Martial Artist (4e Class)
Martial Artist
Class Traits |
Role: Defender. Unlike many warriors you don't use heavy armor or rely of weapons. You train until your body becomes a perfect weapon, able to crack stone and bend steel. |
Power Source: Martial and Psionic. Martial Artists have varying degrees of psionic power within them that they have managed to draw on. However there primary ability comes from years training and experience. |
Key Abilities: Dexterity,Strength, and Wisdom. |
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth |
Weapon Proficiencies: club, dagger, monk unarmed strike, quarterstaff, shuriken, sling, spear |
Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex, +1 Will |
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution score + Constitution score |
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5 |
Healing Surges per Day: 7 + Constitution modifier + Constitution modifier |
Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose 4 trained skills at 1st level. Class Skills: Acrobatics (dex), Athletics (str), Diplomacy (cha), Endurance (con), Heal (wis) Insight (wis), Perception (wis), Religion (int), Stealth (dex), Thievery (dex) |
Build Options: Outer body Mastery, Inner Body mastery |
Class Features: Martial Tradition, Unarmed Combatant Expert, Unarmored Protection |
Martial artists come from a land where weapons and fighting were strictly prohibited in order to control the population. To protect there land the ancient masters developed a way to turn their own body into a deadly weapon that could never be taken away. Now the history of it has mostly been forgotten, but many techniques still survive. Masters will teach anyone with the resolve and discipline to lean. People learn it for varying reasons, but some become so good at it that even most armed combatants are no match for them.
Martial Artist Overview |
Characteristics: You are a master of combat. You have high mobility and the ability to keep opponents in one place. You are not as tough and do not do as much damage as most defenders, so you need to use your high mobility and good defenses to your advantage |
Religion: any. Martial Arts dojo are all secular, although Ioun has a large martial artist following. |
Races: any, but elves, half-orcs, thri-kreen, and drow are particularly good at it |
Creating a Martial Artist
A Martial Artist is a type of monk, a class introduced in Player's Handbook 3. To create a Martial Artist, use the character creation rules in the Rules Compendium or the Player's Handbook. A Martial Artist gain no Monk lv1 at will powers, but instead rely on at-will attack powers granted with there Martial Tradition. They still can pick monk encounter and daily powers, and humans who get a bonus at-will can pick from monk at-wills.
Martial Tradition
Pick Outer Body Mastery or Inner Body mastery
Outer Body Mastery
Martial artist in this tradition tend to rely on raw physical power to overcome there enemies. Masters of this tradition are said to be able to catch swords with there bare hands and kick through solid steal doors. They strive to turn there bodies into a wall that is unfazed by anything.
- Suggested Feat: Club Style.
- Suggested Skills: Athletics, Endurance, Heal, Perception.
- Suggested Encounter Power: Open the gate of Battle
- Suggested Daily Power: Masterful Spiral
Irresistible presence: Whenever you attack an opponent with a Martial Monk Attack you can choose to mark them until the end of your next turn.
Grapple mastery: You gain the following attacks.
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Movement Technique | Monk 4e Power Type::Utility 1 |
' | |
4e Power Usage::At-Will ![]() | |
4e Power Action Type::Move Action | Personal |
Effect: Shift two squares. |
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Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Powers → Monk Powers
Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Powers → Monk Powers
Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Powers → Monk Powers
Inner Body Mastery
Martial artists in this tradition tend to rely psionic power more, and defeating opponents by using their own strengths against them. A Inner body master does not resist or push back when pushed, but uses the push to unbalance the opponent. They strive to become like water, in that it goes with the flow but can overcome any obstacle.
- Suggested Feat: Staff Style.
- Suggested Skills: Acrobatics, Diplomacy, Perception, Stealth.
- Suggested Encounter Power: Gentle Rainfall
- Suggested Daily Power: Spinning Leopard Maneuver
Irresistible presence: Whenever you attack an opponent with a Martial Monk Attack you can choose to mark them until the end of your next turn.
Ki mastery: You gain the following attacks.
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Movement Technique | 4e Power Type::Utility 1 |
' | |
4e Power Usage::At-Will ✦ Full Discipline | |
4e Power Action Type::Minor Action | Personal |
Effect: Move half your speed. |
Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Powers → Monk Powers
Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Powers → Monk Powers
Movement Technique | 4e Power Type::Utility 1 |
' | |
4e Power Usage::At-Will ✦ Full Discipline | |
4e Power Action Type::Move Action | Personal |
Effect: You shift up to your speed into a square adjacent to an enemy adjacent to you. |
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Unarmed Combatant Expert
A martial artist never stops training.
Whenever you make a weapon attack you can use the monk unarmed strike, which is a weapon in the unarmed weapon group. This weapon has the off-hand weapon property and a +3 proficiency bonus, and it deals 1d8 damage. You must have a hand free to use your monk unarmed strike.
At level 1 you gain a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls of your monk unarmed strike.
At level 6 this bonus increases to +2
At level 11 this bonus increases to +3
At level 16 this bonus increases to +4
At level 21 this bonus increases to +5
At level 26 this bonus increases to +6
Unarmored Protection
While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and aren't using a shield, you gain a +2 bonus to AC. You also gain the unarmored agility feat.
Dagger Style
Prerequisite: Monk, Unarmed Combatant Expert
Benefit: You can used the Dagger for any monk move that requires you to use the monk unarmed strike. Whenever you use a ranged basic attack using the dagger you can mark the opponent until the end of your next turn.
Club Style
Prerequisite: Monk, Bear's reflexive strike
Benefit: You can used the Club for any monk move that requires you to use the monk unarmed strike. Whenever you sustain a grab the creature you've grabbed takes 2 damage.
Staff Style
Prerequisite: Monk, Unstoppable Tide's reflexive strike
Benefit: You can used a staff for any monk move that requires you to use the monk unarmed strike. You can use the staff as a one-handed weapon.
Unarmed Combat Expertise
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon and implement attack rolls with the monk unarmed strike. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. You gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with weapon and implement attacks you make with the monk unarmed strike when both your hands are empty.
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