Sacred Fist suggestions?

[TheCrowing1432]

So I was planning on making a sacred fist build, but I am in a quandary.


Do I take one monk level or two?


1 Monk Level gets me Improved Unarmed Strike, 1 Monk Feat (Stunning Fist), and my standard level 1 feat, lets say combat reflexes. Then, on level 3 I pick up combat casting and can hit Sacred Fist at 6 as I have all my requirements.

Or, I could take two levels in monk, which gets me IUS, 2 monk feats (Combat Reflexes and Stunning Fist) AND I can use my first level feat on combat casting, leaving me, at level 2 all the feat requirements for sacred fist, I just need the BAB and skill points.

Oh I also get evasion too.

The real question is, is one caster level worth the investment on feats?

My build is

1-2 Monk/9-8 Cleric/10 Sacred Fist

[Rebel7284]

Depending on the power level of the game and how long you expect it to go, you can also consider Monk 2/X 3/Ur Priest 2/Sacred Fist onward.

Also, you may need to talk to your DM about Sacred Fist's discrepancy between text and table as far as how many levels of casting it progresses. Officially, text triumphs table, and thus Sacred Fist has full casting progression.

In general, casting is one of the most powerful things in D&D, and delaying access to it will make your character weaker. With that said, Monk 2 does have a fun Alternate Class Feature called Invisible Fist which allows you to turn invisible every three rounds which just seems fun. Suboptimal, but fun. :)