest Shrine. Your Ki then will reach the maximum sustainable amount which is equal to your concentration score. Zoning in or out of a dungeon will have the same effect, just as your buffs reset so does your Ki.

The third way to gain Ki would be to use the Meditation feat which is gained at level two. This will regenerate your Ki based off the monk's wisdom modifier and monk level. While meditating you can go over your centered Ki up to your maximum Ki.

[edit] Centered

A Centered State of Being is a critical component of the Monk class. Several class-specific benefits are lost while a Monk is not Centered.

[edit] Requirements

To be Centered, a Monk must:

• wear only a robe, outfit, docent (Warforged only), or nothing in his armor slot
  • Warforged Monks must also have a body type no heavier than Composite Plating
• not wear a shield
• wield only kamas, shurikens, a quarterstaff, handwraps, longsword (Feat Whirling Steel Strike required), shortswords (Ninja Spy enhancements required) or nothing as weapons
• not be encumbered

[edit] Penalties

Uncentered Monks can not perform the following abilities:

• Fast Movement
• Slow Fall
• Monk-specific stances

Furthermore, the Monk's ki will rapidly drop to zero.

The Monk's Wisdom-based Armor Class bonus does not fully rely on the Centered state. This bonus has the same armor, shield, and encumberance requirements as Centered, but the Monk's weapons don't matter. A Monk still gets this bonus if he is Uncentered only because of his weapons. This is intentional:

"The monk wisdom (and class) bonus to armor class should essentially function "by the book". This bonus should be lost if wearing any armor, using a shield, or encumbered. It does not check for ki weapons however - it's less restrictive than the monk abilities that require one to remain centered." - developer Eladrin, post on forums.ddo.com

[edit] Class feats

[edit] Level 1

• Armor Class Bonus (passive): While unarmored and not equipping a shield, monks gain a passive bonus to Armor Class equal to their Wisdom modifier, if their Wisdom modifier is positive.
• Flurry of Blows (passive): When a monk is either unarmed or is wielding only monk weapons (Kama, Shuriken, Quarterstaff), the monk is treated as if they had a full Base Attack Bonus for all monk levels they possess rather than a 3/4 Base Attack Bonus.
• Unarmed Strike (passive): Monks are tremendously skilled at unarmed combat and inflict more damage with their bare hands. As they increase in levels, so will the damage they will inflict with their unarmed attacks at level 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20.
• Choice of a Martial arts feat: A monk may select martial arts feat for free. He must meet all prerequisites of the feat he selects.
• Finishing moves (active): As your martial arts training continues, you will be able perform special finishing moves of great versatility and power. These finishing moves are unlocked by performing certain sequences of attack forms, and the finishing move icon will change (and a visible glow of Ki will appear about you) when you are ready to perform one.

[edit] Level 2

• Armor Class Bonus (passive): +1 bonus to Armor, and as you increase in power, you will receive +1 additional bonus to Armor Class at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20.
• Evasion (passive): When a monk makes a successful Reflex save to avoid damage, he or she suffers no damage instead of half damage. Evasion requires light or no armor.
• Meditation (active): A two times per rest, a monk can meditate to slowly regain Ki. It stabilizes when it reaches over three times his Concentration score.
• Choice of a Martial arts feat: At second level, a monk may select martial arts feat for free. He must meet all prerequisites of the feat he selects.

[edit] Level 3

• Still Mind (passive): Training and meditation have improved the monk's resistance to mind-affecting attacks, granting you a +2 bonus on saving throws against enchantments.
• Fast Movement (passive): While centered, a monk runs faster for every three monk levels he possesses.
• Choice of Philosophy: You have advanced far enough that you must make a choice – whether to follow the Path of Harmonious Balance and seek to be at peace with the world, or to follow the Path of Inevitable Dominion and seek to dominate the world. This choice will affect enhancement choices open to you and will affect what finishing moves you receive.

[edit] Level 4

• Ki Strike: Magic (passive): All of a monk's unarmed melee attacks are empowered with Ki and are considered magical for damage reduction purposes.
• Slow Fall (active): A monk's focus allows him to bend nature around him to reduce gravity's effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you. The Monk must be centered to use this ability, and its effectiveness increases as you continue to gain power, at every two level.
• Unarmed Strike (passive): While centered (unarmored, unencumbered, and wielding monk weapons), your fists and feet are lethal weapons.

[edit] Level 5

• Armor Class Bonus (passive): Your training improves your armor class, You gain +1 additional bonus to Armor Class.
• Purity of Body (passive): At this level, a monk has gained control over his body’s immune system and is now unaffected by all diseases.

[edit] Level 6

• Choice of a Martial arts feat: At sixth level, a monk may select martial arts feat for free. He must meet all prerequisites of the feat he selects.
• Slow Fall (active): Your focus allows you to bend nature around you to make gravity have less effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you.

[edit] Level 7

• Wholeness of Body (active): This feat allows monks expend 10 Ki to heal half their hit points over time. The formula for how many hit points is regained is (monk level)/2 + Wisdom modifier at every six seconds for 30 seconds (the timer wrongly says it lasts one minute). This feat cannot be used in combat, the monk must stand still and perform no action while he regenarates some his hit points. There is a cooldown of 180 seconds.

[edit] Level 8

• Slow Fall (active): Your focus allows you to bend nature around you to make gravity have less effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you.
• Unarmed Strike (passive): While centered (unarmored, unencumbered, and wielding monk weapons), your fists and feet are lethal weapons.

[edit] Level 9

• Improved Evasion (passive): When a monk fails to make a successful Reflex save to avoid damage, he or she suffers only half damage.

[edit] Level 10

• Armor Class Bonus (passive): Your training improves your armor class, You gain +1 additional bonus to Armor Class.
• Ki Strike: Lawful (passive): Unarmed attacks from the monk are now considered Lawful and Magic weapons for damage reduction purposes.
• Slow Fall (active): Your focus allows you to bend nature around you to make gravity have less effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you.

[edit] Level 11

• Diamond Body (passive): This feat grants the Monk immunity to poison.

[edit] Level 12

• Abundant Step (active): At the cost of 10 Ki, a monk can use this ability to make horizontal leaps, closing to targets, traversing chasms, or zipping past enemies with less chance of being detected. There is a cooldown of three seconds on this feat and can only be used on yourself.
• Slow Fall (active): Your focus allows you to bend nature around you to make gravity have less effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you.
• Unarmed Strike (passive): While centered (unarmored, unencumbered, and wielding monk weapons), your fists and feet are lethal weapons.

[edit] Level 13

• Diamond Soul (passive): The Monk gains Spell Resistance equal to Monk Level +10

[edit] Level 14

• Slow Fall (active): Your focus allows you to bend nature around you to make gravity have less effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you.

[edit] Level 15:

• Armor Class Bonus (passive): Your training improves your armor class, You gain +1 additional bonus to Armor Class.
• Quivering Palm (active): Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up fatal vibrations within the body of a living creature. Constructs, oozes, plants, undeads, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected, but other creatures must make a Fortitude Save after being struck by the Quivering Palm or die instantly. The saving throw is equal to DC of 10 + (monk level)/2 + wisdom modifier.

[edit] Level 16:

• Ki Strike: Adamantine (passive): Unarmed attacks from the monk are now considered Adamantine, Lawful, and Magic weapons for damage reduction purposes.
• Slow Fall (active): Your focus allows you to bend nature around you to make gravity have less effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you.
• Unarmed Strike (passive): While centered (unarmored, unencumbered, and wielding monk weapons), your fists and feet are lethal weapons.

[edit] Level 17:

• Timeless Body (passive): Your soul is balanced. No corrupt influences can possess your body after death - you are immune to the spawn effect of most undead.

[edit] Level 18:

• Slow Fall (active): Your focus allows you to bend nature around you to make gravity have less effect. This is an active feat, and can be turned off should you desire normal gravity to affect you.

[edit] Level 19:

• Empty Body (active): You are able to focus your ki and walk the edge of the Plane of Shadow, mimicing the effects of a Shadow Walk spell. While this effect is active, you move much faster than normal and your outline appears faint and you are harder to hit. Attacking another creature or otherwise interacting with objects shunts you back to the Material Plane.

[edit] Level 20:

• Armor Class Bonus (passive): Your training improves your armor class, You gain +1 additional bonus to Armor Class.
• Perfect Self (passive): You have transcended your former race, and are now considered a Lawful Outsider. You have gained damage reduction 10 / epic. Warforged retain most living construct traits.
• Perfect Slow Fall (active): You have perfected the ability to recover from a fall unharmed. You never take damage from falling no matter how far you fall.
• Shining Star (active): You use the combined power of Earth, Wind, and Fire to set up harmonic vibrations within your enemy that force them to dance. A successful Will save negates this effect. (DC 10 + Monk Level + Charisma mod)
• Unarmed Strike (passive): While centered (unarmored, unencumbered, and wielding monk weapons), your fists and feet are lethal weapons.

[edit] External links

• Dev Diary: The Way of the Monk
• DDO Compendium entry