Force Monk PC

[Rimsen 525]

Fellow players, GMs. Hopefully you can help me with my character concept.

I'd like to make Monk style PC (like Chinese Xiaolins). However I've so far played/ran Edge games, so not familiar with the F&D line. 

I found the Steel Hand adept so far, that fits best (Martial Artist wasn't really good fit imo). Also the added benefit of Force Powers. I don't want anything spectacular, he is not a jedi , but a "spiritual" being. Enhance from RotS is a great thematically, maybe Foresee for Initiatives (as better reflexes). Is there any Power I could check out, that fits this concept, discreet, passive buffs, not the magic type.

Also, as a Monk I want to cross-spec for some kind of Knowledge-spec (mainly Lore, maybe Outer Rim or Xenology). 

So far Scholar seemed the best, but I wonder the other 2 lines has something better? Am I better off buying Lore simply out of career?

Thanks in advance!

[kaosoe 7,142]

It's quite the investment, but the Seek power Mastery upgrade is pretty good.

 

Otherwise, parts of the Warden spec could be fun to mix in.

[SavageBob 1,318]

For your Knowledge-focused second spec, check out Consular: Sage or Consular: Teacher. Both might fit. Magus: Mystic is another such spec, but perhaps one that is more "power" heavy than what you're looking for.

[micheldebruyn 160]

Steel Hand adept, with the Force Adherent generic spec from Dawn Of Rebellion seems an obvious choice. 

[KRKappel 1,941]

Ascetic is specifically designed around this concept, no? The less worldly possession you carry, the more powerful you get.

[micheldebruyn 160]

36 minutes ago, KRKappel said:

Ascetic is specifically designed around this concept, no? The less worldly possession you carry, the more powerful you get.

To me the Ascetic seems more like an actual priest whose faith is a bit on the zealotous side and sees the lifestyle as a road to Ultimate Powah.

[KungFuFerret 3,688]

6 hours ago, Rimsen said:

 

I found the Steel Hand adept so far, that fits best (Martial Artist wasn't really good fit imo)

I'm curious why you felt the Martial Artist wasn't a good fit?  Because I made a PC that was basically exactly what you are going for, a Force Monk, and the MA spec was the baseline, coupled with....I think it was Guardian, as he was something of a bodyguard concept.   What about MA didn't resonate with you?

[Daeglan 4,460]

Force adherant universal spec would be an option

[GameboyAK 5]

Sense would be a highly recommended Force Power in my opinion as it allow for passive debuff to your enemies and a passive buff to yourself down the left hand side.

13 hours ago, Rimsen said:

(Martial Artist wasn't really good fit imo)

I would have to disagree with this. There is a lot of overlap that would have significant combat advantages, especially with access to Supreme Precision Strike and Unarmed Parry.

Force Adherent, as stated previously, would also be a great addition.

Edit: I realize that Unarmed Parry is also in Steel Hand Adept, but it also saves in XP in either tree to advance forward for other skills.

Edited August 10 by GameboyAK

[SavageBob 1,318]

Everyone is suggesting you take two combat specs and ignoring the fact that you want a knowledge-focused second spec. I find that this kind of thinking is common with the specs, which is one of the reasons I prefer the Genesys à la carte style of character generation. But don't fall for it! Stick to your guns! Pair Steelhand Adept with Sage or Magus or Teacher!  These kinds of broader characters can be a lot of fun to play, even if they're not uber-specialized into one role.

Edited August 10 by SavageBob

[Rimsen 525]

On 8/9/2019 at 6:27 PM, KRKappel said:

Ascetic is specifically designed around this concept, no? The less worldly possession you carry, the more powerful you get.

Ascetic is a talent, or a spec?

[Rimsen 525]

On 8/9/2019 at 9:13 PM, KungFuFerret said:

I'm curious why you felt the Martial Artist wasn't a good fit?  Because I made a PC that was basically exactly what you are going for, a Force Monk, and the MA spec was the baseline, coupled with....I think it was Guardian, as he was something of a bodyguard concept.   What about MA didn't resonate with you?

Mainly the Force Rating. Enhance seemed an easy way to buff up Brawl, without getting unreasonable amount Brawn with starting characteristics, and having the problems of "i have the Brawn of a rancor" and also staying out of the Force Wizard ways

Also I don't really want to go for Coordination, which is more central to the Martial Artist 

[Rimsen 525]

On 8/10/2019 at 2:59 AM, Daeglan said:

Force adherant universal spec would be an option

That seems good for the Lore. also some passive defense and more Dodge

[Donovan Morningfire 9,329]

6 hours ago, Rimsen said:

Ascetic is a talent, or a spec?

It's a Consular spec found in Disciples of Harmony, and is a pretty good match for your concept, as it'll bolster your Force abilities, though it won't add anything regarding scholarly-type stuff.  It does fit with the notion of a monk that is detached from worldly concerns.  Sadly, you've got to take the rather lackluster Force Protection talent in order to get to the spec's Force Rating talent.

From what you're saying, Force Adherent is a pretty good fit for your concept, as it gives you both schoarly-type stuff as well as a few more defensive combat tricks.  You might be losing out a bit on Force Rating, since Force Adherent isn't a Force user spec (in spite of the name)

With regards to Force powers, one to consider looking at is Endure, which apart from being able to tell the rest of the group that you ain't got time to bleed can help make you a good deal tougher in a fight.  You probably won't need a huge investment in Foresee (basic power, control upgrades boost your results and give you defense 2 for the initial round), which helps cut down a bit on the XP sink that Force powers can become.

[EliasWindrider 1,957]

Try the sense defense upgrade 

[Rimsen 525]

5 hours ago, Donovan Morningfire said:

With regards to Force powers, one to consider looking at is Endure, which apart from being able to tell the rest of the group that you ain't got time to bleed can help make you a good deal tougher in a fight.  You probably won't need a huge investment in Foresee (basic power, control upgrades boost your results and give you defense 2 for the initial round), which helps cut down a bit on the XP sink that Force powers can become.

Where can i find this force power? It seems  I eould need thr Dawn of Rebellion and/or the Disciples of Harmony

12 minutes ago, EliasWindrider said:

Try the sense defense upgrade 

Looks nice, could be useful!

[EliasWindrider 1,957]

3 minutes ago, Rimsen said:

Where can i find this force power? It seems  I eould need thr Dawn of Rebellion and/or the Disciples of Harmony

Looks nice, could be useful!

I think it's in knights of fate 

[Stormbourne 143]

in no particular order

trees: steel hand, hermit, ascetic, magus, pathfinder

powers: heal, alter, seek, protect/unleash, foresee, suppress, conjure, imbue

[WolfRider 147]

14 hours ago, Stormbourne said:

in no particular order

trees: steel hand, hermit, ascetic, magus, pathfinder

powers: heal, alter, seek, protect/unleash, foresee, suppress, conjure, imbue

5 specialisations really ? All the 4 after the starting one from different careers so costing more XP to learn.

8 Force Powers really ? Even with the mentor discount it is not cheap in XPs.

DO you realize how much XPs are needed to build such character ? Especially with Force Powers with a FR 2 or 3 as pre-requisite. Because that means you must buy the specs then you must buy the talents needed to go down the tree to reach the +1 FR talent, and buy it too of course.

That's not a staring character even at knight level.

[Stormbourne 143]

3 hours ago, WolfRider said:

5 specialisations really ? All the 4 after the starting one from different careers so costing more XP to learn.

8 Force Powers really ? Even with the mentor discount it is not cheap in XPs.

DO you realize how much XPs are needed to build such character ? Especially with Force Powers with a FR 2 or 3 as pre-requisite. Because that means you must buy the specs then you must buy the talents needed to go down the tree to reach the +1 FR talent, and buy it too of course.

That's not a staring character even at knight level.

im not saying all of them but any of these

[Rimsen 525]

On 8/12/2019 at 12:02 AM, Stormbourne said:

in no particular order

trees: steel hand, hermit, ascetic, magus, pathfinder

powers: heal, alter, seek, protect/unleash, foresee, suppress, conjure, imbue

As FP maybe foresee and seek for the passive elements, other than I want to stay clear of the "magic"

Steel hand is the starting spec, hermit ascetic looks nice and i haven't checked the magus yet. The pathfinder just doesn't gives me what I want.

I also found the Archeologist in the explorer book, which gives me the Knowledge skills, and has some nice added benefits for close quarter combat

[WolfRider 147]

3 hours ago, Rimsen said:

I want to stay clear of the "magic"

Then Magus might not be a spec you want for your character. But you can add Sense Force Power. It's the closest to Boudhism Force Power you'll find. And of courser Ebb / Flow because it's a must have for any Force User.

[Rimsen 525]

6 hours ago, WolfRider said:

Then Magus might not be a spec you want for your character. But you can add Sense Force Power. It's the closest to Boudhism Force Power you'll find. And of courser Ebb / Flow because it's a must have for any Force User.

Again, apologies for my lack of knowledge on the F&D, but where can I find ebb/flow?

[Donovan Morningfire 9,329]

3 hours ago, Rimsen said:

Again, apologies for my lack of knowledge on the F&D, but where can I find ebb/flow?

That one is in Disciples of Harmony.

It's a pretty interesting power, since at it's base level you can either spend a FP and suffer 1 strain to inflict 1 strain on all engaged creatures, or spend a FP and recover 1 strain (neither can be activated multiple times at the base level) all as part of making a skill check.  There are upgrades that let you exclude a certain number of allies, grant yourself Advantage/Success/Triumph or inflict Threat/Failure/Despair to adversaries within range.

It does jive pretty well with the Force Monk concept, but it's not essential by any means.  Though as someone that's played a Soresu Defender with Ebb/Flow, the ability to quickly recover strain while making attacks (or using Defensive Circle) is pretty nifty, and it probably wouldn't hurt your Steel Hand Adept given the strain you'd be burning on using Parry each round.