Build Help - Brutal Pugilist / Martial Artist - Body Bludgeon Focused

[Chooky]

I've been going through Ultimate Combat and the Body Bludgeon rage power looks so awesome fluff-wise that I just had to try and make a character for it. I've built the basic character now, and was wondering if anybody out there could help me make him better/relevant.

Level Progression:
Monk - 1, 4, 6, 8, 10
Barb - 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13.....

Race: Human
25-point Buy
STR: 16 + 2(Race)
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 13
WIS: 12
CHA: 10

Just because I can, I'll model him after the Berserker in 8-Bit Theater, monocule and all. Being a Barbarian is a job choice, not a mental-state of mind.

Feats:

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Human Bonus Feat: Defensive Combat Training(Use Hit Dice instead of BAB for CMD)
Monk Bonus Feat: Dodge
LV1: Improved Grapple
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LV2 Rage Power: Lesser Beast Totem(Gain two claw attacks)
LV3: Snapping Turtle Style
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Monk LV2 Bonus Feat: Catch-Off Guard(No penalties to improvised melee weapons)
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LV5: Snapping Turtle Clutch(If enemy misses melee attack, immediate action to attempt grapple at -2 penalty)
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LV7: Greater Grapple
LV4 Rage Power: Guarded Life
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LV9: Improvised Weapon Mastery(No penalties for any improvised weapons, increase damage die by one step, max 1d8 for one-hand, 2d6 for two-hands. 19-20/x2 crit range)
OR
LV9: Body Shield(Immediate Action while grappling to gain cover for one attack. If that attack misses, may hit grappled target instead)
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LV11: Rapid Grappler(If succeed with Greater Grapple, can use swift action for another grapple check)
LV6 Rage Power: Beast Totem(+1 Natural AC, another +1 per 4 Barb LVs)
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LV13: Improved Critical(Improvised)
OR
Body Shield/Improvised Weapon Mastery
LV8 Rage Power: Strength Surge(Add Barb LV to one STR-check or CMB or CMD, swift action)
OR Greater Guarded Life(Double Guarded Life bonus)
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LV15: Extra Rage Power(Greater Beast Totem, POUNCE)
LV10 Rage Power: Body Bludgeon
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LV17: Pinning Knockout(Deal double non-lethal grapple damage)
LV12 Rage Power: Reckless Abandon
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LV19:
LV14 Rage Power: Unexpected Strike(If enemy move into your threatened square, can AoO even if normally can't)

As you can see, there are quite a few places where I need help. LV9's feat choice links with LV13's choice, any rage power not Beast Totem chain or Body Bludgeon can be swapped for anything really. You can rage cycle at lv10, though what's the best power to do so at Barb LV5? Where does Power Attack (Body Bludgeon counts as a two-handed weapon!) fit in all this?

Would you allow Improvised Weapon Mastery to be considered "proficiency" in Improvised Weapons, so you can take Improved Critical?

I don't think too much of Body Shield because you'll be quite taxed on the amount of Swift/Immediate Actions you can take.

LV15 is where this character gets to play with his real toys, which is quite late but makes the journey that much more fun for character building and such. I guess the real question is how relevant this character can be for all levels 1 - 20?

An equipmentless snapshot at LV10:

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Barb5/Monk5
STR: 20
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 13
WIS: 12
CHA: 10

HP: 88 (Max HP @ LV1, Half+1 for all other LVs, Favoured Class HP)
AC: 16 (10 + 2(DEX) + 1(Snapping Turtle Style) + 2(Monk+WIS) + 1(Dodge))
Flat-Foot 13, Touch 16
Speed 50ft (30 + 10(Monk Enhancement) + 10(Barb Fast Move)

Fast Movement, Rage, Savage Grapple, Pit Fighter(CMB Grapple), Improved Savage Grapple
Flurry of Blows, Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike, Evasion, Fast Movement, Maneuver Training, Pain Point, Martial Arts Master, Exploit Weakness, Extreme Endurance, High Jump

CMD: 31 (10 + 10(Hit Dice) + 5(STR) + 2(DEX) + 1(Dodge) + 1(Snapping Turtle Clutch) + 2(Monk+WIS))

Unarmed Strike = +13/+8, 1d8 dmg
Flurry = +13/+13/+8, 1d8
Grapple = +21 (8(BAB) + 2(Monk Maneuver Bonus) + 5(STR) + 4(Improved/Greater Grapple) + 2(Pit Fighter))
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Some things he can do(yes, most of these are just Grapple condition stuff):

- So you can maintain a grapple as a move action(Greater Grapple), grapple again as a swift(Rapid Grappler), then standard action to attack somebody else within melee range with no penalties(No penalties part - Improved Savage Grapple).
- With Improved Savage Grapple and Body Bludgeon, you can grapple/pin a Medium Sized creature and use it as the Improvised Weapon (I believe, if not, ah well)
- If somebody misses you in melee, you can immidiate action to grapple them with -2 penalty, so you can start your turn with Move Action Grapple @ +5 grapple check.
- If we get Pinning Knockout, you can deal double non-lethal damage to make them unconscious (2d8 + 10), maybe twice with Rapid Grappler. Which leads to Full-Attacks with Body Bludgeon.
- Pin the creature down, so they lose their DEX bonus to AC, plus another -4 AC penalty, can't physically attack and let the other DPS character wail at him.
- On your turn, Standard Action start grapple, Move action pin, swift action deal damage. That creature "loses" it's next turn attempting to escape since it can't physically attack or move, or minimum DC 31 + Spell LV to concentrate a non-somatic/material component spell/spell-like out. Supernatural works, however.
- Grapple a creature so it cannot take AoO, clearing the way for retreat/spell casting/melee surround.
- Rage Pounce Full Attack with a tied up/unconsious foe.

Creatures the LV10 build may face:

An Adult Black Dragon(CR 11) has CMD of 33, so a roll of 12 or better gets the grapple. Now the question is when it tries to break the grapple, it has a CMB of +22, so a flat CMD of 31 (+1 size for Improved Savage Grapple) mean it requires a roll of 9 or better to get out, not including any magical defenses like Ring of Protection.
An Elder Earth Elemental(CR 11) has CMD of 39 and CMB of +30, 'nuff said.
An 11-Headed Cryohydra(CR12) has CMD 28 and CMB +17, though you're gonna take 11 bite attacks for sure (unless you pin the creature down, how that works... *shrug*)

[Chooky]

One bump, any help at all?

[Lobolusk]

looks good to me, I personally love the monk but theree has been some discussion lately have you maybe looked brawler? or unarmed fighter tons more feats.also you may consider urban barbarian. for the ability to still use skill s

[Mojorat]

Found your feat progression hard to read. It looks like at lvl 2 your spending extra rage power but you are oly a lvl 1 barbarian.

[MC Templar]

I think the blanks are a character level with no feat or noteworthy class feature added, so it would be:
CL 1 (everything listed)
CL 2 (blank area, nothing added)
CL3 (rage power and feat)

[ashern]

Chooky wrote:

One bump, any help at all?

I'll preface this: I am NOT a grapple expert. However, I really like the style of what you're going for. A couple of things 1. since you are a monk(at least at monk level 3), you have your level instead of BAB used for maneuvers, so you don't need to burn the feat on defensive combat training (since your CMD is just your CMB+10) 2. you can't take a rage power at barb level 1, that would be at barb 2, which is level 3 via your explanation, 3. most importantly...

STRENGTH SURGE.

This is the rage power that was MADE for your build. With rage cycling you can add your barbarian level to your grapple checks every round. Go read it again. Weep with joy. You are welcome.

In addition I would make sure that you gear up. There is a weapon enhancement that adds to your maneuvers as well as attacks IIRC. It should be in the SRD. That and either potions of enlarge person, or talk to your party members to get some buffs.

[Nicos]

ashern wrote:

A couple of things 1. since you are a monk(at least at monk level 3), you have your level instead of BAB used for maneuvers, so you don't need to burn the feat on defensive combat training (since your CMD is just your CMB+10)

That is incorrect, your CMD uses your BAB, the same with the CMB. The monk have the special ability that let him use his monk level insted his BAB for his CMB, but that not translate to the CMD.

Still, defensive combat training is not worth of a feat for this build.

[Gunn]

Are you against archetypes? If not, you should definitely take the tetori Monk archetype. He gives you a number of grapple feats which you would find very useful. He also uses his level as cmd and cmb instead of bab. that's another feat you wouldn't have to use.

Dan bong are monk weapons that give you a +2 to grapple, I would suggest those as well, they will help you gain your grapple so you can use your body bludgeon.

[Donovan Lynch]

Gunn wrote:

Are you against archetypes? If not, you should definitely take the tetori Monk archetype. He gives you a number of grapple feats which you would find very useful. He also uses his level as cmd and cmb instead of bab. that's another feat you wouldn't have to use.

Dan bong are monk weapons that give you a +2 to grapple, I would suggest those as well, they will help you gain your grapple so you can use your body bludgeon.

I believe he's already taking the martial artist archetype (partly, I would imagine, because of the alignment conflict between monk and barbarian)

[Gunn]

Ahh, excellent point. The tetori Grappler is so much better than the martial artist for his build though. Chooki, what you should do is take the 5 levels you plan on taking in monk first. Then you can change your alignment to non lawful. This way you cannot gain any more monk levels but you retain your current abilities, and begin taking Barbarian. This would make way for an interesting backstory. You used to be a monk but something happened that changed your outlook. maybe you witnessed some corruption in the monastery that turned you against it, and you took to living in the wild. Maybe you were kidnapped, maybe lost on a journey and taken in by a tribe. There are a number of possibilities.

[Chooky]

Thanks for all the reply guys!

@Lobolusk
Unfortunately, if I went with any of the Fighter archetypes, I'd be losing out on the Monk's AC bonus, which also improves the character's CMD, making it harder for grappled targets to break out. Monk Fast Move and Evasion are also pretty good.

The Fighter archetypes* would give a comparable 3 bonus feats by LV5 to the Monk's 2 bonus feats + Improved Unarmed Strike.

The Urban Barbarian makes a lot of sense character fluff-wise, I will have to consider the fluff-vs-minmax option.

*: Would the Weapon Training in Unarmed Strike give a bonus to CMB to grapple?

@Mojorat/MC Templar
Sorry for the bad listing, but MC Templar's got it right.

@ashern/Nicos
Nico's got it right with the CMB/CMD from the monk's bonus.

My reasoning for taking Defensive Combat Training is for upping the CMD to the max, so enemies would have a harder time escaping from the grapple. From what I've seen, pumping up pure CMD (not CMD vs Something) is nearly impossible with equipment/items.

Though dropping 2 CMD for Power Attack would be a fair trade.

@Gunn
Tetori Monk is a pretty tempting idea, though it will have to be put pass our DM. If our DM gives it the thumbs up, that would give me a lot more options to choose from. :)