Warforged monk

[Admiral Squish]

I recently produced a warforged monk. The -2 to wisdom kinda hurt, but I bought a perapait of wisdom to make up for it. Anyway, the real issues come along later. I was looking through the sheet, and realized I kept my composite plating. Now, I still have another feat to spend, so it wouldn't be that much of a problem to take Unarmored Body, but I realized it's never really mentioned. This prompted an exhaustive search. Basically, the plating functions exactly like armor, occupies space like armor, and doesn't stack with other effects that add an Armor Bonus to AC. However, if it was armor, wouldn't they just say it was armor that you couldn't take off? It also has no armor penalty, another fishy bit. Then, later in the section on warforged in Races of Eberron, it says monk is a good class for warforged, because monks do not normally wear armor, so the Armor bonus is a great advantage. It also says you could enhance this bonus with Ironwood, Adamantine, and Mithral Body, and they only mention the armor check penalty as a downside. Also, Purity and Diamond Body are redundant on a warforged character. Do I just waste those levels, or are there substitution levels I don't know of?

So, opinions on the subject? Options for monks that would be nice for me to have?

[Theli]

Yes, warforged monks are nice because they get a +2 bonus to AC without losing their monk abilities.

Races of Eberron is incorrect, however, in that other armor types for the warforged generally DO count as armor and would interfere.

And remember...the warforged's body can be enhanted just as much as any armor. This leaves open the bracer slot as you won't have to pick up bracers of armor.

[Theli]

Ah you asked for other options...

Well, you can get the battlefist, which is enhancable. (Though the extent to which it can enhanced, and whether or not it affects strikes made by limbs other than the one with the attachment, is completely up to your DM.)

And the improved natural attack feat can be used to further improve your unarmed strikes.

Yes, those class features are generally wasted. Though one COULD imagine a poison which is created that specifically targets warforged. For this horribly unlikely scenario, it may be useful. :p

[Admiral Squish]

I decided to pass on the AC bonus, instead taking the invulnerable enhancement. (+3 cost, DR 5/magic). I already own battlefists (Which I pictured as a pair), and gave them a shocking enhancement, so now I'm laying down 2d6+1d6E each hit. Then, I have Fiery Fists from PHBII, which lets me spend a stunning fist use for +1d6 fire damage for one turn at a time. So, 2d6+1d6E+1d6F 7/day.

Improved natural attack would probably affect my slam attack, rather than my unarmed strike. And stacking with my battlefists, I don't even know how that would work.

I still have 3k, and can't own an item worth more than 1k, after the prior costs. Suggestions?

[Telonius]

Gray bag of tricks!

Tanglefoot bags, alchemist's fire/spark/frost, Acid. Rope, universal solvent, crowbar, maybe a MW tool to help you repair yourself.

[Theli]

Improved Natural Attack can be chosen specifically for an unarmed strike. That you have actual natural attacks is irrelevant.

As to stacking, the feat says that it increases the damage die size one level. As does the battlefist. (I've only seen it referred to in the singular.) I believe both are unnamed bonuses and therefore should stack, rather than overlap. But your DM may feel differently.

To get the invulnerability enhancement you'll need at least a +1 bonus... You can't gain special abilities, such as invulnerability, without it being at least +1.

[CthulhuM]

You might want to consider taking some of the warforged feats that give you additional natural attacks. I know there's one that gives a bite attack, and another that gives an additional slam. As long as you're going to be full attacking whenever possible anyway, you might as well make your full attacks as nasty as you can.

Also, a +3 enhancement that gives you DR 5/magic really isn't that great (even if you could actually afford it). Most enemies beyond level 6 or 7 will be wielding magic weapons, and many monsters will have natural attacks that count as magical (or just deal so much damage on each hit that DR 5 doesn't do much against them).

[Theli]

It's debatable whether or not you can use slams along with manufactured weapons during a full attack progression.

[Admiral Squish]

Improved Natural Attack can be chosen specifically for an unarmed strike. That you have actual natural attacks is irrelevant.

As to stacking, the feat says that it increases the damage die size one level. As does the battlefist. (I've only seen it referred to in the singular.) I believe both are unnamed bonuses and therefore should stack, rather than overlap. But your DM may feel differently.

To get the invulnerability enhancement you'll need at least a +1 bonus... You can't gain special abilities, such as invulnerability, without it being at least +1.

Battlefist doesn't increase die size, it increases effective monk size. So would my 2d6 become 2d8? What happens when I advance to 2d8, just go to 2d10? That's not even a registered monk damage size.

Wouldn't the inherent light fortification count for the +1?

[Mavian]

Superior Unarmed Strike, and Improved Natural Attack are always good for monks.

[Admiral Squish]

You might want to consider taking some of the warforged feats that give you additional natural attacks. I know there's one that gives a bite attack, and another that gives an additional slam. As long as you're going to be full attacking whenever possible anyway, you might as well make your full attacks as nasty as you can.

Also, a +3 enhancement that gives you DR 5/magic really isn't that great (even if you could actually afford it). Most enemies beyond level 6 or 7 will be wielding magic weapons, and many monsters will have natural attacks that count as magical (or just deal so much damage on each hit that DR 5 doesn't do much against them).

Bite might be worth it. Another 1d6,and it's peircing, and the more damage types you can do, the better. Besides, that has to have a bonus on intimidate checks. Would you say no to a big robot with a maw full of glittering fangs?

Ah, well. I suppose +3 to AC is nothing to sneeze at.

[Theli]

No, light fortification is a separate unique ability of the warforged. It isn't even a magical enhancement.

Ok, so not only are they separate, but they affect different parts of the unarmed strike.

The improved natural attack feat lists what the final damage dice will be. 2d6 would become 3d6. If you advance to 2d8, it will become 3d8.

[Mavian]

Don't suppose you could show us what you've already got? Makes it easier to see what could fit in.

[Admiral Squish]

http://www.dndonlinegames.com/view.php?id=65220

There's the sheet, see what does and doesn't work.

[Theli]

You're missing the non-variable damage bonus for your battletfist damage. It should be +2 total. (Since the battlefist has a +1 enhancement...)

That's about all I can spot atm.

[Sornas]

Wouldn't the inherent light fortification count for the +1?

As far as I know, nope. Usually you need something to be a "+1 X" before you can put any enchantments on it, regardless of things that may be given from other sources.

That being said, it's not an uncommon houserule to ignore that bit.

[Admiral Squish]

You're missing the non-variable damage bonus for your battletfist damage. It should be +2 total. (Since the battlefist has a +1 enhancement...)

That's about all I can spot atm.

So, wait, is it +3 counting strength, or +2? +1 str, +1 enhancement, so does the shocking add another 1?

[Theli]

No, sorry, just the +2. I didn't see any non-variable bonuses listed, so I stated just the final total.

[Theli]

Also...the MISC bonuses are kinda odd... Monks unarmored bonus should only account for +4. But +7 is listed. Where's the extra +3 coming from?

[Admiral Squish]

+3 dex, +3 wis, +1 bonus... Crap, I counted dex twice.

[Theli]

Btw, looks like you had improved initiative at one point, but replaced it. Yet you still kept the +4 to initiative.

[kemmotar]

well one thing i did do with my monk was take a 2 level dip in swordsage to get my wisx2 to my AC...the monk's AC bonus is untyped and the swordsages is either untyped or something misceleneous anyway...my DM allowed and it seems okay...

Also, i'd second superior unarmed strike and impr natural attack...also you can get the size progression of damage die in the arms and equipment die...that said itemwise you can get a chronocharm of the horizon walker if you often have to run away quickly or catch someone running away.

What it does is you take a swift action to move up to your speed and then act normally...with the monk's superior speed it's not something to ignore...it's from the MIC btw and 1/day

also feat wise, if you like charging get leap attack and mantis leap, 3x to strength on a jumping charge...

Also maybe an item that increases your size, enlarge person? giant size?well whatever you can get with creation guidelines...

[Admiral Squish]

What is Superior Unarmed strike, and where can I find it?

Also, I don't have to book for swordsage, and have never heard of any of those feats/items.

[Theli]

I believe it can be found in the Tome of Battle (as well as elsewhere) and it gives you the unarmed strike damage of a monk 9 levels higher.

Now since monk damage stops increasing at 20th level, it will have limited uses if you don't intend to multiclass/prc to something that doesn't continue to increase it at some point. (Although it's still useful if you don't intend to reach high levels with the character.)

[Admiral Squish]

I believe it can be found in the Tome of Battle (as well as elsewhere) and it gives you the unarmed strike damage of a monk 9 levels higher.

Now since monk damage stops increasing at 20th level, it will have limited uses if you don't intend to multiclass/prc to something that doesn't continue to increase it at some point. (Although it's still useful if you don't intend to reach high levels with the character.)

After that the numbers would be just plain silly. 4d6+2+1d6E+1d6F=avg 20, +whatever other enhancements I add later.

[MightyIgoo]

I believe each battlefist has to be bought separately, unfortunately. I agree with the +2 natural armor not interfering, but take any more than that and it blocks the monk's abilities.

Warforged monks are great! I had a warforged monk named "Hit" with two battlefists, with flame decals, no less, which were enchanted to burst into flame with a magic word (not sure if this was a DM special rule). Looked like a 6.5 foot robot with giant tattooed Popeye arms. Keeping an artificer NPC with a bottle of air safely in a bag of holding on his back kept him healthy and raring to go! Also, grapple-codpiece, but we won't go there....

What I really wanted to do with him is home-brew up a "robot punch", where his forearm would literally fire off and hit enemies at a distance, a la Mazinger Z.

As a side note, couldn't you paint your warforged character any which way you pleased? We need some enterprising gnomes to start up a custom paint shop for warforged!

[Theli]

After the use of 2 feats, a magic item, and a special race selection...

There are other methods of exploitation which are far more efficient.

[Theli]

I had a warforged monk named "Hit" with two battlefists, with flame decals, no less, which were enchanted to burst into flame with a magic word (not sure if this was a DM special rule).

It's actually a houserule to NOT require a command word to activate those elemental enhancements. For example, the flaming property specifies:

Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire.

And the rules for command activated items are:

Activating a command word magic item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

This is even restated under the rules for Magic Weapons:

Activation

Usually a character benefits from a magic weapon in the same way a character benefits from a mundane weapon—by attacking with it. If a weapon has a special ability that the user needs to activate then the user usually needs to utter a command word (a standard action).

As you can see, activation requires a standard action. So that's probably why so many people houserule it away. :p

[D Knight]

ok frist off this grabed me and has been very instering. But i have one quick question and my sound like a noob but what is battlefist and where is it. also i think i am going to make a SS/monk warforged just to have some fun with me group.

[Theli]

The battlefist is from the Eberron Campaign Setting, where warforged were introduced.

It's essentially just a +1 weapon that attaches to the warforged's hand (attaching and deattaching is a standard action that doesn't provoke). The enhancement bonus applies to both the warforged's unarmed strike and slam attacks. (There are no unenhanced battlefists, but they can be further enhanced.) The battlefist also increases those attacks damage die size.

I believe the cost is something like 2100gp, but I'm not sure. AFB currently.