Vaelith's page

So I am relatively new to 1e, and I am planning out an unchained monk for the campaign I'm playing, and I'm having trouble deciding which route is more optimal to go after lvl 8. The campaign is til lvl 17, and we are using Elephant in the Room and Automatic Bonus Progression.

I am going Crane Style feat chain, so the build is fixed until level 8. After that there are 2 ways I can go with the build:

- Dimensional Agility -> Dimensional Assault -> Dimensional Dervish -> Dimensional Savant -> Outflank

- Possessed Hand -> Hand's Sight -> Iron Will -> Improved Initiative -> Counterpunch

The first route is more fun and flavorful, but only come online at level 13. I would have to spend 5 levels before that with 2 not very useful feats. Ki usage should not be a problem with Human fcb, ki leech, and items. But un-monk also have Flying Kick, which makes Dimensional Dervish slightly less worth it.

The second route give small but very useful bonuses, but I get immediate returns on every feats I spent. It is less interesting but more well-rounded overall I think.

So I guess my question here is how much am I giving up by going the first route? Is it worth it with the Dimensional feat chain if I already have flying kick?

Thanks for the advice!