Pathfinder Guide: How to Play a Monk
Speed, agility, and the ability to lay down a flurry of blows on any foe make the Pathfinder Monk one of the most exciting classes to play.
Many characters and classes in Pathfinder can focus on physical attacks. But for the Monk, physical strength flows directly from their mind and spirit. Every part of their body is an instrument, and that instrument must be perfectly tuned at all times. If you want a character who will knock an enemy out cold one minute, and be your party’s bastion of wisdom the next, the Pathfinder Monk may have all of the moves you’re looking for. Appearing in Player Core 2 the Monk will have you mastering multiple fighting styles and meditating on inner peace.
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The Pathfinder Monk Basics
Monks are often known for being wise, but their stats strongly prioritize their more physical attributes. At character creation, they take a boost to either their Strength or Dexterity stat, but this will make the most sense during game-play as they do a ton of jumps and unarmed melee attacks. They also start with expert-level training in their Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saving throws and their Unarmored Defense. Monks will also start their adventure with training in Simple Weapons, Unarmed Attacks, Perception, and a number of additional skills equal to their Intelligence modifier plus four. Interestingly, they are one of the few classes to explicitly state that they begin their adventure untrained in a skill, it being All Armor.
In combat, Monks utilize their speed, running straight into the heart of the battle, dodging and leaping past enemies and obstacles with acrobatic maneuvers, and striking their targets rapidly and with the bare fists. For an enemy, this flurry of attacks may happen with the suddenness and intensity of being hit by a bus. But for the player, these combat moments will often be incredibly run and satisfying. A Monk may also specialize in a few weapons, and along with their various stances, they have a deep well of fighting styles to pull from depending on the battle and the situation.
In non-combat situations, Monks are perceptive and philosophical. They have a tendency to see through falsehoods. And they understand the people they are interacting with with an almost spooky level of insight. While exploring or adventuring, the Monk is who the party can always count on. They can the walls, dodge the traps, leap over the pits, and generally avoid the traps and obstacles. They often stay in a part of the group where they can watch out for danger. This helps them protect the more vulnerable members of their group. And if scouting needs to be done, the Pathfinder Monk will be stealthy and silent enough to scout and sneak without being caught.
Monk Stances
Stances are a kind of Feat that Pathfinder Monks have access to. They represent the kind of training and martial expertise that the character pursued over the years. And as they level up, they have the opportunity to learn even more Stances.
First Level Monk Stances include:
Crane Stance: “Your arms flutter like a crane’s wings. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC, but the only Strikes you can make are crane wing attacks.”
Dragon Stance: “You enter the stance of a dragon and make powerful leg strikes like a lashing dragon’s tail. You can make dragon tail attacks that deal 1d10 bludgeoning damage.”
Monastic Archer Stance: “You enter a specialized stance for a unique martial art centered around the use of a bow. While in this stance, the only Strikes you can make are those using longbows, shortbows, or bows with the monk trait. You can use Flurry of Blows with these bows.”
Mountain Stance: “You enter the stance of an implacable mountain—a technique created by dwarven monks—allowing you to strike with the weight of an avalanche and block blows with your garments.”
Stumbling Stance: “You enter a seemingly unfocused stance that mimics the movements of the inebriated—bobbing, weaving, leaving false openings, and distracting your enemies from your true movements. While in this stance, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Deception checks to Feint.”
Tiger Stance: “You enter the stance of a tiger and can make tiger claw attacks. These deal 1d8 slashing damage; are in the brawling group; and have the agile, finesse, nonlethal, and unarmed traits.”
Wolf Stance: “You enter the stance of a wolf, low to the ground with your hands held like fangs. You can make wolf jaw unarmed attacks.”
Stances that become available as the Monk levels up include Shooting Stars Stance, Tangled Forest Stance, and Whirling Blade Stance.
Unarmed Attacks & Qi Spells
Some Stances allow Monks to make special unarmed attacks. They can only be used while maintaining its stance. Some of those attacks are also Qi Spells. These tap into the inner reserve of energy that Monks have and require one focus point to cast. Some unarmed attacks include Cobra Fang, Dragon Tail, and Iron Sweep. While Qi Spells include Shadow Grasp, and Wind Crash.
Multiclassing a Pathfinder Monk
Are you playing a character who would like to hone their body into a weapon? Some Monastic training may be exactly what they’re looking for. Barbarian-Monks combine heartiness, unarmed attacks, and special abilities for a combo that’s all but unstoppable. A Rogue-Monk will have some of the most speed, agility, and finesse on or off of the battlefield. And a Spellcaster-Monk can boost their combat abilities with spells like haste or runic body.
Characters multiclassing as a Monk gain access to the feats Monk Dedication, Basic and Advanced Kata, Monk Resiliency, Monk Moves, Monk’s Flurry, and Perfection’s Path.
How to Play a Pathfinder Monk
Monk is a class that can be incredibly satisfying to play. Take multiple actions per turn. Move around the field quickly, and lay down a flurry of blows. This will make each of your turns exciting. Few things feel as good in combat as knowing that you’re responsible for so, so many of the party’s collectible hit points against the big-bag. But this can mean that you have a little extra to keep track of. Don’t lose track of all of your moves and strikes—utilize every one of them.
For the Pathfinder Monk, Stances are some of the most important and unique aspects of their character. The stances they know and use will inform their unarmed attacks and qi spells, as much as where they have studied in the past and what their history is. You’ll want to choose them carefully, and know when to switch between them for offense vs defense.
Happy adventuring!
