[Pathfinder] New to Pathfinder, confused on Zen Archery Monk Feature

[theonesin]

I'm making a character for a Pathfinder game. I haven't played Pathfinder before, but I have played DnD 3.5 extensively.

Right now, I'm running into a problem. I want to make a Zen Archery Monk, but I'm confused on the level 17 feature:

"Ki Focus Bow (Su)

At 17th level, as long as he has at least 1 point of ki in his ki pool, a zen archer may treat arrows fired from his bow as if they were ki focus weapons, allowing him to use his special ki attacks as if his arrows were unarmed attacks."

Exactly what all does this cover? Are there things I can't do with my bow until this level? For example, I got confused on whether or not my arrows count as magic(building a level 4 character).

Thanks.

[Baka Nikujaga]

The feature allows use of a Monk's Ki Strike, Quivering Palm, and Stunning Fist feat via the bow. This means that a Zen Archer Monk would have to be level 17 before his or her arrows are automatically considered to be magical, lawful, or adamantine. So, no, your arrows are not automatically considered magical at level 4.

[NamelessNPC]

Your arrows count as magic at lvl 17, when you gain Ki Focus Blow. It means that you can use your Ki Pool to affect your arrows, just as normal monks do with their unarmed attacks starting level 4, only you get it at 17(!).

I guess... I mean, the wording uses terms like "ki strike", and "ki focus" and "ki focus weapons" as if they were all self explanatory

edit: monk'ed Ki struck

[theonesin]

If that's really the case, that part of this alternate monk kinda really sucks. >.>

[jaybird]

The ZAM's real strength is being able to turn anything within range into a pincushion, not fancy arrow tricks (those are more the domain of the Arcane Archer and Archer archetype Fighter). Get a Guided bow and max out your Wisdom. Win at shooting things.

[theonesin]

I looked up that Guided enchantment, but I'm not sure how it applies here. It says it replaces Strength with Wisdom for attack and damage with the weapon. The only way I'm getting Strength to my bow is from composite, and even that's not likely to be that much.

Am I missing something about it?

[Malroth]

Yes, but if you're in a class that adds wisdom to AC, attack bonus, and class feature save DC's wouldn't an enchantment that adds it to your damage also be a good thing concidering how high your wisdom is likely to be anyway?

[Bhaakon]

Guided isn't technically a Pathfinder weapon ability anyway. It was created by Paizo for a 3.5 adventure path, and they purposely left it out of the Pathfinder rules.

[Krazzman]

Guided isn't technically a Pathfinder weapon ability anyway. It was created by Paizo for a 3.5 adventure path, and they purposely left it out of the Pathfinder rules.

It might not be avaible for PFS but some reasonable DM's MIGHT allow it. Therefore it is worth to at least point it since when he looks at level 17 he will for sure not playing PFS.

For more giggles you also could only take about 6 to 8 levels in ZAM then multiclass with Wis-Sorcerer (I think its the heaven bloodline) and go Arcane Archer IF you want magic arrows without buying them before level 17.

Hope this helps.

[Ravens_cry]

Empyreal (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/archetypes/paizo---sorcerer-archetypes/wildblooded/empyreal) is the bloodline you are thinking of, Krazzman.

[theonesin]

New monk question if anyone's still reading this:

Can a monk fight defensively while using Flurry of Blows?

[Ravens_cry]

New monk question if anyone's still reading this:

Can a monk fight defensively while using Flurry of Blows?


Fighting Defensively as a Full-Round Action (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Full-Attack)
You can choose to fight defensively when taking a full-attack action. If you do so, you take a –4 penalty on all attacks in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.
Since Flurry of Blows is a full-attack action, I would say yes.

[Starbuck_II]

New monk question if anyone's still reading this:

Can a monk fight defensively while using Flurry of Blows?

Yes, any combat option that can be used in a full attack can be applied to flurry.

[grarrrg]

For more giggles you also could only take about 6 to 8 levels in ZAM then multiclass with Wis-Sorcerer (I think its the heaven bloodline) and go Arcane Archer IF you want magic arrows without buying them before level 17.

Agreed.
Zen Archer losses a lot of steam after 9-ish
8th is an extra Flurry attack
9th is AoO's with bow
10th is a Bonus Feat
11th is the ability to ignore Concealment/Cover/Corners by spending Ki

At most, I would take Zen Archer to level 12, after that, going into Sorcerer>Arcane Archer, or Archer Fighter, or something similar would probably be better.
If you want to stay Monk, then I HIGHLY advise you take the Quinggong archetype as well.

[Togath]

Aye, the qinggong archetype is good(not all of the abilities granted by it are good, but some are pretty strong, such as ki leech[if i remember it's effect correctly], dragon's breath[as it can deal any of the mian elemental damage types], restoration, or the hydraulic push/torrent spells)

[Stauffie]

I camehere because i was confused by the ki focus weapon enhancement:

Ki Focus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, creator must be a monk; Price +1 bonus.
DESCRIPTION
This ability can only be placed on a melee weapon.

The magic weapon serves as a channel for the wielder's ki, allowing her to use her special ki attacks through the weapon as if they were unarmed attacks. These attacks include the monk's ki strike, quivering palm, and the Stunning Fist feat (including any condition that the monk can apply using this feat).

So... stunning fist is a 'special ki attack' and ki focus weapons allows you to use ALL special ki attacks through the weapon... Special ki attacks include (but apparently are not limited too) stunning fist, quivering palm and ki strike...
If i would take a hungry ghost archetype monk, it would get punishing kick atlvl 1, replacing stunning fist... so it is akin to stunning fist... is punishing kick also a special ki attack? And elemental fist? Perfect strike? Can i use those feats with a ki focus wushu dart?

I would say yes, but the rules do not implicitly say so

The rules do say that jawbreaker uses a stunning fist attack (so it uses a SF attempt), as does crushing blow, sothose feats could be used, since you are just using stunning fist in a different way.

So, what do you think?

[Larpus]

By RAW, no, Monks can't have nice things.

RAI...seems likely and even if that wasn't the actual designers' intention, it's a sensible enough expansion that I don't think any DM would have much issue with.