A Viewtiful Monarch casts spells as a [[SRD:Wizard|wizard]] does. Just like a wizard, she prepares spells to be cast ahead of time. However, instead of storing spells in a [[SRD:Wizard's Spellbook|spellbook]], she stores them within her crown, which is a headgear item costing at least 10,000 gp which is enchanted to hold spells. The crown can hold an infinite number of spells, but it cannot already have magical properties before being claimed by the Viewtiful Monarch as her spell receptacle. (A Viewtiful Monarch candidate chooses a sufficiently valuable non-magical headgear item as her "crown" upon taking her first level in Viewtiful Monarch, and it is automatically enchanted to hold spells when the candidate becomes a Viewtiful Monarch.) When preparing her spells, the Viewtiful Monarch simply wears the crown and meditates; the process is otherwise identical to how a wizard prepares spells, including the requirement for 8 hours of rest beforehand and the 1-hour length of time required for spell preparation. She does not need to wear the crown except when she prepares her spells; once her spells are prepared for the day, the Viewtiful Monarch may remove the crown and wear a different magic (or non-magic) item on her head (or, if she has soulmelds, bind a soulmeld to her crown chakra) if she so chooses. The Viewtiful Monarch automatically learns all 0-level Viewtiful Monarch spells and 2 1st-level spells upon taking her first level in this class, and she learns 2 new spells for free every time she gains a Viewtiful Monarch level afterwards. Alternatively, at any time, she may also copy spells from scrolls and spellbooks into her crown through a ritual in which she essentially wills the crown to absorb the spell. To do this, she must first decipher the spell in question with a [[SRD:Spellcraft Skill|Spellcraft]] check, just like a wizard or wu jen would. She must then cast ''[[Extract Spell (3.5e Spell)|extract spell]]'' upon the crown, to prime it to absorb the magic. Once the ''extract magicspell'' spell is cast, she must place her crown upon the surface holding the spell (usually paper or parchment, but other materials aren't unheard of; if it's mounted to a wall, another spell may be necessary to get the crown to stick) and succeed on a [[SRD:Spellcraft Skill|Spellcraft]] check (the DC is 5 points higher than normal, and 10 points higher than it would be for a wizard, wu jen<ref name="ca">[[Publication:Complete Arcane|Complete Arcane]]</ref>, etc. to learn the spell using ''extract spell'', because of the unconventionality of this spell-learning system). It takes 1 hour for the crown to absorb the spell, and the Viewtiful Monarch does not know whether she actually learned the spell until the hour is up; however, if the crown is disturbed, she fails to learn the spell regardless of her [[SRD:Spellcraft Skill|Spellcraft]] check result, and knows that she failed because the crown was disturbed. If she successfully learns the spell, it is absorbed into the crown and may be selected whenever the Viewtiful Monarch prepares her spells from that point on; the spell is erased from a scroll or other one-use magical writing, since the magic is expended, but a spellbook is unharmed. If she fails, she may not try to learn that spell again until 30 days have passed or she gains a rank in [[SRD:Spellcraft Skill|Spellcraft]], whichever comes first; a scroll is unharmed, as the magic was not successfully absorbed in the first place. It isn't normally possible to copy a spell from a crown, due to the crown not actually being a magical writing or symbol (but see [[#Copy Crown|Copy Crown]], below). This procedure may only be used to learn Viewtiful Monarch spells; if she multiclasses into a different class with the ability to learn spells, she learns spells for that class in its usual fashion.

'''IMPORTANT NOTE:''' Viewtiful Monarch levels do '''''not''''' stack with [[Viewtiful Warrior (3.5e Class)|Viewtiful Warrior]] levels to influence unarmed strike damage or damage reduction bypassing, and they count equally to any other non-monk class to determine how many times per day [[Viewtiful Warrior (3.5e Class)#Stunning Fist|Stunning Fist]] can be used (that is, 4 levels of Viewtiful Monarch allow one usage of [[SRD:Stunning Fist|Stunning Fist]]). In fact, the Viewtiful Monarch doesn't even ''have'' Stunning Fist unless she takes the feat or gains it from another class (such as [[SRD:Monk|monk]] or Viewtiful Warrior). She also can't use VFX to get extra uses of Stunning Fist in a day unless she has at least 10 levels of Viewtiful Warriorand/or Viewtiful Captain.

'''{{Anchor|Staff Stinger}} {{Ex}}:''' Whenever the Viewtiful Monarch [[SRD:Charge|charges ]] while wielding a staff, quarterstaff, spear, or lance, she gets a +4 bonus to attack and damage rolls (instead of the usual +2 bonus).

*'''{{Anchor|Soaring Staff Stinger}} {{Su}}:''' Starting at 3rd level, whenever the Viewtiful Monarch charges while wielding a staff, quarterstaff, spear, or lance, she does not need to have solid ground beneath her during her charge. She can literally charge up into the air or across a gap if she wants to(though gravity will take effect as normal once the charge ends). As a side effect of this, she ignores difficult terrain when charging.

*'''{{Anchor|Swooping Staff Stinger}} {{Ex}}:''' Starting at 7th level, the Viewtiful Monarch can charge as an attack action as long as she is wielding a staff, quarterstaff, spear, or lance. This means that she can charge multiple times in a single round, up to her limit on how many attacks she can make per round, when using a full attack(or any other action that would entitle her to multiple attacks).

'''{{Anchor|VFX Magic}} (VFX):''' Starting at 2nd level, a Viewtiful Monarch can use VFX to enhance her spellcasting. While this VFX power is in effect, her caster level for Viewtiful Monarch spells is her Viewtiful Monarch level plus any levels she may have in other Viewtiful classes ([[Viewtiful Warrior(3.5e Class)|Viewtiful Warrior]], [[Viewtiful Shogun (3.5e Prestige Class)|Viewtiful Shogun]], and [[Viewtiful Captain (3.5e Prestige Class)|Viewtiful Captain]]). This VFX power costs 1 VFX point per round to maintain. VFX does not recharge while VFX Magic is in effect.

'''{{Anchor|VFX Magicharge}} (VFX):''' Starting at 3rd level, a Viewtiful Monarch can sacrifice a spell slot as a swift action to gain a number of VFX points equal to the level of the sacrificed spell (a 0-level spell sacrificed this way confers no VFX points). Alternatively, she can sacrifice a spell slot as a standard action to gain a number of VFX points equal to twice the level of the sacrificed spell (a 0-level spell sacrificed this way confers 1 VFX point). The Viewtiful Monarch may do this even while using a long-term VFX power, enabling her to extend its effects. Only a Viewtiful Monarch spell slot can be sacrificed in this manner. Sacrificing a spell slot in this way is ''not'' considered the same process as casting that spell, and does not trigger effects set off by casting a spell. VFX Magicharge does not provoke attacks of opportunity, regardless of the type of action used to perform it, and cannot be interrupted. VFX Magicharge can only be used once per round.

'''{{Anchor|VFX Mirage}} (VFX):''' Starting at 4th level, whenever the Viewtiful Monarch is reduced to ⅔ of her maximum hp (rounded down), she instantaneously warps away to a personal demiplane; not even [[SRD:Dimensional Anchor|''dimensional anchor'']], [[SRD:Dimensional Lock|''dimensional lock'']], or any other nonepic anti-teleportation effect can hold her. The Viewtiful Monarch is frozen as if in [[SRD:Temporal Stasis|''temporal stasis'']] and completely immune to all damage, healing, and other effects that would alter her condition, so even if the Viewtiful Monarch's opponent somehow follows her to her demiplane, it cannot actually harm her. As the Viewtiful Monarch warps away, a [[SRD:Simulacrum|''simulacrum'']] of herself appears 50 feet away from her former position in a random direction; thus, to a casual observer, it appears that the Viewtiful Monarch has simply executed a short-range teleport. The simulacrum has 1/20th of the Viewtiful Monarch's maximum hp, but also has all of her abilities except for VFX Mirage. (The simulacrum usually maintains a distance from the enemy and spams [[#VFX Shot|VFX Shot]] or [[#VFX Missile|VFX Missile]]). The simulacrum has infinite VFX, but finite spell slots; it enters play is created with all spell slots that the Viewtiful Monarch had unexpended at the start of the encounter. The simulacrum's actions do not consume the Viewtiful Monarch's resources. The simulacrum cannot be dispelled, nor is it suppressed by an [[SRD:Antimagic Field|''antimagic field'']], and it never expires on its own. However, the simulacrum cannot be repaired or regain hp in any way. When the simulacrum is destroyed, the Viewtiful Monarch reappears in her former position, freed from the [[SRD:Temporal Stasis|''temporal stasis'']] effect and no longer invulnerable. The ability is triggered again when the Viewtiful Monarch is reduced to ⅓ of her maximum hp. Even if the Viewtiful Monarch is healed past an hp threshold, this ability cannot be triggered more than twice in any given encounter. If the Viewtiful Monarch begins an encounter already past an hp threshold, she loses that use of VFX Mirage for that encounter. Nonlethal damage triggers VFX Mirage as though it was lethal damage. If the simulacrum still exists when the encounter ends, it fades away, ending VFX Mirage, and the Viewtiful Monarch reappears in her former position, freed from the [[SRD:Temporal Stasis|''temporal stasis'']] effect and no longer invulnerable. If VFX Mirage is triggered while the Viewtiful Monarch is in the middle of performing an action, such as casting a spell, that action automatically fails and is lost, as on a failed [[SRD:Concentration Skill|Concentration]] check, due to suddenly being teleported away from the action and placed under ''temporal stasis''; any resources expended in performing that action are wasted. This ability can be triggered even if the Viewtiful Monarch was out of VFX when reduced past an hp threshold; however, as VFX does not recharge while in ''temporal stasis'', the Viewtiful Monarch will still be weakened and vulnerable when the VFX Mirage ends.

When the Viewtiful Monarch reaches 6th level, 2 simulacra of her appear when this ability activates. When she reaches 8th level, 3 simulacra of her appear when this ability activates. When she reaches 10th level, 4 simulacra of her appear when this ability activates. VFX Mirage does not end and the Viewtiful Monarch does not reappear until all of the simulacra created by VFX Mirage have been destroyed.

At 6th level and beyond, no attack can reduce the Viewtiful Monarch's hp further than would be required to push her to an hp threshold to use VFX Mirage. For instance, if an 8th-level Viewtiful Warrior/6th-level Viewtiful Monarch had 149 max hp, had 114 hp remaining, and sustained 27 points of damage (enough to reduce her to 87 hp), she would instead be reduced to 99 hp, triggering her first VFX Mirage. If she began the encounter with 99 or less hp or had already been reduced to 99 hp in the current encounter, VFX Mirage would not trigger and she would be reduced to 87 hp. As long as the Viewtiful Monarch has at least one use of VFX Mirage remaining, she is immune to death effects and petrification; an effect that would instantly kill or petrify her instead reduces her to the next hp threshold, triggering a VFX Mirage. Once the Viewtiful Monarch has no uses of VFX Mirage remaining, death and petrification effects affect her normally. In addition, a simulacrum that is reduced to 0 hp becomes an ethereal presence and continues to fire VFX Shots, VFX Missiles, or spells at enemies. Only when all of the simulacra are destroyed does the VFX Mirage attack ceaseand the simulacra vanish.

At 10th level, this ability can be triggered manually with an [[SRD:Immediate Actions|immediate action]], but can still only be activated up to 3 times per encounter. A manual triggering expends the closest hp threshold as if the Viewtiful Monarch had been pushed to that point, but does not actually reduce her hp. (For instance, if a 10th-level Viewtiful Warrior/10th-level Viewtiful Monarch had a maximum of 200 hp, currently had 170 hp, and manually triggered a VFX Mirage, she would not get to use a VFX Mirage when reduced to 150 or less hp.) A Viewtiful Monarch cannot manually trigger VFX Mirage if she is out of VFX (but it can still be automatically triggered).

*'''{{Anchor|Mach Magic}} (VFX):''' While [[Viewtiful Warrior (3.5e Class)#VFX Mach Speed|VFX Mach Speed]] is active, the Viewtiful Monarch gains 3 additional swift actions per round. These extra swift actions can only be used to cast Viewtiful Monarch spells (whether these spells are quickened in advance, quickened through [[#Spell Churn|Spell Churn]], or have a natural casting time of 1 swift or immediate action does not matter). A Viewtiful Monarch spell that is considered an attack for purposes of other magical effects (such as ending the effect of [[SRD:Invisibility|''invisibility'']]) is also considered an attack for the purposes of generating or refreshing the [[Viewtiful Warrior (3.5e Class)#Fire Aura|fire aura]] or [[Viewtiful Warrior (3.5e Class)#Afterimage Assault|creating clones]] from VFX Mach Speed.

A character with a code of conduct who falls victim to the first version of this ability ''drain heroism'' is considered to have violated that code of conduct, and cannot regain his or her abilities until he or she [[SRD:Atonement|atones]]. The victim knows this when the ability is used on them, and therefore gains a +2 bonus to its Will save to avoid falling victim to it in the first place. (The gods tend to be rather understanding that the code of conduct was not willingly violated, so ''atonement'' costs no XP when used to absolve this situation.) This does not apply to the ''monstrous thrall'' version of the ability''drain heroism''.