Monk/ranger build the "staff master"

[Spacehamster]

3 hunter 17 shadow monk
Variant human starting stats with racials:
8/16/14/10/16/8, skill insight, feat polearm master. Background Orphan.

All 4 ASI's goes to max DEX/WIS, combat style from ranger as dueling, 3 hunter feature horde breaker.

Levels: 6 monk, 3 ranger and rest monk in that order. Polearm master with 1h quarterstaff and dueling lets you conserve monk mana for stuns and other maneuvers, especially if you find a powerful staff there will be little need to flurry and no need for martial arts bonus attack, hunters mark and horde breaker extra attacks will make your damage much better than a normal single class monk.

A combat turn with hunters mark on the 2 attacks and bonus attack from PAM + a horde breaker attack with no hunters mark at level 9 would look like this with 18 DEX: 2d6 + 2d6 + 12 for attack action, 1d4 + 1d6 + 6 from bonus and 1d6 + 6 on horde breaker.

Thoughts on the build?

[Quoxis]

As always, one-handed polearm mastery quarterstaff is RAW-legal, but heavily discussed. Talk to your gm beforehand.

Other than that: great build against hordes, looses a bit of its punch against single targets, but not too much all in all.

Why did you go shadow monk? For the additional "spells", for teleporting right into the horde to break, for flavor? I wouldn't advise you to go open hand or long death, but i'd consider the changes - especially a ki-efficient monk would be an undying beast as a long death monk (11th level feature lets you spend 1 ki to not drop to 0hp).

[Citan]

Hi!

"Polearm master with 1h quarterstaff and dueling lets you conserve monk mana for stuns and other maneuvers"
I honestly don't quite understand that part.
Polearm Master brings two benefits.
- OA when someone enters your reach.
- bonus action attack for 1d4+mod.

The first benefit is good, but the other? Totally wasted.
Monk's Martial Arts provides you a free, permanent bonus action (unarmed strike) which starts as good (1d4+mod) but grows better as you progress: up to 1d10 die (so better average than PAM+Dueling), AND magical. And quarterstaff, which does not have reach, is the only Monk weapon compatible with it.

I'd understand that you want that feat because you aimed to be a "Polearm Master" and it has Polearm in its name, but honestly, I think Sentinel would be more satisfying overall: and I'd argue that someone that can stop a creature right in its tracks with a well-placed quarterstaff smack would deserve that "staff master" title ;).

Beyond that, I'd be kinda tempted to tell you to not max WIS and instead grab Mobile, following the idea that even more mobility and free disengage helps you keep out of danger in the first place, instead of having to use a Ki on Dodge/Dash/Disengage. Especially when you already have some competition for bonus action (Hunter's Mark cast/move, extra damage with Unarmed Strike).

It does mean a slightly less effective Stunning Strike and -1 AC though, so it's a matter of playstyle (how often will you have to stay on the frontline? How much do you intend to use Shadow spells? etc). ;)

As for Fighting Style, Dueling does makes a massive difference in the total of the day, but "in the instant", it will hardly make a difference past the first four-five levels, in how fast you would kill a given enemy, because their HP really scales fast with CR. ^^
Truthfully though, you don't have that many options (or rather, no "great" options, all are rather niche), unless Mariner Fighting Style is allowed in which case it's the best by far.
Still, you could consider Archery if you are in a small party, in which case when facing flying/distant enemies every contribution is important, so you could use a light crossbow or a sling with some effectiveness.

Besides that, seems very good. :smallwink:

[Spacehamster]

As always, one-handed polearm mastery quarterstaff is RAW-legal, but heavily discussed. Talk to your gm beforehand.

Other than that: great build against hordes, looses a bit of its punch against single targets, but not too much all in all.

Why did you go shadow monk? For the additional "spells", for teleporting right into the horde to break, for flavor? I wouldn't advise you to go open hand or long death, but i'd consider the changes - especially a ki-efficient monk would be an undying beast as a long death monk (11th level feature lets you spend 1 ki to not drop to 0hp).

Mostly chose shadow cause I love the ninja assassin feel of it, teleporting and the sneaky spells. :) but yeah undying would be very powerful and largely mend the fairly low hp of a 14 CON monk. :)

[Spacehamster]

Hi!

"Polearm master with 1h quarterstaff and dueling lets you conserve monk mana for stuns and other maneuvers"
I honestly don't quite understand that part.
Polearm Master brings two benefits.
- OA when someone enters your reach.
- bonus action attack for 1d4+mod.

The first benefit is good, but the other? Totally wasted.
Monk's Martial Arts provides you a free, permanent bonus action (unarmed strike) which starts as good (1d4+mod) but grows better as you progress: up to 1d10 die (so better average than PAM+Dueling), AND magical. And quarterstaff, which does not have reach, is the only Monk weapon compatible with it.

I'd understand that you want that feat because you aimed to be a "Polearm Master" and it has Polearm in its name, but honestly, I think Sentinel would be more satisfying overall: and I'd argue that someone that can stop a creature right in its tracks with a well-placed quarterstaff smack would deserve that "staff master" title ;).

Beyond that, I'd be kinda tempted to tell you to not max WIS and instead grab Mobile, following the idea that even more mobility and free disengage helps you keep out of danger in the first place, instead of having to use a Ki on Dodge/Dash/Disengage. Especially when you already have some competition for bonus action (Hunter's Mark cast/move, extra damage with Unarmed Strike).

It does mean a slightly less effective Stunning Strike and -1 AC though, so it's a matter of playstyle (how often will you have to stay on the frontline? How much do you intend to use Shadow spells? etc). ;)

As for Fighting Style, Dueling does makes a massive difference in the total of the day, but "in the instant", it will hardly make a difference past the first four-five levels, in how fast you would kill a given enemy, because their HP really scales fast with CR. ^^
Truthfully though, you don't have that many options (or rather, no "great" options, all are rather niche), unless Mariner Fighting Style is allowed in which case it's the best by far.
Still, you could consider Archery if you are in a small party, in which case when facing flying/distant enemies every contribution is important, so you could use a light crossbow or a sling with some effectiveness.

Besides that, seems very good. :smallwink:

PAM bonus attack with dueling damage added is equal to the damage of 1d8 + modifier, so it's superior to martial arts(likely through the entire game if you get a powerful magical staff which you will likely get if you get to the late game) I mean even the start adventure(SPILOILERS INC) provides a quarterstaff that adds an additional 1d6 poison damage. :)

[Citan]

PAM bonus attack with dueling damage added is equal to the damage of 1d8 + modifier, so it's superior to martial arts(likely through the entire game if you get a powerful magical staff which you will likely get if you get to the late game) I mean even the start adventure(SPILOILERS INC) provides a quarterstaff that adds an additional 1d6 poison damage. :)
Well, if you are sure to get a magical quarterstaff, then you are good to go indeed.