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(stupid forums ate original post)
So, I had the opportunity to playtest the PF monk in a friend's game tonight and I thought I'd put in my 2 cents on the various rules we used. Spoilers abound, so consider yourself warned!
The character is high fantasy point build intended to have a high AC and avoid getting hit:
LG Medium Humanoid (Augmented human -Dragonborn, Damaran)
Init +7; Perception +17
Languages Common, Draconic, Damarran, Chondathan
AC 21, touch 19, flat-footed 18
hp 52 (6 HD)
Immune Frightful Presence (dragons)
Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +8 (+1 vs. fear, +2 vs. enchantments)
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares); fly 30 ft. (Average)
Melee Unarmed Strike +7, 2d6+2 (magic), P/B/S
Or Flurry of Blows +5/+5, 2d6+2 (magic), P/B/S
Ranged MW Mighty Composite Longbow +9, 1d8+2, P
Or Shuriken +8, 1d2+2, P
Or Flurry of Blows (Shuriken) +6/+6, 1d2+2
Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +5; CMB +8
Atk Options Stunning Fist 4/Day (DC 16 F or Stun)
Special Actions Combat Expertise (-1 to hit +1 AC), Mobility, Ki Pool (magic) 5 points
Abilities Str 14, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 10
SQ +2 Dodge AC vs. Dragons, Bravery +1, Evasion, Fast Movement, Still Mind +2, Slow Fall 20’, Maneuver Training
Feats Dodge, Mobility, Improved Initiative, Combat Expertise, Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus Unarmed Strike, Versatile Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Improved Natural Attack Unarmed Strike
Skills Acrobatics +14 (+28 Jump), Escape Artist +3, Fly +12, Heal +5, Kn: Dungeoneer, Engineer, History +5, Linguistics +2, Perception +17, Perform (dance) +6, Sense Motive +7, Stealth +12, Survival +7, Swim +6
Equipment: Weapons, Bracers of Armour +2, Belt of Incredible Dexterity +2, Vest of Resistance +1, Boots of Elvenkind, Eyes of the Eagle, Belt Pouch, Monk’s Outfit, 1 Potion CLW, 6 daylight pellets, Drow house token (shield 1/day -forgot to use!)
We only had one complete encounter which was the showdown at the shadowgate in the Lost Refuge in Cormyr:The Tearing of the Weave. Enemies were a handful of Shadar-Kai goons, Shadar-Kai Caster, Undead half-black dragon Lizardfolk Tank.
The following PF features were tested out by one side or the other, my feedback is below each:
Ray of Enfeeblement
Was cast by enemy caster and hit the monk and party cleric. Missed 1 shot in 3 attempts. Pretty much as expected given the high touch AC of the Monk (see below). The CL was 6, so it resulted in a 6 and 9 point STR penalty respectively, which lasted for 6 rounds.
The shortened duration meant that by the end of the combat, the monk had recovered the loss of STR and was able to fight effectivly again (such as it was). Taking a -3 to hit and damage was a pain, but it wasn't an overwhealming obstacle. I think keeping it the same wording it is right now is fine. I would suggest, though, that a clarification on the fact that the penalties don't stack but overlap instead should be noted.
Ki Points
I used several Ki points to add a +4 dodge AC several times in the combat and found it to be a great compensation for the lack of armour; even if it was for a short time. Combined with Mobility and fighting defensively, this allowed me to waltz through most of the AOO's I provoked from flying over enemies. I think it's a good class feature, but it should probably scale with level since I could imagine it's utility dropping off at high levels.
Fly Skill
A fly speed of 30 provides pretty limited options for movement in the air, but it became obvious that some clarification of the movement mode is nescessary. Take off needs a blurb. Do you just take off from the ground and go? Is a running start needed? How do you count climbing movement? I know how it worked in 3.5, but clarification for PFRPG would be nice to have for handy reference. Also, can you fly and tumble at the same time?
Fighting Defensively
I did this often to raise my touch AC by 3 throughout much of the combat. It was nice to have the 4:3 bonus, but I would have much rather used Combat Expertise of a 1:1 trade instead. Sadly the limitation to my INT bonus made it impractical. The MAD from needing too many good stats already greatly reduces the effectiveness of this feat. I strongly suggest that it be reverted to the original 3.5 wording. Same goes for power attack.
Trip
There were several trip attacks made by goons with spiked chains. Only one succeeded against a character with a CMB of 5 (DC 20), but I noted that the CMB and CMB roll should be have modifiers to reflect defensive actions taken. Modifiers applied to attack rolls (combat expertise or power attack for example) should be taken into account for the attacker, and anything affecting the touch AC of the defender (like dodge and deflections bonuses) should be considered. Otherwise, a sickened, shaken, slowed foe can more easily attack with a CMB option against an opponent who's in cover and on full defense. Doesn't make sense to me, and I've mentioned this before.
Monk Class in General
I found that the monk is great for picking on goons and casters, but I had considerable difficulty landing a shot on the enemy tank. The ROE made the problem more pronounced, but it highlighted the issue rather than creating it. This stems from a low BAB and MAD. I suggest that the Maneuver Training class feature also apply to the monk's attacks with unarmed strikes and monk weapons. This way, they can kick butt, but only with attacks that are thematic to the class.
Hit points from Favoured Class option was nice too.
That's it for my (considerably long) feedback. Thanks for reading, and thanks to PDK for the game!
