Overall, it looks pretty good. The only real issue I see is that you will want to take Precise Shot at level 1, then backfill Point Blank shot at level 2. (Since you don't have to meet the prerequisites, you want the more useful feat first.)
At level 9, you'll want to pick up Clustered Shots.
A couple of suggestions:
Decide whether you want to pick up Snap Shot. If you do, you'll have to burn a feat on Rapid Shot.
I've seen people do OK with the vow of truth in PFS, but you're probably going to have difficulty with the Vow of Silence. (You might have trouble with Vow of Silence in any game, but especially in PFS (because you won't have a regular group of characters who can learn your gestures/sign language/etc.)
You might consider dropping your wisdom to 19 at 1st level. You won't use your wisdom to attack until level 3, and you can bump it back up to 20 at level 4. In exchange for being -1 to hit for 1 level, you have a lot more points to spend on your other stats, like bumping your strength up to do more damage, upping your Dex to improve your AC & Reflex save, or minimizing the penalty from low Int and Charisma. (I would actually take it down to 17 to balance the other stats, but that's just personal preference.)
Your saves are going to be pretty good as a monk anyway, and you have a feat devoted to improving them. You might consider swapping Glory of Old for a different trait, if there was another one you had your eye on.
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I've seen people do OK with the vow of truth in PFS, but you're probably going to have difficulty with the Vow of Silence. (You might have trouble with Vow of Silence in any game, but especially in PFS (because you won't have a regular group of characters who can learn your gestures/sign language/etc.)I have a board with dry erase markers. It should make for interesting RP. It should be noted this character is running through emerald spire starting at level 2.
Yes - but that still won't help in a lot of situations. What if you're the only one to notice something? (not surprising with max perception and your wis) What if you want to keep something secret but tell it quickly? Like if your sense motive catches something? The written messages are worthless for telling things in combat.
I would def. not reccommend.
Vow of truth isn't a big deal since with a crappy Cha you're not gonna face anyway.
Vow of cleanliness wouldn't be bad since you don't really fight unarmed.
The rest generally hurt too much to be worth it.
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It's just so... combat only. I haven't played PFS for about a year, but is this what everyone makes nowadays?
Some do. Some don't. That's one reason I like my bard so much. Myself - I'd have kept the Int at 10 to pick up a couple more skills.
Then again - I've never run an Int below 10, both because I like skills, and because I don't like the idea of roleplaying a moron.
You can't take vows as a Zen Archer because both the vow and the Point Blank Master ability replace Still Mind.
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My PFS Zen Archer is now level 6 and I can offer some thoughts.
1. Cold Iron and Silver are cheap but you will want access to Durable arrows for Adamantium. You will also want Ghost Salt Blanch.
2. I went 14 Str, 14 Dex, 19 Wisdom and regret it. The extra Dex hasn't helped much but I often have both the highest AC and most health in the party and from about levels 3 to 6 I was the frontliner. If you are going full on murder hobo and don't care about out of combat skills you can go with 7 Int. The only skills you really need is Acrobatics and Perception. Use potions or wands for situations where you need to climb or swim.
3. At level 4 assuming you have bought a +2 to Wis item you will have an AC of 10 base +6 Wis +1 Monk +4 Wand of Mage Armor +2 Barkskin +1 Dex =24 AC. 25 if you have bought a Ring of Protection. Being in the front line is relatively safe for you and you won't have to sweat attacks of opportunity for firing in melee or the -4 for shooting past allies.
4. Consider the Reckless Aim feat. +2 to hit an enemy if one of your allies (Or yourself per RAW) are in melee with them. The drawback being -1 to AC and a 5% chance of doing 10 - 15 damage to your ally. Due to the no PVP rules in PFS you will need to sound out your local GMs to see how they will rule on this before taking the feat.
5. Zen Archer tops out in sweetness at level 6 and the only Quinggong ability I really like is Barkskin so at levels 7-9 I plan to go Fighter (Weapon Master). The extra feats are nice but the real goal is the Weapon Training at level 3 + Dueling Gloves will not only make it harder to Disarm or Sunder me but will give me an extra +3 to hit and dmg.
6. I would actually consider skipping Reactionary and maybe taking Wisdom in the Flesh for Acrobatics. If you do choose the life of a frontliner you will need a good Tumble. I even got the Monkey Style feat for the added bonus to Acrobatics.
7. In fact a high Init isn't that useful for you. Your flatfooted AC is only 1 less then your regular one and the later you go the more likely you are to get the benefit of buffs like Bless, Bard Song, Haste, etc...
8. Take Toughness early. You don't have Evasion and at later levels the AOE damage will start hurting even if you make the save.
My PFS Zen Archer is now level 6 and I can offer some thoughts.
1. Cold Iron and Silver are cheap but you will want access to Durable arrows for Adamantium. You will also want Ghost Salt Blanch.
My ZA (Level 8) uses cold iron durable exclusively, with weapon blanches to let them count as two materials for DR. (Alchemical silver has a -1 penalty to damage, if you care.)
3. At level 4 assuming you have bought a +2 to Wis item you will have an AC of 10 base +6 Wis +1 Monk +4 Wand of Mage Armor +2 Barkskin +1 Dex =24 AC. 25 if you have bought a Ring of Protection. Being in the front line is relatively safe for you and you won't have to sweat attacks of opportunity for firing in melee or the -4 for shooting past allies.
At 6th level, cover won't be a problem, but you're right. With unarmed strike, you can also provide a flanking bonus for your melee fighters.
5. Zen Archer tops out in sweetness at level 6 and the only Quinggong ability I really like is Barkskin so at levels 7-9 I plan to go Fighter (Weapon Master). The extra feats are nice but the real goal is the Weapon Training at level 3 + Dueling Gloves will not only make it harder to Disarm or Sunder me but will give me an extra +3 to hit and dmg.
There are a couple other interesting ones, but they're situational:Deny Death is a nice one for adventure paths, and Message is always nice if no one else in the group has it. And I am addicted to High Jump: no idea why, I just love it. (My ZA in Rise of the Rune Lords took Shot on the Run just so she can make a standing 45 foot forward leap and shoot at the top of arc.)
The main advantage of sticking with ZA through 7th level is that the Monk's Robe can kick you up to the next break point in AC and Unarmed strike damage. This is especially important if you plan to use a ki point to increase your bow damage to your unarmed strike damage (stack with Lead Blades to get 3d6 with your bow).
The main advantage of ZA 8 is the 4th attack (2nd iterative).
If those two things don't matter to you, then 6th level is a good exit point.]
As Gwen mentioned, Leaving ZA before level 8 loses you an attack. If you do go Sacred Fist consider taking the Fate's Favored trait for a +1 bonus from Divine Favor. Currently there is a lot of debate over the question of if the Wis bonus to AC stacks and how the flurry combines. Both are grey areas. Obviously the ability to cast quickened spells during combat are pretty sweet. This guide for the Warpriest has a section for a Ranged Sacred Fist and mentions 3 level dip into Zen Archer as an option.
I have a silly question regarding the Zen Archer.I see people mention the Quiggong Monk, and I cannot find information on that anywhere. Can someone please point me to the explanation of Quiggong? (spelling may be wrong, sorry)
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I have a silly question regarding the Zen Archer.I see people mention the Quiggong Monk, and I cannot find information on that anywhere. Can someone please point me to the explanation of Quiggong? (spelling may be wrong, sorry)
It's a monk archetype which virtually everyone takes and can stack with every other archetype. It was a stealth buff for the monk.
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Assuming you want the 13 strength & dex to qualify for feats - were I you I'd probably go
STR: 13 DEX: 13 CON: 16 INT: 10 WIS: 19 CHA: 5
But as I said before - I don't like dropping my int below 10 both because I like skill points & I don't like playing a moron. And with a 10 you can actually get a couple of skills besides acrobatics and perception. Stealth & sense motive perhaps. They'd make you far handier outside of combat.
I mean I think the two best choice for arrays are
STR: 14 DEX: 14 CON: 14 INT: 12 WIS: 18 CHA: 5
And for the more combat oriented
STR: 14 DEX: 13 CON: 15 INT: 7 WIS: 20 CHA: 5I just cannot fathom buying a 19. It's so cost ineffective points wise. You waste your 12th level point bump if you start with an odd stat.
Since PFS usually tops out at 12th level, that's not usually a concern.
I'm aware of the Wis/Wis Ac issues but it doesn't matter to me. What matters is does flurry stack from both sources.
Interesting question. My first instinct was that it wouldn't stack, but on second read, I'm not sure:
Starting at 1st level, a zen archer can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action, but only when using a bow (even though it is a ranged weapon). He may not make a flurry of blows with his unarmed attacks or any other weapons. A zen archer does not apply his Strength bonus on damage rolls made with flurry of blows unless he is using a composite bow with a Strength rating. A zen archer’s flurry of blows otherwise functions as normal for a monk of his level.
Since Sacred Fist flurry says "This ability works like the monk ability of the same name", there's a chance it might stack.
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STR: 14 DEX: 14 CON: 14 INT: 12 WIS: 18 CHA: 5 is my personal favourite. Yes you are losing +1 to hit and +1 ki, but the gain is three skill points that you can then use to have a character that fits far better into the Pathfinder Society lore.
For traits, I'll second Wisdom in the Flesh, either for Disable Device or Acrobatics.
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STR: 14 DEX: 14 CON: 14 INT: 12 WIS: 18 CHA: 5 is my personal favourite. Yes you are losing +1 to hit and +1 ki, but the gain is three skill points that you can then use to have a character that fits far better into the Pathfinder Society lore.
For traits, I'll second Wisdom in the Flesh, either for Disable Device or Acrobatics.
Lore? Who cares about Lore when you can have more murder hobo-ness. </snark>
Sorry, this mostly just comes from my disgust at archers/ranged in general in PFS because every archer I've seen has been min/maxed to hell with no out of combat usefulness. ZAs and Gunslingers just usually take the cake because of how mono-statted they can be, that's all they ever focus on.
I've learned over my time with PFS that the stuff isn't that hard that you need the most optimized character you can have. And on top of that, I have found more times than not that bringing the most optimized character to the table generally leads to a boring time for the rest of the party.
Just personal opinions though.
Sidenote: I'm assuming you have some GM credit if you're starting at level 2 in PFS.
I'm currently playing a ZAM with a few level dips (ZAM 5/Serene Barbarian 2/Tattooed Empyreal Sorcerer 1). I know 3PP is not PFS legal, but if you ever get a chance to play it, Serene Barbarian works great with ZAM.
I think all Monks are MAD, even archers. What can you really afford to dump besides CHA? Many people will dump INT, but I'm not one of those people. I gotta have skills.
What if every Zen Archer didn't dump CHA though? What could that look like? I once started a build for a ZAM with one level of Oracle. I took the Lore Mystery and it's revelation Side Step Secret. This revelation allows you to swap out your DEX mod for CHA for AC and reflex save. After that, the only thing that relies on your DEX is CMD, initiative, and some skills. An archer doesn't need to be too concerned about CMD if they hang out it the back and a high initiative for an archer is overrated (you want to take shots at the bad guys that have already taken damage). If Acrobatics is important to you, you can always take Wisdom in the Flesh. Revering Irori might come in handy later on too. For my character, I dumped DEX and took the Oracle's Lame Curse. I wove the DEX dump, the curse, and the Side Step Secret revelation as a means to overcome the lameness all into my backstory.
Suddenly the ZAM is not a social dunce or the PF equivalent of Eugene Porter. He might even be the party face. The best way to take advantage of this, especially if you're looking at 6 levels of ZAM in a 9 level build, is to take two levels of Divine Hunter Paladin for Smite, CHA to saves and other good stuff. The big problem with this build is that you will be a lousy archer until you get to ZAM 3, but I suppose every ZAM has a similar issue. Going Monk/Paladin can lead you toward Champion of Irori which will progress all your good Monk stuff and make you a holy instrument of chaotic evil destruction.