10-02-2014, 04:14 PM
The Monk feels like a REALLY weird class to try working this into...
Basing all Unarmed attacks and all Str/Wis class abilities off of Cha is a little too strong, the Monk has always been a MAD(multiple attribute dependencies) class, now you just need Cha and maybe Dex or Con.
Class abilities based off of Wisdom could work, exchanging one mental stat for another, but Str should still be its own thing and still be required. If you have low Str, go for Weapon Finesse- completely removing their physical stats is something that only Prestige Classes(like Phantom Blade) should be able to do, and even then it's pretty hard to balance.
The damage progression for Mach 10 is all it should get, I know the 8/15 time reductions were meant to mimic the Flurry gaining Improved and Greater TWF, but getting a spammable attack with pretty good damage compared to some spells is enough.
The monk in 3.5 had an ACF that replaced Flurry of Blows with a single attack that did double damage, meaning at 20th level it'd be 4d10+2*Str modifier, on a class that required them to spread their stats around evenly so achieving an insane str mod was not always easy.
Your archetype gets a Full-Round touch attack(much easier to hit) which at 20th level does 12d6+Cha mod, and with your planned features makes min/maxing Charisma insanely easy. To compare that's average 22+double str mod on normal AC vs average 42+cha mod on touch AC. I'd suggest adding a Fort save to halve the Mach 10 damage, charisma-based of course.
If anything... when I picture this I'd make it a charge-only move at first (building up momentum before releasing a sonic 'boom'), at 8th level you can use it as a full-round action at melee range, at 15th level it becomes a standard action, not sure if it needs the 4+Cha mod limit.
Hypersonic is really powerful. 2nd level and suddenly you can just sonic your way out of any grapple, any spell that entangles you, any effects that would normally cripple a low-level character. Really for the theme of superspeed sound related stuff, Fists of Wind fits pretty well- with speed bonus and uses/day based off of Charisma, of course.
Sound Pool: This got a little weird. Number of points, seems fine- basically a Cha-based Ki Pool. The ability to bypass certain DRs is where it starts to deviate... Magic? Makes sense, Sonic damage is typically magical in nature. Cold Iron? Silver? Lawful? Adamantine? I don't really see the connection to the power of Sound, and the class isn't really feeling like a Monastery-trained monk.
Adamantine could be argued since it's mostly for tearing through hard materials, which sonic damage is the best at (at least in 3.5, for PF all energy types are halved against objects), but the other materials and alignment feel out of place...
I'd say keep Magic and Adamantine, but at 8th, 12th, and 16th level it just gets a static +1d6 when attacking objects or constructs.
As for what you can spend Sona Points on... the weakened Mach 10 is eventually pointless since even on your base version you can use it a huge number of times per day as Standard or Move. If you follow my suggestions or work to a similar direction, it'd be even more pointless. My suggestion would be spending a Sona Point for something like an Elemental Fist ability. You spend a Sona Point and your attacks deal +1d6 Sonic damage, +1d6 for every 4 monk levels beyond 4th(max 5d6 at level 20). The 2 Sona Points and burning HP to multiply an unarmed die roll (do you mean the full attack? The base damage die? How much do you multiply it by?) is a little out there, and 5 HP eventually becomes a meaningless payment. It's out of left field, I'd suggest removing it altogether.
Shockwave seems fine, though for the theme I'd say make it sonic damage rather than non-elemental.
Move Like Water: I think it needs a different name, but otherwise this looks kind of fun. The damage being automatic and allowing no chance to reduce (such as missing with counterattack) seems a little off though. Maybe Fort halves damage, DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Cha mod
Bard Casting: This really needs to be redone... the White Monk gained White Mage casting, but only up to 6th level, and it took quite a bit out of the class. Giving them an actual MP pool and such might be a bit much, and gaining this at 11th level feels weird... but let's work with it.
They immediately learn two bard songs of levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. At 13th level they gain two 5th level Bard Songs, at 16th level they gain two 6th level bard songs. Performing a song costs 1 Sona Point per 2 spell levels(round up). So 1/2 cost one, 3/4 cost two, 5/6 cost three.
Getting Skill Focus out of the blue and suddenly requiring a skill the class has had no ties to beforehand is a little clunky, but if you know what you're getting into you can always take a few ranks beforehand I guess.
Pure Speed: Bonus movement? Monk already gets a ton but I guess this would keep the Sonamancer out above a normal one... getting a fly speed permanently though, even at 20th level with perfect maneuverability seems odd. The class has shown no inclination toward flight up till the capstone either... Sonic Immunity might make more sense, I guess? Or maybe some elemental traits as you turn partially into a 'sonic elemental'?
Basing all Unarmed attacks and all Str/Wis class abilities off of Cha is a little too strong, the Monk has always been a MAD(multiple attribute dependencies) class, now you just need Cha and maybe Dex or Con.
Class abilities based off of Wisdom could work, exchanging one mental stat for another, but Str should still be its own thing and still be required. If you have low Str, go for Weapon Finesse- completely removing their physical stats is something that only Prestige Classes(like Phantom Blade) should be able to do, and even then it's pretty hard to balance.
The damage progression for Mach 10 is all it should get, I know the 8/15 time reductions were meant to mimic the Flurry gaining Improved and Greater TWF, but getting a spammable attack with pretty good damage compared to some spells is enough.
The monk in 3.5 had an ACF that replaced Flurry of Blows with a single attack that did double damage, meaning at 20th level it'd be 4d10+2*Str modifier, on a class that required them to spread their stats around evenly so achieving an insane str mod was not always easy.
Your archetype gets a Full-Round touch attack(much easier to hit) which at 20th level does 12d6+Cha mod, and with your planned features makes min/maxing Charisma insanely easy. To compare that's average 22+double str mod on normal AC vs average 42+cha mod on touch AC. I'd suggest adding a Fort save to halve the Mach 10 damage, charisma-based of course.
If anything... when I picture this I'd make it a charge-only move at first (building up momentum before releasing a sonic 'boom'), at 8th level you can use it as a full-round action at melee range, at 15th level it becomes a standard action, not sure if it needs the 4+Cha mod limit.
Hypersonic is really powerful. 2nd level and suddenly you can just sonic your way out of any grapple, any spell that entangles you, any effects that would normally cripple a low-level character. Really for the theme of superspeed sound related stuff, Fists of Wind fits pretty well- with speed bonus and uses/day based off of Charisma, of course.
Sound Pool: This got a little weird. Number of points, seems fine- basically a Cha-based Ki Pool. The ability to bypass certain DRs is where it starts to deviate... Magic? Makes sense, Sonic damage is typically magical in nature. Cold Iron? Silver? Lawful? Adamantine? I don't really see the connection to the power of Sound, and the class isn't really feeling like a Monastery-trained monk.
Adamantine could be argued since it's mostly for tearing through hard materials, which sonic damage is the best at (at least in 3.5, for PF all energy types are halved against objects), but the other materials and alignment feel out of place...
I'd say keep Magic and Adamantine, but at 8th, 12th, and 16th level it just gets a static +1d6 when attacking objects or constructs.
As for what you can spend Sona Points on... the weakened Mach 10 is eventually pointless since even on your base version you can use it a huge number of times per day as Standard or Move. If you follow my suggestions or work to a similar direction, it'd be even more pointless. My suggestion would be spending a Sona Point for something like an Elemental Fist ability. You spend a Sona Point and your attacks deal +1d6 Sonic damage, +1d6 for every 4 monk levels beyond 4th(max 5d6 at level 20). The 2 Sona Points and burning HP to multiply an unarmed die roll (do you mean the full attack? The base damage die? How much do you multiply it by?) is a little out there, and 5 HP eventually becomes a meaningless payment. It's out of left field, I'd suggest removing it altogether.
Shockwave seems fine, though for the theme I'd say make it sonic damage rather than non-elemental.
Move Like Water: I think it needs a different name, but otherwise this looks kind of fun. The damage being automatic and allowing no chance to reduce (such as missing with counterattack) seems a little off though. Maybe Fort halves damage, DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Cha mod
Bard Casting: This really needs to be redone... the White Monk gained White Mage casting, but only up to 6th level, and it took quite a bit out of the class. Giving them an actual MP pool and such might be a bit much, and gaining this at 11th level feels weird... but let's work with it.
They immediately learn two bard songs of levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. At 13th level they gain two 5th level Bard Songs, at 16th level they gain two 6th level bard songs. Performing a song costs 1 Sona Point per 2 spell levels(round up). So 1/2 cost one, 3/4 cost two, 5/6 cost three.
Getting Skill Focus out of the blue and suddenly requiring a skill the class has had no ties to beforehand is a little clunky, but if you know what you're getting into you can always take a few ranks beforehand I guess.
Pure Speed: Bonus movement? Monk already gets a ton but I guess this would keep the Sonamancer out above a normal one... getting a fly speed permanently though, even at 20th level with perfect maneuverability seems odd. The class has shown no inclination toward flight up till the capstone either... Sonic Immunity might make more sense, I guess? Or maybe some elemental traits as you turn partially into a 'sonic elemental'?