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SO, I wanted to make a staff wielding warrior, much like the staff martial artists you see in movies and shows/animes. I was looking at the monk class and archetypes for this. I was wondering if it would be better to go Sohei, weapon adept, martial artist, flowing monk, or MoMS.
If you have other suggestions please list them!
Also, build from level 1
25pt buy, core classes.
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Weaboo Fightan Magic
Yeah, if willing to go Anime Inspiration, Staff Magus is your go-to Class for this. And really pretty awesome.
Call magic ki or chi
BAM! magus is now a monk!
Don't assume class = theme. It leads to bad mechanical choices to fill a concept.
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I didn't know about the staff magus, but I am already playing a monk :(, that aside, here is a monk layout, as I kinda want to play a monk again. (its for an AP) so if you can help here I appreciate it :3.
weapon adept/manuever master
Human 25pt
Str:18
Dex:12
Con:14
Int:10
Wis:16
Cha:8
Feats-
Improved Trip, Combat reflexes, vicious Stomp.
The idea is to combine the damage from FoB and weapon master with the free trip attempt at early levels. ( does FoM replace FoB, rendering full attacks at the normal +15/10/5? I will be sad monkey)
another thought I had was flowing monk/sacred mountain monk
Str:12
Dex:18
Con:14
Int:10
Wis:16
Cha:8
not sure for the feats.
AHHH, so many ideas/monks, only one can win.. I need help T.T
I don't understand.
How are you able to pick different starting stats, but locked into playing a monk?
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there certain things I want to do with a monk, the backstory is pure monk, I don't feel like coming up with another one.
Its me being picky ok :P (mostly)
Can you please just help me make a monk :3. (multiclassing is perfectly fine though! just not like. wizards or casters, though paladins are ok, if I did that champion of Irori seems good.)
again I understand concept>class, I just want to play a monk and make use of some of the really nice archetypes.
another thing Is I just dislike spell casters in general :/
Weaboo Fightan MagicYeah, if willing to go Anime Inspiration, Staff Magus is your go-to Class for this. And really pretty awesome.
One nitpicky note on this: Fighting with a staff was actually fairly common in medieval Europe, at least for travelers and the like. If you ever read Robin Hood stories you'll find that the staff is used at least as often as the sword in duels, if not more. This may have had to do with the fact that you couldn't afford a sword if you were a peasant, and if you had one you might be thought of as suspicious / dangerous. I've always loved staff-wielding characters in D&D with lower class backgrounds for these reasons.
there certain things I want to do with a monk, the backstory is pure monk, I don't feel like coming up with another one.
Its me being picky ok :P (mostly)
Can you please just help me make a monk :3. (multiclassing is perfectly fine though! just not like. wizards or casters, though paladins are ok, if I did that champion of Irori seems good.)
again I understand concept>class, I just want to play a monk and make use of some of the really nice archetypes.
another thing Is I just dislike spell casters in general :/
Hm... Do you mind showing us your backstory, perhaps? I'd feel more comfortable making suggestions if I knew what it was.
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quick overview
-found as a child by his soon to be master, his master tought him that all things have balance, and that all things are "right" in some way. He eventually leaves the monastery life to travel, he believes that Traveling the world and learning all the martial disciplines and coming to understand all other beliefs (even evil ones) all the while honing his spirit will lead to true enlightenment, perfect body, and peace. He never is the one to swing the first blow, but will always come to aid his loved ones (few though they are)
Its for the new mummy's mask(?) AP
I left it sorta open, for reasons, I am still not sure a staff user is the best fit, I was also considering MoMS.
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Class names do not define you.
You could be a Lawful Good Longsword/Shield wielding fighter of justice, in Fullplate, but only have levels in Rogue.
You could even be known as a Paladin. Your Sneak Attack is how you "Smite" your enemies.
This revelation has soiled some drawers before, but I swear to you, it is true.
If your character is trying to learn all the martial disciplines, he'd need to know how to wield martial weapons effectively too, IMO. His favored weapon may be the staff, but keep in mind that you have a lot of options available to you with this concept.
Monk would not be my first choice for this character, but if I were you, I'd look at how you can use Stunning Fist and combat maneuvers to your advantage. Staves aren't the highest damaging weapons around, so you need a little something else to do besides hit things with your stick.
Do you know what sort of role you want to fulfill on the battlefield? Straight-up damage dealer? Support character? The inflicter of bad things on enemies (such as with Trip or Dirty Trick) to make it easier for your allies to kill them?
If you're looking for raw damage, there are better people than me to offer you advice. I'm an optimizer, not a power-gamer, so I don't know the ins and outs of making the most of a monk for purposes of killing things. I'm still stuck in a 3.5 D&D mindset of "The monk is a bad class!" at times, when I know that isn't really true anymore. So, the following ideas I offer you will be focused more on combat utility and the like, and are based off of my experiences with various types of fighters more than anything. Take that as you will.
Since Monk is a must for you, I'd seriously be looking at Maneuver Master. Let's face it: Some of the maneuvers you can perform are downright deadly, and even more so if you can inflict multiple conditions on multiple enemies with them. If you want to focus less on the Monk class, you could probably couple Monk levels with some Fighter levels greased in the Dirty Fighter archetype. Be a half-orc or human with the Racial Heritage feat; get level 9 in that class; combine that with a level of Maneuver Master, which is the class you should take at first level. Enjoy copious amounts of combat maneuvers.
I haven't actually seen one in play, but the Flowing Monk looks very interesting. Constant trip / redirection attempts looks fun, and as immediate actions, too.
If you want to try a Halfling monk (I find it doubtful), the Underfoot Adept is worth looking at for sure. You get to ignore a few penalties for being small for the purposes of Trip; you can move through larger creatures' spaces easily, thus allowing you to maneuver about the battlefield; but you lose Stunning Fist and you'll probably still have damage problems because, y'know, you're Small and you have low Strength.
One of my favorite sets of feats since someone else in another thread pointed it out to me involves the Crane Style feat. In short, you can use this feat in conjunction with the Halfling line of defensive feats (Cautious Fighter; Blundering Defense) with 3 ranks in Acrobatics to get a total bonus of +6 to AC when fighting defensively at the small cost of -2 to hit... and you'll be giving your nearby allies +3 AC as well. Since you're not playing a Halfling (I assume), you'd need the following feat to make it work: Racial Heritage. It's in the Advanced Player's Guide, so I think that's even legal at PFS tables, if that's a concern for you.
Personally, if it were me, I'd focus on the concept of being an "Erudite Warrior" with this character. That is, I would wholeheartedly embrace the concept of playing a learned man who pursues combat and warfare in a scholarly fashion. That is, in fact, the chief concept behind my Fighter (Tactician) character in Pathfinder Society, Amir Hiram: He's an ex-soldier that may not be the best warrior in single combat, but his understanding of tactics, of manipulating the battlefield, and of the history of warfare allows him to help his allies fight a Heck of a lot better. (He's an Aid Another beast, soon to be a Blundering Defense beast too.) It's good for roleplay, and I think it's the right approach for your PC. Every battle is a chance to learn something new; every enemy is to be respected; and each day you survive brings you closer to perfecting your understanding of martial combat.
I second the Monk/Magus dual-class. You said you don't want to play a caster, but there is a ton of flavor, and some good mechanical crunch to it. Especially with the Magus Arcana: Ki Arcana. Ki points and Magus Pool Points become interchangeable. But, if that's not what you want, it's not what you want.
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One nitpicky note on this: Fighting with a staff was actually fairly common in medieval Europe, at least for travelers and the like. If you ever read Robin Hood stories you'll find that the staff is used at least as often as the sword in duels, if not more. This may have had to do with the fact that you couldn't afford a sword if you were a peasant, and if you had one you might be thought of as suspicious / dangerous. I've always loved staff-wielding characters in D&D with lower class backgrounds for these reasons.Weaboo Fightan MagicYeah, if willing to go Anime Inspiration, Staff Magus is your go-to Class for this. And really pretty awesome.
I, at least, meant the over-the-top nature of a lot of anime martial arts was accurately reflected by Magus spellcasting, not that a Magus (or any other staff-fighter) couldn't be western-themed.
I, at least, meant the over-the-top nature of a lot of anime martial arts was accurately reflected by Magus spellcasting, not that a Magus (or any other staff-fighter) couldn't be western-themed.One nitpicky note on this: Fighting with a staff was actually fairly common in medieval Europe, at least for travelers and the like. If you ever read Robin Hood stories you'll find that the staff is used at least as often as the sword in duels, if not more. This may have had to do with the fact that you couldn't afford a sword if you were a peasant, and if you had one you might be thought of as suspicious / dangerous. I've always loved staff-wielding characters in D&D with lower class backgrounds for these reasons.Weaboo Fightan MagicYeah, if willing to go Anime Inspiration, Staff Magus is your go-to Class for this. And really pretty awesome.
D'oh. My apologies. I hope I didn't come off as condescending or rude when I made that post.
How much monk do you want to be? The build I am currently playing starts with a monk fighting two handed with a quarterstaff, but soon moves into druid (for shillelagh and eventually wildshape). Your to hit isn't going to be great at the beginning, but start with enough strength and you are going to hit harder than most in the party.
lvl 1 Monk (whichever, I gave up flurry with the archetypes because I wanted to focus on wildshape later, but you can keep it for longer if you wish)
1d6 + 6 if you wield your quarterstaff two handed and have an 18 str (and are not flurrying).
lvl 1 Monk/lvl 1 Druid
2d6 + 7 with Shillelagh, if you pick a domain with enlarge person, it can go up to 3d6 + 8 once / day which is usually enough to murder most things at 2nd lvl.
I'm mot sure how you want to develop your build further though.
prototype00
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Here is another Idea for him, non-staff fighter, as I do like the staff magus and will look in to it at a later time
Master of many styles/ki mystic/ quingong
I was thinking either
A, going the normal snake fang/dragon first off,
B, going into mantis + monkey styles
Thoughts on this?
I plan to start him off with a weapon and eventually move to unarmed later on as he "learns and grows" in the discipline, with weapons always being there if needed. I just wish MoMS didn't give up FoB.
another idea was ki-mystic/ monk of the four winds.
I took a look at flowing monk and it looks kinda cool.
Though I find it funny you can combine it with only the monk of the sacred mountain... kinda.. weird.
to be honest my first idea was a martial artist, but I am not so sure.
Sohei - a peculiar beast, an armor wearing, weapon wielding monk. can't say I'd recommend it.
Weapon adept - this will give you your staff fighter, but it sacrifices a lot. weapon adept has a limited selection of weapons (look at the perfect strike feat, it specifies which ones you can use)
Martial artist - Not a bad choice. Gives up ki. Combine with mantis style and you can get a pretty nasty stunning fist.
Flowing Monk - pure defense; highest AC, can maneuver enemies. More about battlefield control.
Master of Many styles - totally dependent on the styles you take, of course!
Maneuver Master - can be quite ridiculous at disabling single enemies; difficult mechanics for the flurry.
Here is a martial artist build. Uses cornugon smash and mantis style to be able to stunning fist through the staff. Uses dual talent to get the wisdom up higher.
Zaiho
Male Human (Tian-Min) monk 1 Archetypes Martial Artist,
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3, Senses Perception +8
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DEFENSE
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AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +4 Wis)
hp 11 ((1d8)+3)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +6
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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee quarterstaff +4 (1d6+6)
Melee quarterstaff +2 (1d6+6) and +2 (1d6+4)
Melee flurry of blows +3/+3 (1d6+4)
Special Attacks Flurry of Blows, Stunning Fist (DC 15, or 17 with mantis style)
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TACTICS
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STATISTICS
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Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 8,
Base Atk +0; CMB +4; CMD 19
Feats Cornugon Stun, Deflect Arrows, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +8, Heal +9, Perception +8,
Traits Caretaker, Reactionary,
Languages Common, Minkaian, Tien
SQ ac bonus, alignment, dual talent, weapon and armor proficiency,
Combat Gear
Other Gear quarterstaff, monk's outfit, flurry of blows, 0.0 gp
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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AC Bonus (Ex) When unarmored and unencumbered, you add +4 to your AC and your CMD.
Alignment A martial artist may be of any alignment.
Caretaker As the child of an herbalist or an assistant in a temple infirmary, you often had to assist in tending to the sick and wounded.
Dual Talent Some humans are uniquely skilled at maximizing their natural gifts. These humans pick two ability scores and gain a +2 racial bonus in each of those scores. This racial trait replaces the +2 bonus to any one ability score, the bonus feat, and the skilled traits.
Flurry of Blows (Ex) You can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action.
Monk Bonus Feat
Reactionary You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly.
Stunning Fist (Ex) You gain Stunning Fist as a bonus feat.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
Zaiho
Male Human (Tian-Min) monk 4 Archetypes Martial Artist,
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3, Senses Perception +9
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DEFENSE
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AC 19, touch 18, flat-footed 17 (+1 armor, +1 deflection, +1 Dex, +1 dodge, )
hp 35 ((4d8)+12)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +8
Defensive Abilities evasion,
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OFFENSE
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Speed 40 ft., Fast Movement
Melee masterwork/quarterstaff +1;- +8 (1d6+7)
Melee quarterstaff +1;- (head 1 only) +7 (1d6+5) and masterwork quarterstaff +1;- (head 2 only) +7 (1d6+4)
Melee flurry of blows +6/+6 (1d8+4)
Special Attacks Flurry of Blows, Stunning Fist (DC 17, or DC 19 with Mantis Style)
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TACTICS
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STATISTICS
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Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 19, Cha 8,
Base Atk +3; CMB +8; CMD 25
Feats Cornugon Stun, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mantis Style, Stunning Fist
Skills Acrobatics +7, Climb +9, Heal +12, Knowledge (Religion) +4, Perception +9, Sense Motive +9, Stealth +6,
Traits Caretaker, Reactionary,
Languages Common, Minkaian, Tien
SQ ac bonus, alignment, dual talent, exploit weakness (+8), fast movement, maneuver training, martial arts master, pain points, weapon and armor proficiency,
Combat Gear
Other Gear bracers of armor +1, -;masterwork quarterstaff +1;-, ring of protection +1, monk's outfit, flurry of blows, 400.0 gp
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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AC Bonus (Ex) When unarmored and unencumbered, you add +5 to your AC and your CMD.
Alignment A martial artist may be of any alignment.
Caretaker As the child of an herbalist or an assistant in a temple infirmary, you often had to assist in tending to the sick and wounded.
Dual Talent Some humans are uniquely skilled at maximizing their natural gifts. These humans pick two ability scores and gain a +2 racial bonus in each of those scores. This racial trait replaces the +2 bonus to any one ability score, the bonus feat, and the skilled traits.
Evasion (Ex) You can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks.
Exploit Weakness (Ex) At 4th level, as a swift action, a martial artist can observe a creature or object to find its weak point by making a Wisdom check and adding his monk level against a DC of 10 + the object's hardness or the target's CR. If the check succeeds, the martial artist gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls until the end of his turn, and any attacks he makes until the end of his turn ignore the creature or object's DR or hardness. A martial artist may instead use this ability as a swift action to analyze the movements and expressions of one creature within 30 feet, granting a bonus on Sense Motive checks and Reflex saves and a dodge bonus to AC against that opponent equal to 1/2 his monk level until the start of his next turn. This ability replaces ki pool.
Fast Movement (Ex) You gain an enhancement bonus to your land speed.
Flurry of Blows (Ex) You can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action.
Maneuver Training (Ex) You use your monk level in place of your base attack bonus when calculating your combat maneuver bonus.
Martial Arts Master (Ex) At 4th level, a martial artist may use his monk level to qualify for feats with a fighter level prerequisite when those feats are applied to unarmed strikes or weapons with the monk special quality. This ability replaces slow fall.
Monk Bonus Feat
Pain Points (Ex) At 3rd level, a martial artist's advanced knowledge of humanoid anatomy grants a +1 bonus on critical hit confirmation rolls and increases the DC of his stunning fist and quivering palm by 1. This ability replaces still mind.
Reactionary You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly.
Stunning Fist (Ex) You gain Stunning Fist as a bonus feat.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
At higher levels you could make one head a ki focus weapon and bump the stunning fist DC by another two points.
Also, see if your gm will allow you to take ability focus (stunning fist).
Maybe pick up power attack at 5th?
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here are 4 builds I am considering
Monk martial artist
Str:18
Dex:12
Con:14
Int:10
Wis:16
Cha:8
Feats
Dodge, ???, ???
2-?/
3- Mantis Style
5- weapon focus
7- weapon spec. unarmed
9- Greater weapon focus
11-??
13- weap. spec unarmed.
??/
???
monk, master of many styles/ quingong (or ki mystic not sure)
Same stats as the martial artist
this guys has 2 different Ideas
Idea 1-
1-Mantis Style, Mantis Wisdom, dodge
2- Monkey Style
3-Dragon Style
5-Dragon Ferocity
6-monkey Shine
7- weapon focus Unarmed
9- Elemental Fist
10- Efreet Style
11-???
13-???
Or
Snake Style, Panther Style, Combat reflexes
2- snake fang
3- dragon style
5- dragon ferocity
6-Panther Claw
7- panther parry
9- weapon focus unarmed
10- ???
11- mobility
the other idea I am tossing around is a flowing monk,
Stats
Str:12
Dex:18
Con:14
Int:10
Wis:16
Cha:8
Feats-Combat reflexes, weapon finesse, Agile Maneuvers
2-Improved trip
3-Dodge
5- weapon focus Unarmed
6-ki throw
7-Lightening reflexes
9- Greater trip
10-BodyGuard
11-Lunge
13-???
???
???
thoughts?
Well, I already gave you input on martial artist. You can easily put those weapon focus / specs into staff as well, if you want to keep your original flavor.
If you go flowing monk seriously consider improved reposition - moving the enemy into a flank with rogue (or equivalent) is a nice ability.