Author Topic: Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu  (Read 2461 times)

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Terronus

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Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« on: July 22, 2008, 09:45:19 PM »
I've been working on a build last week or so, which I'm pretty proud of so far... but I'm sure the folks here can help improve it, and I wanted to get an extra set of eyes to review it before I brought it in game.  :)

Stipulations:
[spoiler]Our DM is pretty open minded, and allows nearly all books and cross-setting builds (we play a homebrew setting), but on a case-by-case basis.  This build uses

Player's Handbook
Complete Divine
Unearthed Arcana
Oriental Adventures
Faiths of Eberron
Spell Compendium
Tome of Battle
Races of Stone[/spoiler]

Vanara Monk 1/Cleric 4/Monk +1/Witch Hunter 2/Argent Fist 2/Sacred Fist 10
Flaw: Inattentive
Feats:
1. Combat Casting, Monastic Training (Cleric), Combat Reflexes (monk bonus: Invisible Eye variant)
2. Extend Spell (cleric bonus: Planning domain)
3. Track
6. Superior Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
9. Persistent Spell
12. Divine Metamagic
15. Practiced Spellcaster
18. Imp. Natural Attack

Domains: Planning and Strength
Spells of note:
Persisted: Divine Power
Extended-all-day: Girallon's Blessing (OK, only 5 1/2 hours), Greater Magic Weapon +3, Magic Vestments +3
Combat: Enlarge Person at low levels.  Righteous Might & Earth Hammer later on. 

So what do we have?
[spoiler]Lots!  I really liked this build the more I worked on it.  Heavy armor with WIS and monk AC, +20F/+11R/+13W and CHA to saves, 7th level cleric spells and 17th CL, 17 BaB (+2 attacks, highest bonus, Girallon's Blessing), 4d8 base unarmed strike (6d8 Enlarge/Righteous, 8d8 Earth Hammer), not to mention some neat class abilities to boot!  I get a nostalgic image of being a young kid watching Lion King in theaters and the baboon surprises everyone with his martial arts (OK, I'm a little corny)

He is a little MAD.  Stat importance is WIS > CHA > STR=CON in my opinion, since I can largely make up for physical stats with buffing and healing.  Also, he'd be fun to play outside of combat.  A paladin-esque adventurer with a slight inclination to act like curious george.  He'd fit right into any sitcom (I'm picturing Vanaran in Charge).[/spoiler]

Disclaimers: 
[spoiler]OK.  I did cheat... you can't technically get into witch hunter with +4 BaB... but its not that unreasonable.  I could take PrC Paladin and do it RAW with mounted combat instead of track, but I really don't want to be a kung fu monkey riding a knightly steed, although that might be your thing.  Also, this build assumes that your DM will be awesome enough to allow Witch Hunter to stack for the Argent Fist's ascetic knight ability.  If he doesn't you do 3d6 unarmed... not a big loss.  I'm just breaking rules left and right, aren't I?  They aren't that big a leap, though... the Hunter is basically a Paladin with a little eastern flavor.

So, lets just take OA out of the picture altogether.  Play a human and take 2 levels of paladin, now there's no rules broken and you've only used one setting!  Yay!  Note, however, you lose a caster level of cleric without either witch hunter or PrC paladin, which is your 7th lvl spell.[/spoiler]

Hope this build interests some people, and thank you ahead of time for taking a look at it!  :)
« Last Edit: July 23, 2008, 09:57:59 PM by Terronus »
People that fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. -Abigail Van Buren

He that never changes his opinions, and never corrects his mistakes, will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today. -Tryon Edwards

None but ourselves can free our minds. -Bob Marley

Funny D&D vids.  Picking up where Dead Alewives left off.

Blade2718

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Re: The Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2008, 11:01:36 PM »
I didn't think the Ascetic Knight feat would allow you to stack Cleric and Monk for unarmed damage.  I do believe you'd be better with Prestige Paladin, but bust open your PHBII and ask if you can substitute Improved Bull Rush for Mounted Combat to gain the Charging Smite ACF.

Terronus

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Re: The Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2008, 11:31:50 PM »
Its a class ability, but I understand where confusion would come from (since it is the same name as the Eberron feat).  But the class ability allows the witch hunter (or paladin), argent knight and monk levels to all stack for damage, not cleric.

Similarly, these classes stack for your smite evil ability... but you've only got one use per day.  Charging smite is a bit better than mounted combat, for sure, but still not really that great for the build :-\
« Last Edit: July 22, 2008, 11:46:59 PM by Terronus »
People that fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. -Abigail Van Buren

He that never changes his opinions, and never corrects his mistakes, will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today. -Tryon Edwards

None but ourselves can free our minds. -Bob Marley

Funny D&D vids.  Picking up where Dead Alewives left off.

PhoenixInferno

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Re: The Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2008, 11:52:05 PM »
You can't use Flurry of Blows while in armor - you are better off with the PHB II Variant Monk, which has no such limitation.

Cyrocloud

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Re: Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2008, 11:13:13 AM »
Doesn't argent fist let you flurry in Armor(I'm AFB so I'm kinda curious), and if he doesn't isn't there a variant in the PHB2 that would give him something that works in armor.

Tshern

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Re: Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2008, 11:18:51 AM »
Not sure of Argent Fist, but at least Shou Disciple does..

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Terronus

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Re: Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2008, 03:13:48 PM »
A Shou disciple could use flurry in light armor, but we want to jump around in heavy armor making funny monkey faces at the enemies who can't get past our full plate, wisdom, and monk AC. 

Decisive strike works very well, thanks for pointing it out.  Since he can perform 6 attacks and 3 at his highest BaB, plus rend damage (kinda-sorta like extra attacks), thats already better than a standard monk, only a TWF monk would get more.  The celerity domain could add haste to the spell list, but the rest of the domain is just kinda bleh. 
Oh! and a friend was kind enough to point out the Earth Hammer spell in Races of Stone to bump his damage up to 8d8 per fist.  Flurry would just be gravy.
Doesn't mean that gravy is bad however.  If anyone knows a way to flurry, or just get more attacks, I'm all for it.
People that fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. -Abigail Van Buren

He that never changes his opinions, and never corrects his mistakes, will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today. -Tryon Edwards

None but ourselves can free our minds. -Bob Marley

Funny D&D vids.  Picking up where Dead Alewives left off.

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2008, 06:48:21 PM »
Great title.  :clap I've seen similiar "monk/cleric" builds using Ur-Priest and Sacred Fist. I don't really have much to add, I guess...  :P
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Terronus

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Re: Iron Monkey: The King Kong of Kung Fu
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2008, 09:47:18 PM »
Heh. Thanks  :) A lot of this build is created around thematic flavor, which is why I wanted to bend the rules a bit for a vandara rather than just a human.  I had to stop myself several times from saying: king kong vs. favored soulzilla!! (although I guess I just did).  Putting more thought into it, I noticed that an argent fist can also use a shield and retain monk AC/evasion, but for some reason the idea of the iron monkey fighting with a big heavy shield and bashing with his main hand didn't really sit well with me... I'm kind of a stickler that way about roleplay.  I thought of purely thematic ways that would mesh to make a cool full-plated-shield-wielding monk type.

-ask if you can use, for pure ascetic reasons, great armor from OA, but the stats of plate mail.  Only because you don't really want to boost DEX, its just for a bit more eastern flavor.  Plate mail, in and of itself, doesn't bother me so much thematically, even with the kung fu... but big knightly European type shields do.  Again, I don't know why, its just a personal preference.
-Using Geta Sandals, mechanically, as a heavy wooden shield.  Imagine him hand standing and blocking with his feet.  This kinda clashes a bit with European plate mail... like a jean jacket with leather pants, but your party will think your descriptions are saweet.  Heck, I like it already.  Maybe I can wear a big tabard to look cooler and cover my "jean jacket".
-Oversized dastana that would give him Popeye-style arms.  I kinda like this one, it makes him look a little gorilla-ish
-Kapa Shell.  Ok, change the mechanics from the original OA item, but I could see him twirling around, ducking and twisting to shield incoming blows with the shell.  Its important to stipulate when a kapa "shield" would be functional on your back or not.  I imagine him having to secure the straps like a backpack, just for mechanical reasons. Especially if you need to lose the armor check or something, since most fighter types walk around with their shields out already.
« Last Edit: July 23, 2008, 09:55:50 PM by Terronus »
People that fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. -Abigail Van Buren

He that never changes his opinions, and never corrects his mistakes, will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today. -Tryon Edwards

None but ourselves can free our minds. -Bob Marley

Funny D&D vids.  Picking up where Dead Alewives left off.