Decisive Strike Monk Damage Optimization

[Uzgul]

I am trying to build a Level 15 Character based on Desive Strike ACFs.
For those who don't know the ACF: Instead of Flury you can do a single a attack as a Full-Round-Action. The Attack Penelties are the same as Flurry.

At this point pretty much everything is open in terms of classes, race, feats.
My current build is Fighter 4 / Monk 11 with about 60 damage per strike.
I'm pretty sure that isn't the limit at this level, so let's try to get this number as high as possible.

[Kazudo]

I forget. Does Decisive Strike remove getting Stunning Fist as a bonus feat without qualifications? If so, then aside from a level dip in Ex-Barbarian for Pounce and getting Flying Kick for an additional 1d12 damage, I'm a little at a loss. I don't do monks often.

If you DO get Stunning Fist uses, then an easy way to do things would be to pick up Fists of Iron, which trades Stunning Fist uses for extra dice of damage.

[Zaq]

I think the key is maximizing how many other attacks (mostly AoOs) you can get, since Decisive Strike boosts every attack you make for the rest of the round. Karmic Strike (CWar), Robilar's Gambit (PHB2), Invisible Fist (EoE) + Spectral Skirmisher (PHB2) . . . and of course good old-fashioned tripping and whatnot. Knock-Down (D&DG/SRD) combines very nicely with Improved Trip, doubly so on a Decisive Strike build. Decisive Strike cheats you out of your iterative routine, so the only way to make it pay off is to get more attacks outside of your iterative routine. Snap Kick (ToB) is also basically a given, especially if your GM rules that it lets you double-tap on AoOs.

It's also worth noting that Decisive Strike only specifies that the original attack be made with a Monk weapon—you can make the initial swing with an unarmed strike or a shuriken or whatever, and then you can go back to using your good old-fashioned spiked chain or whatever other nice weapon you like.

[Uzgul]

You get stunning fist as normal and an increased DC, when delivered through a decisive strike.

Fist of Iron looks nice, thanks.

EDIT: Ex-Barbarian might not work, as pounce only allows to do a Full-Attack-Action and Decisive Strike is a Full-Round-Action.

Getting some AoOs is kind of already in the plan, at least taking Robilar's Gambit at some point, but it's no realy what I want to focus on.

[DeAnno]

Snap Kick, ToB, is great.

Hmmm... You might want to get natural reach somehow so that extra attack against a different creature is wasted less often (LoM Aberrant feats can do it)

[Snowbluff]

Snap Kick, ToB, is great.
Lightning Maces and Roundabout Kick, to a lesser extent.

Also, Factotum 8 with Multishot.

[emeraldstreak]

find the sweet spot between optimizing for number of attacks and the damage itself.

for damage, monks are optimized for damage die via greater mighty wallop, monks belt, improved natural attack, etc etc

[Uzgul]

ToB is not allowed by DM. So Snap Kick is out (sadly...)

Any other Ideas how to just up the damage on a single attack?

[emeraldstreak]

While you can still find links to my original thread on the older old wizard forums, it's gone. But take a look at this (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Ultimate_Monk_(3.5e_Optimized_Character_Build)), it doesn't list everything available but it's good.

[Zaq]

Hmm. Another way to make a single attack better is by using psionic feats, specifically either Greater Psionic Weapon (+4d6 dmg) or Deep Impact (resolve the attack as a touch attack . . . which means you can pile on Power Attack). You'll need a way of easily regaining psionic focus if you want to do it more than once per encounter, but the option exists. Won't help your AoOs and the like, of course, but you can't have everything. Generally, Deep Impact and (Greater) Psionic Weapon aren't very good, specifically because they only work on one attack, but if we're only caring about one attack anyway . . .

[emeraldstreak]

Hrm I found some ancient Decisive Strike feat trees of mine; they were probably created under some gauntlet restrictions and obviously use flaws. Maybe you can glean something for your build out of them.



Monk 8 (Water* Orc)/Fighter 2

Str: 20
Dex: 16
Con: 16
Int: 6
Wis: 12
Cha: 6

Flaws*: Murky Eyed, Shaky.

Feats:
Level 1: (Ftr 1) Aberrant Heritage*, Willing Deformity*, Inhuman reach*, Stand Still*
Level 2: (Ftr 2) Dodge
Level 3: (Monk 1) Decisive Strike*; Deformity: Tall*, Stunning Fist
Level 4: (Monk 2) Combat Reflexes
Level 5:
Level 6: Mobility
Level 7:
Level 8: (Monk 6) Improved Trip
Level 9: Spring Attack
Level 10:

In the outer half of the reach, fight with a guisarme. In the inner, with unarmed strike. Decisive Strike requires attack with unarmed/monk weapon, then doubles the damage of any attack for the round (including all AoOs).

OR even

Cobra Strike* Monk 8 (Water* Orc)/Barbarian 2 (Wolf Totem*)

Str: 20
Dex: 16
Con: 16
Int: 6
Wis: 12
Cha: 6

Flaws*: Murky Eyed, Shaky.

Feats:
Level 1: (Barb 1) Aberrant Heritage*, Willing Deformity*, Inhuman reach*; Wolf Totem (CC), Rage (currently unusable; be Chaos Monk (http://chaosdreams.wikia.com/wiki/Chaos_Monk_(Monk_Archetype)) to use it)
Level 2: (Barb 2) Improved Trip (Wolf Totem UA)
Level 3: Deformity: Tall* (Monk 1, Decisive Strike*, Dodge*)
Level 4: (Monk 2) Mobility*
Level 5:
Level 6: Combat Reflexes
Level 7:
Level 8: (Monk 6) Spring Attack*
Level 9: Stand Still*
Level 10:

Again guisarme, decisive strike, etc.

[Undertucker]

If you can net War Hulk it works quite well with Decisive Strike. You capitalise on the combination of low BAB not giving you many attacks but high Str giving you good to hit and a fantastic damage bonus.

If you are a Dwarf you can also net Hammer Fist for an extra half Str mod with an unarmed attack that uses two hands. This also makes Power Attack even better, and it all then gets doubled with a Decisive Strike (since by RAW Hammer Fist doesn't work when using a Flurry of Blows only, though your DM may say otherwise).

If you can work in both in some way then you'll be smacking stuff pretty hard. A combo of Stoneblessed (Goliath) and then a level of Goliath Rage Barbarian before you get into War Hulk should suffice. Makes raging pretty epic too..

[Iwasforger03]

Mighty Wallop and Greater Mighty Wallop, Improved Unarmared Strike, Monk Belt, combat reflexes, Robilar's Gambit, there was something in magic item compendium that let you get an attack of opportunity every time the enemy swings and misses.

I once saw a lvl 12 Monk Build using decisive strike deal 1000+ dmg with a single hit.

I don't have access to the build, but i know it is out there. If you can get it on charge attacks? Rhino's Rush, Lion's charge, etc might help you. The last two were spells.

2d10 -> 4d8 ->6d8->8d8->12d8->16d8->-24d8 i believe. That's using mighty wallop, greater mighty wallop, and Improved natural attack. How the dmg scales might not be correct past 8d8, but i think that's what it was. It was massive, regardless.

Girallon's Blessing + Fuse Arms + Permanency for both. Runs you around 18,500gp, nets you up to a +16 untyped bonus to str. I believe both of them are in the Spell Compendium.