
Ughbash |
I posted an unchained monk/rogue build here:
tell me what you think
Your AC is not as good as you think.
It is an immediate action to use which means one attack per round and uses your swift action.
So if you get attacked twice, your ac will be 20? for the second attack.
On the plus side if you have to keep using your immediate action for Snake Style, you don't need to worry about going through your Ki, you won't have the swift action to use it

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thatcheriliff wrote:kyrt-ryder wrote:Separating it is important, there are circumstances under which Sneak Attack and Precise Strike do not apply.Of course. Which is why I stated that it was the damage specifically with flanking (inferring sneak attack) and precise strike included. I assumed anyone who read it would understand where the 4d6 is coming from when I said that.Yeah it doesn't say it in the Tengus description, but as general rule primary do become secondary. So okay good.
I had a quick look, missed the flanking header, sorry about that.
Kyrt-Ryder is correct though, sneak attack and precise strike are very situational. I have a Slayer in my party and in 6 months of playing she got to use Precise Strike once. DPR and maximum damage gives you a useful snapshot, but playing is a totally different story.
I would definitely have Precise Strike as an add-on for damage calculation.
From my experience ranged weapons can grant you a sneak attack (no opportunity for flanking too far to reach them, much safer option too) and 2d6 +weapon damage is nothing to scoff at. Your character has the Dex to be good at it.
The movement in combat hurts this build, you will probably be doing 1d6+11 (14 damage, still ok) most of the time. Having another player with battlefield control would help this type of character considerably.
Nice AC...wait...very nice AC (and Deflect arrows) to protect you from arrow fire. What is this characters AC and hp? Now these you would want to be high as it's a full attack melee character.
I should probably also mention that I am going to Gen Con this year with a couple of other friends and we are all building Unchained builds, and all of us took precise strike and are focused on working together. We call ourselves "The Murder Hobos". So I see Precise Strike and Sneak Attack as something I will be getting almost always as long as I'm flanking with an ally (unless its a creature that denies this extra damage). Since our whole group is built around flanking together, it shouldn't be too hard.
Also don't forget, I have flurry for cases where i might not be getting Sneak Attack, and making use of my Natural Attacks. A flurry with unarmed strike (Not flanking) gives me +11/+11 (1d6+11/1d6+11) for a total (if both hit) of 2d6+22 (24-34 damage) which isn't bad for being out of my element and not doing what the character was built to do.
My AC is the fun part of this build. Using Snake Style, my AC for every melee and ranged attack against me will change based on what I role on my Sense Motive. with a Sense Motive of +20, this puts my AC between 21-40 with an average role of 30...consistently...at level 5...

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thatcheriliff wrote:I posted an unchained monk/rogue build here:
tell me what you think
Your AC is not as good as you think.
It is an immediate action to use which means one attack per round and uses your swift action.
So if you get attacked twice, your ac will be 20? for the second attack.
On the plus side if you have to keep using your immediate action for Snake Style, you don't need to worry about going through your Ki, you won't have the swift action to use it
Where does it say you can only take one immediate action per round? I don't see that anywhere. Please cite for me? Also swift and immediate actions are two different types of actions.
Even without Snake Style though, and if what your saying is true, my AC is still 20, which can be boosted with Mage armor potions to 23 when im not in Snake Style. But I will be in snake style all the time because I'm pretty sure I can make as many immediate actions as I want as long as the triggering conditions are met (being attacked) because there is no limitation.

Ryzoken |

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Ughbash wrote:thatcheriliff wrote:I posted an unchained monk/rogue build here:
tell me what you think
Your AC is not as good as you think.
It is an immediate action to use which means one attack per round and uses your swift action.
So if you get attacked twice, your ac will be 20? for the second attack.
On the plus side if you have to keep using your immediate action for Snake Style, you don't need to worry about going through your Ki, you won't have the swift action to use it
Where does it say you can only take one immediate action per round? I don't see that anywhere. Please cite for me? Also swift and immediate actions are two different types of actions.
Even without Snake Style though, and if what your saying is true, my AC is still 20, which can be boosted with Mage armor potions to 23 when im not in Snake Style. But I will be in snake style all the time because I'm pretty sure I can make as many immediate actions as I want as long as the triggering conditions are met (being attacked) because there is no limitation.
Never mind I found it
Using an immediate action on your turn is the same as using a swift action and counts as your swift action for that turn. You cannot use another immediate action or a swift action until after your next turn if you have used an immediate action when it is not currently your turn (effectively, using an immediate action before your turn is equivalent to using your swift action for the coming turn). You also cannot use an immediate action if you are flat-footed.
In that case maybe I'll change to Crane Style and go with fighting defensively and total defense? It will free up some feats, traits and items for me and I can have my AC comfortably and easily at 26 no problem....hmmmm Im going to relook at that...thanks for the heads up

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Thinking of fusing the two monks like this:
Mystic Warrior (Ex):
A mystic monk may always use his Wisdom modifier in place of his Strength or Dexterity modifier on attack rolls made using unarmed strikes or monk weapons. At 1st level, the monk must also choose a path to follow, which determines his base statistics and alters future class features.
Path Sun
The monk chooses to focus on the warrior aspects of his ki. A path sun monk improves to d10 hit dice and full base attack bonus, but his saving throws remain unaltered. When selecting a bonus feat, he may ignore all requirements for style feats so long as he takes them sequentially. Upon gaining a ki pool, he enjoys an enhancement bonus to his unarmed strikes as the greater magic fang spell so long as he retains 1 or more points in his ki pool. Finally, upon gaining style strikes, he initially learns a number of them equal to his Wisdom bonus (minimum 1), in addition to those gained through advancement.
Path Moon
The monk chooses to focus on the mystic aspects of his ki. A path moon monk improves his Will saving throw to strong, but his hit dice and base attack remain unaltered. Upon gaining a ki pool, he learns an additional number of ki powers equal to his Wisdom bonus (minimum 1), and his maximum pool capacity is instead equal to his full monk level plus his Wisdom bonus. At his option, instead of choosing a style strike at the appropriate levels (5th, 9th, 13th, 17th), he may choose another ki power in it’s place.

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Chassis:
MYSTIC MONK
HD: d8
BAB: 3/4
Saves: Fortitude, Reflex
Skills: unchanged except add Diplomacy
Proficiency: Simple and Monk weapons, plus shortsword and shortbow
1- Bonus Feats, Flurry, Stunning Fist, Mystic Warrior
2- Bonus Feat, Evasion
3- Ki Pool, Ki Strike
4- Ki Power, Still Mind
5- Style Strikes, Purity of Body
6- Bonus Feat, Ki Power
7- Wholeness of Body (with personal touches)
8- Ki Power
9- Style Strike, Improved Evasion
10- Bonus Feat, Ki Power
11- Diamond Body, Improved Flurry
12- Ki Power
13- Style Strike, Tongue of the Sun and Moon
14- Bonus Feat, Ki Power
15- Quivering Palm (original)
16- Ki Power
17- Style Strike, Timeless Body
18- Bonus Feat, Ki Power
19- Flawless Mind
20- Perfect Self, Ki Power

LoreKeeper |

@rainzax:
I applaud the idea, but the moon path monk's 3/4 BAB severely limits their combat potential (unless you grant some sort of virtual BAB bonus when flurrying like the core monk). And the ki powers, while cool, are not sufficient to pick up the slack from the poor combat presence. The ki powers simply don't have enough impact; and even with the expanded ki pool in moon path do not have enough staying power.
You'd need to double the ki pool again (similar to rage rounds in quantity) and have additional ki powers that allow at least a temporary nova of the monk.

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I've been reading this thread pretty much from it's initial inception, and there is one thing that has bothered me as I did. At first, I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. Then it finally hit me: the whole bit regarding unarmed strikes, or more specifically, what that entails. People have been using 'can only' as though that were definitive when in fact it isn't. What it actually says is that "A monk's attacks may be with fist, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may make unarmed strikes with his hands full". In other words, a monk's attacks aren't limited to just the fist, elbows, knees, and feet as some might want you to believe, as 'may' in this instance is being used to 'express probability and permission to do so' rather than limiting the unarmed strike to just the options listed. This becomes especially clear when the next sentence is taken into context. So if someone playing a monk wanted to flurry using just his head, for example, because his arms and legs were bound, then that player would be allowed to do so. The text for unarmed strike in regard to the Unchained Monk is the same except it is only three paragraphs long rather than four (the first two paragraphs from the Core Rulebook are now one in Unchained).
Which means that performing the Head Butt style strike is indeed valid, because a head butt is indeed a monk attack, just as an elbow strike or knee strike would be. Of course, this also means that the monk could satisfy the request of Susan Decker from the movie Real Genius quite handily.

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thatcheriliff wrote:I posted an unchained monk/rogue build here:
tell me what you think
Your AC is not as good as you think.
It is an immediate action to use which means one attack per round and uses your swift action.
So if you get attacked twice, your ac will be 20? for the second attack.
On the plus side if you have to keep using your immediate action for Snake Style, you don't need to worry about going through your Ki, you won't have the swift action to use it
Took advice from some people, changed some things around a little, and leveled up my Unchained Monk/ Unchained Rogue build to level 11. Posted the full stat block and description here for anyone who wants to look at it and comment advice or whatever on that thread. Link below:

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Dude, we have seen your thread. You can stop spamming every monk/rogue/unchained thread on the board with links to it.
The first link was a level 5 build. This last one was a level 11 build after I changed a couple things. Sorry. Not trying to spam just looking for advice For PFS and seeing if anyone knows a better way of doing what I'm trying to do.

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@rainzax:
I applaud the idea, but the moon path monk's 3/4 BAB severely limits their combat potential (unless you grant some sort of virtual BAB bonus when flurrying like the core monk). And the ki powers, while cool, are not sufficient to pick up the slack from the poor combat presence. The ki powers simply don't have enough impact; and even with the expanded ki pool in moon path do not have enough staying power.
You'd need to double the ki pool again (similar to rage rounds in quantity) and have additional ki powers that allow at least a temporary nova of the monk.
New Ki Powers For Path Moon Monk:
Choose an Orison from the Cleric's spell list. So long as that spell doesn't have the good or evil descriptor, you may cast it as a spell-like ability so long as you retain one or more points in your ki pool. Use your full monk level as your caster level, and set the DC (if any) using your Wisdom modifier. You must have a Wisdom of at least 10 to take this ki power.
Inner Goddess Sacrum (Sp):
Choose a 1st-level spell from the Cleric's spell list. So long as that spell doesn't have the good or evil descriptor, you may cast it as a spell-like ability by expending 1 point from your ki pool. Use your full monk level as your caster level, and set the DC (if any) using your Wisdom modifier. You must have a Wisdom of at least 11 and know the inner goddess root power to take this ki power.
Inner Goddess Solar Plexus (Sp):
Choose a 2nd-level spell from the Cleric's spell list. So long as that spell doesn't have the good or evil descriptor, you may cast it as a spell-like ability by expending 2 points from your ki pool. Use your full monk level as your caster level, and set the DC (if any) using your Wisdom modifier. You must be at least a 4th level monk, have a Wisdom of at least 12, and know the inner goddess sacrum power to take this ki power.
Inner Goddess Heart (Sp):
Choose a 3rd-level spell from the Cleric's spell list. So long as that spell doesn't have the good or evil descriptor, you may cast it as a spell-like ability by expending 3 points from your ki pool. Use your full monk level as your caster level, and set the DC (if any) using your Wisdom modifier. You must be at least a 7th level monk, have a Wisdom of at least 13, and know the inner goddess solar plexus power to take this ki power.
Inner Goddess Throat (Sp):
Choose a 4th-level spell from the Cleric's spell list. So long as that spell doesn't have the good or evil descriptor, you may cast it as a spell-like ability by expending 4 points from your ki pool. Use your full monk level as your caster level, and set the DC (if any) using your Wisdom modifier. You must be at least a 10th level monk, have a Wisdom of at least 14, and know the inner goddess heart power to take this ki power.
Inner Goddess Third Eye (Sp):
Choose a 5th-level spell from the Cleric's spell list. So long as that spell doesn't have the good or evil descriptor, you may cast it as a spell-like ability by expending 5 points from your ki pool. Use your full monk level as your caster level, and set the DC (if any) using your Wisdom modifier. You must be at least a 13th level monk, have a Wisdom of at least 15, and know the inner goddess throat power to take this ki power.
Inner Goddess Crown (Sp):
Choose a 6th-level spell from the Cleric's spell list. So long as that spell doesn't have the good or evil descriptor, you may cast it as a spell-like ability by expending 6 points from your ki pool. Use your full monk level as your caster level, and set the DC (if any) using your Wisdom modifier. You must be at least a 16th level monk, have a Wisdom of at least 16, and know the inner goddess third eye power to take this ki power.

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LoreKeeper wrote:New Ki Powers For Path Moon Monk:** spoiler omitted **...@rainzax:
I applaud the idea, but the moon path monk's 3/4 BAB severely limits their combat potential (unless you grant some sort of virtual BAB bonus when flurrying like the core monk). And the ki powers, while cool, are not sufficient to pick up the slack from the poor combat presence. The ki powers simply don't have enough impact; and even with the expanded ki pool in moon path do not have enough staying power.
You'd need to double the ki pool again (similar to rage rounds in quantity) and have additional ki powers that allow at least a temporary nova of the monk.
Is there any chance you can get this all together in its own thread, once it's all written out? :)

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Some ki powers actually look like they've been adapted from archetypes. Gives them some interesting context.
Diamond Mind: The Drunken Master gets immunity to fear (Drunken Courage) - parallels Diamond Body.
Diamond Resilience: Drunken Master and Monk of the Iron Mountain both get DR - the Monk of the Iron Mountain gets DR of a similar value to the Unchained Monk as a passive value, but can double the value by spending ki.
Elemental Burst: Drunken Master's Firewater Breath, but with other elements available.
Ki Metabolism: Very similar to the internal alchemist's breath mastery. (I see the internal alchemist as being the monk archetype for the alchemist.)
Ki Mount: Sohei's monastic mount

blacwind1kaze |
I'm sorry but Paizo dropped the ball, with a hammer, on their foot. I actually liked the core monk and reading the unchained is just wrong for the most part.
Flurry of Blows: should have kept with the bab = to the monk level.
Will save: this was so much better as a good save instead of bad (screw the advantage roll, though it is good)
BAB: should have stayed at medium if this is what caused the will to take a dive.
HD: the d10 is actually awesome for the monk but the monk getting BAB and will screwed to do it? I'll take my d8 buddy.
Ki Powers: THIS is the biggest bull-s**!e ever. The powers are good, but either the ki cost or the level requirements just kill it (on top of the still small ki pool).
Style strike: not bad though gaining more uses per round equal to the amount of attacks you can FoB would be better over the levels.
The biggest issue would be running the removing iterative attacks with FoB. Would this function the standard way OR the way TWF works (which sounds like you can only get six attacks in instead of 7 if you have a fast BAB. If FoB runs through the TWF style, omg we are going to see misses left and right.

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The Bloodcove's Herad, Kuthona 25th edition::
Written by Klempth "Pugface" Martun.
"The reason for Monk's low will save: wizards have devised mind-control spells to wrestle down a certain psyche template or "mind shape" (originally the first spell designed for mind control, charm person, was designed using humanoids as test subjects).
Recent investigations funded by the Aspis Consortium revealed that the rigid, disciplined state of mind achieved by the various meditation techniques developed by monks the world over, while helpful to enhance the the hand-eye coordination and motor skills required by their physically demanding feats, can actually make it easier for wizards to control their minds!
Same studies also reveal that chaotic minds, such as those of barbarians in their state of rage, are much harder to control.
There are exceptions to this rule: certain monks pay attention to allow certain training time in their busy daily regimen to include "mental deflection" techniques, such as conjuring fast and wild images in their mind's eye so not as to leave themselves an open book or a blank slate, so to speak, but the majority of monk orders interviewed put the majority of their mental training towards techniques that translate into some kind of physical benefit, and not so much to enhance their inner chaos or whimsical creativity in sudden, on-demand bursts."
--Brought to you by the Generous Graces of the Aspis Consortium; Aspis Consortium: we strive for worldwide standardization of all shipping laws; in the meantime, we accept your demands for excellence and on-time delivery.

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I'm sorry but Paizo dropped the ball, with a hammer, on their foot. I actually liked the core monk and reading the unchained is just wrong for the most part.
Then don't use it. It's an optional book, after all. Have fun still being weaker than most other classes as a Chained Monk, though.
Flurry of Blows: should have kept with the bab = to the monk level.
Not needed, since the Monk now has a high BAB. The Monk's BAB is naturally equal to their level, so adding that to the Flurry of Blows text is unnecessary. And Flurrying has no penalty now, so it's even better.
Will save: this was so much better as a good save instead of bad (screw the advantage roll, though it is good)
You get Still Mind, and Wisdom is one of your most important ability scores. Your Will saves will be fine.
BAB: should have stayed at medium if this is what caused the will to take a dive.
Monk accuracy has been one of the biggest problems they've suffered. High BAB is very important to the fix.
HD: the d10 is actually awesome for the monk but the monk getting BAB and will screwed to do it? I'll take my d8 buddy.
What do you mean "getting BAB screwed"? Their BAB went up. As for Will, once again... your Will will be fine. Promise.
Take Iron Will if it really bothers you that much.
Ki Powers: THIS is the biggest bull-s@$*e ever. The powers are good, but either the ki cost or the level requirements just kill it (on top of the still small ki pool).
Matter of taste, I guess, but I found a lot of the ki powers to be pretty awesome.
Not sure if Empty Body is supposed to have no level minimum, but if that's not a mistake that alone is amazing. So it costs 3 ki... you still get to go ethereal at level 4.
Style strike: not bad though gaining more uses per round equal to the amount of attacks you can FoB would be better over the levels.
That would be rather overpowered, given the benefits you get from them. They're fine as-is. Pseudo-pounce (that can be used mid-full attack), bonus attack, stagger, all sorts of nifty options usable for free every round.
The biggest issue would be running the removing iterative attacks with FoB. Would this function the standard way OR the way TWF works (which sounds like you can only get six attacks in instead of 7 if you have a fast BAB. If FoB runs through the TWF style, omg we are going to see misses left and right.
Flurry of Blows is not treated as two-weapon fighting anymore: it grants extra attacks, which fall under the Extra Attacks header in the Removing Iterative Attacks section. They add more possible hits, above and beyond anything else you do, just like haste or a Speed weapon.
You also don't seem to understand how two-weapon fighting works with removed iterative attacks. It's no less accurate than normal two-weapon fighting, you just take the -2 penalty and get twice as many hits per registered hit (up to the number of two-weapon bonus attacks you get, of course).
Finally, keep in mind that thanks to the way Flurry of Blows is now worded, it stacks with two-weapon fighting. That means that by 11th level, you can have 8 attacks in a round, 9 at 16th level, 10 if you spend 1 point of ki. You can have 5 attacks as early as 7th level (6th if you retrain a feat to Improved Two-weapon Fighting). And unlike the old Flurry, you take no penalty for flurrying, only the two-weapon fighting penalty.
I really don't see what's got you so worked up... the Unchained Monk is amazing. But, as I said earlier, if you really want to stick with the old subpar version that requires absolute system mastery and jumping through all sorts of hoops just to be viable in an optimized group, you can keep using it. Because optional rules are, surprisingly enough, optional.

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Flurry of Blows: should have kept with the bab = to the monk level.
BAB: should have stayed at medium if this is what caused the will to take a dive.
HD: the d10 is actually awesome for the monk but the monk getting BAB and will screwed to do it? I'll take my d8 buddy.
I am confused. The monk isn't getting BAB screwed - it gets BAB = monk level all the time (while flurrying or not flurrying). That's what full BAB progression means. Do you prefer that the monk have pseudo-full BAB only while flurrying, and a high will save?
The biggest issue would be running the removing iterative attacks with FoB. Would this function the standard way OR the way TWF works (which sounds like you can only get six attacks in instead of 7 if you have a fast BAB. If FoB runs through the TWF style, omg we are going to see misses left and right.
You do get 6 attacks with the new FoB at 20th level, while the old FoB gave you 7. However, the overall routines are:
+20/+20/+20/+15/+10/+5/- (new) vs
+18/+18/+13/+13/+8/+8/+3 (old)
So overall the new monk should be landing more hits in a full attack (particularly the third attack at +20 vs +13).
Not sure if Empty Body is supposed to have no level minimum, but if that's not a mistake that alone is amazing. So it costs 3 ki... you still get to go ethereal at level 4.
I'm 99% sure that's been clarified as an error that will be fixed in errata, though I can't find an official post.
Finally, keep in mind that thanks to the way Flurry of Blows is now worded, it stacks with two-weapon fighting. That means that by 11th level, you can have 8 attacks in a round, 9 at 16th level, 10 if you spend 1 point of ki. You can have 5 attacks as early as 7th level (6th if you retrain a feat to Improved Two-weapon Fighting). And unlike the old Flurry, you take no penalty for flurrying, only the two-weapon fighting penalty.
Sorry, not true.
He takes no penalty for using multiple weapons when making a flurry of blows, but he does not gain any additional attacks beyond what’s already granted by the flurry for doing so. (He can still gain additional attacks from a high base attack bonus, from this ability, and from haste and similar effects).

wraithstrike |

Okay, as much as there's a lot I dislike about the new Monk, new Flurry is a massive upgrade, no question. You're replacing a knock off of the weakest fighting style in the game with Haste that stacks with Haste.
How is it a "massive" upgrade? I agree that it's better, but like I said in another post it is closer to a 1.3 upgrade, than a 2.0 upgrade.

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Arachnofiend wrote:Okay, as much as there's a lot I dislike about the new Monk, new Flurry is a massive upgrade, no question. You're replacing a knock off of the weakest fighting style in the game with Haste that stacks with Haste.How is it a "massive" upgrade? I agree that it's better, but like I said in another post it is closer to a 1.3 upgrade, than a 2.0 upgrade.
1.5 STR on two-handed weapons is pretty huge. No longer being Flurry of Misses is pretty huge. Together with being moved to full BAB, it is a very big upgrade.

graystone |

Arachnofiend wrote:Okay, as much as there's a lot I dislike about the new Monk, new Flurry is a massive upgrade, no question. You're replacing a knock off of the weakest fighting style in the game with Haste that stacks with Haste.How is it a "massive" upgrade? I agree that it's better, but like I said in another post it is closer to a 1.3 upgrade, than a 2.0 upgrade.
I read Arachnofiend as saying the flurry was a "massive upgrade", not the monk as a whole. I'll agree with that; in a vacuum and looking JUST at the flurry, it's a pretty substantial boost.
Looking at the monk as a whole, I'd agree with you. It's NOT the final product I was hoping for but more like the first step towards it.

wraithstrike |

wraithstrike wrote:Arachnofiend wrote:Okay, as much as there's a lot I dislike about the new Monk, new Flurry is a massive upgrade, no question. You're replacing a knock off of the weakest fighting style in the game with Haste that stacks with Haste.How is it a "massive" upgrade? I agree that it's better, but like I said in another post it is closer to a 1.3 upgrade, than a 2.0 upgrade.1.5 STR on two-handed weapons is pretty huge. No longer being Flurry of Misses is pretty huge. Together with being moved to full BAB, it is a very big upgrade.
Actually all of those things are one upgrade to offense, which was needed, but I still dont see it as massive upgrade since other things were taken away or nerfed.
Overall, I only see a slight upgrade.
I have not run any numbers but I think DPR went up.
Defense got better with AC since barkskin is an option, but it is almost mandatory if you want decent AC. Then we have the drop for the will save, so either this is even or a slight upgrade.
Versatility is about the same. More options are on the table, but the lack of ki stops them from being used as much as people would like.

wraithstrike |

wraithstrike wrote:Arachnofiend wrote:Okay, as much as there's a lot I dislike about the new Monk, new Flurry is a massive upgrade, no question. You're replacing a knock off of the weakest fighting style in the game with Haste that stacks with Haste.How is it a "massive" upgrade? I agree that it's better, but like I said in another post it is closer to a 1.3 upgrade, than a 2.0 upgrade.I read Arachnofiend as saying the flurry was a "massive upgrade", not the monk as a whole. I'll agree with that; in a vacuum and looking JUST at the flurry, it's a pretty substantial boost.
Looking at the monk as a whole, I'd agree with you. It's NOT the final product I was hoping for but more like the first step towards it.
Looking at it again, I see your point. I agree that flurry in the new form is a lot better than old flurry.

graystone |

wraithstrike wrote:Defense got better with AC since barkskin is an option, but it is almost mandatory if you want decent AC. Then we have the drop for the will save, so either this is even or a slight upgrade.Barkskin already was an option. Qinggong is an archetype for the core monk.
It's an automatic base option right out of the box for 'new' monk. The Monk 'classic' had to replace a feature and take an archetype from a different book.
Even if we take it as a given that both are available, the 'new' monk will either get to use it less as just about everything except breathing take Ki to do or not get to use his other abilities because it spent all it's Ki an buffed AC.
Myself, I wouldn't put barkskin in the plus column for the new monk unless we're strictly talking about the base classes only. (which is what I think wraithstrike was doing)

Ryzoken |
*reads stuff about unchained monks and poor will save concerns* Hmm... dwarves get cool stuff for saving throws. They also get +Wis/Con and a penalty to a monk's few dump stats. I haven't made any dwarves yet, and I wanted to give the new monk a spin... Oh, and there's that Golarion specific sect of dwarven monks called the Ouat...
*looks through books* So I take Steel Soul, Glory of Old, and Honored Fist of the Society... uh huh... and a temple sword... that I could make large sized for 2d6 damage per swing at a -2 penalty... plus strength and a half... will save against spells/spell like abilities is +8 at level 1... right...
Hmm... can't afford 18 strength comfortably with starting 20 pt buy... don't like 20 land speed, but that solves itself at 3... if only I could solve both at once earlier, maybe with something like rage and fast movement. Can't take Barbarian due to lawful, but Bloodrager...
*looks over his character sheet* Yup, that's a thing.

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Yeah, Unchained Monk as a whole is a sidegrade at best to Archetyped Monk.
Which is, in itself, a massive upgrade. That upgrade being that you don't need a bloody PHD in Pathfinder Rules to make a decent Monk. Not everybody is a board-hopping, theory-crafting min-maxer, the vast majority of players just want to play the damn game. And now they can just play a damn Monk without being left behind by everybody but the Rogue.
Archetype abusing Chained Monks being equal to the base Unchained Monk is a good thing. Not having to rifle through a ton of options just to make a Monk that's on par with most of the other base classe is a good thing.
And yes, "Base Unchained Monk = Archetyped Chained Monk" is a massive upgrade. Because Archetyped Chained Monk > Base Chained Monk.

LoneKnave |
Arachnofiend wrote:Yeah, Unchained Monk as a whole is a sidegrade at best to Archetyped Monk.Which is, in itself, a massive upgrade. That upgrade being that you don't need a bloody PHD in Pathfinder Rules to make a decent Monk. Not everybody is a board-hopping, theory-crafting min-maxer, the vast majority of players just want to play the damn game. And now they can just play a damn Monk without being left behind by everybody but the Rogue.
Archetype abusing Chained Monks being equal to the base Unchained Monk is a good thing. Not having to rifle through a ton of options just to make a Monk that's on par with most of the other base classe is a good thing.
And yes, "Base Unchained Monk = Archetyped Chained Monk" is a massive upgrade. Because Archetyped Chained Monk > Base Chained Monk.
The problem is that the board hopping, min-maxed, theory crafted multi archetyped stacked monk was usually still not that great.
Or an archer. Archer monks are cool.

Arachnofiend |

JRutterbush wrote:Arachnofiend wrote:Yeah, Unchained Monk as a whole is a sidegrade at best to Archetyped Monk.Which is, in itself, a massive upgrade. That upgrade being that you don't need a bloody PHD in Pathfinder Rules to make a decent Monk. Not everybody is a board-hopping, theory-crafting min-maxer, the vast majority of players just want to play the damn game. And now they can just play a damn Monk without being left behind by everybody but the Rogue.
Archetype abusing Chained Monks being equal to the base Unchained Monk is a good thing. Not having to rifle through a ton of options just to make a Monk that's on par with most of the other base classe is a good thing.
And yes, "Base Unchained Monk = Archetyped Chained Monk" is a massive upgrade. Because Archetyped Chained Monk > Base Chained Monk.
The problem is that the board hopping, min-maxed, theory crafted multi archetyped stacked monk was usually still not that great.
Or an archer. Archer monks are cool.
Exactly; even the very best Monks were merely viable, not optimal, outside of some extreme corner cases like the Sensei and Zen Archer (neither of which you can replicate with the Unchained Monk, mind you). There is still very little reason to select a Monk over a Barbarian or Paladin outside of flavor concerns.

AndIMustMask |

LoneKnave wrote:Exactly; even the very best Monks were merely viable, not optimal, outside of some extreme corner cases like the Sensei and Zen Archer (neither of which you can replicate with the Unchained Monk, mind you). There is still very little reason to select a Monk over a Barbarian or Paladin outside of flavor concerns.JRutterbush wrote:Arachnofiend wrote:Yeah, Unchained Monk as a whole is a sidegrade at best to Archetyped Monk.Which is, in itself, a massive upgrade. That upgrade being that you don't need a bloody PHD in Pathfinder Rules to make a decent Monk. Not everybody is a board-hopping, theory-crafting min-maxer, the vast majority of players just want to play the damn game. And now they can just play a damn Monk without being left behind by everybody but the Rogue.
Archetype abusing Chained Monks being equal to the base Unchained Monk is a good thing. Not having to rifle through a ton of options just to make a Monk that's on par with most of the other base classe is a good thing.
And yes, "Base Unchained Monk = Archetyped Chained Monk" is a massive upgrade. Because Archetyped Chained Monk > Base Chained Monk.
The problem is that the board hopping, min-maxed, theory crafted multi archetyped stacked monk was usually still not that great.
Or an archer. Archer monks are cool.
or over a brawler or warpriest if you wanna go for unarmed combat (BY FAR the most iconic 'monk' thing)

Lemmy |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |

Good Things: FoB upgrade, full Bab and proficiency with all Monk weapons... And if it took them more than 5 seconds to think of these changes, someone better sharpen their game-desogning edges...
Increase in mobility thanks to Flying Kick... Most other Style Strikes are "meh" at best...
Had they only changed that... The class would be ok. But no... Paizo's irrational fear of Monks strikes again! "A class with full BAB and all good saves?! Broken! How with Wizards compete? Better nerf their saves, remove their access to archetypes and tax their class features!"...
*sigh*
In the end... Unchained Monk is slightly better than old Monk... And still not as effective as a Barbarian or any spell-casting class in the game...
Best Monk is still the Qinggong Zen Archer.

Atarlost |
In the end... Unchained Monk is slightly better than old Monk... And still not as effective as a Barbarian or any spell-casting class in the game...
I have my doubts that it's better than the old monk. It's certainly not a better monk. There were three things the monk absolutely needed to not give up to still call himself a monk: some sort of unarmed strike damage scaling, and the will and reflex saves.

master arminas |

Lemmy wrote:In the end... Unchained Monk is slightly better than old Monk... And still not as effective as a Barbarian or any spell-casting class in the game...I have my doubts that it's better than the old monk. It's certainly not a better monk. There were three things the monk absolutely needed to not give up to still call himself a monk: some sort of unarmed strike damage scaling, and the will and reflex saves.
Whoa. Whoa!
I haven't (yet) got the book, but the Unchained Monk doesn't have increased damage die (and a scaling progression as he advances in level) for a Monk's unarmed strikes?!?
Seriously? Tell me that you misread that.
MA

Cydeth RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |

Atarlost wrote:Lemmy wrote:In the end... Unchained Monk is slightly better than old Monk... And still not as effective as a Barbarian or any spell-casting class in the game...I have my doubts that it's better than the old monk. It's certainly not a better monk. There were three things the monk absolutely needed to not give up to still call himself a monk: some sort of unarmed strike damage scaling, and the will and reflex saves.Whoa. Whoa!
I haven't (yet) got the book, but the Unchained Monk doesn't have increased damage die (and a scaling progression as he advances in level) for a Monk's unarmed strikes?!?
Seriously? Tell me that you misread that.
MA
Unarmed Strike damage scaling is unchanged from the original source. Of the three things that Atarlost mentioned, the only thing the unchained monk doesn't have is a Good Will save...which I personally think is not needed. Nice, yes, needed, no.

Atarlost |
Atarlost wrote:Lemmy wrote:In the end... Unchained Monk is slightly better than old Monk... And still not as effective as a Barbarian or any spell-casting class in the game...I have my doubts that it's better than the old monk. It's certainly not a better monk. There were three things the monk absolutely needed to not give up to still call himself a monk: some sort of unarmed strike damage scaling, and the will and reflex saves.Whoa. Whoa!
I haven't (yet) got the book, but the Unchained Monk doesn't have increased damage die (and a scaling progression as he advances in level) for a Monk's unarmed strikes?!?
Seriously? Tell me that you misread that.
MA
I don't have the book either. I listed three things I think the monk cannot be called a monk without. At the very least I know they kept the reflex save and I haven't seen any sign they lost the unarmed strike scaling, but losing any one of the three would have been a deal breaker.

Starbuck_II |

I actually would not have minded losing Unarmed Strike damage scaling to get a ton more goodies. 1d6 or 1d8 damage is plenty for most purposes.
There is an idea for first Unchained archetype: Will save goes to Good, but loses unarmed scaling past 1d6.
Some other changes for flavor theme based on name (hopefully nothing bad). Boom. Bob's your uncle, we have archetype. (if Paizo felt they were too good with all those bonus, maybe they'd be okay with that archetype)