The Cenobite[1] build at level 1 is a specialized Monk utilizing a mixture of styles to excel in intimidation and unarmed combat. The character is surprisingly resilient and focuses on using dexterity over strength, capitalizing on Weapon Finesse to enhance attack capabilities with a Spiked Chain. The start of this build lays a solid foundation in stealth and intimidation tactics.
Level 1 Stat Block
Cenobite: female, halfling monk 1; CR 1; Small humanoid (halfling); HD 1d8+1; hp 9; Init +4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +0; Grp -3; Atk Spiked Chain +4 (1d4) or unarmed strike +4 (1d4); Full Atk Spiked Chain +4 (1d4) or unarmed strike +4 (1d4); SA Stunning Fist; SQ Creepy Doll, Unnatural Presence, bonus feat; AL Lawful Evil; SV Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +5; Str 5, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 16.
Utilizes Dance of Chains with Spiked Chain for reach, superior dexterity based combat tactics.
Possessions:
Doll Mask, Spiked Chain, basic monk outfit.
At level 5, the Cenobite[1] Monk build emphasizes agility and intimidation. Utilizing the Spiked Chain and various combat styles, the character becomes a formidable presence on the battlefield, capable of striking fear into foes while delivering precise attacks. The Dex-focused build uses Weapon Finesse to maximize effectiveness.
Level 5 Stat Block
Cenobite Monk: female, Halfling Monk 5; CR 5; Small humanoid (Halfling); HD 5d8; hp 35; Init +5; Spd 30 ft.; AC 18, touch 16, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +3; Grp +5; Atk Spiked Chain +7 melee (2d4+5) or Unarmed strike +7 melee (1d6+5); Full Atk Spiked Chain +7/+2 melee (2d4+5) or Unarmed strike +7 melee (1d6+5); SA Stunning Fist, Flurry of Blows; SQ Master of Many Styles, Ki Pool (Magic), Monk AC Bonus; AL LN; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +6; Str 5, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 16.
The character can use Ki points to enhance attacks with negative levels (Deadhand Master), and mix combat styles for versatile fighting techniques.
Possessions:
Spiked Chain, Doll Mask, Ki Focus.
The level 10 Monk build featuring Halfling race with Creepy Doll racial feature, leans into the fear factor quite effectively. With the feat collection including Dance of Chains and Deadhand Master, you’ll focus on negative levels as your main offensive tactic. Your Spiked Chain is finessed, dealing respectable damage using Dexterity for both attack and damage rolls. Despite small size, the character excels at Intimidation with Soulless Gaze enhancing fear effects.
Level 10 Stat Block
Monk Cenobite: halfling monk 7/antipaladin 3; CR 9; Small humanoid (halfling); HD 7d8+3d10; hp 75; Init +5; Spd 30 ft.; AC 22, touch 17, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +9; Grp +6; Atk Spiked Chain +15 (2d4+5/19-20) or Unarmed +14 (1d6+5); Full Atk Spiked Chain +15/+10 (2d4+5/19-20) or Unarmed +14/+9 (1d6+5); SA Stunning Fist, Negative Levels, Intimidation; SQ Evasion, Ki Pool, Tongueless Master, Fearsomeness; AL LE; SV Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +11; Str 5, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 16.
Negative Levels, Strike opponents to inflict 2 negative levels without a save. Tongueless Master – Steal voices, Blindsense 30 ft..
Possessions:
Spiked Chain, Doll Mask, basic adventuring gear.
At level 15, the build is extremely resilient and uses the Monk’s Stunning Fist alongside style feats to rapidly incapacitate foes. This build also leverages the unique abilities from the Hellknight[2] and Antipaladin classes, turning the character into a formidable force capable of debuffing opponents and controlling the battlefield. Swift and intimidating, the character can induce panic in opponents, exploiting fearsomeness to neutralize threats effectively.
Level 15 Stat Block
Cenobite: female, Halfling Monk 11/Antipaladin 3/Hellknight 1; CR 15; Small Humanoid (Halfling); HD 11d8+3d10+1d10; hp 97; Init +7; Spd 30 ft.; AC 25, touch 19, flat-footed 21; Base Atk +14; Grp +10; Atk Spiked Chain +21/+16/+11 (2d4+5, x2); Full Atk Spiked Chain +21/+16/+11 (2d4+5, x2); SA Stunning Fist, Deadhand Master (Negative Levels); SQ Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, DR 5/good, Aura of Cowardice, Blindsense; AL LE; SV Fort +13, Ref +16, Will +13; Str 5, Dex 22, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 16.
Fearsomeness from Hellknight levels allows demoralizing enemies quickly with Intimidate. The ability to impose two negative levels enhances its melee threat.
Possessions:
Doll Mask, Spiked Chain, Cloak of Resistance +3, Bracers of Armor +4.
At level 20, the Cenobite[1] build reaches full potential with unparalleled control over fear and negative levels. With Monk and Hellknight prowess, the build combines intimidating presence and advanced martial techniques. Capable of consistently utilizing Style Feats simultaneously, it leverages the Master of Many Styles to bypass prerequisites. Equipped with superior mobility and defensive measures, it remains elusive even as it strikes fear with the Kyton Style, delivering negative levels effortlessly. The build’s hallmark lies in its synergy between dexterity driven combat, superior stealth, and a potent ability to incapacitate foes through non standard means.
Level 20 Stat Block
Cenobite: male, Halfling Monk 11/Antipaladin 3/Hellknight 6; CR 20; Small Humanoid (Halfling); HD 11d8+3d10+6d10; hp 165; Init +4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 30, touch 24, flat-footed 26; Base Atk +19; Grp +17; Atk Spiked Chain +32 (1d8+8) or Unarmed Strike +29 (2d6+7); Full Atk Spiked Chain +32/+27/+22/+17 (1d8+8) or Unarmed Strike +29/+24/+19/+14 (2d6+7); SA Stunning Fist, Kyton Style, Deadhand Master; SQ Evasion, Still Mind, Ki Pool, Purity of Body, Diamond Body, Tongueless Master; AL LE; SV Fort +19, Ref +20, Will +19; Str 5, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 18.
Can cause two negative levels with no saving throw, frighten opponents as per Hellknight Fearsomeness, use Stunning Fist with spiked chain via Kyton Style.
Possessions:
Spiked Chain, Doll Mask, various style tokens.
Milestones Of Character Development
Levels 1-5: Begin specializing in Spiked Chain combat with Weapon Finesse, Deadhand Style, and Chain Mastery. These levels focus on building dexterity and enhancing initiative with the Reactionary trait.
Levels 6-10: Achieve Deadhand Master to inflict negative levels using Stunning Fists. Gain powerful feats like Dance of Chains and Mask of Virtue to further style and intimidation tactics against enemies.
Levels 11-15: Master intimidating enemies with Soulless Gaze and achieve a frightening presence on the battlefield. Gain Weapon Focus for efficiency with the Spiked Chain and develop into using Shatter Defenses.
Levels 16-20: Focus on advancing unarmed combat skills with Piranha Strike and Blinded Blade Style. Utilize advanced techniques like Dazzling Display to escalate fear, making foes susceptible to your final combat strategies.
Core Abilities & Features
The Cenobite[1] Monk build combines unique archetypes and class levels to create a character that excels in both intimidation and martial prowess. By integrating the Scarred Monk and Master of Many Styles with Antipaladin levels and the Hellknight[2] Prestige Class, the player harnesses a combination of styles and abilities that are both versatile and powerful. The use of Style feats, notably Deadhand Master, allows the Cenobite[1] to deliver negative levels with unarmed strikes, thus giving this build an early and potentially game altering advantage.
This build heavily focuses on Dexterity for attack and damage, thanks to Weapon Finesse and Dance of Chains, while it maintains viable resilience through a balanced Wisdom and Charisma. The early acquisition of Deadhand Master is remarkable for its deadly efficiency, almost guaranteed when opponents are caught flat-footed or unable to react in time. Ki points become a currency of destruction, turning strikes into debilitating obstacles for their targets. The Cenobite[1] sustains a steady adaptation from typical combat expectations by also debuffing through exotic weapon choices like the Spiked Chain.
The racial choice of Halfling with the Creepy Doll alternate feature not only fits the thematic horror but also synergizes with the Fear-based skills and abilities afforded by Hellknight levels and soulless talents such as Soulless Gaze and Dazzling Display. By generating extreme levels of fear among enemies, the Cenobite[1] gains battlefield control, often forcing foes to cower or flee. The combination of fear and style mastery becomes a signature feature of this build, rendering it both creatively eerie and tactically formidable.
Equipment Progression
Level Range
Equipment
Details
L1-5
Spiked Chain
Begins to blend the finesse attack approach with weapon reach and damage potential
L6-10
Spiked Chain (Kyton Style)
Utilize Kyton Style for combined Stunning Fist and negative level effects, dominating foes early in combat
L11-15
Hellknight Plate
Provides significant AC boost and unique Hellknight abilities like Frightening Demoralization
L16-20
Butchering Axe
Maximizes damage output with 3d6 damage, enhanced further by class abilities and power attack tactics
Combat Scenarios
Dungeon Crawls:
Leverage Intimidate and Stealth to quietly bypass threats. In tight spaces, use Deadhand Master for surprise attacks, afflicting negative levels swiftly. Wis-based perception allows for spotting traps and detecting creatures.
Open Fields:
Utilize Weapon Finesse and Dance of Chains for reach; keep foes at a distance. Spiked Chain attacks benefit from Dexterity, enhancing both precision and damage, while Stunning Fist can incapacitate one foe at a time.
Ambushes:
Maximize Stealth to gain tactical positions, then initiate with a Dazzling Display to disorient opponents. Follow-up with a Ki-fueled Deadhand Master strike for immediate debuffs. Employ Unnatural Presence for incapacitating animals/vermin.
Defensive Stands:
Anchor with high Charisma Soulless Gaze to ward off mobs. Rotate through defensive styles, using Mask of Virtue to bolster saving throws and Intimidate to demoralize attackers into submission, buying time for allied reinforcements.
Urban Encounters:
Blend among crowds, using Tongueless Master to silence key spellcasters. React quickly with Reactionary trait bonuses in surprise urban skirmishes. Rely on Blindsense to avoid being blindsided in crowded or bustling areas.
Weaknesses & Counters
Weakness
Counter
Limited Weapon Range
Equip with ‘Long Arm Bracers’: Provides reach increase for melee attacks, allowing safe distance engagement.
Weak Against Ranged Attackers
Utilize ‘Ring of Blinking’: Grants ability to phase, making ranged attacks less likely to hit.
Low Strength
Equip with ‘Belt of Giant Strength’: Improves Strength ability, aiding in physical encounters.
Susceptible to Damage without Armor
Prioritize ‘Monk’s Robe’: Grants an armor bonus equivalent to an armor bonus without impeding dexterity.
Dependency on Style Feats
Adjust play style to minimize reliance or switch between styles based on the situation to optimize strategy.
Roleplaying
Walking into a room as the Cenobite[1] means embodying a being of chilling intimidation. Lean into the unnerving aura granted by your Creepy Doll heritage. Imagine a halfling whose stare alone can cause seasoned warriors to hesitate. The Creepy Doll alternate racial trait allows you to play on this theme, creating an unsettling persona that’s both intriguing and mystifying.
Consider how your character interacts with the party and encounters. The Deadhand Master feat grants the ability to inflict negative levels, showcasing your control over fear and fate. Roleplay these abilities by portraying a calm demeanor even in the chaos of battle, unnervingly collecting yourself as others panic. Your abilities create opportunities to diplomatically manipulate foes, weaving a narrative of dread and command.
The mortification choices suggest a background of sacrifice and ritual. With Eyes Stitched Shut, imagine a dark rite where you foreswore one sense to heighten others, embedding your narrative with mystery and determination. The Tongueless Master mortification offers unique dialogue challenges, encouraging creativity in non-verbal communication and emphasizing a mystical, almost ghostly presence for your character.
Using your abilities like Soulless Gaze and Dazzling Display further deepen your story. Every intimidating glare is a testament to your strength, every strategic command a ripple of the controlled terror you expertly unleash. Enhance interactions by considering how these feats add layers to encounters, intimidate enemies into cowering submission, or steer social exchanges by sheer presence alone. These moments shape your legend, elevating your character from mere halfling to a fearsome embodiment of intimidation and control.
The Cenobite[1] stands out with its intimidation and control abilities. Creepy Doll provides a chilling aura. Paired with mortification feats, it creates a mysteriously powerful presence. The build balances physical prowess with psychological warfare tactics. Deadhand Master and Soulless Gaze enhance the fear factor. Together, these traits establish the Cenobite[1] as a puppet master of fate, unmatched in instilling dread.
How should a Cenobite handle social interactions?
Leverage your unsettling presence in social situations, surprising foes with your control. Use your abilities to guide conversations and negotiate through intimidation. Feats like Dazzling Display allow you to manipulate enemies. Play on their fears and force them into submission. Your calm, collected demeanor can unnervingly sway encounters. Non-verbal communication becomes crucial, especially with Tongueless Master, adding depth to interactions.
What role does a Cenobite play in combat?
In combat, a Cenobite uses a blend of intimidation and precise strikes. The goal is to unsettle foes emotionally, then capitalize on their hesitation. Utilize Deadhand Master to weaken enemies with negative levels. Maintain control with your strategic positioning and aura effects. Support allies by demoralizing threats and moulding the battlefield.
Essential feats include Deadhand Master and Dazzling Display. Both enhance fear control and presence. Soulless Gaze synergizes well, amplifying intimidation effects. Consider Mortification feats like Eyes Stitched Shut for unique advantages. These selections intertwine, crafting a character that embodies dread and mysticism. The right combination heightens the Cenobite[1]’s intimidating elegance on various fronts.
The Cenobite[1] can intimidate and unsettle NPCs to alter game scenarios. Leveraging fear and psychological insights, it can shift power dynamics. Defusing conflicts or forcing resolutions becomes possible through overt presence. This halfling’s martially and mystically adept, influencing both allies and adversaries. Develop cunning plans supported by well-executed intimidations.
Join us at Stellar Dragons with the Cenobite!
Why not explore a session as a Cenobite in your next game? Do you think the Cenobite[1] could be the best build in Pathfinder 1E? Join the discussion at the Stellar Dragons Discord server: https://discord.gg/uAPvgEq6Z7.
We’re taking both the Scarred Monk and Master of Many Styles Archetypes, along with levels in Antipaladin with the Tyrant Archetype. Finally we are also picking levels in the Hellknight Prestige Class. Our leveling should look like the following:
Class
Monk (Quiggong, Scarred Monk, Master of Many Styles)7/Antipaladin (Tyrant)3/Hellknight 6/Monk (Quiggong, Scarred Monk, Master of Many Styles) +4
Race
We are going for Halfling with the Creepy Doll Alternate Racial Feature.
Ability Scores
15Point-Buy
Str 5/Dex 16/Con 12/Int 10/Wis 15/Cha 16 Round up Wisdom then everything in Dex.
20Point-Buy
Str 5/Dex 17/Con 12/Int 10/Wis 16/Cha 16 Everything in Dex.
25Point-Buy
Str 5/Dex 18/Con 12/Int 10/Wis 16/Cha 17 Round up Charisma then everything in Dex.
Traits
Reactionary for that +2 to Initiative, Unnatural Presence to Intimidate animals and vermin.
Favored Class Bonus
HP.
Skills
Intimidate, Stealth, Perception, Knowledge(Planes) need a minimum of 2.
Feats by Level
1-Weapon Finesse
Monk-Improved Unarmed Strike Monk-Stunning Fists
Bonus 1-Kyton Style Bonus
2-Deadhand Style
3-Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Spiked Chain)
5-Chain Mastery
Bonus 6-Deadhand Master
7-Dance of Chains
9-Mask of Virtue
11-Soulless Gaze
13-Weapon Focus(Spiked Chain)
15-Dazzling Display
17-Piranha Strike
19-Shatter Defenses
Bonus 19-Blinded Blade Style
Weapon Finesse+Dance of Chains means we have reach during our turn with our Spiked Chain and we can use dex for both attack and damage with it.
Even though our Unarmed Strike deals terrible damage, we can still Stunning Fists with em, but we also can do the same with our Spiked Chains via Kyton Style. Since we are a Master of Many Styles, we can use multiple Style feats together, which leads into getting Deadhand Master at level 6 which would normally be impossible, but you bypass prerequisites as a Master of Many Styles. When you strike a target with unarmed strikes, you can spend Ki to give Two Negative Levels with no saving throw. Combine that with your good attack and suddenly people are dropping left and right. Getting this at lvl 6 is downright broken.
We also get Soulless Gaze and unfortunately we cannot use Cornugon Smash due to not using Power Attack, but we still have Dazzling Display which combined with the Hellknight’s Fearsomeness ability lets it send enemies cowering in under a round.
Mortifications by Level
3-Eyes Stitched Shut
7-Tongueless Master
19-Contortionist
So we can steal the voice of people, making us extremely powerful against spellcasters, and we have Blindsense, which evolve into Blindsight against creatures who have received at least one points of damage, and finally we can escape almost any bonds.
Equipment
A Doll Mask, a Spiked Chain(even though we won’t really be using it until level 3)
Final Thoughts on the Build
We are a creepy character aight. Even though we are small we can easily Intimidate creatures into a panic with very little difficulty, and no one is immune to fear when near us. We can freeze and make people believe we are a doll, and are overall extremely good at Stealth. We can kill enemies via negative levels instead of damage in a few rounds starting as soon as level 6 which is crazy, and we can hard counter most spellcasters via our Tongueless Master ability.
Okay, that Intimidate build we previously made was cool, and very thematic for stealth, but what if we wanted to be out there in public and slicing people in twain to scare them?
Well, I do in fact have a build for us here.
We will be taking the Executioner Archetype, multiclass into Antipaladin with the Tyrant Archetype and take levels of the Hellknight Prestige Class. Our leveling should look like the following:
Power Attack+Cornugon Smash+Shatter Defenses is pretty self-explanatory at this point, Soulless Gaze lets us increase the fear status on Intimidate and with our massive Strength, Intimidating Prowess is just a no-brainer.
Slayer Talents by Level
2-Ranger Combat Style
17-Painful Strike
19-Poison Use
Hellknight
As a Hellknight we get to wear Hellknight Plate which is pretty much the best armor in the game before enchantments, plus we get some neat anti-chaos bonuses and three Disciplines at the following Levels:
8-Onslaught
11-Fearsomeness
14-Call Armor
We can summon our armor to us, gain a +4 bonus to Strength for a few times a day and we can, three times per day, when we make an Intimidate to Demoralize someone, make them Frightened instead of Shaken.
Equipment
A Butchering Axe and the best medium armor you can get. Eventually we’re getting Hellknight Plate.
Final Thoughts on the Build
We can send targets panicking in less than one round and no one, no one is immune to our fear effects. Plus with a Butchering Axe we are doing stupid damage (3d6 base). Even at lvl 1 without Power Attack we deal 3d6+6/7 damage which is enough to pretty much one shot anything at this level. And this will keep being the case for a few levels between Power Attack, Studied Target(which doubles for us as Executioner vs humanoids, but admittedly lowers to 0 against others). We are super resilient with Hellknight Armor and did I say we are sending everyone cowering as part of attacking? This build is one of the strongest I have made so far weirdly enough.
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