To solve some of the MAD problem, take Weapon Finesse and forget about strength. INT=DEX>WIS=CON>CHA=STR is how I'm seeing the weights for ability scores. Tiefling, elf, variant aasimar all would help you with that (if your DM lets you, you can get an aasimar with +2DEX, +2WIS from being garuda-blooded, then switch out your spell-like ability for +2INT). Half Elf would get you two favored classes and the floating ability increase, which is always nice when multiclassing. Human is good if you take any of my suggestions below and end up wanting more feats.
Toughness would also help with not having to worry as much about boosting your CON.
Since you are already taking Feral Combat Training, you should look into the style feats from UC I believe. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/style-feats
You might also like Combat Reflexes + Greater Trip + Vicious Stomp, if your DM allows you to use your hair for the 'stomp' with Feral Combat Training.
If you can work in all the prereqs, Whirlwind Attack would let you hit everything in range with your hair and potentially grapple all the enemies. If you did this with the trip stuff above, you could swap all the attacks for trips and get 2 attacks against them all if your trips are successful.
Finally, 1 level of synthesist might help you boost your physical scores, and you could take like Improved Damage (Hair), Reach (Hair), and Improved Natural armor, or Improved Ability Score(DEX) in place of two of those. That's a pretty cheesy option but there it is.
Edit: lol:
...grabbling...
Also, the trait Magical Knack would put you back at full caster level to offset M1 and EK1 not advancing your caster level.
Just note that your hexes will not scale as you level.
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Just note that your hexes will not scale as you level.
A lot of the Debuff hexes like Evil Eye, Cackle, and Misfortune don't worry about level in the first place.
I really like this idea, and I might have a cool picture for you found Here. I might try to do this sometime as well.
Just note that your hexes will not scale as you level.A lot of the Debuff hexes like Evil Eye, Cackle, and Misfortune don't worry about level in the first place.
I really like this idea, and I might have a cool picture for you found Here. I might try to do this sometime as well.
Is this your artwork? If so, it is incredible!
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Just note that your hexes will not scale as you level.A lot of the Debuff hexes like Evil Eye, Cackle, and Misfortune don't worry about level in the first place.
I really like this idea, and I might have a cool picture for you found Here. I might try to do this sometime as well.
None of that matters since the WHW gives up ALL hexes.
to the OP: this looks interesting on the surface but has a few weaknesses to it.
First, of course losing all hexes is a big deal but you can get around it. (I don't like it but it's not a deal breaker).
Second, all of the extra abilities that the WHW gets on the hair attack costs a swift action now so flurry all you want but you only get one of those Combat Maneuvers per round.
Third, Mad doesn't begin to describe it. Best case scenario you'll need Dex to hit, Int for Damage & Spells, Con for HP's and Wis for AC (since you probably won't be able to flurry in armor).
None of these are deal breakers it just means you are going to be extremely squishy for half your career and you'll need to be extremely careful or you'll be eating dirt every fight.
Since the hair gets range, and you get almost full spell progression, you don't really need CON and AC as much as a front line fighter. You just stand behind the front line and whip your hair back and forth or whatever. Because of that, you just focus on DEX and INT and just take 12-14 in WIS / CON as much as you feel necessary. Take toughness if you still feel squishy. Crane Style is probably a good choice for this build, which would let you boost AC another 3-4 once you get up to Crane Riposte, and deflect an attack every round. (And make another AoO when you do).
20 point buy without dumping anything:
10 STR
15 DEX
13 CON
15 INT
12 WIS
10 CHA
Dumping CHA and STR:
7 STR
16 DEX
13 CON
17 INT
12 WIS
7 CHA
Then, go Tiefling, elf or the variant Aasimar I described before to get +2 to INT DEX and possibly WIS. You'll be decently well off. This probably isn't a good choice if you are using 15 point buy though.
1) Your flurry won't be worth it. You take -2 on all your iteratives, but you only have an extra attack for the first one.
Without flurrying you don't get any iteratives at all with Hair, so it's not a -2 for just one extra attack (which is actually worth it unless you are only hitting on an 18 from what I've heard), it's a -2 to get 1-3 extra attacks depending on your level.
Going all the way to Witch level 8 before EK might be a good option too, as you get Pull and Strangle and up to 15 ft reach with the hair. You only lose 1 more BAB between witch level 5 and 8, and that's about the only downside unless you are anxious to unlock some fighter-only feats.
Just note that your hexes will not scale as you level.A lot of the Debuff hexes like Evil Eye, Cackle, and Misfortune don't worry about level in the first place.
I really like this idea, and I might have a cool picture for you found Here. I might try to do this sometime as well.
None of that matters since the WHW gives up ALL hexes.
to the OP: this looks interesting on the surface but has a few weaknesses to it.
First, of course losing all hexes is a big deal but you can get around it. (I don't like it but it's not a deal breaker).Second, all of the extra abilities that the WHW gets on the hair attack costs a swift action now so flurry all you want but you only get one of those Combat Maneuvers per round.
Third, Mad doesn't begin to describe it. Best case scenario you'll need Dex to hit, Int for Damage & Spells, Con for HP's and Wis for AC (since you probably won't be able to flurry in armor).
None of these are deal breakers it just means you are going to be extremely squishy for half your career and you'll need to be extremely careful or you'll be eating dirt every fight.
So instead of Sohei take hexcrafter magus and enough levels to get a hex (4 I think) then use feats to get more hexes or arcana.
why cant you flurry in armor? Isnt that a sohei class feature?
why cant you flurry in armor? Isnt that a sohei class feature?
This is a question that was never answered. But most tend to say: No he can't.
Umbranus, where does it say a monk can't flurry while wearing armor? Or even seem to suggest it? O.o
He would suffer arcane spell failure chance though, so it isn't the best option for this build if he can get a modest AC from dex and wis.
Edit: I was wrong, I found where it says so in the monk proficiency list =P
That's why a Sohei CAN though, his proficiency list is replaced with one that doesn't impose that restriction.
Umbranus, where does it say a monk can't flurry while wearing armor? Or even seem to suggest it? O.o
He would suffer arcane spell failure chance though, so it isn't the best option for this build if he can get a modest AC from dex and wis.
Edit: I was wrong, I found where it says so in the monk proficiency list =P
That's why a Sohei CAN though, his proficiency list is replaced with one that doesn't impose that restriction.
I agree.
There have been several threads on this issue and as far as I remember everyone of them ended without a consent on can or can not.
I think I remember that at least one had quotes from the guy who wrote the class in it.
I'm too lazy to make proper links for every one of those but here are some of the threads on this topic:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2nop1?Can-a-Sohei-flurry-in-armor#1
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2nf17&page=2?Flurry-in-fullplate-aka-fix-th is-broken
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2n203?Sohei-Monk-armor-and-flurry-of-blows#1
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2mrsq?UC-Sohei-and-his-light-armor-proficiency# 1
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2n1ym?Armored-Monk-and-Flurry-of-Blows#8
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2nqm0?Sohei-Light-Armor-Proficiency#4
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Since the hair gets range, and you get almost full spell progression, you don't really need CON and AC as much as a front line fighter. You just stand behind the front line and whip your hair back and forth or whatever. Because of that, you just focus on DEX and INT and just take 12-14 in WIS / CON as much as you feel necessary. Take toughness if you still feel squishy. Crane Style is probably a good choice for this build, which would let you boost AC another 3-4 once you get up to Crane Riposte, and deflect an attack every round. (And make another AoO when you do).
20 point buy without dumping anything:
10 STR
15 DEX
13 CON
15 INT
12 WIS
10 CHADumping CHA and STR:
7 STR
16 DEX
13 CON
17 INT
12 WIS
7 CHAThen, go Tiefling, elf or the variant Aasimar I described before to get +2 to INT DEX and possibly WIS. You'll be decently well off. This probably isn't a good choice if you are using 15 point buy though.
Don't forget, when the hair hits it grapples and once you grapple you move your target adjacent to you opening you up for a full attack from it as soon as it's turn. Grapple builds with low AC and low HP's die. Quickly.
As for the flurry in armor the author of the Sohei archetype specifically stated it was not intended to give the monk the ability to flurry. 9 times out of 10 any GM who looks at the archetype and sees that dev quote on it will not let you flurry in it.
Link to authors post.
In any case, I think this concept is still viable without armor. Just get Mage Armor in a wand or just pick up the spell if you need an armor boost.
As for the grapple pulling them closer to you, I want to say that shouldn't happen since the witch doesn't gain the grappled condition (it seems more like the hair is doing the grappling than the witch). However, I don't think that is RAW and I'm not sure if it's RAI.. In any case, since it doesn't say to use your INT for CMD when you grapple you probably won't have much luck holding enemies anyway.
I figured the hair grapple [i]should[i]work like whip grappling with Greater Whip Mastery, except you could still attack other targets since you have many strands of hair. That's completely my opinion and not RAW or RAI
TGMax, the white haired witch's reach increases to 15 at level 8, and the WHW gets unlimited duration hair (not a big deal at level 20, but at low levels that will make a difference). Also, with Maneuver Master monk you give up regular flurry of blows, so you would only get a single attack with the hair and one maneuver, instead of 2-4 attacks which can be switched out for maneuvers anyway.
Yes you lose the hexes, and that's a big tradeoff, but WHW+sohei=>EK is definitely going to be better able to fight in melee than the build you are suggesting and I think that's the character concept the OP was trying to pull off.
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I have an idea. Take both Sohei and Sensei together, so that that way you can dump strengths and focus almost solely on Int and Wis since Int will help with Hair fighting and Wis will help with monk weapons and your AC. next go for either Dex for more AC or Con for HP.
And a bonus will be being able to both Buff and Debuff thanks to your bardic performance, meaning you'll be more versitale.
Granted you cant flurry now, but thats okay since you dont wanna be trading blows to close to th enemy
1) Your flurry won't be worth it. You take -2 on all your iteratives, but you only have an extra attack for the first one. Just go with fighter or something unless you really need the saving throw boosts from the monk.
2) Look at the Strength patron for an EK. It gets some of the Clerical self buffs.
In particular unarmed fighter which will net you improved unarmed strike for free
Alternatively
Orc Witchdoctor 19 + Unarmed Fighter 1
pickup feats to use claws with feral combat training, boar strike and gear up for using Vermin Shape, (and with transformation hex) Beast Shape and Form of the Dragon I, II and III.