I took Mobile, but can change if wanted. Built at 8th level. Mobile makes me hit and run. I’m not sure it’s the right feat for a kensei. Is it? If not, what else instead?
Mobile is a feat that lends itself to a certain type of gameplay style. It all really depends on how you want to play. The extra movement is good for just about any style, but the no opportunity attacks after you hit is useful if you want to play a hit-and-run style. If you're going to try to stand toe to toe with foes you could consider taking the tough feat as that would increase your Con and HP total.
Really it all comes down to how you're going to play. If you have an idea of what you have in mind, or what the rest of the party comp will be, you could post that and brainstorm something from the additional information.
Mobileis widely regarded as one of the better Monk feats in general. Kensei specifically is a good choice for it since you don't get any options to avoid opportunity attacks like a Drunken Master or Open Hand Monk do with their enhanced Flurry of Blows features.
That being said I personally like the Toughfeat even though its not necessarily the best. Having a D8 hit die and being a melee martial class I like to opt for a little more staying power if I can fit it into my build. Other feats I'd recommend would be Mage Slayer if you feel like you'll fight spellcasters often enough, or Sentinelfor general use to lock people down and give you some more opportunities per round to use the bigger weapons you'll be able to use as a Kensei Monk.
Tempest Barbarian - charges in and takes a lot of heat [front line] War Wizard/Forge Cleric - front liner who uses spells in melee [front line] Arcane Archer - Sharpshooter who stays right back and blasts [back line] Ranger - archer who stays back and blasts [back line] Arcane Trickster Rogue who dances in and out of combat with rapier and owl familiar [skirmisher]
So, another skirmisher (Mobile) would mean the barbarian and wizard still taking all the heat but would keep me safe and (I think) help me do a lot more damage as I can spend Ki on Flurry rather than Dodge.
Then I would agree, the Mobile feat would allow you to be someone who can be anywhere in combat rather safely given that you can run by something, make an attack then move on to the next, make another attack, rinse repeat. Given the party comp I would say this is your best bet for a feat if you wanted to take one.
All this is assuming that you have a high main stat in Dex which should be at least 18 if not 20 by lvl 8.
Note: I have Mobile on my Shadow Monk that I took at lvl 4 and have not regretted a minute of it since. Even considering I can shadow step and turn invisible to get away from monsters, I still find having the Mobile feat to be incredibly useful.
You could also go with something like Alert to allow you to always go higher than others in the turn order and make it so you're never surprised. I feel like thats going to be my monks next pick at 12. I could bump my Wis up, but its only going to increase my stun save DC by 1 and give one more AC. But +5 to initiative, never being surprised and no advantage when unseen is huge.
I guess I should have put quotes around it to say that its all dependent on whether or not your DM actually has surprise rounds or not. But essentially you cant ever get ambushed and unless you're sleeping you'll always get to take a turn.
Take the situation where your party is walking down a path near some hills or an area where you can be surprised. Your party all fails their perception rolls to see the threat and combat starts. Without the alert feat the monsters will all likely get a turn before the rest of the party can act. However, with alert you'll be able to act and with the + to initiative you'll likely go before any number of the monsters. Thats a whole turn where you can act when others cannot.
We use surprise but it's more the PCs getting it over the monsters than the other way around. I guess it does happen occasionally though.
I always thought Alert is the perfect feat for an Assassin, and am considering it on my Shadow Monk who may well multi-class into Assassin and Gloom Stalker.
Thats a fair point, and if you guys get it more than the monsters it may not be the best fit for you. Mobile is still sick though!
As for the multi-class, if you're doing it mostly for RP and whatnot, dont let me dissuade you. Mechanically though, be careful as the Monk is a class that benefits from staying a monk given the need for ASI/Feats, getting more Ki as you level and the abilities you get at certain levels. If your game supports the Assassian playstyle, it wouldnt be the worst choice, but a lot of their abilities lean towards a solo game. Gloom Stalker could work if you're taking a Longbow as one of your Kensei weapons as some of their abilities work really well with that. Plus I think it gives you darkvision which humans lack, which is nice.
Sorry, for clarity (and I appreciate this is a Kensei focused thread), I'm planning to stay single classed monk/kensei with the toon this thread is about. He is the one I'm wondering about Mobile or Tough as my Variant Human starting feat - and have pretty much settled on Mobile now.
I am also (in a separate, concurrent campaign) playing a shadow monk. He is the guy I am thinking to m/c into Assassin and Gloom Stalker. He is the party scout and with his Darkvision, Pass without Trace and (at 6th level) Shadow Step powers I think he'd make an amazing assassin. Plus it fit his 'ninja' vibe from an RP angle I believe.
Ahhh, that makes more sense then :) I was tempted to do the same with my shadow monk, but his personality doesnt vibe with that mentality, but he is the scout of the group, more-so now that he's 11 and can turn invisible.
Good call on the mobile though. It seems like it would fit the character and playstyle that you have in mind. Good luck!!
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I took Mobile, but can change if wanted. Built at 8th level. Mobile makes me hit and run. I’m not sure it’s the right feat for a kensei. Is it? If not, what else instead?
Thanks,
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
Mobile is a feat that lends itself to a certain type of gameplay style. It all really depends on how you want to play. The extra movement is good for just about any style, but the no opportunity attacks after you hit is useful if you want to play a hit-and-run style. If you're going to try to stand toe to toe with foes you could consider taking the tough feat as that would increase your Con and HP total.
Really it all comes down to how you're going to play. If you have an idea of what you have in mind, or what the rest of the party comp will be, you could post that and brainstorm something from the additional information.
Mobile is widely regarded as one of the better Monk feats in general. Kensei specifically is a good choice for it since you don't get any options to avoid opportunity attacks like a Drunken Master or Open Hand Monk do with their enhanced Flurry of Blows features.
That being said I personally like the Tough feat even though its not necessarily the best. Having a D8 hit die and being a melee martial class I like to opt for a little more staying power if I can fit it into my build. Other feats I'd recommend would be Mage Slayer if you feel like you'll fight spellcasters often enough, or Sentinel for general use to lock people down and give you some more opportunities per round to use the bigger weapons you'll be able to use as a Kensei Monk.
Check out my latest homebrew: Mystic Knight (Fighter) v1.31
Party composition:
Tempest Barbarian - charges in and takes a lot of heat [front line]
War Wizard/Forge Cleric - front liner who uses spells in melee [front line]
Arcane Archer - Sharpshooter who stays right back and blasts [back line]
Ranger - archer who stays back and blasts [back line]
Arcane Trickster Rogue who dances in and out of combat with rapier and owl familiar [skirmisher]
So, another skirmisher (Mobile) would mean the barbarian and wizard still taking all the heat but would keep me safe and (I think) help me do a lot more damage as I can spend Ki on Flurry rather than Dodge.
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
Then I would agree, the Mobile feat would allow you to be someone who can be anywhere in combat rather safely given that you can run by something, make an attack then move on to the next, make another attack, rinse repeat. Given the party comp I would say this is your best bet for a feat if you wanted to take one.
All this is assuming that you have a high main stat in Dex which should be at least 18 if not 20 by lvl 8.
Note: I have Mobile on my Shadow Monk that I took at lvl 4 and have not regretted a minute of it since. Even considering I can shadow step and turn invisible to get away from monsters, I still find having the Mobile feat to be incredibly useful.
I am also playing a Shadow monk (5th level now) in a different campaign and he has Mobile feat and a Ring of Free Action. Awesome combinaiton.
I was thinking to somehow make the Kensei a bit different, but Mobile just seems to go so well with Monk (any Tradiation)
Blakey
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
You could also go with something like Alert to allow you to always go higher than others in the turn order and make it so you're never surprised. I feel like thats going to be my monks next pick at 12. I could bump my Wis up, but its only going to increase my stun save DC by 1 and give one more AC. But +5 to initiative, never being surprised and no advantage when unseen is huge.
Why do you describe this as "huge"? Just curious. I agree it's a good pick thematically though.
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
I guess I should have put quotes around it to say that its all dependent on whether or not your DM actually has surprise rounds or not. But essentially you cant ever get ambushed and unless you're sleeping you'll always get to take a turn.
Take the situation where your party is walking down a path near some hills or an area where you can be surprised. Your party all fails their perception rolls to see the threat and combat starts. Without the alert feat the monsters will all likely get a turn before the rest of the party can act. However, with alert you'll be able to act and with the + to initiative you'll likely go before any number of the monsters. Thats a whole turn where you can act when others cannot.
In my mind, thats huge!
We use surprise but it's more the PCs getting it over the monsters than the other way around. I guess it does happen occasionally though.
I always thought Alert is the perfect feat for an Assassin, and am considering it on my Shadow Monk who may well multi-class into Assassin and Gloom Stalker.
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
Thats a fair point, and if you guys get it more than the monsters it may not be the best fit for you. Mobile is still sick though!
As for the multi-class, if you're doing it mostly for RP and whatnot, dont let me dissuade you. Mechanically though, be careful as the Monk is a class that benefits from staying a monk given the need for ASI/Feats, getting more Ki as you level and the abilities you get at certain levels. If your game supports the Assassian playstyle, it wouldnt be the worst choice, but a lot of their abilities lean towards a solo game. Gloom Stalker could work if you're taking a Longbow as one of your Kensei weapons as some of their abilities work really well with that. Plus I think it gives you darkvision which humans lack, which is nice.
Sorry, for clarity (and I appreciate this is a Kensei focused thread), I'm planning to stay single classed monk/kensei with the toon this thread is about. He is the one I'm wondering about Mobile or Tough as my Variant Human starting feat - and have pretty much settled on Mobile now.
I am also (in a separate, concurrent campaign) playing a shadow monk. He is the guy I am thinking to m/c into Assassin and Gloom Stalker. He is the party scout and with his Darkvision, Pass without Trace and (at 6th level) Shadow Step powers I think he'd make an amazing assassin. Plus it fit his 'ninja' vibe from an RP angle I believe.
My Author Page: www.peterjblake.com
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour, Okoth's War and Callindrill
Ahhh, that makes more sense then :) I was tempted to do the same with my shadow monk, but his personality doesnt vibe with that mentality, but he is the scout of the group, more-so now that he's 11 and can turn invisible.
Good call on the mobile though. It seems like it would fit the character and playstyle that you have in mind. Good luck!!