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About this mod
Adds the Quarterstaff Master as a subclass to the Monk. Based on the archetype from Pathfinder, the Quarterstaff Master focuses on their technique with a quarterstaff until it becomes a natural extension of their own body.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
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Translations
- Spanish
Like my previous Knife Master subclass mod, this is in honour of the first character I played on Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Monks are cool, staffs are cool, blah blah. As with that mod, I've had to go some way to reinvent the archetype into a subclass that can stand up next to the other options in BG3. The Quarterstaff Master in Pathfinder gets improved damage with staffs... and that's really kind of it aside from 3 variations of the style strikes that other monks can choose. In BG3, the Monk has 3 very thematic subclasses: the elemental casting Four Elements, the stealthy Shadow Monk, and the hard-hitting Open Hand. The Quarterstaff Master concept is clearly intended to be damage dealer, so the general structure is roughly in-line with the Way of the Open Hand monk with some added twists to make it feel different enough to be an alternative. The skill progressions are in the image above and I go into more detail further down this description.
Installation
Either:
Copy the Quarterstaff_master.pak file to your \\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Mods folder and activate using the in-game mod manager
or
install using BG3ModManager
There are no requirements for the mod.
Compatibility Framework compatibility is built in, so it should maintain compatibility with other Monk subclasses. Compatibility.
Subclass Details
All the skills and features of the subclass require a quarterstaff to be equipped. Some, like the improved damage die, also require you not to have a shield equipped.
Level 3
Quarterstaff Master
This passive increases the martial arts damage die to 1d8, and then to 1d10 at level 6 and 1d12 at level 11. If you have extended the level cap, it will improve to 3d4 at level 16. Not only does this improve your quarterstaff damage at later levels, but your martial arts bonus attack and flurry of blows (which you will notice has adapted animations for the quarterstaff) will also have improved damage straight away from level 3. The base damage will outdo other subclasses, so if all your monk ever did was attack and bonus attack, the Quarterstaff Master would likely be the heaviest hitter.
You will choose 2 special strikes from the option of Push, Daze, Trip attacks - similar to the flurry of blows options available to Open Hand monks. They do get bonus Force damage but do not make two attacks, so the damage potential is slightly below the Open Hand flurries - but the later skill Channelling of Spirit can overcome that.
At Level 6, you can choose an additional technique including the options for a Disarm and Sweep (hit 3 enemies). With extended levels, you will be able to choose another at level 13.
Level 4
Siphon Energy
Four Elements and Open Hand both offer ways to regain Ki Points, and this is the Staff Master's version. Landing a critical strike will cause you to start siphoning the life energy drawn by the staff attack, and you will regain 1 Ki per turn for 3 turns.
When you successfully land an attack, you are able to enter patient defence as a bonus action without having to spend a ki point, representing the monk's ability to strike and defend in one motion with their staff. This offers the Staff Master extra defensive capability to offset it's (minutely) weaker damage potential.
Level 6
Channelling of Spirit
At level 6 the Open Hand monk gets the very powerful (and imo OP) Manifestation of Mind/Body/Soul feature, adding bonus damage to their attacks for no cost. I wanted the Staff Master's comparable skill to be more activate, and so it gets this variation of the Four Elements Fangs of the Fire Snake which allows you to cause bonus force damage on follow up attacks, spending a Ki Point to enable the extra damage potential. I chose Force damage thematically to represent Ki energy being unleased through the quarterstaff.
Level 9
Shouting Staff
Shouting staff unleashes a wave of force energy in an aoe around the monk, damaging all nearby enemies. Allies are not hit as the monk uses their focus to direct the blast. The monk can choose to invest extra Ki in the attack to increase damage, ranging from 1 Ki Point (4d6) to 5 Ki Points (12d6).
Credits
Class Icon templates from Ttano here
Mod.io's official guide for creating classes here
The Quarterstaff Master subclass inspiration is from Pathfinder, specifically Wrath of the Righteous. Reference from the wiki here