I had a player who ran a halfling monk/psychic warrior to great effect. I've no doubt that a well designed Pathfinder halfling monk would be equally effective.
1 level of cleric with growth domain and you can make yourself medium sized during combat
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The short answer: Yes.
The slightly longer: Halfling Hungry Ghost monk Punishing Kicks a Glabrezu.
A bit longer: Hit point damage and CMB take hits which really hurt what a monk does. But halflings can get extra Stunning/Elemental/Punishing/Serenity, which can be great effects, still are mobile (fast movement eventually makes the speed difference barely matter) and you can be a beast at Acrobatics/Stealth/etc. You shouldn't have trouble contributing to the group, even if it's not in the form of raw damage output.
-Drillboss
1 level of cleric with growth domain and you can make yourself medium sized during combat
Or 1+ level(s) of rogue for Sneak Attack. A halfling Zen Archer/Sniper can be very effective, but even a melee-focused monk (Master of the Four Winds for Elemental Fist?) with the Low Blow and Underfoot racial traits (and possibly the Under and Over and Underfoot feats) can be pretty nasty.
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By the posts in this thread, no, straight halfling monk will not be effective at dealing damage. Fast Movement will help with the speed penalty, but the lower damage dice and Str bonus will prevent you from being a melee monster. Focus on combat maneuvers and being a support for the party fighter. Get flanking, grapple enemies, trip opponents to deny them full attacks, all this.
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I have always wanted to play one. They don't do very much damage and are weaker at combat manuevers. I know they would be awesome at stealth and their ac would be decent. Has anyone played one? How did it work out?
I immediately think of Yoda when I think of a halfling monk. Such a character should focus on Dex and Wis. Agile Maneuvers and Weapon Finesse are a must. It will probably be safer to focus on either combat maneuvers or status abilities, depending upon whether you favor Dex or Wis more. The brilliant energy weapon is optional...
One thing I've never understood is why people say small characters can't do melee. Between lower Str and weapon size, small characters do an average of 2-3 less damage. By 6th level, most melee characters should be seeing avg damage in the mid to high teens, at least. By 12th level, it should be nearly twice that. 2 damage out of 30 isn't that much.
Halflings in particular, with their superior saves and AC should also be able to more easily sacrifice Dex, Con, and Wis for a little more Str.
There is of course Dastardly Finish to consider here if you are thinking of doing the spring attack to stunning fist route. You run by some foolish orc stun him and your rouge buddy rolls over and coup de gras him real good. Taking trip can be nice since it generates a lot of AoO especially once you take the Greater version. Don't worry so much about your -1 strength modifier. It's only 1 less dude. You get some sweet stuff (like ungodly saves) to make up for it.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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It's a game of bonuses, not dice. If you can absorb the loss of 2 points of strength and a penalty of 1 on your CMB (CMD is even with the Dex bump), and the speed loss, you're halfling monk can be as effective as anyone else. Some times at low levels, versatile monks struggle to hit to cause their damage. Your halfling gets a +1 bonus to that. Maybe with Weapon Finesse and other design choices, you can mitigate your racial penalties and gain the awesome advantages for being a halfling.
I am just saying, I don't think you need careful, clever design to be a useful halfling monk. I think you might lose 1-2 points of damage on average and make up for it just fine with even better saves, improved stealth, and such.
By the posts in this thread, no, straight halfling monk will not be effective at dealing damage. Fast Movement will help with the speed penalty, but the lower damage dice and Str bonus will prevent you from being a melee monster. Focus on combat maneuvers and being a support for the party fighter. Get flanking, grapple enemies, trip opponents to deny them full attacks, all this.
Cleric 1 Monk 19
you gain +2STR -2DEX and -1AC/attack during combat , weapons dmg up one die, INCLUDING monk unarmed damage to medium.
this is the only difference between and small and medium charcter
which means you'd play almost exactly the same as a normal medium monk. you also benefit from the bonus dodge bonus from halfling favoured monk bonus. grab a monk's robe and you'd barely notice a difference.
so if you really want to play a damage halfing this will work.
you'll be able to enalrge for 1 minute x 6 times per day as a swift action.
(you might even be able to convince your GM to let you play a medium sized halfing , who is a freak amoung his race but normal sized amoung humans, esp when you show him you can get it mechanically anyway)
Point being that everyone is saying 'multiclass' as the answer to dealing damage with the monk.
or buy the wizard in your group wand of enlarge and get him to cast it on you.
and then pure monk deals damage just fine ;)
...And their speed is reduced, something a Monk relies on.
:P
I disagree monk dosen't rely on speed during combat, they want to be doing flurry as often as possible which is a full round action which mean you can only move a 5foot step that both medium and small get to do.
once monks start getting thier fast movement a base speed of 20 is made irrelevant.
One thing I've never understood is why people say small characters can't do melee. Between lower Str and weapon size, small characters do an average of 2-3 less damage.
Yes, I agree that the problem is exaggerated slightly. With Weapon Finesse, the halfling monk has a slightly better chance to hit than a human monk, and he's down about 3 points of damage. Combat maneuvers like grapple or trip are only one point worse, again assuming the halfling has Weapon Finesse (although the halfling can't trip size Large creatures).
Two or three points of damage per attack is a lot of difference at level 1, but by level 10 things should even out somewhat.
One thing I've never understood is why people say small characters can't do melee. Between lower Str and weapon size, small characters do an average of 2-3 less damage.Yes, I agree that the problem is exaggerated slightly. With Weapon Finesse, the halfling monk has a slightly better chance to hit than a human monk, and he's down about 3 points of damage. Combat maneuvers like grapple or trip are only one point worse, again assuming the halfling has Weapon Finesse (although the halfling can't trip size Large creatures).
Two or three points of damage per attack is a lot of difference at level 1, but by level 10 things should even out somewhat.
what are we talking about here ?
a finesse small monk would have a stat line like
10STR 17DEX 12CON 10INT 16WIS 10CHA
vs a Strength Monk
17STR 12DEX 12CON 10INT 16WIS 10CHA
so 1-2 points from lower damage die and 3-4 points less from strength
plus you can't take power attack as a finesse monk unless you take 13 STR which from a small charcter means playing 7 points for a 15.
Personally I think it's even more important that a small monk be a strength monk if they want to do damage.
even more so when you consider shurikens that rely totally on STR for doing thier damage.
should also spend money on belt of STR earlier than a medium monk might look at one.
also you need to be even more wary of damage reduction with lower average damage and have ways around it.
Or stock up on potions on himself so he doesn't have to rely on another class.Point being that everyone is saying 'multiclass' as the answer to dealing damage with the monk.or buy the wizard in your group wand of enlarge and get him to cast it on you.
and then pure monk deals damage just fine ;)
or group with a Alchemist and get extracts of Giant Form I for your monk ;) they can also make cheap pots of enalrge for you too. or even give you an enlarge extract from ther daily alotment.
you could also max out your UMD rank and use a wand yourself. plus that also opens up to use of many other magic items a monk would normally not be able to use.
From what I see, halfling monks are best used when not trying to focus on damage and instead trying combat manuevers and debuffing the enemy. The little guy won't be able to take out the enemy like the strength based monk, but the little guy can be harder to hit and can set up your allies so they can do their job. Realistically, a halfling isn't going to have a 20 strength.
start with 15 STR costing 13 point buy for halfling
+1 at level 4 = 16
around Level 8 you'd have enough money for Belt of Giant Strength +4
16+4 = 20
its within the realm of possible
fair enough. I sometimes forget about that because I usually play in low magic games.From what I see, halfling monks are best used when not trying to focus on damage and instead trying combat manuevers and debuffing the enemy. The little guy won't be able to take out the enemy like the strength based monk, but the little guy can be harder to hit and can set up your allies so they can do their job. Realistically, a halfling isn't going to have a 20 strength.start with 15 STR costing 13 point buy for halfling
+1 at level 4 = 16
around Level 8 you'd have enough money for Belt of Giant Strength +4
16+4 = 20
its within the realm of possible
well a +4 belt is only 16'000 gold so how low a magic game are you playing ?
another point to mention that point buy can make or break monks
10 and 15 point tend to be very hard on the monk
20 will have you reasonable and 25 will be confortable although 25 usually means the GM is going to throw some craziness at you hehehe.
with a 10 or 15 point buy giving a small halfing 15 STR is just not possible for 13 points without either mix maxing in the extreme or having a lower than needed wis con and dex.
what are we talking about here ?a finesse small monk would have a stat line like
10STR 17DEX 12CON 10INT 16WIS 10CHA
vs a Strength Monk
17STR 12DEX 12CON 10INT 16WIS 10CHA
Maybe yours would, but frankly I haven't seen many monks with 12 Dex in my experience. I was thinking more like:
13 Str, 16 Dex, 14 Con, 10 Int, 14 Wis, 10 Chavs.
16 Str, 14 Dex, 14 Con, 10 Int, 14 Wis, 10 Cha
(Assuming a 20 point buy.)
The campaign I just finished we were 13th level with 3 magical items in the group. It was fun. 15 point buys are rough on the monk.
in that case your GM must have watered down your encounters since CR is based off having a certain level of gold and thus magic items. in which case starting at 15 ending at 18 since your 13th level would probably have been sufficient strength to deal with encounters.
having so few magic items really does make it hard to gauge in your circumstance though since its totally Dependant on strength and type of encounters faced.
what are we talking about here ?a finesse small monk would have a stat line like
10STR 17DEX 12CON 10INT 16WIS 10CHA
vs a Strength Monk
17STR 12DEX 12CON 10INT 16WIS 10CHA
Maybe yours would, but frankly I haven't seen many monks with 12 Dex in my experience. I was thinking more like:
13 Str, 16 Dex, 14 Con, 10 Int, 14 Wis, 10 Cha
vs.
16 Str, 14 Dex, 14 Con, 10 Int, 14 Wis, 10 Cha
(Assuming a 20 point buy.)
My 20 point halfling monk would probably look like this
16STR 14DEX 12CON 8INT 14WIS 9CHA
By the posts in this thread, no, straight halfling monk will not be effective at dealing damage.
The straight halfling monk won't be as effective at dealing damage (generally 2-3 points less damage per hit) as a medium size monk, but that's not the same thing as ineffective. The halfling, in compensation, will have better AC (generally 2 higher) and saves, plus some additional bonuses and options.
There are always tradeoffs.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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I feel challenged to make a halfling monk that people are afraid of. I really don't understand what's so bad about it.
I think if you want the outcome to be 'halfling monks can't cause damage', then sure, give your model a 10 Str. Better be a flanking, distracting build, I guess. no one says you have to blow the big guns away.
But I bet you can if you want to.
A halfling monk that makes extensive use of intimidate and the various feats that use intimidate could be a fun character to play. One idea I had was a halfling barbarian (2 levels for the speed and uncanny dodge, with an amusing bit of flavor with the right rage power)/monk of the empty hand with the Catch Off-Guard Feat and Improved Disarm. Take the enemies weapon, and beat them with it in ways they aren't expecting. Adding Intimidate on top of this would make for a truly terrifying halfling.
Let's see. Just for fun...
I wrote up a halfling monk just now, in a few minutes. I did not put an excessive amount of thought into it, it's just kind of a generic build and could go a lot of ways. But it's a place to start. You guys can chip in and make it better.
Core only, 15 point buy (standard array of 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15). I did 5th level since most campaigns are lower level, but wanted to give him enough levels to have him start going somewhere. Favored Class went into hit points (there's a reason for that, see below). Note there is no gear included:
Female halfling Monk 5
LG Small humanoid
Init +3 ; Senses Perception +12
==DEFENSE==
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 14 (+3 dex, +2 Wis, +1 size, +1 monk bonus)
hp 13 (5d8+5)
Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +7 (+2 vs. fear, +2 vs. enchantment)
==OFFENSE==
Spd 30 ft./x4
Melee Unarmed Strike +7 1d6+1 20/x2
Melee Flurry of Blows with Unarmed Strike +7/+7 1d6+1 20/x2
Ranged Javelin +7 1d4+1 20/x2
==STATISTICS==
Str 13, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +3, Cmb +7Cmd 20 (22 vs Grapple)
Feats Agile Maneuvers (PFCR 117), Improved Grapple (PFCR 127), Improved Unarmed Strike (PFCR 128), Point Blank Shot (PFCR 131), Scorpion Style (PFCR 132), Stunning Fist
Skills Acrobatics +13, Knowledge (history) +9, Perception +12, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +15
Languages Common, Goblin, Halfling
Combat Gear Unarmed Strike, Javelin
Other Gear Armor & Shield, Weapons
Race Abilities
• SMALL: Halflings are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
• SLOW SPEED: Halflings have a base speed of 20 feet.
• FEARLESS: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear. This bonus stacks with the bonus granted by halfling luck.
• HALFLING LUCK: Halflings receive a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
• KEEN SENSES: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
• SURE-FOOTED: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb skill checks.
• WEAPON FAMILIARITY: Halflings are proficient with slings and treat any weapon with the word “halfling” in its name as a martial weapon.
Class Abilities
• FLURRY OF BLOWS - A monk may make a flurry of blows with special monk weapons and unarmed strikes interchangably, according to the modifiers in PFCR 58. (PFCR 58).
• AC BONUS - Add Wis mod +1/4 monk levels (max +5) to AC and CMD when unarmored and unencumbered. Apply vs. touch attacks and when flat-footed. (PFCR 57).
• MONK BONUS FEATS - You have chosen the following monk bonus feats: Improved Grapple, Scorpion Style. (PFCR 58-59).
• MONK STUNNING FIST - Stunning Fist as a free feat at 1st level, with extra benefits at higher levels. (PFCR 59).
• MONK WEAPONS AND ARMOR - Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities. (PFCR 57).
• UNARMED STRIKE - A monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike at 1st level as a bonus feat. The Monk can attack with any appendage, so no negatives for offhand attacking. The monk deals more damage with an offhand attack, by the tables in PFA3 29, 30. (PFCR 59).
• MONK EVASION - Sucessful Reflex save for half damage results in no damage. Only works in light or no armor and while not helpless. (PRCR 59).
• MONK FAST MOVEMENT - The monk has a bonus to base speed of +10 feet when unarmored and unencumbered. (PFCR 58, 59).
• STILL MIND - +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment. (PFCR 59).
• KI POOL - A Ki point will buy for one round: 1 extra attack at highest BAB during a Flurry of Blows, +20 ft. speed, or +4 dodge AC. You have 4 points in your ki pool. (PFCR 59).
• SLOW FALL - Within arms' reach of a wall, a monk may treat a fall as if it were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. (PFCR 59).
• HIGH JUMP - Add monk level to acrobatics checks made to jump. Always counts as having a running start. Can spend a Ki point (swift action) to add +20 to an acrobatics check made to jump for 1 round. (PFCR 59).
• PURITY OF BODY - The monk gains immunity to all diseases including supernatural and magical diseases. (PFCR 59).
This is what I see: a really great skill-monkey monk. This monk is not going to do insane damage output but that is NOT the only thing important to a character. The halfling skill bonuses dovetail beautifully with the monk skill list. For a swift, scouty character who looks unthreatening because he's only wearing normal clothes and is unarmed, this would be great, whether single class all the way to 20, or multiclassed with rogue, assassin, or shadow dancer.
In combat, I think the thing to focus on would be getting and staying in the enemy's face and disabling a character with things like Stunning Fist and the Scorpion Style tree. We're not going to expect her to do a lot of damage, but as long as she can hit, she can irritate the enemy in all kinds of ways. Combat Maneuvers too can help. With Acrobatics so high and faster than expected speed, he can also be great to serve as a flanker for the other meleers in the party. (But I gave her point blank shot in case an enemy is trying to stay away from him, just in case.)
Halfling bonuses to Saves plus Monk bonuses to saves = awesome. Don't try to scare this gal away with fear effects.
The one major, notable weakness of this build is the weakness of not a halfling per se, but a weakness of any Dex-based monk: to keep your attacks up, you need both Agile Maneuvers and Weapon Finesse for best combat-to-hit effectiveness, and this is one of the best examples of why I agree with many that it should be combined into a single feat. It DOES affect the halfling more notably because of their negative to Strength. Ability score allocation is a big concern here; I did not use a generous allocation and this could be alleviated somewhat by taking more from, say, Cha and putting into strength, or just using 20 point buy instead.
Overall I'm seeing something certainly viable, and if you want a skilled character with good scouting and stealth abilities and a melee support role, this would be a fun option. If you don't like skills and support, it doesn't make it a bad idea, it just makes it not your particular cup of tea.
My feat choice is far from optimized, and there's a lot of ways to go with them, though. Boosting AC via the Dodge tree is good too. As are adjusting ability scores and going for more combat maneuvers.
ALSO, if you are using it, the APG helps us further.
The reason I threw favored class points into HP (because they're easily subtractable) and made the first bonus monk feat Improved Grapple was because of this:
In the APG, the alternate favored class ability for halfling monks is
Add +1 to the monk’s CMD when resisting a grapple and +1/2 to the number of stunning attacks he can attempt per day.
This is AWESOME for this build.
1. A lot of people think a great way to take down halflings (and small creatures in general) is to grapple them. And it's true! But this guy? If you swap his 5 extra HP for this APG Favored Class ability, his CMD vs. grapple is 27 at level 5. Not bad! One of the sure ways to stymie a halfling, gone.
2. Since the concept is focusing on disabling rather than dealing out sheer damage, the boost to Stunning Fist based attacks is awesome--7 times a day rather than 5 times is helpful.
APG also offers some other interesting options: the halfling ability Underfoot would give him a great AC boost against most enemies. It replaces halfling luck which is a little bit of a loss, but then monk saves are so great anyway, it's a fair tradeoff. Low blow and even, oddly, craven might be interesting ones to consider as well.
The APG Archetypes might also be interesting and worth looking at. Drunken Master provides a fun, flavorful way to boost damage if you do want a damage-dealing halfling monk. Monk of the Lotus would be interesting if you are focusing on inflicting status effects with attacks. Monk of the Sacred Mountain would be... well, just amusing for the Immovable Halfling concept. And of course Zen Archer allows you to focus on Dex without worrying about that Strength penalty at all (you'd want a totally different build than what I put up here).
Anyway, I think a halfling monk would certainly be effective and a great contributor to a well rounded party. I know what I offered up is far, far, far from "optimized" (whatever the heck that means anyway) but again, it's just meant to be a starting point to conversation, not a "solution" that "wins".
A high tumble gets you into flank and you have +2 to hit with your stunning fist.
The feat Up and over and the halfling monk favored class ability should work awesome together. At high levels you would be ungrappleable and get a free trip attack.
although ungrappleable sounsd nice anyone can get it with a magic item that grants freedom of movement 40'000 for an always on ring, or a custom item x/day for less.
The feat Up and over and the halfling monk favored class ability should work awesome together. At high levels you would be ungrappleable and get a free trip attack.although ungrappleable sounsd nice anyone can get it with a magic item that grants freedom of movement 40'000 for an always on ring, or a custom item x/day for less.
Yes, but you can't afford said ring until 11th-12th level. The halfling monk, using the alternate favored class benefit, with Agile Maneuvers and Under and Over feats can be almost immune to grapples AND get free trip attacks at much lower levels without investing in magic items.
Yes, but you can't afford said ring until 11th-12th level. The halfling monk, using the alternate favored class benefit, with Agile Maneuvers and Under and Over feats can be almost immune to grapples AND get free trip attacks at much lower levels without investing in magic items.The feat Up and over and the halfling monk favored class ability should work awesome together. At high levels you would be ungrappleable and get a free trip attack.although ungrappleable sounsd nice anyone can get it with a magic item that grants freedom of movement 40'000 for an always on ring, or a custom item x/day for less.
almost immune is great until it dosent work at exactly the wrong moment for you ;)
and really depends on the GM, if your GM dosent often atempt grapples with monsters then its a wasted almost immunity
and really depends on the GM, if your GM dosent often atempt grapples with monsters then its a wasted almost immunity
If it's a long enough campaign, the chances of being attacked by something with a Snatch or Engulf or Grab attack, or by the Black Tentacles spell are pretty decent.
While it DOES depend on a GM, a GM who is not using these things is likely limiting him or herself a bit much, or it is a highly specialized campaign where players should be told ahead of time what, in very loose terms, to expect (e.g., "This is an all urban campaign, so this is going to be lots of humanoid and sewer encounters. Bear that in mind when you create your characters.").
I have a halfling monk named Jyron, in a Rise of the Runelords campaign. We play online and have been moving pretty slowly through the campaign, and I actually created the character with 3.5 rules, and we converted to the PF Beta, and then the Final PF Rules.
I'm now 10th level, and I will try to go through everything I thought, what feats I took, and how I leveled.
When I started, I wanted to make a hard-to-hit character. That was the primary goal. My party at the time had a Cleric, Sorcerer, and a Fighter/Rogue who was more sneak than a sword&board. We needed a "tankish" character, so I started thinking how I could play that as something else.
Paladin was out because I had played one and felt restricted by the moral code. I wanted to lie, cheat, and steal.
Monks can get a pretty good AC, so I started there.
Halflings get +2 AC (+1 from DEX, +1 from size), so I started thinking about that, and ended up with dreaming of a Weapon Finesse monk. Dumping STR, pumping up DEX and WIS.
I don't have my original sheet, but I'm pretty sure my stats (point buy , after race mods) were:
STR 9
DEX 17
CON 9
INT 8
WIS 16
CHA 10
This gave my monk an AC of 17 (+3 DEX, +1 Size, +3 WIS) at level 1, which is comparable to a fighter with starting gear.
I took dodge (monk) and mobility (first level feat), and ended up with an AC of 18, and 22 against AoOs.
His small fists did 1d4-1 though. That was pretty rough.
The slow speed was also bad, but I had my eyes on the later levels when I'd catch up. While having 20' is rough, I'm essentially at the AC of a fighter in heavy armor, and at 3rd level I'd be moving at "normal" speeds.
However, being a halfling was interesting for other reasons.
- +1 to hit
- +1 to all saves
- +2 on saves against fear
- +2 on Acrobatics (great for tumbling!)
- +4 on Stealth
I played the monk as a tank at the beginning. I'd get up in people's faces and smack them (poorly, low STR), and try to taunt them (poorly, with my low CHA).
2nd level monk feat: Combat Reflexes.
Character Level 3 Feat: Weapon Finesse
By third level I had a decent attack roll, and being in people's faces was awesome with combat reflexes and a +3 DEX mod.
4th: increased STR to get my -1 to damage gone.
5th: Toughness.
6th (monk): Deflect Arrows
7th: Leadership (to get an NPC in the campaign as a cohort)
8th: increased CON to get +8 HPs.
9th: Lunge
10th (monk): Spring Attack
In the mid-levels I was getting decent at hitting, but my damage was pretty low.
I could tumble around enemies very well (dumped points into Acrobatics) and get into flanks with the rogue.
With 5 ranks in Acrobatics, my full defense got better (+6 AC).
We found an item that gave me +2 DEX, which is +1 to his and AC.
+1 ring of protection, +2 Bracers of Armor.
Now My AC is 26 (+5 DEX, +3 WIS, +2 Monk, +1 Size, +2 Armor, +1 Dodge, +1 Deflection, +1 Amulet of Natural Armor).
If someone taps me with mage armor (which we try to do all the time), it jumps to 28.
If i take a full defense, it's a 34.
If I take a full defense and move through a threatened zone, it's a 38 against AoOs.
I'm tumbling around giants and dodging clubs left and right.
I got a Belt of Giant's Strength (+2), because the barbarian (formerly the sorcerer) got a +4 and handed his down to me.
My unarmed strike is now 1d8, while a normal sized monk would be at 1d10. Not a huge difference, but it certainly adds up with flurries. Plus a STR-monk would be adding a lot more to each hit.
To combat this, I have a vicious gauntlet. I'm not going to start that debate/flame war again, but my DM ruled gauntlets allow the monk's unarmed damage, and could be enchanted. This was all before the Amulet of Mighty Fists was re-written.
So now my attacks to 1d8+1 + 2d6, and I take 1d6 of backlash.
I flurry at +14/+14/+9/+9. A ki point adds another +14 in there.
If I hit with everything, that's 5d8+5 + 10d6, and I take 5d6 damage.
I've had multiple flurries where I've done 50-70 damage.
I take a ton of damage from the backlash at times, but I'm so hard to hit with all the tumbling and AC bonuses that even giants have a hard time clubbing me, and we made sure to pool money together so our Cleric has a slew of healing wands. I also try to keep potions on me, and there's always Wholeness of Body for a quick 10 HP.
My saves are also insane. We found a cloak of resistance (+3) and story-wise, it's for my character, so now I'm at +12 Fort, +16 Reflex, +14 Will (+2 against fear/echantment, immune to disease, immune to poison next level).
Our group now has a Cleric of Pharasma, who would rather call down Order's Wrath than heal someone (but is nice if you beg), a Barbarian/Druid mix who is terrified of dying, even with 100 HP (he lost like 4 characters this campaign), a (and I hope I get this right) Fighter/Rogue/Sorcerer/Shadowdancer mix who got reincarnated as a Kobold and hides in the shadows doing sneak attacks with a wand of scorching ray with his pet shadow who drains strength, and me, the halfling monk tank, bouncing around doing spring attacks to draw enemies into traps, and flurrying with a 28+ AC.
It's definitely unorthodox, but it fits the role and I've been having a blast with it.
Yes.
Their damage is trash, but they are still terrific at combat maneuvers. And they can be ungodly good if you jack up Charisma and Dexterity, take agile maneuvers, 2 levels of paladin and 1 level of cavalier.
It only takes 2 rounds to make someone / something helpless.
This isn't to say that a Human monk couldn't have done everything I did.
The question posed is "can a Halfling monk be effective", and I wanted to show that mine is.
Anything is "effective" in my book if you define "effective" as "is fun to play, and helps the party somehow".
I'm curious about a Halfling Monk for Legacy of Fire (in which Halflings are thematically appropriate). There are so many more Monk options now with Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat that it seems worthwhile to revive this forum thread.
This alternate race ability intrigues me:
Monk: Add +1 to the monk’s CMD when resisting a grapple and +1/2 to the number of stunning attacks he can attempt per day.
That must be able to be all kinds of wonderful with a Master of Many Styles, or some other Stunning Fist focused Monk.
I have no Monk experience. Would someone please be kind enough to share some sample builds for character level 8? The party already has two damage dealers, so focusing on either grapple/trip or applying conditions to foes would work. Or both!
"Bring it one you Medium-Sized Monks! I'll punch your kneecaps out and then use then to beat your head in!"
Raised by half-orcs, I'm stronger than most halflings you normally see. I'm better at keeping people in holds too, because I took the favored class option for Halfling Monks in the APG.
If I get a hold of you, your chances of getting away are low. Still wanna wrestle?