Damage dealing str monk

[jellyfish21]

Here is my thouights on the second type of specialty of monk build.
Have a starting race with bounus con or str.
I prefer human, as they get a +1 str as an enhancement
Starting stats for a 32 point buy can be these:
18 str
16 con
14 dex
8 wis
8 int
8 cha
Put all your points into str as you level.
At level 16, your stats in earth stance should be as follows:
30 str
28 con
20 dex
8 wis
8 int
8 cha
you ate a +1 str tome you ate a +2 dex and con tome.
You choose the animal path that gives hit points.
Stay in earth stance to give damage when using ki, which overcomes damage reduction.
Keep wisdom low to keep being hit so you develop ki when being hit. rely on damage reduction and hi hit points.
get spring attack.
Get two weapon fighting for vorpal.
Get toughness at least once.
use transmuting staves for damage reduction.
Use fists otherwise.
lets hope turbine puts greensteel staves in.

[Angelus_dead]

Stay in earth stance to give damage when using ki, which overcomes damage reduction.
Keep wisdom low to keep being hit so you develop ki when being hit. rely on damage reduction and hi hit points.
get spring attack.

That's nonsense. Using earth stance- bad. If you like damage you should be fire (or maybe air if it raises your attack rate)
Hoping to get hit for more Ki- bad.
Spring Attack- hardly provides anything, so not worth the many feat slots.

Get two weapon fighting for vorpal.

Although it also helps vorpal, the main reason to have TWF is for damage.

Get toughness at least once.

Not horrible, but not important either.

use transmuting staves for damage reduction.
Use fists otherwise.
lets hope turbine puts greensteel staves in.

Quite wrong in two ways.
1. A greensteel staff is made from Ore Red Oil Med.
2. You use dual kamas when you want to inflict damage, and only switch to other kinds of weapons if somehow you're not able to get an appropriate kama.

[jmelanie7]

2. You use dual kamas when you want to inflict damage, and only switch to other kinds of weapons if somehow you're not able to get an appropriate kama.

Explain here, i dont get it.... When your fists do more damage than your kama, to use kamas for damage and not only for vorpals???

And that statement on toughness is silly too, A_D, +18 HP for a single feat is not bad at all.

And if you saying me you attack more or faster or whatever using kamas, we need to discuss here. You need a 17 dex to get full benefit of dual wielding kamas, which is WAY worse, on a DPS str build than taking toughness.

What i would do, I would go dwarf, and start with a 14 con, with toughness enhancements and con enhancements, youll have enough hit points that way, it will let you put more into your wis, and keep fire stance, you dont need to be hit with fire stance, and your ki builds up REALLY fast. Since you will end up with a 32 str (replace the +1 tome by a +2)using fire stance, that will be enough to use a maxed out power attack (with dwarven power attack enhancements) for more damage, specially if you pull the madstone boots and the scourge choker, you will do some pretty decent damage.

I just cannot understand how you can say it's more damage to dual wield kamas on a str build. Makes non sense.

[richieelias27]

Fists over Kama's only works when it is not possible to get extreme damage bonuses on weapons.

Dual wielding Kama's = more attacks with more additional elemental/stat/sneak/bane damage. That together will do much more damage than fists.

[Rameses]

Duel Wielding vorpals? ROLL A RANGER.

I am, Rameses!

[maddmatt70]

Duel Wielding vorpals? ROLL A RANGER.

I am, Rameses!

Or he could just wait until next mod and get wind stance. You could roll up a paladin next mod with the zeal spell as well by the way. For all we know fighters will have the same boring speed bonus next mod too. Just don't roll up a barbarian or a rogue and the OP should be fine although a fighter might not get the speed bonus..

[hydra_ex]

No matter much people don't want to admit it, monks are a specialty class. They are the ultimate tanks, but lack dps. The idea of making a monk to actually specialize in dealing damage is upsurd. Are you hoping to make a high ac dps monk? Fighters can achieve similar ac to what this build can. Looking for a way to help your party? Rangers, paladins, and warchanters do that admirably. Looking for pure crazy dps? Barbarians (and rogue/rangers, occasionnaly) take the cake.

Don't make a build thinking: I want to make this class do this. First think fo what you want the build to do, and then think of what classes are best.

[Angelus_dead]

Explain here, i dont get it.... When your fists do more damage than your kama, to use kamas for damage and not only for vorpals???

First, the kama potentially does more damage because you can get magic damage effects on kamas that don't come on handwraps. The most obvious example is Holy Shocking Burst Shocking Blast Lightning Strike, although Holy Acid Burst Acid Blast Transmuting Slicing works too.

Second, the higher attack rate of the kamas more than makes up for any reducing in per-hit damage.

And that statement on toughness is silly too, A_D, +18 HP for a single feat is not bad at all.

Yes, that's why I said it's not bad. But it's not crucially important either.

And if you saying me you attack more or faster or whatever using kamas, we need to discuss here. You need a 17 dex to get full benefit of dual wielding kamas, which is WAY worse, on a DPS str build than taking toughness.

Yes, you do need 17 dex, but no, 17 dex doesn't really hurt the strength build. In fact, the highest DPS barbarian and fighter builds also have 17 dex to get GTWF. It's true that meeting the dex requirement might mean you can't get as high a wis or con as you'd want, but that's the kind of sacrifice required to be "damage dealing" like the title claims.

The highest DPS monk race is halfling, by the way, which means 17 dex is easier to reach because of racial bonuses.

[Oran_Lathor]

I have to say, this build is pure gimp compared to your dex/wis build. Of course, that is a pretty standard monk build, although I don't entirely agree with the feat choices.

[Silverjade]

That build is going to be really weak with out any wis at all geting str up their is no porb in fire stance my elf monk has a 30str and only a +1tome while having a 24dex(i`m working on it)and a 21con 21wis i have only use one or two +1tomes and thats it and she does good damage stunning fist+stunning blow for insta crits or just plan dps not as great as barbs or rangers ect.
Your build only looks like some thing that will only worsen how monks look to me no ac high hps low wis why not just make it a barb?.

[Desteria]

With the Annoced changes to air stance the best ddamage dealing monk would have to be a tempest monk STR DEX build i think
6 ranger for tempest 10 monk for air 2 and MORE stackign haste max str and 17 dex with a +1/2 tome used PA and rames might and 2 favored enimies. stuck useign kamas but with an insaine attack rate, and GOOD str and Hafling Guile 4 you should do good damage.

[feynman]

Lots of strange talk here; try this:

STR monk can work, but under the current conditions, will never have the DPS of any other melee class. This is important, although there are a few things that mitigate this. How about a list?

1. TWF is the highest DPS option a monk has, assuming you can get GTWF and the appropriate weapons. If you want DPS, you need this. Pros: nearly double attack speed = more weapon procs. Cons: DR can kill your DPS if you don't have a workaround.

2. Quarterstaff is second; unless you dump STR, you will need a few of these. Advantages: High damage per hit, good for cleave/Gcleave/Whirlwind attack, against fire shielded mobs, and for non-circumventable DR.

3. Unarmed: Basically, unless you are WIS-built and plan on using stunning fist and quivering palm a lot, you won't use this much; Pros: nice against oozes and rust monsters, allows use of certain special moves. Cons: worst DPS option we have (other than single kama, preemptively killing yourself, etc), unreliable damage.

4. Earth Stance: Worthless. Other than fighting things that are going to immobilize you, fire stance will give you WAY more Ki, without requiring that you take damage. Pros: none worth mentioning. Cons: slows running speed, gives incentive to get hurt, damage from strike is "untyped" but many mobs immune to it, anyway.

5. Power Attack: Mandatory. I don't know how else to put it. Pros: Huge DPS boost, gives access to cleave. Cons: can make things hard to hit at low level.

The 18 STR is a mistake, IMHO; you are sacrificing some combination of up to 3 AC, 16 HP, 2 reflex, 3 will, and/or the ability to take GTWF (meaning many more hits using kamas) in exchange for +1 str bonus.

Think about this:

My starting stats:

STR 16
DEX 16
CON 12
INT 8
WIS 16
CHA 8

Remember that a toughness feat gives more HP than 2 CON points

Monks are about balance; no, we're not huge DPS, but we can get there first (abundant step), stay in longer (high AC, evasion, saves), take less healing (ditto), buff or debuff while we're doing it, and deal steady, consistent damage. We need some tweaks, but we don't fall that short of other classes unless you build wrong.

My experience with earth-stance monks was pure frustration, although you seem to have hit upon an idea that I missed; why not go WF, take the adamantine body and dump WIS, use WF enhancements for DR instead of earth stance, just enough DEX for ITWF, and then as much STR and CON as you can get?

[Solmage]

My experience with earth-stance monks was pure frustration, although you seem to have hit upon an idea that I missed; why not go WF, take the adamantine body and dump WIS, use WF enhancements for DR instead of earth stance, just enough DEX for ITWF, and then as much STR and CON as you can get?

WF are decent for DPS because of the extra power attack enhancements. However, adamantine body uncenters you the same as wearing armor, and is therefore not a good choice.

[feynman]

WF are decent for DPS because of the extra power attack enhancements. However, adamantine body uncenters you the same as wearing armor, and is therefore not a good choice.

That's why I said to dump WIS

No, it's a sport build, but then, all monks are.

As currently implemented, the best monk ability is abundant step.

The best monk build uses exactly one monk level; the next best, two monk levels; the first for WIS bonus to AC, the second for evasion.

Dex-built paladins have more DPS than we do.

That being said, if you're going to do it, have fun with it.

[nbhs275]

Here is my thouights on the second type of specialty of monk build.
Have a starting race with bounus con or str.
I prefer human, as they get a +1 str as an enhancement
Starting stats for a 32 point buy can be these:
18 str
16 con
14 dex
8 wis
8 int
8 cha
Put all your points into str as you level.
At level 16, your stats in earth stance should be as follows:
30 str
28 con
20 dex
8 wis
8 int
8 cha
you ate a +1 str tome you ate a +2 dex and con tome.
You choose the animal path that gives hit points.
Stay in earth stance to give damage when using ki, which overcomes damage reduction.
Keep wisdom low to keep being hit so you develop ki when being hit. rely on damage reduction and hi hit points.
get spring attack.
Get two weapon fighting for vorpal.
Get toughness at least once.
use transmuting staves for damage reduction.
Use fists otherwise.
lets hope turbine puts greensteel staves in.

Make a dwarf, aim for a mid 50s AC with PA running, use stunning blows with weighted handwraps or staff, and bludgeon everything you can get your thick fingers around. In the end your gaining a huge amount of ki with either earth or fire, just a matter of situation. TWF is a good option, for kama vorps and whenever you have one that is going to be of more use then whatever your handwraps have.