Need advices, please help me

[infiniteblusky]

Hello, after one year i'm back in the game and i'll play my favourite toon: the monk. The problem is that i don't know how to build it...i'll start from lvl 1 (my past monk was lvl 5, so never went deep in the game) and i would like to know:

-stats points: i think i'll go for dex whit weapon finess, how do i allocate the other points?

-feats: what to take

-skills: same as feats

-animal to choose

-Light or dark? Please explain me (as i know this is very "updates related", so in 1 year many things may be changed...)

Thanks everyone in advance

[Rusty_Can]

-stats points: i think i'll go for dex whit weapon finess, how do i allocate the other points?

You have 2 main options:
- DEX/WIS Finesse AC build with decent STR;
- DPS STR build with decent WIS and enough DEX (i.e. 17 DEX) to get the full TWF line.

In general:

STR: even if you go Finesse, don't dump it;

DEX: at least 17 (base + tomes) to qualify for GTWF;

CON: monks are melee characters; 14+ is advisable;

WIS: several of your class abilities are WIS-based; I suggest 14 base;

INT: if you are rolling an AC-build, 13 (base + tomes) is needed for Combat Expertise; otherwise you can dump it;

CHA: there are a few odd-balls that require CHA, but it can be safely dumped.

Keep in mind that tiers II - III - IV of monk stances require 14 - 16 - 18 (base + tomes) [STR | CON | DEX | WIS].

-feats: what to take

Without counting the lvl 3 philosophy feat, Monk class provides 3 class extra feat (lvl 1, 2 and 6); this means your character will have 7 (8 if human) + 3 = 10 (11 if human) feats.

I would take:
- Toughness;
- TWF X 3;
- Stunning Fist (DC is WIS based);
- PrE requirement (Ninja Spy requires Dodge; Shintao has some options);
- Power Attack;
- Improved Critical: Bludgeoning;
+2

-skills: same as feats

Max out Concentration.

Rest is personal preference: Balance, some jump and tumble, UMD.

-animal to choose

I usually use Tortoise (Concentration and hp) to level up and then switch to Hound (bonuses to attack rolls) at cap.

-Light or dark? Please explain me (as i know this is very "updates related", so in 1 year many things may be changed...)

Shintao Light Monk PrE is complete, easier to equip (your fists bypass additional DR such as cold iron and silver), more party-oriented (buffs and AoE crowd control) and got some self-healing.

Ninja Spy is not complete (only Tier II has been released), more DPS oriented (Touch of Death and sneak-attacks) and provides Shadow Fade (25% incorporeality miss chance, stacking with concealment).

I play a Dark Monk, but I reckon that Shintao might be easier to play, if you are ungeared.

[DevHead]

You'll need 18 Base/Inherent Dex for Ultimate Wind Stance (GMaster of Storms). So...a 16 base with a +2 Dex tome. There isn't any need to go above that; I have my setup like that (also Dex/Wis) and I don't have issues hitting anything in Epic with +5 wraps (unless it's Malicia). Max out Wis if you want, otherwise make sure your Con is at least a 14 base. Don't dump Str. Put at least a couple points in it; enfeeble is not your friend.

[infiniteblusky]

Thanks everyone for the replyes Now the only issue is "light or darkness"? Well, the "dark side" look cooler, but i want to be sure to choose the better one, if not the best please need more informations

[Rusty_Can]

Now the only issue is "light or darkness"? [...] please need more informations

- Ninja Spy;
- Shintao.

[waterboytkd]

Lots of good advice from Rusty Can.

My thoughts on Light vs. Darkness:

Light is nicer if you don't have gear. The Shintao PrE will give you Cold Iron and Silver on your fists, and so all you need is Holy handwraps, or a ToD ring with Holy burst on it, and you're beating most every DR in the game that can be beaten. Also, Light side has Kukan-Do, which is a second stun attack that can be used at a distance, which is very nice. Also, has Tomb of Jade which is another stun-esque attack. Also has Jade Strike, which is great against raid bosses.

Dark is a bit harder on the gear thing. Mostly, it's very tough to get silver/cold iron handwraps. Metalline handwraps help, but you lose out on some dps that lights would otherwise get. HOWEVER, that dps is easily made up with Sneak Attacks and Touch of Death. And Sneak Attack is awesome, because you get it whenever you hit a stunned target. And Incorporeality is very nice.

In short, if you want more dps, dark is probably the way to go. But if you want a toon that's easier to gear and has more toys (due to a finished PrE), go light.

On Animal stances:

I'm a fan of Monkey and Crane. Monkey gives the stacking energy resists, which are very nice, and Crane gives more ki generation, which can be pretty important if you're a dark monk, as you want to be able to spend 50 ki every 15 seconds :P (though some might argue it's not enough with the low crit profile on unarmed, i feel it still makes some difference at ~.4 extra ki per swing).

[infiniteblusky]

Thanks everyone, i guess i'll go dark, look funny have fun and hope to meet you ingame bye

[elg582]

Hello, after one year i'm back in the game and i'll play my favourite toon: the monk. The problem is that i don't know how to build it...i'll start from lvl 1 (my past monk was lvl 5, so never went deep in the game) and i would like to know:

-stats points: i think i'll go for dex whit weapon finess, how do i allocate the other points?

-feats: what to take

-skills: same as feats

-animal to choose

-Light or dark? Please explain me (as i know this is very "updates related", so in 1 year many things may be changed...)

Thanks everyone in advance

Much of this depends on your race: For finesse, that's usually either human, elf, or halfling.

In any case, never put STR below 12 so that you can get a +1 tome for power attack, and the common wisdom is to set CON at 14 so that you can get a +2 tome at some point for the third tier of Earth stance (adds to your crit multiplier, AC, DR, and CON).

The feat list is fairly well set (TWF, iTWF, gTWF, power attack, stunning fist (optional for dark monk, but I always take it), toughness, and improved critical: bludgeoning), finesse is going to take up a slot, and then either dodge or one of the shintao waste feats, so you may have an open feat or 2.

Skills: Concentration, Balance, then mix some into Jump and Spot. I put a point into tumble at level 1, just so I can

I always take the tortoise path; the others have benefits that can be nice in certain situation, but more HP always helps.

Light vs Dark is an ongoing argument, and I have tried several different light builds over the years (indeed, when monks first came out, there was no reason to go dark at all!), but ever since touch of death came out, there has simply been no comparison, and with the addition of the ninja PrE, you have a combination of strong offense and strong defense, and they've even added handwraps to the game that let you heal yourself in much the same way that the jedi do.

[AZ1JoeT]

Great advice in the thread. Good luck with your monk. They are a very fun class to play and tailor.

I would suggest you go light monk at least until level 9. That will give you a lot of game content to see how self-sufficient they are. You can quickly do the Dragonmark quest in the harbor and get a free feat exchange if you want to switch to dark monk. The PrE's require different feats-- dark ninja spy requires Dodge and light shintao allows for several-- and that one might need switching as well. You could always take Dodge with one of your 3 extra feats and mitigate this, though.

If you do go shintao, I would recommend taking either Discipline (for +2 Concentration) or Cleave (requires Power Attack) to fulfill the PrE requirement.

As far as animal paths, I am a firm believer in Monkey. All DR reduction is good, and getting 2-8 vs elemental attacks this cheaply is well worth it. The bonus to haggle and trap saves comes in very handy as well. Tortoise is a close second, but I have come to believe you are more survivable with the 8 damage reduction vs elements than with 20 more HP.

You did not address race, and there are several fun combinations to explore. Someone mentioned Half-Elf with Cleric dilettante (dilly). That could bring effortless healing to a dark monk. You could also go HE with a rogue dilly and get another DEX point and up to 3d6 sneak attack. I believe barbarian dilly will net you an extra CON point and additional HP. Halfling monks have a sneak attack enhancement line and get some racial bonuses to AC and attack, but watch your carrying capacity. Human monks get the extra feat (toughness!) and extra skill points. Warforged bring extra immunities (some which the monk eventually gets anyway) and a tactics line for stunning/tripping. Dwarves also bring a tactics line.

Monks are great because there are so many different combinations. Good luck finding the one that works for you.