Some Beginner Monk questions.

[Aeric]

I've already set up my 28 pt build, but could not find specifics on what skills/feats to increase.

I put 4 into Jump, 4 into Balance, 4 into Spot, 4 into Concentration and 4 into Tumble, because I figured they would be the best to increase.

As far as feats go, TWF and what else? Toughness, Dodge, etc?

And also, what about the paths that many people talk about? Light Path, Fire Path, etc. I have yet to find a solid Monk build that I can use.

Thanks.

[Junts]

At level 3 you must choose one of two paths, light or dark; you will only get the alignment punch of the one you choose, and consequently only the mixed finishers of that type .. light does healing and buffing, dark does debuffing .. light is vastly superior

Are you a dps monk or an ac monk or both? strength, dex or wisdom level ups? We need this information to help you make a quality character and choose feats.

You will want 18 dex at level 20 for ultimate wind stance, so starting at 16 is a good idea, as a mere +1 tome will let you get to 17 for the twf chain (you need 17 by level 9, a +1 tome can be obtained by then with a little work or some cash).

A basic list of good stuff to take would be ..

two weapon, improved two weapon, greater two weapon
toughness
if you qualify; power attack, combat expertise (as a 28 pt build ce is hard to qualify for)
stunning fist is very, very good.
improved critical: blunt if you plan on using handwraps (highly advised)

[Aeric]

I was thinking Halfling Wind Stance Monk. So that'd be DPS.

Stats are:

14
16
14
8
14
8

Skills:
Jump 4
Balance 4
Concentration 4

Feats: (at level 1) TWF and Toughness (I was uncertain as to which second feat to get.)

Also, does Alignment matter?

[Junts]

I was thinking Halfling Wind Stance Monk. So that'd be DPS.

Stats are:

14
16
14
8
14
8

Skills:
Jump 4
Balance 4
Concentration 4

Feats: (at level 1) TWF and Toughness (I was uncertain as to which second feat to get.)

Also, does Alignment matter?

there are some benefits both to neutral and good; mine is neutral, but the main benefits of the alignment are far far in your future in high endgame play, whereas good is much better for hte majority of your existence.

That's a good setup, I would take stunning fist at 2 monk, and power attack at 6 monk. Improved twf is level 9, improved crit is 12, and greater two weapon is 15 (if you are pure monk .. if you take another class level, it will need to be level 18).

Level 18, 3 and 6 feats are totally up to you

If you are a halfling, you might consider least, lesser and greater dragonmark of healing, though there are many other good options. You do not have the intelligence for combat expertise. I have halfling dragonmarks on my dps halfling and find it an excellent way to increase survivability .. others may suggest other options, like stunning blow, dodge, etc. The dragonmarks fit in well at those levels, though you may wish to bump imp crit: blunt to 18 and take greater mark at level 12. Wearing a devotion item to increase your dragonmarks has the added benefit of making healing ki (a light-path move) fairly significant; mine heal upwards of 50 hit points to the whole group.

I suggest leveling in strength, however, leveling in wisdom can also be quite potent, as it will make stunning fist devastating.

[Aeric]

Alright, I'll stick with a neutral and play a bit.

If I have any more questions I'll probably either bug/stalk you, or post "Can haz m0ar monk info plzz" on the forums.

[Junts]

Alright, I'll stick with a neutral and play a bit.

If I have any more questions I'll probably either bug/stalk you, or post "Can haz m0ar monk info plzz" on the forums.

There are relatively few dps monk builds in existence so far, as monk dps has only been a great alternative for a few weeks, though most of them seem to generally resemble what we're doing; the main difference between your build and mine is that I've got 4 more int (32 pt build), 1 rogue level and 1 fighter level, and combat expertise/trap ability/more sneak attack.

[Aeric]

Awesome. I'll keep all that in mind. Thanks for the help.

[kcaj]

There are relatively few dps monk builds in existence so far, as monk dps has only been a great alternative for a few weeks, though most of them seem to generally resemble what we're doing; the main difference between your build and mine is that I've got 4 more int (32 pt build), 1 rogue level and 1 fighter level, and combat expertise/trap ability/more sneak attack.

OK, I am looking for a monk build like yours - 18monk/1rogue/?1, I undestand the rogue gains, what do you gain from taking the fighter level over some of the other classes, for instance paladin?

Also, I was thinking maybe drow or human, does that change the stat distribution at creation? or is halfling the best way to go?

Thanks.

[Junts]

OK, I am looking for a monk build like yours - 18monk/1rogue/?1, I undestand the rogue gains, what do you gain from taking the fighter level over some of the other classes, for instance paladin?

Also, I was thinking maybe drow or human, does that change the stat distribution at creation? or is halfling the best way to go?

Thanks.

I'm neutral; paladin isn't an option (and it'd be a poor one, pal 1 only provides 1 save and 1 ac and one extremely weak smite evil)

monk 19 sucks, rogue 2 sucks (since you already have evasion)

the viable contenders are:

fighter: gain fighter toughness 1, fighter stunning blow 1 if you have that ability, 1x feat
ranger: gain 2 pt favored enemy evil outsider, ranger devotion I if you have healing dragonmarks, no extra hp

I chose fighter for the bonus hp and the feat, since wind stance is -con, and you're playing a relatively low ac dps type, having 200 less hp than a fighter is a little bit of a drawback.

There are certainly times I wish i had taken the ranger level for devotion I instead, but hte difference is minor at best.


I will post the build in this forum in a bit if you like, but both human and drow are significantly worse dps options, as halfling gain:
2 dex in enhancements
2 dex starting (easier to qualify for twf/ultimate wind)
8 damage worth of sneak attack (capping you at 1d6+19 with endgame gear and all enhancements)
the ability to qualify for healing dragonmarks (which i didnt consider at the time, but now am very glad I took)

The con penalty on drow (you dont want more -con, you already get -2 using wind stance) makes it a pretty poor choice imo, and human is vastly inferior to halfling as a dps outputter; 3 strength is not worth 4 dexterity + 8 sneak attack.

[mediocresurgeon]

dps monk

That is an oxymoron.

[Junts]

That is an oxymoron.

I get the joke is common, but no, its not any more .. my monk has frequent aggro pulling issues, even wearing tharnes set for aggro reduction.

[kcaj]

I'm neutral; paladin isn't an option (and it'd be a poor one, pal 1 only provides 1 save and 1 ac and one extremely weak smite evil)

monk 19 sucks, rogue 2 sucks (since you already have evasion)

the viable contenders are:

fighter: gain fighter toughness 1, fighter stunning blow 1 if you have that ability, 1x feat
ranger: gain 2 pt favored enemy evil outsider, ranger devotion I if you have healing dragonmarks, no extra hp

I chose fighter for the bonus hp and the feat, since wind stance is -con, and you're playing a relatively low ac dps type, having 200 less hp than a fighter is a little bit of a drawback.

There are certainly times I wish i had taken the ranger level for devotion I instead, but hte difference is minor at best.


I will post the build in this forum in a bit if you like, but both human and drow are significantly worse dps options, as halfling gain:
2 dex in enhancements
2 dex starting (easier to qualify for twf/ultimate wind)
8 damage worth of sneak attack (capping you at 1d6+19 with endgame gear and all enhancements)
the ability to qualify for healing dragonmarks (which i didnt consider at the time, but now am very glad I took)

The con penalty on drow (you dont want more -con, you already get -2 using wind stance) makes it a pretty poor choice imo, and human is vastly inferior to halfling as a dps outputter; 3 strength is not worth 4 dexterity + 8 sneak attack.

Junts, Thanks, I saw your post for this build in the other thread and will post some follow-up questions there.

[nofare]

Check this page out for a good summary: http://yk5.ddoblog.jp/article/36846.html

[Balthazarix]

Hi, i was searching forum, but wasn't successful. I just want to ask, what's the purpose of Spot skill in that Path of Light ? I can't actually find the trap or disable it, i just know there is something. Isn't that waste of skill points ? I'm on level 4, so i don't have overall look on the game and what may come later. But i'm thinking about leaving Path and choosing another skill. What do you recommend instead of Spot ? I'm mostly newbie player.

Second question is about granted feats list. There are some feats like "Breath of the Fire Dragon" or "The Gathering Storm" and others that should be available on 1. level, but i don't have them in game. What's the catch ?

Lastly i want ask about some tips for playing Monk focused on Wisdom, no weapons, just fists. I'm doing quests that corresponds my level, but without cleric hireling at my back i wouldn't be able to survive any of them. What's the best approach in fight ? I move a lot around. With Mobility feat i tumble to the the enemy, so i'm more protected, but there is slight delay when i want to strike after monk stops at enemy. Is there better way ?

Thanks for advice.

Khamasara, Monk seeking his destiny

[lanthan]

Spot is useful for 3 things it lets you know if a trap is near, if a secret door is near, and allows you to see sneaking monsters. All three of those things can be useful.

If you know you about to go through a trap you can switch to water stance to have a better chance of avoiding it. If there is a secret door around you can use and item with charges of Detect Secret Doors to find it, and stealthy monsters will not be able to surprise you.

The feats the like breath of the fire dragon are actually finishing moves that you do have.

Mobility is a fairly poor feat since it increases AC at times when you are least likely to be attacked.

When you say no weapons you are using handwraps right?

If you want to solo without a cleric hireling spend some gold on Cure moderate wounds potions or Cure serious wounds potions. There is a potion shop in House J

[Balthazarix]

Allright, thanks for explanation. I guess i will continue following the Path, it looks ok then. I'm using handwraps of course. I also got from reward nice looking Pillar of Light (quoterstaff). Don't know yet if it's better with or without it. Must try.

Mobility is probably poor skill, but it's requirement for Spring Attack, so i will not suffer penalty from moving and attacking. That's what i'm looking for mostly. I was playing that style with paladin, but that was terrible

I didn't meant i don't like cleric hireling. I was just wondering if i'm doing something wrong, that i receive so much damage.

[Balthazarix]

Oh and i have another question. I'm most of the time using water stance. I have it activated even in town. Not sure if it's not bug, but Saves are sometimes lower than should be. When i deactivate stance and reactivate it again, Saves goes up to right values. I will look into it more carefully, when this happens.

[lanthan]

Oh and i have another question. I'm most of the time using water stance. I have it activated even in town. Not sure if it's not bug, but Saves are sometimes lower than should be. When i deactivate stance and reactivate it again, Saves goes up to right values. I will look into it more carefully, when this happens.

Your stances will seem to be on when you first log in but you have to turn them off then back on again to get the benefit of them.

This is the result of a crude fix for a bug that would sometimes allow people to have 2 stances active at one time.

[darkdawn1]

To help with healing(esp for those solo moments), how good would it be to splash a level or two into cleric or favored soul of say 18/2 or 17/3 or even 17/2/ and 1 thief?

thanks

[Superspeed_Hi5]

When you say that your monk is nuetral do you mean lawful nuetral or true nuetral. I thought a pre-req for a monk ws to be lawful. Because if you can be true nuetral I might reroll for Robes of Stability/Greater Stability etc.