Rasslin'- D&D Style!

[megamania]

Other feats & resources

Ravenloft has a neat feat- Back to the wall. Could explain the Hulk Hogans of the world. It something like this- reduced to 3/4 of HP (10 of 40 remain) you get big bonuses to AC and to HIT

Also- check out Kalamar's gladiator. This deals with gaining inspiration from a crowd. Bigger the crowd the bigger the bonuses.

Forgotten Realms has neat feats of Dwarven, Giant and Dragon Toughness making them tougher to take down (6-20 extra HP and they're stackable!)

2nd edition Darksun had a neat skill that allowed anything (reasonable) to be treated as a club. "Gimme the chair"

If you go the way way with this, you'll need managers too with the distractive puppy power skill (based on CHA)

Let me know how it goes in the DDWWF(E)

Oh- don't forget to create a George "The Animal" Steel.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

...and of course, when you opponent is down, trash talk him.

PC: "Hey you! Ogre-boy! You think you got a chance?"

Ogre: "I th..."

PC: "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!"

 

[drdevoid]

HELP!

Great suggestions, everyone. I have a lot of things to look at for sure.

Man, oh, man. So I took the advice and tried making a monk version. Playtested the Half-Orc Barbarian/Fighter and the Human Monk/Fighter against some Dire Animals and they got toasted. Repeatedly. Cloud Giants would have been easier. Mind you, I'll be looking up the OA feats making sure I understand their uses. I tried them but since I don't have the books and only know the prereqs it might be more powerful than I was imagining. But still, it seems almost impossible to make a primary grappler. Even a brawler style is easier. HELP! I think choke hold is going to have to be the way to go. Anyway, here's what I came up with:

Human Mnk 2/Ftr 4 it would be:

Str 18 (+4)
Dex 12 (+1)
Con 14 (+2)
Int 14 (+2)
Wis 14 (+2)
Cha 12 (+1)

Improved Unarmed Strike (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Stunning Fist (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Evasion (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Improved Grapple (Starting Feat CL:1)
Choke Hold (Racial Bonus Feat CL:1)
Earth's Embrace (swapped Deflect Arrows CL:2)
Clever Wrestling (3rd level Bonus CL:3)
Expertise (Ftr Bonus CL:3)
Close Quarters Fighting (Ftr Bonus CL:4)
Improved Trip (Ftr Bonus CL:6)
**Expert Tactician (6th level Bonus CL:6)

**Considering a swap

His wrestling tactics will involve using his stunning fist, or triping the opponet, then a grapple will immediately follow. Once pinned he will use a choke hold or use the extra attack from expert tactician or the Earth's Embrace ability. The Close Quarters Fighting and Clever Wrestling feats allow him to easily wrestle larger creatures even ones with improved grab.

Anything I should swap out? Expert Tactician for something else? Power Attack or Knock Down maybe?

Should the main skills be Balance, Perform, Climb, Jump, Tumble? Escape Artist will pale in comparision with my grapple check so I'm going to leave it out.

I like the Half-Orc Barbarian/Fighter as is, though suggestions are still great. I just can't make a Half-Orc Monk. Well, maybe I'll try later.

I thought about the Toughness string, but some of the other feats are so tantalizing. Good old utility shouldn't be ignored, but I'm helpless against the shiny packaging. As for the Drunken Master, it's just about the most awesome PrC, but as I said, these games won't last too much longer and the whole PrC thing is handled rather seriously by my DM. The Barbarian/Monk is something that would be fun, but of course it's not really legal without a house rule. I think the designers made the right call there too. It could get really out of hand.

 

[shurai]

Re: HELP!

The Barbarian/Monk is something that would be fun, but of course it's not really legal without a house rule. I think the designers made the right call there too. It could get really out of hand.

When you say not really legal, what do you mean? If you start with monk, and then switch to barbarian, it is perfectly legal. Monks retain all abilities when they mutliclass, even if they change alignment. Thought it is true that they can no longer gain monk levels if they leave the monk class.

-S

 

[garyh]

I can't believe Reapersaurus hasn't posted to this thread yet. He lives to play rasslin' half-orc barbarians (and shield-bashing Cha freaks - but that's a different story. )

 

[drdevoid]

Shurai,

Okay, legal is a little overstated but we are talking about the two most diametrically opposed classes, IMHO. Mind you one doesn't have to move more than one alignment to go from Monk to Barbarian, per se, but we are talking about a typically chaotic class. And it's more than just the alignment. It's the difference between a class the requires cloistered life, concentration, and contemplation versus one of frenzy, ferocity, and brutality.

And you get labeled a munchkin in my group if you were allowed to do it in the first place. And that's saying something in a group of powergamers.

Now how would I explain it? Well, we start with a monk of Kord. Hmm. How's this for some Dogma:

Kord encourages his monks to discipline the body in order to learn its full potential. They promote competition to settle quarrels and speak eloquently. They are often seen organizing passive and active non-violent demonstrations towards the goals of freedom and people's inherent right to self-defense regardless of social stature. Kord encourages his paladins and his monks to put the good first in their actions before their lawful tendencies.

Kord understands the purpose of law, but desires his monks to follow the way of the unshackled mind. There are two paths. Monks are encouraged either to join with his clerics in the study of more practical martial arts and divine magics that increase vigor and vitality; or they are encouraged to continue to train their bodies but attune their minds with nature, emtyping all thoughts until they hear only the beating of their heart and start to become hardier. Only then can they learn of Kord's true blessing- that of untamed strength which can only barely be controlled.

Then if I was running a Half-Orc monk I would have his dead barbarian brother or fellow tribesman call out to him as a ghost to leave his cloistered life behind and use the power that courses through his veins. I supposed it would work if you had a human family of savage woodsman as well. Maybe the human would have distant traces of orcish blood somewhere in his lineage.

Now to figure out the feats and the class ratio. It's just for fun, though, I don't think my DM would really allow it. It's one thing to roleplay an alignment change, it's another to assume it in chargen and explain it away.

edit for spelling; reworded dogma bit slightly

 

[drdevoid]

Okay, as you've no doubt noticed, I am going with similar feats almost everytime. Suggestions, alternatives, comments, criticisms. . .

Here's the Human Monk 2/Barbarian 4

Thorin Blackblood

Feats and Abilities:

Str 18/22 (+4/+6)
Dex 14/12 (+2/+1)
Con 14/18 (+2/+4)
Int 12 (+1)
Wis 14 (+2)
Cha 12 (+1)

Improved Unarmed Strike (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Flurry of Blows (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Stunning Fist (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Evasion (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Improved Grapple (Starting Feat CL:1)
Choke Hold (Racial Bonus Feat CL:1)
Earth's Embrace (swapped Deflect Arrows CL:2)
Clever Wrestling (3rd level Bonus CL:3)
Rage 2/day
Uncanny Dodge (Dex to AC)
Close Quarters Fighting (6th level bonus CL:6)

Fortitude: 9 (11)
Reflex: 6 {5- fatigued}
Will: 6 (8)
BAB: 5
Init: 2 {1}
Melee: 9 (11)
Ranged: 7 {6}
AC: 14 (12 rage, 13 fatigued)- unarmored; 17 {16}- chainmail or breastplate

Very powerful indeed. The unarmored AC is bad, but he'd definately be a tumbler. I wish bluff was a class skill, I'd make him a feignter. Which one looks best (barbarian/fighter, monk/fighter, monk/barbarian)?

edit: switched Int with Dex

 

[Dremen]

I'd keep the monk levels untill you get the d8 damage and an extra 10' movement. Then I would go fighter. This keeps your damage decent. And helps with larger creatures.

I would also drop the 2 points from CHA and add them to INT. More skill points will come in handy.

I might wait in close quarters combat and clever wrestling

I would consider in their place UNBALANCING STRIKE and EXPERT TACTICIAN.

Unbalancing Strike forces a save everytime you hit, and then your expert tatician comes in.

There is no reason why a 1/2 orc wouldn't make a good monk. They have a STR bonus, and and the penalties don't hurt monks that much plus they are very likely to be abondoned by the parents compared to other races. This abaondoned child could have been left at the door step of a monestary.

-D

 

[drdevoid]

Half-Orc Monk 4/Fighter 2, is it? I can't track down Heroes of High Favor: Half-Orcs (BadAxe Games) but I hope it will have something I might like. Wrath and Rage (Green Ronin) was focused in a different direction. Anyway, that's 6 feats to work with (I'm assuming one can't switch out the mental abilities for combat ones so I'm left with, sigh, Still Mind and Slow Fall).

I'm more skeptical of this version just because one damage dice is the main benefit, the increased movement is a hindrance in this particular game (the other party members are a Dwarf in medium armor and a halfling). Unbalanced Strike has a prereq of Wis 15, so that's out as are Expertise related feats. This makes Stunning Fist, Choke Hold, and Earth's Embrace that much more important. Since there's already an Int penalty, I'm reluctant to switch out Dex and Int (I did this with the Human Mnk/Ftr).

The house rule for the rolls is a 2 for 1 if I want to switch out the Cha and Int. If I went -6 Cha 12 Int I suppose I could be a terse, curt, know-it-all looking down on everyone. I'll get back to that later. I'm not as concerned about skills for this character (again, this is more like the Human Mnk/Ftr which can be finessed). Just by way of note, this is only going to run in one or two games and the setting is high gold/high magic if that helps for suggestion purposes.

Half-Orc (Mnk 4/Ftr 2)
Wrestles-with-Bears

Str 20 (+5)
Dex 14 (+2)
Con 14 (+2)
Int 10 (+0)
Wis 14 (+2)
Cha 10 (+0)

Improved Unarmed Strike (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Flurry of Blows (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Stunning Fist (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Evasion (Free Monk ability CL:1)
Improved Grapple (Starting Feat CL:1)
Choke Hold (swapped Deflect Arrows CL:2)
Earth's Embrace (3rd level bonus CL:3)
Still Mind (Free Monk ability CL:3)
Slow Fall- 20 ft. (Free Monk ability CL:4)
Expert Tactician (Ftr Bonus CL:5)
?? (Ftr Bonus CL:6)
?? (6th level bonus CL:6)

So what about the last two? Combat Reflexes and Power Attack? Power Attack and Power Lunge? I've seen variants of S&F's Prone Attack with Combat Reflexes instead of Lightning Reflexes which I personally prefer.

Does anyone know if there are some optional rules or subsystems for a grappling contest. Maybe in Tournaments and Fairs (I may have that title wrong). As always your insight and expertise is appreciated.

 

[drdevoid]

Now that I think of it

It's kind of gross (though maybe not as powerful as the other versions, I'm not sure) to make a Rog 3, Rgr 1, Brb 2. The sneak attack could make up for the low unarmed damage, twf makes up for the flurry of blows, the other abilities are helpful. Skills would need to favor tumble quite a bit.

Human (Rog 3/Rgr 1/Brb 2)

Thorin "Ole Thorny" Blackblood

Str 18 (+4)- 22 (+6)
Dex 12 (+1)
Con 14 (+2)- 18 (+4)
Int 14 (+2)
Wis 14 (+2)
Cha 12 (+1)

Feats and Abilities:
Sneak Attack 2d6
Improved Unarmed Strike
Improved Grapple
Evasion
Uncanny Dodge (Dex to AC)
??- 3rd level bonus
Track
Ambidexterity
Two Weapon Fighting
Favored Enemy: Animals
Rage 1/day
Uncanny Dodge (Can't be flanked)
??- 6th level bonus

Same old questions: Which feats do you suggest? Which version do you prefer?