As the monk gains experience, he learns a number of talents that aid him and confound his foes. Starting at 2nd level, the monk gains one monk talent. He gains an additional monk talent for every 2 levels of monk attained after 2nd level. Unless specified otherwise, the monk cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Table: Monk Talents
| Monk Talent | Prerequisites | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatic Maneuvers (Ex) | Flying Kick class feature | Continue using your Flying Kick ability even after missing your target. Should you miss a Flying Kick attack, you may choose to attempt an Acrobatics skill check to move through your target's space. If successful, you move into your target's space, allowing you to continue using your Flying Kick ability as if your attack was successful. |
| Anatman (Su) | Mantra blitz technique | Channel your Mantra inward, greatly enhancing its effect. Instead of channeling the benefits of Mantra to your allies, you may channel it to only affect yourself, doubling all healing amplification effects of Mantra. |
| Aura Cannon (Su) | Aura Blast blitz technique | Send forth a massive wave of energy to assault your enemies. When using your Aura Blast blitz technique, you may opt to have it affect creatures in a 30 foot line instead. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of your monk level + your Constitution modifier) halves this damage. |
| Burst of Speed (Ex) | Greased Lightning class feature | Gain a burst of speed by sacrificing momentum. As a standard action, you gain the Hasted status effect for a number of rounds equal to the number of Greased Lightning stacks you have accrued. All Greased Lightning stacks are expended upon activating this talent. |
| Combat Feat | — | You gain a bonus combat feat. This talent may be taken only once. |
| Counter (Ex) | Counterstance class feature, Monk 6 (1st rank), Monk 10 (2nd rank), Monk 14 (3rd rank) | Improve the accuracy of your counter attacks. You gain a +2 attack bonus when attacking with your Counterstance ability. This talent may be taken up to three times; the 1st rank being accessible at 6th level or higher, the 2nd rank at 10th level or higher, and the 3rd rank at 14th level or higher. These effects stack with eachother. |
| Cyclone (Ex) | Monk 4 | Turn in a circle, attacking with backhand blows. When you use the full-attack action, you can give up your regular attacks and instead make one unarmed strike at your highest base attack bonus against each adjacent opponent. You must make a separate attack roll against each opponent. When using this ability, you also forfeit any bonus or extra attacks granted by other feats, spells, or other abilities. |
| Evasion Bonus (Ex) | — | Gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. |
| Focus (Ex) | Boost class feature | Build up your strength in a momentary act of defense. You may use your Boost ability as part of a standard action to assume total defense, having the benefits of that ability start on your ensuing turn instead. |
| Hamedo (Ex) | Counterstance class feature | Anticipate your opponent's intentions and strike quickly before they do. While in your Counterstance, instead of attacking after all of your opponent's attacks have been resolved against you, you may treat any action with an attack roll component made against you while within your threatened area as if it provokes attacks of opportunity. |
| HP Boost (Ex) | Monk 2 (1st rank), Monk 6 (2nd rank), Monk 10 (3rd rank) | Gain an additional amount of maximum hit points equal to your monk level. This talent may be taken up to three times; the 1st rank being accessible at 2nd level or higher, the 2nd rank at 6th level or higher, and the 3rd rank at 10th level or higher. These effects stack with eachother. |
| Invigorate (Su) | Chakra blitz technique | Chakra heals your wounds slowly over time as opposed to all at once. You may activate your Chakra blitz technique as a swift action, granting you fast healing equal to your Constitution bonus instead of healing you all at once. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your monk level + your Wisdom bonus. |
| Ki Trap: Detonate (Su) | Ki Trap blitz technique | Detonate your Ki Trap, damaging nearby creatures. As an immediate action, you may detonate your Ki Trap, dealing non-elemental damage equal to 1d6 per monk level to creatures within its area of effect. A successful Reflex save (DC: 10 + half of your monk level + your Constitution modifier) halves this damage. The Ki Trap is destroyed after detonation. |
| Ki Trap: Move (Su) | Ki Trap blitz technique | Teleport your Ki Trap to a nearby location. You may teleport an existing Ki Trap to a visible square within 30 feet as a move action. |
| Leap (Ex) | Flying Kick class feature, Monk 2 (1st rank), Monk 6 (2nd rank), Monk 10 (3rd rank) | Increase your speed by 10 feet while using your Flying Kick ability. This talent may be taken up to three times; the 1st rank being accessible at 2nd level or higher, the 2nd rank at 6th level or higher, and the 3rd rank at 10th level or higher. These effects stack with eachother. |
| Living Weapon (Su) | — | You may treat your body as a weapon for the purposes of magically enhancing it, allowing you to bestow an enhancement bonus and melee weapon special abilities to all types of your unarmed strikes (kicks, elbows, etc) without the need of manufactured weapons. Magically enhancing your body through these means doubles the price requirement of any given enhancement level (ex: a +1 enhancement would have a price of 4,000 gil), but the crafting time for this process is unaffected. |
| Overpower (Ex) | Greased Lightning class feature | Overwhelm your target with your strike, wracking its senses. You may attempt to overpower your target with your next unarmed strike on your turn as a free action. On a successful hit, your target must make a Fortitude save (DC: 10 + half monk level + Strength modifier) or be Staggered for a number of rounds equal to the number of Greased Lightning stacks you have accrued. All stacks of Greased Lightning on yourself are expended once this attack is resolved (even if you miss). |
| Penance (Su) | Aura Blast blitz technique | Slow your foe after landing a critical strike with your Aura Blast blitz technique. Whenever you confirm a critical hit with your Aura Blast blitz technique, instead of adding additional damage, you may inflict your target with the Slow status effect for a number of rounds equal to your monk level (no save). |
| Phoenix Inferno (Su) | Rising Phoenix blitz technique | Widen the area of effect of your Rising Phoenix blitz technique at the cost of spending more ki. By spending an additional ki point when activating your Rising Phoenix blitz technique, you increase the range to affect all enemies within 30 feet of you. |
| Pressure Points (Ex) | — | Strike at a creature’s vital pressure points, causing weakness and intense pain. Whenever you confirm a critical hit, instead of adding additional damage, you may deal Strength or Dexterity damage to your target equal to your weapon dice roll. |
| Pummel (Ex) | Raging Fist blitz technique | Increase the number of your attacks while using your Raging Fist blitz technique at the cost of accuracy. By opting for a -5 penalty to all of your attacks when using the full-attack action with your Raging Fist blitz technique, you gain two additional attacks at your highest base attack bonus instead of one. At 11th level, the amount of additional attacks provided by this talent increases to three. |
| Purifying Chakra (Su) | Chakra and Purification blitz techniques | Channel your purification energies while activating Chakra. When activating the Chakra blitz technique (or the Invigorate talent), you may spend an additional ki point to also activate the Purification blitz technique, relieving yourself of status ailments within that same action. |
| Relentless Momentum (Ex) | Greased Lightning class feature, Combo Finisher monk talent | Your attacks are relentless, affording your enemies little time to recover. You gain one stack of Greased Lightning at the start of your next turn after landing a Combo Finisher talent. |
| Slow Fall (Ex) | — | You can slow your descent so long as you are within arms reach of a wall. You take damage as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. Your ability to slow your fall (that is, to reduce the effective distance of the fall when next to a wall) improves by an additional 10 feet for every two monk levels you attain until at 20th level you can use a nearby wall to slow your descent and fall any distance without harm. |
| Smite (Ex) | Monk 2 (1st rank), Monk 10 (2nd rank) | Deal an additional +2 damage with melee weapons that you are proficient with. This additional damage does not get multiplied on critical hits. This talent may be taken up to two times; the 1st rank being accessible at 2nd level or higher, and the 2nd rank at 10th level or higher. These effects stack with eachother. |
| Spiritual Overflow (Su) | Soul Spiral blitz technique | Overflow your lifeforce to reach allies in need. When utilizing your Soul Spiral blitz technique, you may sacrifice an additional amount of hit points to increase its range. This range increase is equal to an additional 5 feet per 5 additional hit points sacrificed. When used in this way, these additional sacrificed hit points do not heal your allies. |
| Starshower (Ex) | Greased Lightning class feature | Your strikes land so quickly that not even the deftest of foes can dodge them. By declaring usage of this talent as a free action, you render all creatures flat-footed against your attacks for the remainder of your turn. You must possess six stacks of Greased Lightning before you can activate this talent, all of which are expended at the end of your turn. This is a Combo Finisher talent. |
| Steady Landing (Ex) | Flying Kick class feature | Land unwaveringly after using your Flying Kick ability. You do not take the imposed -2 AC penalty for 1 round after using your Flying Kick ability. |
| Stigma Magic (Su) | Purification blitz technique | Channel your purification magics to instead dispel magical effects on those you touch. By spending 1 ki point as a standard action, make a touch attack against a creature within reach. If successful, you may attempt to dispel (via a dispel check) a number of that creature's ongoing spells and effects equal to the number of negative status effects removed with the Purification blitz technique. Use your monk level as your caster level when attempting this check. |
| Style Feat | — | You may choose a style feat or a feat that lists a style feat as a prerequisite. You gain that as a bonus feat. You must still meet prerequisites for the style feat or any other feat selected with this talent. This talent may be selected multiple times. |
| Subtle Blow (Ex) | — | Strike at a creature in a subtle, unexpected way, throwing them off kilter. You may declare your next attack on your turn to be a Subtle Blow as a swift action. If the attack hits, you deal weapon dice damage to them and your opponent loses their swift action on their next turn. A creature can only be affected by a Subtle Blow once per day. |
| Tornado Kick (Su) | Greased Lightning class feature | Flourish a flying spin kick, assaulting your target with a powerful torrent of wind. You may declare your next unarmed strike on your turn to be a Tornado Kick as a free action, dealing an additional 1d6 wind damage per Greased Lightning stack to your target on a successful hit. All stacks of Greased Lightning are expended once this attack is resolved (even if you miss). |
| Trained Suplexor (Ex) | Meteor Strike blitz technique | Suplex large things, including phantom locomotives. You may grapple a creature up to three sizes larger than yourself when using your Meteor Strike blitz technique. Additionally, increase the bludgeoning damage dealt to that creature by 1d10 for every size larger than it is yourself. |
| True Strike (Ex) | Greased Lightning class feature | Land a blow to your target that not even the thickest of armor can endure. You may declare your next unarmed strike on your turn to be a True Strike as a free action, allowing you to resolve that attack against the target's touch AC. You must possess at least two stacks of Greased Lightning before you can activate this talent, both of which are expended once this attack is resolved (even if you miss). This is a Combo Finisher talent. |