peng
06-26-2012, 02:58 PM
So pretty much everyone seems to realize that monks don't exactly make out like bandits in u14. And quite a lot of people have suggestions for how to improve monks. My ideas are probably not much better than anyone else's, but I'm putting them out here anyways.
The main complaint seems to be damage mitigation. Monks have very little and splashes have less. Monks get no prr outside of mountain stance, less ac than ac focused armor wearers, and not much dodge outside of ocean stance, on top of which, dodge is capped at 25%.
Keeping some damage mitigation tied to stances (dodge in ocean, ac and prr in mountain) is a good idea, but not to the extent the current game state has it. Monks should get more prr (ie not 0), ac, and maybe dodge outside of stances, as well as stance bonuses. Also, fire and ocean stances need a boost. It seems the only reason to go into fire stance is for healing amp with jidz tetka or for a few seconds of ki gen. Ocean seems to be relegated for +saves when running through traps. So...
Defensively centered bonuses: (apply while unencumbered and wearing no armor or shield)
Ac: +4 (instead of current +3) at every flurry of blows level (1, 5, 9, 13, 17) for +20 by level 17
Dodge: +2% (current, totalling 6% at level 6) or +3% at levels 1, 2, and 6 (total 9%), or +2% at each flurry level (10% at level 17)
Prr: +2 at every flurry level for +10 at level 17 (this would never exceed the prr of a full bab class in light armor. 3/4 bab in light armor would match this at levels 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, and 21 and beat it at level 25)
Tying defensive buffs to flurry levels or levels 1-6 gives monk splashes a relatively big boost (most splashes take 2 or 6 monk levels).
Stances:
Fire: 1/1d2/1d3/1d4 hp on hit, keep ki gen bonuses the same
Wind: +1%/+2%/+3%/+4% dodge, keep attack speed/doublestrike the same
Ocean: +3%/+6%/+9%/+12% dodge, +2/+4/+6/+8 saves, +1/+2/+3/+4 tactics/monk strike dc, keep passive ki gen the same
Mountain: +5%/+10%/+15%/+20% ac and +5/+10/+15/+20 prr, keep crit bonuses, ki on being hit, threat, and move speed reduction as is
This would give all stances different (but better than non-stanced) defense, offense, and ki gen. Also, stance stat bonuses should be +2/+2/+4/+6 instead of the current +2/+2/+3/+4. Nobody likes having their stats change from even to odd based on what stance they're in.
As for the dodge cap, I'd rather get rid of it completely or cap it at 60% or so, but it seems turbine is determined to keep it lower. So how about capping it at [20/bab/character level/10 + 0.5 x level] + dex mod and allow monks to add wis mod to this cap while defensively centered. That would keep the dodge cap at around 25-35% for most twf toons and give (very) high dex/wis monks a cap of around 50-60% (maximum achievable standing dodge % with these changes, ignoring cap, would be around 50%).
These suggestions should help keep monks alive as the frontline melees they are, front-load their defenses somewhat to help splashes (while keeping significant power tied to higher levels), and keep all the stances relevant without being (too) overpowered.
The main complaint seems to be damage mitigation. Monks have very little and splashes have less. Monks get no prr outside of mountain stance, less ac than ac focused armor wearers, and not much dodge outside of ocean stance, on top of which, dodge is capped at 25%.
Keeping some damage mitigation tied to stances (dodge in ocean, ac and prr in mountain) is a good idea, but not to the extent the current game state has it. Monks should get more prr (ie not 0), ac, and maybe dodge outside of stances, as well as stance bonuses. Also, fire and ocean stances need a boost. It seems the only reason to go into fire stance is for healing amp with jidz tetka or for a few seconds of ki gen. Ocean seems to be relegated for +saves when running through traps. So...
Defensively centered bonuses: (apply while unencumbered and wearing no armor or shield)
Ac: +4 (instead of current +3) at every flurry of blows level (1, 5, 9, 13, 17) for +20 by level 17
Dodge: +2% (current, totalling 6% at level 6) or +3% at levels 1, 2, and 6 (total 9%), or +2% at each flurry level (10% at level 17)
Prr: +2 at every flurry level for +10 at level 17 (this would never exceed the prr of a full bab class in light armor. 3/4 bab in light armor would match this at levels 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, and 21 and beat it at level 25)
Tying defensive buffs to flurry levels or levels 1-6 gives monk splashes a relatively big boost (most splashes take 2 or 6 monk levels).
Stances:
Fire: 1/1d2/1d3/1d4 hp on hit, keep ki gen bonuses the same
Wind: +1%/+2%/+3%/+4% dodge, keep attack speed/doublestrike the same
Ocean: +3%/+6%/+9%/+12% dodge, +2/+4/+6/+8 saves, +1/+2/+3/+4 tactics/monk strike dc, keep passive ki gen the same
Mountain: +5%/+10%/+15%/+20% ac and +5/+10/+15/+20 prr, keep crit bonuses, ki on being hit, threat, and move speed reduction as is
This would give all stances different (but better than non-stanced) defense, offense, and ki gen. Also, stance stat bonuses should be +2/+2/+4/+6 instead of the current +2/+2/+3/+4. Nobody likes having their stats change from even to odd based on what stance they're in.
As for the dodge cap, I'd rather get rid of it completely or cap it at 60% or so, but it seems turbine is determined to keep it lower. So how about capping it at [20/bab/character level/10 + 0.5 x level] + dex mod and allow monks to add wis mod to this cap while defensively centered. That would keep the dodge cap at around 25-35% for most twf toons and give (very) high dex/wis monks a cap of around 50-60% (maximum achievable standing dodge % with these changes, ignoring cap, would be around 50%).
These suggestions should help keep monks alive as the frontline melees they are, front-load their defenses somewhat to help splashes (while keeping significant power tied to higher levels), and keep all the stances relevant without being (too) overpowered.