3.5 Monk Build (Drunken possibly? search down and need help) [Archive] - Wizards Community

3.5 Monk Build (Drunken possibly? search down and need help) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Zodd1888
03-17-05, 01:52 AM Alright I haven't played DnD in months and I just got into a campaign today. I killed off my character at the end of the day by executing a thieves guild member in a brutal fashion (burning him then freezing then carving a note into his chest then stabbing a dagger into his forehead) infront of a group of paladins. NOW I would like to make a Monk that is extremely powerful. We have availablity to core, complete arcane, and complete warrior. I believe someone may have a few other books but not many so I am trying to keep it arcane and warrior (books on hand only I think). I'd like to make a monk who when he drinks he goes nuts and can fight like a demon or somewhat like Sanosuke from Kenshin. But with that I will lose my AC from my wisdom thus I require much help with this build given I usually deal with pure melee, or pure range (seldom anything like this, but I feel the need).

So if anyone can think of a nice build involving a monk (or any unarmed fighter) using core and the complete warrior/arcane books I would love to see/have it. I would prefer you throw in drunken master but you don't have to. I just need help bad... I was thinking of going Monk till I could get prerequisites of Drunken, but I know that isn't all to good so any help would be awesome.
Zodd1888
03-17-05, 01:55 AM Oh also brawler could be thrown in if you'd like. It is really up to you, I don't know what to do. I'm so lost, lol.
rilem
03-17-05, 09:50 AM Have you read Mean Liar's Monk Guide? You can find a link to it in the 3.5 Build FAQ at the top of this board.
duhtroll
03-17-05, 10:51 AM Tattooed Monk. VERY nice PClass in CW.

Allows free multiclass with Monk to go back and forth, and allows continued progression in unarmed damage, speed, and AC bonus.

In addition you can get cool tattoos, like alter self (broken spell), DR, enhancement bonuses to abilities, etc..

Look it up.

-A
Zodd1888
03-17-05, 12:16 PM Alright I'm looking at the PRC's and I'm thinking something along the lines of 12th Monk/ 8th Drunken Master... I'm still lost though because I don't get to Superior improvised weapon which is what I should probably be shooting for. I was also considering throwing one level of Tatooed Monk to get the Tatoo of the White Mask or whatever for +10 to bluff checks. I don't really want any other tats, and that one tat is sweet for the way I want to build my character (Drunken bar room fighter who can lie like a demon and isn't afraid to get his hands REALLY dirty).

If anyone out there has made a build like that dealing with a unarmed fighter can you hook me up, or help me build one. Thanks.
Zodd1888
03-17-05, 12:27 PM Also I'm going Human I think. I am also only going to level 12 basically for the 2d6 damage. If any of you have a build that makes the fists damage die lower I don't care so long as I can hold my own in higher levels.
rilem
03-17-05, 12:34 PM I don't think much of Tattooed Monk — White Mask goes nicely with Invisible Blade, but I think it's a dead end conceptually and mechanically. What good does it do you? If you want to lie well, take ranks in bluff.

Monk12 is good for abundant step, but I don't think it's crucial for this build — if you want Drunken Master, you want superior Improvised Weapons.

Not sure you need Monk11 either — normally greater flurry is mandatory, but I don't think you can actually flurry with Improvised Weapons (they aren't monk weapons and I don't believe there's an exception in the Drunken Master description.)

So. Either go Monk11/Drunken9, or

Monk 6/ShouDisciple5/Drunken9 (Shou stacks with Damage and, by consensus, flurry), so this gets you actually more damage (2d6+1d12) than Monk11/Drunken9. And Shou5 can flurry with ANY weapon, making all those bottles and ladders flurry-legal.
Zodd1888
03-17-05, 03:44 PM What book is shou disciple in? I don't know and I'll have to ask for special rights to use it for any build unless its on the website and I can print it off.

And in reply to the Drunken Master and flurry, since you can continue your monk levels after going Master you should theoretically be able to use flurry with improvised weapons. Also since it is primarily ADDITIONAL damage it isn't quite a full weapon attack and thus in my mind you should be aloud to flurry freely.

Furthermore I find greater flurry a necessity to most monk builds as it allows you to have 5 attacks at a relative great bonus as opposed to only 4 at a lower BAB than a the other primary fighters.

If anyone has input on this subject, please reply as I am loving this build thus far and the concept astounds and amazes me.
lokkesmadr
03-17-05, 03:59 PM Another, often overlooked, advantage of monk 11 is Diamond Body. Immunity to poisons should be liberally abused in just about any dirty fighter's repertoir. wrap your hands in rags soaked in Colossal scorpion venom and make sure to down a flagon of Vilestar or Balor Bile before you start your drinking spree. Somebody picks a fight your first order of business is to throw up all over them...

EDIT: Shou Disciple is in Unapproachable East
rilem
03-17-05, 04:13 PM And in reply to the Drunken Master and flurry, since you can continue your monk levels after going Master you should theoretically be able to use flurry with improvised weapons.

Sounds flimsy to me, especially the first part. There are plenty of PrCs that allow multiclassing with monk yet do not allow stacking levels for flurry of blows. Kensai doesn't, for example. Note that PrCs that do allow it (like the Initiate of Pistis Sophia, from BoED, specifically say so).

On the weapons argument, you might be able to sell a DM on that claim, but I'd say it's no better than 50/50.

Diamond Body is quite good, I agree, but I find poison to be too expensive to make for a good offensive strategy.
Zodd1888
03-18-05, 01:04 AM This is my full build, any suggestions would be grealy appreciated.

Sanosuke
Monk 11/ Drunken Master 9
Hit Dice: 11d8+9d8
BAB: +14/+9/+4; Saves: +13/+13/+10;
Requirements: Tumble 8, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike (or the monk’s unarmed strike ability)
Sources: Core 3.5, CW

Race: Human
Attributes: 18 Wis, 16 Str, 17 Dex, 15 Con, 12 Int, 14 Cha

Mnk 11/DrkM 9

1. Mnk 1: Level Feat (Improved Sunder), Human Feat (Power Attack), Bonus Feat (Stunning Fist), Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike, 1d6 Fist
2. Mnk 2: Bonus Feat (Combat Reflexes), Evasion
3. Mnk 3: Still Mind, Level Feat (Eagle Claw Attack)
4. Mnk 4: Ki Strike (magic), Slow Fall 20 ft.
5. Mnk 5: Purity of Body
6. Mnk 6: Bonus Feat (Improved Trip), Slow Fall 30 ft., Level Feat (Dodge)
7. Mnk 7: Wholeness of Body
8. Mnk 8: Slow Fall 40 ft.
9. Mnk 9: Improved Evasion, Level Feat (Great Fortitude)
10. Mnk 10: Ki Strike (lawful), Slow Fall 50 ft.
11. Mnk 11: Diamond Body, Greater Flurry
12. Mnk 11/ DrkM 1: Drink Like A Demon, Improvised Weapon, Level Feat (Improved Natural Attack)
13. Mnk 11/ DrkM 2: Stagger
14. Mnk 11/ DrkM 3: Swaying Waist
15. Mnk 11/ DrkM 4: AC bonus +1, Improved Improvised Weapon, Level Feat (Raptor School)
16. Mnk 11/ DrkM 5: Greater Improvised Weapon
17. Mnk 11/ DrkM 6: Improved Feint
18. Mnk 11/ DrkM 7: Improved Grapple, Level Feat (Freezing The Lifeblood)
19. Mnk 11/ DrkM 8: For Medicinal Purposes
20. Mnk 11/ DrkM 9: AC bonus +2, Corkscrew Rush, Superior Improvised Weapon
lokkesmadr
03-18-05, 01:15 AM Diamond Body is quite good, I agree, but I find poison to be too expensive to make for a good offensive strategy.

Agreed on the expense. The easiest method of getting those handy poisons you really wish you could afford is to persuade your party mage to take up poisoncrafting and mix you up batches of plant based toxins for free using minor creation. If you want animal derived toxins a druid is your friend, especially a druid with the Child of Winter feat...
Zodd1888
03-18-05, 02:03 AM Does anyone have any input on my build? I would really like some if any is available.
rilem
03-18-05, 10:06 AM It looks good, though I'm skeptical of taking stunning-fist related feats (Freezing the Lifeblood). If you plan on drinking a lot, that's going to hurt your DC significantly.

I don't think I'd go so far as to recommend swapping out Stunning Fist (it's too valuable, especially pre-Drunken Master), though.

I'd consider going Half-Orc and taking headlong rush to maximize the D.Master's stagger ability — Headlong Rush doubles damage on a charge.
Zodd1888
03-18-05, 12:45 PM Where is Headlong Rush? Also I was thinking of taking the Jump Kick feat as I believe it would be a smart move (I get +2 from raptor school charging, along with +6 from watching them for three rounds, then I'd also get +1d12 from jump kicking equaling quite a bit of damage).
rilem
03-18-05, 12:58 PM Races of Faerun, I think. Mix with Elusive Target (CW) for lots of tripping fun.

Flying Kick is good, but what about Combat Brute instead? You qualify and it would give you a lot more flexibility than either Flying Kick or Headlong Rush.
Zodd1888
03-18-05, 01:08 PM Which book is it from? If we don't have the books on hand, I have to figure something out, so I'm actually writing down all these feats just in case we do have the books. But incase I don't what book is that feat from, and do you have any idea what others I could possibly take?
rilem
03-18-05, 01:26 PM Sorry, I would've mentioned it but it's from Complete Warrior, the same book as Raptor School, so I figured you knew about it.

It's a tactical build, and requires Improved Sunder/PowerAttack. It lets you try a couple of tricks, two of which are particularly relevant for you.

- Sundering Cleave — Sunder a weapon and get a free attack on the wielder.

- Momentum Swing — Good synergy for charging.
Zodd1888
03-18-05, 01:30 PM Hey man, do u mind if I add you to yahoo, so we can discuss this stuff better than relaying, lol, it might make this easier, plus I have a few other builds I could use advice on.
Zodd1888
03-18-05, 01:44 PM I believe I am going to reverse Raptor School and Elusive Target.

After reading alot of these feats and such I am beggining to wonder if there is a way to build a extremely fast combo/martial artist type build. I was looking at round about kick and prone attack along with a few others, would there be a way of creating a speed freak kung fu fighter with only Complete Warrior and Complete Arcane available?
Jeremymc
03-18-05, 08:17 PM I don't know if anyone noticed this, but the Drunken Master level 10 power is a cone of fire as a FREE ACTION. It doesn't take the place of an attack.

So taking monk level 11 to get the extra attack may not be so great, when you can trade it for a 20ft cone of 3d12 fire every round IN ADDITION to your regular attacks, it's not so bad.

So Grapple, grapple, grapple, grapple, FIRE BREATH *FOOSH*!!!

It's so cool.

And then at 21st level (monk 11) you can spew cones of poison every round for free. Move action - drink poison, free action - spew poison.
Jeremymc
03-18-05, 09:16 PM And as a matter of fact, the Tattooed Monk can be extremely powerful. In fact, he can be one of the most powerful one-on-one characters in the game. But it only lasts for a very short time.

The scorpion tattoo allows you to make an opponent attack you with his WORST bonus for a full round. So you could force a Titan, for example, to attack you using his 12 dexterity instead of his 43 strength.

That ain't a bad power. At 10th level, you get five rounds of this. Which can pretty much whip anything.

And the Lion tattoo gives you a smite bonus with damage equal to +1 per class level.

and the "Arrowroot" tattoo isn't bad. Wisdom bonus TIMES class level. With a +10 Wisdom, at 10th level you can heal up to 100 HP. THat's not bad.
rilem
03-18-05, 09:39 PM Heh, I didn't know that about firebreath. Did that survive the errata.

Zodd1888: No problem, though I'm only on Yahoo! on weekdays for the most part.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zodd1888 03-17-05, 01:52 AM	Alright I haven't played DnD in months and I just got into a campaign today. I killed off my character at the end of the day by executing a thieves guild member in a brutal fashion (burning him then freezing then carving a note into his chest then stabbing a dagger into his forehead) infront of a group of paladins. NOW I would like to make a Monk that is extremely powerful. We have availablity to core, complete arcane, and complete warrior. I believe someone may have a few other books but not many so I am trying to keep it arcane and warrior (books on hand only I think). I'd like to make a monk who when he drinks he goes nuts and can fight like a demon or somewhat like Sanosuke from Kenshin. But with that I will lose my AC from my wisdom thus I require much help with this build given I usually deal with pure melee, or pure range (seldom anything like this, but I feel the need). So if anyone can think of a nice build involving a monk (or any unarmed fighter) using core and the complete warrior/arcane books I would love to see/have it. I would prefer you throw in drunken master but you don't have to. I just need help bad... I was thinking of going Monk till I could get prerequisites of Drunken, but I know that isn't all to good so any help would be awesome.
Zodd1888 03-17-05, 01:55 AM	Oh also brawler could be thrown in if you'd like. It is really up to you, I don't know what to do. I'm so lost, lol.
rilem 03-17-05, 09:50 AM	Have you read Mean Liar's Monk Guide? You can find a link to it in the 3.5 Build FAQ at the top of this board.
duhtroll 03-17-05, 10:51 AM	Tattooed Monk. VERY nice PClass in CW. Allows free multiclass with Monk to go back and forth, and allows continued progression in unarmed damage, speed, and AC bonus. In addition you can get cool tattoos, like alter self (broken spell), DR, enhancement bonuses to abilities, etc.. Look it up. -A
Zodd1888 03-17-05, 12:16 PM	Alright I'm looking at the PRC's and I'm thinking something along the lines of 12th Monk/ 8th Drunken Master... I'm still lost though because I don't get to Superior improvised weapon which is what I should probably be shooting for. I was also considering throwing one level of Tatooed Monk to get the Tatoo of the White Mask or whatever for +10 to bluff checks. I don't really want any other tats, and that one tat is sweet for the way I want to build my character (Drunken bar room fighter who can lie like a demon and isn't afraid to get his hands REALLY dirty). If anyone out there has made a build like that dealing with a unarmed fighter can you hook me up, or help me build one. Thanks.
Zodd1888 03-17-05, 12:27 PM	Also I'm going Human I think. I am also only going to level 12 basically for the 2d6 damage. If any of you have a build that makes the fists damage die lower I don't care so long as I can hold my own in higher levels.
rilem 03-17-05, 12:34 PM	I don't think much of Tattooed Monk — White Mask goes nicely with Invisible Blade, but I think it's a dead end conceptually and mechanically. What good does it do you? If you want to lie well, take ranks in bluff. Monk12 is good for abundant step, but I don't think it's crucial for this build — if you want Drunken Master, you want superior Improvised Weapons. Not sure you need Monk11 either — normally greater flurry is mandatory, but I don't think you can actually flurry with Improvised Weapons (they aren't monk weapons and I don't believe there's an exception in the Drunken Master description.) So. Either go Monk11/Drunken9, or Monk 6/ShouDisciple5/Drunken9 (Shou stacks with Damage and, by consensus, flurry), so this gets you actually more damage (2d6+1d12) than Monk11/Drunken9. And Shou5 can flurry with ANY weapon, making all those bottles and ladders flurry-legal.
Zodd1888 03-17-05, 03:44 PM	What book is shou disciple in? I don't know and I'll have to ask for special rights to use it for any build unless its on the website and I can print it off. And in reply to the Drunken Master and flurry, since you can continue your monk levels after going Master you should theoretically be able to use flurry with improvised weapons. Also since it is primarily ADDITIONAL damage it isn't quite a full weapon attack and thus in my mind you should be aloud to flurry freely. Furthermore I find greater flurry a necessity to most monk builds as it allows you to have 5 attacks at a relative great bonus as opposed to only 4 at a lower BAB than a the other primary fighters. If anyone has input on this subject, please reply as I am loving this build thus far and the concept astounds and amazes me.
lokkesmadr 03-17-05, 03:59 PM	Another, often overlooked, advantage of monk 11 is Diamond Body. Immunity to poisons should be liberally abused in just about any dirty fighter's repertoir. wrap your hands in rags soaked in Colossal scorpion venom and make sure to down a flagon of Vilestar or Balor Bile before you start your drinking spree. Somebody picks a fight your first order of business is to throw up all over them... EDIT: Shou Disciple is in Unapproachable East
rilem 03-17-05, 04:13 PM	And in reply to the Drunken Master and flurry, since you can continue your monk levels after going Master you should theoretically be able to use flurry with improvised weapons. Sounds flimsy to me, especially the first part. There are plenty of PrCs that allow multiclassing with monk yet do not allow stacking levels for flurry of blows. Kensai doesn't, for example. Note that PrCs that do allow it (like the Initiate of Pistis Sophia, from BoED, specifically say so). On the weapons argument, you might be able to sell a DM on that claim, but I'd say it's no better than 50/50. Diamond Body is quite good, I agree, but I find poison to be too expensive to make for a good offensive strategy.
Zodd1888 03-18-05, 01:04 AM	This is my full build, any suggestions would be grealy appreciated. Sanosuke Monk 11/ Drunken Master 9 Hit Dice: 11d8+9d8 BAB: +14/+9/+4; Saves: +13/+13/+10; Requirements: Tumble 8, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike (or the monk’s unarmed strike ability) Sources: Core 3.5, CW Race: Human Attributes: 18 Wis, 16 Str, 17 Dex, 15 Con, 12 Int, 14 Cha Mnk 11/DrkM 9 1. Mnk 1: Level Feat (Improved Sunder), Human Feat (Power Attack), Bonus Feat (Stunning Fist), Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike, 1d6 Fist 2. Mnk 2: Bonus Feat (Combat Reflexes), Evasion 3. Mnk 3: Still Mind, Level Feat (Eagle Claw Attack) 4. Mnk 4: Ki Strike (magic), Slow Fall 20 ft. 5. Mnk 5: Purity of Body 6. Mnk 6: Bonus Feat (Improved Trip), Slow Fall 30 ft., Level Feat (Dodge) 7. Mnk 7: Wholeness of Body 8. Mnk 8: Slow Fall 40 ft. 9. Mnk 9: Improved Evasion, Level Feat (Great Fortitude) 10. Mnk 10: Ki Strike (lawful), Slow Fall 50 ft. 11. Mnk 11: Diamond Body, Greater Flurry 12. Mnk 11/ DrkM 1: Drink Like A Demon, Improvised Weapon, Level Feat (Improved Natural Attack) 13. Mnk 11/ DrkM 2: Stagger 14. Mnk 11/ DrkM 3: Swaying Waist 15. Mnk 11/ DrkM 4: AC bonus +1, Improved Improvised Weapon, Level Feat (Raptor School) 16. Mnk 11/ DrkM 5: Greater Improvised Weapon 17. Mnk 11/ DrkM 6: Improved Feint 18. Mnk 11/ DrkM 7: Improved Grapple, Level Feat (Freezing The Lifeblood) 19. Mnk 11/ DrkM 8: For Medicinal Purposes 20. Mnk 11/ DrkM 9: AC bonus +2, Corkscrew Rush, Superior Improvised Weapon
lokkesmadr 03-18-05, 01:15 AM	Diamond Body is quite good, I agree, but I find poison to be too expensive to make for a good offensive strategy. Agreed on the expense. The easiest method of getting those handy poisons you really wish you could afford is to persuade your party mage to take up poisoncrafting and mix you up batches of plant based toxins for free using minor creation. If you want animal derived toxins a druid is your friend, especially a druid with the Child of Winter feat...
Zodd1888 03-18-05, 02:03 AM	Does anyone have any input on my build? I would really like some if any is available.
rilem 03-18-05, 10:06 AM	It looks good, though I'm skeptical of taking stunning-fist related feats (Freezing the Lifeblood). If you plan on drinking a lot, that's going to hurt your DC significantly. I don't think I'd go so far as to recommend swapping out Stunning Fist (it's too valuable, especially pre-Drunken Master), though. I'd consider going Half-Orc and taking headlong rush to maximize the D.Master's stagger ability — Headlong Rush doubles damage on a charge.
Zodd1888 03-18-05, 12:45 PM	Where is Headlong Rush? Also I was thinking of taking the Jump Kick feat as I believe it would be a smart move (I get +2 from raptor school charging, along with +6 from watching them for three rounds, then I'd also get +1d12 from jump kicking equaling quite a bit of damage).
rilem 03-18-05, 12:58 PM	Races of Faerun, I think. Mix with Elusive Target (CW) for lots of tripping fun. Flying Kick is good, but what about Combat Brute instead? You qualify and it would give you a lot more flexibility than either Flying Kick or Headlong Rush.
Zodd1888 03-18-05, 01:08 PM	Which book is it from? If we don't have the books on hand, I have to figure something out, so I'm actually writing down all these feats just in case we do have the books. But incase I don't what book is that feat from, and do you have any idea what others I could possibly take?
rilem 03-18-05, 01:26 PM	Sorry, I would've mentioned it but it's from Complete Warrior, the same book as Raptor School, so I figured you knew about it. It's a tactical build, and requires Improved Sunder/PowerAttack. It lets you try a couple of tricks, two of which are particularly relevant for you. - Sundering Cleave — Sunder a weapon and get a free attack on the wielder. - Momentum Swing — Good synergy for charging.
Zodd1888 03-18-05, 01:30 PM	Hey man, do u mind if I add you to yahoo, so we can discuss this stuff better than relaying, lol, it might make this easier, plus I have a few other builds I could use advice on.
Zodd1888 03-18-05, 01:44 PM	I believe I am going to reverse Raptor School and Elusive Target. After reading alot of these feats and such I am beggining to wonder if there is a way to build a extremely fast combo/martial artist type build. I was looking at round about kick and prone attack along with a few others, would there be a way of creating a speed freak kung fu fighter with only Complete Warrior and Complete Arcane available?
Jeremymc 03-18-05, 08:17 PM	I don't know if anyone noticed this, but the Drunken Master level 10 power is a cone of fire as a FREE ACTION. It doesn't take the place of an attack. So taking monk level 11 to get the extra attack may not be so great, when you can trade it for a 20ft cone of 3d12 fire every round IN ADDITION to your regular attacks, it's not so bad. So Grapple, grapple, grapple, grapple, FIRE BREATH FOOSH!!! It's so cool. And then at 21st level (monk 11) you can spew cones of poison every round for free. Move action - drink poison, free action - spew poison.
Jeremymc 03-18-05, 09:16 PM	And as a matter of fact, the Tattooed Monk can be extremely powerful. In fact, he can be one of the most powerful one-on-one characters in the game. But it only lasts for a very short time. The scorpion tattoo allows you to make an opponent attack you with his WORST bonus for a full round. So you could force a Titan, for example, to attack you using his 12 dexterity instead of his 43 strength. That ain't a bad power. At 10th level, you get five rounds of this. Which can pretty much whip anything. And the Lion tattoo gives you a smite bonus with damage equal to +1 per class level. and the "Arrowroot" tattoo isn't bad. Wisdom bonus TIMES class level. With a +10 Wisdom, at 10th level you can heal up to 100 HP. THat's not bad.
rilem 03-18-05, 09:39 PM	Heh, I didn't know that about firebreath. Did that survive the errata. Zodd1888: No problem, though I'm only on Yahoo! on weekdays for the most part.