Opinions on my strange "Monk" build

[Vamphyr]

I am currently playing a 7th level character and I've just recently come across some classes I think would help round out my power at later levels and want to know what you think.

Current Levels:
1 Monk/ 1 Barbarian/ 4 Fighter/ 1 Fist of the Forest

For the remainder of my build I was thinking this:
2 Fist of the Forest/ 1 Bear Warrior/ 4 Warshaper/ 6 Kensai

I'm taking the 1 level of bear warrior for the shape change ability to get into Warshaper. (If you know any other classes that give a polymorph/wildshape/shapechange ability at level 1 please let me know). The 4 levels of warshaper get me: Immunity to criticals and stuns, +5 reach, increased damage on my bite, +4 str/con, Fast healing 2 and a concentration check for +10 hp.

The 6 levels of kensai turn my unarmed strikes into weapons with +6 worth of enchantments, a +8 bonus to strength as a concentration check and several other benefits.

Now, ignoring alignment restrictions, how do you think this will work?

[gooddragon1]

I am currently playing a 7th level character and I've just recently come across some classes I think would help round out my power at later levels and want to know what you think.

Current Levels:
1 Monk/ 1 Barbarian/ 4 Fighter/ 1 Fist of the Forest

For the remainder of my build I was thinking this:
2 Fist of the Forest/ 1 Bear Warrior/ 4 Warshaper/ 6 Kensai

I'm taking the 1 level of bear warrior for the shape change ability to get into Warshaper. (If you know any other classes that give a polymorph/wildshape/shapechange ability at level 1 please let me know). The 4 levels of warshaper get me: Immunity to criticals and stuns, +5 reach, increased damage on my bite, +4 str/con, Fast healing 2 and a concentration check for +10 hp.

The 6 levels of kensai turn my unarmed strikes into weapons with +6 worth of enchantments, a +8 bonus to strength as a concentration check and several other benefits.

Now, ignoring alignment restrictions, how do you think this will work?

Are you making that barbarian a lion spirit totem barbarian for the pounce ability because that's a nice ability.

[eggs]

I can see Bear Warrior introducing some problems. Its class features (and Warshaper's, by extension) are only going to be active as long as the character is Raging.

Even disregarding the alignment problem that puts on Kensai, it puts most of the character's abilities on a 1/day limit. With Extra Rage, that might bump up to 3/day, but that's still going to be problematic in a dungeon-diving scenario.

Have you considered some longer-lasting shapeshifting ability (changeling, hengeyokai, etc)?

The second problem I see with Bear Warrior are its natural weapons (normally one of the major draws of the class) not being Monk weapons, and being excluded from Flurry (unless you work around that by picking up the Beast Strike feat or that nifty Shifter Monk fighting style, both from Dragon Magazine).

[Vamphyr]

I can see Bear Warrior introducing some problems. Its class features (and Warshaper's, by extension) are only going to be active as long as the character is Raging.

Even disregarding the alignment problem that puts on Kensai, it puts most of the character's abilities on a 1/day limit. Extra Rage, that might bump up to 3/day, but that's still going to be problematic in a dungeon-diving scenario.

Have you considered some longer-lasting shapeshifting ability (changeling, hengeyokai, etc)?

The second problem I see with Bear Warrior are its natural weapons - normally one of the major draws of the class - not being Monk weapons, and being excluded from Flurry (unless you work around that by picking up the Beast Strike feat or that nifty Shifter Monk fighting style, both from Dragon Magazine).


You sir, are 100% correct. After reading your post I went back and reviewed the Warshaper class and realized that all of those lovely abilities are only while not in your true form. Also seeing how turning into a bear actually decreases my unarmed damage it appears these class features are not going to work for me.

So now I need to figure out a good class to finish my last 11 levels with. Kensai is still a possibility since I can probably convince my DM to drop the alignment restriction.

[Endelehia]

If you still want to go through the warshaper root,you could consider becoming a were-something.This of course implicates a lot of difficulties like detouring the plot so that you can contact the disease,the sudden increase in ECL,and all the drawbacks of being afflicted and not natural were-.
If you are into this idea,you can talk your GM into converting some of your fighter levels in animal HD.You will still be ahead ECL wise but not that much.

I had a similar character once,monk/fist of the forest/warshaper were-dire bat and was pretty fun to play,ridiculously high AC as well.

[Vamphyr]

If you still want to go through the warshaper root,you could consider becoming a were-something.This of course implicates a lot of difficulties like detouring the plot so that you can contact the disease,the sudden increase in ECL,and all the drawbacks of being afflicted and not natural were-.
If you are into this idea,you can talk your GM into converting some of your fighter levels in animal HD.You will still be ahead ECL wise but not that much.

I had a similar character once,monk/fist of the forest/warshaper were-dire bat and was pretty fun to play,ridiculously high AC as well.

That would make for an interesting and fun character, I feel like my DM would really limit me as a were creature though, but maybe not.

One of the reasons I was considering going warshaper is because my DM has not been supplying me with any magic items compared to the rest of the group, and especially no items that boost stats. So I was hoping I could buff myself through classes such as warshaper and kensai. But unless I become a were creature or somehow gain a ring of polymorph it seems this won't happen. I just don't want to have 15 levels of fighter.