Author Topic: master of many styles  (Read 5085 times)

Offline elite4lance

  • Lurker
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • I'm new!
    • View Profile
master of many styles
« on: May 28, 2015, 04:22:35 PM »
It looks like this archtype gets most of its kick from first two levels getting unrestricted style feats and level 1 unarmed fighter does the same thing. What three style feats would you guys recommend? Im looking towards an all out combat expert. What my idea so far is snake style, snake fang(the last feat for snake style) and boar style

Offline elite4lance

  • Lurker
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • I'm new!
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2015, 01:07:55 PM »
Bump

Offline RobbyPants

  • Female rat ninja
  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 8323
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2015, 02:42:08 PM »
What styles/class are you talking about? Is this Pathfinder or 3E?
My creations

Please direct moderation-related PMs to Forum Staff.

Offline elite4lance

  • Lurker
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • I'm new!
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2015, 02:53:40 PM »
Pathfinder

Offline elite4lance

  • Lurker
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • I'm new!
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2015, 07:15:04 PM »
The master of many styles monk archtype that uses the animal styles like dragon, boar and crane

Offline RobbyPants

  • Female rat ninja
  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 8323
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2015, 08:36:47 AM »
Sorry. Don't know much about PF. I know there are monk styles in Unearthed Arcana, but I had a feeling that wasn't what you wanted.
My creations

Please direct moderation-related PMs to Forum Staff.

Offline StreamOfTheSky

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 1219
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2015, 10:08:59 AM »
For a dip, you want to go into each of those first two levels with the base style feat already known, because the true power of those bonus feats is ignoring requirements if you have the base style feat already (or go in on an odd level and pick it as your general feat, same effect).  One level of Unarmed Fighter helps here, since it lets you get any base style feat w/o requirements, and not all of them can be easily obtained at first level.

It's most handy for disciplines where the 3rd feat is good but the 2nd feat sucks (Snake or Tiger, for example), but even in some cases where the 2nd feat is good but has steep requirements it can be a nice trick.

I used to love the idea of Unarmed Fighter 1 / MoMS Monk 2 to quickly combine Snake Fang and Crane Wing.  Then they nerfed the ever loving shit out of crane wing to the point that the entire crane style sucks now.

Offline elite4lance

  • Lurker
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • I'm new!
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2015, 10:44:33 AM »
Which styles would you recomend?

Offline StreamOfTheSky

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 1219
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2015, 02:45:09 PM »
Been over a year since I looked at them, so guess I'll check them out for nerfs...

Crane is good if you can use the original version that deflects one attack per round w/o total defending.  Otherwise, it's complete garbage.

Snake Fang I highly recommend.  AoO on every miss is almost like Roblilar's Gambit, albeit unarmed only.  Middle feat is pure garbage, making this ideal for a MoMS "dip and skip."

Tiger Pounce is good if using a 2H weapon since nothing about it is limited to unarmed only.  Still decent for unarmed, just for the pursuit ability, but the Shock Trooper-like "power attack penalty to AC" is the biggest draw.  Middle feat is pure garbage, making this ideal for a MoMS "dip and skip."  (the base style feat sucks too, though....Pounce is literally the only reason to go this route)

Wolf Savage is really good if you can reliably trip...in other words, you're just dipping Monk.  Bestow Curse is a strong effect to have at will.  Wolf Style and Wolf Trip are both decent feats if using a 2H weapon with reach, too.  You'd just need to be able to do 10+ damage unarmed or natural for Savage.

Pummeling Style is new.  The base feat is hard to understand, but it sounds like "Clustered Shots for unarmed," which is good.  Bully and Charge are odd...there's no clear hierarchy, though Charge has higher level-based requirements.  Charge is basically pounce, so that's awesome.  Bully has good synergy w/ Wolf Savage.  But the requirements for Bully are feat-heavy and level-heavy for Charge.  If you want the Wolf/Pummeling combo, might be worth spending both MoMS feats on Charge and Bully and getting all three Wolf ones normally.

Jabbing Style tree also seems to synergize w/ Pummeling.  I actually think the bonus damage is forgettable (Boar Style can do similar, easier), and the main attraction is the 2nd feat, Dancer, for the potential mobility (you could use Pummeling Charge to pounce then gradually maneuver around the foe, even).  Which means while promising...this is kind of a waste for MoMS feats.  If you're comboing w/ Pummeling, that works out, though.

Kobold Style tree gets special lulz mention for the potential to completely ignore its Small size requirement via Unarmed Fighter and MoMS.  Probably not worth it, though.  Grappling generally sucks in PF so the 3rd feat is useless.  2nd feat is potentially good if you have sneak attack.  Still probably not worth wasting two precious bonus feats towards, and you DEFINITELY don't want to be a dumbass and actually try making a small tripping build.

Cudgeler Style is pretty awful, but there's one thing that's probably an error to be exploited...  Cudgeler Takedown's save DC vs. stun is 10 + character level + Str mod.  ....Not 1/2 level.  That's a pretty awesome save DC (you do have to charge AND trip successfully first, though).  Of course, you need all three feats to use this.  Again, the full style has synergy w/ Pummeling Charge since the entire tree is charge-based.  It rewards high strength and weapon use (well, it doesn't force you to go unarmed, so a big-ass 2H reach weapon instantly becomes the best choice) so I'd like to say it has synergy w/ Tiger Pounce, and it does have some....  But the pursuit of Tiger Pounce directly conflicts with the focus on charging constantly, so it probably is a poor combo.  Still....that save DC...  Since you need all three and the only extra requirement is Bludgeoner, which you'd need to blow all three bonus feats on just to avoid taking, I'd say this is not worth spending bonus feats on.  But still promising.

Archon style is another that needs all three to work and is thus bad for bonus feat choices, but still a good style.  The AC bonus to allies is junk, the real winner is Diversion to re-direct an attack to you -- and it doesn't auto-hit you, either! -- and (with the 3rd feat) if you are hit, allies get AoOs!  This is solid tanking.  You need the 2nd feat for it to be worth it at all and the 3rd feat does genuinely boost things, so...get all three.  I think this is a good combo w/ Snake Fang, drawing attacks to you and then the foe eats AoOs whether he hits you or not.

Offline awaken_D_M_golem

  • Epic Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 7639
  • classique style , invisible tail
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2015, 03:01:27 PM »
Tier 5 = wing it
Tier 4 = optimize the easy stuff
Tier 3 = you're gonna have to negotiate as much legit 3.5e optimizing from around here, over to there.  Do note, this is 100% legal (even if now frowned upon).
Your codpiece is a mimic.

Offline StreamOfTheSky

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 1219
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2015, 03:28:43 PM »
Tier 5 = wing it
Tier 4 = optimize the easy stuff
Tier 3 = you're gonna have to negotiate as much legit 3.5e optimizing from around here, over to there.  Do note, this is 100% legal (even if now frowned upon).

I think you have the tiers backwards....  tier 5 is the worst of the three, tier 3 is the best.  The higher the number of tier, the most cheesy optimizing and begging you'll need just to not suck.  Monk builds are generally tier 5.

Offline KellKheraptis

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ***
  • Posts: 438
  • Temporal Dissonance Technician
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2015, 05:28:06 PM »
EDIT : Wrong thread  :embarassed
« Last Edit: May 30, 2015, 07:33:30 PM by KellKheraptis »

Offline zook1shoe

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 4938
  • Feeling the Bern
    • View Profile
Re: master of many styles
« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2015, 06:59:43 PM »
I've got a strangler brawler/MoMS monk/unarmed fighter that is going towards Grabbing Master/Snapping Turtle Clutch for lots of grapple fun.

Will use Amulet of Mighty Fists + anchoring to avoid most escapes
add me on Steam- zook1shoe
- All Spells
- playground