Help building a trip monk [3.5]

[PowerGamer]

Friend is DMing a NON-MAGIC campaign and after playing a serious wizard I was looking to play something a bit silly.

System: 3.5
Race: Dwarf
Classes: Monk 5/Drunken Master 10 (can be changed)
Role: Battlefield control focusing on trip and breathe attack

Rest of party is:
Mounted Scout
Some sort of Barbarian
Wildshape Ranger variant (DM special privileges)
Some almost dead army commander (no idea what build)

Help:
1) how should I allocate stats using a 32-point-buy
2) what feats should I take (for leveling and monk bonus feats)
3) Equipment? (for back story I have a stool, mug and wedding ring)
4) anything else?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

== EDIT ==
No DragonMag and trying to stay with base races if at all possible.

It's a war between elves, dwarves and humans but other base races exist. Animals are normal with Dire being a mythical beast and very rare. It's more of a realistic setting but with Tolkien races sort of game.

[PowerGamer]

bump in the night.

I could use any help you guys have

[Max Caysey]

Go strenght first, dex next. Be sure to have 13 int for combat expertise.

Use a spiked chain and if you may there are two crazy good tripping feats in PF.

Be sure to get Strongarm Bracers and Steadfast Boots from MiC


Feats be like:
Combat Expertise
Improved Trip
Knockdown
Defencive Sweep
Pepple Underfoot
Stand Still


You shoudl also class dip 1 level in crusader ToB to get Thicket of Blades.

[Juntao112]

Friend is DMing a magic-less campaign and after playing a serious wizard I was looking to play something a bit silly.

System: 3.5
Race: Dwarf
Classes: Monk 5/Drunken Master 10 (can be changed)
Role: Battlefield control focusing on trip and breathe attack

Rest of party is:
Mounted Scout
Some sort of Barbarian
Wildshape Ranger variant (DM special privileges)
Some almost dead army commander (no idea what build)

Help:
1) how should I allocate stats using a 32-point-buy
2) what feats should I take (for leveling and monk bonus feats)
3) Equipment? (for back story I have a stool, mug and wedding ring)
4) anything else?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
Drunken Master's breath attack is far too weak to be useful for anything other than party tricks. Drunken Master is fairly weak overall.


Recommended stats: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8

Passive Way Monk (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#passiveWay) 2/Psychic Warrior (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/psychicWarrior.htm) 4/Warmind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/warMind.htm) 9/Whatever 5

Grab the Decisive Strike monk ACF from the PHB2. Learn Expansion as a Psychic Warrior.

Recommended feats:
Knock Down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown)
Combat Reflexes
Robiliar's Gambit

If you want to be a drunken master, take Poison Healer (http://dndtools.eu/feats/fiendish-codex-i-hordes-of-the-abyss--66/poison-healer--2187/).

[nedz]

You can avoid some pre-reqs (e.g. Int 13) if you go for two levels of Passive Way Monk (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#passiveWay) — Int is still useful for skills mind. Don't bother with levels 3+, you don't need them.


Passive Way

The Passive Way focuses on making your opponent overreach himself or underestimate your skill.
1st-Level Skill Bonus: Bluff.
1st-Level Feat: Combat Expertise.
2nd-Level Feat: Improved Trip.
6th-Level Feat: Improved Feint.
6th-Level Bonus Ability: You gain a +4 bonus on Strength checks made to trip an opponent who is denied his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class.
Prerequisites: Bluff 4 ranks, Sense Motive 4 ranks, Skill Focus (Bluff).

[Azoth]

I am a fan of either Goliath or Human with Jotunbrud (sp?), and then going with Barb2 for pounce, whirling frenzy, and Imp Trip. From there Jumping into Swordsage and focusing on Setting Sun with maxed out Tumble.

A different approach is to go Wu Jen/Swordsage/Jade Pheonix Mage. Same thing with Setting Sun focus. Difference is you gain access to two very fun spells Body outside Body and Giant Size.

With either build, you tumble on in, initiate a throw manuever and toss enemies around like rag dolls until they die.

[PowerGamer]

I'll look through what's been posted so far. Sadly I will have to ignore a good chunk because there's magic/psionics involved. This is a NONMAGIC campaign. That includes classes and items

[Seerow]

I'll look through what's been posted so far. Sadly I will have to ignore a good chunk because there's magic/psionics involved. This is a NONMAGIC campaign. That includes classes and items

Are the enemies going to be monsters/magical? Or is the campaign explicitly humanoids and normal animals?


Because that makes a huge difference in how viable this is.

[PowerGamer]

It's a war between elves, dwarves and humans but other base races exist. Animals are normal with Dire being a mythical beast and very rare. It's more of a realistic setting but with Tolkien races sort of game.

[OldTrees1]

You want to use tripping as Battlefield control. I recommend having reach.

Is you race set in stone? Goliath(+1LA) Barbarian(Mountain Rage) becomes large during rage.
Are you willing to either have Abberant Blood + Inhuman Reach or Willing Deformity + Deformity Tall?
Are you willing to use a reach weapon like a Guisarme (can become a special monk weapon with the Pole Master feat)

[Kennisiou]

I'd suggest you look into the feats Kung Fu Genius (Dragon magazine, I forget which one) and Carmendine Monk (Champions of Valor). These are two different feats that both cause your monk abilities to be keyed off of intelligence rather than Wisdom, which reduces your MAD. It means you can safely go with a set up like 16 str, 14 dex, 16 con, 14 int, 8 wis, 8 cha (assuming 32 point buy). If you're not using point buy, carmendine monk lets you prioritize Str > con > int > dex > wis > cha. It's pretty important since otherwise you've got wis dependency for class features and int dependency for skillpoints and for combat expertise prereqs. This rolls those two stat dependencies into one.

Also, seconding that you'll want to find a way to gain some reach. Either by playing a race that has built in reach or by wielding a reach weapon (remember monk unarmed strikes can be done with hands full, so you can be holding a reach weapon to trip distant foes but still be able to melee attack people next to you with unarmed strikes). It could also be helpful to find a race that allows entry into the warshaper PrC (lesser werewolf or hengeyoki both do, iirc) and plan on prestiging into warshaper so that you can gain reach that way.

[Gavinfoxx]

You know monk is an extremely magical class, right?
How are you in a campaign with Monk being allowed if it is nonmagical?

I mean, really, look at how much stuff is tagged Su in the monk... how much of the class turns off in an antimagic field...

[PowerGamer]

You know monk is an extremely magical class, right?
How are you in a campaign with Monk being allowed if it is nonmagical?

I mean, really, look at how much stuff is tagged Su in the monk... how much of the class turns off in an antimagic field...

I'm only taking 5 levels so it's only Ki strike. The other 10 levels are Drunken Master.