Well, current character just died today. I still wanted to fill some sort of semi-healing niche, and decided on an Ascetic Oracle (from the village codex). We just hit 8th level.
Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), and Swim (Str) to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells: Stone fistAPG (2nd), glideAPG (4th), force punchUM
(6th), ethereal fistsOA (8th), contact other plane (10th), legend lore
(12th), vision (14th), frightful aspectUC (16th), iron body (18th).
Revelations: An oracle with the ascetic mystery can choose
from any of the following revelations.
Absence of Body (Su): You require half as much food and water to survive as a normal member of your race. Additionally, each time you hold your breath, you can do so for an additional number of rounds equal to your oracle level. At 15th level, you no longer need to eat or drink and can hold your breath for 10 times as long (2 minutes per point of Constitution, plus 1 additional minute per oracle level).
Absence of Form (Sp): You gain feather fall as a spell-like ability, which you can use a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level. The rounds do not need to be used consecutively. If you are in mid fall when this ability’s duration expires, you take falling damage as if you fell from the altitude you were at when the spell ended. At 10th level, you can also apply your daily rounds of this ability to use air walk.
Ascetic Armor (Su): You can use meditative techniques that temporarily cause attacks to bounce off your skin, as long as you aren’t wearing armor or carrying a medium or heavy load. These techniques grant you a +4 armor bonus to AC. At 7th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 2. At 13th level, the techniques also grant DR 5/unarmed strikes or natural attacks. You can gain the benefits of ascetic armor for 1 hour per day per oracle level. The hours do not need to be consecutive, but you must spend them in 1-hour increments.
Fleet (Ex): You gain a +10-foot enhancement bonus to your base land speed. You lose this extra speed if you wear any armor or carry a medium or heavy load. At 7th level, and every 6 levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 10 feet. Oracles with the lame oracle curse can’t select this revelation.
Martial Disciple (Su): Through meditation and study of monastic forms of combat, you have learned a lethal form of unarmed combat. You gain Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat, even if you do not meet the prerequisites. You gain the unarmed strike damage of a monk of your oracle level. If you also have monk levels, those levels stack for the purpose of determining your unarmed strike damage.
Oracular Spellstrike (Su): By harnessing a synergy of unarmed combat and spellcasting, you have uncovered a means of channeling spell energy quickly through your unarmed strikes. This resembles the magus spellstrike ability, except it works with unarmed strikes only, no matter what other abilities you have. Additionally, it uses spells from the cleric spell list, not the magus spell list. You must be at least 7th level before selecting this revelation.
Rapid Convalescence (Su): You reduce the number of consecutive successful saves needed to recover from a disease or poison by 1 (to a minimum of 1). Additionally, you can sacrifice one of your unused spell slots for the day to gain an enhancement bonus equal to that spell slot’s level on your next save to resist the effects of poison or disease, provided the save is attempted within 1 minute per level of spell expended.
Spell Deflection (Su): You can use a readied action to counterspell any spell being cast on you or an adjacent ally that requires a ranged touch attack (such as a ray). In order to successfully counter the spell, you must make an unarmed attack roll. If the result of this attack roll is higher than 20 + the spell’s caster level, the spell is negated with no effect. At 17th level, any spell you successfully negate is reflected back at the caster with the same ranged touch attack result. You must be at least 11th level before selecting this revelation.
I was thinking of taking a 1 level dip of Scaled Fist Monk to get Cha to AC and CMD. The extra bonus feat of Dragon Style had me thinking of going more offensive with Str. The Dex build would probably pick up Dodge or Combat Reflexes and go with Jabbing style + the one extra attack from Flurry of Blows.
15pb, 8th level normal starting gold, core/featured races, psionics (no vitalist) + path of war (no classes from path of war) content allowed.
Scaled Fist UCMonk dip is a solid idea, and Dragon Style feat chains makes it more worthwhile. Two level dip in Enlightened Paladin is also a solid idea, for Charisma to Saves and more unarmed goodies. The AC from both archetypes should stack, since one alters your Dexterity Bonus (Enlightened Paladin) to AC by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier (meaning it's still a Dexterity Bonus and is therefore subject to Maximum Dexterity Bonus limitations), and the other is a direct Charisma to AC transfer.
However, some GMs will think that you're double-dipping your Charisma too much and will nerf it, so YMMV on that front. Even a non-Enlightened Paladin would still work, since Charisma to Saves is huge.
Dexterity based build gives you more defensive and reaction power (AC, Initiative, Reflex Saves, skills), but Strength build requires less investment, has powerful Synergies (Intimidate, Hurtful, Power Attack, and Cornugon Smash = Free Attack every round that stacks with every other attack you make), and actually scales pretty solidly in comparison to damage (1.5x Strength on all unarmed attacks). Personally, I think Dexterity builds are a trap, and if the GM allows the Enlightened Paladin and Scaled Fist AC to stack, not to mention Charisma to Saves, Initiative (Scion of War), and all that fun stuff, and Dexterity won't be as big of a priority.
**EDIT** Just saw that Path of War content is allowed. I believe Deadly Agility comes from that book, which greatly swings the benefits into Dexterity's favor.