Is this correct?
Monk, Master of Many Styles - Snake Style (Sense Motive as AC)
Level Rank= +1
Human Bonus Feat / Half Elf Trait, Skill Focus = +3
Level 1 Bonus Feat - Alertness = +2
Favored Class Bonus = +3
18 Wisdom = +4
Social Trait - Suspicious / Human Race Trait - World Traveler / Both = +1/+2
Snake Style = +2
Total = 16/17 + 1D20 which is really 18/19 - 36/37 because a 1 on a D20 is auto fail.
It is possible that you can only take one immediate action per round. Immediate action says it is similar to a swift action (which can be done only once a round) except that it can be done any time, even when it is not your turn. The word "similar" is way too wishy-washy for me to say this indisputably, but it seems it may be the intended result.
A 1 rolled on a skill check is not an auto-fail. This is the way in which skills are different from saves and attacks. Neither is a 20 on a skill check an automatic success.
This also can not be attained at first level. One of the requirements of the feat is 3 ranks in sense motive, and by definition, at first level, you can only have one rank in any skill. The number of ranks in a skill and the total bonus of the skill are separate concepts.
two traits granting the same bonus don't stack, and yes you can't fail skill checks, you just roll a 1. (you also can't critically succeed)
Not sure if this works, but you don't auto fail skills and two traits granting the same bonus does not stack.
Minor flaw but its still potentially a Very high AC so far until told otherwise.
@Mabven, he gets it through MoMS bonus feat, unless I am mistaken.
Minor flaw but its still potentially a Very high AC so far until told otherwise.Not sure if this works, but you don't auto fail skills and two traits granting the same bonus does not stack.
For one attack per round, with a large investment that leaves the rest of the build gimpy. But yes. For that one attack it is impressive.
@Mabven, he gets it through MoMS bonus feat, unless I am mistaken.
Oh, I see, monk bonus feat, thus ignores prerequisites.
It only works against one attack per round though. I wish it would state whether or not you could wait until after you knew the result of the roll.
Crane Wing would be better imo, you could wait until the attack is rolled, then decide to outright negate it. Plus, it doesn't even take an action.
EDIT: You have to be fighting defensively, but the bonuses the style provides for doing so make it worthwhile to do it.
It is possible that you can only take one immediate action per round. Immediate action says it is similar to a swift action (which can be done only once a round) except that it can be done any time, even when it is not your turn. The word "similar" is way too wishy-washy for me to say this indisputably, but it seems it may be the intended result.
A 1 rolled on a skill check is not an auto-fail. This is the way in which skills are different from saves and attacks. Neither is a 20 on a skill check an automatic success.
This also can not be attained at first level. One of the requirements of the feat is 3 ranks in sense motive, and by definition, at first level, you can only have one rank in any skill. The number of ranks in a skill and the total bonus of the skill are separate concepts.
Master of Many Styles doesn't have to worry about prerequisites when selecting a style. Which is great because all I would really need for this would be the Snake Style Feat and that's it. After that I could probably go for the Crane Wing at level 6.
Or I could simply get the Crane Wing by level 2 and get the Snake Style by level 3.
You can get crane wing at level 1.
Human Bonus Feat: dodge
Regular Feat: Crane Style (requires dodge, IUS, monk lvl 1)
MoMS Feat: Crane Wing
It is possible that you can only take one immediate action per round. Immediate action says it is similar to a swift action (which can be done only once a round) except that it can be done any time, even when it is not your turn. The word "similar" is way too wishy-washy for me to say this indisputably, but it seems it may be the intended result.
A 1 rolled on a skill check is not an auto-fail. This is the way in which skills are different from saves and attacks. Neither is a 20 on a skill check an automatic success.
This also can not be attained at first level. One of the requirements of the feat is 3 ranks in sense motive, and by definition, at first level, you can only have one rank in any skill. The number of ranks in a skill and the total bonus of the skill are separate concepts.
Master of Many Styles doesn't have to worry about prerequisites when selecting a style. Which is great because all I would really need for this would be the Snake Style Feat and that's it. After that I could probably go for the Crane Wing at level 6.
Or I could simply get the Crane Wing by level 2 and get the Snake Style by level 3.
Your second idea I think is better. You have none of it at first level, but then by 3rd level you can choose two attacks per round, one is totally negated (provided you are fighting defensively), the other is against a monstrous AC. Tank monk, if I ever saw one.
For one attack per round, with a large investment that leaves the rest of the build gimpy. But yes. For that one attack it is impressive.Minor flaw but its still potentially a Very high AC so far until told otherwise.Not sure if this works, but you don't auto fail skills and two traits granting the same bonus does not stack.
I don't think its very gimpy at all actually, its only 3 feats at max and 2 if I'm half elf. This is at level 1 or three if I go for the Crane Wing first. It isn't very investment oriented at all. I have 17-19 more levels of feats I can mess with for anything I wanted.
I don't think its very gimpy at all actually, its only 3 feats at max and 2 if I'm half elf. This is at level 1 or three if I go for the Crane Wing first. It isn't very investment oriented at all. I have 17-19 more levels of feats I can mess with for anything I wanted.For one attack per round, with a large investment that leaves the rest of the build gimpy. But yes. For that one attack it is impressive.Minor flaw but its still potentially a Very high AC so far until told otherwise.Not sure if this works, but you don't auto fail skills and two traits granting the same bonus does not stack.
I'm not trying to bash your idea. Just saying that at the level your talking about, it's gimpy. Of course you can get better later, most builds do. But at that level, and probably a few after it until you recover from blowing your initial feats on this trick, you're mostly just sitting there waiting for someone to attack you, and you make them miss. That's your thing, it's just not helping the group to end combats, and, likely, anything that has its attack cancelled once is moving on to a new target.
My point is that you're better off not maxing out like this, but rather getting a solidly good AC but balancing it with a chance to do something OTHER than just avoid getting hit once per round.
When I first looked at this feat I was terrified as a DM. But after reading that it can only be used once per round it really isn't that bad. Also the Snake style feat says that you "can" use this result as your AC, not that you "must". So essentially it is a get out of jail free card for one attack per round. Not bad for a feat.
Yep, get out of jail free card for the attack that's most likely to hit.
One other important consideration... it can replace your TOUCH AC as well. Which I find to be a huge bonus.
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There is a point of diminishing returns to this, as well - I think everyone can agree that there's just no need to have a 37 AC at level one. Every point by which you exceed a number where level-appropriate enemies can only hit you with a 20 is superfluous by definition.
There is a point of diminishing returns to this, as well - I think everyone can agree that there's just no need to have a 37 AC at level one. Every point by which you exceed a number where level-appropriate enemies can only hit you with a 20 is superfluous by definition.
It can even be disadvantageous. If the enemy needs a 20 to hit there is no reason they shouldn't be power attacking and/or fighting defensively.
This seems to be viable, just as long as all your sense motive bonuses stack together.
Food for thought:
This has been mentioned before, but you can only use a single immediate action per round, so that's 1 attack in that round to which you will have high ac.
As you progress in levels, you will lose your swift action options (if any) by burning your immediate action.
Also, why wouldn't someone just grapple you at that point? Since it is obvious attacks are ineffective.
The OP is aware of the restriction of one immediate action per round. But, since crane wing specifically says it does not use up any action, he can combine the two, and negate two attacks per round, which is pretty snazzy if you ask me.
As far as grappling, probably this monk is not going to be strength based, so not the best possible grappler, but he is still a monk, and a feat or two could still make grappling him a mistake (I'm thinking agile maneuvers and improved grapple)
Hmm I thought the sense motive roll took the place of your AC, NOT that it added to what your AC already was. That is how it read to me.
Banecrow has a point.
I think adding the sense motive to AC as discussed above is a cool and very "monkly" idea.
From the PRD
Snake Style (Combat, Style)
You watch your foe's every movement and then punch through its defense.
Prerequisites: Improved Unarmed Strike, Acrobatics 1 rank, Sense Motive 3 ranks.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks, and you can deal piercing damage with your unarmed strikes. While using the Snake Style feat, when an opponent targets you with a melee or ranged attack, you can spend an immediate action to make a Sense Motive check. You can use the result as your AC or touch AC against that attack. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed.
Normal: An unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage.
Hmm I thought the sense motive roll took the place of your AC, NOT that it added to what your AC already was. That is how it read to me.
I don't think this is being disputed. The OP calculation shows an sense motive score of +16 before adding the d20 roll.
Hmm I thought the sense motive roll took the place of your AC, NOT that it added to what your AC already was. That is how it read to me.I don't think this is being disputed. The OP calculation shows an sense motive score of +16 before adding the d20 roll.
Sorry lol I reread that, I thought the 16/17 was their AC not their Sense Motive skill bonus. That is a VERY high skill for level 1, did not realize it could get that high at lv 1 lol.