Making a Flowing Monk / Iaijutsu - what would be fair to give up?


Advice


Hello all!

I want to make a Flowing Monk/Iaijutsu, but not as a gestalt.

I want to add: Canny Defense (INT to AC); and to add the Iaijutsu features @ 7th, Critical Perfection @9th, and Superior Reflexes @ 11th, to the Flowing Monk archetype.

I really have no interest in all the Magus abilities (spells, spell-strike, all that jazz). I'm building him based on the Uncle Doj character from Glenn Cook's The Chronicles of the Black Company series, a swordmaster with his sword "Ash Wand." Agile, semi-mystical (hence monk), and deadly with his sword.

The Weapon Master didn't capture it as well as the Flowing Monk, but the Kensai was close except for all the Magus stuff.

edit: I mean Weapon Adept, not Weapon Master.

To bring this to my group and see if the GM will allow him, I want to offer some features to sacrifice if needed. What would be fair to give up in exchange? Evasion? Flowing Monk already loses Stunning Fist; Fast Movement; Purity of Body and Diamond Body. (All for Flowing Monk feats, which are the flavor I am after.)

Yes - he will be a bit MAD, but most Monk builds are. I've mocked up a multi-class in Hero Lab on a 20-pt buy as an Aasimar that was alright, but took waaaay too long to develop, at a huge loss of BAB. I'd rather go Flowing Monk with a few of the Kensai features added in and stay (more or less) single class.

Thoughts?


There's the samurai class with the sword saint archetype which has an iaijitsu class feature.

Also weapon adept monk archetype maybe fits.

What do you mean by "add the iaijitsu features"?


This character would be an unarmored swordsman, so monk or kensai fit best. But thanks for the suggestion! I wasn't aware they had developed any archetypes for the samurai.

Iaijutsu features: +INT to initiative; AoO leaves foe flat-footed; may draw weapon as a free action to AoO; may AoO while flat-footed.


@Thanael: Which is also terrible.

Anyway, on to this archetype.

Canny defense: would you be willing to give up wis to AC for this? You could probably just switch those around. The Duelist prestige class also gains this, relaxing the requirements on taking that one could work.

Iaijutsu: Give up the bonus feat at 6.

Critical perfection: improved evasion at 9

Superior reflexes: Bonus feat at 10


LoneKnave wrote:

@Thanael: Which is also terrible.

Anyway, on to this archetype.

Canny defense: would you be willing to give up wis to AC for this? You could probably just switch those around. The Duelist prestige class also gains this, relaxing the requirements on taking that one could work.

Iaijutsu: Give up the bonus feat at 6.

Critical perfection: improved evasion at 9

Superior reflexes: Bonus feat at 10

Giving up the bonus feat may be workable. If I want any of those the Flowing Monk gets, I can always take them as a regular Feat option.

The attraction to this combination is the WIS to AC and the INT to AC, though that may not be worth it in the long run, so I'm not quite as attached to Canny Defense aside from the concept. It's to make an unarmored swordsman with high AC to be "tanky", able to avoid getting hit, and gaining more AC when there are multiple opponents. It needs a high DEX to max the AoO's as well, so hard to optimize.


I suppose, since I'm crafting this new class anyway, I could forego the Canny Defense and simply ask that the INT-based features of the Kensai be made WIS-based, but with the same mechanics. (WIS + DEX to initiative; etc.) This would save needing to invest in INT and focus on WIS and DEX, plus CON for survivability.


That would be the best way to do it imo.

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