CHAOS MONK "Chaos is the score upon which reality is written." Before everything else there was Chaos, and to Chaos it is said by some all will return. But is this true? If all was Chaos before how did the Gods come to be? And why did they make reality as it is now? Why bother? Despite the rules of Law, things still change. More slowly perhaps, but they do still change. Why hasn't that change sped up or slowed down over the Millenia? Or has it done so and no one has been able to notice?
Finding the truths behind these questions is the ultimate goal of every Chaos Monk. And they're willing to risk their bodies, minds, and souls to do it. Their bodies go first, succumbing to mutations from the forces the Monks expose them to in their experiments and wanderings. It is the sad truth that members of this class lose their humanity even if they attain the goal they seek. After a while they may not even resemble a member of their own race anymore.
MAKING A CHAOS MONK Chaos Monks are quintessential spoilers. Their main role in combat is to confuse and befuddle the enemy, and keep them busy by doing things that hamper an enemies progress (or takes on of the more powerful ones out of the fight for a moment). Their high Saving Throws and the immunities they eventually become a little bit difficult to put down unless an opponent is willing to throw things at them at random until something sticks (which can waste time). Depending on the PrC's they take they could also have other party roles as well. Generally they will be a Jack of all Trades-Master of None sort of character.
Abilities: Wisdom and Charisma should be your priority stats as many of your classes abilities will key off them. Since you will be a combat class, good physical scores should will be helpful. However they may not be entirely necessary depending on your choices of Feats and Prestige Classes.
Races: Most Chaos Monks come from civilized societies, particularly older ones sliding into decay or that find themselves in moral quandaries (i.e. their technology or magical level is outstripping their ability to keep pace with emotionally and mentally). Most are either human, or races that prefer a Chaotic alignment. But they do have a healthy membership from lawful or Neutral societies that stress conformity, as such stifling peer pressure creates outsiders who crave a change.
Alignment: Each and every Chaos Monk has his own thought's on what the truth behind reality is. It's why so few of them live to see old age. many of them lose sight of searching for the truth behind the world we live in, and instead become obsessed with proving their own personal belief, even sometimes after being shown their belief may just be another lie. Others try to hold no personal belief sacred, and will try any act (good or evil) merely to see how it feels to them, or if it brings to them any personal revelation. Chaos Monk's cannot be Lawful, but they have no preference for Good or Evil. Most are Chaotic Neutral. And more than a few have their alignment obscured by personal madness from the things they have experienced.
Starting Gold: Same as Monk
Starting Age: Same as Monk.
Class Skills The Chaos Monk's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Arcana, The Planes)(Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skills Per Day at 1st Level : (4 + int)x4
Skills Per Day at Each Additional Level : 4 + int
Hit Dice: d8
BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities
1. +0 +2 +2 +2 Unarmed Strike, Chaos Feat, Unarmed Damage, AC Bonus, Monk
2. +1 +3 +3 +3 Chaos Feat
3. +2 +3 +3 +3 Disturbed Mind
4. +3 +4 +4 +4 Chaos Strike
5. +3 +4 +4 +4 Body in Flux
6. +4 +5 +5 +5 Chaos Feat
7. +5 +5 +5 +5 Mutation
8. +6 +6 +6 +6 Chaos Strike
9. +6 +6 +6 +6 A Moment of Unpredictability
10.+7 +7 +7 +7 Chaos Feat
11.+8 +7 +7 +7 Mutation
12.+9 +8 +8 +8 Chaos Strike
13.+9 +8 +8 +8 Babel Tongue
14.+10 +9 +9 +9 Chaos Feat
15.+11 +9 +9 +9 Mutation
16.+12 +10 +10 +10 Chaos Strike
17.+12 +10 +10 +10 Body of Chaos
18.+13 +11 +11 +11 Chaos Feat
19.+14 +11 +11 +11 Mutation
20.+15 +12 +12 +12 Disciple
Weapon Proficiencies: Chaos Monks are proficient with 8 weapons of their choice. They have no proficiency with Armor or Shields.
Unarmed Strike (Ex): At 1st level Chaos Monks gain Improved Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Feat.
Chaos Feat: At levels 1, 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 the Chaos Monk gains a Bonus feat from the Chaos Feat List (see post further below) if they meet the Prerequisites. They may also choose Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist as a Chaos Feat (as well as any Feats listing those 2 Feats as Prerequisites).
Unarmed Damage (Ex): At first level the Chaos Monks Unarmed Strike Damage is 1d6. This increases to 1d8 at level 4, 1d10 at level 8, 2d6 at level 12, 2d8 at level 16, and 2d10 at level 20. They may choose to deal lethal or nonlethal damage with their unarmed strikes or grapples without penalty. A Chaos Monk's Unarmed Strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for purposes of spells that enhance or improve either one.
AC Bonus (Ex): The Chaos Monk is trained to avoid blows, gaining their Wisdom modifier as a Bonus to their AC if they are unarmored, not carrying a Shield, and are carrying no more than a Light Load. This Bonus increases by +1 at 5th level, and every 5 levels thereafter (+2 at level 10, +3 at level 15, etc.).
Monk: The Chaos Monk is considered a Monk for purposes of the extra effects Monks can gain from certain Feats (Stunning Blow, Superior Unarmed Strike, etc.), and for some items such as the Monk's Belt.
Disturbed Mind (Ex): At 3rd level the stress of his obsessive search for knowledge begins to show, and the Chaos Monk starts to crack a little. He gains a +2 Bonus against all spells and effects from the Illusion school as he is already hallucinating somewhat from his own insanity, and his own visions conflict sometimes with the Illusions his opponents wish him to see.
Chaos Strike (Su): At 4th level the Chaos Monk's Unarmed Strikes are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction. If the Chaos Monk gains any Mutations granting it Natural Weapons it's Chaos Strike abilities apply to those weapons as well.
At 8th level the Monk's Unarmed Strikes are considered Chaotic for purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction.
At 12th level if you successfully critically hit your opponent with your Unarmed Strike he must make a Willpower Save (DC is 10 plus 1/2 HD plus your Charisma Modifier) or be Confused 1 round.
At 16th level the Monk's body is in flux so much that his Unarmed Strikes have a 50% chance of overcoming Damage Reduction regardless of what kind of DR the opponent has.
Body in Flux (Su): Chaos eventually begins warping your body causing some odd effects. Once per day you can gain an Enhancement Bonus equal to your Charisma modifier on any roll as a Free Action.
Mutation (Ex): At levels 7, 11, 15, and 19 you gain one Mutation from the following list:
Extraneous Organs: Due to continuous mutation your body has developed new organs, or revised old ones. It does give you some benefit, but it isn't under your control all that well. Roll 1d6 to see which Saving Throw gets a +2 Bonus: 1-2 (Reflex), 3-4 (Fortitude), 5-6 (Willpower). Then roll 1d10 to see what type of Bonus you get: 1-2 (Sacred, reroll if the PC isn't good), 3-4 (Insight), 5-6 (Resistance), 7-8 (Anarchic. This is similar to Sacred or Profane but represents the power of Chaos), 9-10: (Profane, reroll if the PC isn't evil). You may take this mutation multiple times, and similar bonuses stack with each other if they are from this mutation, but not from other sources.
Internal Defenses: You are immune to disease, poison, and parasitization.
Mutable Defenses: In some manner you have gained a +1 Bonus to Armor Class due to mutation. Roll 1d6 to find out what kind: 1-2 (Sacred, reroll if the PC isn't good), 3-4 (Insight), 5-6 (Natural), 7-8 (Deflection), 9-10 (Profane, reroll if the PC isn't evil). This mutation may be taken multiple times and it's effects stack.
Mutable Age: You become immune to aging effects, and age related penalties and gain the Shapeshifter subtype. You may change your age at will as a Swift Action. Your equipment and clothing also sizes to fit you. There are some minor changes depending on your age:
Infant: Become Size Class Tiny. All movement rates are halved and you gain a +2 Luck Bonus to AC.
Toddler: Become Size Class Small. All movement rates are two-thirds, and you gain a +2 Circumstance Bonus to Bluff checks.
All others: Unchanged. This is a Supernatural Ability.
Mutable Gender: You may switch your gender to male or female or any combination in between as a Swift Action. You gain the Shapshifter Subtype. Your equipment and clothing also sizes to fit you. Effects, spells, or items that target a specific gender don't affect you if the result is negative, and you are considered to be whichever gender would be best if the effect is positive. You may take any PrC that is gender specific. This is a Supernatural Ability.
Mutable Race: You may switch race to any race whose Racial Hit Dice and Type are the same as your own and are the same Size Class (unless you can also switch size) as a Swift Action. I.E. a human could become any Medium size Humanoid. You don't gain Racial Abilities, and your stats remain the same, but you are a member of that race for all other purposes and effects, and can take PrC's limited to a specific race so long as you remain a member of that race while in training (you may temporarily lose some or all PrC abilities when switching to other races). Your clothing and equipment sizes to fit you. This is a Supernatural Ability.
Mutable Alignment: You may switch your Alignment at will as a Swift Action. So long as you keep your alignment the same during training you may take any class or prestige class that is alignment specific (but possibly losing some or all of their benefits once you change alignment again). This is a Supernatural Ability.
Mutable Size: You may switch your Size Class up or down 1 step as a Swift Action (i.e. if you are normally Medium you can become Small or Large). Your clothing and equipment sizes to fit you, and this is considered a Supernatural ability. This mimics the spells Enlarge Person and Reduce Person in effect.
Flexible Body: You become semi boneless, gaining a +2 Racial Bonus to Opposed Combat Checks (Grapple, Trip, Bull Rush, etc) and Escape Artist checks.
Narcissist's Boon: Your bonus hit points are calculated based on your Charisma Modifier, not your Constitution modifier. This is a Supernatural ability.
Deadly Ego: Your bonus to attack and damage rolls is based on your Charisma Modifier, not your Strength Modifier. This is a Supernatural ability.
Manipulate Reality: A number of times per day equal to your Charisma Modifier you may gain a +2 Luck Bonus to any roll. You must announce you are using this ability before making the roll, this is considered a Supernatural ability.
Extraplanar Blood: You are bound to a specific Plane in some way. Choose 1 Plane. You are immune to the negative effects of that Plane (if any) as if you had a permanent Avoid Planar Effects spell on your person. You also gain 1 Subtype associated with that Plane (usually elemental or alignment related).
Nerveless: You no longer have a nervous system. You are immune to penalties or damage based entirely upon pain (for example spells such as Wrack or Symbol of Pain) and you are also immune to Paralysis.
Removed From Nature: You are immune to exposure to the elements, as if you permanently had an Endure Elements spell upon your person.
Ascendance: You have purged your body of it's intestines and unnecessary organs. You no longer require food or water, and do not breathe or sleep.
Higher Ascendance(Prerequisite: Ascendance): You have a 50% chance of converting any successful critical hit to a normal hit.
Enhanced Senses: This can be taken multiple times, each time you gain one of the following abilities: Dark Vision 60' (or increase your Dark Vision +30' if you already have it), Tremorsense 30', Blindsight 30', Scent, or Wide Angle Vision (you cannot be flanked, and have a +4 Racial Bonus to Search and Spot checks).
Natural WeaponUnnatural Weapon: You have the ability to perform some sort of supernatural attack. This can be chosen multiple times, and is a Supernatural Ability. You may choose from Gaze Attacks, Energy Enhanced Attacks, Disease, Breath Weapons, Paralysis, or Rays.
Gaze Attacks have a 30' Range and are negated by a Willpower Saving Throw (Save DC is 10 plus half Hit Dice plus Charisma Modifier). Effect is identical to one of the following spells: Bestow Curse, Charm Monster, Confusion, Crushing Despair, Enervation, Fear, Greater Rebuke (See Spell Compendium), or Rainbow Pattern.
If you choose Energy Enhanced Attacks your Natural Weapons, successful Grapple Checks, and unarmed strikes do additional energy damage equal to their Charisma Modifier. You may choose from Acid, Anarchic, Axiomatic, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Negative, Positive, Profane, Sacred, or Sonic damage. If you choose this attack a second time, it does +1d6 energy damage of the chosen type with a successful critical hit.
To choose Disease you must have already chosen a Bite, Claw, or Radula attack with the Natural Weapon Mutation. Attacks with that weapon require the victim to make a Fortitude Saving Throw (DC is 10 plus half Hit Dice plus Charisma Modifier) or contract any one disease from page 292 of the DMG (choose 1 when getting this mutation).
If you choose Breath Weapon you may use it once every 1d4 rounds. It is either a 15' Cone or a 30' Line doing 3d6 Acid, Anarchic, Axiomatic, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Negative, Positive, Profane, Sacred, or Sonic damage. A Reflex Save (DC is 10 plus half Hit Dice plus Charisma Modifier) reduces damage to half. Breath Weapon may be taken multiple times, increasing the damage +2d6 each time.
If you choose Paralysis, decide whether it is attached to your Unarmed Strikes or a Natural Weapon. Whenever you successfully Critical with whatever you chose your victim must make a Willpower Save (DC is 10 plus half Hit Dice plus Charisma Modifier) or be paralyzed for 2d4 rounds.
If you choose Ray you get a ranged touch attack that can be used once every 1d4 rounds at a range of 120'. Damage is 2d6 Acid, Anarchic, Axiomatic, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Negative, Positive, Profane, Sacred, or Sonic. Ray may be chosen multiple times, increasing the damage +1d6 each time.
Third Eye: You permanently have one of the following spells permanently in effect on your person: Arcane Sight, Detect Alignment (as Detect Chaos/Evil/Good/Law, but looks for all 4 alignments), Discern Shapechanger, Know Vulnerabilities, or See Invisibility. This may be taken multiple times, and is a Supernatural Ability.
Supernatural Defenses: This mutation may be chosen multiple times. You may choose from the list below:
Spell Resistance: You gain Spell Resistance equal to 10 plus your Chaos Monk level.
Energy Resistance: You gain Energy Resistance 5 to one form of energy (Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, or Sonic). If you take this mutation again you may increase your Energy Resistance by 5, or gain Resistance to a new form of Energy.
Exotic Resistance: You gain Resistance 5 to some form of exotic attack such as positive or negative damage, or alignment based damage (Anarchic, Axiomatic, Profane, Sacred, etc.).
Fast Healing: You gain Fast Healing 3. Each time this is taken your Fast Healing increases by 1 (i.e. if you took it a second time it would be Fast Healing 4).
Regeneration: You gain Regeneration 1. When you get this ability choose two damage sources (usually energy types) which bypass your Regeneration. You may not take this mutation multiple times.
Spell-Like Ability: Choose any 1 spell from the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list from the Divination or Abjuration schools. It can be any spell that a Wizard whose level is equal to your Chaos Monk level. You may cast it once per day as a Spell-Like Ability.
Enhanced Movement: You may choose to increase any 1 movement form you have by +10', or gain 1 new movement form. You may gain any movement form (Swim, Climb, Burrow, Flight) with a movement rate equal to your Land Speed. If you gain Flight, maneuverability is Average. You may choose this mutation multiple times to increase movement speed, or increase the maneuverability of your Flight by 1 step.
Blubber: You gain the Powerful Build Ability listed on Page 12 of hte Expanded Psionics Handbook.
Extra Head:
Extra Arms:
Extra Legs:
A Moment of Unpredictability (Su): At 9th level whenever you make a successful critical hit with an Unarmed Strike, you may use this ability instead of the critical hit. This ability works on beings that are immune to critical hits, so if you roll the number necessary to make a critical, roll to confirm anyway to see if this ability is available. A Moment of Unpredictability can only be used once per day, and only on a successful critical hit. If you choose to use this ability choose any one Exceptional or Supernatural Ability your opponent has, and he cannot use it for the rest of the encounter. If your opponent somehow has neither Ex or Su abilities, choose any 1 Feat he has, and he cannot use it for the rest of the encounter.
Babel Tongue (Ex): At 17th level the Chaos Monk has learned the Primal language of Chaos and gains Babel Speech as a Bonus Feat.
Body of Chaos (Ex): With your exposure to Chaos and your experiences with mind and body altering rituals and substances, your body begins to change over time. Warping itself internally, you become progressively more difficult to really harm. At 17th level you become immune to Petrification and polymorph
Disciple (Ex): At 20th level the Chaos Monk permanently leaves behind his humanity (or whatever the equivalent for his race is). He becomes an Outsider with the Native and Chaotic Subtypes. Additionally the Chaos Monk gains Damage Reduction 10/Lawful.
PLAYING A CHAOS MONK Acquisition of knowledge is the only truly worthy goal, and the only one you aspire to in the beginning. The problem is that eventually you learn more than you'd like. You learn that some of your assumptions were wrong. How a Chaos Monk deals with this affects his future, and that of those around him. Some lose their minds and become self destructive. With luck, they simply end their own lives quickly, but this is rarely the case. Normally they go on massive killing sprees, poisoning water supplies, burning crops in the field, etc. Others may simply fall into depression, or develop odd obsessions. The ones that make peace with the truth usually continue their researches with an open mind.
Religion: Chaos Monks hold many varying beliefs, and if they choose to worship a God (many don't), they will prefer those that let them indulge themselves in their chosen path. Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Evil deities are common because of this because they have the fewest rules for their worshipers (even if the Monk himself is Good). Some perversely even worship Lawful deities just to see if they can find out the secrets of those Gods (cessation of change after all, is merely another form of change). A great many do not worship Gods, believing they are perhaps a mass hallucination, merely powerful beings who toy with the lesser races, or celestial parasites whose power comes from the worship of the masses.
Other Classes: Any class with any Alignment restriction or some code of behavior (Clerics, Druid's, Paladins, Knight's, Monks, Samurai, etc.) find you to be at best maddening. Your constant challenge of their beliefs (which you consider unnecessary limits) drives them to distraction, and many things you do will clash with their world views. Even criminally inclined classes (Rogue's, Beguilers, Ninja's, etc) prefer to have allies that are predictable and therefore dependable, and you don't fit that mold. Pure combat classes (Fighter's, Barbarian's, etc) will accept you as long as your abilities are useful, and you don't make too much trouble. Arcane classes tend to find you fascinating as they wish to study how you have acquired your abilities.
Combat: You're at your best when your opponent can't predict what you're up to. This is why Chaos Monks study so many styles (i.e take several PrC's). If one tactic doesn't work they always have others to fall back on. If their opponent assumes they'll be using the same tactics again, they are mistaken. Chaos Monks tend to reject conventional wisdom, especially in combat. Always leave them guessing.
Advancement: Chaos Monks walk many different paths. Some merely wish to understand the true nature of Chaos, some wish to see the whole world return to it. Some spread havoc wherever they go, some use Chaos in a more subtle manner to attain goals. Really, a Chaos Monk pretty much tends to go in whatever directions his own personal obsessions carry him. Many will study several forms of unarmed combat in their lifetime, each more bizarre than the next. They know there will be many obstacles along the way, and they wish to be prepared for them. Most will study under several Masters, travel to many Planes of existence (Limbo being a popular one), and quite possibly spend some time locked away in their own insanity. Few will attain any great age, fewer still will find any piece of the truth they seek. And those will be the most dangerous. A Chaos Monk who has seen his dreams fail, and who learns that his entire life is a lie (along with all he has believed in and fought for) tends to retreat to a frighteningly familiar stance: wanting to see the world burn.
CHAOS MONKS IN THE WORLD "In an hour of Darkness a blind man is the best guide. In an age of Insanity look to the madman to lead the way." Chaos Monks give the players a chance to play the archetypal outsider. The guy who isn't like anyone else. The freak who has absolutely nothing in common with the majority of his social peers. Or anyone else for that matter. The downside to this is the Chaos Monk tends to be looked down upon, or suspected anytime something goes wrong. He'll have to be patient and see past this if he wishes to attain the enlightenment he seeks.
Daily Life: The abilities and goals of a Chaos Monk vary wildly from individual to individual. Some make good leaders, some do not. Some make good followers, some do not. Some of them are sane and controlled, and some...are very much the opposite. You are as likely to find a Chaos Monk laying in a gutter in his own blood and vomit speaking gibberish as you are to find him leading an army assaulting the Abyss (or the Celestial Realms for that matter). They go wherever whim takes them, and perform whatever task is required to see that whim through. This means a Good Monk may ally himself with less than honorable beings, and an Evil one may take assignments from Angels. One may voluntarily commit himself to prison, and another may spend years counting the grains of sand on a beach to improve his powers of concentration. Particularly once they become immune to aging. At that point time is on their side, and they are less likely to risk themselves. At that point they have all eternity to find the truth, so why hurry?
Notables: Pretty much all Chaos Monks are notable for something. Either being the best at something, or just for scaring the living daylights out of people if nothing else. Bahari Pangarkar is infamous among his own as being one of the few Chaos Monks to actually attain Enlightenment while following only one path (i.e. he only took levels in Chaos Monk with no Prestige Class or Multiclass, which is pretty darned odd). He is remembered and looked up to for his persistence and dedication. Remembered for less happy reasons is Shaitan Saamri. Early in his career he was caught in a portal and traveled the Planes learning many things, and beaten and tortured by many of the beings that lived there. Eventually he came to believe the universe was a blind, uncaring place that nurtured and accepted cruelty. Returning to his home Plane, Saamri was personally responsibly for thousands of murders before being executed.
Organizations: Chaos Monks rarely work together for long, as there is too much opportunity for conflict. Most have agendas or beliefs that others of their kind can't or won't accept, or that they are diametrically opposed to in some way. Each temple is lead by a Headmaster who provides basic training for the monks, but after that they are expected to go their own way and learn for themselves. Many study under several different Headmasters before going their own way and starting a temple themselves. If opposed by an outside force (particularly a Lawful one) however, the interlopers will find they band together against them quickly and work as a team temporarily quite well.
NPC Reaction Chaos Monks try to look differently from everyone else, so scarification, body modification, tattoos, odd clothing, body paint, etc. are the norm for them. They also hold beliefs that are not in the mainstream, and may sound like lunacy to the common man (and like frightening possibilities to those with enough knowledge). Most people are scared to death of them. They don't look normal, they don't act normal, they don't talk normal, etc. Nothing about them is predictable or easy other than that they will inevitable end up in trouble. No matter where they are, Chaos Monks tend to be given a wide berth.
CHAOS MONKS IN THE GAME Chaos Monks shouldn't be too hard to insert into most campaigns, assuming you still use Alignment. Otherwise they'll require some jiggering. be careful to not let the players use them as a lunatic who does everything at random. Just because Chaos Monks are obsessed with Chaos they aren't necessarily stupid. Possibly insane, but insane people can still function somewhat in society given the right circumstances. Chaos Monks will do things to intimidate people around them, but that's to keep the curious at bay (along with everyone else). They don't want interference in their activities from the lesser people of the world. Enlightenment comes to those who seek it, not pig farmers worried about the hogs being sick.
Adaptation: Chaos Monks fit a spot similar to Monks in a party, which is to say they tend to be a spoiler. Not really frontline fighters (though they can be), not strictly skill monkeys (though they can be), they fall somewhere in between traditional party roles. Their alignment will generally tend to make them accept a specific niche. Good Monks use Chaos to nudge events towards an outcome that will be beneficial to all, and they care about their party, thinking of them as wards under their care. Evil Monks have had their beliefs shattered in some fundamental way, and have gone mad, wanting to see society die (and maybe the world with it). The party is an ends to a means, and expendable. If they don't further the Monk's goals he'll leave or murder them. neutral Monks consider their goals to be the priority, but are still sane enough to realize goals aren't attainable without the help of others. They will try to guide the party into doing what they want by manipulating them, but will also look out for the parties welfare.
Encounters: An encounter with a Chaos Monk should leave the PC's disturbed. Most Chaos Monk's go by the credo "everything you know is a lie". And some can even prove it to a point. The PC's should see a glimpse behind the walls of their reality if they are fighting Chaos Monks, and perhaps they will not be happier for it. At the very least a Chaos Monk who has gone insane and decided to take as much of the world with him as he can should disturb them jsut because of that. A man who has studied reality, become less (or more) than human because of it, and who now desires the death of everything that exists isn't a common occurrence. While the Monks assume that what everyone else believes is false, they have enough hubris to still believe their own perception of reality, and many take it as a personal betrayal when that is revealed to be a lie as well.
PC's will likely encounter them far from civilization, either on alternate Planes of reality, desolate wastelands, or obscure back alley temples. They do pursue daily activities meant to keep people from watching them, such as charitable works. most will assume they are a religious group (which can be the case), not a group of philosophers researching reality itself.
EPIC CHAOS MONK Hit Die: d8
Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int
AC Bonus The Chaos Monk's bonus to AC when unarmored continues to increase by +1 for every 5 levels.
Unarmed Strike The Chaos Monk's unarmed strike damage doesn't increase after 16th level.
Ki Strike The Chaos Monks Ki Strike ability does not continue to increase with level.
Mutation At level 21 and every 3 levels thereafter the Chaos Monk gains an additional mutation.
Bonus Feats: The Epic Chaos Monk gains a Bonus Feat every 4 levels higher than 20th