Yet Another Duelist Build


Advice

The Exchange

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Okay, so I get bored sometimes...here's what I came up with. Let me know what you think. I realize I'm adding a +5 and 2 +4 stat tomes which is pretty unrealistic, but this is theory craft...deal with it.

Halfling 11 MoMS Monk/9 Duelist

20-point buy
Str 7
Dex 18 (+5 levels +5 inherent +6 item) = 34
Con 14 (+6 item) = 20
Int 14 (+4 inherent +6 item) = 24
Wis 14 (+4 inherent +6 item) = 24
Cha 9

Feats
1 Weapon Finesse
1 Crane Style (bonus)
2 Crane Wing (bonus)
3 TWF
5 Dodge
6 Crane Riposte
7 Mobility
9 ITWF
10 Snake Style (bonus)
11 Combat Expertise
13 Cautious Fighter (halfling)
15 GTWF
17 Weapon Focus (unarmed)
19 Uncanny Defense (halfling)

The key magic item to this build is an amulet of mighty fists with the agile property. Agile says it can only be applied to finessable weapons, but both natural attacks and unarmed strikes are treated as light weapons and can therefore be finessed which means agile should be okay on an AoMF.

Snake style allows your unarmed strikes to deal piercing damage which means you can use unarmed attacks for precise strikes. I took the TWF line so that you can forego all 3 off hand attacks to use for parries while still getting 4-6 main hand attacks depending on haste and ki points.

For AC:
10 base
12 dex
7 int
7 wis
8 armor (+8 bracers)
5 deflection (+5 ring)
5 natural (barkskin, replace slow fall)
1 size (small)
5 dodge (combat expertise)
2 dodge (fighting defensively)
1 dodge (3 ranks in acro while fighting defensively)
2 dodge (cautious fighter while fighting defensively)
1 dodge (crane style while fighting defensively)
3 dodge (elaborate defense while fighting defensively)
1 dodge (dodge feat)
4 bonus (monk bonus with monk robes)
1 insight (ioun stone)

= 75 ac, 62 touch, 46 flat footed

Now, after all this delicious untouchability I was worried that I wouldn't be able to deal much damage. I think I would be satisfied with the following numbers:

Attack:
17 BAB
12 Dex
4 Amulet of Mighty Fists (1 bonus reserved for agile)
1 Small Size
1 Weapon Focus
-1 Fighting Defensively
-5 Combat Expertise
-2 TWF

27/27/22/22/17/17/12 with an extra couple 27's with haste and a ki point. Damage would be 2d6 +25 (small size with monk robes, dex, AoMF, and duelist levels). Forego a 27/22/17 with off hand for parries. Your parries will provoke attacks of opportunity which will be back at your full +27 and deal full damage as they are no longer off hand attacks. Granted you have to successfully parry for these attacks to happen, but for the potential to attack at a higher bonus as well as the chance to negate attacks against you, I think it's worth it.

He's weakest in terms of his CMD because of his low str and small size, but his dodge bonuses would stack and Uncanny Defense would add an extra 4 dodge bonus to CMD 10base +12dex -2str -1 size +15dodge +4uncanny +1insight +5deflection +7wis = 51 (better than I expected tbh)

Saves are also really solid cuz of the monk levels

Fort 7monk +3duelist +5con +1halfling +5cloak = 21
Ref 7monk +4duelist +12dex +1halfling +5cloak +4uncanny defense = 33
Will 7monk +3duelist +7wis +1halfling +5cloak = 23

The other obvious weakness is situations when I can't actually make an attack thus losing the combat expertise bonus as well as the total defense bonus if I have to move. However, I see very few situations where this would be a problem with 50ft of movement. I should almost always be able to move and make at least one attack. With total defense (thus losing combat expertise) I'd only lose a total of 2 ac once you add in the extra dodge from total defense.

As I said before, using the Qinggong options I would replace slow fall with barkskin, but I'd also replace diamond body with restoration. Whew...I think I'm done. I'm pretty sure everything is within the rules and explained. If something doesn't make sense, I'll be happy to clarify my thinking. However, there's a definite possibility that I made some mistakes.

*edit* - I forgot to mention that since combat expertise is a bit overkill and also reduces my atk bonus, I may drop it in lieu of possibly monkey style at 10 and snake style at 11. I was also thinking that I would take the dangerously curious trait and invest in UMD to use wands of shield for another +4 AC (but that's overkill on my overkill...so meh).


Risky Striker (Combat, Halfling)
You can make yourself a little more vulnerable to larger creatures in order to land a devastating blow.

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, halfling.

Benefit: You can choose to take a –1 penalty to AC to gain a +2 bonus on melee damage rolls against creatures two or more size categories larger than you. When your base attack bonus reaches +4 and every four levels thereafter, the damage increases by 2. The bonus damage is multiplied in the case of a critical hit. You can only choose to use this feat when you declare that you are making an attack action or a full-attack action with a melee weapon. The effects last until your next turn.


I would strongly suggest that you pick up Snake Style as a general level up feat and use that last bonus feat for Snake Fang, if nothing else.

And possibly drop the TWF feat line and pick up Combat Reflexes, and build around AoOs.

And maybe choose a race where you can get some natural weapons to string to the end of your full attack.

Just some ideas.

The Exchange

@Nicos - I saw that and originally passed it by cuz I was focusing on getting my AC through the roof. However, if I dropped Combat Expertise and picked this up in it's place, my AC would drop to 65 while my damage would go up another 10. The Tarrasque would still only be able to hit me on a natural 20. Granted his free grab would be guaranteed to land, so I guess I'll have to invest in a ring of freedom of movement as well =)

The Exchange

@Stream - Combat Reflexes is a free feat for Duelist, so I wouldn't need to spend a feat on it. I could drop the TWF line, but it's so much fun to cheese precise strike with it. As for race choice, I took this one specifically for the halfling racial feats around defensive fighting since they synergize so well with crane style. I suppose I could drop weapon focus as it's more or less a fluff feat to grab snake fang as it would provide a lot of extra AoO's.


You can only Parry/Riposte once per round because Parry uses up your Immediate action.

Since you are limited to only one immediate action per round, you can only use Parry once per round. With that in mind, it would be better to change out Improved/Greater TWF for different feats. Maybe, Double Slice and Deflect Arrows?

The Exchange

@Tels you're so right! That's actually kinda nice. I could drop ITWF and GTWF and pick up a 3rd style feat since I can technically stack up to 3 styles with MoMS. I'd probably grab monkey style as it nice if something knocks me prone. Heck, I can move some feats around and get Monkey Shine as well which is fun and increases both my AC and Attack

Deflect arrows is a free Duelist feat, so I wouldn't need that one.

That being said, I think I'd adjust my feat choices to the following:

1 Weapon Finesse
1 Crane Style
2 Monkey Style
3 Snake Style
5 Dodge
6 Monkey Shine
7 Crane Wing
9 Crane Riposte
10 Snake Fang
11 Mobility
13 TWF (I wouldn't get parry until this level anyway)
15 Risky Striker
17 Cautious Fighter
19 Uncanny Defense


I second snake fang. With your crazy AC you will be missed a lot. That's potentially a lot of AOOs.


I've been kicking a similar idea around, except using cestus for non-unarmed, 2 levels MoMS, 4 levels fighter (brawler/gladiator, brawler gets +1hit +3dam for close combat including cestus and unarmed), and then wear armor. Cestus would give flexiblity in damage types and be a cheaper weapon starting than AoMF.

Haramaki would replace monk AC, could dump wis, and with the brawling enchantment on it I'd get +2 hit/dam on it. Mind you I'm generally playing at lower levels without insane gear to boost wis.

1 level of ranger for guide (instant enemy +2/+2 once per day), maybe urban as well if I wanted lockpicking (but low on skill points). Still unsure about actually going duelist. 2nd level of ranger could get me power attack without the 13 str prerequisit.

Chevalier would give poison immunity and with 3 levels a 1/day smite evil using character level for damage bonus(not just class level). The reroll on failed enchantment saving throws is nice too, and not limited to 1/day.

And if I didn't go duelist, I could wear a shield with this.

Also, Belier's Bite adds 1d4 bleeding damage to any unarmed strike that lands (but not cumulative), be a nice feat for a few points of extra damage.


Dukai wrote:
@Nicos - I saw that and originally passed it by cuz I was focusing on getting my AC through the roof. However, if I dropped Combat Expertise and picked this up in it's place, my AC would drop to 65 while my damage would go up another 10. The Tarrasque would still only be able to hit me on a natural 20. Granted his free grab would be guaranteed to land, so I guess I'll have to invest in a ring of freedom of movement as well =)

Note that the penalty of riky striker, unlike power attack/piranha strike/deadly aim, do not increase with levels.

So it is a -1 to AC for a +12 to damage.

The Exchange

Holy cow even better! It'd be only 10 dmg for me tho as my BAB will only hit 17. Thanks for pointing that out.

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Risky Striker has strange (possibly off-RAI) wording actually, and rather than "When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every +4 thereafter" as Deadly Aim has, it says "When your base attack bonus reaches +4 and every four levels thereafter". So it only matters when your BAB hits +4, then it keeps scaling.

Anyway, it's nice to see another Halfling duelist build. Those feats that they get are pretty neat. I'm playing an Aldori version right now, though it is 25 PB: http://www.dndsheets.net/view.php?id=42084
(Note: This build gives me Agile with the Aldori sword via the PrC, which saves a bit of money, or in my case, allows you to damage without relying on magic items if your DM is not giving them out. Our DM favors giving powerful items to the wizard for some reason).

I used to use Blundering Defense, but my allies never stand on the front lines with me, so the DM let me trade it out. I really like Blundering Defense though, if you have the right party for it.


Risky Strike makes want to make a Halfling Fighter with the Dervish Dance feat and potions of Reduce Person.


Nicos wrote:

Risky Striker (Combat, Halfling)

You can make yourself a little more vulnerable to larger creatures in order to land a devastating blow.

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, halfling.

Benefit: You can choose to take a –1 penalty to AC to gain a +2 bonus on melee damage rolls against creatures two or more size categories larger than you. When your base attack bonus reaches +4 and every four levels thereafter, the damage increases by 2. The bonus damage is multiplied in the case of a critical hit. You can only choose to use this feat when you declare that you are making an attack action or a full-attack action with a melee weapon. The effects last until your next turn.

Perfect for my silly halfling barbarian.

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