Current snapshot of my Zen Archer.
Level 6 Monk (Zen Archer) (Qinggong)
Race: Human
Str 14
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 7
Wis 20 (22)
Chr 7HP 57
Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +13
Feats: Toughness, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Perfect Strike, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, Point Blank Master, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Deadly Aim, Monkey Style
Skills: Acrobatics +21 (+35 to Jump), Climb +10, Perception +15, Sense Motive +10
Items of note: Cloak of Protection +2, Ring of Protection +1, Headband of inspired wisdom +2, +1 Adaptive Greenwood Composite Longbow of +2 Str, Handy Haversack, Swarmbane Clasp, Wand of Mage Armor lvl 1, Wand of Faerie Fire lvl 1, Wand of Endure Elements lvl 1, Many elemental and Alchemical arrows.
Initiative +8
Ki Pool 9
AC 10 +7 (Monk) +1 (Deflection) +2 (Dex) With potential of +4 (Mage Armor) +3 (Barkskin)
Full attack with bow counting Deadly Aim but not PBS +10/+10/+5(/+10 ki) 1D8 +9 Also ignore partial cover or concealment so no more -4 for shooting past allies.
The current plan is to go 2 more levels of Monk then 3 levels of Weapon Master to use Gloves of Dueling for +3 to hit and damage.
Level 7 Zen Archer BaB +5 replace Wholeness of Body with either Gaseous Form or Snatch Arrows
Level 8 Monk BaB +6 Get my 4th (5th) attack
Level 9 Weapon Master 1 BaB +7 two feats??
Level 10 Weapon Master 2 BaB +8 Improved Critical feat
Level 11 Weapon Master 3 BaB +9 feat??
So I need to pick a feat at 7th level, 2 feats at 9th level, and a feat at 11th.
A few things
I don't intend to take Rapid Shot and Many Shot for the increased DPR.
Even though I am often in the front line of combat I have decided not to pick up the Improved Snapshot line.
I am seriously considering Reckless Aim from Blood of Fiends as my level 7 feat. Per RAW I can move adjacent to an enemy and get the +2 to all attacks with a slight chance of hitting myself.
If you are looking for fun combat options:
Vital Strike will be useful for when you can't unleash a full attack. If you are moving into position for Reckless Aim, trying to set up a flank, or just mixing it up.
At level 8 monk, you can swift action use a Ki to have arrows do 1d10 (2d6 if you have monk robes) and Vital Strike would make that shot 2d10(4d6)
If you took barkskin at 4th, than you have access to the feat Grasping Strike from the ACG. It allows you to free action try to entangle a foe if your vital strike hits. You get to decide to use it after the attack hits, so you don't waste uses/day. Winter's Strike is also an option to fatigue instead of entangle.
With an Int of 7 I get 3 skill points as a Monk and 2 as a Fighter. Both Perception and Acrobatics are important to keep maxed so I won't have the 5 skill points needed to get the 5 ranks in Knowledge Nature. Vital Strike itself is interesting but taking a feat that lets me deal an extra 4-8 extra damage for approximately 2 rounds of combat during an entire adventure just feels underpowered to me.
I don't plan to get a ki strike bow. As a Zen Archer I lose Stunning Fist. So I can't take Punishing Kick. And I have all DR other then Aligned covered. Even have robots covered if I ever have to fight one. A Holy bow would probably cover most Aligned DR I'm going to face but I can see Clustered Shots being useful often enough. It will be one of the feats I get at 9th level.
So 2 of my 5 feats are chosen. Clustered Shots and Improved Critical.
I've also considered taking the Additional Traits feat. I only have a combat and religion traits so far. If I took 2 more traits I could take Fate's Favored and buy a Jingasa which would be like buying Dodge but with a free trait. For my second trait I could get the Race trait Blood of Dragons and my poor human would finally X-Factor his way into low light vision.
So with my current plan I would have to take Punishing Kick at 11th level and buy Ki Bow to use the Punishing Kick feat twice a day. Which would force the target to make a DC 21 - 22 Fort save to ignore the effect. I imagine anything I want to knock prone at 11the level will make that save at least 50% of the time. I'll pass on Punishing kick.
Not trying to be discouraging here. I'm looking for ideas and that is exactly what you are giving me.
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Not quite. You get the ability to use any bow as a ki bow as a Zen Archer. (I'm assuming you will continue with ZA after you get weapon training from fighter. Personally, I'd stay pure Zen)
Since you are still a monk, you can use Stunning Fist or Punishing Kick a number of times per day equal to your monk level. The DC is Wisdom Based, and you have a sky high widsom. Punishing kick also has no save if you choose to push them instead of knock them prone.
The ability to use any bow as a Ki bow is gained at 17th level. This character is PFS so I'm basically retired right before level 12. Also due to my lower BAB I only have 2 feats available once my BAB hits +8 but Stunning Fist, Punishing Kick, and Improved Critical all have a requirement of BAB +8.
http://paizo.com/people/NaelNissen
PFS Zen Archer
Irori doesn't really reward his bow using followers so I don't plan to go the Deific Obedience route. As for Honored Fist of the Society while Archives of Nethys says it is legal there is no explicit mention of content from the Shattered Star Players Guide so I'm leery of taking it. We are pretty close otherwise.
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Your build looks solid.
Probably not needed, but if he's a GM credit archer have you considered Deadeye Bowman?
Basically it's single-target Precise shot for a trait.
They do completely separate things. With neither Deadeye Bowman nor Precise shot. If you're shooting through an ally into a melee, you're at a -8. If you've got one or the other, it's at -4. If you've got both, then you can shoot through that ally (just that one ally) with no penalty.
The Snapshot is what I am at right now. I'll hit 7th level after this weekend.
I'm building a similar character and have taken one level of Empyreal Sorcerer and two levels of Serene Barbarian (3rd party, very cool for a Zen Archer, especially the Scent Rage Power and Pheromone arrows). The three level Weapon Master dip looks intriguing.
Here are some of the feats I'm considering (besides the ones you've already mentioned). I've got Monkey Style as well and plan to take Monkey Moves for the climbing boost. My character is mythic as well and has Climbing Master from the Champion Path too.
Hammer the Gap might be good since you'll have several shots in one round. If you do get a spell casting class, you should check out Ki Infusion. Some simple feat choices might be Greater Weapon Focus and Specialization since you got the first ones for free.
Do you have Improved Crit from anything? If not, skip the feat and get the Bracers of Falcon's Aim.
And Greater Weapon Focus/Greater Weapon Specialization are Fighter only feats unless something explicitly grants them as bonus feats. I have considered the +1 to luck bonuses trait with Warpriest for +2 from Divine Favor but 3 levels of Fighter grant me a total of +3 BaB and +3 to Hit and Damage from Weapon Training + Gloves of Dueling. Since I already have a ring and cloak of protection the other clerical buff spells won't help me nearly as much as the Fighter levels will.
Just got introduced to another option. 1 level of Feral Hunter. I would lose a level of BaB but gain the ability to use Ranger/Druid wands and a ridiculous amount of versatility since if I'm reading this correctly I can be under the effects of any of the Hunter animal abilities all day and can switch abilities at will at the not insignificant cost of a swift action. And access to Aspect of the Falcon would mean I don't need the BaB for Improved Critical so I could even splash for 2 levels of Warpriest to cast Divine Favor on myself.
After reading up on some rules and putting some thought into this I plan to stick to Monk 8/Weapon Master 3. The reason being simple action economy. Dipping into Feral Hunter would require a swift action in combat to switch abilities. Dipping into Warpriest would require a swift action to Fervor Divine Favor. I already use a swift action if I need Monkey Style, A swift action to get an extra attack during a full round attack and if I have nothing better to do I can spend a swift action to add +4 to my AC.
I am wondering if there is a way for my Human to get Darkvision and/or scent using feats. I can use Additional Traits to get Blood of Dragons and gain Low Light vision so that might get me to Darkvision somehow.
one level of regular old hunter works great due to the animal focus ability. When you don't have an animal companion pick one focus as always on... Change it as a swift action. Easy answer is don't change it during combat. Going into a dungeon ---> Bat powa (darkvision). fighting a dragon ---> squeek of a mouse please (evasion.) Sneak past the guards ---> the night hunting Owl will be with you (+4 stealth)
Its great if you know what you are going up against as a fallback Evasion or darkvision never sucks set it and forget it.
I'm planning 1 or more levels of hunter into my Zen archer for next campaign I get to play in.