Monk/Rogue - Light/Trapster

[Fiver5]

Looking for feedback, thanks.

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Ryvia 
Level 20 Lawful Good Halfling Female
(16 Monk \ 4 Rogue) 
Hit Points: 269
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 14
Reflex: 21
Will: 21

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 20)           (Level 20)
Strength             10                 12                   12
Dexterity            18                 20                   23
Constitution         12                 14                   14
Intelligence         12                 14                   14
Wisdom               16                 23                   26
Charisma              8                 10                   10

Tomes Used
+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               8                 10                   10
Bluff                -1                  0                    1
Concentration         1                 22                   28
Diplomacy            -1                  0                    0
Disable Device        5                 25                   29
Haggle               -1                  0                    0
Heal                  3                  8                    8
Hide                  7                  9                   13
Intimidate           -1                  0                    0
Jump                  4                  5                    7
Listen                3                  8                   10
Move Silently         8                 10                   12
Open Lock             8                 29                   33
Perform              n/a                n/a                   n/a
Repair                1                  2                    2
Search                5                 22                   22
Spot                  7                 17                   17
Swim                  0                  1                    1
Tumble                5                  7                    7
Use Magic Device      3                 10                   10

Level 1 (Rogue)
Skill: Balance (+4)
Skill: Disable Device (+4)
Skill: Hide (+3)
Skill: Jump (+4)
Skill: Move Silently (+4)
Skill: Open Lock (+4)
Skill: Search (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+4)
Feat: (Selected) Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Halfling Agility
Feat: (Automatic) Halfling Bravery
Feat: (Automatic) Halfling Keen Ears
Feat: (Automatic) Halfling Luck
Feat: (Automatic) Halfling Size Bonus
Feat: (Automatic) Halfling Thrown Weapon Focus
Feat: (Automatic) Heroic Durability
Feat: (Automatic) Light Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency: Rapier
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency: Shortsword
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency: Shortbow
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Trapfinding
Enhancement: Rogue Skill Boost I
Enhancement: Improved Disable Device I
Enhancement: Improved Open Lock I


Level 2 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+4)
Skill: Disable Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Stunning Fist
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) Martial Weapon Proficiency: Handaxe
Feat: (Automatic) Unarmed Strike
Enhancement: Improved Concentration I


Level 3 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+0.5)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Discipline
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Finesse
Feat: (Automatic) Defensive Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Evasion
Feat: (Automatic) Meditation
Feat: (Automatic) Sunder
Feat: (Automatic) Trip
Enhancement: Halfling Dexterity I
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortoise I
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom I


Level 4 (Monk)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Feat: (Monk Path) Path of Harmonious Balance: Fists of Light
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
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery I


Level 5 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Magic
Feat: (Automatic) Slow Fall


Level 6 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Nimble Fingers
Feat: (Automatic) AC Bonus
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Damage
Feat: (Automatic) Purity of Body
Enhancement: Lifting the Veil


Level 7 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Toughness
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortoise II
Enhancement: Shintao Monk I
Enhancement: Difficulty at the Beginning
Enhancement: Unbalancing Strike
Enhancement: Adept of Wind
Enhancement: Adept of Rain
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I


Level 8 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Disable Device (+2)
Skill: Open Lock (+2)
Skill: Search (+6)
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom II


Level 9 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Wholeness of Body
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity I


Level 10 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery II


Level 11 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+0.5)
Skill: Open Lock (+0.5)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Evasion


Level 12 (Monk)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+0.5)
Skill: Open Lock (+0.5)
Skill: Search (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Bludgeoning Weapons
Feat: (Automatic) Curse of the Void
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Lawful
Feat: (Automatic) Moment of Clarity
Enhancement: Halfling Dexterity II
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom III


Level 13 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Diamond Body


Level 14 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Abundant Step
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery III
Enhancement: Shintao Monk II


Level 15 (Rogue)
Skill: Disable Device (+2)
Skill: Open Lock (+2)
Skill: Search (+2)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Trap Sense
Enhancement: Master of the Sea


Level 16 (Monk)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Diamond Soul
Enhancement: Master of Thunder


Level 17 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)


Level 18 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Search (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Dodge
Feat: (Automatic) Quivering Palm
Enhancement: Rogue Item Defense I
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortoise III
Enhancement: Restoring the Balance


Level 19 (Monk)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Feat: (Automatic) Ki Strike: Adamantine


Level 20 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: WIS
Skill: Disable Device (+1)
Skill: Open Lock (+1)
Skill: Search (+4)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+3)
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost II
Enhancement: Rogue Skill Boost II
Enhancement: Halfling Cunning I
Enhancement: Halfling Guile I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Rogue Faster Sneaking I
Enhancement: Improved Disable Device II
Enhancement: Improved Open Lock II
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense I

[TeacherSyn]

Hey there.

So, why the rogue levels?

Some classes are really fatally flawed when multiclassed. The monk is one of them. While DEX is an important stat shared by both rogues and monks, there's more to it than stats.

The rogue gets the most skill (and probably enhancement points) of any class because it requires the versatility. Likewise, a monk's powers come from the many FEATS it receives. A rogue's saving feats, Trap Sense, Evasion and Dodge are great, but a monk gets Evasion, too. Combined with the best saves of any class, the monk often escapes damage where even rogues die.

But you lose out on these by diving out at 16. Sure, you have many of the good feats. But rogues are very equipment dependent, while a monk is not--and using such things can even uncenter him. I like your DEX and WIS (might be too much there, although it's more important than some let on)...but your CON is too low for a class that's designed for melee.

If you're multiclassing to use wands and scrolls, you might want to look into the benefits of the "Light" monk, which can mass heal, remove curses and disease, even raise dead, while at the same dish great damage. You won't need wands with regenerating ki from killing enemies. You can add a little sneak attack with backstabbing handwraps/staffs/kamas...but monks are sustained DPS, not "strike and head back" DPS as rogues are. Try rerolling to see the difference, especially in AC, attacks, saves and HP.

[Fiver5]

It was an attempt to get a decent trap/locksmith with the light monk abilities for buffing and the like. You only miss out on 1 AC, 2pts of damage for unarmed and a few specials, and the third tier of Shinto Monk.

You still have the mass heals, great crowd control (only losing 2 off the DC for most of them). The Wis is high for those DC's for the stuns and holds.

Unfortunately the biggest issue is the low Disable Device (29) which is missing about 10-15 points overall to work properly on epic content.

The character would do great in all content up to that as a buffer/side healer/crowd control and trap monkey stand-in for 90% of all elite content.

The rogue levels give skill maximums for several skills and uncanny dodge as well to remove becoming uncentered from knockdowns and other irritating effects.

[jsaving]

Ordinarily, you splash rogue when there are synergies between rogue and your dominant class. One example is the wizardX/rogue2, since the stat used for spellcasting (INT) is also the attribute that modifies search/disarm checks. Such a character would also gain the familiar benefits of evasion and (through UMD) dramatically better self-healing.

I'm having trouble seeing how those synergies would apply to a rogue-splashed monk, though. You already have good self-healing capabilities, reducing (though not entirely eliminating) the desirability of a maxed-out UMD. You already have evasion. And your INT is only mediocre, giving you good but not great trapsmithing.

Another factor worth considering is what you surrender by taking the splash. Wizards can splash up to 3 levels without giving up access to 9th level spells, which makes many (though certainly not all) players willing to embark upon a 2-level rogue splash. On the other hand, monks can't splash any levels at all without giving up the tremendous damage reduction they receive at 20th level. Without that, I'm not sure how competitive you'll be with 20th level monks in melee.

The final question to ask is, how attractive will your build be for grouping purposes? The rogue-splashed wizard, to stick with the above example, can offer arcane power that's almost on a par with a pure wizard along with substantially greater survivability and trapsmithing on a par with the best rogues -- potentially filling 2 roles at once and letting the party add another DPSer or healer. The rogue-splashed monk, though, offers less melee AND less survivability than a 20th level monk, and I'm not sure the trapsmithing he brings to the table will be enough to compensate.