take away the squish factor.

[goodspeed]

I have a lv 16 light monk. Half orc, started with 18 str 16 dex 14 in wis and con.

No tr's just average gear, equilibrium garments, cove stuff, mino's, greater life, **** near anything I could find to add hp.

Right now he has about 330 hp. He does good dmg, stuns ain't the best but they're ok. The only problem is he drops like a flippn rock.

I'm in master mountain stance with a haste, vapiric gloves going, light fists going, hp pumping like no tomarrow into me, but im just being beat down. 40's and 50's flying off me. And god help me if theirs an archer anywhere, cause then they might as well have a sniper rifle instead of a bow.

1v1 no problem, odds are you can get enough effects going to keep the hits down for heals to cover the gaps. 2v1 isn't always the same. And if theirs a 3rd one forget it, might as well run ur ass off.

Is their a way to beef em up? (Besides a GS item.. trust me im waiting to get em into shroud for the shards if he can survive that long.) Can even be a cross class, I just need em to survive long enough to get the usefull gear he needs from the end zones.

He's gonna be a tr as quick as I can help it, then to a helf dark (not sure if i'll go rogue or maybe cleric dili for better survival.)

Any thoughts?

[Belduroz]

Monks are massively scaling with equipment. 330 Hp on lvl 16 don't sound that bad for a first life, but i wonder how you can have a lot of trouble with the dr of mountain stance. I also felt the levels 18-20 on my first life monk way harder than on a tr with tod-rings.

Since you're already 16 monk, i don't suggest any multiclassing anymore, but you might take a look at your ac. With proper equipment you should be able to keep your ac high enough to see at least some misses on you. Blur and/or displacement also lower incoming damage massively (eg you can get the cove trinket for passive blur). With evasion and improved evasion spells shouldn't hit you that often.

The next point is: where are you taking that much damage? Dungeons/difficulty? With the dr of mountain stance you should not have a lot of trouble soloing most normal dungeons at level or 1 level below you, while full party elite dungeons often require a more careful procedure.

[gerardIII]

As a monk you should not be trying to take group of mobs by yourself, try the pull and ambush tactics.

You have a speed bonus, use it at your advantage.

[sebastianosmith]

As a monk you should not be trying to take group of mobs by yourself, try the pull and ambush tactics.

You have a speed bonus, use it at your advantage.

You dont need more hit points you need better tactics and a better group.
If you are soloing you should do fine w/ those numbers, but if you are in a brainless group with five other individuals it sounds like there isnt alot goin on w/ the rest of em.

I have to agree with these posts. Even as big, strong Horc you are not invincible. Run away like a little girl if you have to. String mobs off behind you and turn on them singularly. In a 1-on-1 no non-red name is going to beat you. Use terrain, cover and Spearblock items to your advantage so archers won't pew-pew the life out of you. Hit your buff finishers constantly to remain blurred, help out your caster buddies and grant everyone +5 everything for 15 seconds. You may hit like a truck but tactics will keep you and your party alive far better than brute force.

[Syllph]

While this might not help here's my two cents:

Switch to dark monk. Darks have the ninja spa enhancement which basically gives unlimited invisibility. For a few Ki you gain a blur effect and makes you invisible. throw in points into diplomacy and grab a +15 (or whatever is highest for your level) diplo item. Additionally the Ninja spa gets sneak attack bonus while not aggro'ed so the diplo is doubly effective.

Effect:

the invisibility will all but ruin the archer's day. The diplo will peal the melees off you and throw them onto the handy dandy barb, fighter or unlucky rogue next to you.

While this doesn't stop you from being squishy it does deal with the problem. Many people try and play every class like they could a fighter. Some classes need to be behind the mob not in front. This isn't a bad thing. Rogues for example should never be tank (a few exceptions perhaps) this is because of the massive DPS increase the gain from sneak attack.

After you get some gear you can be more aggressive but for now don't be afraid to work with the class rather than against it.

[Llewndyn]

While this might not help here's my two cents:

Switch to dark monk. Darks have the ninja spa enhancement which basically gives unlimited invisibility. For a few Ki you gain a blur effect and makes you invisible. throw in points into diplomacy and grab a +15 (or whatever is highest for your level) diplo item. Additionally the Ninja spa gets sneak attack bonus while not aggro'ed so the diplo is doubly effective.

Effect:

the invisibility will all but ruin the archer's day. The diplo will peal the melees off you and throw them onto the handy dandy barb, fighter or unlucky rogue next to you.

While this doesn't stop you from being squishy it does deal with the problem. Many people try and play every class like they could a fighter. Some classes need to be behind the mob not in front. This isn't a bad thing. Rogues for example should never be tank (a few exceptions perhaps) this is because of the massive DPS increase the gain from sneak attack.

After you get some gear you can be more aggressive but for now don't be afraid to work with the class rather than against it.

And I stopped reading your post after seeing the words "ninja spa"...

*Edit*, dangit, gotta wait, you got my last pos rep apparently...

[Ecoski]

Hmm, this makes no sense... Although I do remember having a slightly squishy phase, I was dark so couldn't heal myself, and I used fire because the bonuses to earth weren't as awesome as they are now. So a few questions:

1. Do you have toughness (plus enhancements)?
2. Do you have a +5 resistance item (more reflex against arrows and spells)?
3. Are you stunning like they're going out of fashion?
4. Do you have lots of shiny shiny heal amp? (This is the biiiiiig one, with high heal amp light monks are seriously tough to kill unless hit by very high burst damage)
5. Where are you primarily questing?
6. Do you have a GS hp item? This should be your first port of call, I made an air one for haste guard and cheapness, but I'm working on smoke for my light monk

[Daggertooth]

You dont need more hit points you need better tactics and a better group.
If you are soloing you should do fine w/ those numbers, but if you are in a brainless group with five other individuals it sounds like there isnt alot goin on w/ the rest of em.

Its true though once you hit around lvl 16 it starts sloping upward in terms of AC. Start looking at ways to maximize it and also look for other things like a nimble trinket.

I am willing to bet that you simply gave up on AC whenI bet if you figured out every possible way to increase it and also used a nimble trinket your entire game would turn around.

That and start working with the rest of the group. Either get a good group with a mage who should be taking care of alot of it or start soloing with a hirling healer.

[SensaiRyu]

Other than what's already been suggested...

[Edit]Just saw the garments of equilib...

My monk has about 500hps in earth... how about posting your build?

[elg582]

I have a lv 16 light monk. Half orc, started with 18 str 16 dex 14 in wis and con.

No tr's just average gear, equilibrium garments, cove stuff, mino's, greater life, **** near anything I could find to add hp.

Right now he has about 330 hp. He does good dmg, stuns ain't the best but they're ok. The only problem is he drops like a flippn rock.

I'm in master mountain stance with a haste, vapiric gloves going, light fists going, hp pumping like no tomarrow into me, but im just being beat down. 40's and 50's flying off me. And god help me if theirs an archer anywhere, cause then they might as well have a sniper rifle instead of a bow.

1v1 no problem, odds are you can get enough effects going to keep the hits down for heals to cover the gaps. 2v1 isn't always the same. And if theirs a 3rd one forget it, might as well run ur ass off.

Is their a way to beef em up? (Besides a GS item.. trust me im waiting to get em into shroud for the shards if he can survive that long.) Can even be a cross class, I just need em to survive long enough to get the usefull gear he needs from the end zones.

He's gonna be a tr as quick as I can help it, then to a helf dark (not sure if i'll go rogue or maybe cleric dili for better survival.)

Any thoughts?

Gear: Tharaak bracelet will open your head slot and give +2 dodge; alternatively, you could grab Jidz'Teka and a DT outfit. I'm usually running Sora Kell set until 20 (no hp but to-hit, damage, WIS, and true seeing, maybe freeing other slots).

Build: I would have dropped STR to 16 and pumped CON up; 20-40 HP and 2 DR is worth more than 1 to-hit and damage, IMO. Also, how many toughness feats do you have?

TR: Dark is much more survivable, so I would recommend rogue dilly.

[Llewndyn]

I have a lv 16 light monk. Half orc, started with 18 str 16 dex 14 in wis and con.

No tr's just average gear, equilibrium garments, cove stuff, mino's, greater life, **** near anything I could find to add hp.

Right now he has about 330 hp. He does good dmg, stuns ain't the best but they're ok. The only problem is he drops like a flippn rock.

I'm in master mountain stance with a haste, vapiric gloves going, light fists going, hp pumping like no tomarrow into me, but im just being beat down. 40's and 50's flying off me. And god help me if theirs an archer anywhere, cause then they might as well have a sniper rifle instead of a bow.

1v1 no problem, odds are you can get enough effects going to keep the hits down for heals to cover the gaps. 2v1 isn't always the same. And if theirs a 3rd one forget it, might as well run ur ass off.

Is their a way to beef em up? (Besides a GS item.. trust me im waiting to get em into shroud for the shards if he can survive that long.) Can even be a cross class, I just need em to survive long enough to get the usefull gear he needs from the end zones.

He's gonna be a tr as quick as I can help it, then to a helf dark (not sure if i'll go rogue or maybe cleric dili for better survival.)

Any thoughts?

I *MAY* be able to help here. I made a WF dark monk. Level 12 had 280 HP unbuffed. Got wiped out ROUTINELY MUCH faster than even the casters. My dex was 16. I have since learned about AC and what it can do for you (ME). I now have a level 18 WF dark monk with 465 unbuffed HP and 28 dex and it's made a world of difference. That, plus as high as you can cheaply get in Wisdom, plus a protection item on, seemed to work wonders. Now I don't get hit as much, and my breath has never been fresher!

Seriously though, I learned on a monk 3 things, maybe they will help, maybe not:
1. Dexterity, Dexterity, Dexterity. Then a little wisdom. Then back to Dex
2. Protection items to help make up for what you are lacking (not sure it is really helping, it may still be #1 but it feels right)
3. I stay in wind stance all the time, not sure if this helps, but it seems funnerer.

I also notice, and maybe again I'm missing the point, that the best handwraps I have ever had are a pair of +2 weakening handwraps of pure good. I have vamp stonedust wraps, I have a pair of unbalancing wraps, or those ones from one of the new packs that have opposing bursts, which are cool for oohs and aahs, but my main workhorse wraps are those same +2 weakening of PGs... anyone know why? Ninjamon if you wanna see what I'm talkin about

[Sarisa]

Getting your level 20 DR10/Epic will also help quite a bit.

[goodspeed]

[[[[[[[1. Do you have toughness (plus enhancements)?
2. Do you have a +5 resistance item (more reflex against arrows and spells)?
3. Are you stunning like they're going out of fashion?
4. Do you have lots of shiny shiny heal amp? (This is the biiiiiig one, with high heal amp light monks are seriously tough to kill unless hit by very high burst damage)
5. Where are you primarily questing?
6. Do you have a GS hp item? This should be your first port of call, I made an air one for haste guard and cheapness, but I'm working on smoke for my light monk ]]]]]]

1. Yes, took toughness feat, got toughness on mino's helm. got a +30hp geater false life belt/ring (I sometimes switch em up)
2. Yes, well almost have a +4 resist currently on the stormsinger cloak.
3. As much as I can help, I equip my stunner wraps and as soon as the refresh comes up stun is hit. Not that it always goes off. Hell I even try to jade things. (works less then stun)
4. Yes yes and yes. I take it in enhancments, I take it on the ship, I get it in 25% while in fire stance from the jit bracers.
5. I quest the lordsmarch places. (I expect droam to cheat and just tear chunks of xp away. I quest on normal which can be deadly, hard is deadly if again you find archers (The hell is up with archers?) and elite with is suicidal if I don't have a group to take the attention of most of the people. I've been running cove and skellies just outright wallop me with bludgeoning, the pirates do the same if im working on 1 and a second one comes up. It's like im being critted on but it doesn't say crit. And archers, especially the skellies just rip into the hp. I have resists going so the fire and melfs isn't an issue but the arrows alone are like a sick dot.

I quest in the vale preparing to get inside the shroud so I can create my much needed HP GS cloak. (I just don't see taking smokey, when I could make clickies or have ANY mage worth a **** cast blur. Though it is getting less and less more common. Apparently my sorc is one of the last few.) Now vales a lil odd, at one point devils were just sticking that spear right into me, then I found when I got garnments that the dmg was manageable with maneuvering, using the shinto stuff, then the dmg seemed to jack itself up. (It's like turbines screwing with the dmg mechanics for something.) Running with the devils is suicidal. That light dmg HEAVILY repeated just wipes me out. before the heal can even get off a spell, got the high hp barb to so don't feel to bad about that but I do feel light spells are way outa control for normal.

6. Not yet. 5's a bit of a long one.


Ok settup. He's a horc light monk str based. He started with 18 str 16 dex 14 con, and 14 wis with the rest base. (Ya he doesn't get alot of skill points)

Right now unbuffed unstanced he holds 347 hp. He has 26 spell resist. His saves are 21 fort, 21 reflex, 22 will.
His stats are with gear equipped, 28str, 23 dex(with +1 tome) 22 con (with +2 tome) 6 int 24 wis (with +2 tome) 6 cha. 100%fort Main skills are concentration39 and balance27

In enhancments he has shinto 2, went improved monk recover 3, tortois animal pathx3, master of air earth and fire, toughness x2 monk wisx2

Feats 2 weapon/improved/greater fighting. Toughness, Weapon focus bludgeoning (Thinking about switching that as his 2 hit is pretty good) , luck of heroes, improved crit bludgeoning, (and improved evasion comes with class)

Armor class is 33 with dr being a 4 and blocking +2. Though I can give up the 30% haste to switch to a resistance, then take a +5 protect cloak. (Ive tried it to see of any dmg difference and of course nothing be hit melee or ranged hit difference.)

My gear is Head. Mino's 20 hp.
Neck +6 con.
Trinket greater nimble (blur +1 dodge attk)
cloak stormsinger (+4 resist, sonic guard, perform 11)
belt greater false life 2 con
ring +6 wis
ring 2 +30% stride (or switch to +4 resist and cloak to protect5)
bracers jidz tetka
body garnishments of equilibrium. (Trying to get the icy's)
goggles are between haste ones from chrono and blindness immunity.
Hands Brawler gloves +5 str, sap, 1to 4 peirce)

Thats all unbuffed but I always have heroism/rage pots to jack up the stats some more.

[Alyiakal]

I would advise not ignoring your AC on a monk. While I wouldn't call it "easy" to get a relevant AC in Vale, it is possible, even if you don't build your monk for AC. I have a Half-Elf light monk that I started with the exact same point buy as your monk. At level 17 right now, she stands at 45 beholder AC, and I don't have any particularly tough to get gear.

+10 base
+9 dex (16 base, +2 tome, stanced, + item)
+6 wis (14 base, +2 tome, +item)
+5 armor AC (siren's belt)
+5 deflection (protection item)
+4 dodge (+1 from trinket, +1 alchemical on armor, +2 thraak bracers)
+2 insight (siren's set) (it lists as Misc on the char sheet, does it stack with parrying/greater parrying?)
+4 centered bonus (at level 16)
==
45 AC

None of that gear is rare at all. Add on ship buffs if you have them (and I know that large guilds do).
+3 stacking natural AC (kobold, defender, battlemaster)
+2 (+2 Wis and Dex shrines)
==
50 AC

Reasonable self buffs while soloing.
+3 Barkskin Pot
+4 Shield clickies/wands
==
57AC

I've found that lets me basically ignore attacks from trash in the Vale. I assume it will have some minimal effect above Vale, but if one wants to get their AC higher, there are ways... both gearwise with rarer gear and with more buffs that you can't always rely on.

[Kiel]

Oh and dont forget garments of equilibrium increased dmg does not stack with mountain stance and since you already have minos the only thing your getting off garments is the 13 concentration

[goodspeed]

ya that does suck. Found that out earlier. I like to keep it cause myabe want to switch to wind but that never really happens alot. Hence why im trying to nab the icy to get more bang for the buck.

[SensaiRyu]

Made a superior false life pirate hat a couple of days ago. That's 20 more than minos at the cost of needing to put fortification somewhere else.

Base in stance hp is 479. Running HP is 40 more (+20 ship buffs, +20 rage). BTW, I run in mountain IV stance most of the time.

Ran a pug where a lvl 18 barb had 380ish hp.

With some equip farming you'll be just fine...

[OliviaCrowley]

Ran a pug where a lvl 18 barb had 380ish hp.

Are you on Argonessen? I did a pug shroud like a week ago with a 17 barb who had about 360 hp. He was even a DWARF!

[Sartax]

I"m not sure how you are that low on HP at this time. My monk is a lvl 20 first life monk - light monk (Shintao) and I carry almost 600hp without buffs (depending on if I wear minos, I vary by 20hp from time to time). Granted I have a GS HP cloak, but other than that, I don't have anything beyond special for him. I use Fire Stance and GoEquilibrium for my DPS. i'm not a super min/maxer, I just have fun with my mnk.

Head- Minos Legions
Neck - Shintao Cord
Trinket - Sustaining Symbiont
Gloves - Brawling Gloves (upgraded 1 time) (just picked this up, so now I need new rings from ToD)
Body - Garm of Eq
Wrists - bracers of JZ/ Fabricator's bracers
Waist - (one of the Shavrath belts with +2 attack) - I still need work on my belt slot
Boots - +30 striding boots
Rings - Shav STR ring (no bonus effects yet, sitting at 8 trophies) / Dex +6 ring / Wis +6 ring
Back - GS HP cloak
Wraps - I have like 30 of them, so whatever the situation calls for:

Even when i'm slaying in Cove - wearing pirate hat for Doubloon bonus, i'm still at 560~HP unbuffed - my guess is there are opportunities for HP bonuses that you have passed up (toughness feats) AP toughness, the Giant Hold quest area bonus (10hp) etc. If you just make a list, i'm sure you could pick up another 100hp no problem.

[djsonar919]

Your numbers look pretty good for a first life'r. I think it is more or less your tactics than your build. Here are some pointers that may help you out.

- Consider going dark monk. The damage is a huge difference compared to light. You also can go invisible, become incorpeal and get sneak attack bonuses.

- If you are the first into the fray run up and smack the enemy with a stun before it knows what is happening.

- If your stun doesn't land. Consider using unbalancing strike as the next attack. This attack will spin the enemy around while you get sneak attack bonuses and you land about 3-5 more attacks on the enemy before it turns back around. Also it makes the enemy very prone to being tripped.

- If you do go dark, and the battle gets too hairy, then jump up in the air, abudant step, and become invisible. All the enemies that were aggro'd on you will now go to the spot you last were or aggro on someone else. Either way, you can continue running or heal up, or whatever. If the enemy does aggro on someone else, then just run up behind them and smack'em with a stun.

Hope this helps out! If you are on Khyber look my monk Oloam up. I'll show you some pointers.