Martial Artist (4e Class)
Martial Artist[edit]
| 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[edit]
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[edit]
Pick Outer Body Mastery or Inner Body mastery
Outer Body Mastery[edit]
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.
| Surprise Headbutt | Monk Attack 1 |
| You instantly lash out with a body part the opponent doesn't expect | |
At-Will  Martial, Melee Weapon, Full Discipline
| |
| Standard Action | Melee |
| Requirement: You must make this attack with a Monk Unarmed Strike. | |
| Target: One Creature | |
| Attack: Dex Vs. Fort | |
| Hit: 1[W] damage and you can push the target 1 square and then shift 1 square into the space it left. | |
| Increase damage to 2[W] at 21st level. | |
| Special: This counts as a bull rush attack. | |
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| Movement Technique | Monk Utility 1 |
| ' | |
| At-Will Full Discipline
| |
| Move Action | Personal |
| Effect: Shift two squares. | |
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| Grappling Hold | Monk Attack 1 |
| With a grip of Iron, your mere touch can cause pain | |
| At-Will Martial, Melee Weapon, Full Discipline
| |
| Standard Action | Melee |
| Requirement: You must make this attack with a Monk Unarmed Strike. | |
| Target: One Creature | |
| Attack: Dex Vs. Reflex | |
| Hit: Dexterity damage and you grab the target until the end of your next turn. You can end the grab as a free action. | |
| Increase damage to Dexterity + Dexterity at 21st level. | |
| Sustain Minor: The grab persists until the end of your next turn. | |
| Special: When making an opportunity attack, you can use this power in place of a melee basic attack. | |
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| Graceful Trip | Monk Attack 1 |
| Reaching your leg behind the opponent you swiftly bring him down. | |
| At-Will Martial, Melee Weapon, Full Discipline
| |
| Standard Action | Melee |
| Requirement: You must make this attack with a Monk Unarmed Strike. | |
| Target: One Creature you are grabbing | |
| Attack: Dex Vs. Reflex | |
| Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity damage and the target is knocked prone. | |
| Effect: Sustain the grab. | |
| Increase damage to 2[W] + Dexterity at 21st level. | |
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| Bear's reflexive strike | Monk Attack 1 |
| Without thinking you grab a vulnerable enemy | |
| At-Will Psionic, Full Discipline
| |
| No Action | Melee 1 |
| Trigger: An enemy marked by you either shifts or makes an attack that targets an ally of yours but not you. | |
| Target: An enemy marked by you who either shifts or makes an attack that targets an ally of yours but not you. | |
| Effect: The target takes 2 + your Strength modifier damage and if you have a free hand you grab it until the end of your next turn. | |
| Increase to 5 + your Strength modifier damage at 21st level. | |
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Inner Body Mastery[edit]
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.
| Nerve Strike | Monk Attack 1 |
| Years of Training have taught you the best places to strike. | |
| At-Will Martial, Melee Weapon, Full Discipline
| |
| Standard Action | Melee |
| Requirement: You must make this attack with a Monk Unarmed Strike. | |
| Target: One Creature | |
| Attack: Dex Vs. AC | |
| Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn. | |
| Increase damage to 2[W] + Dexterity at 21st level. | |
| Special: This counts as a melee basic attack. | |
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| Movement Technique | Utility 1 |
| ' | |
| At-Will ✦ Full Discipline | |
| Minor Action | Personal |
| Effect: Move half your speed. | |
| Ki Projection | Monk Attack 1 |
| A ball of pure ki flows from your hand and punches a nearby victim. | |
| At-Will Psionic, Implement, Full Discipline
| |
| Standard Action | Melee 5 |
| Requirement: You must make this attack with a Monk Unarmed Strike. | |
| Target: One creature | |
| Attack: Dex Vs. Ref | |
| Hit: 1d6 + Dexterity damage and until the end of your next turn you get +2 to all defenses vs creatures not marked by you. | |
| Effect: the target is marked until the end of your next turn. | |
| Increase damage to 2d6 + Dexterity at 21st level. | |
| Special: This counts as a ranged basic attack. | |
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| Magnetic Spin | Monk Attack 1 |
| A bubble of Ki pulls all enemies to you who are two slow to escape it. | |
| At-Will Psionic, Implement, Full Discipline
| |
| Standard Action | Burst 4 |
| Requirement: You must make this attack with a Monk Unarmed Strike. | |
| Target: All slow enemies in burst. | |
| Attack: Dex Vs. Ref | |
| Hit: 1d6 + Dexterity damage and pull the target two squares. | |
| Effect: the target is marked until the end of your next turn. | |
| Increase damage to 2d6 + Dexterity at 21st level. | |
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| Movement Technique | Utility 1 |
| ' | |
| At-Will ✦ Full Discipline | |
| Move Action | Personal |
| Effect: You shift up to your speed into a square adjacent to an enemy adjacent to you. | |
| Unstoppable Tide's Reflexive Strike | Monk Utility 6 |
| Your hand automatically strikes where the enemy is weakest. | |
| Encounter Psionic
| |
| No Action | Melee |
| Trigger: | |
| Target: An enemy marked by you who either shifts or makes an attack that targets an ally of yours but not you. | |
| Effect: The target takes 2 + your Wisdom modifier damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn. | |
| Increase to 5 + your Wisdom modifier damage at 21st level. | |
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Unarmed Combatant Expert[edit]
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[edit]
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.
Heroic Martial Artist Feats[edit]
Dagger Style[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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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