The word on the street is that Fighters are easy for beginners to build. But every time I try to figure out how to make a satisfactory melee character, I get overwhelmed by multiple ability dependency and choices between feats. Playing support casters (my experience thusfar) may involve knowing a lot of different individual spells, but if something isn't working for one of my casters, it's relatively easy for me to change tactics by choosing different spells.
So far, melee builds strike me as *harder* to make, because early choices can continue to affect your character, level after level. Efficient melee characters, it seems, typically need to be specialized, and I'm never sure what type of specialization to choose.
Still, I like statting characters for fun, and lately I've had an idea for a melee character that I'd like to try out. It's just an intellectual exercise at present, since I have no immediate need for a replacement character. But I figure that educating myself on melee builds (and/or keeping the melee character of my dreams stored up for a rainy day) could come in handy.
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When it comes to warrior women, my two biggest girl-crushes, without doubt, are Flying Snow from the Jet Li film Hero, and Balsa from the anime Seirei No Moribito. Flying Snow is a swordswoman of the wire fu persuasion. At one point, she memorably deflects an army's worth of arrows using only a kind of fierce martial dance and her long, whirling sleeves. Balsa is a disciplined, fair-minded female bodyguard who fights with a spear.
Neither woman is the equivalent of a first level character, LOL, and I accept that both probably have abilities which cannot be duplicated by any available Pathfinder class. But I'd love to make a character inspired by either or both of them.
Since we don't know anything about the composition of the hypothetical party this character would be joining, let's assume she might be the primary or only melee character. My GMs typically grant 25 point buy, which might help to make that goal plausible. At the moment, I am picturing this character as Human, but I'm open to other suggestions.
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My questions:
Should I make a Monk or a Fighter? (I've read Treantmonk's Guide to Monks, and they sound appealing to me, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to conclusively choose between the two classes). What can I accomplish with one class but not with the other?
Can I make an effective Monk or Fighter without dump stats? This character doesn't need a lot of skills, but she should definitely be sensible, perceptive and not-unintelligent. (Average INT would be fine). I am not as sure about her relationship to CHA, because I'm less clear on just how much unlikability a minor CHA penalty entails. Flying Snow might be considered uncharismatic, because she is fierce and brusque. But she is also beautiful and intimidating which could just as easily be signs of high CHA. Balsa sometimes offends with her honesty and does not always show affection openly, but people listen to her. She commands attention and respect. My character need not be beautiful, but I don't want her to be repellent, either.
What are my options and limitations where weapons are concerned? I'm assuming the same character will have difficulty wielding, say, a sword and a spear. How viable is a reach weapon as a specialty? What feats are good for reach-fighters? We've never had one in my group, so I don't know much about how that would work.
What feats do you consider indispensable for a melee character with a martial arts flavor?
I'm interested in all sorts of input, lengthy or brief, from suggested builds to warnings to anecdotes about your own similar favorite characters. :o)
Any comment at all will be appreciated!
Instead of asking which class is better, you should ask yourself what do you want out of the character? There are so many different builds that it would be difficult to provide advice without knowing what you want and what the campaign is like. What does the party already have? What do you have for books to choose from? What do you like? What level? Is multiclass an option for you? What race do you want? How are the stats generated?
I should say that I have had a lot of success and seen a lot of success with non-casters. You will probably need to dump something and for most melee characters that's usually Charisma. You don't have to dump deep though.
spear girl? deflecting arrows? afraid of too many feat choices too early in level advancement?
Go monk.
25 point buy.
Str Wis and Dex are the top scores you want to focus on:
Str 15 (7 pts)
Dex 15 (7 pts)
con 11 (1 pts)
Int 10
Wis 16 (10 pts)
Chr 10
no dump stats.
if you have APG I would suggest going with monk variant of weapon adept.
if not the variant isnt that far different and you can still play spear girl.
The build I will show will be straight core:
1st level monk
Human
Str 15
Dex 15
Con 11
Int 10
Wis 18 (+2 human)
Chr 10
HP 9 (preferred class bonus)
AC 16 (not too shabby)
weapon spear
feats: combat reflexes (extra attacks with spear in AoO situations)
Deflect arrows (while you only get to do this once a round, it still gives you flavor you admire)
pretty simple up front....
at second level you get to choose another monk bonus feat from the list I would take dodge.
at third level you get another feat of whatever you like.
Monk is a little less open ended than fighter with endless options, gives you melee and movement and definitely the martial arts flavor.
Eventually the spear is going to be totally outclassed by hand to hand attacks, but you can keep it handy to set for charges and the like.
the rest if monk is linear, and in the book and well explained.
You can of course change feats up with this character, but the monk has alot less choices that bear down on it and effect it for the rest of advancement like a fighter does.
spear girl? deflecting arrows? afraid of too many feat choices too early in level advancement?
Go monk.
25 point buy.
Str Wis and Dex are the top scores you want to focus on:
Str 15 (7 pts)
Dex 15 (7 pts)
con 11 (1 pts)
Int 10
Wis 16 (10 pts)
Chr 10no dump stats.
if you have APG I would suggest going with monk variant of weapon adept.
if not the variant isnt that far different and you can still play spear girl.The build I will show will be straight core:
1st level monk
Human
Str 15
Dex 15
Con 11
Int 10
Wis 18 (+2 human)
Chr 10HP 9 (preferred class bonus)
AC 16 (not too shabby)weapon spear
feats: combat reflexes (extra attacks with spear in AoO situations)
Deflect arrows (while you only get to do this once a round, it still gives you flavor you admire)pretty simple up front....
at second level you get to choose another monk bonus feat from the list I would take dodge.
at third level you get another feat of whatever you like.Monk is a little less open ended than fighter with endless options, gives you melee and movement and definitely the martial arts flavor.
Eventually the spear is going to be totally outclassed by hand to hand attacks, but you can keep it handy to set for charges and the like.
the rest if monk is linear, and in the book and well explained.
You can of course change feats up with this character, but the monk has alot less choices that bear down on it and effect it for the rest of advancement like a fighter does.
I agree with this and will add that the APG has a Temple Sword which is basicly a monk longsword so you could use that in place of the spear :)
Monks are easier to build than fighters. I don't know who told you fighters were easy for beginners, but, they lied. I'd recommend a barbarian or a melee ranger over a fighter, until you get the hang of what works in close combat. Pendagast's monk build recommendation looks really good.
But if you want advice?
Don't make a character based on a favorite Anime, TV show, Movie, Book, comic book, etc., etc. Those characters have the plot behind them to make sure they crit when they need crits, and their fumbles add to the story rather than frustrate the players. Be inspired by the character, but don't try to copy her.
barbarians are paperwork (adding rage bonus, taking rage penalties, and after the rage exhaustion) rangers are similar, due to favored enemy and terrtain, the variable abilities "only works when" is something commonly forgotten by new players.
with monks the only thing the new players has to wrry about is a few Ki points.
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Spear wielding whirlwind human (Balsa) fighter, 25 points, no dump stats, very strong.
Str: 18 (+1 every 4 beginning 8th)
Int: 13 (+1 4th)
Wis: 10
Dex: 16
Con: 12
Chr: 10
Kit: Polearm. Weapon: Glaive
1st: Combat reflexes, Weapon focus: Glaive, dodge
2nd: threatens with polearms close, combat expertise
3rd: +1 to hit on AOOs, mobility
4th: Switch Weapon Focus for Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack
5th: Power Attack
6th: Lunge
7th: Weapon Focus
8th: Weapon Specialization
Armor: get a mithril agile breastplate; keeps her mobile.
Take alt class to get +1 AC with 2 adjacent friends and +1 Reflex saves instead of +1 skill
So she's strong and mobile, able to run between a swathe of enemies ignoring their attacks, then attack all of them (with Expertise to up her AC if there are too many). With lunge she can hit every enemy within 3 squares of her, has good AC and very high damage output.
If you don't mind changing the Icon a little, switch to Lucerin hammer, d12 damage; Which becomes 3d6 if you get an enlarge potion/spell.