The Metaru - Dark Path WF Fire DPS Monk

[AceWolver]

What i do worry about with this guild is the AC.
Will it not be to low for tanking end game? even with the incorp and epic DR?

Also if you take the claw set [ i assume its the red fens one? ] are u then not off worse ? at low levels ? sinds you cant wear jidz then.

[Ecoski]

What i do worry about with this guild is the AC.
Will it not be to low for tanking end game? even with the incorp and epic DR?

Also if you take the claw set [ i assume its the red fens one? ] are u then not off worse ? at low levels ? sinds you cant wear jidz then.

At the moment (I'm 17, not quite at epic yet) my monk is able to tank most things very comfortably, I don't have a worthwhile AC, but I do have a standing hp of about 420, and thanks to my heal amp, I can be healed almost to full by a heal, and I no longer see those dark green numbers This build is very capable of keeping agro on most bosses, even when not completely kitted out.

Up until level 20, I'm going to be wearing jidz, for the 25% heal amp, but once I get the epic claw set I'll switch, as it not only increases your hate gain, but also offers a higher healing amp than the jidz tetka anyway, making it better no matter what stance you're in.

[nolaureltree000]

What i do worry about with this guild is the AC.
Will it not be to low for tanking end game? even with the incorp and epic DR?

Also if you take the claw set [ i assume its the red fens one? ] are u then not off worse ? at low levels ? sinds you cant wear jidz then.

AC is an all or nothing stat. either you have it or you dont. this build doesnt even consider AC.

[AceWolver]

but then you'll be taking more damage overall then somebody who does go for AC ?

[Ecoski]

AC is only worth it if you REALLY go for it, it isn't Damage Reduction, that's different. For end game content you have to sacrifice a great deal to get a meaningful AC, and in many cases the trade off isn't worth it. A while ago I was playing with a light monk who boasted of his "amazing AC". At the end of the quest he'd died twice from disintegrate, and only managed to get 9 kills. In comparison, the ranger who insisted on only using a bow got about 30, the cleric got about 50 and I felt really smug when I pointed out that if you got the "amazing AC" the monk claimed he had, added his number of kills to it, then doubled it, it still didn't reach my kill count ^^
Moral of the story: If you can get a good AC whilst maintaining high dps, go for it, this build doesn't do that, but it does everything else so well, I think I can forgive it

[Helexax]

I've got a 10th lvl dwarf monk, and a lesser heart of wood, besides losing WF immunities what else would i lose if going dwarf, instead of WF ( first life, anyways )? Conversely, what would I gain?

[Roguish_Existence]

I would like to make a monk as well and this is the first build I have seen that I think I would enjoy but due to the updates I question wether I should take Stunning Blow or go Stunning Fist, anyway I have another question and a suggestion.

Does Warforged Tactics effect Stunning Fist?


If it doesn't then you could alter this build to incorporate Stunning Fist by Changing starting stats to...

STR 16
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 8
WIS 12
CHA 6

Drop WF Tactics, Animal Path 3, plus the 2 to 4 extra points you have left over somewhere towards the end of the build (I worked this out on a whim, correct me if I am wrong.) and you would have enough points to take Monk WIS 1&2. WIS 12 + 2 Tome + 2 Monk WIS + 6 Item = 22. You should be able to use Stunning Fist and ToD a bit more effectively now with only sacrificing 5 Hp's , yes?

If I am wrong then I am wrong. Just trying to contribute to adapting this build to the most recent updates for people who see this build and want to start a monk like me.

[masterzzan]

wf tactics apply to stunning fists. i checked it

[nolaureltree000]

I've got a 10th lvl dwarf monk, and a lesser heart of wood, besides losing WF immunities what else would i lose if going dwarf, instead of WF ( first life, anyways )? Conversely, what would I gain?

ability to be healed by arcanes is the biggest thing. also WF brute fighting and power attack enhancements.

the ability to tank goes down drastically when selecting another race besides WF for this build.

I would like to make a monk as well and this is the first build I have seen that I think I would enjoy but due to the updates I question wether I should take Stunning Blow or go Stunning Fist, anyway I have another question and a suggestion.

Does Warforged Tactics effect Stunning Fist?


If it doesn't then you could alter this build to incorporate Stunning Fist by Changing starting stats to...

STR 16
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 8
WIS 12
CHA 6

Drop WF Tactics, Animal Path 3, plus the 2 to 4 extra points you have left over somewhere towards the end of the build (I worked this out on a whim, correct me if I am wrong.) and you would have enough points to take Monk WIS 1&2. WIS 12 + 2 Tome + 2 Monk WIS + 6 Item = 22. You should be able to use Stunning Fist and ToD a bit more effectively now with only sacrificing 5 Hp's , yes?

If I am wrong then I am wrong. Just trying to contribute to adapting this build to the most recent updates for people who see this build and want to start a monk like me.

it wouldnt be advisable to start this build with anything but max STR if you want to retain tanking ability. you are competing to hold aggro against horc barbs with eSoSs. every little bit of dps you can irk out will be needed. stuns are an after thought to this build. you cant stun raid bosses while tanking.

those changes would be fine for a more well rounded monk, but not for a tanking monk imo.

[goodspeed]

Id say if not a robot then a horc. Giving up that extra power attack can hurt a bit. Plus horcs are just str machines. You get to 18 easy leaving more then enough points for a 16 in dex and con, and still coming out with a 10 for wis.

Their isn't even any doubt that you'll have to worry about missing anything starting up. Just hit PA, drink a hero pot, a bark pot and go. Equip those shocking gloves and ur in business. It's like vorping mobs when you crit. 120 hp just gushes out.

Dwarf doesn't really bring a whole lot to the table. They're survivable but for that extra hp and toughness you lose alot. Maybe if you wanted to go light monk, but even then id say both the robot and the horc fit the bill. Unless you wanted to go ac based then the halfman's ur guy.

huh just noticed this is about 2 months old..... RISE DARK BUILD RISE!!!! (lv 6 and kickass. good job)

[Munkenmo]

Wisdom
This build does not rely on WIS for anything besides Will saves and even with a 6 starting WIS you will still have a Will save that beats most fighters and barbarians. You’re Will save will be more than enough for any content in the game especially with all your immunities. I cannot stress this enough a 6 base WIS is fine for this build and there is no reason to start with it any higher if it requires taking points from STR or CON.

This build is out of date and kinda lacking now.

The above quote is why.

In short, this build needs wisdom to land touch of death these days.

[anto_capone]

This build is out of date and kinda lacking now.

The above quote is why.

In short, this build needs wisdom to land touch of death these days.

idk, my monk is still getting 250-1500 damage each touch of death with no viable WIS.

[jmonty]

idk, my monk is still getting 250-1500 damage each touch of death with no viable WIS.

good to hear!

i tr'd into this, from wf monk, and i haven't played much the last 5 months or so. my tr is only lvl 5 so far but is fun to play and i've solo'd everything so far

[Munkenmo]

idk, my monk is still getting 250-1500 damage each touch of death with no viable WIS.

of course you're getting 250-1500 negative damage each touch of death, that covers the entire range of damage possible without vulnerabilities being added in.

on average though this build now does roughly half the damage from touch of death that it used to, whilst still being ok in some peoples minds, it's not as viable as it once was.

[Snarglefrump]

on average though this build now does roughly half the damage from touch of death that it used to, whilst still being ok in some peoples minds, it's not as viable as it once was.

The build start with 6 wisdom. A heavily wisdom-focused monk might start with 16 wisdom, put all 5 level ups into wisdom, and use water stance, for a total of 25 before gear, buffs, and tomes (where assume both builds will have access to similar items). That's a 19 point advantage. Let's round up and call it 20.

A difference of 20 points of wisdom translates into an average wisdom bonus difference of 10. That's not enough of a difference to make mobs go from saving 100% of the time to 0% of the time. At most, they'll go from saving 100% of the time to 50% of the time, or from 50% to 0% of the time.

[Muckle]

Followed this build to 20, absolutely loved it.


However now at 20 it turns out I don't tank as much as I expected, which is fine, so I'm thinking of TR'ing into another monk.

Can someone update this slightly to fit the current game update, tweak it more for pure DPS. Warforged or dwarf, can't stand the helf looks unfortunately and halflings are no good as strenght monks


Thanks in advance, Muckle.

[Munkenmo]

snip
A difference of 20 points of wisdom translates into an average wisdom bonus difference of 10. That's not enough of a difference to make mobs go from saving 100% of the time to 0% of the time. At most, they'll go from saving 100% of the time to 50% of the time, or from 50% to 0% of the time.

a 10 dc difference of 10 can indeed constitute the difference between 95% and 5% (due to 1's and 20's) esp on boss mobs where your touch of death was never guaranteed to pass the fortitude save.

ask any arcane out there how much of a difference they see in their success rate by simply going from a 40-41dc or 40-42.

[Darkrok]

Can someone update this slightly to fit the current game update, tweak it more for pure DPS. Warforged or dwarf, can't stand the helf looks unfortunately and halflings are no good as strenght monks

Ok, here's my take on it. This is just my take - I'm not the original creator of the build - but I think I see a path to a viable build here. Thoughts will come in a following post.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.11.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page

The Metaru U11
Level 20 Lawful Neutral Warforged Male
(20 Monk) 
Hit Points: 342
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 16
Will: 11

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(34 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 20)           (Level 20)
Strength             18                 25                   25
Dexterity            16                 18                   18
Constitution         17                 19                   21
Intelligence          8                 10                   10
Wisdom                6                  8                    8
Charisma              6                  8                    8

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Strength used at level 3
+1 Tome of Dexterity used at level 3
+1 Tome of Constitution used at level 3
+1 Tome of Intelligence used at level 3
+1 Tome of Wisdom used at level 3
+1 Tome of Charisma used at level 3
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills        Base Skills        Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)          (Level 20)          (Level 20)
Balance               3                  4                    8
Bluff                 0                  1                    1
Concentration         7                  9                   21
Diplomacy            -2                 -1                   -1
Disable Device       n/a                n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                 -1                   -1
Heal                 -2                 -1                   -1
Hide                  3                  4                    8
Intimidate           -2                 -1                   -1
Jump                  7                 10                   12
Listen               -2                 -1                    1
Move Silently         3                  4                    4
Open Lock             n/a               n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a               n/a                   n/a
Repair               -1                  0                    0
Search               -1                  0                    0
Spot                 -2                 -1                   -1
Swim                  4                  7                    7
Tumble                4                  5                    7
Use Magic Device     n/a               n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Monk)
Skill: Bluff (+2)
Skill: Concentration (+4)
Skill: Jump (+3)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Monk
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) AC Bonus
Feat: (Automatic) Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Composite Plating
Feat: (Automatic) Defensive Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Disciple of Breezes
Feat: (Automatic) Disciple of Candles
Feat: (Automatic) Disciple of Pebbles
Feat: (Automatic) Disciple of Puddles
Feat: (Automatic) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Kama
Feat: (Automatic) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Shuriken
Feat: (Automatic) Finishing Moves
Feat: (Automatic) Flurry of Blows
Feat: (Automatic) Heroic Durability
Feat: (Automatic) Light Fortification
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency: Handaxe
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency: Club
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency: Dagger
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency: Heavy Crossbow
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency: Light Crossbow
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency: Quarterstaff
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency: Unarmed
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak
Feat: (Automatic) Unarmed Strike
Feat: (Automatic) Warforged Immunities


Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Toughness
Feat: (Automatic) Evasion
Feat: (Automatic) Meditation
Feat: (Automatic) Sunder
Feat: (Automatic) Trip


Level 3 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Past Life: Disciple of the Fist
Feat: (Monk Path) Path of Inevitable Dominion: Fists of Darkness
Feat: (Automatic) Fast Movement
Feat: (Automatic) Finishing Moves: Path of Harmonious Balance (ALL)
Feat: (Automatic) Finishing Moves: Path of Inevitable Dominion (ALL)
Feat: (Automatic) Still Mind


Level 4 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Magic
Feat: (Automatic) Slow Fall


Level 5 (Monk)
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Damage
Feat: (Automatic) Purity of Body


Level 6 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Dodge
Feat: (Selected) Stunning Blow


Level 7 (Monk)
Feat: (Automatic) Wholeness of Body


Level 8 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 9 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Evasion


Level 10 (Monk)
Feat: (Automatic) Curse of the Void
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Lawful
Feat: (Automatic) Moment of Clarity


Level 11 (Monk)
Feat: (Automatic) Diamond Body


Level 12 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Bludgeoning Weapons
Feat: (Automatic) Abundant Step


Level 13 (Monk)
Feat: (Automatic) Diamond Soul


Level 14 (Monk)


Level 15 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Quivering Palm


Level 16 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Adamantine


Level 17 (Monk)
Feat: (Automatic) Timeless Body


Level 18 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Sunder


Level 19 (Monk)
Feat: (Automatic) Empty Body


Level 20 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Automatic) Perfect Self
Feat: (Automatic) Shining Star
Enhancement: Monk Serenity
Enhancement: Static Charge
Enhancement: Way of the Faithful Hound I
Enhancement: Way of the Faithful Hound II
Enhancement: Touch of Death
Enhancement: Porous Soul
Enhancement: All-Consuming Flame
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Monk Ninja Spy I
Enhancement: Monk Ninja Spy II
Enhancement: Void Strike I
Enhancement: Void Strike II
Enhancement: Winter's Touch
Enhancement: Adept of Wind
Enhancement: Grandmaster of Storms
Enhancement: Master of Thunder
Enhancement: Adept of Flame
Enhancement: Grandmaster of the Sun
Enhancement: Master of Bonfires
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III
Enhancement: Racial Toughness IV
Enhancement: Improved Jump I
Enhancement: Improved Jump II
Enhancement: Improved Tumble I
Enhancement: Improved Tumble II
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution I
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution II
Enhancement: Warforged Healer's Friend I
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack I
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack II
Enhancement: Warforged Power Attack III
Enhancement: Warforged Tactics I
Enhancement: Warforged Tactics II

[Muckle]

Ok, here's my take on it. This is just my take - I'm not the original creator of the build - but I think I see a path to a viable build here. Thoughts will come in a following post.

Thank you, that looks interesting indeed. Looking forward to your follow up post.
Still a bit low on wisdom, judging to the latest updates to Death Touch?

[Darkrok]

Ok, first of all the idea of tanking with this build is probably dated. Given the same gear level among all toons in the raid you'll be less likely both to survive and to hold agro given the changes that have happened since this build's creation.

However, this build already set up to do a lot of damage. And on a TR we only took 1 extra Toughness feat. Fairly simple to convert this build to something useful in U11.

Feats: Drop the extra Toughness for Improved Sunder. Given that we're a max-str monk in a race with Tactics options we'll be able to get a pretty good DC for it. Other than that the feats of PA, TWF, iTWF, gTWF, Dodge, Toughness, iCrit: Bludgeoning, Stunning Blow, and the Past Life: Monk look good.

Enhancements: Also not a lot changing here. I only went Tier 2 on animal path (required for Ninja Spy II or I wouldn't have even gone there) and set it up for a better chance to hit in epics. I know I posted with only Tactics II but personally I would drop PA III and the Void I/II to pick up Tactics III. I really like the tactics options though so I tend to overdo those. Both methods are viable. I took Wind IV over Earth IV for our primary non-ToD ki consumers mainly because there are times you may not get consistent haste and don't want to/can't pop a haste pot (ToD raid for example). Given the change to crits I think both Wind IV and Earth IV are viable choices...I just like the option to run without haste if needed. That's a choice I'm making there though that could go either way.

Gear: We actually have 3 different tactics-based moves we'll be using. Trip, Improved Sunder, and Stunning Blow. I would give serious thought to the new Epic Blademark's Docent. +15 to trip DC's is really juicy on a max-str toon with an extra +2 or +3 to trip DC's from enhancements. That would make Trip viable in most content without a gear swap. You'll want to have some handwraps with shatter + 10 for bosses and with stunning for other times (Vampiric Stonedust are pretty nice for that even though they're not +10). I would consider the Quickdraw feat on a first-life toon to be able to quickly swap between stunning and dps wraps on trash and between shatter and dps wraps on bosses.

Overall I think this is a highly viable toon. I would run it with some madstone boots on, selling out for str, skipping the finishers and basically playing it as a highly durable tactics/dps toon.