Monk/Kensai build idea

[Aerendil]

Not sure if anyone has considered it yet, but I was thinking of a new Monk build combining Monk levels with Fighter levels to create an unarmed Kensai, but still retain a very Monk-ish flavour.
Given the AC achievable, combined with Intimidate, it could be quite an excellent Intimitank as well.

Haven't run it through the Character Generator yet, but I'm thinking of a Human 12 Fighter / 8 Monk split at endgame.

End result would be a character with :
- Evasion
- Slowfall
- Immunity to disease
- Wholeness of Body
- Adept of ___ stances
- Monk WIS 2, and Fighter STR 2 (or 3)
- Kensai II - granting +2 to hit / dmg, +2 to confirm criticals / critical damage, +2 saves vs. magic, +2 to combat feat DCs (we'll see if Stunning Fist works or not - I'm guessing "no"), +2 to intimidate/bluff/concentration, and Kensai Power Surge (+8 STR short-time buff).
- Greater weapon spec, greater weapon focus, and the Fighter wpn spec enhancements
- Fighter toughness IV and Monk patient tortoise II
- enough leftover feats to still get GTWF, Imp. Crit, Toughness, Dodge, CE, etc.
- Expeditious Retreat, Dimension Door, Teleport an option via Human dragonmarks

The damage output looks rather disgusting as well:
+ 4 - wpn spec and gtr wpn spec
+ 2 - fighter enhancement
+ 2 - kensai I and II
+ 5 - power attack
+ X* - strength bonus to each fist. I'd imagine this number will be around +8 or +9

Add in handwrap enhancement damage (+5, for the sake of argument), bardsong (warchanter bonus caps at +8dmg), good hope (+2), Human versatility IV (+5), and Kensai power surge (+4) and you're looking at over +40dmg per fist while grouped and all clickies on. That's pretty nice.

Stats - assuming starting stats of, say, 16 in STR, DEX and WIS, and level ups being split between STR and WIS, + racial and class enhancements, you could have a final STR and WIS of 27ish. 29 with +2 tomes.
In Ocean Stance, up to 31, which is enough for a good Stunning Fist DC; or Wind Stance for 15% haste (+ fighter haste clickies).

However, this build would lose out on Quivering Palm, the master stances, Improved Evasion (ouch), Abundant Step (dragonmarks do the same), Diamond Body, Diamond Soul, improved Ki strikes, and eventually Empty Body and Perfect Self.

Worth it?

Thoughts/comments?

[TreknaQudane]

Not sure if anyone has considered it yet, but I was thinking of a new Monk build combining Monk levels with Fighter levels to create an unarmed Kensai, but still retain a very Monk-ish flavour.
Given the AC achievable, combined with Intimidate, it could be quite an excellent Intimitank as well.

Interesting idea, I think it could work with some tweaks.

My Warforged Kensai/Monk to be is currently level 7 on Thelanis.

My advice?

Don't take Stunning Fist (I also doubt that Kensai will work with it) even if you can get to 31 Wisdom at 20, your DC will only be 24 Fort Save.

Go with Stunning Blow. Your DC will be less than Fist if you have no item, but I'm betting Kensai will apply to that, as would Fighter Tactics Stunning Blow, and Weighted Items.

Mine started with 16 STR, 15 DEX, 14 CON, 12 INT, 12 WIS, 6 CHA, I put a point into Dex at level 4, so with a plus two tome I'll be at 19 dex if ever STWF is released, he's spec'd for bludgeoning weaponry, unarmed and quaterstaves with both feat chains to be in full, as well as Improved Trip, Stunning Blow to make use of WF Tactics and Kensai bonuses when they launch

[Xyfiel]

I have a different flavor in the works. Acrobat II, Kensai I, monk splash

1d6+1 w/e staff
10 power attack
15 strength(30 str)
2 weapon spec
2 kensai
6d6sneak
12 sneak enhancement
8 tharnes goggles
+8 crit damage Kensai
+12 crit damage bloodstone
{hit}1d6+50+6d6sneak
{crit}1d6x2+120+6d6sneak

8 bard song
1d6+58+6d6
Making it possible to hit 100 damage on a regular hit, and in under 47% of the time of a unbuffed thf when haste boosted. That is over twice as fast. Factor in w/e and crippling strike for fast instant crits/sneaks.

20% acrobat II
2.5% wind stance
25% haste
20% Rogue haste boost II
1*.8*.975*.75*.8
58.5%(41.5% increase)
46.8%(53.2%increase boosted)

[TreknaQudane]

I have a different flavor in the works. Acrobat II, Kensai I, monk splash

1d6+1 w/e staff
10 power attack
15 strength(30 str)
2 weapon spec
2 kensai
6d6sneak
12 sneak enhancement
8 tharnes goggles
+8 crit damage Kensai
+12 crit damage bloodstone
{hit}1d6+50+6d6sneak
{crit}1d6x2+120+6d6sneak

Your Math is a bit off. The bonus from Backstabbing and the Rogue Enhancements are not factored into physical hits, they are pure Sneak Attacks and as such, not factored into criticals.

A hit should be looking like this with a +1 w/e staff.:
1d6(Weapon Die) + 30(Bonus Damage) + 20+6d6(Sneak Attack)

leaveing a crit at.
2d6(Weapon Die) + 80 (Bonus Damage) + 20+6d6(Sneak Attack)

[Artagon]

I'm working on a human monk 14/fighter 6. He will be fire stance/FoL master, with human/monk healing enhancements and a +20% healing amplification item. The idea will be to be good hp (just above 400 at 16th), high dps, stunning blow, with great self-healing. Think 2d6+25 dmg per attack, twf, 5% weighted with bloodstone for added dmg on crits. I did a calculation which allowed me to self-heal approximately 200hp over the course of about 30 seconds while attacking and using the finisher. Sup. Potency I FTW

Also, cleave and dragon breath finisher will be nice against all those darn bats..
Cleave/FireIII/FireII/FireIII/Finisher/rinse and repeat

[hu-flung-pu]

I've got a similar build, but mines mostly monk.

With way of the badger and House Deneith dragonmarks for maxed out intimidate, at third level, I have him with 18 Intimidate with no buffs, and combat expertise, in mountain stance. With human versatility he's quite possibly the greatest intimitank I've ever played at the lower levels. Acting as bloodknuckles punching bag on elite and living, at third level is quite an accomplishment I feel.

[Slayer918]

12 Fighter/8 Monk Warforged

Str 18 +6 item +5 lvl +3 tome +2 enhancement +2 fire stance +2 rage = 38 (50 fully buffed with power surge + double madstone)

14(20) str(power surge/madstone)
8 PA
4 feat
1 enhancement
2 kensai
5 handwraps
1d8? +34(40) each hand
+42/48 with bard buffs...

+8 earth strike (with fire stance + GTWF + stunning blow + WF tactics + kensai tactics, you should get a lot of ki...)

Unfortunately without GS handwraps your at a disadvantage there versus other DPSers... and I don't know if transmuting handwraps were ever fixed or not?

A potential stunning blow DC of 10 + 14(20) str + 2 kensai +3 ftr strategy +3 WF tactics = 32(38) without weighted handwraps...

I dont know if all the fighter enhancements work on stunning fist but if they did... 10 base +4 monk lvls/2 +6 wis +2 kensai = 22 thats not working on much but if you can get the +6 from ftr stunning blow/WF tactics I could see this build working very well with 5% weighted handwraps...

Stunning Blow 42 DC
Stunning Fist 38 DC
Free stun every 2 attack chains
wow...

I hope the devs see this so they can make kensai have even more synergy with monks (they already have the +1 ki on criticals for kensai... all the DC's stacking onto stunning fist would actually make it a viable option IMO)

[greatcloak]

Does anyone know if or how the monks attack rate from air stance and flurry of blows might interact with a 2 weapon form, say, ranger tempest? Thinking about a tempest with monk splash running kamas.

[Timjc86]

Does anyone know if or how the monks attack rate from air stance and flurry of blows might interact with a 2 weapon form, say, ranger tempest? Thinking about a tempest with monk splash running kamas.

Tempest is not supposed to work with handwraps. If you're using kamas you will get the full 10% bonus from Tempest.

Flurry of Blows in DDO does absolutely nothing* to increase your attack speed, it only maximizes your BAB as if you had +1BAB per level.

*FoB will affect your attack speed (usually - if not always - negatively) in terms of the # of attacks in a given time frame if it raises/lowers your BAB at one of the intervals that grants additional attacks (you get new attacks at BAB 1 and 5 I know, and I forget the others... I'm pretty sure every 5 levels, so 1, 5, 10, 15, 20).


Each level of air stance provides a partial attack speed bonus that does not stack with anything else (like Tempest and Haste) as well as a small portion that will stack. I believe it goes something like:
Tier I: 3.5% stackable
II: 5%
III: 7.5%
IV: 10% (I would expect)

If you have Tempest, the highest air stance you could get would be tier III, giving you a 10% attack speed bonus from Tempest and a 7.5% bonus from air stance. Note the bonuses are multiplicative and not additive, so you will be at less than 117.5%.