Half the levels in this build are the monk archetype Monk Of The Mantis. It trades several monk bonus feats for sneak attack damage which is only accessed via Flurry Of Blows and alters Stunning Fist to add more options and power. Combined with high WIS, Mantis Style, and Mantis Wisdom, as well as the above-mentioned Evangelist exploit, it ends up with a terrifying Stunning Fist. Late-game, the Dimensional Dervish feat line boosts its mobility greatly, as well as the wings it can grow as a standard action from level 15 onward. It's meant to be a crazy debilitator with high (for a monk or non-optimized character, I mean) damage that's hard to put down.
Went with Half-Orc for the boosted saving throws and Darkvision, plus the synergy from Fate's Favored. Saving throws are monk +2/+2/+2, Half-Orc +2/+2/+2, and attributes +2/+3/+4 for a respectable +6/+7/+8 at level one, and the character just gets fuckin better.
Traits include Finish The Fight, which is a +1 to attack things you've already wounded- kind of thematic and really nice for this flurrying character, and one of the +1 damage-boosting ones- your choice based on campaign. Combat Reflexes at level 1, just because- Weapon Finesse is actually important, and Toughness helps this character compete with a fighter. At level 2, Monk Of The Mantis' Pressuring Strikes brings in its first instance of sneak attack- as mentioned, this character has to flurry to use it but Stunning Fist is a substitute for a melee attack, so it shouldn't be a problem to stun-then-murder whoever as a primary this-thing-has-to-die tactic. Stunning's pretty intense- it's just "hey, be flat-footed to everyone and drop your shit", which is kind of a death sentence standing next to this character. Level 3's Mantis Style, bumping up the DC of Stunning Fist which now has an unbuffed base of 10 + 1 (1/2 level) + 4 (WIS) + 2 (Mantis Style) = 17 Fortitude- even this character has a 45% chance to fail. Level 4 lets Stunning Fist just add fatigue, optionally- this is a monk-only feature, and could be used to set up an exhaustion combo or stop a barbarian from raging or something. Eh. I'll mention 'em here, but below the build there'll also be a list of Stunning Fist effects-by-level. Level 5 uses the Qinggong Monk archetype to change out the 5th-level High Jump for Power Attack (you don't have to qualify for a feat to get or use it as a Ki Power, so it works with your unarmed attacks even though you're using them as a DEX-based light weapon). Level 7 adds Mantis Wisdom, which starts boosting Stunning Fist additionally based on Evangelist levels and adds +2 to Stunning Fist attack rolls. Level 8 lets you swap stun for sickened, and adds a free round of entanglement post-Stunning Fist. At level 9, I picked Lunge to make it easier to be all over the place- this character's AC's already nuts so -2's not much of a hit, and 10' reach really opens up the versatility of the 5-foot step. Due to my trickery, level 11 is effectively Stunning Fist's 12th, so this character can apply stagger for 1d6+1 rounds. Monastic Legacy also shows up, which I've denoted at the bottom of the build to boost unarmed damage by 1/2 Evangelist levels. Finally, at level 11, the Zon-Kuthon boon Strike Of The Endless comes in, which is pretty much a 3/day blinding version of Stunning Fist. Lot of fuckin options. Level 12, which for the purposes of the archetype is effectively monk level 11, applies exhaustion for one round in addition to the entanglement for one round post-Stunning Fist. Level 13's Dimensional Agility, kind of a lame feat tax but this character's a terror so whatever. At level 14, spending a ki point extends those durations to rounds equal to your WIS modifier, as if anything'd still be alive that long. Also at level 14, Stunning Fist's 16th-level variant allows permanent blindness or deafness to be applied, which'd feel gratuitous if this character wasn't actively worshipping a torture god. Finally at level 14, you get a 1/day nauseating Stunning Fist with bonus non-lethal damage per round, which is kind of neat. Level 15's Dimensional fucking Assault, which means if you wanna you can replace Lunge since you've learned to teleport around the field. I like that even though this character has slightly-delayed monk progression, fifteen's the earliest a monk can have Dimensional Assault anyway. It also gets the Evangelist capstone Spiritual Form, which grants wings and +4 WIS for a dividable minute per level, though it is a standard action to activate. Level 16 brings in a Quivering Palm with an option to put a struck enemy to sleep instead and the final, 20th-level iteration of Stunning Fist, which is 1d6+1 round of paralyzation. This is about the level most campaigns end, but just to say so, at 17 I went with Dimensional Dervish (of course), at 18 it can steal ki with Ki Leech, 19 I went with Ability Focus to help it fuck up epic creatures, and 20 doesn't really have a capstone because of its functional missing level of progression.
Sneak attack progression is in each by-level stat block- I didn't make a chart for it or anything. As mentioned several times, unarmed damage and Stunning Fist progression are in charts below the build.
Defensively, it's got DEX and WIS as its main stats, with CON in the positive and Toughness at level 1. Since it's using Weapon Finesse (and an Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists as soon as possible), it puts ability points into DEX and should boost DEX as much as possible, with WIS second and CON last. That, in addition to monk saving throw progression, keeps it pretty safe at its base. Aside from the standard monk features, like Evasion and Still Mind and the progressing monk AC bonus, it uses Qinggong to swap out the 4th-level Slow Fall for Barkskin, which gets pretty nuts at higher levels. Evangelist levels have a high Will save and low Fortitude and Reflex, though the character's still above average in those ways. Level 7 and second level of Evangelist pops in a sacred bonus to AC, which is nice of it, and a 3/day Protection from Chaos spell-like at level 8/3. Improved Evasion at level 10 is nice, though as a DEX monk Evasion probly ends up working just as well. Then, other than Diamond Soul as a Ki Power at level 18, it doesn't make any defensive choices, since all its defense has a scaling progression [don't forget to use Barkskin- it's ten minutes per level and caps at +5 to natural AC at level 13 (or your monk effective level 12)].
This character's a strong fuckin monk with a lot of neat debilitating abilities and extra skill points to toss around for non-combat roles. It's not a tank, per se, but I think it can boost its AC and saving throws high enough that it can avoid the majority of everything. It's also incorrigably fucking evil. Zon-Kuthon's a torture god with a hella-dark backstory about going to an evil dimension and getting captured by alien gods or something to get turned into a fuckin cenobite, then coming back and doing the same thing to his spirit wolf god dad. As your necessary Obedience, verbatim each day from level 5 forward you have to:
"Persuade a creature to allow you to inflict a small amount of pain on it. This can be as subtle as thin needles under the skin or as overt as a lashing with a whip— whatever the subject agrees to. If you can legally procure an individual, such as through legalized slavery, you may use a purchased subject instead.
If no suitable individuals can be located, coil a spiked chain into a nest and kneel on it, letting your weight sink your knees into the spikes. Whip your own back while chanting praises to Zon-Kuthon.
Gain a +2 sacred bonus on saving throws against spells that deal hit point damage."
Without loyalty to Zon-Kuthon, you lose your Evangelist powers (I'm pretty sure?), so be prepared to roleplay a fucking weirdo. Last thing worth mentioning is Vows- they're restrictions you add to a monk character to boost its Ki. They vary, but most of them suck pretty hard except Vow Of Truth (no telling lies, which isn't your character's role anyway) and Vow Of Cleanliness (kinda depends- you're not allowed to punch the undead or the especially-gross. Here's a list! Finally, I'll mention for the I-don't-know-how-manyth-time: below the build's the charts and a final explanation for the crazy exploits this build utilizes. Good luck with your creep-ass violence monk!
This build created in December of 2016 and messed with a little in June of 2017.
Evangelist 10, Monk (Monk Of The
Mantis, Qinggong Monk) 10
[Must be Lawful Evil
and worship Zon-Kuthon]
Race: Half-Orc, +2
WIS (+1 Hit Point/+1 Skill Point/+1 CMD against grappling, +½ Stunning Fists
per day)
Racial Traits
Sacred Tattoo [+1 (+2 with Fate’s Favored) luck bonus to all
saving throws]
Shadowhunter (can always hit incorporeal creatures for ½
damage as if attacks were magical; +2 to saves removing negative levels; heal 2
ability score damage per day if source was undead)
Unflinching Valor (+2 to saves against fear effects, +1 to
CMD against grappling)
Orc Blood (counts as human and orc for the purposes of
racial effects)
Darkvision 60’
Character Traits/Drawbacks
Drawback: Provincial (-2 to Diplomacy/Sense Motive against
creatures of differing alignment/religion)
Faith: Fate’s Favored (+1 to any luck bonuses)
Race (Half-Orc, Raised By Orcs): Finish The Fight (+1 attack
against opponent injured by you within 24 hours)
Regional: Mizu Hi Hikari Rebel or Quain Martial Artist (+1
to unarmed damage rolls)
Class Skills: Acrobatics,
Climb, Craft (Any), Escape Artist, Intimidate, Knowledge (History), Knowledge
(Religion), Perception, Perform (Any), Profession (Any), Ride, Sense Motive, Stealth,
and Swim.
Known Languages:
Common, Orc
1: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 1 (d8 HD), +1 Hit Point
BAB: +0
Flurry BAB: +1
Base Saves: +6/+7/+8
New Feats: Monk Weapon Proficiencies, Flurry Of Blows, Monk AC
Bonus, Monk Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike, Vow Of
Truth, [Monk 1st] Combat Reflexes, [1st Level Feat] Weapon
Finesse, [Anti-Hero] Toughness
Skills(3): Acrobatics, Perception, Heal
Current Monk Unarmed Damage: 1d6
2: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 2, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +1
Flurry BAB: +2
Base Saves: +7/+8/+9
New Feats: Evasion, Pressuring Strikes
Skills(3): Acrobatics, Perception, Heal
Current Sneak Attack: 1d6
3: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 3, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +2
Flurry/CMB BAB: +3
Base Saves: +7/+8/+9
New Feats: Fast Movement (currently +10’), Maneuver Training, Still
Mind, [3rd Level Feat] Mantis Style
Skills(3): Knowledge (Religion), Perception, Heal
Current Sneak Attack: 1d6
4: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 4, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +3
Flurry/CMB BAB: +4
Ability Score Increase: DEX +1 (18)
Base Saves: +8/+9/+10
New Feats: Monk AC Bonus +1, Monk Ki Pool, Stunning Fist (4th),
[Qinggong] Ki Power: Barkskin
Skills(3): Knowledge (Religion), Perception, Heal
Current Monk Unarmed Damage: 1d8
Current Sneak Attack: 1d6
5: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 5, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +3
Flurry/CMB BAB: +5
Base Saves: +8/+9/+10
New Feats: [Qinggong] Ki Power: Power Attack, [5th Level
Feat] Deific Obedience: Zon-Kuthon
Skills(3): Knowledge (Religion), Perception, Heal
Current Sneak Attack: 1d6
Additional Class
Skills Gained At Level 6: Diplomacy, Heal, and two others as desired by
campaign.
6: Evangelist 1 (d8 Hit Die)
BAB: +4
Flurry/CMB BAB: +5
Base Saves: +8/+9/+11
New Feats: Obedience, Skilled: (two skills as desired by campaign)
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, Heal, +2 others
Current Sneak Attack: 1d6
7: Evangelist 2; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 6
BAB: +5
Flurry/CMB BAB: +6
Base Saves: +9/+10/+11
New Feats: Aligned Class: Monk, Fast Movement (currently +20’), Ki
Pool (cold iron/silver), Protective Grace (+1), [7th Level Feat] Mantis
Wisdom
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Sneak Attack: 2d6
8: Evangelist 3; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 7
BAB: +6/+1
Flurry/CMB BAB: +7
Ability Score Increase: DEX +1 (19)
Base Saves: +9/+10/+12
New Feats: [Boon] Unbending Faith: Protection From Chaos 3/day, Debilitating
Blows (7th), Stunning Fist (8th)
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Monk Unarmed Damage: 1d10
Current Sneak Attack: 2d6
9: Evangelist 4; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 8
BAB: +6/+1
Flurry/CMB BAB: +8
Base Saves: +9/+10/+12
New Feats: Gift Of Tongues (4th): (bonus language as
desired by campaign), Monk AC Bonus +2, [9th Level Feat] Lunge
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Sneak Attack: 2d6
10: Evangelist 5; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 9
BAB: +7/+2
Flurry/CMB BAB: +9
Base Saves: +10/+11/+13
New Feats: Fast Movement (currently +30’), Improved Evasion,
Multitude Of Talents
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Sneak Attack: 2d6
11: Evangelist 6; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 10
BAB: +8/+3
Flurry/CMB BAB: +10
Base Saves: +10/+11/+13
New Feats: [Boon] Strike Of The Endless, Ki Pool (Lawful), Stunning
Fist (12th) [11th Level Feat] Monastic Legacy
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Monk Unarmed Damage: 2d6
Current Sneak Attack: 3d6
12: Evangelist 7; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 11
BAB: +9/+4
Flurry/CMB BAB: +11
Ability Score Increase: DEX +1 (20)
Base Saves: +10/+12/+14
New Feats: Debilitating Blows (11th), Protective Grace
(+2)
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Sneak Attack: 3d6
13: Evangelist 8; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 12
BAB: +9/+4
Flurry/CMB BAB: +12
Base Saves: +10/+12/+14
New Feats: Abundant Step, Fast Movement (currently +40’), Gift Of
Tongues (8th): (bonus language as desired by campaign), Monk AC
Bonus +3, [13th Level Feat] Dimensional Agility
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Monk Unarmed Damage: 2d8
Current Sneak Attack: 3d6
14: Evangelist 9; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 13
BAB: +10/+5
Flurry/CMB BAB: +13
Base Saves: +11/+13/+15
New Feats: [Boon] Agonizing Blow, Debilitating Blows (13th),
Stunning Fist (16th)
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Sneak Attack: 3d6
15: Evangelist 10; Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 14
BAB: +11/+6/+1
Flurry/CMB BAB: +14
Base Saves: +11/+13/+15
New Feats: Spiritual Form (WIS; Wings), [15th Level
Feat] Dimensional Assault
Skills(5): Acrobatics, Perception, +3 others
Current Sneak Attack: 4d6
16: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 15, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +12/+7/+2
Flurry/CMB BAB: +15
Ability Score Increase: DEX +1 (21)
Base Saves: +11/+13/+16
New Feats: Fast Movement (currently +50’), Disabling Palm, Stunning
Fist (20th)
Skills(3): Acrobatics, Perception, +1 other
Current Monk Unarmed Damage: 2d10
Current Sneak Attack: 4d6
17: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 16, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +12/+7/+2
Flurry/CMB BAB: +16
Base Saves: +12/+14/+16
New Feats: Ki Pool (Adamantine), Monk AC Bonus +4, [17th
Level Feat] Dimensional Dervish
Skills(3): Acrobatics, Perception, +1 other
Current Sneak Attack: 4d6
18: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 17, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +13/+8/+3
Flurry/CMB BAB: +17
Base Saves: +12/+14/+17
New Feats: [Qinggong] Ki Power: Diamond Soul (currently SR 27), [Qinggong]
Ki Leech
Skills(3): Acrobatics, Perception, +1 other
Current Sneak Attack: 4d6
19: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 18, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +14/+9/+4
Flurry/CMB BAB: +18
Base Saves: +13/+15/+17
New Feats: Fast Movement (currently +60’), [19th Level
Feat] Ability Focus: Stunning Fist
Skills(3): Acrobatics, Perception, +1 other
Current Sneak Attack: 5d6
20: Monk (Monk Of The Mantis) 20, +1 Hit Point
BAB: +15/+10/+5
Flurry/CMB BAB: +19
Ability Score Increase: DEX +1 (22)
Base Saves: +13/+16/+18
New Feats: Empty Body
Skills(3): Acrobatics, Perception, +1 other
Current Monk Unarmed Damage: 3d6
Current Sneak Attack: 5d6
Flurry Of Blows
Documentation Verbatim
Starting
at 1st level, a monk can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action. When doing so, he may make one additional
attack, taking a –2 penalty on all of his attack rolls, as if using the
Two-Weapon Fighting feat. These attacks can be any combination of unarmed
strikes and attacks with a monk special weapon.
For the purpose of these attacks, the monk's base attack bonus from his
monk class levels is equal to his monk level. For all other purposes, such as
qualifying for a feat or a prestige class, the monk uses his normal base attack
bonus.
At
8th level, the monk can make two additional attacks when he uses flurry of
blows, as if using Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (even if the monk does not meet
the prerequisites for the feat). At 15th
level, the monk can make three additional attacks using flurry of blows, as if
using Greater Two-Weapon Fighting (even if the monk does not meet the
prerequisites for the feat).
A
monk applies his full Strength bonus to his damage rolls for all successful
attacks made with flurry of blows, whether the attacks are made with an
off-hand or with a weapon wielded in both hands. A monk may substitute disarm,
sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of a flurry of
blows. A monk cannot use any weapon other than an unarmed strike or a special
monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows. A monk with natural weapons cannot
use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks
in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.
Stunning Fist Level Progression
Mantis Style feat (Verbatim), 3rd level
You gain one additional Stunning Fist attempt per day. While
using this style, you gain a +2 bonus to the DC of effects you deliver with
your Stunning Fist.
Mantis Wisdom feat (Verbatim), 7th level
Treat half your levels in classes other than monk as monk levels
for determining effects you can apply to a target of your Stunning Fist per
the Stunning Fist monk class feature. You can also use a standard
action and a successful melee touch attack to remove any Stunning
Fist effect you have applied to a target.
While using Mantis Style, you gain a +2 bonus on
unarmed attack rolls with which you are using Stunning Fist attempts.
Stunning Fist feat
(Verbatim), 1st level
You must declare that you are using this feat before you
make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning
Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving
throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Wis modifier), in addition to
dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for
1 round (until just before your next turn). A stunned character drops
everything held, can’t take actions, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes
a –2 penalty to AC. You may attempt a stunning attack once per day for every
four levels you have attained (but see Special),
and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal
creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned.
Special: A monk
receives Stunning Fist as a bonus feat at 1st level, even if he does not meet
the prerequisites. A monk may attempt a stunning attack a number of times per
day equal to his monk level, plus one more time per day for every four levels
he has in classes other than monk.
Evangelist Aligned
Class class feature (Verbatim)
At 2nd level, the evangelist must choose a class they
belonged to before adding the prestige class to be their aligned class. They
gain all the class features for this class, essentially adding every evangelist
level beyond 1st to their aligned class to determine what class features they
gain. They still retain the Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saving throw bonuses,
and skill ranks of the prestige class, but gain all other class features of
their aligned class as well as those of the evangelist prestige class.
I take this to mean that, when leveling as an Evangelist,
this character continues to gain class features as a monk (of its level -1 in
this case) but is still leveling in “class[es] other than monk”. The language is ambiguous enough that each
evangelist level should count as ½ of a monk level for the purpose of available
Stunning Fist effects, in addition to improving class features as a monk from
level 2 to level 10. Additionally, every four levels in Evangelist
should increase the number of uses of Stunning Fist per day by 1. As such, the effective progression of
Stunning Fist for this character should be as follows:
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