Monk Pass

[Maelodic]

It looks like we're not going to be getting a monk pass in update 30, so here is how I would do the monk rework based on the current game, and how you're doing the other reworks.

Player's council, if you could review. If you like (at least some of) my ideas, please post it in your super secret workshopping forums.

To those saying that WIS to damage cannot happen through programming, please note that when Vorpal Strikes first came out, we had DEX to to-hit and damage from the Ninja Spy cores because it was slashing as a damage type. It is certainly possible.

If you have any questions, please ask, and I'll be happy to clarify.

Henshin

I wanted to really focuses on monk stances, balance, and magical ki attacks in this tree.
The entire tree will for the most part be redone.

Cores
1: Balanced Power: For each henshin core, gain 6 stacking Universal Spell Power.
2: Enlightened Strikes: You can now use your WIS for attack when fighting while centered.
3: Enlightened Power: You can now use your WIS for damage when fighting while centered.
4: Balance in All - Monk Stance (Like earth/air/etc) - You gain the benefits and drawback of all monk stances as if they were all of Adapt ranking. Your ki powers do force damage while in this stance.
5: Flow Through - Toggle: Your ki bolt and blast no longer have a cooldown, and cast as though they were quickened. One with the Stance scales with 100% of spellpower. Drains 10 ki per second and does not interrupt actions to turn on or off.
6: Master of All - +3 WIS. Your Balance in All stance has improved to give the benefits and drawbacks of the Master stances.
10 Melee Power

Tier I
Mystic Training > 1 AP per rank
Animal Forms - Unchanged
Balanced Training (Replaces Staff Training) > Gain 1 attack and damage with all weapons, and 3 Universal Spell Power
Elemental Words > Single ability - gives 3% elemental vulnerability based on your stance.

Tier II
Elemental Words Boost
Balanced Training
Quick Strike > Removed
Ki Bolt > (Elemental) bolt attack. Deals 1d4/1d6/2d6 damage per Monk level. Damage type and spell power scaling dependent on stance. Affected by spell power, but cannot critically strike. 20 ki.

Tier III
Elemental Words Boost
Balanced Training
Lighting the Candle > Removed
One With The Stance > 1d6/2d6/4d6 (elemental) damage on hit and an extra 1d6/2d6/3d6 (elemental) damage on critical. Scales with 50% spellpower. Your ki generation on hit is reduced by 1. (1 AP per rank)
Embrace The Void > 1 AP per rank.

Tier IV
Elemental Words Boost
Balanced Training
Focus > Removed
Effortless Meditation > You can now move and attack while meditating. Your movement decreases by 20% when moving while meditating.
Void Strike

Tier V
Staff Specialization > Removed
Void Strike > Moved to T4.
Elemental Mastery > 15% total vulnerability for (energy type). Any weapon you wield including handwraps are considered implements. Requires all Elemental Word boosts.
Absolute Balance > While unarmed, your critical multiplier is now one, and cannot be boosted. You gain 20 critical threat and your unarmed dice is changed to 12d1. Your attacks are considered vorpal on a 19-20 roll. Requires all Balanced Training.
Three Moves Ahead > Your finishing moves can now be used on demand without any build up. Using one puts all on a 6 second cooldown.
Ki Blast > (Elemental) ball attack. Deals 1d6/2d6/3d6 damage per Monk level. Damage type and spell power scaling dependent on stance. Affected by spell power, but cannot critically strike. 50 ki.

Shintao:

Most of the problems of this tree involve a simple lack of power. While it's supposed to be the tank and healing tree, it's really more just required to play in if you want to survive or go unarmed. Most of the changes involve working with the cores and offering two monk paths- one more focused on support and avoidance while the other focused on pure tanking.

Cores
1: Unchanged
2: Higher Understanding: Your unarmed attacks bypass Bysheck and Cold Iron.
3: Multi-selector - Pick one:
Way of the World - Defensive Stance: You are centered in light armor. You can no longer benefit from monk stances.
Spiritual Warding - Defensive Stance: +2 Reflex Saves, +3 Dodge and Dodge Cap
4: Multi-selector - Based on your last pick:
Unencumbered: While in Way of the World, you are centered in medium armor.
Spiritual Shield: While in Spiritual Warding, +2 Reflex Saves, +3 Dodge and Dodge Cap
5: Multi-selector:
Shed the Bonds: While in Way of the World, you are centered in heavy armor.
Spiritual Armor: While in Spiritual Warding, 10 PRR, +6 Dodge and Dodge Cap
Passive: Your unarmed attacks bypass Silver and Adamantine.
6: To Seek Perfection: +2 WIS and CON.
10 Melee Power
While armored and in Way of the World, you can now benefit from monk stances.
While unarmored and in Spiritual Warding, you pulse the benefits of all the light finishers, including the heal, every 5 seconds.

Tier I
Elemental Curatives > Changed to 1 AP per all the way up
Reed in the Wind > Also grants dodge cap

Tier II
Iron Skin > No longer requires Earth Stance. 1 AP per rank.

Tier V
Meditation of War > Removed
Violence Begats Violence > Removed
Empty Hand Mastery > Moved to T4
Rise of the Pheonix > Old ability - Raise Dead, 50 ki. No longer requires curatives.
Purge All Evil > New - allows use of all Shintao Strikes (Jade Tomb, etc) on any evil creature
Heavy Strikes > -10% attack speed, +4[W]. Requires Empty Hand Mastery.

Ninja

Instead of focusing on a lot of strange things, the goal of this will be to put more focus on negative energy, poison, and weaponizing the monk.

Cores
1: Unchanged
2: Unchanged
3: Unchanged
4: Initiative: Attacks you make while invisible stun for 2 seconds. This ability has a 10 second cooldown. (No save)
5: Sharper Edges: You gain a +2 competence bonus to your critical threat range with shortswords/shurikens/kamas, and a +1 competence bonus to critical threat when fighting unarmed.
6: Darkness Becomes You: +2 DEX, +2 WIS. Your Touch of Despair, Ninjitsus, and Touch of Death abilities no longer have a saving throw. Touch of Death now scales with 100% melee power. You can now use Quivering Palm, Fists of Darkness, and Touch of Despair with a shuriken.
10 Melee Spell Power
10 Dodge

Tier I
Ninjitsu > Poison Exploit/Poison Soul now scales on 150% melee power.

Tier III
Flash Bang > Now can use DEX or WIS.
Sting of the Ninja > Cooldown changed to 2 seconds. Poison scales with 150% melee power.

Tier IV
No Mercy > Removed.
Deadly Exploits > Scales with 150% melee power.
Killer > Same as DWS

Tier V
Crippling Strikes > Removed
One With Shadow > (Requires Shadow Veil) Toggle: While active, gain 30% incorp. Become invisible when you have not caused any damage for 6 seconds.
Shadow Double > Duration increased to 9 seconds.
Multi Selector >
-Close and Personal: 3[W] and +1 competence to critical multiplier while using a shuriken in point blank shot range. 10 ranged power.
-Full Exploitation: Your first attack to an enemy with a piercing or slashing weapon inflicts 6 stacks of Ninja Poison. 10 melee power.
-Faster Than Dark: Gain 10% stacking attack speed while attacking when unarmed. Extra effects on your weapon (including Touch of Death) now deal 20% more damage.

[the_one_dwarfforged]

Absolute Balance > While unarmed, your critical multiplier is now one, and cannot be boosted. You gain 20 critical threat and your unarmed dice is changed to 12d1. Your attacks are considered vorpal on a 19-20 roll. Requires all Balanced Training.

hitting on a 1 op?

[Maelodic]

hitting on a 1 op?

You still have to roll to confirm your critical. You can still miss on a critical one, I believe.

EDIT: Also, out of all the stuff in there, you're worried that hitting on a one would be super broken?

[Saekee]

I wrote this in Grailhawk's thread so thought I would mention it here:

There could be something in cores or tier 5s of each tree in which ki retention bolsters defense. At exact levels a Henshin gets MRR, shintao PRR and Ninja gets dodge, similar to how OS gets guarding bonds.

This would be fascinatimg for monks as part of their ki management--to spam it in attacks or reserve it for defense.

[Maelodic]

I wrote this in Grailhawk's thread so thought I would mention it here:

There could be something in cores or tier 5s of each tree in which ki retention bolsters defense. At exact levels a Henshin gets MRR, shintao PRR and Ninja gets dodge, similar to how OS gets guarding bonds.

This would be fascinatimg for monks as part of their ki management--to spam it in attacks or reserve it for defense.

That concept is sorta what I was going for with flow through, where you could either burst hard with it, or get sustained damage out of your pool for a lot longer.

I actually did read through the comments there before posting this- and while I like the idea of it, I'd much rather give a lot of reasons for monks of all sorts to be spending their ki with the natural ebb and flow rather than hording it.