[PFS] My first character: monk / barbarian


Advice


hi, is my first time in society, i already read all necesary (i thing) and play one game with a pregen character, so im thinking about a build for a monk/barbarian (mostly for the idea of the character than the build). well, so this is what i have now. (SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH)
HUMAN (Martial artist/Urban barbarian)
STR: 17
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 12
WIS: 14
CHA: 7

The focus of the build is the Serpent Style (i know the dragon is cool and others, but i like this one)

LVL 1 - DODGE (FROM MONK FEATS)
SKILL FOCUS: SENSE MOTIVE (FROM FOCUSED STUDY TRAIT)
TOUGHNESS (NORMAL FEAT)

I go for skill focus to improve serpent style
Toughness because later i have to take other feats

LVL 2 - EVASION, COMBAT REFLEXES (FROM MONK FEATS)

Combat Reflexes is vital with Snake Fang, and the controled rage with i can rage up my dex if necessary.

LVL 3 - SNAKE STYLE

LVL 4 - INMUNE TO FATIGUE GREAT FOR BARBARIAN

This is when i start to have problems, lvl 5 i thinking to take my first lvl of barbarian and i dont know if i take a second lvl (for rage power), and take weapon focus (for later specialization). but what really concern me is my AC, at this point my AC is 16 (+1 situational from crowd control +2 if i rage in dex). And this worry me because my lack of AC dont let me work well with Snake fang later.

So, if im doing something wrong o you guys have any idea how the improve this, thx a lot.

Again, sorry for my english

Scarab Sages

Kailo wrote:

Again, sorry for my english

Don't feel too bad - I don't know what your native language is, but you speak English far better than I speak it! That's one of the worst things about being an American, by the way - in a country that should be the most spectacularly and bizarrely multilingual in the history of the world, opportunities to learn any language other than English (and for most people, not even very good English) are astonishingly poor, so all I'm saying is don't let anyone give you grief. :)

Personally, improvising what one does with one's character, rather than planning it all out from before you've even started playing them, is part of the fun for me. What you have so far looks fine. The fact that you're uncertain means you're experimenting rather than treading a beaten path, which is good - too many people are getting too conservative around here. Worry less about what you expect to happen, learn to improvise and think situationally, and you'll probably find that what you fear most simply won't happen. The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry - so rather than fear that, learn to use it to your advantage!

Lantern Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16

For your AC, grab a couple potions of mage armor and a wand of mage armor. That way, if there's an arcane caster, they can use the wand on you and that's an instant +4 to your AC. The potions will be there in case there isn't an arcane caster.

One other idea is that the new Heroes of the Streets supplement has an archetype called Urban Bloodrager that alters the Bloodrage very similarly to what it does for the Barbarbian rage. Thus, you still get a rage mechanic and can use a good number of arcane wands naturally. Ie, you will be able to use your own wand of mage armor and keep that +4 AC boost up on your own terms.

Sczarni

Just something to keep in mind with this build. You'll have trouble convincing GM's to let you use your snake style while raging.

While in rage, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration.

Lantern Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16

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That's why he was going to go Urban Barbarian; the Controlled Rage allows him to maintain a clear mind and thus have no qualms about using patience or concentration like stuff :)

I have a level 12 Urban Barbarian/Martial Artist myself and I enjoyed him. Went full Dragon Style tree and I enjoy his overall resilience on top of being a melee beatstick.

Scarab Sages

something else you may considere is going with brawler class this way you can still use light armor (or use mithral breast plate with armor expert trait). Look at the savage technologist barbarian archtype, when it rages it gets str and dex, so better ac

Lantern Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16

If it's what I as going for with my PC, the problem with Brawler is that it lacks the immunity to fatigue that a Martial Artist monk gets at level 5. If that ever changes with a new archetype, though, it'd be a great choice!

Grand Lodge

Kyshkumen wrote:

Just something to keep in mind with this build. You'll have trouble convincing GM's to let you use your snake style while raging.

While in rage, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration.

convincing *some* GMs. Barbarian rage is *way* toned back from previous editions. Snake style does not require concentration (it cannot be disrupted by damage, and does not provoke a AoO for lowering your guard, therefore you are not concentrating on it.)

I have yet to see a GM that says "you can't ready an action, you are raging and readying takes patience." But I am sure there are some out there. And snake style is not even readying actions levels of impatience.

The sense motive to AC component of snake style is wisdom based, not dex, cha, or int, so no problem there.

On a more practical note, I would point out that the whole point of martial arts is to not have to concentrate on them. If you are concentrating on your martial arts in a fight, you are A. very bad at them, and B. going to lose. The whole point of martial arts is to concentrate on doing them very accurately when you are learning them, so that when you get in a fight, your body just does them without thinking about it, and does it right, every single time.

Grand Lodge

Umm... how are multiclassing Martial Artist (monk)/ Urban Barbarian (Barbarian)?
Monk requires a lawful alignment, Barbarian requires a non-lawful alignment.

About the rage, I thought urban barbarians could do that kind of stuff while raging?


I try to repond evrithing and when i post the page dont work -.-, so i go more resumed

First of all thx for taking the time helping me.

I like the urban bloodrager, i need to review something else if i choose that? (use of wands, nice, i like it)

If i use armor i lose my monk benefits.

Something i dont realize until now, can i lvl monk/barbarian/monk again? (i donk know how i dont see this first)

And YESS i put lvl 4 inmune to fatigue, my mistake u.u


Quintin Verassi wrote:

Umm... how are multiclassing Martial Artist (monk)/ Urban Barbarian (Barbarian)?

Monk requires a lawful alignment, Barbarian requires a non-lawful alignment.

Martial Artist removes that alignment restriction.


Quintin Verassi wrote:

Umm... how are multiclassing Martial Artist (monk)/ Urban Barbarian (Barbarian)?

Monk requires a lawful alignment, Barbarian requires a non-lawful alignment.

About the rage, I thought urban barbarians could do that kind of stuff while raging?

that why martial artist, dont have alignment requirement

Grand Lodge

Kailo wrote:


I like the urban bloodrager, i need to review something else if i choose that? (use of wands, nice, i like it)

You would need to own the Heroes of the Street book (hard copy or PDF)

Scarab Sages

You could also start as Lawful, play a monk, and then go chaotic and finish barbarian. Ex-monks retain all monk class abilities, they simply cannot gain new levels.


Quote:
Something i dont realize until now, can i lvl monk/barbarian/monk again? (i donk know how i dont see this first)

No problem there. In D&D, monks and paladins had that restriction of "once you multiclass you can never come back", but that sort of thing is long gone in Pathfinder.

Scarab Sages

Andreas Forster wrote:
Quote:
Something i dont realize until now, can i lvl monk/barbarian/monk again? (i donk know how i dont see this first)
No problem there. In D&D, monks and paladins had that restriction of "once you multiclass you can never come back", but that sort of thing is long gone in Pathfinder.

Not quite. You can only add new levels in monk if you are lawful, have a specific trait, or are a martial artist. If you became non-lawful to add barbarian levels, you cannot add new monk levels unless you have that trait or the martial artist AT.

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