I've started thinking about this idea for a Monk/Inquisitor character, and want opinions as to how to improve it. Take 2 levels of Monk, the rest in Inquisitor.
Level 1: LN Human Monk, Master of Many Styles. Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Snake Style (bonus), Improved Grapple, Scorpion Style.
Level 2: Inquisitor of Sivanah (bladed scarf proficiency), Persistence Inquisition. Free feat: Step Up
Level 3: Evasion, Combat Reflexes, Kirin Style (bonus)
Continue as Inquisitor from there. Thoughts about how to continue? I think so much more about the early levels...
I wouldn't take Scorpion Style. Even if you go Unarmed, its not particularly great. I think you'd be better off with Crane Style (assuming you can use the scarf one-handed -- I'm not familiar with it). Even post-nerf Crane style is still strong as the nerf didn't affect the AC bonuses, just the auto-miss.
If you're starting at level 1, take inquisitor first.
Why? I'm using Monk to have the IUS for free, allowing me to take IG at first. Taking Inquisitor first prevents that.
Bump! I want more thoughts about this...
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Well, If you worship Irori, you get IUS as a bonus feat as an Inquisitor, but that prevents bladed scarf for free. I also don't see Kirin being worth it on a Monk/Inquisitor. Honestly, I don't see it being worth it ever, but especially for a Monk/Inquisitor who is by default one of the MADest classes out there and INT is one of your most dumpable stats.
Why Kirin style and what do you plan to do with the build? Why are you taking those feats and what would you like to do in the end? Hard to give advice without a goal or knowing what you have planned.
The idea is a form of spellcaster grappler, but by remaining mostly Inquisitor, having a number of non-Monk tricks and weapons available for everything else.
With Persistence Inquisition, Step Up, and Scorpion Style, I should be able to approach a spellcaster and always be in the spellcaster's face.
Snake style will be the main style I advance, combining Snake Style and Stern Gaze to maximize Sense Motive and its combat utilization.
Monster Lore allows me to use my Wisdom in addition to Intelligence for knowledge checks to identify monsters. I wouldn't focus on using Int for my knoweldge checks, but Wisdom. For this character, Wisdom, then Strength and Dexterity, are important. Intelligence and Charisma won't matter as much. But then again, I don't expect to have an 18 anything for this character at 1st--and I expect it to be fine.
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I know you can use WIS for the knowledge checks, but even still, Kirin Style on it's own only gives a +2 to saves vs that enemy and a +2 to AC vs AoOs only. Not to mention taking swift actions to use, which as an inquisitor, you will want for judgements. Also, all of this will conflict with using Snake Style for sense motive defensively, as Snake Style requires an immediate action to use.
Swift action economy is really going to make this not work as well as you are hoping.
If you're getting 2 bonus style feats without needing to meet the prereqs, why not get them both in the same style? Focus a little. You can't use 2 different styles at once (other than scorpion style, since it's not a style feat despite the name.)
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If you're getting 2 bonus style feats without needing to meet the prereqs, why not get them both in the same style? Focus a little. You can't use 2 different styles at once (other than scorpion style, since it's not a style feat despite the name.)
Actually, you can use two style feats at once as a master of many styles.
So Kirin Style isn't all that valuable. Instead, I could choose Snake Sidewind as my second style feat.
I guess this still interferes with the judgments... but I haven't actually used the Inquisitor enough to know: how often is the judgment changed mid-combat? Otherwise, you use one to start the style, one to start the judgment, and all others would be for style defense. That doesn't seem bad to me.
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So Kirin Style isn't all that valuable. Instead, I could choose Snake Sidewind as my second style feat.
I guess this still interferes with the judgments... but I haven't actually used the Inquisitor enough to know: how often is the judgment changed mid-combat? Otherwise, you use one to start the style, one to start the judgment, and all others would be for style defense. That doesn't seem bad to me.
Honestly, as a two level MOMS dip, I like skipping Snake Sidewind and going strait to Snake Fang. Sidewind is decent, but an AoO on any miss is better.
If I just went without the monk level entirely and stuck with straight Inquisitor, I could do...
1: Human Inquisitor of Sivanah, Persistence Inquisition. Free feat: Step Up. Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple.
2:
3: Snake Style, Coordinated Maneuvers
4:
5: Combat Reflexes
6: Lookout
7: Snake Sidewind
8:
9: Greater Grapple, Paired Opportunists
...
Something like this?
If I add a level of monk, I might as well go Maneuver Master instead, and I start looking like this...
1: Human Inquisitor of Sivanah, Persistence Inquisition. Free feat: Step Up. Feats: Combat Reflexes, Agile Maneuvers.
2: Maneuver Master, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple
3: Snake Style
4: Coordinated Maneuvers
5: Weapon Finesse
6:
7: Lookout, Snake Sidewind
8:
9: Greater Grapple
10: Paired Opportunists
11: Snake Fang
Two levels of monk, I'm back to MOMS and it goes like this:
1: Human Inquisitor of Sivanah, Persistence Inquisition. Free feat: Step Up. Feats: Combat Reflexes, Agile Maneuvers.
2: MOMS, Improved Unarmed Strike, Snake Style
3: MOMS, Evasion, Snake Fang, Improved Grapple
4: Inquisitor
5: Coordinated Maneuvers, Weapon Finesse
6:
7: Snake Sidewind
8: Lookout
9: Greater Grapple
10:
11: Paired Opportunists, Hamatula Strike
12:
13: Pinning Rend
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If you qualify for a style feat at monk level 1, like Crane Style, then start your Master of Many Styles build with monk.
If you qualify for a style feat at monk level 3, like Snake Style, then delay your monk levels until character level 3 and 4.
It's all about the bonus feats. Why waste a MoMS bonus feat on a style you can get with a leveled feat?
L1 Inq
L2 Inq
L3 Monk, now use your L3 feat on Snake Style, and your Monk Bonus on Snake Fang
L4 Monk, using your Monk Bonus on Snake Sidewind
So, you're thinking something like this?
1: Inq, Step Up, Combat Reflexes, Agile Maneuvers.
2: Inq
3: MOMS, Improved Unarmed Strike, Snake Style, Snake Fang
4: MOMS, Evasion, Snake Sidewind
5: Coordinated Maneuvers, Improved Grapple
6:
7: Weapon Finesse
8: Lookout
9: Greater Grapple
10:
11: Paired Opportunists, Hamatula Strike
12:
13: Pinning Rend
I might stick with Str 14 Dex 14, though, in which case I get rid of Agile Maneuvers and Weapon Finesse. In any case, this doesn't actually look a whole lot better. I get Snake Sidewind three levels earlier, but take IUS a level later and IG and WF two levels later. Taking IG earlier is better, with this build.
Without the Agile Maneuvers and Weapon Finesse:
1: Inq, Step Up, Combat Reflexes, Following Step.
2: Inq
3: MOMS, Improved Unarmed Strike, Snake Style, Snake Fang
4: MOMS, Evasion, Snake Sidewind
5: Coordinated Maneuvers, Improved Grapple
6:
7: Enforcer
8: Lookout
9: Greater Grapple
10:
11: Paired Opportunists, Hamatula Strike
12:
13: Pinning Rend
I have a monk/inquisitor/rogue
I have high str and wis, dumped int and cha
I use the thug/enforcer combo and inquisitor to use wis for social skills.
I find it very effective. Being able to flurry and take multiple attacks that can frighten people is pretty awesome.
I'm necroing this. In light of the MOMS nerfing and the Unchained Monk, a lot of this would change. Now I'm seeing something like this:
1: Inq, Step Up, Combat Reflexes, Following Step.
2: Inq
3: UMonk, Improved Unarmed Strike, Snake Style, Improved Grapple, Stunning Fist
4: Inq, Coordinated Maneuvers
5: Inq, Enforcer
6: UMonk, Evasion, Scorpion Style
7: Inq, Snake Sidewind
8: Inq, Lookout
9: Inq, Snake Fang
10: Inq
11: Inq, Paired Opportunists, Hamatula Strike
12: Inq
Thoughts?