Recommended GS items for a Palemaster Monk?

[Cryohazard]

Hey all,

I have a toon that I made for fun and I'm trying to figure out what GS items I should put on it.

Currently its a Wiz12/Monk5 Warforged Palemaster Monk. (Probably going to end up with Wiz12/Monk6/Ftr2). I use it a lot in pug groups/raids, and the occasional PvP brawl. At the core, its a STR-based monk, (low INT and WIS). Its built to buff up, pop on a death aura and wraith shroud, lay down some firewalls and start slugging.

The stats are solid, but not flashy: Decent damage output with wraps, decent health (350 hp) decent saves (Mid-20's), and decent damage avoidance (38 AC when buffed + blur/displace/incorporeal miss chances)

Here are some of the items that I have (or would like to have) equipped when fighting:

Head: Minos Legens
Goggles: +6 INT (to get enough INT for buffs)
Neck: Jorgundal's Collar
Trinket: Night Hag's Heartstone (can't get that dang Bloodstone to drop)
Armor: DragonTouch Docent (+30 hp, Salt guard, Disentegrate guard)
Cloak: +4 Resist
Bracers: +6 STR item
Gloves: Charged Gauntlets (aiming for Gloves of Titans Grip from Mindsunder)
Belt: Divine Power 5/day clickie
Boots: 30% Strider (can't get the dang Madstone Boots to drop either)
Rings*: +4 CON ring (haven't got a +6 yet), +6 Dex Ring

*can the Circle of Hatred (Harm 5/day) from the Abbot raid be used as a self heal?

I'm thinking about making a Earth II Cloak (earthgrab) for my first item. and for future items, I'm leaning towars Air II (trip/haste), Negative Energy II (slay living), and maybe Vacuum II (Trap soul).

Any +5 thoughts, comments, and constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated!

[dkyle]

Trinket: Night Hag's Heartstone (can't get that dang Bloodstone to drop)

There's gotta be something better than this... How about a Dusk Heart? The dusk isn't useful, since you can self blur/displace, but it has IFL, and you don't seem to have a false life item.

[Cryohazard]

I have GFL in my DT docent (+30 hp). does it stack with duskheart?

[Phidius]

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Goggles: +6 INT (to get enough INT for buffs)
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What's your Base Int?

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Neck: Jorgundal's Collar
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Doesn't stack with haste - get one of the Amrath necklaces for Sup Pot VI

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Cloak: +4 Resist
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You get +3 Resist from nightshield - I'd use the cloak for something else myself. Gemstone uses it for Conc Opp.

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Bracers: +6 STR item
Gloves: Charged Gauntlets (aiming for Gloves of Titans Grip from Mindsunder)
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Titan's Grip comes with +6 str - this frees up your Bracers.

Incidentally, Gemstone uses his bracers for his GS Hit Point item...

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Belt: Divine Power 5/day clickie
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Put Con + 6 and Greater False Life here - the matching rings from ToD come with Strength + 6 - this could free up your glvoes for +6 Dex (or the Spectral Gloves).

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Boots: 30% Strider (can't get the dang Madstone Boots to drop either)
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Boots of the Innocent (Resist + 5), Kundarak Delving Boots (Freedom of Movement), Boots of Anchoring, Firestorm Greaves...

I wouldn't craft anything in the boots slot.

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Rings*: +4 CON ring (haven't got a +6 yet), +6 Dex Ring

I like to use the left-side ring for the ToD set, and keep the right-side swappable.

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*can the Circle of Hatred (Harm 5/day) from the Abbot raid be used as a self heal?
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No idea.

[Phidius]

I have GFL in my DT docent (+30 hp). does it stack with duskheart?

Nope - I'd recommend a Docent of Defiance, though.

[tihocan]

I'm thinking about making a Earth II Cloak (earthgrab) for my first item. and for future items, I'm leaning towars Air II (trip/haste), Negative Energy II (slay living), and maybe Vacuum II (Trap soul).

Just my thoughts on these: keep in my proc rate is really low, so they don't do much. IMO among these the best one is Earthgrab. Air kinda stinks (the trip effect is super rare, Haste is nice but won't do you much good besides +1 reflex). Slay Living seems like a waste (at high levels they'll save a lot, and will be useless in epics). Vaccuum II is probably going to be super rare.
My own favorite guard effect is radiance guard.

[dkyle]

I have GFL in my DT docent (+30 hp). does it stack with duskheart?

Ah, sorry. Was thrown off by the +30 HP terminology, instead of GFL. Thought you were talking about the exception HP Sov. rune.

[Cryohazard]

What's your Base Int?

INT 10. I need INT 17 (might be 16) to cast lvl6 buffing spells. The Amrath palemaster set has a +6 INT ring in it, which should take care of my INT problems.

Doesn't stack with haste - get one of the Amrath necklaces for Sup Pot VI

Gotcha

You get +3 Resist from nightshield - I'd use the cloak for something else myself. Gemstone uses it for Conc Opp.

Right, I'm thinking about putting the Earthgrab cloak here

Titan's Grip comes with +6 str - this frees up your Bracers.

Incidentally, Gemstone uses his bracers for his GS Hit Point item...

Yep, I was planning on getting the grips when I hit the mindsunder (the +6 psionic STR boost is tasty too)

Put Con + 6 and Greater False Life here - the matching rings from ToD come with Strength + 6 - this could free up your glvoes for +6 Dex (or the Spectral Gloves).

The Palemaster wraith shroud gives you ghost touch automatically, so its not critical that I get spec gloves (although if I ever had a change of heart and fought in Lich mode, they might be useful). What about the Eerie Belt? (archmagi, part of the amrath palemaster set)

Boots of the Innocent (Resist + 5), Kundarak Delving Boots (Freedom of Movement), Boots of Anchoring, Firestorm Greaves...

I wouldn't craft anything in the boots slot.

So, no Madstone boots?

I like to use the left-side ring for the ToD set, and keep the right-side swappable.

The Palemaster set with +200% to neg energy spells? that would greatly help my death aura since I don't use potency scepters.

[voodoogroves]

Next Mabar event get yourself a Docent of Shadow. Boon to Undeath is pretty hot, as is superior false life and the boosts to death aura.

Torc and Con-Op, obviously, would be nifty.

[Phidius]

10. I need 17 to cast lvl6 buffs...

Actually, you only need 16.

10 (base) + 2 (tome) + 2 (AP - for PM2) + 4 (Fox's Cunning) = 18 (14 around beholders).

You could get away with just casting Fox's Cunning when you need to cast 5th and 6th level spells. Keep a +6 Int item for swapping for more spell points before shrining, of course.

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Doesn't stack with haste - get one of the Amrath necklaces for Sup Pot VI No idea.

Gotcha
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The quests out in Amrath (The Devils of Shavarath) drop necklaces that have Wizardry VI and Superior Potency VI. Not sure of the names, but there's quite a few of them.

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You get +3 Resist from nightshield - I'd use the cloak for something else myself. Gemstone uses it for Conc Opp. No idea.
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Conc Opp (Concordant Opposition) is an effect you get from grinding a lot of Shroud ingredients - don't think I'd recommend such an item on your build, but I use them for temporary hit points and refilling spell points for my self-healing melee builds.

I'm guessing you don't rely as much on spell points for healing.

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Put Con + 6 and Greater False Life here - the matching rings from ToD come with Strength + 6 - this could free up your glvoes for +6 Dex (or the Spectral Gloves).

The Palemaster wraith shroud gives you ghost touch automatically.

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I was thinking more along the lines of the +2 to hit and Dex +5 (if you don't need the +6 dex). The Shimmering Arrowhead (trinket) would give you the +2 to hit and Seeker +4, which might be easier to get than a Bloodstone.

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Boots of the Innocent (Resist + 5), Kundarak Delving Boots (Freedom of Movement), Boots of Anchoring, Firestorm Greaves...

I wouldn't craft anything in the boots slot.

So, no Madstone boots?
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Sure, keep working on getting them. I didn't list them 'cause you were already planning on them.

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I like to use the left-side ring for the ToD set, and keep the right-side swappable.

you mean the Palemaster set with +200% to neg energy spells? those would be great because a monk shouldn't carry a potency scepter just to boost my death aura.


No idea.

I'd just go with the necklace for the Sup Potency VI to boost your aura, but don't quote me.

I was thinking more along the lines of using the ToD rings to boost your unarmed damage.

Maybe you'll get lucky and pull a +4 Int tome, and can run around with a beholder-proof 16 Int

[voodoogroves]

Also, I like DP clickies on the boots. FF of Divine Power rock your socks off, literally.

[Cryohazard]

Just my thoughts on these: keep in my proc rate is really low, so they don't do much. IMO among these the best one is Earthgrab. Air kinda stinks (the trip effect is super rare, Haste is nice but won't do you much good besides +1 reflex). Slay Living seems like a waste (at high levels they'll save a lot, and will be useless in epics). Vaccuum II is probably going to be super rare.
My own favorite guard effect is radiance guard.

yeah, 30 fort isn't all that great, and deathblock blocks it anyway. I want to make this mainly to get all 3 evil guards, the SL guard just comes with the package. This item would be mainly for my occasional PvP brawls, because, to the best of my knowledge, theres nothing that resists or reduces evil damage...

...or light damage for that matter. I saw the radiance II guard and the damage didn't look too impressive, but I like how it procs a little more frequently. I'll look into it.

[Cryohazard]

Conc Opp (Concordant Opposition) is an effect you get from grinding a lot of Shroud ingredients - don't think I'd recommend such an item on your build, but I use them for temporary hit points and refilling spell points for my self-healing melee builds.

I'm guessing you don't rely as much on spell points for healing.

By the time I put a PM shroud on and buff up, I still have about 500 SP to use for death auras/neg energy burst. A heightened/extended death aura (cost: 45 sp) will provide me 2 mins of constant "unhealing". Using AoE's sparingly, I can get about 10-15 mins of constant healing, and it keeps me up through most mobs. When I can't keep displacement and death auras up, I suddenly feel like a drow wearing Korthos Starter Rags I like the thought of a conc opp guard. It won't replace Mnem pots, but its something.

I was thinking more along the lines of the +2 to hit and Dex +5 (if you don't need the +6 dex). The Shimmering Arrowhead (trinket) would give you the +2 to hit and Seeker +4, which might be easier to get than a Bloodstone.

and the arrowhead adds crippling to mele attacks. I want one now.

Maybe you'll get lucky and pull a +4 Int tome, and can run around with a beholder-proof 16 Int

Palemasters put the fear of god into beholders. Antimagic is just a minor setback

[Cryohazard]

Next Mabar event get yourself a Docent of Shadow. Boon to Undeath is pretty hot, as is superior false life and the boosts to death aura.

Torc and Con-Op, obviously, would be nifty.

Unfortunately, I discovered how fun palemasters were AFTER the Mabar event was over. I could really use that docent and handwraps now. unless they do some special event, I'll have to wait until October for that

[tihocan]

...or light damage for that matter. I saw the radiance II guard and the damage didn't look too impressive, but I like how it procs a little more frequently. I'll look into it.

Radiance is for the blinding effect, the damage is indeed ****.

That being said, I just reached the point on my TR'ed character where I could use my Radiance guard DT outfit, and I don't like it as much as I used to. I thought I remembered it proc'ing more often... and right now I don't see it a lot. Still much better than Air guard though.

[Qezuzu]

*can the Circle of Hatred (Harm 5/day) from the Abbot raid be used as a self heal?

Yes.

A very nice item.

[Cryohazard]

Radiance is for the blinding effect, the damage is indeed ****

That being said, I just reached the point on my TR'ed character where I could use my Radiance guard DT outfit, and I don't like it as much as I used to. I thought I remembered it proc'ing more often... and right now I don't see it a lot. Still much better than Air guard though

I suspect your proc rate droped because of a higher AC than what you had before you TRed.
I think the proc rate when hit is 15%. does the blindness guard have some kind of saving throw?

[Cryohazard]

and a quick question about the headgear. both PM shrouds give a 100% fortification bonus , so I don't really need to have the Minos Legens (PM shroud + Minos = 200% fort, no joke, its what my character sheet says). But I don't want to part with the stacking +20 hp from the Minos. What if I made a GS Mineral II helm (+5 Protection, Heavy Fort) with +45 hp from all 3 tiers, would it be worth the effort? And if I don't use either a Minos or a GS helm , is there a decent replacement out there?