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What is really the point of Monkey Style? I am absolutely enamored with the idea of a character who can fight effectively while prone, but I'm not sure what, mechanically, is the benefit to doing so (besides not providing soft cover to enemies, I suppose?). I am building a drunken monk, and I envision staggering drunkenly up to an enemy, taking a wild swing at his face... and then falling over prone in front of him as a free action like I've tripped (only to surprise him by being just as competent on the floor as on my feet).
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While I'm thinking about it, could a prone Drunken Master use his drunken ki to move about while on the ground?
As long as he has at least 1 drunken ki point, the monk can spend 1 ki point as a swift action to move 5 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity.
I also can't find the rules on moving while prone. The "Conditions" page just says this:
The character is lying on the ground. A prone attacker has a –4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use a ranged weapon (except for a crossbow). A prone defender gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, but takes a –4 penalty to AC against melee attacks.
Standing up is a move-equivalent action that provokes an attack of opportunity.
It's good if you have allies with reach weapons and/or ranged weapons. It's also a solid defense against ranged weapons. So in the right party or against certain enemy compositions it can be ok.
Take the next feat in the chain if you want to move when prone. As far as the drunken ki movement..... I have no idea if it would work. I'd error on the side of caution and say no if you are doing PFS otherwise consult your GM. My two cents would be that when/if you get Monkey Moves it would work as you actually have a crawling movement speed at that point.
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Are you kidding?
The ability to stand up from prone without provoking attacks of opportunity is a very rare option in the game that can save your life. There's nothing worse than having something adjacent to you when you're low on health and they've just tripped you.
Add to that the other less useful benefits, this is a great boon to a character.
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What is really the point of Monkey Style? I am absolutely enamored with the idea of a character who can fight effectively while prone, but I'm not sure what, mechanically, is the benefit to doing so (besides not providing soft cover to enemies, I suppose?). I am building a drunken monk, and I envision staggering drunkenly up to an enemy, taking a wild swing at his face... and then falling over prone in front of him as a free action like I've tripped (only to surprise him by being just as competent on the floor as on my feet).
Monkey Style (Combat, Style)
Your unarmed fighting style is nimble and unpredictable, full of ground rolls and short leaps.Benefit: You add your Wisdom bonus on Acrobatics checks. While using this style, you take no penalty on melee attack rolls or to AC while prone. Further, you can crawl and stand up from lying prone without provoking attacks of opportunity, and you can stand up as a swift action if you succeed at a DC 20 Acrobatics check.
Essentially, tripping or proning you would just be a waste of an opponent's skill, and you would have a +4 vs Ranged while crab-walking around.
That's pretty sick if you ask me, especially if you plan on tripping foes often, and at some point fail by 10+ vs their CMD and end up tripping yourself.
For a Trip-based character, this is an incredibly useful Style(especially if you're all about some Wisdom). Being Prone as a Melee/Front-Liner is terrifying. It can mean the difference between life and death easily.
Monkey Moves (Combat)
You scramble around your foes, moving and striking in an erratic fashion.
Benefit: While using Monkey Style, you gain a Wisdom bonus on Climb checks. You can also can climb and crawl at half your speed; you can take a 5-foot step by jumping, crawling, or climbing; and you retain your Dexterity bonus to AC while climbing. Further, while using Monkey Style, when you use your unarmed strike to hit an opponent twice or more on your turn, you can spend a swift action to take a 5-foot step even if you have moved this round.
Climbing is GREAT. I like to climb on initial rounds and "Mario Stomp" people, along with my standard attack. It kind of makes up for not being able to flurry too often.
Monkey Shine (Combat)
You combine acrobatics and opportunity to devastating effect against your opponent.
Benefit: While using Monkey Style, if you successfully deliver a Stunning Fist attempt, in addition to the normal effect of Stunning Fist, you can spend a free action to enter a square adjacent to you that is within your opponent’s space. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. While you are in your opponent’s space, you gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC and a +4 bonus on melee attack rolls against that opponent. If otherwise unhindered, the opponent can move away from you, but if he does, he provokes an attack of opportunity from you even if his choice of movement does not normally do so.
This is a SUPER way to set up on someone - though obviously you need a lot of Wisdom to keep that SF DC high. If you do get that stunning fist though, you can move into their square FOR FREE, trip them with great ease, and then end up with "effectively" a +8 vs their attacks and +8 to hit them(the accurate status is them having a -8 to hit you, and having a -8 to their AC total). Now, he more than likely wont' move away since he's tripped. If he does, you still get an AoO vs his now, AC minus 8. It's a great way to get a lot of likely hits... but it all depends on that initial SF.
Finish up that full-round attack :)
Monkey Style "... you can crawl and stand up from lying prone without provoking attacks of opportunity..."
Then
Monkey Moves "...You can also can climb and crawl at half your speed; you can take a 5-foot step by jumping, crawling, or climbing..."
Crawling at half speed without provoking attacks of opportunity?
Monkey Style "... you can crawl and stand up from lying prone without provoking attacks of opportunity..."
Then
Monkey Moves "...You can also can climb and crawl at half your speed; you can take a 5-foot step by jumping, crawling, or climbing..."
Crawling at half speed without provoking attacks of opportunity?
What's hilarious is the monk speed boosts.
Fighter: They're sniping us, retreat!!
Monk: *crawls faster than the fighter can hustle*
Fighter: Wait...what?
Even half speed, monk moving without provoking attacks of opportunity is great.
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What is really the point of Monkey Style? I am absolutely enamored with the idea of a character who can fight effectively while prone, but I'm not sure what, mechanically, is the benefit to doing so (besides not providing soft cover to enemies, I suppose?). I am building a drunken monk, and I envision staggering drunkenly up to an enemy, taking a wild swing at his face... and then falling over prone in front of him as a free action like I've tripped (only to surprise him by being just as competent on the floor as on my feet).
Look past Monkey Style by itself. You can literally trip without fear of tripping yourself, and you'll laugh at others when you do get tripped by them. Being tripped is one of the worst as a martial. That and how cool is it to just crabwalk around and not suffer penalties, while kicking ass? Zoidberg style.
Monkey Moves actually let's you climb with a climb speed, bonus to climb checks, gives you a bonus 5foot step, and allows you to do some willy nilly monkey-ing around. Great for getting above an opponent and dropping down on them.
Monkey Shine is... well when it works it's fantastic, but it's relying on that damn Stunning Fist to be successfully delivered. If you can take a level into Cleric and somehow magically convince your GM to let you have the Chaos Domain... Touch of Chaos is what will give your SF a much better chance to succeed(you may want Domain Strike with this or Conductive on an AoMF). Otherwise Ability Focus if your GM allows it, ki intensifying, wisdom bonuses, etc. It's still good to try and keep the DC up. A cheaper way around it is to take the archetype of Hamatulatsu Master as you can get a couple different effects with your SF that actually make it a Will save instead of Fort. Though I don't think that will combine with Drunken Master. +4 to AC and Attack is ridiculous, top it off if they leave that square they provoke, and if they try to leave your threatened area they provoke again.
AoOs are great for Monks... welcome to Trip/Disarm city. That's why I love Snake Fang so much.
I remember a thread not too long ago about making a useful Fight with Monkey Style that kept dropping prone, hitting people. and jumping back up.
I forget the feat train, but I know there is a feat that negates the penalties for being prone.
I remember a thread not too long ago about making a useful Fight with Monkey Style that kept dropping prone, hitting people. and jumping back up.
I forget the feat train, but I know there is a feat that negates the penalties for being prone.
Intrepid Rescuer - The art of tactical napping
Pick up Monkey Style to negate penalties for being prone, and then Intrepid Rescuer to gain Attack of Opportunity against anyone who tries to hit you.
The feat was probably not intended to function for the taker of the feat, but since you count as your own ally the feat is pretty stupid right now.
Ever heard of Dog Boxing Kung-fu? It was created by a Buddhist Nuns who had been victims of footbinding, so they were unable to stand or walk without crutches, making the style all about the ground game.
It would require talking to the GM, but a character who is faster and only really combat effective while crawling could be interesting.