Rogue/Monk How feasible?

[timberhick]

I have an extra character slot(already have my beatstick, wiz and healer) and was thinking about having a trapsmith. Would rogue/monk work for this?

Something along the lines of rogue9/monk11? Or should it be less around rogue or monk 5?

[Quikster]

You can do most of the games traps with one level of rog. So the real question is what else do you want from the build. Answer this and peeps can give you a better idea of which split to take.

[timberhick]

Just one level of rogue will do it?

I guess it's on who you ask or read from.

As to what I want from the build, Rogue and Monk levels or I really am open to about anything. I was thinking about 5 levels of rogue and the rest monk.

[Quikster]

Just one level of rogue will do it?

I guess it's on who you ask or read from.

Not at all. If you want to take down most traps in normal and hard content you just need one level of rog. Max trap skills (mainly search and DD) and have +5 tools and the best gear for your level. You may need some buffs here and there (hero, GH, foxes, etc depending on level) but its more than plausable. So the real question is what do you want from your build.

You wont find many builders or critics who will support you in a "trapper" as not much game time is spent on traps. Most game time is spent dealing with mobs.

[Thanimal]

Not at all. If you want to take down most traps in normal and hard content you just need one level of rog. Max trap skills (mainly search and DD) and have +5 tools and the best gear for your level. You may need some buffs here and there (hero, GH, foxes, etc depending on level) but its more than plausable. So the real question is what do you want from your build.

You wont find many builders or critics who will support you in a "trapper" as not much game time is spent on traps. Most game time is spent dealing with mobs.

Yep, this is pretty widely accepted stuff.

The good news is that virtually every Rogue build is better with at least 1 level of Monk splashed into it.

To try to be more specific about Quik's question for you:
- Do you want to "look" like a Monk (fighting with fists) or just have Monk levels in the build?
- Do you want to actually BE a Monk (but with trap skills)?
- Do you want huge DPS and build to avoid aggro?
- Do you want to able to swap between tanking and decent DPS "modes"?
- Are you interested in Assassin? (This isn't my favorite, but some people love it.)
- Any racial restrictions?
- 28 or 32 point build?
- Will you be soloing a lot?
- What kind of loot will you have access to, including Tomes?

At a high level, I can tell you that splitting these classes somewhat evenly is likely to be a very bad call. You're going to want 1-2 levels of one of them, and tons of levels of the other one. Each brings something huge with just 1 level (trap skill access and WIS AC bonus, respectively), and Monk 2 is worth a little consideration because of another feat and another point of AC. But after that the benefits of each class come from going deep. So combos like 19 Rogue/1 Monk, 13 Rogue/6 Ranger/1 Monk, 16 Rogue/2 Paladin/2 Monk are examples of paths worth considering. And for a soloing, a Halfling Monk 18+/Rogue 1/possibly some other splash could be quite nice.

[Junts]

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=203745

Here's a monk with rogue skills; if you want to be prmarily a monk, you want at least 18 monk levels

19 rogue/1 monk is also an excellent build if you want more rogue than monk abilities.

[timberhick]

Not at all. If you want to take down most traps in normal and hard content you just need one level of rog. Max trap skills (mainly search and DD) and have +5 tools and the best gear for your level. You may need some buffs here and there (hero, GH, foxes, etc depending on level) but its more than plausable. So the real question is what do you want from your build.

You wont find many builders or critics who will support you in a "trapper" as not much game time is spent on traps. Most game time is spent dealing with mobs.

Hmmm, Okay. My other 3 characters group a lot and I am wanting a character that can solo(and group) effectively getting to as much of the content as possible. I've already gone thru 2 monks and am not seeing where the monk is 'very good' at soloing(I'm getting smacked around like a 2 dollar..)

F2P account no character is higher than lvl4 (I have altisms)

[Quikster]

Hmmm, Okay. My other 3 characters group a lot and I am wanting a character that can solo(and group) effectively getting to as much of the content as possible. I've already gone thru 2 monks and am not seeing where the monk is 'very good' at soloing(I'm getting smacked around like a 2 dollar..)

You are implying here that you need more ac

Top notch ac is very gear dependent and takes a while to grind. Having a rog splash at minimum allows you to max umd which will allow you to self heal some via wands and scrolls. This may help some, but ultimately an AC build usually doesnt shine till the latter levels when you can get your hands on some of that ac gear.

A lot of soloing ability includes tactics employed as well. I will sign off as I am logging on now, but answer some of animals specific questions and we can help you come up with something. ( I might let the guys who are bored at work do it, as someone is paying them Im going to play for a bit )

[timberhick]

- Do you want to "look" like a Monk (fighting with fists) or just have Monk levels in the build?
Look
- Do you want to actually BE a Monk (but with trap skills)?
Sure
- Do you want huge DPS and build to avoid aggro?
shrugs
- Do you want to able to swap between tanking and decent DPS "modes"?
shrugs
- Are you interested in Assassin? (This isn't my favorite, but some people love it.)
meh
- Any racial restrictions?
nope
- 28 or 32 point build?
28
- Will you be soloing a lot?
yes
- What kind of loot will you have access to, including Tomes?
squat.

I think I may be leaning towards a Halfling Monk 18+/Rogue 1/possibly some other splash? More so from their mark

[Aerendil]

If you want to use fists and primarly be a Monk, I would suggest:
- 18 Monk / 1 Rogue / 1 other level of your choice. An INT of 14+ is suggested here for ease of full trapsmithing, but 12+ might be ok. Your first level should be Rogue, and then you'll want to ensure Search and Disable Traps are kept up to par every level; with any leftover points spread between Open Lock, Hide, Move Silently, Spot, and Jump - whatever you can afford. UMD would be nice as well, but you'd be hard pressed to keep it at max.


If you're interested in quarterstaves, instead, might I suggest Phenx's build here:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=158960
An 18 Rogue / 2 Monk build works (as Phenx did), as does a 13 Rogue / 6 Monk / 1 other (or even 13/7 split).

[Thanimal]

If you want to use fists and primarly be a Monk, I would suggest:
- 18 Monk / 1 Rogue / 1 other level of your choice. An INT of 14+ is suggested here for ease of full trapsmithing, but 12+ might be ok. Your first level should be Rogue, and then you'll want to ensure Search and Disable Traps are kept up to par every level; with any leftover points spread between Open Lock, Hide, Move Silently, Spot, and Jump - whatever you can afford. UMD would be nice as well, but you'd be hard pressed to keep it at max.


If you're interested in quarterstaves, instead, might I suggest Phenx's build here:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=158960
An 18 Rogue / 2 Monk build works (as Phenx did), as does a 13 Rogue / 6 Monk / 1 other (or even 13/7 split).

Tons of excellent advice here. Apparently I can't give you more rep, yet, though.

[burkoJames]

I find that a single level splash (of rogue in this case) out of a monk is always a bad idea. You lose the anti wight effect, ac increase, damage increase, and DR, all for trap skill access (admittedly nice) and 1d6 damage sometimes(+3 with enhancement) Monk stats also have to be well balanced to survive, and at low levels are not as good as a fighter at taking it.

As for a splash of monk, the Wis bonus applies only if you have monk weapons and no armor on. The wis bonus wont have a heavy increase over light armor, and with only monk weapons, your DPS choices become severly limited.

I wouldpersonally suggest Monk 18/Rogue2 or Monk19/Rogue1 if you really want those trap and lock skills, but the Rogue/Monk is a Bad Idea IMO.

As a note, grabbing the rogue is not going to help you from getting smacked around in the <4 level range. If you can't handle a pure, a multi is going to eat you up. The added int requirements (to get enough skill points and boost search) make your overall stats even harder to balance.

[Junts]

I find that a single level splash (of rogue in this case) out of a monk is always a bad idea. You lose the anti wight effect, ac increase, damage increase, and DR, all for trap skill access (admittedly nice) and 1d6 damage sometimes(+3 with enhancement) Monk stats also have to be well balanced to survive, and at low levels are not as good as a fighter at taking it.

As for a splash of monk, the Wis bonus applies only if you have monk weapons and no armor on. The wis bonus wont have a heavy increase over light armor, and with only monk weapons, your DPS choices become severly limited.

I wouldpersonally suggest Monk 18/Rogue2 or Monk19/Rogue1 if you really want those trap and lock skills, but the Rogue/Monk is a Bad Idea IMO.

As a note, grabbing the rogue is not going to help you from getting smacked around in the <4 level range. If you can't handle a pure, a multi is going to eat you up. The added int requirements (to get enough skill points and boost search) make your overall stats even harder to balance.

Honestly, 1 rogue is so much better than 20 monk its not even funny (the anti-wight thing is monk 19, and also blows). you lose 1 ac, 1 point in average fist damage, and the capstone, and in return you get full umd, 1d6+3 sneak, trap/locks if you want them, etc. The dr isn't even a loss when you can umd a stoneskin wand.

20 monk is a nice beneift, but only if you are a wis/dc focused monk build ..strength builds are better with rog1.

My 18 monk / 1 rog / 1 fighter is a straight up raid-worthy dpser, not many monks can make that claim, and no pure monk is going to do better dps.

I'll take sneak attack and nofail heal scrolls over static dr and 1 extra base damage per swing, thanks.

UMD fixes all the big weaknesses of the monk class; the inability to render adequate party support and wipe prevention/saving/flexibility.

[DragavonBeta]

As for a splash of monk, the Wis bonus applies only if you have monk weapons and no armor on. The wis bonus wont have a heavy increase over light armor, and with only monk weapons, your DPS choices become severly limited.

This is wrong, you get the wisdom bonus no matter what weapon you have equipped.