Is there a way to make it work well? Not a naked high AC monk capable of dodging, or a Mountain Stance monk whose skin is like iron, but rather a monk relying on heavy armor such as plate.
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I think there's no way for a monk to get better than expert in Heavy (or any other) Armor proficiency.
So you could do it if you don't care about your AC, I guess?
Work, yes. Work well, debatable.
I don't see many things in the class chassis preventing using armor other than the lack of proficiency. You can still use Flurry of Blows and Powerful Fist.
Most of the stances require unarmored. But not all. Cobra Stance works for example.
Ki spells seem to work in general. So Ki Strike and Ki Rush and such.
Incredible Movement is one of the things in the chassis that don't work while in armor. However you do still have the class ability, so I guess you can still use Abundant Step. That doesn't seem intended though. Be prepared for GMs to push back saying that you aren't currently able to use Incredible Movement, so therefore you can have the feat and focus spell, but you can't use it while wearing armor.
I also notice that Water Step doesn't require being unarmored.
So it is a bit of a mixed bag. You are going to be spending a lot of time double checking rules and requirements in order to know what you are and are not able to do. And you are requiring the other players at the table - notably the GM - to do the same.
Thematically you could build a strong armored monk via Fighter/Martial Artist or MCD Monk. Quite doable.
Mechanically, using the actual Monk class, you could make a viable PC, but you'd be spending feats on armor proficiency in order to give up some Monk benefits (like the better Stances & great unarmored proficiency). Which is to say it'd be wonky investing your power budget into defense...and coming out with worse defense.
Eventually it might square up, though at the very end it won't, and it's taken quite a few feats to break even.
Maybe some sort of illusion-armor if you really need the Monk's abilities, not simply a puncher. And there's also Animal Instinct Ape which can be an adept armored puncher.
Probably better off as another class with either Monk or Martial Artist dedication.
Gorilla and Stumbling don't require unarmoured, but Monk doesn't get any armoured armour prof afaik.
Champion Multiclass/Hellknight Signifer/Hellknight can get you up to expert in heavy...
I don't think that's worth it.
I'd rather go the other way and start as a Champion of Irori or something and grab Monk after.
Neither do I: It's MUCH easier to add Monk or Martial Artist to something already with Heavy armor and with better compatibility to boot. I'm looking at this as an exercise in 'can this be done' vs 'SHOULD this be done'.
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Is there a way to make it work well? Not a naked high AC monk capable of dodging, or a Mountain Stance monk whose skin is like iron, but rather a monk relying on heavy armor such as plate.
Why?
I mean, 'a monk in full plate' sounds more like a punchline than a character build to me, so I'm curious if this is an actual character idea or just an attempt to combine the two most incompatible options you can find because you are bored (not that there is anything wrong with that)...
I think this would require specific feat support (Sentinel doesn't work because it specifically excludes unarmored proficiency.) Several monk stances are compatible with armor (e.g. Stumbling, Gorilla) but the monk doesn't get anything in class that helps you put on armor.
You're probably better off picking a different class and multiclassing into martial artist or monk (or both).
Like the Human Fencer swashbuckler who goes Martial Artist for Stumbling Stance and its upgrade, then takes multitalented for Monk at 9 and Flurry at 10 is a well known character. If I wanted to make a "martial arts guy" in heavy armor, I could do something like a Paladin of Irori who takes the Martial Artist archetype to grab Gorilla Stance, which is Str based and works fine in full plate but you're on your own as far as mobility is concerned.
an attempt to combine the two most incompatible options you can find because you are bored (not that there is anything wrong with that)...
Considering that this is Ravingdork that we are talking about, I fully expect that this interpretation is more accurate than not.
...I'm curious if this is an actual character idea or just an attempt to combine the two most incompatible options you can find because you are bored (not that there is anything wrong with that).
If we can find something that works I plan to build it out. So, both, more or less.
Considering that this is Ravingdork that we are talking about, I fully expect that this interpretation is more accurate than not.
I agree. ;P
I think this is one of the rare cases where Paizo specifically worked to prevent what you're after. Monk was mentioned as the reason that certain armor proficiency options don't scale with your class's progression.
You could take a 3-point hit to AC, but it's difficult to get something out of that unless you have some sort of retaliation build- which is going to come from another class anyway, and if the goal is to lower your AC, then light/medium armor is more effective.
That said, it does give me an idea for a character. If being a monk in heavy armor is so difficult, it makes a pretty good disguise. Pact of Fey Glamour gets you a second-level casting of Illusory Disguise once per hour at 4th level with a decent DC (although as a cheap trick you don't mind people seeing through, Greater Hat of Disguise works at 7th). Reflection heritage can double the duration of every casting as a 9th level feat, and could make for some good backstory for the character. Go around as a knight dressed head to toe in imposing full plate, carrying a sword that they refuse to draw against any but a worthy opponent. In reality, be a Dex-based Monk zipping around the battlefield and using unarmed strikes because you've never actually learned how to use a sword. Probably a good idea to at least wear real gauntlets, just so the trick isn't immediately obvious from the first punch.
... Dang, I somehow missed that Illusory Disguise doesn't give a save anymore.
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I've tried several times to make a fighter/martial artist using gorilla or stumbling stance. But I just dislike the "can't make any other kind of Strikes" styles.
I suppose you could pick bows as your main weapon, using Martial Artist to get brawling as a secondary main. And take Point Blank Shot as your clear way to switch to a different stance.
Stumbling Stance does have Finesse. It seems unintuitive to go Finesse with heavy armor, but with armored kilt and maybe Hefty Hauler, it's doable.
You'd be a weirdly nimble tin can with much better ranged attacks than you ought to have. You could tie that together with the Deception focused flavor of Stumbling Stance too.