Need some help with light monks

[MakiTo]

I've been trying to make a monk and I had some problems... First of all here is all I have for my "build", a light monk trying to do some DPS and stun things while healing and buffing:

Points: 28

Race: Half-elf. The cleric dilettante looks nice for the wands and stuff. Mostly to help the party and heal myself. Good choice? Or should I go with something else (race/dil)? Maybe Orc, but as I have a 28 points build I don't think it will be any good. And halflings... Do they have any size penalties here?

Stats:
- STR: 16 I'd like to go STR, if that's possible.
- DEX: 16 I'll try to get a +1 tome to qualify for the 2wp feat
- CON: 10 Too low. Ended up as a dump stat due to the 28 points...
- INT: 8 Bal and Conc all the way. 1 in Tumble. Rest in Jump I think.
- WIS: 14 +5 from lvl ups... Trying to use it for DCs
- CHA: 8 :<

Feats: Some Toughness to compensate for the lack of CON, PA, Stunning Fist, ImpC.: Bludgeon, Greater 2WF, maybe Luck of Heroes for the light monk prereq.

Enchancements: I don't really know which ones to take :<


So.. I kinda like the concept of a light monk, but most builds i've seen are for dark monks. I'd like to help the party with the little buffs a light monk brings, and stun some enemies, but the stun thing (dc) is the same for dark and light monks?. Bonus points if I can use some "dark" moves, like the Void Strike.

Is the CON too low? Should I go with 14 CON instead of 10, "dumping" STR and focus on DEX with the finesse feat? If I happen to level it to 20 I'm gonna TR him, but I'd like to enjoy the ride, while not feeling "gimped" or something :Þ

The cleric Dilettante is OK? I think it could help me better than UMD for the time being. Maybe if I TR him for real I'll go Horc instead of Helf.

I'm going to suffer with the ping? With my 2HF Barb it doesn't seem to bother me much, since all I have to do is swing my axe... But this weird class has so many buttons to use in the middle of a fight, and I'm fearing the worst :<

[Balkas]

Either set both Str and Dex to 15, raise Con to 14, and get a +2 Dex Tome, or just set Str to 14. You can still be strength based with a starting Strength of 14. 1 strength bracket isn't going to ruin everything.

[Ecoski]

Ok, I'm just putting this out there...
28 points is seriously harmful to a monk. Monks are a class that need high stats all over the board, and those extra 4 really do make a difference. However, I made a nice little light monk back before I had 32 point builds, and he is still fun to play, but I'm afraid it's not ticking many of your boxes. I'll still put it out there for you though :)

Race: Halfling
Finesse Light Monk

Str-12
Dex-18
Con-14
Wis-14
Int-8
Cha-8

(Edit: Alternately, you could go with this: The Horcrux: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=283734 )

On the bright side, this little guy is survivable. With a bit of effort you can start hitting silly numbers for AC, whilst still keeping a nice pool of health, fast attack rate and high to-hit. What's more, you can aid the party through stuns, burst heals and all the other goodies that light monks bring to the table. On the downside, damage is a bit of an issue. You'll hit, but you won't be hitting hard. In most cases, stunning can make up for this, and the extra damage from halfling SA enhancements is very nice, but something does have to be sacrificed for this, and sadly heavy damage is it.

Another quick point: Con is NEVER a dump stat. In actual fact, there are even more reasons NOT to skimp on con for a monk; Earth Strikes. Whilst not as awesome as they were in their heyday, they are still pretty awesome, and the new bonuses to the earth stances make earth monks pretty powerful characters.

Edit: Answering questions :)
-Light and dark monks get the same stun dcs, a dark monk can increase his chance by hitting the enemy with one of his debuffs, effectively raising the stun dc by 2 against that enemy. However, that's not a common thing to happen, so for all intents and purposes, they're the same.
-Void strike is not a dark monk move, it can be used by both. However, to access the big one (void IV) you need 16 in 3 stats and 18 in the other (ignoring cha and int). On a 28 point build, unless you have a lot of high tomes banked, that's not possible.
-Feats look sound, toughness is a good idea, but it wouldn't make up for the lack of con.

[Persnoody]

Ok, I'm just putting this out there...
28 points is seriously harmful to a monk. Monks are a class that need high stats all over the board, and those extra 4 really do make a difference. However, I made a nice little light monk back before I had 32 point builds, and he is still fun to play, but I'm afraid it's not ticking many of your boxes. I'll still put it out there for you though :)

Race: Halfling
Finesse Light Monk

Str-12
Dex-18
Con-14
Wis-14
Int-8
Cha-8

(Edit: Alternately, you could go with this: The Horcrux: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=283734 )

On the bright side, this little guy is survivable. With a bit of effort you can start hitting silly numbers for AC, whilst still keeping a nice pool of health, fast attack rate and high to-hit. What's more, you can aid the party through stuns, burst heals and all the other goodies that light monks bring to the table. On the downside, damage is a bit of an issue. You'll hit, but you won't be hitting hard. In most cases, stunning can make up for this, and the extra damage from halfling SA enhancements is very nice, but something does have to be sacrificed for this, and sadly heavy damage is it.

Another quick point: Con is NEVER a dump stat. In actual fact, there are even more reasons NOT to skimp on con for a monk; Earth Strikes. Whilst not as awesome as they were in their heyday, they are still pretty awesome, and the new bonuses to the earth stances make earth monks pretty powerful characters.

Edit: Answering questions :)
-Light and dark monks get the same stun dcs, a dark monk can increase his chance by hitting the enemy with one of his debuffs, effectively raising the stun dc by 2 against that enemy. However, that's not a common thing to happen, so for all intents and purposes, they're the same.
-Void strike is not a dark monk move, it can be used by both. However, to access the big one (void IV) you need 16 in 3 stats and 18 in the other (ignoring cha and int). On a 28 point build, unless you have a lot of high tomes banked, that's not possible.
-Feats look sound, toughness is a good idea, but it wouldn't make up for the lack of con.

For a starter monk I would totally recommend this, that is how I started out with my monk aswell, although you should stay away from void at least till you get to know the class, it is the hardest enhancements line to fit right, mainly cause of the enhancement cost being the highest in the game. I would also recommend Lesser/Greater Reincarnating the monk once you cap after you have gotten used to it, you may think it might not be worth it right now, but I have seen way to many poorly planned monks turn out bad, or even well planned for that matter.

I understand you didn't specifically ask me for advice, but whenever I am asked I tell them not to make someone else's monk, it is a fairly personalized class with the 5 paths and all (earth, fire, wind, water and void). Really what I am saying is what might be great for you might not be good for me. My main monks build is a modified version of the above build and as far as ac goes he has a standing ac of 67 in wind stance, shinato and has a stun dc of 40 with a kukan-do dc of 45, I also took the halfling dragon mark line and have 6 greater dragonmarks (heal spell). I have seen people fail hard with this build, but it is nice to not have to rely on the party to stay alive.

[Ecoski]

Another point. If it comes down to taking void 1, 2 and 3 or maxing out the halfling SA lines, go for the SA. Void is fun, but the sneak attack is far more useful the majority of the time. The halfling dragonmarks (healing) are incredibly useful when coupled with a monks very high heal amp. It allows you to consistently be the last man standing, and with the phoenix ability you can res people (the healers) in the middle of a fight, preventing a wipe. I wouldn't attempt a void/maxxx dps style build until you can access 32 point builds. IMO, they're far too stat intensive and will collapse on the 28 point frame.

[TeacherSyn]

I've been trying to make a monk and I had some problems... First of all here is all I have for my "build", a light monk trying to do some DPS and stun things while healing and buffing:

Points: 28

Race: Half-elf. The cleric dilettante looks nice for the wands and stuff. Mostly to help the party and heal myself. Good choice? Or should I go with something else (race/dil)? Maybe Orc, but as I have a 28 points build I don't think it will be any good. And halflings... Do they have any size penalties here?

Stats:
- STR: 16 I'd like to go STR, if that's possible.
- DEX: 16 I'll try to get a +1 tome to qualify for the 2wp feat
- CON: 10 Too low. Ended up as a dump stat due to the 28 points...
- INT: 8 Bal and Conc all the way. 1 in Tumble. Rest in Jump I think.
- WIS: 14 +5 from lvl ups... Trying to use it for DCs
- CHA: 8 :<

Feats: Some Toughness to compensate for the lack of CON, PA, Stunning Fist, ImpC.: Bludgeon, Greater 2WF, maybe Luck of Heroes for the light monk prereq.

Enchancements: I don't really know which ones to take :<


So.. I kinda like the concept of a light monk, but most builds i've seen are for dark monks. I'd like to help the party with the little buffs a light monk brings, and stun some enemies, but the stun thing (dc) is the same for dark and light monks?. Bonus points if I can use some "dark" moves, like the Void Strike.

Is the CON too low? Should I go with 14 CON instead of 10, "dumping" STR and focus on DEX with the finesse feat? If I happen to level it to 20 I'm gonna TR him, but I'd like to enjoy the ride, while not feeling "gimped" or something :Þ

The cleric Dilettante is OK? I think it could help me better than UMD for the time being. Maybe if I TR him for real I'll go Horc instead of Helf.

I'm going to suffer with the ping? With my 2HF Barb it doesn't seem to bother me much, since all I have to do is swing my axe... But this weird class has so many buttons to use in the middle of a fight, and I'm fearing the worst :<

While you can make a 28-point Monk, yes, any class with 32-point is better.

You needn't the Cleric dilly for a light Monk. They receive many spell-like abilities, including a mass heal, which is all powered by ki, which recharges continually as you attack or get attacked. You can use the dilly for additional prowess in fighting (say, a fighter, Rogue or Ranger dilly). A half-elf dark Monk with Cleric dillys, however, is a great way to go since dark Monks lack self-healing ability.

Halflings (because of size and natural traits) and humans make good starting monks. Elves and drow make the least, due to lower CON. Half-orcs may also be interesting but right now, stick to human or halfling or half-elf until you learn the monk build and playstyle that works.

In starting play if you haven't experience, don't get too fancy in special things like UMD or spell casting. Stick to fighting or spell casting and don't mix or multiclass yet. The class's natural abilities will see you through until you learn a better way to tweak your toon based on experience.

As others said, never consider CON a dump stat, especially on a melee class, and particularly on Monks, as they get fewer HPs than other melee classes. In fact, be sure you take the Toughness feat as well as Racial Toughness enhancements so that you'll see at least 380-400 HP and above by level 20.

WIS is important for AC and monk abilities based on stunning. Use items and whatever you can to boost it, too. STR and DEX are your attack stats...keep them slightly balanced (1 or 2 pts less on either). If you chose Weapon Finesse, DEX would be higher.

The Monk may be the toughest melee class to use because you must learn to use the finishing moves after a point, else you will not survive against damage or dish out enough damage over time. See the DDO Wiki article on finishing moves as well as the Monk class articles to get more on what you need to know.

[vVAnjilaVv]

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