Heritage Ascetic (Sorcerer/Monk)

Deep in seclusion, a monastic order with sorcerous potential lays in waiting to be discovered. This obscure order possesses magical power meant to be used for martial aptitude and to achieve greater balance in ones lives. Many of these sorcerers are descended from powerful ascetics, and strive to uphold the ascetic ideals of their forbearers. While this order is focused primarily on monastic influences, any heritage is welcome. (Original Concept by +5 Toaster)

Primary: Sorcerer.

Secondary: Monk.

Alignment: Any nonchaotic.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The heritage ascetic selects three monk skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal sorcerer class skills. The heritage ascetic gains a number of ranks at each level equal to +2 Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The heritage ascetic is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the brass knuckles, cestus, club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, short sword, shuriken, siangham, sling, spear and temple sword. A heritage ascetic is not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a heritage ascetic's movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.

Spellcasting: A heritage ascetic casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, and adds the following spells at the indicated spell level: 3rd level–delay disease, delay poison, healing thief†; 4th level–neutralize poison, remove disease; 5th–resonating word±. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a heritage ascetic must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class (DC) for a saving throw against a heritage ascetic’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the heritage ascetic’s Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a heritage ascetic can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Heritage Ascetic. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score.

The heritage ascetic’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A heritage ascetic begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the heritage ascetic’s choice. At each new heritage ascetic level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Heritage Ascetic Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a heritage ascetic knows is not affected by her Charisma score.

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third heritage ascetic level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a heritage ascetic can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the heritage ascetic “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level heritage ascetic spell the heritage ascetic can cast. A heritage ascetic may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.

A heritage ascetic need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level. (*Advanced Player’s Guide, ‡Advanced Race Guide, ±Ultimate Magic, †Ultimate Combat).

Arcane Unarmed Strike (Ex): At 1st level, a heritage ascetic gains the monk’s unarmed strike ability, except that she deals 1d4 points of damage at 1st level. At 5th level and every four levels thereafter, this damage increases by 1 damage die category (1d6 at 5th, 1d8 at 9th, 1d10 at 13th, and 2d6 at 17th level). These unarmed damage values are for a Medium heritage ascetic. A Small heritage ascetic deals 1 damage die smaller (1d3 at 1st, 1d4 at 5th, 1d6 at 9th, and 1d8 at 13th, and 1d10 at 17th level), while a Large sorcerer deals 1 damage die category larger (1d6 at 1st, 1d8 at 5th, 1d10 at 9th, and 2d6 at 13th, and 2d8 at 17th level).

In addition, at 2nd level, whenever a heritage ascetic casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, she can deliver the spell as part of an unarmed attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a heritage ascetic can make one free unarmed attack at her highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this unarmed attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the heritage ascetic has the monk’s unarmed strike ability, she uses the critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects) of the monk weapon she is wielding, but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

AC Bonus (Su): At 1st level, when a heritage ascetic is unarmored and unencumbered, she adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC and her CMD. In addition, she gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four heritage ascetic levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the heritage ascetic is flat-footed. A heritage ascetic loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she is wearing any armor, when she is carrying a shield, or when she is carrying a medium or heavy load.

Bloodline: This is exactly like the sorcerer ability of the same name, except that the heritage ascetic may also select the new Monastic Bloodline.

Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, a heritage ascetic gains the monk’s evasion ability.

Ki Pool (Su): At 4th level, a heritage ascetic gains the monk’s ki pool ability, except that the number of points in her ki pool is equal to 1/2 the heritage ascetic’s level + the heritage ascetic’s Charisma modifier. In addition, as long as a heritage ascetic has at least 1 point in her ki pool, her base attack bonus from her heritage ascetic levels is equal to her heritage ascetic level whenever she makes an unarmed attack or uses a touch spell. For all other purposes, such as qualifying for a feat or a prestige class, she uses her normal base attack bonus.

If the heritage ascetic possesses levels in another class that grants points to a ki pool, heritage ascetic levels stack with the levels of that class to determine the total number of ki points in the combined pool, but only one ability score modifier is added to the total. The choice of which score to use is made when the second class ability is gained, and once made, the choice is set. The heritage ascetic can now use ki points from this pool to power the abilities of every class she possesses that grants a ki pool.

Decisive Opening (Ex): At 7th level, by spending 1 ki point as an immediate action, a heritage ascetic can make an attack of opportunity against an enemy she threatens when that enemy confirms a critical hit against the heritage ascetic or an ally. This attack of opportunity must be an unarmed attack or a touch spell, using the heritage ascetic’s highest attack bonus. The heritage ascetic can make this attack of opportunity even if she would be killed or incapacitated by the critical hit, resolving the attack after the critical hit deals damage but before she falls unconscious or dies. If the heritage ascetic’s attack of opportunity hits, it is automatically a critical threat.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 10th level, a heritage ascetic gains the monk’s improved evasion ability.

Insightful Strike (Su): At 13th level, a heritage ascetic can spend 2 points from her ki pool as a swift action to perfect the next unarmed attack or touch spell attack she makes before the end of her turn. Attack and damage rolls are rolled twice and the heritage ascetic selects which result to use.

Resilient Spells (Su): At 16th level, you can spend 2 ki points to increase the save DC of a single spell that you can cast by +1. These ki points are spent as part of casting the spell.

Timeless Body (Ex): At 19th level, a heritage ascetic gains the monk’s timeless body ability.

Perfect Deflection (Su): At 20th level, a heritage ascetic can spend 3 ki points as a swift action to gain the effects of the Deflect Arrows feat and the protection from arrows spell for a number of minutes equal to her heritage ascetic level. In addition, when a targeted spell or spell-like ability fails to have an effect on her, she can reflect the effect onto its caster as spell turning by spending a number of points from her ki pool equal to 1/2 the spell’s level (minimum 1).

Table: Heritage Ascetic

Table: Heritage Ascetic Spells Known