Liberator… of weapons.
Ranger21/Monk18/Wiz 1
Elf
Lawful Neutral
PvP 27-40

This particular build serves one simple function. It acquires, through the use of force, other people’s weapons. In the months I’ve spent on my PW (Badlands), no other build, with the possible exception of the PM Mage, has been as contentious, or as obnoxious. That being said, there are more varieties of disarmers than you shake a stick at, but few achieve the high AB necessary to disarm STR builds, and high-lvl bards like this one. In fact, most weapon- wielding Dexers don’t even require the use of True Strike to disarm with this build, as they are lucky if they can achieve a Discipline score over 60…


Str 8
Dex 20 to 34
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 14
Cha 8


1: Ranger 1 – Weapon Finesse [Favored Enemy: Halfings]
2: Ranger 2
3: Ranger 3 – Weapon Focus: Unarmed Strike
4: Ranger 4 - Dex 21
5: Ranger 5 - [Favored Enemy: Human]
6: Ranger 6 – *Toughness
7: Ranger 7
8: Ranger 8 – Dex 22
9: Ranger 9 – Improved Critical: Unarmed Strike
10: Ranger 10 – [Favored Enemy: Elves]
11: Ranger 11
12: Ranger 12 – Blind Fight Dex 23
13: Ranger 13
14: Ranger 14
15: Ranger 15 – Disarm [Favored Enemy: Half-Orcs]
16: Ranger 16 – Dex 24
17: Ranger 17
18: Ranger 18 Improved Disarm
19: Ranger 19
20: Ranger 20 – Dex 25 [Favored Enemy: Dwarves]
21: Monk 1 Epic Weapon Focus: Unarmed Strike [Cleave, Monk Abilites]
22: Monk 2 [Deflect Arrows]
23: Monk 3 [Monk Speed, Still Mind]
24: Monk 4 – Armor Skin Dex 26
25: Monk 5 [Purity of Body]
26: Monk 6 [Knockdown, Improved Knockdown]
27: Wiz 1 Great Dex I (27) (Skill Dump: Spellcraft)
28: Monk 7 Dex 28 [Wholeness of Body]
29: Monk 8
30: Monk 9 Great Dex II (29)
31: Monk 10 [Ki Strike +1]
32: Monk 11 Dex 30
33: Monk 12 Great Dex III (31) [Diamond Soul]
34: Monk 13 [Ki Strike +2]
35: Monk 14
36: Monk 15 Dex 32 [Quivering Palm]
37: Monk 16 Great Dex IV (33) (Skill Dump: Tumble)
38: Monk 17
39: Ranger 21 – Bane of Enemies (Skill Dump: Set Trap)
40: Monk 18 Dex 34

* Could substitute Called Shot or Alertness here

AB Unarmed: 30 + 18 Dex (+6 Dex Gear) +3 (Weapon Focus, Epic Weapon Focus) +1 (Aid) +2 (Bane of Enemies) +5 (+5 Gloves) = 59 (+14 True Strike) = 73

Attack Schedule (Hasted): 59/56/53/50/47/44/59
Attack Schedule (Hasted, Flurry of Blows): 57/54/51/48/45/42/39/57
Attack Schedule (Hasted, True Strike): 73/70/67/64/61/58/73
Damage Unarmed: 1d20-1 (Str gear needed, obviously) +2d6+5 vs. Favored Enemy + whatever your PW’s gloves will have

AC: 10 + 12 Dex + 8 Tumble +2 Wis +2 Armor Skin = 34 Naked AC
AC: 10 + 18 Dex + 8 Tumble +8 Wis +20 Magic Gear +4 Haste +3 Monk +2 Armor Skin +1 Mage Armor = 74

HP: 398 / 638 with +6 Con Gear

Saves:
Fort 23 / 29 (+6 Con Gear)
Reflex 34 / 40 (+6 Dex Gear)
Will 18 / 24 (+6 Wis Gear)
-Saves could of course go higher with magic gear that adds save bonuses

Skills: 262 to allocate
Set Traps: 43 (+18 Dex, +4 One With the Land) = 65
Tumble: 40
Listen: 43 (+8 Wis, +5 Vs Favored Enemies) = 56 (+20 Amplify Scroll) = 76
Spellcraft: 30
Discipline: 43
Concentration: 43
Heal: 20

Pro’s: High AB and AC, very fast monk speed, high APR, IKD, Improved Disarm (duh), can use all Arcane scrolls, Traps Traps Traps!!! Modal detect is also excellent for this build, as with the addition of Wis gear, racial and Favored Enemy bonuses, and Amplify scrolls, you can achieve a high enough Listen score to target most Hipsers while sneaking.

Con’s: Even with max ranks in Discipline, you get knocked down easily by Str builds. Low innate spell resistance. No Uncanny Dodge. Susceptible to Iron Horn.

Strategy: First off, speed is key. You need to be fast to make use of True Strike, as most people (at least those with any sense), will run from it. The object is to strike quickly, disarm, and run. But if you feel like sticking around and finishing the job after disarming someone… this build will stand toe to toe quite nicely. The extra damage against Favored enemies will more than make up for a low Str score. Plus, if you’re feeling particularly sinister, you can lay a few Epic traps around where your victim will respawn…

Additionally, you will need protection from Balagarn’s Iron Horn. Without it, knowledgeable players will exploit your low Str score, and thus eat you alive. Ethereal Visage scrolls will do that nicely, so you should stock up on them.

Also, if working alone, you can give yourself a HUGE melee advantage by casting Invisibility Purge, and using your Empty Body monk ability. The concealment bonus from Empty Body is not affected by Purge (only Imp. Invis is affected), which negates the concealment miss chance against your opponents, but leaves yours intact. Combine that with your already high AB, and you literally can’t miss.

Side Note: This is my first contribution to the forum. I hope everything is in order, and my math works out ok  I welcome any and all comments or suggestions, and I look forward to contributing more builds in the near future.

Edited By Hiwatt on 05/09/07 14:09

I like the concept, though there's a couple things I'd change:

Firstly, if your server does not allow unarmed strike to place the weapon in your inventory, I'd certainly duel-wield kamas.

Second, I'd consider going STR based, since you don't achieve Epic Dodge.

Beyond that, a nice addition to the forum. Welcome, and interesting concept (while a lot of PWs don't like disarm, heh, just promise that at the end of it all you'll give it back, yes?

First, about post style -- not jumping on you here or anything, but what we like to see is

A. naked, unbuffed stats, followed by
B. buffed stats (i.e., what you can do, and not what equipment does) and then, if you're up to it (as you def. are, and that's great ...)
C. other stuff: many players etc. find it helpful to also see what something looks like after the above are noted, w. say +5 items (whereas A. is a requirement, B. is important and helpful, and C. is what I call “helpful good stuff,” so nice goin' there – but separating it all out this way makes it a lot easier for everyone to comment on, too)

For e.g., the way you list your AB -- should be, AB 45, no? (i.e., BAB 30, +12 Dex, +3 WF/EWF/EP), which is nice for a monk, btw; and once stated, then you add your self-buffs (aid, cat’s etc. for near-self cap, also nice) and bane (fair enough, and it’s nice, but since you’ve got it only as against 4 of 7 Fes, it’s a buff (of course, if you go kama/str-based, well, could drop some monk in favor of more ranger for filling in your Fes, thus getting bane to cover off all seven (some good thinkin', true, but wld be a diff. build and no disarm, though, w. disarm integral to this build, yes?

Which brings me to some thoughts for your Liberator -- raise your str to at least 10; the -1 penalty there hurts all around; even assuming a successful disarm, well, that penalty prevents much follow-through, as you note, and don't wanna be a one-trick pony/disarm and run away so to speak (*sigh*, and hears ya, we just don’t get enough equip’t slots While disarm be sweet when it works, still gotta worry about a player who KDs/hits you while your down or worse, pulls out another weapon/a umd/wand on you (that said I see traps, which help, a diff. style of play, that’s for sure, but can be effective, esp. when don't have ED etc -- but even then, you'll want some follow-through, yes?)

For trapping, might consider some stealth, and at least 1 point into disable (to recover your traps); ah, but elf and detection – also nice. So, something else to consider is dropping ranger for FTR: this, for WS/EWS (+6 dam on your strikes against all (i.e., not just 4 FEs) ain’t too shabby, ... you’d lose traps, though, so a question of style; but if it's disarm, ftr. seems better for faster follow-through as compared to ranger skills/traps - dunno; could drop wiz for rogue, waiting to take rogue at the end (no xp penalty), thus get traps along w. UMD (truestrike etc), plus 1d6 sneak which may not seem like much, but added to WS/EWS and 6 unarmed hits (7 flurry, 8 haste), w. traps, disarm, …

Just a bunch of (random) thoughts for you; otherwise, a fast, monk elf w. disarm? Cool! ~ Tyr

Edited By TyrTemplar on 05/09/07 21:22

Quote: Posted 05/09/07 16:50 (GMT) -- mantis3

I like the concept, though there's a couple things I'd change:

Firstly, if your server does not allow unarmed strike to place the weapon in your inventory, I'd certainly duel-wield kamas.

Second, I'd consider going STR based, since you don't achieve Epic Dodge.

Beyond that, a nice addition to the forum.

Thanks for the input, Mantis.

On to your first query. My PW (Badlands), does place weapons disarmed by unarmed strike into your inventory. Disarming (and not giving the weapon back) is common on my PW. One might almost say... rampant? To keep up with the Joneses, pretty much everyone has a disarmer of some sort, and it's sort of evolved into a legitimate means making money. As to dual-wielding kamas, I actually do from time to time with this build, despite not having combat feats in them. Kamas are crafted and buffed for extra damage, and a favorite tactic of mine is to KD someone unarmed, whip out the kamas, and puree' them with FOB, hehe.

Second, the higher AC and AB achieved by going Dex is what makes this build pay off. Without it, I'd be forced to sacrifice precious feats (and this build is bare bones in that regard) to duplicate some of the things it does inherently, such as setting epic traps.

Hope that clarifies my reasoning just a bit, hehe.
Quote: Posted 05/09/07 20:57 (GMT) -- TyrTemplar

Welcome, and interesting concept (while a lot of PWs don't like disarm, heh, just promise that at the end of it all you'll give it back, yes?

First, about post style -- not jumping on you here or anything, but what we like to see is

A. naked, unbuffed stats, followed by
B. buffed stats (i.e., what you can do, and not what equipment does) and then, if you're up to it (as you def. are, and that's great ...)
C. other stuff: many players etc. find it helpful to also see what something looks like after the above are noted, w. say +5 items (whereas A. is a requirement, B. is important and helpful, and C. is what I call “helpful good stuff,” so nice goin' there – but separating it all out this way makes it a lot easier for everyone to comment on, too)

For e.g., the way you list your AB -- should be, AB 45, no? (i.e., BAB 30, +12 Dex, +3 WF/EWF/EP), which is nice for a monk, btw; and once stated, then you add your self-buffs (aid, cat’s etc. for near-self cap, also nice) and bane (fair enough, and it’s nice, but since you’ve got it only as against 4 of 7 Fes, it’s a buff (of course, if you go kama/str-based, well, could drop some monk in favor of more ranger for filling in your Fes, thus getting bane to cover off all seven (some good thinkin', true, but wld be a diff. build and no disarm, though, w. disarm integral to this build, yes?

...
Just a bunch of (random) thoughts for you; otherwise, a fast, monk elf w. disarm? Cool! ~ Tyr

No worries about 'jumping' on me, Tyr. I'm here to post some ideas, and offer my suggestions to others, and it would behoove me to do it in fashion that's acceptable to all. I actually thought about including the info you mentioned, but I was so geeked to get a chance to post something, that I kinda forgot, lol. Thanks for the reminder, though.

Now, I like some of the suggestions you made. I never really thought to put 1 point in Disable. I've never bothered to recover my traps if I don't use them. Even though money is literally no object when it comes to stocking up on epic traps, I could be a bit more frugal

I noticed you suggested lvls in Ftr and Rogue, as well. While several variations including those classes come to mind, Ranger and Monk are integral to the build. The efficacy of Bane of Enemies added to d20 unarmed strike cannot be overstated. Still, if you live in a PW where True Seeing is either hard to come by, or doesn't reveal sneakers, you could sub the Wiz 1 for Shadowdancer, and even make level and feat adjustments to allow for ED. You'd give up the use of Arcane scrolls, but hey, you can't have everything, right?

Thanks again for the suggestions!

Edited out excessive quoting - Grim

Edited By Grimnir77 on 05/26/07 12:59

Hiwatt is right, this build is often complained of on the Badlands; that disgruntlement is generally speaking a high compliment. It has weaknesses as a general build but it's not one; it's a dex disarmer. I wonder that it hasn't been posted in some iteration before. . .

Welcome to the forums, Hiwatt. Nice job. I also play in Badlands (The name's Verberatus Bloodfurnace) and I also have been looking for a disarm build. I want to go kamas, will that affect the build? Yes. The kama is a small weapon, so you will get a penalty to your disarm attempts vs. larger weapons. Also, if you succeed, the weapon falls to the floor. If you succeed with an unarmed disarm, it goes right into your inventory (which is the point of the build).

TM
Quote: Posted 05/11/07 02:35 (GMT) -- Tattoed Monk

Yes. The kama is a small weapon, so you will get a penalty to your disarm attempts vs. larger weapons.

Yes, but aren't fists always tiny? That'd make Kamas better on that regard.
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Edited By FinneousPJ on 05/12/07 09:44

Quote: Posted 05/11/07 00:00 (GMT) -- wunderbar6969

I also play in Badlands (The name's Verberatus Bloodfurnace) and I also have been looking for a disarm build. I want to go kamas, will that affect the build?

And your disarmer would be disarmable.

Ithacan
Quote: Posted 05/11/07 13:00 (GMT) -- Ithacan

Quote: Posted 05/11/07 00:00 (GMT) -- wunderbar6969

I also play in Badlands (The name's Verberatus Bloodfurnace) and I also have been looking for a disarm build. I want to go kamas, will that affect the build?

And your disarmer would be disarmable.

Ithacan

That sure would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?
Quote: Posted 05/11/07 09:07 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

Yes, but aren't fists always tiny? That'd make Kamas better on that regard.

Actually, no. I am not sure if it is a bug or a "feature", but unarmed disarm attempts are made at no penalty or bonus regardless of the weapon size you are trying to take. It's as if it counts the disarm attempt as against the opponents hand rather than against their weapon. Kail discovered this when we were working on a disarming Dragon Shape build - we thought it would get a bonus to disarm since the dragon claw is considered a huge weapon, but it got no bonus when we checked the combat log. Then we checked disarm attempts while in human shape and found the same thing.

TM Most of the other disarmers are mainly for max ab, not that this is the wrong way to do it, the monk levels add to the defence.

And for some of our disarmers, we disarm, knockdown, switch weapons then crit them to death. Medeia sighting! Haha, I rarely post here, I might tell all one day about all the secret pvp builds though. No, nothing you wouldn't know anyway.

My disarmer is 26ranger 12monk 2wizard or I made a refined version of 26ranger 6monk 8wizard, either way, all flavours.