Rockan Robin, pure monk build and philosophy

[Fafnir]

I guess that re-raises the questions on what level of stances/elemental attacks to go for. Grandmaster Wind is a given. I tend to use the other stances rarely, if at all unless I've managed to encumber myself or something embarrassing. i.e. Do you need a spread of elemental attacks for an optimal rotation, if so what rotation and level of attacks is optimum? I tend to use Unbalancing, Stunning, QP, Lightning Special, FOL to use my ki, but it strikes me as a suboptimal rotation, particularly as it builds up during long sequences of combat. I toy with dropping in the earth strike and do so sometimes.

[Anthios888]

Using earth and wind constantly (several tiers of both) is optimal for dps situations like raid bosses.

[Dimvel]

Hi all,
I'm new in monk class so i've got couple of questions about this build. I feel like this monk is just created for me ! I dont want to make any mistake so...

First of all i dont have 32pt and no tomes (i dont want to use combat expertise as well...).
Second, i'd like to make some changes because of my playstyle (i dump INT, because dont want to pick UMD)...

So what if my stats would be:

str:13 (for power attack)
dex:17 (for ITWF)
con:14
int:8
wis:14
cha:8

or

str:14 (i dont know if there's big difference to get +2 mod instead of +1?)
dex:17
con:12 (my monk will be gimped with only 12 con? how much ill loose)
int:8
wis:14
cha:8

or

str:13
dex:17
con:12
int:8
wis:15 (i can see this build is high wis, so 1 more pt shold be nice..?)
cha:8

Skills:
Concentration - MAX
Balance - ?? Don't really know, because i've always tought that balance is VERY important for monk, so i think i'll MAX'd it
Hide&Move Silently - is sneaking and hiding really important to this build? why you even choose it?
Jump - just 1 point (is really jump so important to monk?)as well, maby ill pump it later if i save some points
Tumble - just 1 point

Feats:
1 Two weapon fighting
1 (monk) Toughness
2 (monk) Weapon Finesse
3 (monk) Path of Harmonious Balance
3 Dodge
6 Power Attack (13 or 14 base str so i dont need +1 tome)
6 (monk) Stunning Fist
9 Improved Two Weapon Fighting (17 base dex so i dont need +1 tome)
12 Improved Critical: Bludgeoning
15 Greater Two Weapon Fighting
18 i really dont want combat expertise, because i cant find it useful, so what last feat do you recommend?

Enhancements
Enhancement: Monk Serenity
Enhancement: Halfling Dexterity I
Enhancement: Halfling Dexterity II
Enhancement: Halfling Cunning I
Enhancement: Halfling Cunning II
Enhancement: Halfling Cunning III
Enhancement: Halfling Cunning IV
Enhancement: Halfling Guile I
Enhancement: Halfling Guile II
Enhancement: Halfling Guile III
Enhancement: Halfling Guile IV
Enhancement: Halfling Hero's Companion I
Enhancement: Halfling Hero's Companion II
Enhancement: Halfling Luck (Reflex) I
Enhancement: Halfling Luck (Will) I
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortiose I
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortiose II
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery II
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery III
Enhancement: Void Strike
Enhancement: Unbalancing Strike
Enhancement: Adept of Wind
Enhancement: Master of Thunder
Enhancement: Adept of Rock
Enhancement: Master of Stone
Enhancement: Adept of Rain
Enhancement: Master of Sea
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom I
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom II
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom III

i left them without any change, because they're very nice



I know there's a lot of questions but im very excited to roll my first monk, so ill be very thankful for all your replies!

Cheers.

[Anthios888]

To Dimvel,

For a 28 point with no tomes, I'd go with:

str:13 (for power attack)
dex:17 (for ITWF)
con:14
int:8
wis:14
cha:8

That said, I think it's a mistake to limit yourself to no tomes, but if you really think you can't swing 15-20k plat apiece, you'll be fine with the above setup.

For skills, feel free to dump hide and move silently. Stealthing is a fun situational thing but not required to be an effective monk. I would caution against dumping jump, which is the most important stat for any character in DDO. This game is extremely dynamic, and maneuvering is vital not only for getting around but also for getting out of harm's way. It's not necessary to max out to 23 ranks in it, but I recommend at least 10-15. Later on, you can get jump buffs from casters or from clickies that will put you at the jump cap (40). So, that leaves you with concentration, jump, balance, and tumble.

For your extra feat, you can't go wrong with toughness, since you have the other required feats taken care of. Another alternative, if you're truly low on funds, would be to drop dodge, improved critical, and that last feat in favor of halfling dragonmarks, which allow you to cast healing spells. That would really be a blow to the character overall, but might be easier to play.

Your final feat setup would look something like:

1 Two weapon fighting
1 Least dragonmark of healing
2 Toughness
3 Power Attack (don't use until later levels, but you have to take it early for the feats to fit in)
6 Lesser dragonmark of healing
9 Greater dragonmark of healing
12 Improved two weapon fighting
15 Greater two weapon fighting
18 Improved Critical: Bludgeoning

[Dimvel]

To Dimvel,

For a 28 point with no tomes, I'd go with:

str:13 (for power attack)
dex:17 (for ITWF)
con:14
int:8
wis:14
cha:8

That said, I think it's a mistake to limit yourself to no tomes, but if you really think you can't swing 15-20k plat apiece, you'll be fine with the above setup.

For skills, feel free to dump hide and move silently. Stealthing is a fun situational thing but not required to be an effective monk. I would caution against dumping jump, which is the most important stat for any character in DDO. This game is extremely dynamic, and maneuvering is vital not only for getting around but also for getting out of harm's way. It's not necessary to max out to 23 ranks in it, but I recommend at least 10-15. Later on, you can get jump buffs from casters or from clickies that will put you at the jump cap (40). So, that leaves you with concentration, jump, balance, and tumble.

For your extra feat, you can't go wrong with toughness, since you have the other required feats taken care of. Another alternative, if you're truly low on funds, would be to drop dodge, improved critical, and that last feat in favor of halfling dragonmarks, which allow you to cast healing spells. That would really be a blow to the character overall, but might be easier to play.

Your final feat setup would look something like:

1 Two weapon fighting
1 Least dragonmark of healing
2 Toughness
3 Power Attack (don't use until later levels, but you have to take it early for the feats to fit in)
6 Lesser dragonmark of healing
9 Greater dragonmark of healing
12 Improved two weapon fighting
15 Greater two weapon fighting
18 Improved Critical: Bludgeoning

Well i think i just follow the first build and in low-mid game fill remaining stats with tomes ! By the way, there's still last missing feat at 18th lvl... Which one you'd choose? Diehard should works well? Thanks for the quick reply!!!

[Anthios888]

For your extra feat, you can't go wrong with toughness, since you have the other required feats taken care of.

Diehard is not a good feat after very low levels, because with around 500 hit points, the odds of a killing blow leaving you between 0 and -10 are pretty slim. If you had another 20 HP in the first place, you wouldn't have gotten incapacitated.

[Saethiar]

Hi Anthios888,

Just wanted to say a BIG thank you for this build!

I'm new to DDO and after playing different classes and builds, struggling to find something I liked, this one did the trick. Its so much fun to play with this little guy, and the survivability AND Dps is very high! Highly recommend this build for anyone that wants to kick butt Monk style

+1 rep!

[Pithrin]

To Dimvel,

This game is extremely dynamic, and maneuvering is vital not only for getting around but also for getting out of harm's way. It's not necessary to max out to 23 ranks in it, but I recommend at least 10-15. Later on, you can get jump buffs from casters or from clickies that will put you at the jump cap (40). So, that leaves you with concentration, jump, balance, and tumble.

Anthios888,

First off let me thank you for such an insightful look into a class that I've been wanting to try but had previously shied away from.

I've just recently returned from a long vacation from DDO and re-activated my account. Quite honestly, I'm more than a little rusty.

Starting with only 8 INT I put max ranks in Concentration and Balance and the rest in Jump with only one in Tumble. Currently I'm ready to train lvl6 and I'm still on the same path.

Could you give me some insight / advice on what my final numbers should be for those skills. Forgoing UMD and the stealth line I think those should be all that I need to work on but I'm not sure when to stop Jump (I realize you already mentioned the 10-15 range) or should I split it up more for tumble (or is a single point enough)?

[Anthios888]

I've fielded many questions about skills. These are just one of those things in DDO that aren't going to make or break your character unless you do something really off (ie not taking UMD on a bard or rogue, not taking disable device on a trapsmith, not taking concentration on a monk, picking up repair or heal on anyone). Once you've got the basics down, it doesn't matter what you do.

I would split ranks between jump and tumble (about 10-15 jump and the rest in tumble), because I use tumble like crazy to dodge special attacks, get out of harm's way, and because think it's fun. A higher tumble lets you move further faster. Putting 1 rank in tumble and focusing on other skills works 95% as well. Other skills you can consider useful are Listen and Spot, which let you see targets from further off.

This stuff doesn't need to be maxed to work (max = 23 ranks at level 20 or level + 3) -- just do what fits your own play.

[Chexss]

Would it be worth not getting the monk improved recovery so I could get the remove curse/disease/blindness stuff instead?

[mistahnice]

Would it be worth not getting the monk improved recovery so I could get the remove curse/disease/blindness stuff instead?

I love being able to raise dead twice per day as long as I have potions. I find myself using clickies/pots more often than the ki resto abilities.

By the way, this is a really badass build and I love it.

[Anthios888]

Would it be worth not getting the monk improved recovery so I could get the remove curse/disease/blindness stuff instead?

No. Monk improved recovery is one of the best enhancements you have, while remove are the worst.

Invest in a handfull of pots in remove blindness and curse. You don't even need that many, since you become immune to half that stuff, anyway.

Think about it this way: You'll save far more platinum in using fewer cure serious potions because of your improved recovery than you would spend on a couple of remove blindnesses potions. Improved recovery affects all healing: your ki strikes, your potion-drinking, incoming heals from other party members, you name it.

[Fafnir]

I'm in the process of making a GS cloak, replacing a +5 prot + misc cloak that I have. I hate to be a noob, but where are you getting deflection/protection bonuses from (outside of spells)?

[Anthios888]

I'm in the process of making a GS cloak, replacing a +5 prot + misc cloak that I have. I hate to be a noob, but where are you getting deflection/protection bonuses from (outside of spells)?

My gear is a little bit off because I rerolled, but I get protection +5 on dragontouched armor or get a spell from a cleric. A more convenient and future proof way would be to craft a Mineral II on your cloak instead of the Radiance Guard I used. I just felt that the radiance was more fun for me and counted for well more than a couple of AC in all of the monsters that miss me. Whether you feel that way is subjective, so do what makes sense to you =)

[Philam]

Why Lawful Neutral as opposed to Lawful Goood?

Ph

[valorik]

Why Lawful Neutral as opposed to Lawful Goood?

Ph

Litany will give you a neg level (-5 hp -1 to hit -1 saves -1 skill) if you're lawful good.

[Philam]

Litany will give you a neg level (-5 hp -1 to hit -1 saves -1 skill) if you're lawful good.

Gotcha! Thank you!

Ph

[Mr.Reizakai]

Hey. First off thanks for the build! it was actually well done enough that it was the deciding factor in me buying the monk. The question I have is that when i was researching the monk i kept hearing bout the Harmonious Balance path having a healing attack that healed you for a little bit each time you hit the monster, whereas the Destruction path had a 500point damage attack. Could you please explain what attacks these are, if they are even in the game at all anymore?

[Ultrazen]

I posted a similar thank you in another thread, but just wanted to also say thanks to you as well. Reading your builds and thoughts has helped me a ton in my noobler pursuit of trying to understand the ins and outs of DDO.

Rep +1 and again thanks very much for all of your valuable info and insight to the game. I'm on Gall as well, and currently have a few of your builds leveling.

Humbly yours
Ultrazen

[Barazon]

Your build lists 15 hitpoints from Patient Tortoise, but you only have enhancements for 2 ranks, which gives 10 hps (although the AP exist to take Patient Tortoise 3). However, you cannot take Master of Stone, due to 14 con (requires 16) and running out of AP.