Feats for Monks...

[Rashak Mani]

Finishing a Monk character and I'm in doubt about some feats...

Basically chosing between Wpn Focus or Greater Fortitude. Maybe other feats.

Some stats: 14th lvl Vow of Poverty Monk. Saves Fort 14 Ref 13 Will 17

Attack +19 (without Wpn Focus) Damage 2d6 + 3 (vs evil 4d6+3)
Flurry of Blows: +19/+19/+19/+14
Feats - Several Monk Feats, Several Exalted, Pain Touch, Blindfighting, Sun School

My DM thinks my saves need a bit of boosting... and I think that Fort Save is more likely to kill me than Ref or Will... correct no ?
On the other hand... a regular fighter at this level might have +24 attack. If I add +1 Wpn Focus I get to "boost" with +1 all of my flurry attacks.

Its a bit of offense vs defense... my brother says I should get impr. critical instead... but at 19-20 x2 its nothing much to look at.

At high levels vs Demons a lot... is Pain Touch good ? Blindfighting ?

Suggestions ?

Thanks

 

[iwatt]

You can never have a high enough fort save, the most important save in the game IMHO because of the save or die conditions inherent to DnD. Specially in higher levels.

But save increase feats are so .... Blah. You've got Blindfight and probably a high enough wisdom (19+? ) to get Blindsight 5' (Sword and Fist).

Or get Tactical feast (Clever wrestling, Close Quarters fighting, etc..).

even weapon focus (Unarmed strike) is better than a +2 to Fort. But I'd go for something more interesting.

 

[Rashak Mani]

You can never have a high enough fort save, the most important save in the game IMHO because of the save or die conditions inherent to DnD. Specially in higher levels.

But save increase feats are so .... Blah.

hehe... "blah" sums it up all right. Few things are more boring than +2 fort gain... Still at 14th lvl adventures are way to deadly... it feels like surviving is more important than being effective.

We're playing 3.5 too... so no Sword and Fist unfortunately.

 

[Ranger REG]

We're playing 3.5 too... so no Sword and Fist unfortunately.

Why not? Either you believe is it now obsolete or you don't even want to try and convert them to 3.5e rules unofficially.

 

[Rashak Mani]

I agree that ideally we shouldn't discard the "old" books... but it makes DMing that much harder when you have to control feats from "different" systems. Too much potential for abuse... or too much work for the DM. The DM gave us which books were allowed...

 

[Ranger REG]

"Too much work for the DM." BWAH-ha-ha-ha!

If, as the DM, you don't want to use content from Sword and Fist in your campaign, then more power to you. I strongly recommend you review the product before discarding it completely. Not all content 3.5e-updated and ported over to the Complete Warrior book.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

On the other hand... a regular fighter at this level might have +24 attack. If I add +1 Wpn Focus I get to "boost" with +1 all of my flurry attacks.

Its a bit of offense vs defense... my brother says I should get impr. critical instead... but at 19-20 x2 its nothing much to look at.

One of these two. Yes, 19-20 x2 isn't sneeze-worthy. However, if you're going into epic levels, IC: Unarmed Strike is a preq. to Keen Strike (which extends the threat range to 18-20, and is itself a preq. to Vorpal Strike).

WF is also good, as each +1 to hit means that much more power attack damage, or damage to begin with.

Brad

 

[Scion]

Improved natural weapon

Failing that (some people dont agree that it will work, some dm's dont allow feats out of the monstrous manual, or some other mitigating circumstance) pop out savage species and modify some of these feats. My last game I let someone compress all three of the 'cumbrous' feats into one feat. That way, whenever they wanted to make save X they could add on a big bonus, but at a high price. Nice 'save me now!' with a pretty incredible cost still (a feat plus it isnt generally useful, only when one is very worried).

Neither of those might work unfortunately, I prefer the second option myself, but it is less likely to fly than the first.

Oh, and if I had to choose between greater fortitude or luck of the heros, I'd go for luck of the heros (+1 to all saves).

 

[tarchon]

Weapon proficiency in a reach weapon. Monks can use those devastatingly, since they don't have to switch weapons to fight adjacent foes.

 

[Rashak Mani]

Weapon proficiency in a reach weapon. Monks can use those devastatingly, since they don't have to switch weapons to fight adjacent foes.

Due to VoP he can use only simple weapons... so he could use a long spear at best. The problem is being exalted. I get a +2d6 damage vs Evil when using unarmed... and my unarmed is now 2d6 damage. The paltry d8 damage from a spear pales by comparison.

Which in the end is the big problem with exalted and Vows... they railroad characters somewhat...