A half-dragon monk build

[averagedog]

WARNING: A NOOBISH ATTEMPT AT CHEESE AHEAD.



Hello, I'm desperate for help on making a certain monk build. This build involves being a half dragon and having the tail attack feat from "races of Dragon." Basically the concept is to have 6 or more attacks a round at a high attack bonus. This would most likely be, from my understanding at level 11 monk, primary/flurry/flurry/secondary/secondary claw/bite/tail attack/maybe even snap kick from book of the nine swords.

Is this kind of thing even viable to do with reasonable hit points/la/damage?
I still don't know what the other half would be, though I was thinking an alternative could have been a githerzai dragonborn....

Thanks for your upcoming comments.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If you're looking to maximize number of attacks, be sure to look in Magic Item Compendium for items like the Horned Helmet, some mask that gives you fangs for a bite attack (forgot the name), and so forth for extra secondary natural attacks.

If you really want sheer number of attacks, you may be better off starting with a six-armed race and the multiweapon fighting feat chain. I think Thri-kreen are.... Marylith obviously wouldn't be feasible....

And whatever you decide on, remember to squeese in one level of barbarian (or ex-barbarian, who cares about rage 1/day? ) for Lion Totem variant from Complete Champion. Trade fast movement for pounce, and basically get to full attack every round. If you have Bo9S, perhaps try to keep the initiator level up enough to get the tiger claw boosts that add more attacks.

 

[averagedog]

huh..... I understood roughly half of what you wrote. But I am not familiar with Bot9S classes and I know nothing of this tome of champions. The race has to be half dragon due to the campaign setting and we can't be evil. Half dragons gives you two claw attacks and a bite on a full attack or your regular attacks, a secondary claw attack, and the bite. so I will need to take the multiattack monster feat to lower the penalties on the natural attacks...

Books wise I have races of dragon, draconomicon, phb I and II, dmg, monster manuals, complete arcane, warrior, divine, and adventurer, eberron PHB, bot9s, unearthed arcana, races of wild, and savage species available.

I was thinking of two levels of fighter first, then the rost monk. the campaign started at level 10 and will end somewhere in the epic levels.

 

[milo]

If you are going for cheese a half dragon monk isn't the way to go. If you want cool yeah. The LA of 3 is going to hurt. If you are dead set on a playing a monk I would go with a bugbear, nat armor bonus of +3, +4 str, +2 dex and con fo LA of 1. You would be better off I think. With wanting to be up in melee you will be well behind a fighter or any other melee character in HP and maybe even a spellcaster with a good con. At level 12 with a druid you could wild shape into a dire bear. IF you are just looking for cheese this is the way to do it. With the level 11 monk you are looking at an ECL of 14.
You could be a druid 7/nature's warrior 5/warshaper 2. This gives you 4th level spells and the ability to wild shape into a dire bire. You can throw girallon's blessing on there for an extra set of arms. You can also at the discretion of your DM grow horns for a gore attack with the warshaper ability. If not you can cast charge of the triceratops. That puts you to your 6 attacks. And with multiattack you will have good attack bonus all the way across. With out any other feats or bonuses you will be attacking with 4 claws at +21/ a bite +19/ and a gore +17. Your damage would be D6+12 on the claws, 2D6+6 bite, and 2d6+6 gore. If you choose the claws of the grizzly and armor of the crocodile from nature's warrior you get +3 damage and +5 natural armor. Animal growth is good for +8 str and higher damage dice. Nature's favor is good for +3 att/dam at this level. And bite of the were tiger is good for +12 str.
Giving you 4 claws +33 D8+25/bite +31 2D8+14/gore +29 2D8+14
I don't have my books handy so I can't give you the full cheese for this build.

 

[blargney the second]

Flurry doesn't work with natural attacks.

When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). The monk can’t use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.

-blarg

 

[Runestar]

Flurry doesn't work with natural attacks.

-blarg

However, the FAQ does clarify that you are able to follow up your normal flurry routine with all your natural attacks as secondary attacks (bearing in mind that unarmed strikes can be made with any part of your body, so there shouldn't be any conflict of body parts).

So a monk11 with greater flurry and 3 natural attacks gets to make 4 unarmed strikes and claw/claw/bite as secondary attacks (better take improved natural attack there). Throw in haste and maybe snap kick (not recommended) if you want extra attacks.

Unfortunately, with the monk's relatively poor bab (only 3/4), your flurry of blows will likely play out more as flurry of misses, and your many attacks will serve to just bog down the game.

If you want to base your concept around natural attacks, maybe consider the totemist from magic of incarnum (assuming you are willing to invest a little time in learning a new system mechanic). Go elan (XPH) for the abberation type (which qualifies you for improved rapidstrike from draconomicon), slap on the dragonborn template (which in turn qualifies you for draconic tail, and well...you wanted a draconic theme), maybe mix in lvs of barb and warblade if your DM does not enforce multiclassing penalties, and mix totem rager when you have the chance.

Specifically, try to aim for something like this.

Totemist 4/Barbarian 2/Totem Rager 10/Warblade 4 is a personal favorite. BAB +17, good saves, Iron Heart Surge for emergencies, Punishing Stance for awesome.

Feats:

1st: Expanded Soulmeld Capacity
Flaw: Dragonic Tail (Races of the dragon)
Flaw : Expanded Soulmeld Capacity (again)
3rd: Cobalt Rage (Barbarian level here)
6th: Stone Power, Extra Rage, or Iron Heart Aura (your choice), Warblade level 1+2 here
9th: Any (Totme Rager levels from here on out, until 12th).
12th: Warblade level, Rapdistrike (Claws), grab Iron Heart Surge (you will need it).
15th: Improved Rapidstrike (Claws) (Totem Rager)
18th: Split Chakra (Totem)

Try these links for more inspiration.
Incarnum handbook - The Incarnum Handbook

 

[averagedog]

thanks for all the responses, I will see if any of the suggestions fits with my DM's campaign setting. But as I was looking around, is "Fists of the Forest" worth it?

 

[Runestar]

thanks for all the responses, I will see if any of the suggestions fits with my DM's campaign setting. But as I was looking around, is "Fists of the Forest" worth it?

Worth taking at least 3 lvs for the 2 damage bumps. Doesn't it have some sort of restriction where you can't use eq or something? May need to fall back on VOP.

Combine with monk's belt, tattoo, initiate of draconic mysteries, might whallop spell and you are looking at a potential 36d8 unarmed strike damage at lv20.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Here's a thread chock full of references for building monks and similar PCs.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/221182-monk-database-now-added-detail.html?pp=15

I agree that the Thri-Kreen is probably the way to go to max out attacks in general.

Personally, to max out attacks- sort of- I'd go with a Githzerai or Anthropomorphic Ape. Both get a Wis mod and +6Dex mod for a +2LA.

Then I'd go with the Combat Reflexes feat tree (Deft Opportunist, etc) coupled with a polearm* and the feats that go along with that (Stand Still, Hold the Line, etc.).

The last one I played like that (a PsyWar/Monk) was getting 6+ attacks/round even at 6th level in combats with multiple opponents.

* Monks can use polearms with FoB via a variety of sources- PrCls like Shou Disciple, or feats like DCv1's Polearm Fighter or Secrets of Sharlona's Pole Master. Furthermore, the OA Sohei also has a combination of Rage and FoB called Ki Frenzy, while the Shaman has divine spell use that could boost FoB effectiveness (see updated versions in Dragon #318)- and don't forget the OA version of the Monk has more weapons and can freely multiclass.