Playable 1-40 PvE

This is the companion build to Fist of Torm Strength Variant.

I changed the level split to include epic dodge, since that is the Holy Grail of dex builds.

You can dual kamas if you'd like, in this build it might even be a good idea to.

Other builds using this split are Ninja of Torm and Unnamed Build - both are dual kama artists, but even considering that, mine is substantially different.

Human, LN or LG

Str 10
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 14
Wis 14
Cha 8

1 Rog (1): Strong Soul*, Toughness
2 Mon (1):
3 Rog (2): Weapon Finesse
4 Rog (3): +dex
5 Mon (2):
6 Mon (3): Weapon Focus (Unarmed)%
7 Mon (4):
8 Mon (5): +dex
9 Mon (6): Blind-Fight
10 Mon (7):
11 Mon (8):
12 Rog (4): +dex, Great Fortitude*
13 Mon (9):
14 Mon (10):
15 Mon (11): Weapon Focus (Kama)%
16 COT (1): +dex
17 Mon (12):
18 COT (2): Iron Will*, Dodge*+
19 COT (3):
20 COT (4): +dex, Power Attack*+
21 COT (5): Great Dex 1
22 COT (6): Epic Weapon Focus (Unarmed)%
23 Rog (5):
24 Rog (6): +dex, Great Dex 2
25 Rog (7):
26 Rog (8):
27 Rog (9): Great Dex 3
28 Rog (10): +dex, Defensive Roll+
29 Mon (13):
30 Mon (14): Epic Dodge
31 Mon (15):
32 Mon (16): +dex
33 Mon (17): Great Dex 4
34 Mon (18):
35 COT (7):
36 COT (8): +dex, Great Dex 5, Epic Prowess+
37 COT (9):
38 COT (10): Armor Skin+
39 Mon (19): Great Dex 6
40 Mon (20): +dex

* - Optional Feat
+ - Bonus Feat
% - Unarmed chosen because I like it, but kama or dual kama is still viable.

333 skillpoints (I remembered to count this time). It's unfortunate that you can only get 31 UMD in this build, but you should still max it at level 28 and make your final rogue skill investments here too. Max Discipline and Tumble, Hide and Move Silently.

Ending Vitals:
Dex 32

AC 37
440 max hp
Fort 33 Ref 42 Will 30, +1 vs death

AB +41, 1d20 fist damage, 5d6 sneak attack

FAQ:
Q: Why are you taking your last rogue level so early? Don't you want maxed UMD and stuff?
A: I want epic dodge before level 39 more.

Q: Doesn't this build suffer offensively? You don't get 1d20 fists until level 32!
A: Unfortunately yes, you have to rely on sneak attacks for a lot of your offensive punch, and you just overall trade damage for good defenses in this build.

Q: Why not go dual kama then to generate a lot of sneak attacks? Especially because of how slowly your fists mature?
A: You can, and maybe should. There are feats enough for it pre-epic, I just don't particularly like making dual kama builds. This character would benefit from it alot however, I can't deny that. I'm not enthusiastic about having an AB of under +40, however, so the dual wield penalties are a deterrent for me personally, beyond my dislike of kamas.

Q: Which build do you think is better - strength or dex?
A: They are two sides of the same coin really - the strength build has a good offense and a mediocre defense while the dex build has an excellent defense and a mediocre offense.

I'm a fan of dex builds and epic dodge, but I think that in some environments the dex variant's offensive potential, even as a dual-kama build, may not be sufficient.
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Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.

Edited By Xylophone on 06/03/06 07:59

The build looks good, but I'm a little worried about the lack of offense. Maybe in this case it would be better to take fighter instead of CoT to get WS/EWS and help out the damage. Also I would probably switch out dodge for called shot. It would probably work well in higher magic settings where your weapon does most of the damage.
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Two wrongs don't make a right but three lefts do.