Kensai war wizard MAD multiclass

[Spacehamster]

So this is just brainstorming and don’t know if it would be a useful build, start as mountain dwarf with point buy and flexible stats DEX WIS and 8/17/12/13/17/8, monk Kensai up to 5, then 2 wizard, now you have 3 spell slots, some utility cantrips, INT to initiative and reaction +2 AC/+4 saves unlimited resource, unlike bladesinger you don’t rely much on INT xcpt for initiative and the bonus AC is unlimited plus can be on saves. Pick up a 19 INT headband if you want crazy initiative, level 4 ASI with mtn dorf let’s you get 18 in both DEX and WIS right away and compensated for the lost ASI from multiclass.

Thoughts?

[RogueJK]

Reducing your CON to chase a 13 INT and being 2 levels behind as a Monk isn't worth it for +1 to Initiative and +2 AC to one attack per round.

Yes, unlike the Shield spell that boosts your AC until your next turn, the AC boost from Arcane Deflection is only against a single attack. So you have to guess whether a specific attack roll that hit you is either equal to or 1 point above your AC... That's a pretty narrow window. (Arcane Deflection is instead better used by War Wizards to get +4 to important Saves, like keeping Concentration on a particularly clinch spell, or avoiding a particularly nasty enemy ability.)

If there were better synergy between the stats, like War Wizard keying off WIS, or Monk being DEX+INT, it might work a little bit better, but it'd still be a kinda lackluster reason to be 2 Monk levels behind. And as it currently stands, with it being so MAD, the juice definitely isn't worth the squeeze.


If you want some utility casting and better AC/saves for your Monk, you're better off dipping a single level in Cleric, and then Concentrating on either Shield of Faith (+2 to AC) or Bless (+1d4 to attacks/saves). You'd still be a level behind as a Monk, but at least it's not 2, and you're not watering down your stats and becoming MAD by trying to invest in INT as well.

Twilight Cleric in particular can get Advantage on their Initiative rolls using Vigilant Blessing, which is a much bigger boost than the +1 to Initiative from 2 levels of War Wizard with a 13 INT. Or if you want to do a different Cleric domain, you could start as a Custom Lineage with +2 DEX and take Fey Touched at Level 1 for +1 WIS and the Gift of Alacrity spell, which gets you +1d8 to all your Initiative rolls for 8 hours, again beating out the mere +1 from 2 levels of War Wizard.

A War Cleric dip in particular is handy for a Kensei, as it gets you Shield of Faith and Bless like other Clerics, plus access to the Paladin exclusive spell Divine Favor for added damage to all your numerous attacks per turn (3 normally, or 4 with Flurry), plus it lets you make a Martial Arts-style BA attack that uses your Kensei Weapon instead of your Unarmed Strike up to WISMOD times per day. This gets you additional mileage out of Sharpen The Blade, or another chance to land a Deft Strike if your first two Kensei Weapon attacks that turn missed.

So that'd look something like this:

Small Size Custom Lineage "Dwarf" Kensei Monk 5 or 6 -> War Cleric 1 -> Kensei X
STR 8
DEX 15+2
CON 14
INT 10
WIS 15
CHA 8
ASIs: Fey Touched (+1 WIS, Gift of Alacrity) at 1st, then Squat Nimbleness (+1 DEX) at 4th and +2 WIS at 8th.

[Silpharon]

I think that combo is ok, but not fantastic. Have you considered a gloomstalker 3 or 4 dip instead? You'll wind up with +4 initiative with 18 WIS, will get an extra attack on first round, a fighting style, and can pick up some useful spells (e.g., ensnaring strike, zephyr strike, hunter's mark, entangle, or goodberry). Then you can bump CON and even out your other stats for better saves.

[Spacehamster]

Thanks for the replies, as I said were just brainstorming so not a build I’m actually going for. Were not aware that it were just for one attack the AC lasted for so yeah pretty crap then. :)

[Witty Username]

I think straight bladesinger gets a similar effect without as much MAD problems.
You will lose some mobility but gain alot in spell casting AC will trend a little higher. And mixing cantrips and attacks will give a solid attack line.

[Hytheter]

Daily reminder that there's no 'a' in Kensei. :smallamused:

[Sorinth]

I mean you still get the Shield spell (4 times thanks to Arcane Recovery), and Arcane Deflection is still very good for saves. So it's not bad, and 1 more Wizard level can get you some very useful spells.

Unless you were at a highly optimized table I don't think you would suffer much from the dip, a couple ki per SR is nice and all but I'd say the spell slots make up for it, especially if you can find a lot of utility with cantrips.