This player character build (druid 9/ monk 20/ shifter 11) is intended as a kung fu ancient dragon, disregarding other forms. It features epic minotaur form, level 5 druid spells (in particular death ward and owl's insight), and all the powers of a monk.
Basics[]
This build's character sheet, with +4 strength, +12 wisdom, +5 AC, and +6 saves from spells and merged items
Race: human
Abilities: (final scores in parentheses)
- Strength: 8
- Dexterity: 8
- Constitution: 8
- Wisdom: 18 (32)
- Intelligence: 16
- Charisma: 12
The physical abilities are kept low because they will be overridden when shifted.
Alignment: lawful neutral
Level progression[]
Classes by character level
- 1–5: druid
- 6: monk
- 7–13: shifter
- 14–16: druid
- 17: monk
- 18: shifter
- 19–35: monk
- 36–38: shifter
- 39: druid
- 40: monk
Ability increases
- All ability increases are in wisdom.
General feats by character level
- 1: luck of heroes, strong soul
- 3: alertness
- 6: weapon focus (unarmed strike)
- 9: great fortitude
- 12: toughness
- 15: improved critical (unarmed strike)
- 18: blind fight
- 21: epic prowess
- 24: epic weapon focus (unarmed strike)
- 27: great wisdom I
- 30: great wisdom II
- 33: great wisdom III
- 36: great wisdom IV
- 39: dragon shape
Skills
This build receives 344 skill points over its 40 levels.
The skills most important for this build are the following. Skill ranks are listed first, with the score modified by the relevant ability in parentheses.
- animal empathy 42 (43) available to only druid and shifter
- concentration 43 (42; changes when shifted)
- discipline 43 (42; changes when shifted) class skill for only monk
- listen 43 (54) class skill for only monk and shifter
- persuade 43 (44)
- spellcraft 42 (45) class skill for only druid
- spot 41 (52) class skill for only shifter
- tumble 40 (39; changes when shifted) class skill for only monk
This leaves 7 unused skill points.
Stats[]
Attack bonus
In the absence of magical enhancements, whether from items or spells, this character's attack bonus (AB) when unarmed is composed of the following elements at level 40.
- 25: base attack bonus
- -1: strength modifier
- +4: feats (weapon focus and epic prowess)
28 AB, for attacks per round of +28/+25/+22/+19/+16, becoming +26/+23/+20/+17/+14/+26 with flurry of blows.
If the character is permitted gear that provides a +12 bonus to strength (increasing the strength modifier by 6), the attacks per round with flurry of blows become +32/+29/+26/+23/+20/+32. If the character is additionally permitted to reach the +20 attack bonus cap and acquires haste, the attacks per round become +52/+49/+46/+43/+40/+52/+47. However, reaching the attack bonus cap can be problematic for this character since unarmed shapes typically do not merge weapon properties, and glove properties never merge.
These values will change due to overridden strength and size, and due to loss of weapon focus bonuses, when shifted:
- −1 (illithid)
- +2 (badger, wolf)
- +3 (boar)
- +4 (blue, black, white, green wyrmling; panther, basilisk)
- +5 (red wyrmling, medusa)
- +6 (gargoyle, harpy, manticore)
- +8 (bear)
- +9 (dire tiger)
- +18 (dragon)
Armor class
In the absence of magical enhancements, whether from items or spells, this character's armor class (AC) when wearing (mundane) clothing is composed of the following elements at level 40.
- 10: base AC
- -1: dexterity modifier
- +11: wisdom modifier
- +4: from monk levels
- +8: tumble
32 AC, before shifting
If the character is permitted items with a +5 bonus in one of the five categories (armor, deflection, dodge, natural, or shield) as well as a +12 bonus to dexterity or wisdom, the AC total can become 47 after casting barkskin. If the character is instead permitted a +20 bonus in one category, haste, and +12 bonuses to dexterity and wisdom, the AC total can become 72 after casting barkskin. (Only one category is being considered because all item AC bonuses are converted to deflection while shifted.)
This value will change when shifted:
- +3 (bear)
- +6 (boar; red, blue, green wyrmling)
- +7 (panther, wolf)
- +10 (black, white wyrmling)
- +11 (badger; harpy)
- +12 (dire tiger)
- +13 (illithid)
- +14 (basilisk)
- +15 (medusa)
- +18 (gargoyle)
- +21 (manticore)
- +32 (dragon)
Notes[]
- This build is almost solely for the best dragon, making it a "level 40" build. To make this more playable at other levels, one could drop a great wisdom and instead take undead shape.
- For a higher armor class, great fortitude and toughness could be replaced by expertise and improved expertise.