Stupid gunslingers *grumble grumble*

[I Hate Nickelback]

So, my synthesist summoner died recently due to being shot full of holes by the extremely common gunslingers in my friends campaign that I'm a player in. So, I need help making a monk that has a super high touch AC.

Now, there are two main things I need to accomplish:
1. Really high touch AC/defensive abilities coupled with good enough offense
2. I can't LOOK like a threat until I'm in combat.

My summoner was targeted first (and rightfully so, I'm not complaining) because he was a monster. A person in clothes with no weapons won't be shot first by an ambush.

I don't NEED a monk, but I just figured it'd be best. Anything that fits the above to requirements would be fine. I'm unfamiliar with how to make a monk, really, so any and all advice is welcome.

And... Go!

[Claxon]

You might find that without being a synthesist that the gunslingers seem to disappear, depending on your GM.

[Reynard_the_fox]

Check out Treantmonk's guide. The main focus of it: Str is by far your most important stat, and you should Flurry of Blows as much as possible.

With a high Wis and/or Dex you should have plenty of touch AC. Here's a sample mixed-bag build:

Uncle Iroh:

Dwarven Monk

Point buy (20)
Str 16
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 16
Cha 6

Feats:
1 Improved Unarmed Strike
1 Deflect Arrows (gunslingers you say?)
2 Dodge
3 Dragon Style
5 Dragon Ferocity
6 Mobility
7 your choice
9 Dragon Roar
10 Snatch Arrows (dead gunslingers you say?)

So there's a guy that can appear perfectly harmless, then charge straight across the battlefield, dodging any attacks in the way and ignoring difficult terrain, and murder some gunslingers.

Have fun! Remember to use Stunning Fist, that move is awesome.

[Kimera757]

Wearing no armor and carrying no weapon might make you look like a spellcaster and make you the target. Sometimes enemies are genre aware! I'd recommend carrying a lute.

A level of wizard or sorcerer could give you a Wand of Shield, which stacks with all your monk(ey) goodness. But the action economy might make this a bad idea.

[awp832]

start with deflect arrows.

the rest is sort of unimportant.

[Nicos]

I Hate Nickelback wrote:

I don't NEED a monk, but I just figured it'd be best. Anything that fits the above to requirements would be fine. I'm unfamiliar with how to make a monk, really, so any and all advice is welcome.

And... Go!

What kind of monk? The one with highes touch AC is probably a sensei that max wisdom and dex (or maybe a zen archer for the same reasons).

It also depends on party composition, if you need to deal damage then zen archer is probably teh best option, if you want support then sensei is great.

[I Hate Nickelback]

I hate genre aware enemies. And I hate nickel back...

Why dragon style? I've never understood what's so great about that style. I've always liked crane and snake styles for a defensive character.

Your comment about people thinking him a mage got me thinking. Is an empyreal sorc/monk/EK effective using my fists? I've heard it suggested but never seen an actual build.

Thanks for the advice so far. Keep it coming please.

[MrSin]

I Hate Nickelback wrote:

Why dragon style? I've never understood what's so great about that style.

Dragon style and Dragon Ferocity increase the strength bonus to your unarmed damage. Makes your unarmed strikes more fierce and viable.

[ShadowcatX]

Claxon wrote:

You might find that without being a synthesist that the gunslingers seem to disappear, depending on your GM.

For what it is worth, this made me chuckle and nod.

[Master of the Dark Triad]

ShadowcatX wrote:

Claxon wrote:

You might find that without being a synthesist that the gunslingers seem to disappear, depending on your GM.

For what it is worth, this made me chuckle and nod.

My GM is too naive and new at this. The whole campaign revolves around guns and stuff, so he can't really remove it.

[Axebeard]

Whatever you do, don't multiclass, or at least into something that requires investment to start working. If you're really worried about being mistake for a spellcaster, don't burn a level and buy wands that will be consumed, just buy a hat of disguise. If your party has a frontliner and you just want straight-up power, Zen Archer is probably the way to go. And if you've got a bow, well, most spellcasters don't run around with their bow drawn. Too busy holding rods, staves, and the like.

The problem with the Monk class is that none of their abilities work together. Flurry of blows is cool, increased movement speed is cool, and teleportation is cool, but you can't flurry of blows on the same round you use your increased move speed, or teleport. Archery solves that problem by making movement speed and teleportation largely irrelevant except as escapes, and zen archery reduces MAD by making dex less important.

[CWheezy]

Maybe uh, grapple and disarm them?

Sunder the guns? Step up and combat reflexes, because reloading AND shooting provoke.

Disarming seems like the best option, or stealing. Combined with step up you will be annoying

EDIT: Being a zen archer seems great, just never fight in the gunslingers range.

Run away until you are far away, then snipe them at lesuire

[Threeshades]

CWheezy wrote:

Maybe uh, grapple and disarm them?

Sunder the guns? Step up and combat reflexes, because reloading AND shooting provoke.

I'm a buff monk that can fight like a man,

I can quiver my palm,
I can stun with my hand!
I'm a tough tootin' monk
and I can sunder yo guns,
Sunder yo guns,
I can sunder your guns
If you're a gunslinger
I will punch you for fun!

[williamoak]

While nobody has mentionned this, I might recommend a general dex-build. With a monk, dex-builds can have SILLY high touch AC. If you can get uncanny dodge on top of it, you can never really get ambused. The only issue with dex builds is that they take time to mature, so it could be interesting to know what level you'll be starting at. Here are a few I've made:

Ths Silly swordlord:
this one is functional at low level, but only gets effective at level 6-ish.

The finesse wanderer:
My Photo

An unarmed combat monk that has great touch AC & finesses his unarmed strikes. 2 items that are absolutely necessary though are the monk's robes and an agile amulet of mighty fists. (there are a few mistiques in the sheet,, namely I put the guy as "humanoid:dwarf" when it should be human)

The ideal slinger:

Basically,this is a build that combines ranged & close quarters TWF using a double sling & wakizashi. It can send out as many projectiles as a zen archer with a sling.

Hope you can get inspiration from one of those, they are the highest touch-ac builds I could find in my stuff. I would be curious to know the level you're starting at though. Have fun!

[RainyDayNinja]

You could instead go with a Kensai Magus, who get the Canny Defense ability like a duelist. Assuming a 20 point buy, something like:

Tiefling Magus (Kensai)
7/19/14/18/10/5

1: Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Wakizashi)
2:
3: Piranha Strike, Arcana (familiar for +4 init)
4:
5: Dodge, Arcane Strike
6: Arcana (Spell Shield)
7: Weapon Specialization (Wakizashi)

If you're high enough level to get a +1 Agile wakizashi, you can get solid damage, plus all your spellcasting abilities, and ridiculously high touch AC and initiative.

[Kazaan]

Give em a taste of their own medicine; Monk with 1 level Cleric of Cixyron and Crusader's Flurry to flurry with a musket. You can either dip Musket Master gunslinger or take amateur gunslinger to get your weapon.

Alternatively, a Monk/Pistolero gun-fu practitioner. Go sohei if your GM is of the opinion that weapon training from any class qualifies under sohei's allowance that you can use weapons you have Training for as part of a flurry. Alternatively, MoMS/Pistolero combining Snake+Crane style and just making flat-out full-attacks with the pistol and AoOs with unarmed strikes.

[Fake Healer]

Threeshades wrote:

CWheezy wrote:

Maybe uh, grapple and disarm them?

Sunder the guns? Step up and combat reflexes, because reloading AND shooting provoke.

I'm a buff monk that can fight like a man,

I can quiver my palm,
I can stun with my hand!
I'm a tough tootin' monk
and I can sunder yo guns,
Sunder yo guns,
I can sunder your guns
If you're a gunslinger
I will punch you for fun!

I picked my daughter up a "puncha yo buns" t-shirt that has become her favorite very quickly...that one and her Fiona shirt.

[Ciaran Barnes]

Is there a monk archetype with a Flurry of Bullets class feature?

[Kolokotroni]

Ciaran Barnes wrote:

Is there a monk archetype with a Flurry of Bullets class feature?

If you can use 3rd party material, a Talented Monk can flury with any weapon he chooses the fighting style edge for, that includes firearms. You'd still need to be able to reload them. But 1handed firearms, alchemical cartridges and rapid reload does that.

[Kazaan]

Alternatively, just pick up a pair of these. I'm sure they'd count as Cestus for flurry.

[Hogeyhead]

You know high touch ac isn't your only option, it's a good one but you could instead be a save or suck sorcerer/wizard with the defensive spells like mirror image and greater invisibility they will be hard pressed to hit you, and dominate person should work as well, they have alright but not good will saves. Have them kill each other. if touch AC is a huge issue for you dip into lore oracle one level and get sidestep secret for cha to ac, ref, cmd. higher levels your touch ac should be at least 20

[Kazaan]

Sidestep Secret only applies to AC and Reflex, not CMD. It's also limited by your armor's max Dex and it's a supernatural ability so it shuts off if magic is shut off (ie. anti-magic field). Nature's Whispers is the superior ability as it doesn't include a max dex limit, it applies to both AC and CMD (though, not Reflex, admittedly), and it's an Extraordinary ability so it can't be turned off with anti-magic.