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View Full Version : Looking for a way to get Flurry of Blows...



KellKheraptis
2009-09-29, 01:53 AM
Without monk levels! A particular ACF is appealing for a theme build I have in mind, and getting Flurry is central to it (Raging Monk from Dragon, for the curious).

Grynning
2009-09-29, 02:12 AM
Exotic Weapon Master PrC from Complete Warrior gets a similar ability with weapons. A couple PrC's give you monk abilities, although I don't think you can qualify for any of them without at least one monk level (I could be wrong on that though). Do you need the actual class feature for some reason?

olentu
2009-09-29, 02:19 AM
I sort of recall disciple of the eye from races of the dragon as gaining flurry of blows but I might be mixing it up with just progressing flurry. Let me see if I can dig that up.

KellKheraptis
2009-09-29, 02:19 AM
Exotic Weapon Master PrC from Complete Warrior gets a similar ability with weapons. A couple PrC's give you monk abilities, although I don't think you can qualify for any of them without at least one monk level (I could be wrong on that though). Do you need the actual class feature for some reason?

Yes. One of the half-way interesting Alternate Class Features for monks allows them to trade in Flurry of Blows (and one other minor ability, that I think CAN be had with a feat) for rage as a barbarian. I'm working on doing it as either a Swordsage or a Fighter (if I can do it as a Fighter, even better, as then it's a LOT more likely to sneak into a game...at least until I fling 32d6 unarmed strikes at 30' 1+Wis Mod/day with Ring the Golden Bell).

Ernir
2009-09-29, 04:44 AM
I'm AFB, but Shou Disciple from Unapprochable East has a kind of a "martial flurry" if I recall...

olentu
2009-09-29, 05:11 AM
Ok I have found this excerpt.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060106a&page=2

I am too tired at the moment to dig out my races of the dragon from where I left it and compare word for word to see if it is the same. Similarly I am to tired to read through and properly judge if it actually gives flurry or not. It does however have an ability called flurry of blows so it might work for whatever you need it to.

Person_Man
2009-09-29, 09:00 AM
Disciple of the Eye is actually an amazing PrC at lowish levels, at they make enemies Save vs Fear every time they attack. It's particularly good when combined with a decent debuff combo.

Darrin
2009-09-30, 11:13 PM
Here's another way to get flurry:

Start as monstrous humanoid, and alter self into a Brood Monkey (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20041126a). They get Flurry of Blows as an (Ex) ability, but it works with all simple weapons. Similar to a monk, the Flurry penalty is reduced as you gain HD. Also, Immune to Enchantment (Ex).

olentu
2009-10-01, 12:17 AM
Here's another way to get flurry:

Start as monstrous humanoid, and alter self into a Brood Monkey (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20041126a). They get Flurry of Blows as an (Ex) ability, but it works with all simple weapons. Similar to a monk, the Flurry penalty is reduced as you gain HD. Also, Immune to Enchantment (Ex).

I thought that alter self only gave extraordinary special attacks and qualities from a specific list and excluded ones not on said list.

Mando Knight
2009-10-01, 01:16 AM
What's wrong with taking a level of Monk? It's actually pretty decent for a 1 or 2 level dip, especially for a character with decent Wis that's already going unarmored.

The White Knight
2009-10-01, 01:43 AM
Whirling Frenzy ACF? (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ) Flurry on steroids.

KellKheraptis
2009-10-01, 01:47 AM
Whirling Frenzy ACF? (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ) Flurry on steroids.

That's actually what the Flurry would turn into after ACF'ed out for Rage :P

Curmudgeon
2009-10-01, 03:08 AM
Here's another way to get flurry:

Start as monstrous humanoid, and alter self into a Brood Monkey (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20041126a). They get Flurry of Blows as an (Ex) ability, but it works with all simple weapons.
Brood Monkeys get Flurry of Blows, but Alter Self doesn't acquire them for a spellcaster changing into that form.
You acquire the physical qualities of the new form while retaining your own mind. Physical qualities include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings, to a maximum speed of 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, and so on), racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and any gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth). A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal.

You do not gain any extraordinary special attacks or special qualities not noted above under physical qualities, such as darkvision, low-light vision, blindsense, blindsight, fast healing, regeneration, scent, and so forth. While Flurry of Blows is an Extrordinary special attack, it's not one derived from physical qualities like size or natural weapons that you suddenly have as part of the new form.

KellKheraptis
2009-10-01, 04:58 PM
Ok, ultimate aim with this character is to get as many of the following as possible, without resorting to playing a full caster, just because I wanna see if it can be done (since I can do all of the following and then some with a wizard or cleric in my sleep).

-High Unarmed Damage, as in Col+ damage.
-Viable Ranged Attack, preferably Ring the Golden Bell, which does unarmed damage at range.
-Flight capable without wings, or touching down at the end of each round (air walk would be ideal, really).
-High Speed.
-The ability to rage and/or frenzy. This is why I was looking for Flurry, as if I have it twice, I can trade one for Rage or a variant of it, and one for Focused Strike (or whatever it was that does x2 damage instead of Flurry from PHBII), for doubling damage when flinging ki from RtGB.
-Usable mostly if not always constantly.
-Fighter mentioned because if it can be done with feats, and without a ton of maneuvers, it's a LOT more likely to see it's way to the table, and be a perfectly viable tank/titanium cannon.

Monk would be the ideal framework if it were full BAB, but if possible, I'd like to build this with as few homerules as possible, and keep it as close to Core+Completes as possible. ToB dipping for SUS or the like is fine, but I already know I can do this with an initiator (among other things, if you've seen my swordsages). Now that you know the endrun goal, hajime!

Starbuck_II
2009-10-01, 05:11 PM
Here's another way to get flurry:

Start as monstrous humanoid, and alter self into a Brood Monkey (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20041126a). They get Flurry of Blows as an (Ex) ability, but it works with all simple weapons. Similar to a monk, the Flurry penalty is reduced as you gain HD. Also, Immune to Enchantment (Ex).

Why not be a Brood Monkey. Other than low Int (-6) and Str (-2), they aren't bad.

Grynning
2009-10-01, 09:29 PM
This brought up a rules question for me - can you stack Flurry of Blows, Flurry of Strikes (the EW Master ability) and Whirling Frenzy all together? I.E. make 3 extra attacks in exchange for -6 to all of attacks in the round? I'm sure there's an exotic double weapon that also counts as a monk weapon somewhere. Throw in Snap Kick from ToB and a haste spell and that's a lot of attacks...

Edit @ the OP: Why not just go with an Unarmed Barbarian build? Whirling Frenzy plus the Superior Unarmed Strike feat makes you as good as a monk at full attacking right there. I was also fan of the Frostrager or whatever it's called from Frostburn (barb PrC that's supposedly designed for unarmed fighting), though I imagine it's not the most optimal PrC ever. I don't have the book but I remember it looking neat when I was reading it.

I'm just not sure why you'd want to swap Flurry of Blows for rage when you can just get rage, is what I'm saying.

KellKheraptis
2009-10-01, 10:09 PM
This brought up a rules question for me - can you stack Flurry of Blows, Flurry of Strikes (the EW Master ability) and Whirling Frenzy all together? I.E. make 3 extra attacks in exchange for -6 to all of attacks in the round? I'm sure there's an exotic double weapon that also counts as a monk weapon somewhere. Throw in Snap Kick from ToB and a haste spell and that's a lot of attacks...

Edit @ the OP: Why not just go with an Unarmed Barbarian build? Whirling Frenzy plus the Superior Unarmed Strike feat makes you as good as a monk at full attacking right there. I was also fan of the Frostrager or whatever it's called from Frostburn (barb PrC that's supposedly designed for unarmed fighting), though I imagine it's not the most optimal PrC ever. I don't have the book but I remember it looking neat when I was reading it.

I'm just not sure why you'd want to swap Flurry of Blows for rage when you can just get rage, is what I'm saying.

Hmm...I hadn't thought about that. I'll snoop around for barb variants to see how close to the OP I can get. Worst case scenario is I sub in yet another build I've done with a CoG...

Darrin
2009-10-02, 05:36 AM
Hmm...I hadn't thought about that. I'll snoop around for barb variants to see how close to the OP I can get. Worst case scenario is I sub in yet another build I've done with a CoG...

Check the City Brawler variant in Dragon... something, I forget. Starts with Improved Unarmed Strike, TWF for unarmed strikes only, and reduces improvised weapon penalty to -2. You can also combine it with Spirit Lion Totem for Pounce.