I have a new player joining my group and she is interested in playing a human monk using a quarterstaff as her primary weapon. We're very early stage in character creation and she's open to suggestions, but I have very little experience with monks do I thought I'd toss this out to the many wise minds of the forum.
What sort of builds, arc Mrhetypes, feats it grease would you recommend? She's pretty much set on what I mentioned above, but is willing to add to that.
I should mention the other party members area half-elven greatsword fighter, a human caster druid and a kitsune sorcerer about to go into dragon disciple. I was thinking of recommending either a two-weapon crit fisher with Butterfly Sting or a trip build with Paired Opportunists. I just recalled something about a staff based trip feat chain, I'm going to go look for it right now.
*edit*
I should also mention 6th level. Yes, I should mention that
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SEE, I CALLED THE MONK THREAD COMEBACKS!
Ahem... anyway on topic
the easiest monk is the zen archer monk.
the judo (trip) monk is difficult and I wouldn't suggest it.
also, another Idea is the Tetori monk. he grapples, he grapples the grapplee he grapples grapples. Or, if the player wants to be a "martial artist" that archetype is quite good as well.
Joex, I actually just don't recommend that new players play monks. They can be quite useful and even powerful, but new players won't usually find that after 3rd or 4th level. You already have some pretty advanced themes in the party, maybe you can a ranger or barbarian? They are much more straightforward (which helps, a lot, for new players) but quite powerful (so he/she doesn't feel obsolete).
If monk is a non-negotiable, zen archer. And good luck.
I would suggest NO kind of Monk as a new player.
Monks require all kinds of system mastery to make a passable build, and new players will probably get frustrated trying to make their Monk keep up with the rest of the party.
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Player wants to play a staff weilding monk. Surely there's some help that can be offered besides "don't play the character you want to play".
I mean I know monks are overly difficult to make work properly, but actual help is more valuable that just telling people to give up.
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Yeah, I've got to agree. Monk is seriously the single worst class for a new player. Rogue isn't great either, but at least they have a bunch of out of combat utility baked in. Monks have much less of that.
If going Monk anyway...I'd go Sensei with a side of Qinggong Monk. It's solid, can focus completely on Wisdom and one of Dex and Str if you like, gives bonuses to the whole group, adds a fair bit of that out-of-combat utility I was talking about, and is generally pretty solid. Plus being simpler to play than most other good Monk builds.
Mikaze, feel free. I DO believe that a good dose of "beware" advise can help, though.
That said, for a similar feel, maybe try staffmaster(?) magus. It's still rules-mastery dependant, but less so and offers a similar "feel."
Again, if your player insists on monk, good luck.
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if he insists, go weapon adept monk.
take weapon focus asap,
bash as many archetypes as you can together.
Do NOT use a quaterstaff, find a reach weapon that a monk can use, use it.
feats
1-combat reflexes, dodge
2- doesn't matter really, all the monk feats are meh.
3-weapon focus
5- power attack (use only on garenteed hits, or when flurrlying)
6- another whatever you want.
7- and he should hopefully be able to take it from here.
(I actually suggest going into the wirlwind tree here)
25pt buy
Str:18 (+2 racial)
Dex:14
Con:16 (+2 racial)
Int:8
Wis:18 (+2 racial)
Cha:7
go lawbringer aasimar and swap the SLA for +2 str.
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i have to agree, it would be better to let them play a fighter with a quarter staff then a monk.
fighters with just core rulebook feats like TWF chain, weapon focus chain, and powerattack + a good ranged weapon will let them enjot the game a little bit more then a normal monk. i would suggest a lorewarden fighter and pick up trip feats and disarm or sunder
if they absolutely want the flavor of a monk, then i would suggest a sohei they hit really well and dont need to focus on wisdom to be successful in combat.
str>dex>con>wis>int>cha and pick up a long bow. they build like fighters so they have a slight advantage in combat over a normal monk, even most other archetypes.
I second rorek55 in recommending Zen Archer. One of the most competent builds in the game, can hold his own well and therefore fun for the beginner to tinker around with.
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Weapon Adept Ki Mystic Qinggong Monk
1 Toughness, Dodge
2 Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff
3 Stunning Fist
4 Power: Barksin
5 Cornugon Stun
6 Weapon Specialization (Quarterstaff), Deflect Arrows
7 Quarterstaff Master
8
9 Mantis Style
10 Ki Diversity: Dim Mak
11 Ability Focus (Stunning Fist)
12 Power: Ki Leech
13 Outflank
14 Improved Critical (Quarterstaff)
15 Power: Abundant Step, Dimentional Agility
17 Dimentional Assault
18 Snatch Arrows
19 Dimentional DervishBasically, weapon adept gives the perfect strike feat to use with the quarterstaff along free weapon specialization and ki mystic gives an extra ki pool. Qinggong allows access to a couple great powers like barkskin and ki leech.
is that a legal feat for stunning fist?
is that a legal feat for stunning fist?Weapon Adept Ki Mystic Qinggong Monk
1 Toughness, Dodge
2 Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff
3 Stunning Fist
4 Power: Barksin
5 Cornugon Stun
6 Weapon Specialization (Quarterstaff), Deflect Arrows
7 Quarterstaff Master
8
9 Mantis Style
10 Ki Diversity: Dim Mak
11 Ability Focus (Stunning Fist)
12 Power: Ki Leech
13 Outflank
14 Improved Critical (Quarterstaff)
15 Power: Abundant Step, Dimentional Agility
17 Dimentional Assault
18 Snatch Arrows
19 Dimentional DervishBasically, weapon adept gives the perfect strike feat to use with the quarterstaff along free weapon specialization and ki mystic gives an extra ki pool. Qinggong allows access to a couple great powers like barkskin and ki leech.
I think it comes down to whether the DM allows PCs to take monster feats, but if so, It should fit all the necessary requirements.
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A Monk is difficult to make feasible. If you use point buy to create characters you have to choose between being able to do damage or have a decent ac and hit points. However if you use dice rolls, high attributes can fix the problems.
For a monk using a staff as their primary weapon, weapon adept is a good choice as is martial artist. Weapon adept gets free weapon focus and specialization. Martial artist can bypass any dr easily and counts as a fighter for fighter only feats.
Some other options that are thematic for concept of a quarter staff master and are easier to make are the staff magus, a warpreist, or a wood oracle.
Zen Archer. Simple, easy for a newbie, wisdom is the stat you need. You have up front guy so archer would work.
Monks are difficult to play and master, are very rewarding but if you don't know what you are doing it all goes bad quickly and they can be very weak without feats and stats reinforcing your character. Zen Archer is simple easy straitforward and powerful.
Zen Archer. Simple, easy for a newbie, wisdom is the stat you need. You have up front guy so archer would work.
Monks are difficult to play and master, are very rewarding but if you don't know what you are doing it all goes bad quickly and they can be very weak without feats and stats reinforcing your character. Zen Archer is simple easy straitforward and powerful.
Yeah. Powergaming-wise, Monks are difficult to build and play effectively. However, in an average group of adventurers that aren't expected to handle everything that come their way, monks offer the crucial element of being prepared for more situations than, say, a fighter would be.
For a beginner who should be exploring the different options playing a TRPG brings (as opposed to computer-based ones), I think monks make a great choice that comes without the hassle of keeping track of a spell list.
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Why are so many people suggested Zen archer when it has been very expressly stated that a melee weapon, the quarter staff, is what is going to be used? I have not read the zen archer because the archetype sounds boring (I prefer doing monk things and not archer things when playing a monk). Is there some set of bonuses the archer gets that make using any weapon, even melee, a great choice even for non-ranged monk builds?
*goes to skim the class*
You don't have to be a monk to use a quarterstaff or other double weapon effectively. You can be a dual-wield ranger and use a double weapon or something...
The relatively good builds for a staff monk have been posted earlier in the thread, so I won't rehash that.
Why are so many people suggested Zen archer when it has been very expressly stated that a melee weapon, the quarter staff, is what is going to be used?
Because I'm not a smart man D:
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Well, a lot of us just want a new player to have a good experience. If monk is the non-negotiable item, then we at least want him/her to play without feeling weak or useless.
This is also why so many of us have suggested something other than monk to play.
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I think people are thrown off by the topic name "What sort of monk for a new player", then the post says exactly the type of monk the player wants.
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@abyssian I am not certain that suggesting something other than what has been very clearly stated as non-negotiable really makes sense or provides a good experience here. I know that if I asked for advice on making a heavy crossbow using rogue-duelist, being told to play a bow using ranger, zen archer monk with a composite longbow, or a pure fighter. Or shuriken using monk would all just annoy me to no end.
It undermines the entire point of me saying that THIS is what I want to play...not that.
Otherwise, I would assume that the person would have mentioned that they were open to other suggestions on those points-but they aren't because the other suggestions they are open to are any suggestions not listed as non-negotiable (monk with quarterstaff).
Warning them that it may not be a good idea is fine. But then offering help or advice on making the idea work should be next-not flat out utterly disregarding exactly and quite specifically what they don't want disregarded (a monk with a quarterstaff).
I counted how many responses followed the original post that all said either not to play it or offered a suggestion that was in no way helpful (because it went against what was specifically laid out as non-negotiable as though somehow, it now was negotiable).
I felt like I walked into the twilight Zone. Or the troll zone.
As was said above, weapon adept monks are an option, as are martial artists. But don't forget that monk of the sacred mountain, sensei, flowing monk, maneuver master and others can add to their overall versatility, specialization and options in areas outside of the quarterstaff department (like ac, hit points, etc). I am sure that some combination can work well with the fighting style the player is choosing. I personally favor the sohei or weapon adept but martial artist and manuever master are next in line with Drunken master, qinggong and monk of the sacred mountains being excellent backbone options (not main themes for this build).
By itself, the monk doesn't necessarily bring anything to the quarterstaff. Is the player willing to multicast into fighter, magus or Druid? If so, there are several more quarterstaff themed options to add onto the monk. I know that Druids have a spell to strengthen wooden weapons, there are likely even archetypes that may enhance a weapon based combat style further. The magus suggestions have already been made but that is a very hard road to mix with monk. Possible to do, but not advised for a new player. Fighter is easy to add in, increasing the monk accuracy and providing it with several more feats to abuse with the quarterstaff.
Weapon focus is likely going to be a very important feat as well since it will apply to both ends of the staff.
If martial artist or 4 levels of fighter are taken, weapon specialization will be very beneficial, too. I would consider mastering one or two combat maneuvers that use weapons (like disarm and/or trip) and focus the rest of the weapon features on defense or damage and/or accuracy.
There are a few really neat staff weapons available which you could use to theme out the character with. But they have limits
the hurricane quarterstaff is a +1/+1 quarterstaff for just under 8k gp.
Once a day you can gust of wind but monks and ninja specifically can spend 1 ki point to use the ability-apparently removing the once per day limitation. Further, the non-monk/ninja Dc for the gust of wind spell is only dc13, but for ninjas/monks it is 12+ their wis mod. Perfect for a sensei who uses only wisdom to hit and damage...and thematic for
A flowing monk or monk of the four winds (gives you theme and style).
There is also the quarterstaff of vaulting for just under 20k. It's a somewhat iconic item. You can basically ninja around places and abuse your acrobatics skill in a lot of situational circumstances. But it does gives a +5 bonus to acrobatics checks and high jumps become *a lot* easier but I am not sure if they become easier enough to make relevant. The final ability to make a Dc 25 acrobatics check to leap I over enemies and into adjacent squares is solid. It is used in place of a 5 foot step and doesn't provoke and let's her go into a full attack/flurry-ideally with a flanking bonus now.
If the player is having trouble keeping up as the game progresses, return here for advice and at least 1-3 people will offer help in fixing any issues based on whatever info you can give us. I highly suggest she consider multiclassing as an option (but keeping it mostly monk because-you know- monks are cool!). Choosing good archetypes and multiclass options and proper feat selection can make this a very fun, useful and even powerful character. But it is very easy for it to end up rubbish. The monk class-and this theme, are not easy to polish into diamonds but that doesn't mean the player shouldn't try. If anything they will learn.
I know, it's not the best solution for a new player, but I would suggest the "Genius Guide to the talented Monk". In fact this takes all monk-Archetypes, split their talents, and let you choose the one you like, by also not being overpowered.
This way, you get basicly a full BAB for your favored weapon, no matter if you flurry or not, could take the Exploit Weakness-Feat but also a Ki-Pool, which offers you great possibilities in Combat Tactics. But the bad is, it's a little difficult for newbies. But it's fun, and maybe this helps throw the harsh beginning.
The PDF is not expensive, and I think, it should be the standard for every monk!
@abyssian I am not certain that suggesting something other than what has been very clearly stated as non-negotiable really makes sense or provides a good experience here. I know that if I asked for advice on making a heavy crossbow using rogue-duelist, being told to play a bow using ranger, zen archer monk with a composite longbow, or a pure fighter. Or shuriken using monk would all just annoy me to no end.
It undermines the entire point of me saying that THIS is what I want to play...not that.
Otherwise, I would assume that the person would have mentioned that they were open to other suggestions on those points-but they aren't because the other suggestions they are open to are any suggestions not listed as non-negotiable (monk with quarterstaff).
Warning them that it may not be a good idea is fine. But then offering help or advice on making the idea work should be next-not flat out utterly disregarding exactly and quite specifically what they don't want disregarded (a monk with a quarterstaff).
I counted how many responses followed the original post that all said either not to play it or offered a suggestion that was in no way helpful (because it went against what was specifically laid out as non-negotiable as though somehow, it now was negotiable).
I felt like I walked into the twilight Zone. Or the troll zone.
** spoiler omitted **...
OK...look at the group at 6th level 2 handed fighter should have or be working towards boots of haste, a mithral full plate set of armour. He's going to be killing everything in front of him for the next bunch of levels. I was doing I think average 25 a hit, hitting nearly every time with 3 hits...when I was that level. AC at was around 26 or something at that level.
Compare that with the quarterstaff monk, lets say they are stupid with stat points and go with 14, 14, 14, 10, 14, 10. Add +2 to wis. Or lets say they get into a trip build that requires 13 int for greater trip and it becomes terrible. Now a quarterstaff monk will do 1D6 +2 damage, can't power attack otherwise it will be whiff all the time. 3 attacks, lets say 4 with haste even, 3 hits on average maybe will be doing maybe 18 damage a round if lucky. How will she feel compared to the killing machine that a 2 handed fighter is, get into flanking position and will be attacked a lot without the hit points or armour that the 2 handed guy will have. She will feel pretty outclassed in every way. To add insult to injury her quarterstaff costs to enchant both ends and she can't get two handed strength bonus. Joy right?
Trolling I am not, the OP didn't say the quarterstaff was non-negotiable, but that they were up for suggestions as they were at the beginning stages of character making.
If it wasn't a newbie I would say go with a fist type monk because of the synergy with the druid with Greater Magic Fang and Barkskin. Can focus on more things with her cash. Going dragon style with a strength focus can make a decent character. The problem with monks is they need lots of stats and a very high one also which means heavy carving of stats and focusing on few to make something that would even come close to a 2 handed fighter and feel useful.
As a newbie, Zen Archer would allow her to do good damage, focus on guys the 2 handed guy isn't taking apart, and feel useful to the party. And a monk can do cool stuff and be a bit of a skill monkey because she doesn't have to focus on so many stats because she won't be a front line fighter. Qinggong Zen Archer would probably be the most fun and useful without knowing a lot about monks and how to make an effective one, they kind of make themselves like 2 handed fighters. Posting because I love monks not hate, I want her to have a good experience.
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Funny, I could have sworn that the first paragraph of the op said what the player wanted to play and that the second paragraph said 'she is pretty much set on what I mentioned above' which referenced
A.) Monk
And
B.) Quarterstaff
if you feel I should, I'm willing to quote but don't think that is necessary. If you are taking my obviously convenient paraphrase (non-negotiable) and trying to make it sound as though I am misrepresenting what the op said, then please treat all instances of the paraphrase (non-negotiable) as a direct quote from the op where it says 'she's pretty much set on what I mentioned above but is ...'
However, I find that my paraphrasing works better than rearranging each sentence to accommodate that line of text. :)
I don't know your intentions and am not trying to 'come off' as anything or offend. I merely have noticed that the thread was not doing what the poster asked and was attempting to redirect things to the purpose of the thread- making a good quarterstaff monk. If people want to discuss all of the reasons why someone should play something else entirely (and even unrelated), then I would suggest they just make another thread with that in mind.
And this oscillating debate/comparison every time about monks vs anyone with a greatsword and power attack is tedious. Is it absolutely necessary to have one to function? Is that comparison always relevant? I doubt it. My monk uses fists, and I have seen non-smiting paladins using sword and board and performing just fine and not feeling underpowered.
Not everyone wants or needs to deal large amounts of damage. In the group mentioned, damage is already covered and very well. Mannuevers and going faster on initiative (so that she has a chance to do something before everything is dead) will largely determine whether she can participate and enjoy herself.
I have a monk who uses an unenchanted short spear and fists, does very low damage, has a poor hit rate and is an absolute nightmare (for enemies to deal with) in combat. If that is possible, then a quarterstaff monk is viable. Not every character has to deal damage or deal tons of it to be effective. I have at least two very low damage dealing monk/ninja ideas that intentionally have no plans on dealing significant damage but which are active and critical melee combatants and front liners at that.
When you (or others) make the 'you must compete with a power attacking, enlarged, enraged, pure 54 str gargantuan titan mauling behemoth' I wonder what games you play where that is perennially required. I have played across the country and in various regions. Every table is different. I have yet had even a pfs scenario require the boss to drop on round 2...or 3 for the party to win without casualties.
I have had tough fights...and even lost people, but the DPR Olympic mayhem requirement is not only a myth-but an outright lie. I don't suggest anyone aim for high damage unless that's what they want or is what is needed in a group. And honestly, I have won plenty of unfair fights with a low Damage dealing group before. Planning, tactics, timing, preparation...these are just as good as a high atk and DMG bonus (and when mixed up properly, Way more fun).
This group doesn't need another nuke or carbon copy of whatever all the optimizers are running. It needs a monk with a quarterstaff who can bring something interesting and fun to the table.
Anyway-
Lorewarden x and weapon adept x (and manuever master if it merges with the adept) could be fun, particularly with kyrin style and lots of knowledge skills. If they get a craving to deal more damage, I would wish that they would be willing to trade the staff for a spear and then take duelist. But duelist still has some non-damage boosting perks. I would also look at getting reach on the staff for more fun and safety. The Lunge feat is an easy way to fix that at the cost of 2 ac.
I like the idea of a staff fighter (the concept, not the class) and the monk would look like a good class to pull it off, but really, it is quite hard. The staff is mechanically not a great weapon unless you plan to use TWF with a double weapon and don't care about crits or the mediocre base damage... which ironically is more the province of rogues and ninjas (staff ninjas can be surprisingly decent). Overall, magi, fighters, psychic warrors, weapon bond paladins and rangers are better at the job...
If you want to push the player a bit towards a more mechanically optimized solution, I would recommend the mendicant - a monk-themed archetype for psychic warriors. I actually think the psy-war can work great as a monk, using the psionic system to represent the mystical powers. I find the system to be no less viable than regular casting and a fair bit more intuitive to new players who have some experience with games where magic is quantified as "mana". BTW, there is a monk PrC in
Now, should the player insist on monk and the staff, I would probably suggest a weapon adept/qinggong monk, possibly adding shillelagh and gmw as qinggong effects. There isn't really much support for staff monks, so I think it would be nice to do a few minor tweaks and a bit of homebrew conent. Allowing him to treat the staff as a two-handed weapon for power attack purposes when he flurries will go some way to let him lay down the smackdown (this is somewhat debatable, but the flurry text says the monk has no off hand and does not get the extra strength bonus to damage for a two-handed weapon, which does not preclude him from getting the better PA ratio). Something - either a freebie or a feat - that lets him overcome DR with his staff as he does with his feat might also be handy at higher levels. I would still suggest the Psychic Fist (it is on the d20pfsrd site) as a possible PrC.
A sohei also works for a more militant option. A pity it cannot be combined with the weapon adept because both trade timeless body... not like many monk characters ever get that far :) .
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Monks require all kinds of system mastery to make a passable build, and new players will probably get frustrated trying to make their Monk keep up with the rest of the party.
Rynjin is correct on this part. You have to look through ALL the nooks and crannies of Pathfinder to make a Monk work even at a mediocre level.
I'd recommend a Qinggong Flowing Monk, going with mostly Dex/Wisdom, and taking 1 level of Unarmed Fighter(The bonus Style Feat helps reduce normal feat usage) and grabbing Snake Style/Sidewind/Fang as soon as possible. You'll bring a lot to the table for your friends and look cool and "untouchable" doing it. I'd recommend getting a friend to Enlarge you, so your melee hits a little harder. Put Agile on each weapon you use. If you go Unarmed Damage, you can get pretty high on the damage with Enlarge(Of some sort) and someone putting Strong Jaw on you. Those help out a LOT in bringing your damage up to par with a fighter. There is little you can do about your much needed Attack value. I'd look into Ioun stones and pumping Dex up as much as possible.
Good luck!
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The problem with Finesse builds is that Weapon Finesse wont work with a staff. There are a few other options though. If they dip a level of Crusader Cleric of a deity with a quarterstaff favored weapon, they can take Guided hand to use Wis to hit with their staff. This works very well for Martial Artists, as Exploit Weakness needs a high Wisdom, and being able to be non-lawful really helps with diety selection. Sun Wukong is very thematic.
If you have to go staffish a more powerful weapon than the quarterstaff is the 3 segment staff Sansetsukon. It is two handed and increased crit range. 1D10 and 19/20 crit.
Hungry Ghost is decent, with this and crane style before errata it was pretty good. You can try it with pre errata since you are the GM.
2 handed power attack can be actually worth it if you can keep your attack bonus up. Enlarge with lots of AOO can be fun. The increased crit range powers KI and the Hungry Ghost. Trips, high AC, when things miss you AOO at 9th. Lots of feats to do so one doesn't get to Dimensional Savant chain early.
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Wow. Just, wow. I love this forum, you guys are all great!
Excellent posts all, even the ones telling me/her not to do it. I know monk is one of the more challenging classes to play, but she's my wife and making her happy is Priority #1. (All you husbands/boyfriends out there get what I'm saying, right?) Plus, she's willing to let me help her build it, so I think we can make something she's happy with and will still be useful in combat.
I should have mentioned as well that none of the party are particularly optimized. They are all playing interesting characters but none of them are real powerhouse builds, so I'm not worried about a sub-optimal monk choice being overshadowed. The party could really use someone with some stealth/skills and she would slot in there nicely with the proper guidance. Plus I have another player on hiatus that's running a rogue, so she didn't want to step on her toes if/when she ever returns. And I do a very generous roll style for stats, so the MAD shouldn't be a problem. (The players are Big Damn Heroes, they should have stats like them! ;D)
I will point her to this thread and encourage her to read it. Perhaps she'll amend her "must have" list once she's read the challenges and options, you never know. Once again, thanks for all the great tips and if anyone has more to add, keep it coming! Great stuff!
The fact that I am his wife is one thing, he says making me happy is another, neither of which need be mentioned at all. None of you take into consideration of the player and that person's ability to imagine as well as you or if not even better than you, I was around when it first came out as a board game of sorts and know the basis behind the game, I feel that I am capable of playing any character but seem to lack the confidence(sp) of others to do so just because I haven't found anyone willing to play with me till I met my husband should have no say really. One can only learn from experience and if given advice as to what to play and how then how can one learn to be what they wish to be.
P.S. I admit that my weapon of choice be a quarterstaff but that doesn't mean I won't use anything else Joex
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And now you've all met my wife. ;)
I have a new player joining my group and she is interested in playing a human monk using a quarterstaff as her primary weapon. We're very early stage in character creation and she's open to suggestions, but I have very little experience with monks do I thought I'd toss this out to the many wise minds of the forum.
What sort of builds, arc Mrhetypes, feats it grease would you recommend? She's pretty much set on what I mentioned above, but is willing to add to that.
I should mention the other party members area half-elven greatsword fighter, a human caster druid and a kitsune sorcerer about to go into dragon disciple. I was thinking of recommending either a two-weapon crit fisher with Butterfly Sting or a trip build with Paired Opportunists. I just recalled something about a staff based trip feat chain, I'm going to go look for it right now.
*edit*
I should also mention 6th level. Yes, I should mention that
Monk 1/Druid 19
best monk build!
I haven't had a chance to sit down with her and talk about character concept yet, so I can't speak to that. All I know at this moment is that she likes the monk and wants to use the staff, although apparently that's not as written in stone as I thought it was. :D
I'm a long distance trucker and am gone a lot, so having the time to be able to sit down with the books and go through the various options can be challenging.
And when I suggested crit-fisher, I was thinking of a different weapon, yes. Staff wouldn't be optimal for that sort of build. Maybe that three-section-staff mentioned above. I read a book where the main character had a (highly magical, granted) staff that could split between staff, twin bo staves, twin nunchucks and three-section staff as the wielder wished. Awesome weapon flavor-wise and I wouldn't mind trying to build something a little bit powered down for her in this game, it looks like it could be a lot of fun.
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I have a new player joining my group and she is interested in playing a human monk using a quarterstaff as her primary weapon. We're very early stage in character creation and she's open to suggestions, but I have very little experience with monks do I thought I'd toss this out to the many wise minds of the forum.
What sort of builds, arc Mrhetypes, feats it grease would you recommend? She's pretty much set on what I mentioned above, but is willing to add to that.
I should mention the other party members area half-elven greatsword fighter, a human caster druid and a kitsune sorcerer about to go into dragon disciple. I was thinking of recommending either a two-weapon crit fisher with Butterfly Sting or a trip build with Paired Opportunists. I just recalled something about a staff based trip feat chain, I'm going to go look for it right now.
*edit*
I should also mention 6th level. Yes, I should mention that
Monk 1/Druid 19
best monk build!
I would actually argue that monk 2 (some archetype)/druid 18 is better!
The way I look at is that the fighter probably kills everything in front of him. The Sorcerer is going Dragon Disciple so will be tough. Healer is a druid caster, who typically can take care of themselves. You need a skill monkey and a ranged, if the sorcerer isn't going to - with Dragon Disciple he isn't going to build towards that. A Zen Archer would do wonders to fill that void, don't need dex, don't need con, focus on wisdom and a little strength. If you add a little int, and human you can have 6 skill points a level, making you the default trap finder, with good stealth and perception and fast movement with a monks great saves. Solid damage, good skills, lots of options, what's not to like.
Dwarf Zen Archers are both funny and good.
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@ Joeax the pale: Hm... this seems to me like another case of the fluff of the class overshadowing the mechanics. You can easily play a "monk" character with virtually any martial class. Each class is just a bag of mechanics (to me anyway), to which you can append whichever fluff you want. So dont worry about the need to being a "monk".
Might I suggest:
The STAFF MAGUS! Why?
http://www.pathfindersrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo--- magus-archetypes/staff-magus
1) It's a diverse class. Limited spells combined with limited martial abilites allows a new player to learn a bit about magic & martials.
2) It is BUILT around using a staff. Plenty of bonuses that make staves really special.
3) Cool & powerful abilities: Spellstrike is awesome, and few other things make you feal so powerful.
Now, how to treat this like a monk? Re-fluff the magic as mystical monk powers. This guy doesnt wear armor anyway, so it's pretty close.