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My crane style monk was forcefully retired early due to unexpected errata.
I have a summoner and a new level one character; a monk. The summoner is straight forward. But this monk might benefit from additional pairs of eyes beyond my own.
The original version of the character was based on speed. Unfortunately, I found it too late game a build for society play to make me satisfied. So I changed it. Now it is a build themed around violence. Mostly because I saw Wolf Savage and also because he has an int of 7 and wis of 12 (because he is a monk and having either stat higher would make him non functional in combat).
So, I wanted a violent combat style and had already focused on overrun (an artifact from the speed build) but overrun is suitable for our purposes because: overrun and vicious stomp are wonderful together and combined with punishing kick, it not only looks violent but is actually effective. It is also a highly tactical form of combat and while I hate playing stupid characters, this would be a tool for demonstrating that he is just focusing his intelligence on combat related elements instead of academic ones.
To perform Combat maneuvers we have to pick str or dex and since we are monks wisdom could count as well depending on the gear and archetype.
But we want to be violent so strength it is. So how does one abuse the overrun mechanic on a monk? We are already giving up that sweet, sweet flurry each time that we do. And we have high strength so we don't want to miss out on damage with it.
Well dragon and Janni style help out a lot as do charge through and vicious stomp. Since we know that we are really inspired by punishing kick and wolf style, this implies that we will be using multiple combat styles at once or at least switching between them. This knocks the obvious options down to manuever master, master of many styles, lore warden, brawler and unarmed fighter.
I personally had started with and still have liked the brawler/master of many styles.
So far we know we want:
Dragon style, dragon ferocity, power attack, improved overrun, combat reflexes, vicious stomp, charge through wolf style, wolf savage and punishing kick.
So let's see how it all looks so far.
Rune:
(Starting stats, 20 pt buy (society play))
Str-19, dex-16, con 13, int7, wis 12, charisma 7.
(Roughly 8th level stats)
Str 22, dex 16, con 14, int 7, wis 14, charisma 7.
Human
Lvl1.) brawler1-power attack (normal), combat reflexes (human), improved overrun (fighter).
Lvl2.) moms1- wolf style (monk bonus).
Lvl3.) brawler2- dragon style (normal), vicious stomp (fighter).
Lvl4.) brawler3- (no feat but +1 to hit and +3 unarmed damage).
Lvl5.) moms2- dragon ferocity (normal), wolf savage (moms bonus).
Lvl6.) brawler4- charge through (fighter).
Lvl7.) moms3- greater overrun (normal).
Lvl8.) moms4- blank
Lvl9.) moms5- punishing kick? Elemental fist? Touch of serenity? Janni style?
Lvl10.) moms6- Marid/djinni style? Mantis style? More Janni style stuff?
Lvl11.) moms7- improved initiative? Even more Janni style things? Combat style master?
As you can see, some things are quite in the air after level 8 since that is when the core of the build is complete. Also, this version comes online at level 5. Before then everything is very situational.
Wolf and dragon style can be switched (and I would like that) but it requires switching con and wis, which means my con mod is always +1. Making such a switch also encourages me to take elemental fist and an elemental style with it for 2d6+3 on several attacks a day.
Originally, elemental fist and Marid/djinni a style were taken earlier but then wolf style showed up....of course, higher wisdom is useful for that, too.
As for traits, heavy hitter(+1 unarmed damage) and reactionary? This one is up in the air a little.
Gear:
Belt of thunderous charging-10k
Boots of the mastadon-10.5k
Gauntlets of the skilled manuever-4k
Way finder (with dusty rose prism)-5.25k
Pauldrons of the bull-10k
Amulet of mighty fists (+1?)-4k
Jingasa of the fortunate soldier-5k
Eyes of the eagle-2.5k
Headband of inspired wisdom-4k
Ring of protection+1-2k
Monks robe-13k
Snakeskin tunic or sipping jacket-8k and5k respectively.
Vambraces of defense-6k.
The Vambraces and tunic will probably go as the current build uses light armor and a buckler or small shield (which removed the speed theme entirely).
The brawling property is now available but I have not calculated the new costs for armor nor have I looked at the weapon property options for an amulet. Also, I only have one ring listed so I may be able to find more options there but as listed, money is right since this comes out to roughly 79k which he may or may not have at this point, depending on how often he is in high tier games.
So the character has a +43 cmb for overrun at level 11, rolls twice and takes the highest result on each attempt, whenever he knocks a target prone from overrun he gets an aoo and if anyone goes prone adjacent to him he gets an aoo when he deals ten or more damage with an aoo he reduces a targets speed by 5 feet and an additional 5 feet per 5 damage dealt. If they run out of movement he gets a free trip against them (but that would provoke from me). Whenever he deals ten or more damage to a prone target he can burn a precious swift action to disfigure (bestow curse) at Dc 12+half of character level basically, fort negates.
He can overrun two enemies a round, or just one and charge another, he gets to punishing kick? On normal attacks or aoo's and can use it to trigger wolf savage and vicious stomp (I think of it as an axe kick), does 16 damage a hit minimum, before rolling anything, and this can be easily increased to 18-19.
He has a +19 to hit, though if I really check, it might be higher. These are the numbers for 11th level, of course.
Depending on which feats get taken near the end, damage output can increase dramatically (by several d6 or d8) depending on what kind of attack I am using and which style I end up choosing (if any).
Finally, touch of serenity sounds like a safe bet and a nice character progression move since my save dc's aren't wonderful and all are fort. The touch deals no damage but is a will save, opening up more targets to frustrate.
Is wolf style too weak? Are the elemental styles better choices? Do I benefit more by dipping into other classes near the end? Is it still possible to go with the speed philosophy he was created from? (Ie cleric with travel domain and weather, combined with djinni style to add that sense of moving quickly theme).
Finally, no bull rush suggestions please. I do get bonuses to and against it but my summoner and eidolon both are bull rush builds. So I don't want two of the same characters at the same time.
Anyway, input is appreciated. I really feel like I am missing 1-2 super important things. Like deal-making/breaking things.
Sounds like a fun, and thematic, build. I think that Wolf Style could certainly work well with this build. One thought would be to possibly stick with just the two styles from MoMS and take more levels of Brawler which would allow you to pick up Weapon Focus and Weapon Spec. for even more to-hit and damage. If your build works right, and you are able to overrun often enough, you might not need Punishing kick since you won't be doing a lot of full attacks anyway -- though this will really depend on how things progress as you play. Obviously what works on paper doesn't always work in practice.
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I hate to rain on your parade, but per the additional resources page, the only thing that is legal for non-skinwalkers in Blood of the Moon is the lunar mystery and equipment.
Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Moon
To create a skinwalker (which includes all were-kin), you must have a Chronicle sheet that opens the race as a legal option at character creation.
Note: Racial feats, racial traits, and racial spells are only available for characters of the skinwalker race. Racial equipment and magic items can be purchased and used by any race as long as the specific item permits it.
The becoming a lycanthrope section of this book is not legal for Pathfinder Society play unless noted on a future Chronicle sheet.
Equipment: all equipment on page 30 are legal; Magic Items: all magic items on pages 30–31 are legal; Mystery: the lunar mystery is legal for play.
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As I look through the book, I am inclined to disagree (although you might still be right).
Page 7 has a list titled skin walker traits and expressly says they are available to skin walkers. On the same page, below the traits are skin walker feats and the prerequisites shared by each is that one must be a skin walker.
Page 8 does the same thing with werebat-kin traits by stating that they are race traits available to them. When it kaisers the feats, it -ONLY- says that they are available to werebat-kin.
'The following feats are available to werebat-kin.'
Under each feat listed, one of the prerequisites shared among them all is: 'werebat-kin'.
However when I look at the were tiger-kin and werewolf-kin entries, the traits are like the other race traits and explicitly say they are available to their respective racial types but the feats say:
'.....are available to were tiger-kin, were tigers and those who associate with these creatures.'
And
'.....developed by werewolf monks, but can be used by anyone with an affinity for wolves and their kind.'
No requirement under any of those feats listed says anything about a race. They require the same things as can be expected of any other normally available feat to a generic human. Some feats groups 'abilities' in the book are quite specific in that only members of the appropriate race can take the 'ability' while others are pretty clear that they are available to anyone (hexes) or to members of a specific race and those who associate with them, have an affinity for them, etc.
I am pretty sure that I can take wolf style just fine. I am also very certain tha I could not take a few other feats in that book, though.
Any thoughts in the last feats or on superior ones to any I have in place?
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Sorry, but if it's not listed under a Feats: entry, it's not legal. for comparison, lets looks at the Dhamphir stuff from Blood of the Night:
Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of the Night
To create a dhampir, you must have a Chronicle sheet that opens the race as a legal option at character creation.
Note: Racial feats, racial traits, and racial spells are only available for characters of the dhampir race. Racial equipment and magic items can be purchased and used by any race as long as the specific item permits it.
The hunger, Jiang-shi, moroi, nosferatu, vetala, vampire characters, and vampire transformations sections of this book are not legal for Pathfinder Society play.
Equipment: force net, necklace of fangs, and stake of righteous; Feats: Conviction, Hymn Singer, Life-Dominant Soul, Potent Holy Symbol, and Schooled Resolve; Heritages: all heritages on pages 20–21 are legal; Roles: Ancestral slayer; Spells: display aversion, domination link; Traits: all traits on page 19 are legal for all dhampir characters. All traits on pages 20–21, except mind trapper, are legal for their associated heritages.
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Well, as I said, you may be correct. I reviewed several other items and it seems to follow the pattern you described. However, the feats aren't racial. The book is fairly clear on the point of who can take the feats and abilities and which ones require you to be a skin walker or were-kin. Alas!
So let's just say you can't use it:
What style seems like the best approach with the current build? Janni is a solid choice, as is taking elemental fist and either Marid or Djinni (still not sure which is better-leaning towards djinni if improved initiative is taken).
Also, I still have the options for changing races, changing classes, etc. if anyone can think of a better way to do all of this I am all ears.
I would try the patient route and take a two level dip into some form of advantages barbarian for the rage that allows me to deal my unarmed strike damage on an overrun whole raging- but if I become lawful, I lose the ability to rage. So there's that.
If there was a nice martial artist version of the barbarian (one that could be any alignment basically) that would give me some play room.
Taking more levels of brawler is 'alright'. They do get nice abilities and make me more martial. However, moms at 8 is 3 styles up and running as a swift action. And the more I look at it, the more I can see the value in that. My retired monk hated spending two rounds getting set up and the enemies getting off damage he could have mitigated or prevented because of it. Combat style master absolutely is useful for this before 8th level moms and even after since you begin combat in a style and the changes into other ones become a free action..the import here being that ki abilities may be used on the same round that a style is entered/switched. This is a relevant feature at all levels of play for a moms besides the 20th since then entering them is a free action (although they do not begin in them, still, without that feat).
I argue Janni styles merits on the idea of charging target a, overrunning them, then taking my two aoo's and unloading all of my save effects. Once done, I move on to the squishy or caster and just perform an attack but deal double my unarmed damage dice. At least one effect from my gear (probably two) increase my size category for unarmed strikes. Somewhere in the mix is an enlarge person as well.
So whatever two steps up from 1d10 and 2d6 becomes is the the number and size of dice I would be doubling on a charge attack (which I will be power attacking with, naturally). At this point, I believe that it would be looking at cavalier charging type damage...which is potentially enough to one shot an enemy- with one hit.
One step up from 1d8 is 2d8.
One step up from 1d10 is 3d6.
And at the end:
One step up from my 2d6 is 3d8.
I believe after that I enter 4d8 and then D10's.
Either way, the minimum I can expect to deal is 6d8.
The expected middle range is closer to 8d8 unarmed dice damage on a charge and then there is still the strength x2 (not quite) and power attack.
This gets back to whether or not reactionary is needed if there is a better trait to take (maybe one to increase charge effectiveness)?
There is still the option of a single level dip into cleric for bonus speed, access to wands of coolness and low level spell effects to reliably buff myself on round 1 to make this all happen. Nevermind that domain powers might offer something, too. While I have only recently skimmed through the oracle class, they may have something to offer my 7 charisma creation as well.
Help? :(