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Monk/Assassin

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
ashyl
Jul 28, 2008 12:43:21 Hello everone!

I am currently playing a drow (actualy something like a "lesser drow", with just 1 lvl adjustment and less racials) monk, level 4. I am 1 level away from having the prereq's to become an assassin, but I am worried that my innitial idea may result in a gimp character :P The idea was to get the sneak attack/death attack, Use Magic Device skill and the limited but usefull Assassin spells.

Our adventure is a somewhat focused in combat, so having a character who can help there is important to the party.

I have a very high dexterity score and intend to go for two weapon fighting, with dual Kurkis.

Anyway, I have 2 questions:

1) Is the Monk/Assassin a good idea to begin with?
2) I was thinking of advancing as a monk up to level 9, for the third attack in flurry of blows and the unarmored speed bonus.

If you have any suggestions on how to play such a character by the way, I would appretiate them!

Thanks in advance!
#2
robbypants
Jul 28, 2008 13:09:23 Well, there are a few things I can say.

1) Monks themselves tend to be fairly weak, as do assassins, so you have to work hard to overcome shortcomings.

2) You don't have to have levels in the Assassin PrC to be an "assassin".

3) If you decide you still want to be an assassin, you must work hard to keep your Death Attack DC as high as possible for it to be useful. Here are a few tips:
Keep your Assassin levels maxed out (as it directly increases your DC)
Get your Int as high as possible. *
Take the Ability Focus(Death Attack) feat from Monster Manual

Also, I'm curious: why focus on kukris when you could use unarmed strikes for more damage? It seems this character would have been better suited as a rogue from the beginning. That beings said, what feats do you have already? What books are you allowed to use?

* Ideally, it'd be nice to switch all of your monk's Wis-based abilities to Int, to keep from needing so many good stats. The feats Kung Fu Genius and Carmendine Monk both do this. Of course, if you're already 4th level, it's probably too late. These things are easier to work in from the ground up.
#3
demon_paladin
Jul 28, 2008 13:24:58 Everything robbypants said. If you switch to unarmed strike, take superior unarmed s trike from ToB. Also, while both classes arn't the strongest, they do give you an RP advantage in stealth (Hidden Weapons, what hidden weapons?). And on a similar note, unarmed death attack makes me think of the classic neck-break.
#4
soneillon
Jul 28, 2008 14:15:14 What are your allowed books?

See if your DM would allow you to rebuild, with more Int instead of Wis, and take the Kung-Fu Genius feat (from Dragon Compendium). The Unearthed Arcana monk variant Fighting Styles could help you out alot.
So, my suggested build would be something like this:

Monk 2/Swashbuckler3/and then progress with Assassin.

Or, this is probably more powerful, but gets assassin later:

Monk 2/Swashbuckler3/Rogue2/Assassin

with the second build, take the Daring Outlaw feat from Complete Scoundrel.
You can take a variant that replaces the redundant evasion, the best IMO being Spell Reflection from Complete Mage, since you touch AC should be very high.

I disagree that assassin suck.. I think they can be pretty well-rounded, especially with optimizing their spell selection.

My advice on weapons would be to use two Scorpion Kamas (from the Monastic Array magic item set in Magic Item Compendium) which will allow you to apply you unarmed damage to your attacks. With the rule in MIC you should be able to enhance them like regular weapons... they will always just cost 4,000 gp more than whatever their price would be.
#5
cycada
Jul 28, 2008 14:20:30 Actually, if your going to sub out on of the Evasions, I would sub out the Monk evasion. In Exemplars of Evil there is an Alt. Class feature for the monk that lets him turn invisible (as a swift action I think) once every three turns. Not only is this fluffy for the character, but is down right effective for the assassin idea.

My 2 platinum.

Edit: The reason that assassins might not be the best is because the Save DC for their death attack is Fort Based, which is usually the highest save for monsters.
#6
robbypants
Jul 28, 2008 14:24:54
Edit: The reason that assassins might not be the best is because the Save DC for their death attack is Fort Based, which is usually the highest save for monsters.

That, and you really have to work to keep the DC up, and the three rounds of studying can be a real pain in some situations.
#7
hallack
Jul 28, 2008 15:01:00 Have to agree, don't have to be an Assassin to be an assassin.

What are you wanting from the class or monk for that matter?

Swordsage if ToB is allowed would open up a lot more nice tricks and abilities.
#8
soneillon
Jul 28, 2008 15:14:25
That, and you really have to work to keep the DC up, and the three rounds of studying can be a real pain in some situations.

Well, I mainly like it against casters and other rogues... there are several ways to make this more effective.

The 4th level Assassin spell from CM, Deathsight is a pretty big boost, letting you death attack after just 1 standard action. A favorite trick of a character of mine was to use his Circlet of Rapid Casting (MIC) to make it a swift action... it made for some good fun.

Another great thing is a Shadow-striking weapon, which 1/day basically lets you death attack someone with uncanny dodge. Vital Strike may also do this, by my interpretation.

A DM may let you death-attack monsters you normally couldn't, when you bypass their sneak attack immunity... Using things such as Plant Strike and Deathstrike Bracers.

Lastly, there are some good options to pump the DC. An assassin dagger for +1, Bracers of Murder for +2, and the ability focus feat for another +2 nets an impressive +5. Also, rounding out assassin builds with another class that grants a death attack such as Dark Hunter or Shadowlord basically adds that class level to the DC.

Edit:I also think swordsage can be great for those wanting play these types of characters... however, if there isn't an Tome of Battle in the campaign, in can be a hassle to implement an entire new system.
#9
carnivore
Jul 28, 2008 18:46:51 i agree with RobbyPants and Soneillon... both have excellent advice and ideas

i would add this build:

Lesser Drow
Monk 2/ Swashbuckler 3/ Assassin 10/ Master thrower 5

Attributes:(32pt buy)...using lesser Drow Elf stat mods(+2 Dex,-2 Con)

10 Str
32 Dex(16 + +2 racial +3 lvls + 5 inherent(Tome) +6 item(gloves))
16 Con(14 -2 racial +4 item)
26 Int(14 +2 lvls +4 Inherent(tome) +6 item)
14 Wis
10 Cha

Feats:
Stunning Fist(monk bonus)
Combat Reflexes(monk bonus)
Weapon Finnesse(Swashbuckler bonus)
Quickdraw(Master thrower bonus)
Snatch Arrows(Master thrower bonus)
Improved Crit(Master thrower bonus)
1st lvl Carmondine Monk
3rd lvl Point Blank Shot
6th lvl Weapon Focus(Dagger)
9th lvl Precise Shot
12th lvl Raptor School
15th lvl Sun School
18th lvl Ability Focus(Death Attack) or Robilars Gambit

+16 BAB
Dex to Ac
Dex to Ref saves
Dex to Init
Int to Damage(Melee)

this way you gain:
1)Monk Abilities based on Int(Int based Stunning, Int to AC)
2)Death Attack DC 30(31 with Assassin Dagger)
3)+6 Attack and Damage when using Death Attack
4)can Dimension Door to Deliver Death Attack
5)great Tactical abilities using Thrown Weapons.... thrown Weapon tricks:[indent]1)Palm throw
2)Trip Shot
3)Weak Spot[/indent]
6)Improved Evasion
7)great Skills
8)Spells : 4th lvl @ 10th lvl caster

items:.... modify as needed(combine item abilities as per MIC)
Assassin’s Dagger:(DMG) This wicked-looking, curved +2 dagger provides a +1 bonus to the DC of a Fortitude save forced by the death attack of an assassin.
Moderate necromancy; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, slay living; Price 18,302 gp; Cost 9,302 gp + 720 XP.

Dagger of Venom:(DMG) This black +1 dagger has a serrated edge. It allows the wielder to use a poison effect (as the spell, save DC 14) upon a creature struck by the blade once per day. The wielder can decide to use the power after he has struck. Doing so is a free action, but the poison effect must be invoked in the same round that the dagger strikes.
Faint necromancy; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, poison; Price 8,302 gp; Cost 4,302 gp + 320 XP.

Sword of Subtlety:(DMG) A +1 short sword with a thin, dull gray blade, this weapon provides a +4 bonus on its wielder’s attack and damage rolls when he is making a sneak attack with it.
Moderate illusion; CL 7th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, blur; Price 22,310 gp; Cost 11,155 gp + 892 XP.

feat explanations:
Raptor School[Tactical](CWar p111)req:Wisdom 13, Jump: 5 ranks, Base Attack Bonus +6
You may use the following 3 tactical maneuvers:[indent]
Eagle’s Swoop – If you Charge or jump down at least 10’ onto your foe, you may make a Jump check to do extra damage. You DC is 15 to do +2 damage –or– DC 25 to do +4 damage. If you fail the Jump check, you miss your foe entirely & if the check misses by 5+, you end up Prone.
Falcon’s Feathers – As a Standard Action, you may attempt a Feint action using a cloak to cause the distraction. For this maneuver, you use your Base Attack Bonus in place of your ranks in Bluff for the Feint. If successful, your opponent is Flat-Footed for the next melee attack you make against him/her.
Hawk’s Eye – As a Full Round Action, you observe your opponent (you can do this for up to 3 consecutive rounds). The next melee attack you make on that opponent receives a +2 bonus to attack & damage for each round you observed (maximum of +6). If you do not attack within 3 round of observing or your opponent attacks you first, the bonuses are lost.

Sun School[Tactical](CWar p112)req:Flurry of Blows class ability, Base Attack Bonus +4
You may use the following 3 tactical maneuvers:[indent]
Inexorable Progress of Dawn – If you hit an opponent with the first two attack from a Flurry of Blows, your opponent must move back 5’ and you may move forward 5’. Neither movement provokes an Attack of Opportunity.
Blinding Sun of Noon – If you successfully Stun an opponent on two consecutive rounds, your opponent is Confused for 1d4 rounds after recovering from the Stun.
Flash of Sunset – If you move next to an opponent using the Monk class ability ‘Abundant Step’ or Dimensional Door, you may make one attack at your highest bonus at the end of your action.

:D
#10
phaedrusxy
Jul 29, 2008 11:08:12 There is a PrC that meshes well with a Monk/Assasin. I think it was Monk of the Long Death, but it might have been Monk of the Dark Moon. There was a great changeling build on here a while ago that was a Monk/Assassin/MotLD, but I have long since lost the link to it.
#11
ikildkenny
Jul 29, 2008 13:02:52
There is a PrC that meshes well with a Monk/Assasin. I think it was Monk of the Long Death, but it might have been Monk of the Dark Moon. There was a great changeling build on here a while ago that was a Monk/Assassin/MotLD, but I have long since lost the link to it.

I had a similar build in Mind ...

Human, Stats: INT > DEX > CON > STR > WIS > CHA
With a 32 point Buy: 16 14 14 14 10 10 (boost on Dex only)
LE
Monk 1: Able Learner, Carmedine Monk, Weapon Finess (Sleeping tiger)
Monk 2: Improved Initiative (Sleeping tiger)
Swashbuckler 1: Improved toughness, (Change for Weapon Finess: Quickdraw*)
Swash 2: Arcane Stunt (Spider Climb)
Swash 3: Insightful Strike (here the INT-Synergy kicks in)
Assasin 1: Improved Natural Attack
Assasin 2, 3
Assasin 4: Superior Unarmed Strike
Assasin 5-10 (Feat @ 7: Two Weapon Fighting and 10: Improved Two Weapon Fighting)
Monk of the long Death 1-5 (Feat @ 3: Greater Two Weapon Fighting)

As Weapon (if any ...) this "uber Kama" (forgot the name ... gives you your unarmed Damage as Kama Damage and is +1); monks belt isnt to bad either... +Ability is also more than useful

*Rules Question: I was discussing that with another player here at home and he said, that you can exchange bonus feats you would double for a free feat you meet the Preregs. for - true?!?! --- apparently our house rule .. works for me^^
#12
phaedrusxy
Jul 29, 2008 14:41:06
*Rules Question: I was discussing that with another player here at home and he said, that you can exchange bonus feats you would double for a free feat you meet the Preregs. for - true?!?!

That's a house rule, not an official one.
#13
amadithegreat
Jul 29, 2008 16:07:06 Monk / Assasin / Telflammar Shadowlord should get a fairly ridiculous save DC for death attack, if that's the way you want to go. DC 30+Int would be achievable with items, even, and if you go for kung-fu genius, you would be single-attribute-dependant. (Okay, you need something to hit the enemy with. Dexterity, then get weapon finesse, and you only need 2 stats. Sneak attack provides the damage that you'd normally need from strength.)
#14
nickresonance
Jul 29, 2008 19:05:09 I might also look into slipping in a level or two of swordsage and picking up some Shadow Hand maneuvers, then grabbing Shadow Blade. As long as you're in a Shadow Hand stance, you can add your Dex bonus to damage. Plus the Shadow Hand school very much fits the flavour you're going for here.
#15
ashyl
Jul 30, 2008 16:00:16 Thanks for your suggestions everyone! Some great ideas I'll definately concider following in there : )

By the way, our DM (a very good player) has a house rule that allows Flurry of Blows to stack with Two weapon fighting - he allows this mainly to give a boost to the somewhat underpowered monk. This is why I was intending to use weapons instead of unarmed strikes.

And about the books, I have access to a great number of them.
#16
kurashu
Jul 31, 2008 3:49:47
I had a similar build in Mind ...

Human, Stats: INT > DEX > CON > STR > WIS > CHA
With a 32 point Buy: 16 14 14 14 10 10 (boost on Dex only)
LE
Monk 1: Able Learner, Carmedine Monk, Weapon Finess (Sleeping tiger)
Monk 2: Improved Initiative (Sleeping tiger)
Swashbuckler 1: Improved toughness, (Change for Weapon Finess: Quickdraw*)
Swash 2: Arcane Stunt (Spider Climb)
Swash 3: Insightful Strike (here the INT-Synergy kicks in)
Assasin 1: Improved Natural Attack
Assasin 2, 3
Assasin 4: Superior Unarmed Strike
Assasin 5-10 (Feat @ 7: Two Weapon Fighting and 10: Improved Two Weapon Fighting)
Monk of the long Death 1-5 (Feat @ 3: Greater Two Weapon Fighting)

As Weapon (if any ...) this "uber Kama" (forgot the name ... gives you your unarmed Damage as Kama Damage and is +1); monks belt isnt to bad either... +Ability is also more than useful

*Rules Question: I was discussing that with another player here at home and he said, that you can exchange bonus feats you would double for a free feat you meet the Preregs. for - true?!?! --- apparently our house rule .. works for me^^

All fine except Carmedine Monk has a requirement that is tantamount aligment restriction of any good which is further restricted to lawful good. Assassin has an alignment of any evil. I don't think Kung Fu Genius has a similar restriction and gives similar benefits.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ashyl Jul 28, 2008 12:43:21	Hello everone! I am currently playing a drow (actualy something like a "lesser drow", with just 1 lvl adjustment and less racials) monk, level 4. I am 1 level away from having the prereq's to become an assassin, but I am worried that my innitial idea may result in a gimp character :P The idea was to get the sneak attack/death attack, Use Magic Device skill and the limited but usefull Assassin spells. Our adventure is a somewhat focused in combat, so having a character who can help there is important to the party. I have a very high dexterity score and intend to go for two weapon fighting, with dual Kurkis. Anyway, I have 2 questions: 1) Is the Monk/Assassin a good idea to begin with? 2) I was thinking of advancing as a monk up to level 9, for the third attack in flurry of blows and the unarmored speed bonus. If you have any suggestions on how to play such a character by the way, I would appretiate them! Thanks in advance!
#2 robbypants Jul 28, 2008 13:09:23	Well, there are a few things I can say. 1) Monks themselves tend to be fairly weak, as do assassins, so you have to work hard to overcome shortcomings. 2) You don't have to have levels in the Assassin PrC to be an "assassin". 3) If you decide you still want to be an assassin, you must work hard to keep your Death Attack DC as high as possible for it to be useful. Here are a few tips: Keep your Assassin levels maxed out (as it directly increases your DC) Get your Int as high as possible. * Take the Ability Focus(Death Attack) feat from Monster Manual Also, I'm curious: why focus on kukris when you could use unarmed strikes for more damage? It seems this character would have been better suited as a rogue from the beginning. That beings said, what feats do you have already? What books are you allowed to use? * Ideally, it'd be nice to switch all of your monk's Wis-based abilities to Int, to keep from needing so many good stats. The feats Kung Fu Genius and Carmendine Monk both do this. Of course, if you're already 4th level, it's probably too late. These things are easier to work in from the ground up.
#3 demon_paladin Jul 28, 2008 13:24:58	Everything robbypants said. If you switch to unarmed strike, take superior unarmed s trike from ToB. Also, while both classes arn't the strongest, they do give you an RP advantage in stealth (Hidden Weapons, what hidden weapons?). And on a similar note, unarmed death attack makes me think of the classic neck-break.
#4 soneillon Jul 28, 2008 14:15:14	What are your allowed books? See if your DM would allow you to rebuild, with more Int instead of Wis, and take the Kung-Fu Genius feat (from Dragon Compendium). The Unearthed Arcana monk variant Fighting Styles could help you out alot. So, my suggested build would be something like this: Monk 2/Swashbuckler3/and then progress with Assassin. Or, this is probably more powerful, but gets assassin later: Monk 2/Swashbuckler3/Rogue2/Assassin with the second build, take the Daring Outlaw feat from Complete Scoundrel. You can take a variant that replaces the redundant evasion, the best IMO being Spell Reflection from Complete Mage, since you touch AC should be very high. I disagree that assassin suck.. I think they can be pretty well-rounded, especially with optimizing their spell selection. My advice on weapons would be to use two Scorpion Kamas (from the Monastic Array magic item set in Magic Item Compendium) which will allow you to apply you unarmed damage to your attacks. With the rule in MIC you should be able to enhance them like regular weapons... they will always just cost 4,000 gp more than whatever their price would be.
#5 cycada Jul 28, 2008 14:20:30	Actually, if your going to sub out on of the Evasions, I would sub out the Monk evasion. In Exemplars of Evil there is an Alt. Class feature for the monk that lets him turn invisible (as a swift action I think) once every three turns. Not only is this fluffy for the character, but is down right effective for the assassin idea. My 2 platinum. Edit: The reason that assassins might not be the best is because the Save DC for their death attack is Fort Based, which is usually the highest save for monsters.
#6 robbypants Jul 28, 2008 14:24:54	Edit: The reason that assassins might not be the best is because the Save DC for their death attack is Fort Based, which is usually the highest save for monsters. That, and you really have to work to keep the DC up, and the three rounds of studying can be a real pain in some situations.
#7 hallack Jul 28, 2008 15:01:00	Have to agree, don't have to be an Assassin to be an assassin. What are you wanting from the class or monk for that matter? Swordsage if ToB is allowed would open up a lot more nice tricks and abilities.
#8 soneillon Jul 28, 2008 15:14:25	That, and you really have to work to keep the DC up, and the three rounds of studying can be a real pain in some situations. Well, I mainly like it against casters and other rogues... there are several ways to make this more effective. The 4th level Assassin spell from CM, Deathsight is a pretty big boost, letting you death attack after just 1 standard action. A favorite trick of a character of mine was to use his Circlet of Rapid Casting (MIC) to make it a swift action... it made for some good fun. Another great thing is a Shadow-striking weapon, which 1/day basically lets you death attack someone with uncanny dodge. Vital Strike may also do this, by my interpretation. A DM may let you death-attack monsters you normally couldn't, when you bypass their sneak attack immunity... Using things such as Plant Strike and Deathstrike Bracers. Lastly, there are some good options to pump the DC. An assassin dagger for +1, Bracers of Murder for +2, and the ability focus feat for another +2 nets an impressive +5. Also, rounding out assassin builds with another class that grants a death attack such as Dark Hunter or Shadowlord basically adds that class level to the DC. Edit:I also think swordsage can be great for those wanting play these types of characters... however, if there isn't an Tome of Battle in the campaign, in can be a hassle to implement an entire new system.
#9 carnivore Jul 28, 2008 18:46:51	i agree with RobbyPants and Soneillon... both have excellent advice and ideas i would add this build: Lesser Drow Monk 2/ Swashbuckler 3/ Assassin 10/ Master thrower 5 Attributes:(32pt buy)...using lesser Drow Elf stat mods(+2 Dex,-2 Con) 10 Str 32 Dex(16 + +2 racial +3 lvls + 5 inherent(Tome) +6 item(gloves)) 16 Con(14 -2 racial +4 item) 26 Int(14 +2 lvls +4 Inherent(tome) +6 item) 14 Wis 10 Cha Feats: Stunning Fist(monk bonus) Combat Reflexes(monk bonus) Weapon Finnesse(Swashbuckler bonus) Quickdraw(Master thrower bonus) Snatch Arrows(Master thrower bonus) Improved Crit(Master thrower bonus) 1st lvl Carmondine Monk 3rd lvl Point Blank Shot 6th lvl Weapon Focus(Dagger) 9th lvl Precise Shot 12th lvl Raptor School 15th lvl Sun School 18th lvl Ability Focus(Death Attack) or Robilars Gambit +16 BAB Dex to Ac Dex to Ref saves Dex to Init Int to Damage(Melee) this way you gain: 1)Monk Abilities based on Int(Int based Stunning, Int to AC) 2)Death Attack DC 30(31 with Assassin Dagger) 3)+6 Attack and Damage when using Death Attack 4)can Dimension Door to Deliver Death Attack 5)great Tactical abilities using Thrown Weapons.... thrown Weapon tricks:[indent]1)Palm throw 2)Trip Shot 3)Weak Spot[/indent] 6)Improved Evasion 7)great Skills 8)Spells : 4th lvl @ 10th lvl caster items:.... modify as needed(combine item abilities as per MIC) Assassin’s Dagger:(DMG) This wicked-looking, curved +2 dagger provides a +1 bonus to the DC of a Fortitude save forced by the death attack of an assassin. Moderate necromancy; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, slay living; Price 18,302 gp; Cost 9,302 gp + 720 XP. Dagger of Venom:(DMG) This black +1 dagger has a serrated edge. It allows the wielder to use a poison effect (as the spell, save DC 14) upon a creature struck by the blade once per day. The wielder can decide to use the power after he has struck. Doing so is a free action, but the poison effect must be invoked in the same round that the dagger strikes. Faint necromancy; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, poison; Price 8,302 gp; Cost 4,302 gp + 320 XP. Sword of Subtlety:(DMG) A +1 short sword with a thin, dull gray blade, this weapon provides a +4 bonus on its wielder’s attack and damage rolls when he is making a sneak attack with it. Moderate illusion; CL 7th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, blur; Price 22,310 gp; Cost 11,155 gp + 892 XP. feat explanations: Raptor School[Tactical](CWar p111)req:Wisdom 13, Jump: 5 ranks, Base Attack Bonus +6 You may use the following 3 tactical maneuvers:[indent] Eagle’s Swoop – If you Charge or jump down at least 10’ onto your foe, you may make a Jump check to do extra damage. You DC is 15 to do +2 damage –or– DC 25 to do +4 damage. If you fail the Jump check, you miss your foe entirely & if the check misses by 5+, you end up Prone. Falcon’s Feathers – As a Standard Action, you may attempt a Feint action using a cloak to cause the distraction. For this maneuver, you use your Base Attack Bonus in place of your ranks in Bluff for the Feint. If successful, your opponent is Flat-Footed for the next melee attack you make against him/her. Hawk’s Eye – As a Full Round Action, you observe your opponent (you can do this for up to 3 consecutive rounds). The next melee attack you make on that opponent receives a +2 bonus to attack & damage for each round you observed (maximum of +6). If you do not attack within 3 round of observing or your opponent attacks you first, the bonuses are lost. Sun School[Tactical](CWar p112)req:Flurry of Blows class ability, Base Attack Bonus +4 You may use the following 3 tactical maneuvers:[indent] Inexorable Progress of Dawn – If you hit an opponent with the first two attack from a Flurry of Blows, your opponent must move back 5’ and you may move forward 5’. Neither movement provokes an Attack of Opportunity. Blinding Sun of Noon – If you successfully Stun an opponent on two consecutive rounds, your opponent is Confused for 1d4 rounds after recovering from the Stun. Flash of Sunset – If you move next to an opponent using the Monk class ability ‘Abundant Step’ or Dimensional Door, you may make one attack at your highest bonus at the end of your action. :D
#10 phaedrusxy Jul 29, 2008 11:08:12	There is a PrC that meshes well with a Monk/Assasin. I think it was Monk of the Long Death, but it might have been Monk of the Dark Moon. There was a great changeling build on here a while ago that was a Monk/Assassin/MotLD, but I have long since lost the link to it.
#11 ikildkenny Jul 29, 2008 13:02:52	There is a PrC that meshes well with a Monk/Assasin. I think it was Monk of the Long Death, but it might have been Monk of the Dark Moon. There was a great changeling build on here a while ago that was a Monk/Assassin/MotLD, but I have long since lost the link to it. I had a similar build in Mind ... Human, Stats: INT > DEX > CON > STR > WIS > CHA With a 32 point Buy: 16 14 14 14 10 10 (boost on Dex only) LE Monk 1: Able Learner, Carmedine Monk, Weapon Finess (Sleeping tiger) Monk 2: Improved Initiative (Sleeping tiger) Swashbuckler 1: Improved toughness, (Change for Weapon Finess: Quickdraw) Swash 2: Arcane Stunt (Spider Climb) Swash 3: Insightful Strike (here the INT-Synergy kicks in) Assasin 1: Improved Natural Attack Assasin 2, 3 Assasin 4: Superior Unarmed Strike Assasin 5-10 (Feat @ 7: Two Weapon Fighting and 10: Improved Two Weapon Fighting) Monk of the long Death 1-5 (Feat @ 3: Greater Two Weapon Fighting) As Weapon (if any ...) this "uber Kama" (forgot the name ... gives you your unarmed Damage as Kama Damage and is +1); monks belt isnt to bad either... +Ability is also more than useful Rules Question: I was discussing that with another player here at home and he said, that you can exchange bonus feats you would double for a free feat you meet the Preregs. for - true?!?! --- apparently our house rule .. works for me^^
#12 phaedrusxy Jul 29, 2008 14:41:06	*Rules Question: I was discussing that with another player here at home and he said, that you can exchange bonus feats you would double for a free feat you meet the Preregs. for - true?!?! That's a house rule, not an official one.
#13 amadithegreat Jul 29, 2008 16:07:06	Monk / Assasin / Telflammar Shadowlord should get a fairly ridiculous save DC for death attack, if that's the way you want to go. DC 30+Int would be achievable with items, even, and if you go for kung-fu genius, you would be single-attribute-dependant. (Okay, you need something to hit the enemy with. Dexterity, then get weapon finesse, and you only need 2 stats. Sneak attack provides the damage that you'd normally need from strength.)
#14 nickresonance Jul 29, 2008 19:05:09	I might also look into slipping in a level or two of swordsage and picking up some Shadow Hand maneuvers, then grabbing Shadow Blade. As long as you're in a Shadow Hand stance, you can add your Dex bonus to damage. Plus the Shadow Hand school very much fits the flavour you're going for here.
#15 ashyl Jul 30, 2008 16:00:16	Thanks for your suggestions everyone! Some great ideas I'll definately concider following in there : ) By the way, our DM (a very good player) has a house rule that allows Flurry of Blows to stack with Two weapon fighting - he allows this mainly to give a boost to the somewhat underpowered monk. This is why I was intending to use weapons instead of unarmed strikes. And about the books, I have access to a great number of them.
#16 kurashu Jul 31, 2008 3:49:47	I had a similar build in Mind ... Human, Stats: INT > DEX > CON > STR > WIS > CHA With a 32 point Buy: 16 14 14 14 10 10 (boost on Dex only) LE Monk 1: Able Learner, Carmedine Monk, Weapon Finess (Sleeping tiger) Monk 2: Improved Initiative (Sleeping tiger) Swashbuckler 1: Improved toughness, (Change for Weapon Finess: Quickdraw) Swash 2: Arcane Stunt (Spider Climb) Swash 3: Insightful Strike (here the INT-Synergy kicks in) Assasin 1: Improved Natural Attack Assasin 2, 3 Assasin 4: Superior Unarmed Strike Assasin 5-10 (Feat @ 7: Two Weapon Fighting and 10: Improved Two Weapon Fighting) Monk of the long Death 1-5 (Feat @ 3: Greater Two Weapon Fighting) As Weapon (if any ...) this "uber Kama" (forgot the name ... gives you your unarmed Damage as Kama Damage and is +1); monks belt isnt to bad either... +Ability is also more than useful Rules Question: I was discussing that with another player here at home and he said, that you can exchange bonus feats you would double for a free feat you meet the Preregs. for - true?!?! --- apparently our house rule .. works for me^^ All fine except Carmedine Monk has a requirement that is tantamount aligment restriction of any good which is further restricted to lawful good. Assassin has an alignment of any evil. I don't think Kung Fu Genius has a similar restriction and gives similar benefits.