Archbury the Qinggong Zen Archaeologist (Advice and commentary on the build)


Advice


This build was heavily inspired by http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz55e4?Zen-and-the-Art-of-Monk-Maintenance-A-Guid e-to
Archbury the Qinggong Zen Archaeologist
Trait: Vagabond Child
Stats

Spoiler:

20 point buy 13 str/13 dex/ 10 con/ 17 wis(+2)/ 10 int/ 12 cha

With items 23 str/ 23 dex/ 16 con/ int 10/ wis 34/ 14 cha

I decided not to dump int because I like being able to roleplay characters without them being herp derp. It isn't optimized the most, but it is meant to be used in roleplay as well as combat.
Perception: +53
Disable Device: +35
Initiative +5
Invest in wisdom to bring it up to 24
Qingogng zen archer 8/ Archaeologist 12

1st level : crane style, lightning defences
Skill ranks: perception, Disable device, Fly, Stealth
bonus: Precise shot, unarmed strike
2nd: point blank shot, weapon focus
3rd: deadly aim, Point blank master
Bonus: zen archery
4th: Ki pool, Barkskin
5th:Ki arrows, crane wing
6th: Improved precise shot, weapon specialization
7th: deflect arrows
8th: 2nd flurry attack (!)
Class: Bard
9th: arcane strike, Archaeologist's luck +1, 1st level bard spells
10th: clever explorer, Uncanny dodge
11th:hammer the gap, Trap sence
12th: rogue talent: snap shot 2nd level bard spells
13: improved crit, Lore master
14th archelogist luck +2 Evasion, Clever explorer 2, Trap sense 2
15th: Defensive Combat Training, 3rd level bard spells
16th: canny observer
17th : skill focus: Disable device
18th: Trap sence 3 4th level bard spells
19th: crane reposte ,archelogist luck +3
20th: advanced rogue talent: Improved evasion
required items: headband of wisdom (+6 wisdom) and cha +2

you need the +2 to charisma fairly early on for the purpose of learning bard spells. Get it as soon as possible

other items that would be extremely helpful: Belt of physical perfection +6, tome of wisdom +4, manual of strength +4, manual of dexterity +4, boots of speed +5, +5 bow of 22 str

anything else might be great. Just don't know what is what

bard spells known at 20 6 0th, 6 1st, 5 2nd, 4 3rd, 4 4th
Pros of this class choice: strong archer. this character gets 6 attacks and 7 with spending a ki point or using boots of speed.

Great saves. Your fortitude is your weakness, but your reflex and will are awesome and will be hard to beat.

regarding defence

Spoiler:

Awesome defensive ability. Your dex and wisdom bonus will be awesome . this is a real benefit as your dex bonus is not restricted by armor. This makes that 22 dex give you a +6 on top of the 11 bonus of your wisdom. Combine it with items to really give yourself some nice AC. You should be fighting defensively every turn which gives you a +3 bonus to your AC.

Now, if I compare porpentine's one and gave this build the same equipment with the only change that the headband give +2 to charisma instead of intelligence, I would think it would compare. The difference is one Dexterity point, and 3 additions to the monk AC.

Archbury will be fighting defensively so he gains +3 to his AC. So he misses out on one point of AC that One had. So his total AC would be 52 and 39 touch.

But that isn't your real defense here. Your real defense isn't as obvious and it comes in the form of crane wing, deflect arrows, and improved evasion. Uncanny dodge helps too by removing the ability to flat-footed.

As long as you use fighting defensively and let one hand off your bow, you are immune to a melee class from charging you or moving up more than a 5 foot step to attack you. If two of them do it, you won't avoid the second one, but you save yourself from the first. This is quite helpful as it means you won't have to rely on AC if you stay out of range. Normally a fighter would take the hit if a fighter decided to charge them.

Deflect arrows protects you from vital strike from another archer, any singular attack, and prevents manyshot from working. You block automatically a ranged character's highest attack and if they are using manyshot, their two highest attacks. That will only help mildly against another zen archer, but will protect you from the fighter with manyshot. Any further attacks will be at least 5 BAB less, allowing your defenses to shine. This does not apply to a zen archer flurrying however. So it will only protect you from one attack from a zen archer.

Evasion and improved evasion helps you out as well. Any attack that allows you a save for half damage will only deal half damage if you fail, but if you succeed you take no damage. You should have pretty nice reflex saves, so you won't have a problem making them, protecting you from damage further.

Your CMD will not be as good as One and your saves aren't going to be quite as high as one's. Your fortitude will suffer with only +13. That is your main weak point. Something that can target that will be your downfall.

Your reflex should be fairly high, I don't know exactly what to use to calculate it. I would think that it would be only one less than One's. Which would make it a +26. however that is probably wrong. Your will should be just as high as One's though.

Overall you won't be as resistant with saves as One. But you will still have some pretty great ones.
You also lack the spell resistance, which is a good thing and a bad thing. When you are by yourself, spell resistance is good to have. When you are in a group, trying to overcome it can be annoying to say the least

You will make your rogue jealous with your ability to find traps and disable them. Rogues wish they could be as cool as you. But they aren't. Your perception will be legendary and your disable device will be pretty nice as well.

Another nice thing is that your bard abilities give you the ability to buff yourself. This can help make up for saves and increase your attack bonus and even damage. If you have the right bow hanging around, you can take advantage of things that increase your strength for more damage.

I don't know what spells to know to learn that would be most useless, so i'd need some help there.

damage

Spoiler:

Now comes the part about damage. You will not beat one here. You have one less attack and two less notches of deadly aim. Your BAB will not be as high. So you lose damage there.
However you are anything but a pushover. Since you don't have the monk levels, using unarmed damage for arrows will only change it from a d8 to a d10.
This is why I grabbed arcane strike. Every time when you use it, you get +3 to damage. I find that to be more valuable than changing a d8 to a d10

Base attack +15 Base flurry +17
Fist +21/16/12 (1d10+6)
Bow Deadly (+29/24/19) (I think i am calculating things wrong. I am thinking bab 15- 3 for deadly aim= 12. Plus one for weapon focus to make it 13. And then +5 for a +5 enhancement bonus to the bow to make it +18. And then 12 for the wisdom to make it 30. minus 1 for fight defensivly)

Damage is 1d8+6 for str+ 5 for enhancement+ 3 Arcane Strike + 2 weapon specialization + 6 deadly aim=1d8+ 22. +1 for each attack after the first, magic weapon

Bow deadly flurry Hasted (+31/+31/+31/+26/+26/+21/+16)( 1d8+24, +1 for each attack after the first, magic weapon)

Now the cool part here is that you can add in your Archaeologist's luck ability. for the first round after you do it, you can't use magic weapon so your damage drops by 3 but then is increased by three.
As long as you have your luck going, which you can have for 8 turns, you get +3 on attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, and saving throws. This is a nice little boost and is what I feel keeps the character competitive with other archers.

One nice thing about zen characters is that they can make attacks of opportunity with their elbow. It works really well when combined with Riposte because you get to hit once with your fist at +21 for 1d10+6. It isn't the end of the world, but every bit helps.

You have a good CMB for being sundered and people can't pass by you or else they will get an elbow to their face for an attack of opportunity. If they don't have the sunder feat, then they will also draw an attack of opportunity. You could swap out the skill focus for Combat reflexes and make sure that anyone who tries to get past will get an attack of opportunity, or else you can only make one.

At level 18, you also get Jack of all trades. This allows you to use any skill. A pretty handy ability. You also get Lore Master and you can take 10 on knowledge skill checks. Another useful ability.

Overall I could use some tweaking, help on what spells to choose, and advice on items. Any commentary would be helpful. Help figuring out the exact stats would help a ton too


Spoilers are your friend comrade...

Seems somewhat solid from what I can tell. The question is why only one trait?


Azaelas Fayth wrote:

Spoilers are your friend comrade...

Seems somewhat solid from what I can tell. The question is why only one trait?

Other trait is open to ideas. I was thinking of taking heirloom weapon so that way i could get a composite bow early.

I just didn't know what to take. I know I need the one to make disable device a class skill

Sczarni

Trait: Wisdom in the Flesh. Choose one STR/DEX or CON based skill. It becomes a class skill and you use your WIS mod for this skill.

Choose Disable Device or Stealth if you really want to outshine the Rogue.


Krodjin wrote:

Trait: Wisdom in the Flesh. Choose one STR/DEX or CON based skill. It becomes a class skill and you use your WIS mod for this skill.

Choose Disable Device or Stealth if you really want to outshine the Rogue.

Disable device would be funny. I would completely overshadow the rogue in terms of finding and disabling traps. Also picking locks and the such.

I could also go for stealth and actually be a pretty good scout

45 disable device is nothing to laugh at though. I think I would go with that so that way traps are no problem anymore


Can a monk take Rich Parents trait?


Azaelas Fayth wrote:
Can a monk take Rich Parents trait?

That would come into conflict with Vagabond Child.

I think trapfinding being a class skill is more important


I don't remember what Vagabond Child is off the top of my head...

And getting the +3 for the class skill really only help a little after all at 30 disable device you can pretty much unlock everything and Clever Explorer grants you half your Archaeologist levels as a bonus to DD.

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