I'm playing a Aarokocra Kensei in Descent Into Avernus, and we're about to hit Level 4. The DM told us to come to the next session prepared with our new level, and I was hoping to get some advice for what to take.
My ability scores are all even, save a 17 in Dex. I was thinking of taking a half-feat, if not now then at some point, to round out that score and add some extra features. I haven't selected my melee Kensei weapon yet due to feat indecision, but my current ranged weapon is a Longbow. My DM did give me the green light to buy a Pistol though, so I'm thinking that will be my Level 6 Kensei weapon.
Anyone have any feat suggestions? Also if anyone is familiar with Descent Into Avernus, please don't spoil the campaign itself, though anything else is fair game.
Piercer would be good for a Long Bow or a Pistol build as it gives benefits to any weapon that does piercing damage. Gunner I would highly recommend if you do go with the pistol. Both also let you increase you Dex by 1.
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"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
Agree with Piercer and Gunner for both options... I think the imagery of a Aarokocra flying around with a pistol is kind of neat, but I wouldn't recommend using a firearm unless you get the Gunner feat to deal with the loading property. If you use a weapon like a Spear or Short sword for your melee weapon though, Piercer would have good benefits for both your Long Bow and this.
Piercer would be good for a Long Bow or a Pistol build as it gives benefits to any weapon that does piercing damage. Gunner I would highly recommend if you do go with the pistol. Both also let you increase you Dex by 1.
Huh, I hadn't realized Gunner increased Dexterity. Thanks.
...For some reason I had gotten it into my head that Kensei Weapons ignore the loading property. Looking it over, no they do not, whoops. All that reading and that's where I misremember something. Yeah that makes Gunner kind of a requirement if I take Pistol. Ki-Fueled Strikes can sorta circumvent it but that's still two attacks instead of three. Still, the appeal of just drawing a pistol on the forces of Hell is strong.
Agree with Piercer and Gunner for both options... I think the imagery of a Aarokocra flying around with a pistol is kind of neat, but I wouldn't recommend using a firearm unless you get the Gunner feat to deal with the loading property. If you use a weapon like a Spear or Short sword for your melee weapon though, Piercer would have good benefits for both your Long Bow and this.
If I took Piercer as a Kensei, I'd probably be wielding a War Pick or Rapier as my Kensei weapon. Probably War Pick; even though it's inferior to the Rapier and I'll probably never find a magic item for it, at least when it comes to distributing the loot, the Bard and I don't need to have a stand-off for who gets the Rapier.
Though if I did take the pistol, once I got Sharpen the Blade I'd probably be enjoying the magical Pistol +3. That was the main appeal of going down that path. And if I did take the Gunner, there'd be very little reason not to use it for every attack, barring Agile Parry.
I suppose if I let the Pistol go, I'd probably just take Skill Expert to be Proficient in Perception/Insight. Perception's always useful, and I was told Insight would be helpful when dealing with fiends and devils. Seems hard to go wrong with that
Thats right youre a Kensei and pick up another melee weapon at 6.
Besides Warpick and rapier, dont forget about the Morningstar as a martial 1d8 that does Piercing damage. It and the warpick are generally considered inferior to other d8's but its got flavor.
Another option is increase both your Dexterity and Wisdom by 1 and then when you hit 8th level take the Telekinetic feat for the ability to move opponents around on the battlefield or another half feat based on your Wisdom.
Another option is increase both your Dexterity and Wisdom by 1 and then when you hit 8th level take the Telekinetic feat for the ability to move opponents around on the battlefield or another half feat based on your Wisdom.
I had considered something similar, although more take Resilience at 8th level to get proficiency in Wis saves. The campaign is expected to top out at 13th level so it's not like I'd get to enjoy Diamond Soul, and it would fit him going through the school of hard knocks.
Plus the character is magic-averse, so while I could probably wrestle him into using it, it's more hassle. Maybe for a different character, or if this one dies. If only Crusher hadn't been changed to upping Str and Con.
Actually question, anyone have an idea how useful Insight vs Perception would be? I know normally Perception is the best skill check, but it's also something the entire party usually gets in on, while not everyone bothers with Insight. And I heard Insight could be very valuable for this campaign.
They are both useful but for very different things. Perception is just the general ability to notice things about your environment. Insight is your ability to read people and know what state they might be in, if they might be hiding information or lying to you, Or if there might be some distress or other strong emotions going on socially. So it's an important social skill to have.
As Fateless said, they're both very useful, but a lot DM's and games can play around Insight checks with unrolled character interactions. It really depends on your character and the world you play in.
I always invision Aarokocra's having little interaction with other humanoids, so they tend to have a low Charisma and in turn dont know how to interpet peoples expressions or if they are hiding ill intent. At the same time, as a bird like creature, i always imagine them as having freat vision like an eagle, and hence have a good perception. Not sure if you share the same image in your head as well.
Mechanically, theyre both important but Perception Checks are far more common... but stick to your character design
Well in a lot of games there are plenty of players that just don't think to ask for an insight check. So they never catch on to being tricked or there may be some underlying social thing that could be leveraged until it comes up later by surprise in ways the players never expected.
In more Social games and games that stick primarily to single locations in particular Insight can actually end up being used as much if not far more than Perception.
As Fateless said, they're both very useful, but a lot DM's and games can play around Insight checks with unrolled character interactions. It really depends on your character and the world you play in.
I always invision Aarokocra's having little interaction with other humanoids, so they tend to have a low Charisma and in turn dont know how to interpet peoples expressions or if they are hiding ill intent. At the same time, as a bird like creature, i always imagine them as having freat vision like an eagle, and hence have a good perception. Not sure if you share the same image in your head as well.
Mechanically, theyre both important but Perception Checks are far more common... but stick to your character design
Funnily enough, we have similar trains of thoughts, but despite that my Aarakocra came to be very good at reading expressions. He's a scout so Perception is easily justified, but I also fluffed his backstory as, he was born in the Elemental Plane of Air, then a wandering party of adventurers crashed through, and he ended up stranded alone in the material plane. And because he started off so bad at interpreting the expressions of dozens of species that are practically alien to him, he had to work very hard to understand everyone around him.
This is main reason picking between Perception and Insight is so painful, because by species and trade his Perception ought to be great, but by sheer immersive experience for what's now the majority of his life, he lived and died by his ability to puzzle out others.
His Charisma is still shit though; beaks just don't translate well to fleshy mouths. A bit of a shame since I like a good Intimidate speech, and natural talons make for a great demonstrative tool.
Right now I'm currently settled on taking Gunner for the fourth level; had been leery cause Gunner removes the disadvantage in melee, and I didn't want a monk to be discouraged from melee weapons, but then I realized that if I had a one handed 1d10 weapon, there was really no reason not to make a Whip my melee weapon. I'll have a damage dealer, so this would give me some reach to skirmish better. And mostly to apply Stunning Strike at a distance, which procs Ki-Fueled Strikes in the process. I either hit and run, or I hit, stun, and unload with whatever's left.
11th level kensei weapon could be anything, probably depends on if we got any magic items. So far no one uses a longsword, so that seems a likely pick.
Tentative plan is to grab Sharpshooter at Level 8, and multiclass sometime around then. Either Fighter for a Fighting Style (Mariner or Archery), or Rogue for Sneak Attack and Expertise (Perception and Insight). Rogue's looking more appealing since I settled on a whip for my melee weapon, cause it already has Finesse, and I'll have plenty of reason to use Stunning Fist. If for some reason the GM offers an extra feat, I am grabbing Fighting Initiate, going Rogue and never looking back.
If anyone has any thoughts, suggestions, or think I've overlooked something, please let me know, always good to get feedback.
I absolutely love Insight. Using it to the "read the room" is so fun. With a little love from the DM it becomes one of, if not my favorite skill in the game. I'm always looking for reasons to have insight on my characters. I'd personally be looking to pick up Skill Expert and sticking to a longbow, but if you're after a gun, you're after a gun and there's just no substituting that. I like your character concept and I think it could lend itself to a refreshing use of insight. To be honest, I think it makes perfect sense for anyone with proficiency in perception to also have proficiency in insight.
I'm a big believer in maxing out dexterity and picking up Archery Fighting Style before picking up Sharpshooter. -5 is going to have you missing a lot without the proper support to alleviate that negative. Since you're an Aarakocra the only way to do that by level 12 is with a 4 level dip into fighter or ranger. If you're set on sharpshooter I would pick up skill expert/gunner at 4, +2 dex at 8, and sharpshooter at 12. The fact that you're a monk with a class full of melee abilities should help with the fact that you come online later than other ranged builds. Of course, if you're willing and/or able to wait later than level 12, you can take fewer levels of your dip class.
If you're set on grabbing a gun, consider how likely it will be for you to get a magic one. If the answer is not likely I would definitely consider not dipping at all and getting to Sharpen the Blade as soon as possible. Actually, I would think about that option in general. Sharpen the Blade can substitute for Archery Fighting Style in the "reducing Sharphooter negative" department. I'd rather have it all, but your lack of a starting feat means that won't all come together until level 16. I think that's okay, again, because you're a monk with decent melee abilities.
I'm doing Descent Into Avernus, so the party is expecting to max out at Level 13. Which is a shame because if I could be expected to hit level 14+, I would have no probably going straight Monk, but Tongue of Sun and Moon is kind of a disappointing capstone. Hence why I've strongly considered a one level dip; any more and I lose an ASI or Sharpen The Blade. The main candidates have been Fighter, Rogue, and Cleric. My character has a phobia of magic so Cleric is so far least likely, but... Avernus. Plenty of time to find religion.
I like Rogue because Expertise, and I'd go Perception/Insight. It'd also fill a nice niche for the party, since we don't have much high Wis. The opposite, really. Fighter's main appeal is, as you say, Fighting Style for Archery would help Sharpshooter a lot. Passing up Expertise does hurt though, because a bit more to-hit is good but is also fight better, and not really helping the party or story as much.
As you say, Sharpen The Blade is something I'm really looking forward to. If I do go Gunner with a Pistol, that's what's probably getting the +3 boost, and hey, probably the first and maybe only time I'd be wielding a +3 Firearm. That would help a lot with Sharpshooter, and shooting in general.
I'll definitely keep in mind that Archery may be needed for effective Sharpshooter use, although waiting until Level 12/13 to use it feels a little late to enjoy. Also less impact. I think with Focused Aim I could do a reasonably good job of procing Sharpshooter by just spending a Ki point or two to close the gap, and then use Ki-Fueled Action to take a bonus shot. Maybe not use Sharpshooter for the after hits, to avoid overusing Ki.
If I don't do Sharpshooter, well... I guess raising my ASIs is always alright, nothing else has really jumped out at me.
If I somehow get a Flametongue or Frost Brand, I'll probably have to strongly reconsider my plans because those weapons and Sharpen The Blade are fantastic. But that seems like wishful thinking.
Okay knowing you're capping at 13, and taking into consideration the desire to play with sharpshooter for more than a level AND pick up Sharpen the Blade (desires I would 100% share), here's the build progression that comes to mind:
Level 1-7 Monk: Pick up your preferred half-feat at level 4, getting to a very respectable 18 dex.
Level 8. Dip one level into Fighter and pick up Archery Fighting Style.
Level 9+ Monk. You're set to pick up Sharpshooter at level 9 and can enjoy it for four levels of face slaughtering goodness. I think 18 dex and Archery Style, while not completely ideal, will be enough to make you feel good about Sharpshooter. And as you mention you have the ability to spend Ki to fill in the gap when necessary. If you feel like getting spicy at the end of your campaign you can always ditch the last ASI to pick up Action Surge and become a Nova machine. 20 Dex is 20 Dex but maybe you want something more exciting than a number. My conservative ass would go 20 Dex, but that's just me and my own baggage.
I certainly understand the desire behind the rogue dip, but I personally don't like how much Skill Expert mirrors what you want out of it while being a half feat that rounds out your Dex instead of being a full level dip. It also means going for Sharpshooter is going to be much more difficult. You're kind of in this three way tug of war where you want Sharpshooter, Guns and Expertise but it will be hard to do all three effectively AND in a way where you get to play with all of your toys for a decent chunk of your career.
You seem meh about the cleric dip. I feel pretty meh about it to considering what seem to be your desires for the build. Mechanically fine, but if the inspiration isn't there, why bother.
By the time you pick up a weapon like a flametongue you will probably have already committed to your ranged feats anyways. Which I think is more than okay. I'm a huge fan of switch-hitters. Being a Kensei that can pump out great ranged damage, only to switch on a dime and whip out a flametongue is a strength, not a weakness.
That's pretty close to what I was thinking, yeah. The first 7-8 Monk levels are just too densely packed with good things to take a dip without an exceptionally compelling reason. It's just that choosing between Fighter for better fighting vs Rogue for Expertise, and admittedly some nice bonus Sneak Attacks, that's tough. It's not just a matter of what's better with a ranged weapon either; since I expect to be using my Whip to do Stunning Strike at a distance, Sneak Attack can be expected to proc often and easily. Mind Sharpshooter should be winning in total damage output, but basically all my normal attacks could be augmented with a Sneak Attack.
As mentioned Cleric is currently at the bottom of my short list, but that's in large part because the character has a phobia of magic. It's just not in character for him to sincerely, fervently pray to a higher power, especially not to grant him magic. This could certainly change later on, but it's not an IC option right now.
I know the Guns kinda stretches me thinner, but aside from liking the aesthetics, I'm in a fairly magic heavy party. The only other martial is the Wild Path Barbarian. Hence why I decided to lean into the not-magic shtick, even if it inconveniences me. But drawing a bow and shooting an arrow doesn't have the same impact as, I draw my gun and shoot him. Especially since I'm planning to surprise them with the gun.
Also it just amuses the heck out of me for there to be a metaphorical line-up of spells like, "Magic Missile!", "Moonlight!", "Ice Knife!", and then the monk goes, "GUN!"
And yeah, if a flametongue shows up it'll be past when I've committed, but as far as I can tell there's not really a feat that makes the Kensei monk better with their melee weapons, not like Archery fighting style. I mean sure there's Great Weapon Master, but no easily accessible bonus to make you more likely to hit. I'm fairly comfortable just waiting and seeing what becomes available. Who knows, maybe my GM will take leave of his senses and drop a Defender, whereupon I set it to max AC boost and either use Sharpen The Blade on it, or on my Pistol and use Defender as a not-shield.
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I'm playing a Aarokocra Kensei in Descent Into Avernus, and we're about to hit Level 4. The DM told us to come to the next session prepared with our new level, and I was hoping to get some advice for what to take.
My ability scores are all even, save a 17 in Dex. I was thinking of taking a half-feat, if not now then at some point, to round out that score and add some extra features. I haven't selected my melee Kensei weapon yet due to feat indecision, but my current ranged weapon is a Longbow. My DM did give me the green light to buy a Pistol though, so I'm thinking that will be my Level 6 Kensei weapon.
Anyone have any feat suggestions? Also if anyone is familiar with Descent Into Avernus, please don't spoil the campaign itself, though anything else is fair game.
Piercer would be good for a Long Bow or a Pistol build as it gives benefits to any weapon that does piercing damage. Gunner I would highly recommend if you do go with the pistol. Both also let you increase you Dex by 1.
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Agree with Piercer and Gunner for both options... I think the imagery of a Aarokocra flying around with a pistol is kind of neat, but I wouldn't recommend using a firearm unless you get the Gunner feat to deal with the loading property. If you use a weapon like a Spear or Short sword for your melee weapon though, Piercer would have good benefits for both your Long Bow and this.
Huh, I hadn't realized Gunner increased Dexterity. Thanks.
...For some reason I had gotten it into my head that Kensei Weapons ignore the loading property. Looking it over, no they do not, whoops. All that reading and that's where I misremember something. Yeah that makes Gunner kind of a requirement if I take Pistol. Ki-Fueled Strikes can sorta circumvent it but that's still two attacks instead of three. Still, the appeal of just drawing a pistol on the forces of Hell is strong.
If I took Piercer as a Kensei, I'd probably be wielding a War Pick or Rapier as my Kensei weapon. Probably War Pick; even though it's inferior to the Rapier and I'll probably never find a magic item for it, at least when it comes to distributing the loot, the Bard and I don't need to have a stand-off for who gets the Rapier.
Though if I did take the pistol, once I got Sharpen the Blade I'd probably be enjoying the magical Pistol +3. That was the main appeal of going down that path. And if I did take the Gunner, there'd be very little reason not to use it for every attack, barring Agile Parry.
I suppose if I let the Pistol go, I'd probably just take Skill Expert to be Proficient in Perception/Insight. Perception's always useful, and I was told Insight would be helpful when dealing with fiends and devils. Seems hard to go wrong with that
Thats right youre a Kensei and pick up another melee weapon at 6.
Besides Warpick and rapier, dont forget about the Morningstar as a martial 1d8 that does Piercing damage. It and the warpick are generally considered inferior to other d8's but its got flavor.
Another option is increase both your Dexterity and Wisdom by 1 and then when you hit 8th level take the Telekinetic feat for the ability to move opponents around on the battlefield or another half feat based on your Wisdom.
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I had considered something similar, although more take Resilience at 8th level to get proficiency in Wis saves. The campaign is expected to top out at 13th level so it's not like I'd get to enjoy Diamond Soul, and it would fit him going through the school of hard knocks.
Plus the character is magic-averse, so while I could probably wrestle him into using it, it's more hassle. Maybe for a different character, or if this one dies. If only Crusher hadn't been changed to upping Str and Con.
Actually question, anyone have an idea how useful Insight vs Perception would be? I know normally Perception is the best skill check, but it's also something the entire party usually gets in on, while not everyone bothers with Insight. And I heard Insight could be very valuable for this campaign.
They are both useful but for very different things. Perception is just the general ability to notice things about your environment. Insight is your ability to read people and know what state they might be in, if they might be hiding information or lying to you, Or if there might be some distress or other strong emotions going on socially. So it's an important social skill to have.
As Fateless said, they're both very useful, but a lot DM's and games can play around Insight checks with unrolled character interactions. It really depends on your character and the world you play in.
I always invision Aarokocra's having little interaction with other humanoids, so they tend to have a low Charisma and in turn dont know how to interpet peoples expressions or if they are hiding ill intent. At the same time, as a bird like creature, i always imagine them as having freat vision like an eagle, and hence have a good perception. Not sure if you share the same image in your head as well.
Mechanically, theyre both important but Perception Checks are far more common... but stick to your character design
Well in a lot of games there are plenty of players that just don't think to ask for an insight check. So they never catch on to being tricked or there may be some underlying social thing that could be leveraged until it comes up later by surprise in ways the players never expected.
In more Social games and games that stick primarily to single locations in particular Insight can actually end up being used as much if not far more than Perception.
Well shoot, forgot to actually submit my message. Thanks to everyone for their replies, it helped me prioritize.
Funnily enough, we have similar trains of thoughts, but despite that my Aarakocra came to be very good at reading expressions. He's a scout so Perception is easily justified, but I also fluffed his backstory as, he was born in the Elemental Plane of Air, then a wandering party of adventurers crashed through, and he ended up stranded alone in the material plane. And because he started off so bad at interpreting the expressions of dozens of species that are practically alien to him, he had to work very hard to understand everyone around him.
This is main reason picking between Perception and Insight is so painful, because by species and trade his Perception ought to be great, but by sheer immersive experience for what's now the majority of his life, he lived and died by his ability to puzzle out others.
His Charisma is still shit though; beaks just don't translate well to fleshy mouths. A bit of a shame since I like a good Intimidate speech, and natural talons make for a great demonstrative tool.
Right now I'm currently settled on taking Gunner for the fourth level; had been leery cause Gunner removes the disadvantage in melee, and I didn't want a monk to be discouraged from melee weapons, but then I realized that if I had a one handed 1d10 weapon, there was really no reason not to make a Whip my melee weapon. I'll have a damage dealer, so this would give me some reach to skirmish better. And mostly to apply Stunning Strike at a distance, which procs Ki-Fueled Strikes in the process. I either hit and run, or I hit, stun, and unload with whatever's left.
11th level kensei weapon could be anything, probably depends on if we got any magic items. So far no one uses a longsword, so that seems a likely pick.
Tentative plan is to grab Sharpshooter at Level 8, and multiclass sometime around then. Either Fighter for a Fighting Style (Mariner or Archery), or Rogue for Sneak Attack and Expertise (Perception and Insight). Rogue's looking more appealing since I settled on a whip for my melee weapon, cause it already has Finesse, and I'll have plenty of reason to use Stunning Fist. If for some reason the GM offers an extra feat, I am grabbing Fighting Initiate, going Rogue and never looking back.
If anyone has any thoughts, suggestions, or think I've overlooked something, please let me know, always good to get feedback.
I absolutely love Insight. Using it to the "read the room" is so fun. With a little love from the DM it becomes one of, if not my favorite skill in the game. I'm always looking for reasons to have insight on my characters. I'd personally be looking to pick up Skill Expert and sticking to a longbow, but if you're after a gun, you're after a gun and there's just no substituting that. I like your character concept and I think it could lend itself to a refreshing use of insight. To be honest, I think it makes perfect sense for anyone with proficiency in perception to also have proficiency in insight.
I'm a big believer in maxing out dexterity and picking up Archery Fighting Style before picking up Sharpshooter. -5 is going to have you missing a lot without the proper support to alleviate that negative. Since you're an Aarakocra the only way to do that by level 12 is with a 4 level dip into fighter or ranger. If you're set on sharpshooter I would pick up skill expert/gunner at 4, +2 dex at 8, and sharpshooter at 12. The fact that you're a monk with a class full of melee abilities should help with the fact that you come online later than other ranged builds. Of course, if you're willing and/or able to wait later than level 12, you can take fewer levels of your dip class.
If you're set on grabbing a gun, consider how likely it will be for you to get a magic one. If the answer is not likely I would definitely consider not dipping at all and getting to Sharpen the Blade as soon as possible. Actually, I would think about that option in general. Sharpen the Blade can substitute for Archery Fighting Style in the "reducing Sharphooter negative" department. I'd rather have it all, but your lack of a starting feat means that won't all come together until level 16. I think that's okay, again, because you're a monk with decent melee abilities.
I'm doing Descent Into Avernus, so the party is expecting to max out at Level 13. Which is a shame because if I could be expected to hit level 14+, I would have no probably going straight Monk, but Tongue of Sun and Moon is kind of a disappointing capstone. Hence why I've strongly considered a one level dip; any more and I lose an ASI or Sharpen The Blade. The main candidates have been Fighter, Rogue, and Cleric. My character has a phobia of magic so Cleric is so far least likely, but... Avernus. Plenty of time to find religion.
I like Rogue because Expertise, and I'd go Perception/Insight. It'd also fill a nice niche for the party, since we don't have much high Wis. The opposite, really. Fighter's main appeal is, as you say, Fighting Style for Archery would help Sharpshooter a lot. Passing up Expertise does hurt though, because a bit more to-hit is good but is also fight better, and not really helping the party or story as much.
As you say, Sharpen The Blade is something I'm really looking forward to. If I do go Gunner with a Pistol, that's what's probably getting the +3 boost, and hey, probably the first and maybe only time I'd be wielding a +3 Firearm. That would help a lot with Sharpshooter, and shooting in general.
I'll definitely keep in mind that Archery may be needed for effective Sharpshooter use, although waiting until Level 12/13 to use it feels a little late to enjoy. Also less impact. I think with Focused Aim I could do a reasonably good job of procing Sharpshooter by just spending a Ki point or two to close the gap, and then use Ki-Fueled Action to take a bonus shot. Maybe not use Sharpshooter for the after hits, to avoid overusing Ki.
If I don't do Sharpshooter, well... I guess raising my ASIs is always alright, nothing else has really jumped out at me.
If I somehow get a Flametongue or Frost Brand, I'll probably have to strongly reconsider my plans because those weapons and Sharpen The Blade are fantastic. But that seems like wishful thinking.
Okay knowing you're capping at 13, and taking into consideration the desire to play with sharpshooter for more than a level AND pick up Sharpen the Blade (desires I would 100% share), here's the build progression that comes to mind:
Level 1-7 Monk: Pick up your preferred half-feat at level 4, getting to a very respectable 18 dex.
Level 8. Dip one level into Fighter and pick up Archery Fighting Style.
Level 9+ Monk. You're set to pick up Sharpshooter at level 9 and can enjoy it for four levels of face slaughtering goodness. I think 18 dex and Archery Style, while not completely ideal, will be enough to make you feel good about Sharpshooter. And as you mention you have the ability to spend Ki to fill in the gap when necessary. If you feel like getting spicy at the end of your campaign you can always ditch the last ASI to pick up Action Surge and become a Nova machine. 20 Dex is 20 Dex but maybe you want something more exciting than a number. My conservative ass would go 20 Dex, but that's just me and my own baggage.
I certainly understand the desire behind the rogue dip, but I personally don't like how much Skill Expert mirrors what you want out of it while being a half feat that rounds out your Dex instead of being a full level dip. It also means going for Sharpshooter is going to be much more difficult. You're kind of in this three way tug of war where you want Sharpshooter, Guns and Expertise but it will be hard to do all three effectively AND in a way where you get to play with all of your toys for a decent chunk of your career.
You seem meh about the cleric dip. I feel pretty meh about it to considering what seem to be your desires for the build. Mechanically fine, but if the inspiration isn't there, why bother.
By the time you pick up a weapon like a flametongue you will probably have already committed to your ranged feats anyways. Which I think is more than okay. I'm a huge fan of switch-hitters. Being a Kensei that can pump out great ranged damage, only to switch on a dime and whip out a flametongue is a strength, not a weakness.
That's pretty close to what I was thinking, yeah. The first 7-8 Monk levels are just too densely packed with good things to take a dip without an exceptionally compelling reason. It's just that choosing between Fighter for better fighting vs Rogue for Expertise, and admittedly some nice bonus Sneak Attacks, that's tough. It's not just a matter of what's better with a ranged weapon either; since I expect to be using my Whip to do Stunning Strike at a distance, Sneak Attack can be expected to proc often and easily. Mind Sharpshooter should be winning in total damage output, but basically all my normal attacks could be augmented with a Sneak Attack.
As mentioned Cleric is currently at the bottom of my short list, but that's in large part because the character has a phobia of magic. It's just not in character for him to sincerely, fervently pray to a higher power, especially not to grant him magic. This could certainly change later on, but it's not an IC option right now.
I know the Guns kinda stretches me thinner, but aside from liking the aesthetics, I'm in a fairly magic heavy party. The only other martial is the Wild Path Barbarian. Hence why I decided to lean into the not-magic shtick, even if it inconveniences me. But drawing a bow and shooting an arrow doesn't have the same impact as, I draw my gun and shoot him. Especially since I'm planning to surprise them with the gun.
Also it just amuses the heck out of me for there to be a metaphorical line-up of spells like, "Magic Missile!", "Moonlight!", "Ice Knife!", and then the monk goes, "GUN!"
And yeah, if a flametongue shows up it'll be past when I've committed, but as far as I can tell there's not really a feat that makes the Kensei monk better with their melee weapons, not like Archery fighting style. I mean sure there's Great Weapon Master, but no easily accessible bonus to make you more likely to hit. I'm fairly comfortable just waiting and seeing what becomes available. Who knows, maybe my GM will take leave of his senses and drop a Defender, whereupon I set it to max AC boost and either use Sharpen The Blade on it, or on my Pistol and use Defender as a not-shield.