Druid Monk Build


Advice

Dark Archive

I'm considering a druid monk build for PFS and would like some advice. I've played monks before and love them, but I've never played a druid, but I love the idea of them. What I'm looking for here, concept wise, is to build the character around the idea of taking Shaping Focus, a feat which allows you to count up to 4 non-druid levels toward the druid's wild shape ability. Ultimately this will mean my druid monk will be wild-shaping into elementals to go kung-fu on the bad guys.

Other than that, I'm not sure what to do with the build. I want most of all for his "mountain style kung-fu" trick to be an effective combat tactic. He's to be a tank and a powerhouse. What else besides levels in monk and Shaping Focus would I need for such a build? What ability scores should I favor and which should I dump? Any specific feats or skills I should ensure I have? Any spells which would help the build out?

Thanks!


STR, WIS primary concerns.

DEX, CON secondary priority.

CHA and INT are dump stats.

Consider the "Powerful Build" feat to be considered a size category larger for CMB/CMD purpose.

Have you chosen a race? If not, I highly recommend human because you're going to need as many feats as you can get your hands on to pull this off.

So, you're wanting basically, what, a DPS tank here?

If so, you can do Weapon Focus (Natural Attack of choice) and the TWF line up to TW Rend to maximize attacks and accuracy, also Power Attack and Hammer the Gap to maximize damage during a flurry.

For skills, you want Acrobatics and Perception always maxed out.

If you're going spellcaster, make sure Spellcraft is also maxed.

If you're going animal companion, make sure Handle Animal is maxed.

Dark Archive

I'm open to race suggestions, but human is the default.

DPS tank is pretty much what I'm looking for.


(plays Druids and Monks almost exclusively)

Oddly enough, I have never ever considered combining them.


Also consider Dodge, Wind Stance, and/or Deflect Arrows to protect a bit against ranged attacks.


As a human, take a look at the Mooncaller Archetype for access to lowlight vision and Damage Reduction. The Master of Many Styles Archetype is nice if you want to continue the elemental theme in your four monk levels, and the Tetori Archetype is perfect for a 4-level monk dip if you like combat maneuvers.


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So here I distill my thoughts on the subject:

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2oat1&page=2?Way-of-the-Angry-Bear-2-Bear-F isted-Fighting

If you don't want to slog through the thread, here is the build I came up with eventually:

So here is the strength counterpart to my wisdom build at the beginning:

Quote:

LN Human Monk(MoMS,Qinggong) 10/Druid(Menhir Savant) 10

Stats:

Str 16 -> 18 (Human Stat Boost)
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 8

Traits:

Magical Knack (+2 CL up to character level)
Reactionary (+2 initiative)

Feats:

Human: Dodge
Monk 1: Crane Style
Monk 1 (Bonus): Crane Wing, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
Monk 1 / Druid 2: Dragon Style
Monk 2 / Druid 2: Dragon Ferocity
Monk 3 / Druid 2: Monastic Legacy
Monk 3 / Druid 4: Shaping Focus
Monk 3 / Druid 6: Natural Spell
Monk 4 / Druid 7: Planar Wild Shape
Monk 6 / Druid 7: Janni Style
Monk 6 (Bonus) / Druid 7: Janni Rush
Monk 8 / Druid 7: Power Attack
Monk 10 / Druid 7: Tiger Style
Monk 10 (Bonus) / Druid 7: Tiger Pounce
Monk 10 / Druid 9: Multiattack

Tai Chi Allosaurus, strength version. Pouncing for 24d8 damage per unarmed strike, massive strength bonus to unarmed damage and quite effective from level 1, if I do say so myself.

I think I've come up with a more streamlined version in the meantime.

If you're interested, just ask.

prototype00


prototype00 wrote:

So here I distill my thoughts on the subject:

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2oat1&page=2?Way-of-the-Angry-Bear-2-Bear-F isted-Fighting

If you don't want to slog through the thread, here is the build I came up with eventually:

So here is the strength counterpart to my wisdom build at the beginning:

Quote:

LN Human Monk(MoMS,Qinggong) 10/Druid(Menhir Savant) 10

Stats:

Str 16 -> 18 (Human Stat Boost)
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 8

Traits:

Magical Knack (+2 CL up to character level)
Reactionary (+2 initiative)

Feats:

Human: Dodge
Monk 1: Crane Style
Monk 1 (Bonus): Crane Wing, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
Monk 1 / Druid 2: Dragon Style
Monk 2 / Druid 2: Dragon Ferocity
Monk 3 / Druid 2: Monastic Legacy
Monk 3 / Druid 4: Shaping Focus
Monk 3 / Druid 6: Natural Spell
Monk 4 / Druid 7: Planar Wild Shape
Monk 6 / Druid 7: Janni Style
Monk 6 (Bonus) / Druid 7: Janni Rush
Monk 8 / Druid 7: Power Attack
Monk 10 / Druid 7: Tiger Style
Monk 10 (Bonus) / Druid 7: Tiger Pounce
Monk 10 / Druid 9: Multiattack

Tai Chi Allosaurus, strength version. Pouncing for 24d8 damage per unarmed strike, massive strength bonus to unarmed damage and quite effective from level 1, if I do say so myself.

I think I've come up with a more streamlined version in the meantime.

If you're interested, just ask.

prototype00

wouldn't you need feral combat training in there somewhere so you can use all your monk-eeness with your wild shapes? or do monks not need to do that?


Not needed. Feral combat training is only if you want to sub in your natural attacks into flurry of blows. Masters of Many Styles don't get flurry, so they can just attack normally and tack on the natural attacks at the end of theire iterative attack routine (at a penalty).

prototype00


How precisely does he qualify for Planar Wild Shape? Neither of those classes have Knowledge (Planes)?


You just need 5 ranks in it. Just put ranks in the skill. The feat doesn't require it to be a class skill.

prototype00


Oh, my bad. I'm at work, no access to my books.


I have been toying around with a build for a campaign I am currently level two in. It focuses on grappling, without taking any archetype.It is an unchained monk tho.

Here is how it will go:

Race: Human
Stats: 16, 17, 10, 10, 18, 6
First level: Monk- take improved grapple as bonus, and deadly grappler as first level feat. Human secondary feat I gave up for an extra plus 2 str (gm said ok, so I did it)

Second Level: Monk- took combat reflexes as bonus feat, gained evasion. Now have a +2 Bab

Third Level: Druid- Weather or Air Domain: 2 first level druid spells. One of which will be shilleleigh. Cast on quarterstaff have a magical quartestaff, each end 2d6. FoB with quarter staff now +5/+5 4d6+6 at level 3. Also you boost up that will save.

(note: I had to take the second level of monk first, because my GM is anal about druids and how they make horrible adventurers and required me to actually do RP elements to gain a class level. So when I leveled up to second I could not just take Druid, had to find a shrine he hid in a faraway area and meditate there for so many days)

Fourth Level:Druid- Gain a Bab, woodland stride and another first level spell.

fifth level : Monk- Gain a Bab, Ki Pool, Ki strike(magic) and fast movement 10.

6th level: Monk- Gain a Bab, and your damage die for unarmed increases to d8 making your grapple damage 2d6 with deadly grappler

7th Level: Druid- Gain a Bab putting you at BaB 6 and letting you take greater grappler. Your grapple damage will now equal your shileleigh FoB.

8th Level: Druid- Gain Wild Shape and you now got 3 second level spells to play with.

9th level: Druid - take Shape Focus, gain access to 2 3rd level spells. You can now wildshape 3/day into Huge creatures.

here is why this is important: Wild Shape operates off of polymorph, which states that you lose class features dependant upon form. So if you shape into a Huge creature that can do an unarmed attack. Like a headbut, Kick, tail slash (GM discretion on this one), Punch you get to keep the class feature which bumps up the damage die for monk. Right now its sitting at a d8. Now you've got the natural attacks of whatever creature your shaped into, here is where it gets grey. Back at first level you took deadly grappler which simply makes your grapple damage as if a category size larger. So if your a medium monk with a d8, your grapple damage is 2d6. If your a Large animal capable of an unarmed attack your grapple damage is 3d6. If your a Huge creature capable of an unarmed attack your grapple damage is 6d6. coupled with greater grappler your looking at 12d6 grapple damage a round.

Your initially thinking wait, what. But the Monk class ability for increasing unarmed damage treats a monks hand, head, foot (whatever the unarmed attack is made with) as a natural weapon. And effectively increases the size die during level progression. At level 1 your d4 is increased to a d6, at 4th level a d6 becomes a d8. Following that progression and the fact when you increase the size of the monk a d8 becomes 2d6 by the chart it does give you. From there you take the same jump up to account for the monks class ability bumping up the die. So Huge unarmed is 3d6 from there the deadly grappler bumps it up to 6d6. Same jump from a Gargantuan weapon bumping up into colossal...

You will have to sell your GM on this as RAW will not contradict me, but its to vaguely worded on these things to outright support me.

If you play your cards right and your GM allows it you can be the best grapplin monk around. And you got the 3rd level feat and 5th level feat to do whatever it is you want with.

Have not put much thought on how to progress after this point, I will likely wait to see.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this. I spent an entire day going through pfsrd and core books, looking at damage die progressions and for examples of monks that are huge. Or just Huge creatures capable of taking a monk. I added templates, even created a monster that had been awakened and thus able to take levels in monk to see how the die would pan out. This is what I came up with.


asthyril wrote:
prototype00 wrote:

So here I distill my thoughts on the subject:

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2oat1&page=2?Way-of-the-Angry-Bear-2-Bear-F isted-Fighting

If you don't want to slog through the thread, here is the build I came up with eventually:

So here is the strength counterpart to my wisdom build at the beginning:

Quote:

LN Human Monk(MoMS,Qinggong) 10/Druid(Menhir Savant) 10

Stats:

Str 16 -> 18 (Human Stat Boost)
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 8

Traits:

Magical Knack (+2 CL up to character level)
Reactionary (+2 initiative)

Feats:

Human: Dodge
Monk 1: Crane Style
Monk 1 (Bonus): Crane Wing, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
Monk 1 / Druid 2: Dragon Style
Monk 2 / Druid 2: Dragon Ferocity
Monk 3 / Druid 2: Monastic Legacy
Monk 3 / Druid 4: Shaping Focus
Monk 3 / Druid 6: Natural Spell
Monk 4 / Druid 7: Planar Wild Shape
Monk 6 / Druid 7: Janni Style
Monk 6 (Bonus) / Druid 7: Janni Rush
Monk 8 / Druid 7: Power Attack
Monk 10 / Druid 7: Tiger Style
Monk 10 (Bonus) / Druid 7: Tiger Pounce
Monk 10 / Druid 9: Multiattack

Tai Chi Allosaurus, strength version. Pouncing for 24d8 damage per unarmed strike, massive strength bonus to unarmed damage and quite effective from level 1, if I do say so myself.

I think I've come up with a more streamlined version in the meantime.

If you're interested, just ask.

prototype00

wouldn't you need feral combat training in there somewhere so you can use all your monk-eeness with your wild shapes? or do monks not need to do that?

Remember that Feral Combat Training no longer allows you to do your Monk Unarmed Strike Damage with your Natural Attacks. That section of the Feat has been errata'd out of the Feat.

Instead of Druid/Monk, consider Druid/Warpriest. You will be able to do Sacred Weapon Damage with your Natural Attacks. I offered a Druid Warpriest build on the tail end of Prototype00's thread that he linked to.


My necro-sense is tingling!


My Self wrote:
My necro-sense is tingling!

Yeah, but poor prototype00 made a guide. He put a lot of work into it, and Paizo errata'd it out of relevance. I'm just offering a way to make his build concepts work again. He was the OP of the thread, and if the OP can't necro a thread, who can?

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