[3.5] Super Saiyan Monk

[Apollo1776]

So here I am scratching together character ideas. One of them really stuck out for me to play, and that's a DBZ super saiyan type of character. Call me crazy, but I think it would be a lot of fun to play.

The best part about this is the freedom I'm getting with it. I can use any 3.5 edition book and a +10 LA. So I can really knock myself out here with templates. After some light researching I turned up with very little how to make this idea work, but also well.

Most of the feats that would help the monk become more saiyan-like seem to be little worth the effort (hell, getting a monk further than level 6 doesn't seem like it is worth it). But might as well try to do so anyway.

Any ideas guys on what type of combinations would really set up the core of the build?

[Mongoose87]

I recommend making him that variant Monk... what's it called? Unarmed Boardsage?

[Flickerdart]

Magic weapons have a certain chance to glow when drawn, rolled when you find it. A Monk's entire body is a weapon. Roll and cross your fingers, I think it's a 20% chance.

[mikej]

LA is really up you.

Swordsage 20

or

Monk2/PsiWar18 w/Tashalatora feat could also make it work.

[faceroll]

I recommend making him that variant Monk... what's it called? Unarmed Boardsage?

With a free +10 LA, make him a caster instead, and refluff fireball HADOKEN, etc.

[HunterOfJello]

I would ask to use a gesalt instead of a +10 LA.


Unarmed Swordsage//sorcerer type character seems more like a saiyan to me


You could get Fireball and use lots of rays.


~~~


Also, you could get lots of enhancements spells that you would all cast on yourself as powering up.

[AslanCross]

Gestalt Unarmed Swordsage//Cleric.

Various buff spells = Increasing Super Saiyan levels.
While Cleric doesn't get that many blaster spells, there's still Searing Light, Flamestrike, Cometfall, Bolt of Glory, and maybe Holy Word for your Spirit Bomb.

[Malificus]

How about warlock?

Flying, unlimited ray beams, hideous blow to add your eldritch blast to melee, cone shaped blasts, etc. and you're practically there already.

[Haven]

Hmm...I can't seem to find stats for a Giant Ape, or else I would suggest playing a celestial version of that.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Hmm...I can't seem to find stats for a Giant Ape, or else I would suggest playing a celestial version of that.

an advanced dire ape is size: huge. Just sayin'

I should be shot for that pun

[Haven]

Doesn't seem to have an LA though. :(

And that was beautiful, though it took me a second.

[magic9mushroom]

So here I am scratching together character ideas. One of them really stuck out for me to play, and that's a DBZ super saiyan type of character. Call me crazy, but I think it would be a lot of fun to play.

The best part about this is the freedom I'm getting with it. I can use any 3.5 edition book and a +10 LA. So I can really knock myself out here with templates. After some light researching I turned up with very little how to make this idea work, but also well.

Most of the feats that would help the monk become more saiyan-like seem to be little worth the effort (hell, getting a monk further than level 6 doesn't seem like it is worth it). But might as well try to do so anyway.

Any ideas guys on what type of combinations would really set up the core of the build?

Super Saiyan = some class from ToB + a race with a tail.

Alternatively, if you want DBZ-type powers without the DBZ feel, PsiWar or Monk/PsiWar with Tashalatora.

[Geiger Counter]

Super saiyans are way past epic. Vegeta was capable of destroying a planet before he even got to earth and someone with a power level of 9000 was troubling for him. I believe freiza's weakest form has a power level of one million, and each transformation increased this by many magnitudes. And a super saiyan 1 easily could dispatch frieza at full strength.

[The Glyphstone]

Unarmed Swordsage would be best.

If you're set on the Monk class and we can't persuade you...take a look at the PHB2. It has the Fiery Ki Fists feat and Ki Blast feat, which let you spend Stunning Fist attempts to deal fire damage with your melee attacks and launch ranged touch attacks of Ki energy respectively. Both are extremely weaksauce, but it's a step in that direction...

Or just use Swordsage. So much better.

[BobVosh]

Free 10 LA? Go Rakshasa. HD count as sorcerer levels, give full BAB, all good saves, D...10 I think HD, 8+int skills. Invest heavily in avoiding crossbow bolts, and you are set. Instead of class levels I would recommend advancing HD. Add silly templates as I believe you have 4 or so free after Rakshasa. Alter self as a free SLA I think, if not you can cast it with the HD you have, so you can turn into a giant monkey. Plus Raks already have a tail, flavor them more monkey than tiger and you are good to go.

Remember you can use half level as your initiator level. I never read ToB, for some reason, but a lot of it seems to fit DBZ.

[magic9mushroom]

Humourous idea for a tail:

Take Leadership and take a Hatchling Phaerimm cohort, and have him attach to your butt.

Powerful, too.

[ZeroNumerous]

Super saiyans are way past epic. Vegeta was capable of destroying a planet before he even got to earth and someone with a power level of 9000 was troubling for him. I believe freiza's weakest form has a power level of one million, and each transformation increased this by many magnitudes. And a super saiyan 1 easily could dispatch frieza at full strength.

According to the Dragon Ball wiki(they'll make a wiki for anything these days) Frieza's power level tops out at 120 million. I would suggest this as epic, but destroying a planet can be done with Major Creation and Eschew Material components.

[BobVosh]

According to the Dragon Ball wiki(they'll make a wiki for anything these days) Frieza's power level tops out at 120 million. I would suggest this as epic, but destroying a planet can be done with Major Creation and Eschew Material components.

You mean Spirit Bomb. :P

[TheCountAlucard]

...temptation... to suggest Exalted... rising!

But yeah, if you're sticking with 3.5, even 10 free LA really isn't going to help you get that feel unless you're (ab)using the epic rules (and twisting them until something breaks). Still, I actually find myself saying, "Mechanically, Warlock's still pretty good for emulating the various abilities."

[Oslecamo]

Screw swordsage/cleric.

Kung-fu genius monk/wizard/enlightned fist (from complete arcane) is the way to go. Punch your enemies while delivering spells with your fists at the same time. Heck, just check the Prc image:

Spoiler

Show

You only lose 3 caster levels tops so you can even get 9th level spells before epic.

Kung-fu genius allows you to use int for the monk abilities. Get faery mystery initiate to get int to HP (need to be an elf) to raise your HP OVER 9000! And reduce MAD.

Get templates to improve str and int. Profit

[Apollo1776]

Thanks for the suggestions guys I'll look into it. :D

Don't consider so limited by the current state of things. I play with a bunch of power gamers, it isn't uncommon for us to level up after a single fight or two. So perhaps the character is just starting to have "saiyan" abilities. He's not exactly like saiyans, he just has related abilities.

The thing about the +10 LA is that I can pick a template up to +10. After that I can form a build around it and work at it from there.

Also, the int monk/wiz (maybe psion?) is a great idea. Monks get to use wis bonus to their AC, and there's a feat or something that allows you to use int for wis applications. And then you get your regular int to your AC. This eliminates the need to develop con, wis, and cha really at all and leaves dex to be unneeded (maybe high dex for combat reflexes).

Mostly I took monk because of the bonuses to unarmed fighting (I wanted to be an unarmed fighter). I'm not really "deadset" on being a monk, it just seemed like an obvious choice.

Oh, and my second character idea is to have a character that gets stronger as he loses hp. Any ideas on this?

[Oslecamo]

Also, the int monk/wiz (maybe psion?) is a great idea. Monks get to use wis bonus to their AC, and there's a feat or something that allows you to use int for wis applications. And then you get your regular int to your AC. This eliminates the need to develop con, wis, and cha really at all and leaves dex to be unneeded (maybe high dex for combat reflexes).

I already said it but I'll point it out again, enlightened fist is a monk/wizard prc that allows you to deliver spells trough your punches and advances both your monk aabilities and wizard casting, very DBZish.

Oh, and my second character idea is to have a character that gets stronger as he loses hp. Any ideas on this?

Masochism spell from BoVD gives you bonus to pretty much everything the more life you have missing.

[magic9mushroom]

Masochism spell from BoVD gives you bonus to pretty much everything the more life you have missing.

I don't like the existence of the [Evil] descriptor on that spell.

[ericgrau]

Super saiyans are way past epic. Vegeta was capable of destroying a planet before he even got to earth and someone with a power level of 9000 was troubling for him. I believe freiza's weakest form has a power level of one million, and each transformation increased this by many magnitudes. And a super saiyan 1 easily could dispatch frieza at full strength.

Here's how to resolve the matter:
1. Add the following class features to the monk:
A. ki attacks may also be made at range, dealing unarmed strike damage. Certain feats may add new ki attacks.
B. Any time you are resurrected, healed from dying to full, or train with someone around twice your level or so, or train in expectance of fighting someone around twice your level or so, double your level. This process may be repeated indefinitely.

2. Play as a measly saiyan with simpler maneuvers. ToB may actually be good for style here. Your "power level" is in the double digits, maybe triple if you level up a lot. Get over it.

[Prime32]

I already said it but I'll point it out again, enlightened fist is a monk/wizard prc that allows you to deliver spells trough your punches and advances both your monk aabilities and wizard casting, very DBZish.

DBZ characters don't have a lot of melee-range special attacks.


Some possibilities:
Monk 2/Psychic warrior 18 (w/ Tashalatora feat)
Monk 2/Psychic warrior 16/Barbarian 1/Cerebral rager 1 (PrC from Hyperconscious which lets you use psionics while raging)
Unarmed swordsage 20 (w/ Desert Wind manouvers)
Unarmed swordsage X/Barbarian 1/ Bear warrior X (reflavour bear form as ape form)

See also this feat.

If warlock, pick up eldritch glaive and flee the scene and go for a shadowpouncer build. Dragonfire adept could also be considered - its Humanoid Shape invocation could be used for a transformation - though its melee abilities are poor.

[AbyssKnight]

First I would say a lot of the ideas on the recent Sun Wukong thread would be helpful. You should look for that. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144357

I would go with some kind of gish build. For the casting I can see Sorcerer, Warlock, Warmage, Wizard, or Wu Jen; possibly even Duskblade. Psionics can also work.

For the martial side I would go with Monk (possibly Chaotic Monk variant) or Swordsage.

Enlightened Fist or Jade Phoenix Mage PrC. Depending on which casting class you pick Ascetic Mage, Ascetic Psion, Carmendine Monk/Kung Fu Genius will help MAD.

If you want to do the transform into a big monkey thing, maybe think about being a Dire Wereape. Since you stay humanoiod type even in hybrid and animal form (Large size) you can Enlarge Person/Expansion youreself up to Huge size. If you go Chaotic Monk you could dip Barbarian and adapt Bear Warrior into Dire Ape Warrior.

Also note, it is not Hadoken (thats Street Fighter), it is Kamehameha.

[Oslecamo]

DBZ characters don't have a lot of melee-range special attacks.

Then why do all your sugestions are melee-range focused? At least the enlightened fist can shoot fireballs and lighting bolts and whatnot.

Monk 2/Psychic warrior 16/Barbarian 1/Cerebral rager 1 (PrC from

Illegal unless you're using chaos monk (wich is probably a good idea anyway, as it's stronger than regular monk).

[AbyssKnight]

Well, not illegal per se, it just requires an aligment change. But monks keep all abilities if they change from lawful they just can't take more levels of monk. But the multiclassing would do that too.

And yeah, as I mentioned before, I think Chaos monk fits DBZ better anyway.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

For your levels I'd suggest Swordsage/Jade Phoenix Mage/with an accelerated casting class. For LA I'd suggest Feral, Phrenic,Were Dire Ape.

[The Glyphstone]

Any hardcore TOtricks that could be used to be a were-Behemoth Gorilla?