Seventh Level Monk

[Vlad Le Démon]

I recommend a permanent greater magic fang +5 for about 9k gp.

Obligatory notes to ward of whining: susceptibility to dispel magic should not be an issue (the DC to dispel CL 20 spell is 31, and the dispel magic spell only goes as high as DC 30). At later levels, greater dispel magic might be an issue (even though I hardly ever see a DM hit a monk with one of these), but:
1) A ring of counterspells (loaded with GDM) should prevent targeted greater dispels
2) Multiple CL 21 magic mouths can act as shielding vs. area greater dispels

I will think about that...currently our group is in Verbonbonc for shpping and resting...We will return to the Crater Ridge Mine later...
There is NPC in Verbonbonc able to cast a permanent greater magic fang ?

 

[nittanytbone]

Just a few thoughts:

Size

Monks benefit a LOT by "getting big." Getting large size gives you reach for your Combat Reflexes feat, grants a sizeable bonus to your Grapple/Trip checks, and improves your damage. I'd suggest potions of Enlarge Person or a Wand of Enlarge Person if you can trust the sorcerer to use it on you when you really need it.

Skills

I wouldn't bother with escape artist. Your grapple check will probably be better than your escape artist check anyways.

Also, I wouldn't bother half-maxing Spot and Listen. I'd prefer to have one of the two of them maxed and the other with nothing. If you half-max them, then a serious sneaky threat like a rogue will easily beat both. If you max one of them, then you have a fair chance of actually detecting the threat.

I also noticed that your group has no rogue (unless the ranger is picking up one level of Rogue or Scout for the trapfinding ability, which I HEARTILY suggest). I would suggest that you should invest in at least one rank of Disable Device/Open Lock cross-class, and perhaps some Search cross-class as well if you can swing it. Your dwarven stone-cutting will allow you to at least search for traps on stone surfaces and one rank in the other skills will let you try to disarm (and use evasion if it goes sour...) or make an Aid Another attempt.

Tumble doesn't need to be maxed; enough ranks so that you can reliably make a DC15 check should be enough. Don't forget the +2 synergy from Jump.

Pick up 5 ranks in Balance so that you're not flat-footed anymore when balancing or hit with a Grease spell. Rogues love that stuff.

Stunning Fist

I like to take Stunning Fist as a bonus feat because it is very hard to pick up any other way due to the somewhat steep pre-reqs. It is great for use against casters and can allow you to force a save-or-be-screwed effect. Improved Grapple is easy to pick up.

Power Attack

PA really comes into its own when using a two-handed weapon. You will not be. I'd ditch it. Improved Bullrush isn't really worth it. You're better off with Ability Focus or even Dodge. Dwarven Defender can be a decent PrC for a dwarvish Monk and Dodge is a pre-req thereof. You'll want to squeeze in four levels of a full BAB class if you think your campaign will go to level 20, and Fighter or DD make fair choices. More AC is always good.

 

[mvincent]

There is NPC in Verbonbonc able to cast a permanent greater magic fang ?

You technically only need a 5th level druid to cast Greater magic fang. However, it requires a caster level of 20 to make it +5. You could find a high level druid, or a lower level druid could manage this as low as 13th level if he had access to:
1) An Orange ioun stone (+1 CL),
2) A Candle of Invocation (+2 CL), and
3) A Bead of Karma from a strand of prayer beads (+4 CL).

An easier way might be to purchase a scroll (1.5k gp) or potion (3k gp) of greater magic fang +5, and have that made permanent.

 

[mvincent]

Also note:
Based on Greyhawk population estimates (a generator can be found here) Verbobonc should have between 60 and 124 Druids, and the highest level one should be between 13th and 18th level.

 

[Sejs]

Skills: Don't sweat escape artist. You're a good enough grappler that you'll be just as well off using that to break out of a hold. As others have said - pick up some Balance (at least 5 ranks), and some Jump.

So at 7th, something along the lines of:
Balance (5 ranks) (+2 from Tumble)
Jump (7 ranks) (+2 from Tumble, +4 for having a 40' speed)
Listen (11 ranks)
Spot (11 ranks)
Tumble (10 ranks) (+2 from Balance, +2 from Jump)

Feats: Don't sweat Power Attack and Improved Bull Rush; Power Attack comes into its own only when you're using two-handed weapons, and only if you have an accuracy surplus. As a monk, you're playing catch-up on account of your 3/4 bab. Take Stunning Fist as your 1st lvl bonus feat, then take Improved Grapple on its own. If you don't take Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, you have to meet the pre-reqs, which are rather stiff (BAB +8). Stunning Fist is a bonifide caster and rogue killer. Very handy. So that in mind, I'd suggest:

Monk Feats (1st, 1st, 2nd, 6th): Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Combat Reflexes (though consider Deflect Arrows if AoOs don't show up in your games that often), Improved Trip.

Character Feats (1st, 3rd, 6th): Improved Grapple, Weapon Focus [Unarmed Strike], and Ability Focus [Stunning Fist]. Replace Weapon Focus [Unarmed Strike] with Improved Natural Attack, pending DM approval.

Magic Items: At 7th level you're looking at 19k to spread around. Now, assuming we don't want to put all our eggs in one basket (Boots of Speed, Monk's Belt) there are a few things we can look at. Nittany nailed it with how awesome Enlarge Person is for a monk, especially one with Combat Reflexes and Improved Trip. A wand would run 750gp, potions 250gp per (but the potions are CL 5; a CL 1 potion would cost 50gp).

Gloves of Ogre Power are great. Strength and Wisdom are really the monk's meat and potatoes. Toss on a Periapt of Wisdom +2 as well and you're down 8k, to 11k remaining.

A Ring of Sustenance is nice. With a decent wisdom, maxed ranks in Listen and Spot, and your native darkvision, you'd make a damn fine watchman. Cutting your sleep requirements down push that even further. 2.5k for the ring brings us to 8.5k left.

A Ring of Protection +1 helps your AC a bit for a low cost of 2k. Another option would be to pick up a Wand of Mage Armor for 750g and have a caster ally use it on you when trouble looks to be a'brewin. Leaves you with either 6.5k or 7.75k depending on which option you go with.

Drop the rest into something that'll add an enhancement bonus to your attacks and damage. Amulet/Glove of Mighty Fists, etc. Or, hell, ask your DM if you can have a pair of fist irons that are just enchanted as standard weapons, but only serve to augment your unarmed strikes. Something like that.

 

[Sejs]

Falir Falzak of Vonerg
Dwarf Monk (7), Lawful Good.

Strength 19/+4
Dexterity 14/+2
Constitution 16/+3
Intelligence 10/--
Wisdom 16/+3
Charisma 6/-2

HP: 58
BAB: +5, Grapple +13
Initiative: +2
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +8
AC: 17 (+1 monk, +2 dex, +3 wis, +1 deflection); AC 21 w/ Mage Armor. Touch 17, Flat-Footed 15.
Attacks: Moradin's Low-down Showdown .. er.. I mean Unarmed Strike at +10 (2d6 +5, 20/x2), or Flurry of Blows at +9/+9 (2d6 +5, 20/x2)

Skills (name, ranks, check total): Balance 5 (+9), Jump 7 (+17), Listen 10 (+13), Spot 10 (+13), Tumble 8 (+14)

Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist (7/day, DC 18), Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round), Improved Trip (Trip Check +8), Improved Grapple, Ability Focus [Stunning Fist], Improved Natural Attack [Unarmed Strike]

Racial Abilities: 60' darkvision, Stonecunning (+2 search w/ stonework, notice stone traps, intuit depth and direction underground), +4 to resist bull rush/trip when stable, +2 racial bonus on saves vs poison/spells, +1 to hit orcs/goblinoids, +4 dodge AC vs giants, +2 craft/appraise with stone or metal, not slowed by med/hvy load.

Monk Abilities: Unarmed Strike (2d6, 20/x2), Flurry of Blows (req. full atk, -1/-1 to hit), Evasion, Still Mind (+2 vs enchantments), Ki Strike [Magic], Slow Fall 30', Purity of Body (immune to natural disease), Wholeness of Body (14hp per day)

Equipment: Gauntlets of Ogre Power, Periapt of Wisdom +2, Ring of Sustenance, Ring of Protection +1, Wand of Enlarge Person (caster lvl 1), Wand of Mage Armor (caster lvl 1), +1 Fist Irons, Monk's Outfit, walkin' around money, bad attitude.

 

[Sejs]

Also note:
Based on Greyhawk population estimates (a generator can be found here) Verbobonc should have between 60 and 124 Druids, and the highest level one should be between 13th and 18th level.

"Hey, your holiness... yeah, I realize you're a busy guy being Pope and all... but how'd you like to make a little money?"

 

[Arkhandus]

Hahah!! Yeah, it'd be a wierd proposition.

Also, you'd have to find and pay for all those expensive magic items to boost the druid's caster level sufficiently for a permanent +5 GMF.


Sejs: The OP's dwarven monk is 7th-level. Maximum skill rank is 10, not 11, so his Listen/Spot will be 10 ranks each.

Search may deserve 1 rank cross-class or so, but Disable Device? No, no good unless you multiclass into Rogue for 1-2 levels and pump lots ranks in. You're a dwarven monk, you can walk ahead of the group and evade whatever traps you spring. And you should be able to take it when they do hit you.

Focus any spare ranks on Jump, after you max Listen, Spot, and Tumble, and put 5 ranks into Balance (and maybe 1 cross-class in Search). Your Dex isn't great so Tumble can use a full 10 ranks for now, though you can probably focus more on Jump after this level (your Tumble bonus should be sufficient after this level's 10 ranks +2 synergy +Dex bonus). Maybe invest a few more ranks in Tumble over time, but it shouldn't need much.

Combat Reflexes will be fine since you're the tank that'll be getting all up in the enemies' faces with your dwarf-fu.

Oh, and I'd suggest you just go with the Gauntlets of Ogre Power, rather than a Belt of it. You don't have much need for the gauntlet/gloves slot right now, and you'll need the belt slot for a Monk's Belt or something else later when you have more loot to spend.

 

[nittanytbone]

Search may deserve 1 rank cross-class or so, but Disable Device? No, no good unless you multiclass into Rogue for 1-2 levels and pump lots ranks in.

The point of 0.5-1 ranks in Disable Device is that you can (1) Make Aid Another attempts to help the ranger disable traps if he has a rogue level (2) be a stand-in rogue; with Guidance, +2 masterwork tools, and Fox's Cunning you can get a decent check with just one rank. Remember, Open Lock and Disable Device are trained only, so you have to have at least half a rank in them to even make the attempt; anyone can search.

This party has no rogue, so spending a rank to try and cover the role is pretty important. If something goes wrong and you roll poorly and set it off, yeah, you've got evasion and all that. But I'd prefer to at least have a CHANCE to disable the trap rather than just assuming that I can survive any trap that goes off by running through it.

 

[Sejs]

Sejs: The OP's dwarven monk is 7th-level. Maximum skill rank is 10, not 11, so his Listen/Spot will be 10 ranks each.

Oop, my bad, heh. S'what I get for doing skills the lazy way. Adjusting now.

Edit: There we go.