I'm trying to mimic the old 3ed Oriental Adventures Sohei class using some of the latest pathfinder rules.
To anyone that doesn't know the class it was a beautiful blend of Paladin/Ranger, Monk, and Barbarian
In my mind this class is either a Weapon Adept Unchained Monk with VMC Barbarian or a Sacred Fist Warpriest with VMC Barbarian.
which better captures the concept? are there better combos I'm missing? And Which is "better" overall?
If you can stand (or change) the name, the Bloody-knuckled rowdy with the destined or celestial bloodline might fit too.
An unchained monk can't take archetypes like weapon adept, so that's out. I'd hesitate to recommend it but you know that there's a sohei archetype for the normal monk?
IIRC the OA sohei wasn't so much for unarmed combat, so why not a non-sacred fist warpriest?
I thought it was just for Society play that unchaining monk archetypes was forbidden otherwise there are like 3 archetypes that work "as written" and the rest all required fudging the numbers with fuzzy math.
The bloody knuckle guy is a pretty close fit. I think I just avoided it because it's an arcane class.
I do like the Sohei archetype but it just isn't the same as the 3ed class.
The the Sacred fist has spells and flurry which I considered paramount for mimicking the old class.
I saw this quoted from Unchained - "Finally, with the exception of the monk, these classes should work with any of the archetypes from previous books as long as the classes still have the appropriate class features to replace." but you're right, it looks like there's no obvious reason it shouldn't work.
If spells and flurry are essential the sacred fist is the only option mentioned (by either of us) which qualifies. Flurry is a lot like TWF though and you might be able to use that to replace it.
I was looking at ki powers as a grey area close enough to spells. I know it lacks the versatility of casting
You could play a Sanctified Slayer Inquisitor with Anger Inquisition. You gain Studied Target, Bane, Divine Spells, Ranger Combat Style, and Rage based on Wisdom.
You're kinda a genius. I'll have to look into doing this.