Raise unarmed strike damage on an armored hulk without multi classing or VMC

[McDaygo]

So for my next character I want to make a battle rager style of dwarf. Spiked Heavy armor Barbarian specializing in unarmed Strikes, grapples and sunders.
I know the rage powers can raise it to 1d6 while raging as well as grant free two weapon fighting but I was hoping to get it higher. Is there a feat that or something to make it a D8 or D10 that doesn’t require multi classing or VMC

[Scavion]

If you play 3rd party, Greater Unarmed Stike is a feat available. Run it by your DM and see if they don't mind. It's by Dreamscarred Press so it's one of the more well-regarded 3rd party developers.

You can also wear a Monk's Robe which will make it a d8.

[Name Violation]

The Wilding strike chain of feats will bump it up

[Temperans]

Also size increases amd the Impact weapon enchantment help. So find a way to get easy Enlarge Person.

[Firebug]

Temperans wrote:

Also size increases amd the Impact weapon enchantment help. So find a way to get easy Enlarge Person.

I wondered about that recently. I've always played that you can put Impact on an Amulet of Mighty Fists(usually natural attackers)... but Impact doesn't apply to light weapons, and the Amulet can only take enchantments that can apply to unarmed strikes... which is a light weapon.

Potions of Enlarge Person are cheap (50gp) at even low levels and are 'faster' than having someone cast the actual spell since it makes you large as a standard action instead of a 1-round action. Throw on a spring loaded wrist sheath (or just walk around with one in hand when you expect combat) and maybe even a way to drink the potion faster (potion glutton/etc).

[David knott 242]

Name Violation wrote:

The Wilding strike chain of feats will bump it up

And if you can spare the feats, you may want to consider alternating between that feat chain and the Vital Strike feat chain. By 19th level, you will be able to do 3d10+ damage with a single unarmed strike.

When you have the opportunity, throw in Combat Stamina for possible damage dice rerolls.

[MrCharisma]

It doesn't increase the damage dice, but DRAGON STYLE (and DRAGON FEROCITY) will likely have a greater impact on your overall damage. Later on there's also RAGING BRUTALITY, though that was probably already on your feat list.

[strayshift]

Quain martial artist trait for a small bump. Not unarmed strikes but Beast Totem obviously gives you claws + improved natural attack. Previous post has Dragon Style but there is also Ki-Rin sytyle.

[Ryze Kuja]

Quote:

Ascetic Style (Combat, Style)

You blend arms and martial arts, using weapons with the same ease as unarmed strikes.

Prerequisite(s): Weapon Focus with the chosen melee weapon; base attack bonus +1 or monk level 1st.

Benefit(s): Choose one weapon from the monk fighter weapon group. While using this style and wielding the chosen weapon, you can apply the effects of feats that have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, as well as effects that augment an unarmed strike, as if attacks with the weapon were unarmed attacks.

Special: A 5th-level monk or character with the weapon training (monk) class feature can use Ascetic Style with any monk weapon, in addition to the chosen melee weapon

Quote:

Ascetic Form (Combat)

You have mastered the ability to blend the use of arms with martial arts.

Prerequisite(s): Ascetic Style; Weapon Focus with the chosen melee weapon; base attack bonus +5 or monk level 5th.

Benefit(s): You can use the chosen melee weapon with any class ability that can be used with an unarmed strike, such as an unchained monk’s style strike ability. In addition, you are treated as a monk with a level equal to your character level for the purpose of determining the number of times per day that you can use feats with uses per day that depend upon your monk level, such as the Stunning Fist or Perfect Strike feats.

Quote:

Ascetic Strike (Combat)

Your weapon strikes deal more damage than usual.

Prerequisite(s): Ascetic Form; Ascetic Style; Weapon Focus with the chosen weapon; base attack bonus +7 or monk level 7th.

Benefit(s): You can use the unarmed strike damage of a monk 4 levels lower than your character level (minimum 1st) instead of the base damage for the chosen weapon. Ascetic Strike functions in all other ways as the brawler’s close weapon mastery class feature.

In addition, you ignore the still mind class feature prerequisite for the Monastic Legacy feat.

Quote:

Monastic Legacy (Combat)

Prerequisite: Still mind class feature, Improved Unarmed Strike.

Benefit: Add half the levels you have in classes other than monk to your monk level to determine your effective monk level for your base unarmed strike damage. This feat does not make levels in classes other than monk count toward any other monk class features.

This feat line might interest you. You could use a punchy Monk weapon, like a Cestus.

Alternatively, if you'd like to Rage but play a class other than Barbarian, if you're allowed 3pp Dreamscarred Press, consider Psychic Warrior from Psionics. Psychic Warriors get a psionic power called Endorphin Surge, which is the same as Rage, but it would be a Standard Action instead of a Free Action.

[David knott 242]

Weapons like the cestus do not let you use your unarmed strike damage, assuming that you found some way to increase it. But it would be good if you had a way to add static bonuses to damage.

[Ryze Kuja]

David knott 242 wrote:

Weapons like the cestus do not let you use your unarmed strike damage, assuming that you found some way to increase it. But it would be good if you had a way to add static bonuses to damage.

You can pick any one weapon from the monk fighter weapon group and have it deal damage as a Monk = to your Char Level -4. I edited it to bold the relevant parts.

So at lvl 20, that's 2d8 per strike.

[David knott 242]

Okay, but I think the OP already ruled out Monastic Legacy because he didn't want to multiclass. That restriction also rules out most non-3pp ways to increase unarmed strike damage anyway.

[Ryze Kuja]

David knott 242 wrote:

Okay, but I think the OP already ruled out Monastic Legacy because he didn't want to multiclass. That restriction also rules out most non-3pp ways to increase unarmed strike damage anyway.

You don't need to multiclass.....

Quote:

Ascetic Strike (Combat)

Your weapon strikes deal more damage than usual.

Prerequisite(s): Ascetic Form; Ascetic Style; Weapon Focus with the chosen weapon; base attack bonus +7 or monk level 7th.

Benefit(s): You can use the unarmed strike damage of a monk 4 levels lower than your character level (minimum 1st) instead of the base damage for the chosen weapon. Ascetic Strike functions in all other ways as the brawler’s close weapon mastery class feature.

In addition, you ignore the still mind class feature prerequisite for the Monastic Legacy feat.

[Ryze Kuja]

@OP

I'd go:

Dwarf - Armored Hulk Barb 11

Lvl1: Weapon Focus (Cestus - or w/e monk weapon you want)
Lvl2: Rage Power: Brawler
Lvl3: Ascetic Style
Lvl4: Rage Power: Greater Brawler
Lvl5: Ascetic Form
Lvl6: Rage Power: Lesser Beast Totem
Lvl7: Ascetic Style (Unarmed Strike is 1d6)
Lvl8: Rage Power: Beast Totem
Lvl9: Monastic Legacy (Unarmed Strike is now 1d10)
Lvl10: Rage Power: Greater Beast Totem (Pounce)
Lvl11: Power Attack (Unarmed Strike is now 2d6)
Lvl12: Rage Power: Come and Get Me
Lvl13: Improved Grapple

Lvl16: Unarmed Strike is now 2d10.

Now just get a reliable way to Enlarge Person yourself.

[strayshift]

Ryze Kuja wrote:

@OP

I'd go:

Dwarf - Armored Hulk Barb 11

Lvl1: Weapon Focus (Cestus - or w/e monk weapon you want)
Lvl2: Rage Power: Brawler
Lvl3: Ascetic Style
Lvl4: Rage Power: Greater Brawler
Lvl5: Ascetic Form
Lvl6: Rage Power: Lesser Beast Totem
Lvl7: Ascetic Style (Unarmed Strike is 1d6)
Lvl8: Rage Power: Beast Totem
Lvl9: Monastic Legacy (Unarmed Strike is now 1d10)
Lvl10: Rage Power: Greater Beast Totem (Pounce)
Lvl11: Power Attack (Unarmed Strike is now 2d6)
Lvl12: Rage Power: Come and Get Me
Lvl13: Improved Grapple

Lvl16: Unarmed Strike is now 2d10.

Now just get a reliable way to Enlarge Person yourself.

I'm think some of this on a character like a Phantom Thief might be interesting...

[Derklord]

strayshift wrote:

I'm think some of this on a character like a Phantom Thief might be interesting...

Be aware that the damage isn't nearly as high, because the interaction doesn't work. Ascetic Strike can be used to get the unarmed strike damage of a Monk four levels lower (by selecting Unarmed Strike with Ascetic Style), but Monastic Legacy doesn't help: Ascetic Strike doesn't use effective monk level, it takes your character level -4, looks at the Monk table in the CRB, and uses that value. It doesn't matter if something affects your effective monk level (Monastic Legacy, Monk's Robe, actual levels in Monk), because the feat doesn't use that for any calculation (and doesn't say it stacks with Monk levels).

A cRogue (or Ninja, Dashing Thief Swashbuckler, Archaeologist or Negotiator Bard, or Rose Warden) could also just grab the Unarmed Combat Mastery Advanced Ninja Trick, but that's sadly not aviable for unRogue.

It's not really feasible for the OP, because making two combat maneuvers good takes many feats to be able to spend four of them on improving damage a bit. And yet it's still better than the Wilding Strike chain...

[McDaygo]

Ryze Kuja wrote:

@OP

I'd go:

Dwarf - Armored Hulk Barb 11

Lvl1: Weapon Focus (Cestus - or w/e monk weapon you want)
Lvl2: Rage Power: Brawler
Lvl3: Ascetic Style
Lvl4: Rage Power: Greater Brawler
Lvl5: Ascetic Form
Lvl6: Rage Power: Lesser Beast Totem
Lvl7: Ascetic Style (Unarmed Strike is 1d6)
Lvl8: Rage Power: Beast Totem
Lvl9: Monastic Legacy (Unarmed Strike is now 1d10)
Lvl10: Rage Power: Greater Beast Totem (Pounce)
Lvl11: Power Attack (Unarmed Strike is now 2d6)
Lvl12: Rage Power: Come and Get Me
Lvl13: Improved Grapple

Lvl16: Unarmed Strike is now 2d10.

Now just get a reliable way to Enlarge Person yourself.

I like it. I may sub out the beast totem stuff for the self healing powers

[Ryze Kuja]

McDaygo wrote:

Ryze Kuja wrote:

@OP

I'd go:

Dwarf - Armored Hulk Barb 11

Lvl1: Weapon Focus (Cestus - or w/e monk weapon you want)
Lvl2: Rage Power: Brawler
Lvl3: Ascetic Style
Lvl4: Rage Power: Greater Brawler
Lvl5: Ascetic Form
Lvl6: Rage Power: Lesser Beast Totem
Lvl7: Ascetic Style (Unarmed Strike is 1d6)
Lvl8: Rage Power: Beast Totem
Lvl9: Monastic Legacy (Unarmed Strike is now 1d10)
Lvl10: Rage Power: Greater Beast Totem (Pounce)
Lvl11: Power Attack (Unarmed Strike is now 2d6)
Lvl12: Rage Power: Come and Get Me
Lvl13: Improved Grapple

Lvl16: Unarmed Strike is now 2d10.

Now just get a reliable way to Enlarge Person yourself.

I like it. I may sub out the beast totem stuff for the self healing powers

Beast Totem has Pounce tho, that's pretty darn spiffy being able to full attack on a charge at lvl 10. Tbh I think that outweighs self-healing powers because you can heal out of combat with UMD and wands of CLW. If you get into trouble while in combat, pull out the wand of cure serious wounds.