Monk of the Three Pillars

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Stunspore

Originally descended from Godshome, this order of monks was similar to the Wizards of High Sorcery in that, despite different morals, they worked together in furthering the ties between mortals and gods. The night before the Cataclysm, most of its members left to join their divine patron, but remnants of the order remain, though most are found only in isolated keeps.

Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

The monk's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Monk of the Three Pillars.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with the club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchuku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus.

AC Bonus (Ex): This is identical to the monk's ability of the same name, as listed in the Player's Handbook.

Unarmed Strike: This is identical to the monk's ability of the same name (including unarmed damage based on the monk's size), as listed in the Player's Handbook.

Discipline (Ex): At every level, the monk of the three pillars may select a special ability. These abilities are separated into Pillars of Light, Twilight, and Darkness. Evil monks cannot learn abilities from the Pillar of Light, and good monks cannot learn abilities from the Pillar of Darkness. The abilities are further separated into Disciplines of the Body, Disciplines of the Mind, and Disciplines of the Spirit. Any abilities that are similar to spells, are cast at a level equal to the monk's level.

If the monk learns each ability within a particular discipline (Body, Mind, and Spirit), then the monk gains a one-time ability score bonus that stacks with all others. A monk can receive the bonus for the same discipline if that discipline is from a different pillar.

Pillar of Light

• Bison's Strength: Through a series of exercises, the monk increases her abilities. The monk's Strength score increases by +1, and is treated like the ability increase gained for advancing in level. This ability may be taken a number of times equal to one-half the monk's class level (rounded up).
• Bison's Endurance: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the monk's Constitution score is increased by +1.
• Healing Touch: Drawing upon the inner divine spark when mortals were living stars (before the All-Saints War), the monk can heal herself and others. When the monk is in contact with another living person, she can grant that person Fast Healing equal to 1 + Cha bonus (if any) for a number of rounds equal to the monk's class level. The monk need not use this ability all at once - it can be spread throughout the day. The monk must maintain physical contact with the person to be healed, and cannot perform any other actions. If this ability is taken more than once, the duration is cumulative (but the amount of Fast Healing per round does not increase).
• Purging Surge: Prerequisite: 7th level. Concentrating on the inner divine spark, the monk can send a surge of divine energy, healing himself or others of all poisons and diseases. This ability functions like a combined remove disease and neutralize poison, and can be used once per day. Each time this ability is selected, the monk gains an additional use per day.

• Fortress Mind: Constant meditation (as taught by Majere) has enabled the monk to shield his mind against invasion. The monk gains a +1 bonus to all Will saves. This ability may be taken more than once, and its effects stack.
• Strengthen Mind: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the monk's Wisdom score is increased by +1.
• Freed Mind: Prerequisite: 14th level. The monk can make an ethereal jaunt once per day.
• Advanced Freed Mind: Prerequisites: 19th level, Freed Mind. The monk's Freed Mind ability becomes identical to the etherealness spell, and the monk can also become astral once per day as if using astral projection. These abilities can be used on others if the appropriate spell allows it.

• Dragon's Grace: The Platinum Dragon spiritually shields the monk from harm. The monk may add his Cha modifier (if positive) to all his saving throws. This ability cannot be taken more than once.
• Dragon's Aura: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the monk's Charisma score is increased by +1.
• Cycle of Life: Prerequisite: 14th level. Habbakuk represents the eternal cycle of life and death. As such, he grants the monk the power to cast reincarnation once per day.
• Eternal Life: Prerequisites: 17th level, Cycle of Life. Upon death, the monk can automatically be reincarnated, with his new form appearing at any natural (wilderness) uninhabited location known to the monk. The monk can select this ability multiple times, but each ability works only once.

Pillar of Twilight

• Hardy Body: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the benefits are gained from hard work as emphasized by Reorx.
• Hardy Fortitude: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the monk's Constitution score is increased by +1, and the benefits are gained from hard work as emphasized by Reorx.
• Resist Poison: The monk receives a +2 bonus to saves against poison and disease. This ability may be taken multiple times, and its effects stack.
• Tough Skin: The monk's skin hardens like tree bark, as the monk performs more outdoor activities. The monk adds +1 to his natural armour (or natural armour becomes 1 if he has none). This ability may be taken a number of times equal to one-half the monk's class level (rounded up).

• Strengthen Mind: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the monk's Wisdom score is increased by +1, and the benefits come from meditation as taught by Zivilyn.
• Learned Mind: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the monk's Intelligence score is increased by +1, and the benefits are said to come from training passed down by Gilean.
• Inquisitive Mind: Prerequisite: 5th level. The monk can create an effect equal to clairaudience/clairvoyance once per day, but the monk gains both benefits (she can see and hear). Each time this ability is selected, the monk gains an additional use per day.
• Never Forgotten: The monk never forgets anything that she has remembered, and her memory cannot be modified or erased. The monk is also immune to the nullifying effects of certain Chaos creatures, such as shadow wights.

• Kindred Spirits: The monk receives a +2 bonus whenever she deals with animals, and she may cast animal friendship once per day. This ability may be taken more than once, and its effects stack.
• Spirit Shield: If the monk is in ethereal or astral form, or the attacks are in ethereal or astral form, the monk receives a deflection bonus to his Armor Class equal to his Cha modifier (if positive).
• Sense Spirit: The monk can sense any spirit and identify it as living (a living creature), undead (if it has a soul) or extraplanar (outsider, if it possesses a soul). This ability has a 60-foot range and can be used at will as a standard action.
• Advanced Spirit Shield: Prerequisite: 6th level, Spirit Shield. The monk can apply his Spirit Shield bonus to all allies within 20 feet, and personally receives one-half the listed bonus against all other attacks (i.e. attacks for which Spirit Shield does not usually apply).

Pillar of Darkness

• Brute Form: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the benefits are gained from fighting as emphasized by Sargonnas.
• Brute Body: As the Bison's Strength ability, but the monk's Constitution score is increased by +1, and the benefits are gained from fighting as emphasized by Sargonnas.
• Fear no Elements: The monk's body resists the elements. The monk gains 5 resistance to any one element (acid, fire, cold, electricity or sonic). This ability may be taken more than once.
• Know Weakness: All creatures possess weaknesses, and Chemosh knows them all. The monk can increase his chance of critical strikes by 1. This ability may be taken a number of times equal to one-half the monk's class level (rounded up). This ability only works with unarmed attacks and does not stack with keen or similar abilites.

• Empty Mind: Prerequisite: 4th level. The monk is difficult to detect by magic or abilities (other than actually looking at him). The monk receives spell resistance 10 + class level against detection spells and abilities.
• Read Mind: Prerequisite: 5th level. The monk may cast detect thoughts once per day and receives a +2 bonus to Sense Motive checks. This ability may be taken a number of times equal to one-half the monk's class level (rounded up), and its effects stack.
• Insidious Mind: Prerequisite: 6th level. The monk may cast suggestion once per day and receives a +2 bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy checks. This ability may be taken a number of times equal to one-half the monk's class level (rounded up), and its effects stack.
• Fearful Mind: Prerequisite: 7th level. The monk may cast fear once per day and receives a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks. This ability may be taken a number of times equal to one-half the monk's class level (rounded up), and its effects stack.

• Dragon's Grace: As the Dragon's Grace ability of the Pillar of Light. Should a monk somehow acquire both abilities, they do not stack.
• Dragon's Aura: As the Dragon's Aura ability from the Pillar of Light. Should a monk somehow acquire both abilities, their effects stack.
• Death Pact: Prerequisite: 17th level. Upon death, the monk can automatically rise as an undead at any designated location that he has visited before his death. The monk may chose which undead to become, but if the new form has a positive level adjustment, the monk loses an equal number of levels to make up for this. The monk can select this ability multiple times, but each ability works only once - though the monk can rise as a different form of undead if she so chooses.
• Resistant to Energies: This ability gives the monk a +2 turn resistance, and an effective energy resistance of 5 to any positive or negative energy (e.g. cure wounds and inflict wounds spells) as well as divine energies (e.g. divine damage from flame strike). This ability may be taken a number of times equal to one-half the monk's class level (rounded up).

Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, if the monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless character does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Ki Strike (Su): 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 monk's class level. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, the monk's evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless character does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

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