Monk Signature Moves

Systems and Tools

Introduction

Avlis is home to numerous monk orders, many of whom practice their own style of martial arts. While styles often overlap and use similar or identical techniques, some orders develop moves or abilities unique to their martial arts systems. These "signature moves" are sometimes kept as closely-guarded secrets, but even secret techniques can be stolen or leaked for others to learn. Other orders are more open, and teach their signature moves to those who are willing and able to learn them.

This system allows characters with monk levels to train and gain access to additional abilities known as signature moves. The abilities are divided into separate schools.

Getting Started

The Signature Move System uses chat commands.

• /sigmov xp: This will tell you how much Signature Move XP and how many Signature Move levels you have, as well as your monk's current school.
• /sigmov N: This will allow you to perform a Signature Move, where N is the number of the move. However, in order to perform a move you must first learn it.
• /sigmov list: This will list all of the moves that you have learned as well as your current school.
• /sigmov switchschool X: This will allow you to switch schools, where X is the school number. (more on schools below)

Learning a Move

To learn a Signature Move, you first must find a book or scroll that contains instructions on how to perform the move. These books or scrolls can often be found at the monk order which developed the move. In other cases some searching may be involved; many monks wander the land, traveling from dojo to dojo, and some of them may happen to carry Signature Move books or scrolls.

Also, all signature moves require the usage of one of four monk feats: Stunning Fist, Wholeness of Body, Quivering Palm, or Empty Body. If you do not have the required feat for a particular move, you will be unable to learn it. For example, a character with 10 monk levels will be unable to learn the move Dragon Uppercut, since that move requires a usage of Empty Body, a feat that can only acquired by having at least 18 monk levels. You must also have a usage of the feat available to learn the move, even though the ability itself won't be used in the learning process. So if a monk has spent all of their Empty Body usages for the day, they won't be able to try and learn Whirlwind Kick until they have rested.

Once a book or scroll has been acquired, you must study it in order to try and learn the move. Studying requires a Wisdom check; each Signature Move has its own learn DC. The Wisdom check is positively modified by the following:

• Effective Level: your PC's monk levels.
• Signature Move Level: the number of Signature Move levels your PC has in their current school. Signature Move level progression is the same as character levels.
• Feats: the following feats each give a +3 modifier to the check - Weapon Focus Unarmed Strike, Weapon Specialization Unarmed Strike, Improve Critical Unarmed Strike, Epic Weapon Focus Unarmed Strike, and Epic Weapon Specialization Unarmed Strike.

If you beat the move's learn DC, the percentage that you learned the move is five plus the difference between your modified roll and the DC is . Every move will require that its book or scroll be studied multiple times before fully learning the move and becoming able to use it.

Example. Gram Jamjeans is a 20th level monk with a Wisdom of 20. He tries to learn his first Signature Move, Power Possum Parry. The learn DC for the move is 15. Gram rolls a 5 for his Wisdom check. With his 20 WIS his ability modifier is +5; adding this to his roll as well as his effective level of 20 (for his 20 monk level) his modified roll is 30. Gram also has both Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in Unarmed Strike, further raising his roll to 36. This easily beats the DC of 15. He has made progress of 26% (5 + 36 - 15) towards learning Power Possum Parry. He will need to keep studying and training before he fully learns the move.

Performing a Move

As mentioned above, once learned a signature move is performed via chat command. However, there are some limitations on performing moves:

• You must have monk levels to perform a move.
• You can only perform a move if it belongs to your current school. (more on schools below)
• You cannot perform a signature move while wearing any kind of armor.
• You cannot perform a signature move with a shield equipped.
• Many signature moves have a duration. You cannot perform a signature move while another signature move is still in effect.
• Some signature moves require certain items to be equipped, such as gloves or specific weapon types such as kamas.

Also, all signature moves require the usage of one of four monk feats: Stunning Fist, Wholeness of Body, Quivering Palm, or Empty Body. If you don't have any usages left of the required feat for a signature move, you won't be able to use that move until you rest.

There is no check to perform a move; as long as the conditions above are met, when a move is performed success is automatic. Every time you perform a signature move, you gain Signature Move XP.

Resting: if you fully rest while a signature move is in effect, its effects will end and its duration will end prematurely. You will be able to use a signature move immediately after resting. However, if you only partially rest (if you cancel the rest before completion) while you have a signature move in effect, the effects of the move will be removed but you will not be able to use another signature move until you fully rest or until the original full duration of that move has expired. This is a game engine limitation.

Schools and Signature Moves

Signature Moves are categorized into different schools. There are currently four different schools:

• School of the Open Palm: focuses on defensive abilities
• School of the Closed Fist: focuses on offensive abilities and weapons usage
• School Mountain and Sea: combines a variety of different moves/abilities
• School of Meta Ki Manipulation: focuses on channeling ki for a variety of effects

You can only use signature moves that belong to the same school. Once you have chosen a school, you will learn Signature Move XP and gain Signature Move levels when performing moves in that school. This is important because moves increase in power relative to your Signature Move level.

Changing Schools: it is possible to change schools. To change schools, simply learn a move that belongs to a different school than your current one. However, when you change schools, your Signature Move XP is lost, and you must start over at Signature Move level 1.

You never forget a move that you have learned, but you can only use moves in your current school. If you change schools back to a school in which you had previously learned moves, then you will be able to use those moves again without relearning them, but whenever you change schools, even when changing back to an old one, you lose all Signature Move XP and must start over. You can also switch back to a school in which you have previously learned moves by typing "/sigmov switchschool X" where X is a number based on the school:

• School of the Open Palm: 1
• School of the Closed Fist: 2
• School Mountain and Sea: 3
• School of Meta Ki Manipulation: 4

Example: after successfully learning Power Possum Parry, Gram Jamjeans went on to learn other moves in its school, the School of the Open Palm. He gains 5,000 Signature Move XP, enough to reach 10th level, when he decides to try a different school. Gram learns Draining Palm and transfers to the School of the Closed Fist. He loses all of his Signature Move XP and is back at 1st level. After a week he has gained 1,000 Signature Move XP and reached 2nd level, but he realizes that this school is not for him. Gram decides to switch back to the School of the Open Palm. When he does so he is instantly able to use Power Possum Parry again, but his Signature Move XP is once more reset to 0, and he must once again start over at 1st level.

Signature Move List

Note: Many signature moves use your combined level to calculate duration, DCs, move strength, etc. Your combined level is the sum of your effective level (monk level) and your Signature Move level.

Move Name	Number	School	Required Feat	Description
Power Possum Parry	1	Open Palm	Stunning Fist	The monk gains a Parry and Tumble bonus equal to the sum of their combined level and their wisdom bonus. (Duration: combined level + 5 rounds)
Mind Like Water	2	Open Palm	Stunning Fist	The monk focuses their ki to make themself less detectable to others, gaining a sanctuary effect. This DC to see past this effect is the PC’s combined level. (Duration: combined level + 5 rounds)
Diamond Sphere	3	Open Palm	Wholeness of Body	The monk extends their ki outward to create a shield that grants them immunity to physical attacks, in the form of %X immunity to slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage, where X is their combined level. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Crystal Mind	4	Open Palm	Quivering Palm	The monk focuses their ki outward to create a barrier that absorbs spells. The maximum spell level absorbed is equal to 3 + combined level/10. The total spell levels absorbed is equal the monk’s combined level. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Mind Like Granite	5	Open Palm	Empty Body	The monk extends their ki outward. All party members in the same area as the monk receive immunity to disease. If the monk has immunity to poison and mind-affecting spells and effects, those affected will receive these immunities as well. The monk must concentrate during the use of this move, resulting in an AC penalty which increases with the number of immunities are granted, at a rate of -2 per immunity. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Draining Palm	6	Closed Fist	Stunning Fist	The monk uses their attack to drain the ki from their opponent. If the monk is wielding a weapon, that weapon (main hand only) gains vampiric regeneration +X, where X is combined level/6. If the monk is fighting bare-handed, their gloves get on-hit cast spell: vampiric touch, at a caster level equal to combined level/3. The weapon or gloves also get on-hit ability drain of a random ability, with the DC based on the PC’s combined level. (Duration: combined level + 5 rounds)
Fist of Iron	7	Closed Fist	Stunning Fist	The monk punches the ground. NPCs around them who fail a fort save (DC: the monk’s combined level) are knocked down for a round and have their Discipline reduced by a number of ranks equal to the monk’s combined level/3. Also, the monk’s main weapon or gloves receive a DEX penalty and bonus bludgeoning damage. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Hammer Fist	8	Closed Fist	Wholeness of Body	The monk focuses their ki on their gloves or main weapon. That object receives on-hit Hammer of the Gods. The caster level of the spell is the monk’s combined level*2/3. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Mantis Fury	9	Closed Fist	Quivering Palm	The monk must have two kamas equipped to use this signature move. The monk’s main kama gets on-hit cast spell: Energy Drain, and their offhand kama gets on-hit cast spell: Phantasmal Killer. The caster level for these spells is the monk’s combined level*2/3. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Dragon Uppercut	10	Closed Fist	Empty Body	The monk’s main weapon or gloves receive on-hit cast spell: Destruction. The caster level is the monk’s combined level *2/3. (Duration: 20 rounds)
Clawed Eye Gouge	11	Mountain & Sea	Stunning Fist	The monk focuses their attacks on their opponents’ eyes. Their main melee weapon or gloves receive a -2 attack penalty, bonus piercing damage, and on-hit blindness. The piercing damage and on-hit DCs and durations are based on combined level. (Duration: combined level + 5 rounds)
Fearsome Stance	12	Mountain & Sea	Stunning Fist	The monk makes an imposing martial stance, which has two effects. 1) the monk’s main weapon or gloves gain an on-hit fear effect, and 2) the monk’s main weapon or gloves gain bonus damage based on double the monk’s Intimidate skill ranks. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Healing Kata	13	Mountain & Sea	Wholeness of Body	The monk performs a short kata, after which they and all allies within 10 meters are healed for X hit points, where X is the sum of their combined level and their Heal skill ranks. (Duration: instant)
Drunken Style	14	Mountain & Sea	Quivering Palm	The first time a monk uses this they receive a Monk Alcohol Bag. From then on, whenever a monk uses Drunken Style, the monk drinks any alcoholic beverages contained within the bag. For every beverage drunk, they receive an attack and damage bonus based on the strength of the alcohol. However, for every beverage drunk a d20 is rolled, and if any of the results is a 1, the monk is confused (they still receive the bonuses). If the monk is immune to mind-affecting spells and effects, then instead the monk is blinded. (Duration: combined level/3 rounds)
Whirlwind Kick	15	Mountain & Sea	Empty Body	The monk makes an attack (at full attack bonus) on all NPCs within 10 feet. Successful attacks deal 1d8 damage plus the monk’s strength bonus. All NPCs successfully hit must make a fort save whose DC is the monk’s combined level. Those who fail the fort save are confused for a number of rounds equal to the monk’s combined level. (Duration: 1 round)
Ki Shout	16	Meta Ki Manipulation	Stunning Fist	The monk focuses their ki to make a mighty shout, creating a cone of sound in front of the PC. Anyone caught in this cone is deafened. Those who fail a will save are also frightened. The will save DC is the PC’s combined level. (Duration: 1 + combined level/6 rounds)
Ki Lance	17	Meta Ki Manipulation	Stunning Fist	The monk focuses their ki on their gloves or main weapon. That object receives a positive energy bonus vs. undead and an enhancement bonus vs, undead. (Duration: combined level + 5 rounds)
Ki Ball	18	Meta Ki Manipulation	Wholeness of Body	The monk focuses their ki into a tiny sphere which then explodes around them. All enemies within the explosion (same size as a fireball) take 6 types of damage (cold, electric, fire, negative, positive, sonic). The damage depends on the monk’s combined level. The DC for the reflex save to take less damage is the monk’s combined level. (Duration: instant)
Ki Field	19	Meta Ki Manipulation	Quivering Palm	The monk extends their ki outward, creating a damage shield of positive energy. This does positive energy damage equal to half the PC’s combined level plus 1d6. (Duration: combined level rounds)
Douse the Flames of War	20	Meta Ki Manipulation	Empty Body	The monk extends their ki outward. Certain hostile creatures within 10 feet must make a Will save; those who fail become non-hostile and stop attacking. The DC is the monk's combined level. (Duration: instant)