Maxing Out Dex for Halfling Light Monk

[blumsborres]

Hi there, I'm a noob to the monk class. I've been reading up on different builds and I see that alot of them rely on tomes to get stats up the spec. Let's just suppose that I can't afford tomes (unless I pick them up of course). I also have no plans of reincarnating (I see alot of talk about 34pt builds). Would the following stats be fine to start with? Please give me your insights.

Hafling Monk (32pt Build)
STR 12 - sarificing DPS for better WIS
DEX 18 - AC + TWF requirements - trying to save on tomes
CON 14 - i've been told that this is satisfactory
INT 8
WIS 16 - AC + Special Attacks DC (+5 this is my level stat)
CHA 8

[Goldeneye]

Yeah, that could work. Wouldn't be bad at all.
Just make sure you get a +1 STR tome at some point so you can get Power Attack.*

*By level 10ish you should be able to afford a few +1 tomes, if you hadn't looted them by that point.

[blumsborres]

thanks for your quick reply

truth is I already have a +1 STR tome lying around hehehe

I just want to make sure I'v got the right stats before I use it up.

[ProdigalGuru]

Just assume you will be able to get all the +1 tomes you want, and a pair of +2's, eventually, and at least.

+3 and up would be where it gets iffy.

[Goldeneye]

Great!


Also, worst case scenario: you could always lesser reincarnate, and swap all you stats around, however I don't see a problem - you should be just fine!

[Crinos]

It looks ok to me, but to be honest I think 18 starting dex costs too much on a monk.

If you start at 16 instead you could better spend those stat points elsewhere.

More Strength or more Con would be the best options in my opinion.

[Rikien]

It looks ok to me, but to be honest I think 18 starting dex costs too much on a monk.

If you start at 16 instead you could better spend those stat points elsewhere.

More Strength or more Con would be the best options in my opinion.

Well 18 DEX costs as much for a halfling as 16 DEX costs for say a human. 20 DEX is their max you know. :)

[Crinos]

Well 18 DEX costs as much for a halfling as 16 DEX costs for say a human. 20 DEX is their max you know. :)

Yup. Nonetheless I still think it's too expensive for a monk.

You could have 14 strength for an extra +1 damage, or the better choice in my opinion 16 con for an extra 20 HP, +1 to fort saves and access to 1 tier higher of earth strikes. Those are my main elemental strikes when TOD is on cooldown, and allow me to prime my x4 crit multiplier finisher for taking down stunned mobs faster.

You should be hitting on a 2 even starting with 16 dex anyway, so the only thing you really lose out on is 1AC and -1 to reflex saves.

Edit: I'll leave the original post there, but note that it's based on my false assumption that level ups would be going into Dex. I failed to spot that they are going into Wis. Given that, my comments were incorrect.

[maestro973]

When you say that wisdom is your level stat, I'm assuming here that you're going to be putting the 5 points from leveling into wisdom.

If you ever plan on running this character on some high-end content you're going to struggle in the to-hit department. If you still want to really focus on wisdom I'd recommend something like take halfling dex 1+2, then place 3 level points in dex and the other 2 in wisdom.

[Crinos]

When you say that wisdom is your level stat, I'm assuming here that you're going to be putting the 5 points from leveling into wisdom.

If you ever plan on running this character on some high-end content you're going to struggle in the to-hit department. If you still want to really focus on wisdom I'd recommend something like take halfling dex 1+2, then place 3 level points in dex and the other 2 in wisdom.

Ah, good point. I missed that. Ignore my previous comments about not having trouble hitting anything starting with a 16 dex.

I wouldn't advise putting your level ups into Wis, but if that's really what you want to do then I see why you want to start with 18 dex.

I'd second maestro' suggestion. If you are really intent on putting stat points into Wis his suggestion of 3 in dex and 2 in wis sound like the best compromise to me.

[blumsborres]

what do you mean by "take halfling dex 1+2" +2 tome?

i'm planning to take Weapons Finesse.. would that still give me to hit problems with 18 dex?

[le_goat]

i'm planning to take Weapons Finesse.. would that still give me to hit problems with 18 dex?

no , your to-hit will be ok if you take weapons finesse.

[Jasam01]

I'm going to say probably.I'm not sure if thats before or after switching off power attack.

A Wis build, might, be possable, there was one person saying they wern't having torubles, but well...

Honestly, with the damage sacrifice from potentialy power attack and low str, your extra Wis might not be worth anything at all *shrugs*

Also, I recomend 16 con for Tier IV Earth strikes to go with one of the more useful stances for higher DPS.

I also feel manditorly obliged to reccomend considering using a feat swap to change from Light to Dark later on(9+), as currently with double hitting ToD, stacking incoprability and invis and SA damage, dark monks have a lot of nice perks from level 9... While Light monks, quite unfortunatly, won't see a PrE rewrite till U7

[stainer]

I'm going to say probably.I'm not sure if thats before or after switching off power attack.

A Wis build, might, be possable, there was one person saying they wern't having torubles, but well...

Honestly, with the damage sacrifice from potentialy power attack and low str, your extra Wis might not be worth anything at all *shrugs*

Also, I recomend 16 con for Tier IV Earth strikes to go with one of the more useful stances for higher DPS.

I also feel manditorly obliged to reccomend considering using a feat swap to change from Light to Dark later on(9+), as currently with double hitting ToD, stacking incoprability and invis and SA damage, dark monks have a lot of nice perks from level 9... While Light monks, quite unfortunatly, won't see a PrE rewrite till U7

Hi Welcome

This is my dex/wis lt monk. I don't have to turn off PA to hit. I don't need a PrE.

Jasam01, please link your monks.

http://my.ddo.com/character/khyber/dreamler/

[blumsborres]

ok... what about this... I was under the impression that WIS has become more important after Update 5.

STR 12 = this time sacrificing DPS for chance to hit
DEX 18 = its more important to hit mobs than to stun them (+5 level up stats)
CON 16 = more HP and Earth Stance
INT 8 = huh?
WIS 14 = sacrifice stunning for hitting ^_^
CHA 8 = i'm ugly but i'm celibate anyway so it doesn't matter

i'm taking weapons finesse of course...

[stainer]

ok... what about this... I was under the impression that WIS has become more important after Update 5.

STR 12 = this time sacrificing DPS for chance to hit
DEX 18 = its more important to hit mobs than to stun them (+5 level up stats)
CON 16 = more HP and Earth Stance
INT 8 = huh?
WIS 14 = sacrifice stunning for hitting ^_^
CHA 8 = i'm ugly but i'm celibate anyway so it doesn't matter

i'm taking weapons finesse of course...

You don't have any +2 tomes banked?

[blumsborres]

nope... just assume i can't afford +2 tomes...

[stainer]

nope... just assume i can't afford +2 tomes...

I can do that, but I want you to consider how many stats a monk needs to have at a decent level. Even if you only purchase a +2 dex tome from the AH you can start with your dex a little lower. I had a +2 wis and a +2 dex tome ready when I built my monk. I have added a +3 con tome and +2 tomes in everything else and I have a +3 str and a +3 int tome banked in case I decide to LR.

[blumsborres]

yes... but i'm trying to build a monk without having to use tomes... because.... i don't have that many plats and i don't have that many TPs

[stainer]

yes... but i'm trying to build a monk without having to use tomes...

That is like trying to build a Mercedes without Germans.

[blumsborres]

can we stick to the topic and work with what I have? unless you're willing to donate all those tomes you mentioned? i just can't afford them.

[TPICKRELL]

can we stick to the topic and work with what I have? unless you're willing to donate all those tomes you mentioned? i just can't afford them.Keep in mind that if you are willing to grind, you don't have to pay plat or turbine points in order to get some tomes. You get 1 plus 2 tome of your choice when you hit 1750 favor with each toon.

And you canget +3 tomes as an option when you complete your 20th (and multiples of 20) run of high level Raids like Shroud, Vision of Destruction and Hound or Xoriat...

You will also get a lot more plat as you level, so you would almost certainly generate enough plat to buy +1 tomes and probably a +2 tome or two.

[blumsborres]

sorry for double posting but here are my stats again

STR 12 = this time sacrificing DPS for chance to hit
DEX 18 = its more important to hit mobs than to stun them (+5 level up stats)
CON 16 = more HP and Earth Stance
INT 8 = huh?
WIS 14 = sacrifice stunning for hitting ^_^
CHA 8 = i'm ugly but i'm celibate anyway so it doesn't matter

i'm taking weapons finesse of course...

I will use tomes when they drop... but for now I don't have them (other than a +1 STR tome) and I can't afford them.

[Jasam01]

Hi Welcome

This is my dex/wis lt monk. I don't have to turn off PA to hit. I don't need a PrE.

Jasam01, please link your monks.

http://my.ddo.com/character/khyber/dreamler/

I don't have a Wis based monk unfortuantly. And I can't for the life of me work out your starting distrabution + levelups. I'm very intrested in gathering info on whats needed to hit, as a lot of peopel have considered going 14,16,16,8,14+5,8 or similar builds of late, and there just doesn't seem to be anyone who can give an answer to 'can I hit with a 2, with PA, with only 14/16 starter+no levels in my to-hit.




blumsborres by the time you need the aforementioned tomes, you will probably either have the plat, or have had one drop. It's always safe to assume a +1 or +2 in your build.

Either way, if your going DEX based, I can recomend 14/16(+5)/16/8/14/8. I can personaly confirm that gives enough to-hit, PA, good AC, decent WIS. I belive SINIBYTE used a similar build in his thread, though the monk was Dark.

[blumsborres]

ah yes.... thanks Jasam... i'm familiar with that thread....

based on majority recommendation i'm focusin on DEX instead of WIS

i'm just trying to get opinions if it's ok to starting with lower STR 12 and higher DEX 18 compared to 14 STR and 16 DEX

less damage for more AC and chance to hit

[Crinos]

ah yes.... thanks Jasam... i'm familiar with that thread....

based on majority recommendation i'm focusin on DEX instead of WIS

i'm just trying to get opinions if it's ok to starting with lower STR 12 and higher DEX 18 compared to 14 STR and 16 DEX

less damage for more AC and chance to hit

If you are focussing on Dex now rather than wis then my earlier comments apply again. I'd go with 16 dex and 16 con rather than 18 dex and 14 con.

[blumsborres]

yup... if you scroll up at my updated stats my CON is now 16 but my DEX is still 18

[SINIBYTE]

yes... but i'm trying to build a monk without having to use tomes... because.... i don't have that many plats and i don't have that many TPs

Farm TOR, sell scales. :)

[stainer]

STR: 12
DEX: 17
CON: 14
INT: 10
WIS: 16 < level ups
CHA: 8
I think I got this stat distro right.
max concentration, umd, 1 pt tumble (add spot,balance,jump if you can)

1 Two weapon fighting
1 (monk) Toughness
2 (monk) Weapon Finesse
3 (monk) Path of Harmonious Balance
3 Dodge [or Past Life: Monk]
6 Power Attack (requires +1 str tome - if you are on Khyber I will give it to you)
6 (monk) Stunning Fist
9 Improved Two Weapon Fighting
12 Improved Critical: Bludgeoning
15 Greater Two Weapon Fighting
18 SF UMD

This is basically what I used, modified for the horror of no +2 tomes. It is based on/modified from the Rockan Robin build. Anthios888 uses combat expertise at lvl 18. I don't care for CE but I like UMD. This is gear intensive, and since a +2 tome seems to be an issue, I have doubts that you will be able to get all the gear you need to be successful. Good luck.

[blumsborres]

ok...going abit off topic... how much are +2 Tomes in the auction house of Argonnessen and Khyber? in Ghallanda it's an average of 2.5 million gold

[Arel]

Here's Rockan Robin, Halfling WIS based Monk, by Anthios: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=210181&highlight=robin

Again, there are tomes in the calculations, but none you absolutely NEED to have to make the build work, at least at low levels. The +1 INT tome listed on the initial distribution there isn't really needed till level 18, by which time you will have plenty of gold to buy +1's or even a +2 or two.

And yes, even though you may not have much gold now, you will have enough by mid-high levels to afford a +2 tome as long as you don't visit the AH every time you level up. Until you hit shroud, the only thing you absolutely have to keep an eye out for is Fortification items, you want the highest you can find to be equipped at all times. Other than that, you can afford to be a bit behind on your equipment -- consider looking over the dealers in the marketplace for cheaper discarded gear.

[blumsborres]

Wow! Thanks for the offer stainer. Not to worry i have a +1 STR tome here in Ghallanda :)

[stainer]

ok...going abit off topic... how much are +2 Tomes in the auction house of Argonnessen and Khyber? in Ghallanda it's an average of 2.5 million gold

250k plat is a couple of days in IQ/Vale/Amaranth on a high lvl character. Monks are expensive to start, but are a cash cow at high lvls. Think of it as an investment.

[Quijonsith]

Check Baaldon in my sig for a wis monk. The only time I ever have to turn off power attack is epics. The key to halflings with lower end game dex than other races is the halfling cunning enhancements. When you have sneak attack that will give you extra attack bonus. You get that when enemies are stunned, which is the point to my build. I run in invisible or look for the enemies that are aggroed on others already (they usually are) and off the bat hit stunning fist while I have sneak attack. If something can't be stunned and you're pulling aggro get out the best 'of deception' handwraps you have and you'll almost always have sneak attack.

My starting stats for halfling were:
Str....11 (+2 tome for power attack, +1 exceptional from shintao ring to even it out at endgame)
Dex...16 (+2 tome for GTWF and Wind IV, +2 halfling dex, +4 wind stance IV)
Con...15 (+1 level up and +2 tome for Earth IV)
Int.....8
Wis...17 (+ 4 level up, +1 monk wis, +2 tome)
Cha....8

End stats:
Str...20
Dex..30
Con..22
Int...10 (used a +2 tome for skill points)
Wis..30
Cha..10 (used a +2 tome for shining star finisher)

What I would do if you don't have tomes 'yet' is stick with it till you save up enough plat for the tomes or loot them yourself. The only one you really 'need' is the dex tome for GTWF, and then just a +1. You can always LR to readjust your stats if you need to. +1 tomes are relatively cheap on the auction house.

I posted my stats to give you an idea of how you can distribute things. You'll obviously want to adjust them as you see fit. If I had to choose one stat to drop by 2 I would choose wisdom as your DCs will not suffer 'too' much but the extra attack bonus or HP will make more of a difference.

BTW: I've frequently told my friends that switching to wisdom focused and taking stunning fist has been the best thing I've ever done for my monk. Now my +2 flaming burst wraps of stunning 10 have icy burst and force crit and I can't get enough of stunning fist. I even consistently stun the orthons in part 3 of tower of despair, NTM epics.

[Fafnir]

I agree with Quijonsith, including potentially dropping a couple of points (only) of wis for dex in a build like this. As he points out, you can stun all the orthon/devil/trog in TOD and obviously stun a lot of mobs in epics.