Upon looking into ways to increase the range increment of thrown weapons for use with Startoss Style, the only two methods I found are Raging Hurler (and while a Startoss Style barbar might be interesting, it's not something that I feel like investigating right now) or Unfolding Wind Strike.
Since Unfolding Wind Strike requires being in Perfect Style, only the MoMS can use it with Startoss Style. Which means figuring out how the MoMS actually works since the errata, because I haven't really looked at it since the changes.
If I'm reading it right, there's no longer any way to get any of the feats early, barring the initial style feats? If so, this idea will take quite some time to get off the ground, given Unwinding Wind Strike's prerequisites. It also means that Perfect Style itself may as well wait as long as possible, since Electricity Resistance 5 isn't anything to get excited about. And therefore, it's probably best to use one of the first or second level style feats for Ascetic Style instead to get scaling damage if nothing else.
That just brings me back to being confused about exactly what these fun new Weapon Master's Handbook style chains do though; if Ascetic Style alone will let a monk gain his unarmed strike damage with a weapon (or with any monk group weapon starting at level 5), do the follow up feats have any use for a monk at all? Or am I misunderstanding Ascetic Style?
Here's what I'm currently looking at as the basic plan:
Human MoMS
1: Ascetic Style, PBS, Weapon Focus (Deer Horn Knife) [Could ignore the prerequisite, but the entire chain doesn't make sense if you don't have the Weapon Focus.]
2: Startoss Style
3: Startoss Comet
5: Quick Draw
6: "Wildcard" (use this for Startoss Shower for now)
7: Perfect Style
9: Unfolding Wind Strike
So that's 9th level just to get this to a minimally functional state; still needs to get basics like Precise Shot so he can actually throw his knives at someone who's already engaged in a fight. Assuming that Ascetic Style works as I think it does, the Vital Strike Chain might be worth looking into to make the first hit of each Startoss hit a little harder. Beyond that, I'm not sure what more to do to improve the idea.
Flying Blade Swashbuckler archetype increases base range increment at level five...
Just saying... one of the options.
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Since Unfolding Wind Strike requires being in Perfect Style, only the MoMS can use it with Startoss Style.
Actually, Varisian Free Fighter and anyone with the Weapon Style Mastery can be in two styles at once as well, both of which are also in Weapon Master's Handbook.
MoMS does it faster, but you do have options.
I guess I need to keep reading the book then. Hadn't come across those yet.
TLDR: Core monks only need Ascetic style Unchained may want the second feat. Third is for non-monk classes.
Getting the air blessing from the warpriest lets you throw at max range with no range penalties.
Thanks for the link Chess Pwn. As for the air blessing, I can see how that would be helpful in general for a throwing build, but it doesn't help Startoss Shower turn a thrown weapon into an AoE. The main reason that I wanted to find a way to increase the range increment of a thrown weapon was that having multiple enemies all within one increment of one another isn't very likely when you've only got a 20' (or less) increment to work with. Getting it up to 40' makes it much easier to find situations where it'll be possible to get the maximum number of bounces.
The chakram has a 30ft I think.
Javelin with Amentum has 50' and is still a thrown weapon.
Wasteland Hunter trait + Hurler Barbarian archetype works really well. If you add Distance Thrower, you are more than set for.
Those are both excellent ideas and worth considering if I go back and look to do this with a different class using just Startoss.
But if I want to combine styles (and now that I know I've found a way to double the range of a weapon I'm kind of attached to it), I have to either go MoMS, in which case I'll be wanting to throw Ascetic - which dictates a melee weapon - in for the damage boost, or use the Weapon Style Mastery feat, which requires weapon training with a melee weapon. Maybe Martial Focus (heavy blades) would count for the chakram (or MF (spears) for the Amentum), but I'm not sure.
On the other hand, I've just realized that the Deer Horn Knife is an exotic, which pushes everything in the original build back another two levels, so I should maybe give it up as a lost cause.
edit: How did I not notice the Hurler Barbarian when I did my search? That's right along the lines of what I had in mind.
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Weapon Style Mastery requires weapon training or martial focus in a melee weapon. A thrown weapon is both melee and ranged, so Deer Horn Knife is valid for it.
Deer Horn Knife is exotic, but you would gain proficiency by either being an unchained monk, or dipping a level of Unarmed Fighter, as they both gain proficiency in all monk weapons.
For the Martial Focus + Weapon Style Mastery stuff, I was thinking about the chakram or amentum, which are listed as ranged weapons. The deer horn knife is listed as a melee weapon that has a range increment, much like a dagger is. So far as I know, every weapon is either one or the other, even if it can be used both ways, even the chakram and javelin that specifically say that they can be used as melee weapons at a penalty.
The Unarmed Fighter dip might not be a bad idea at all Imbicatus, given how the biggest problem I'm having is feat starvation. All the fiddly prerequisites for the styles certainly slows the progress down.
If you do Barb, I really recommend Unchained.
You can 2H a Spear or something, and and use Accurate Stance to eventually get the ability to ignore all cover, essentially freeing you from the need of getting Improved Precise Shot or even Precise Shot.
It's what my dude did. If I ever needed to Precise Shot, I was better off just running into the enemy and meleeing it.
The fighter dip will allow him to start running Ascetic + Startoss + Unfolding Wind Strike at the same time starting at 10th level, rather than 11th level without the dip.
Human Unarmed Fighter 1 / MoMS
1: Ascetic Style, PBS, Weapon Focus (Deer Horn Knife)
2: Startoss Style
3: Startoss Comet, Perfect Style (not actually going to use Perfect until 9th level, and then just for the attack bonus.)
5: Quick Draw
6: "Wildcard" (use this for Startoss Shower for now)
9: Startoss Shower (use wildcard for Unfolding Wind Strike starting at 10th)
After those first eight levels of MoMS, it might be worthwhile to go back to the fighter dip until fifth level for to both open up weapon training and to ensure that he'll max out at 16 BAB to maximize the number of bounces that Comet can get.
Still thinking about a Barbar or straight up Fighter builds instead. Or maybe a Warpriest to get the Air blessing and damage scaling. Maybe something involving a throwing shield?
Ioun Stone Opalescent White Pyramid, Cracked for 1,500 pieces of gold. Turns any one exotic weapon into a martial.
Strong Arm, Supple Wrist trait: +10', must move at least 10' first.
That trait will work very well for my purposes. Even better if I do a straightforward fighter build with Charging Hurler.