Returning player: Questions about WF/Monk

[Ardkor]

I've been gone quite a while, so I'm not really new but it feels like a new game to me again. There have been a LOT of changes since I left, so I'd like some advice on building a Warforged monk for solo play. (I play alone 99% of the time, without even a hireling, so the build has to be aimed at solo play.)

I have Veteran II access, and 32 point builds available. I'm used to playing WF rogues and rangers, with a strong emphasis on stealth. When I played WF rogue/ranger types, I always splashed a level of wizard for the access to wands and low level utility spells. I have never played a monk, however, beyond running around as a level 4 checking out the animations.

Should I go for a pure monk, or would splashing a level of wizard and/or something else be better? I'm not sure how a monk heals himself in combat (other than chugging a potion). I believe out of combat, I can use Wholeness of Body (at 10th level?) to regen HP quickly without resting, but I'm not sure.

In choosing Light (or Dark) for a solo monk, which is better?

Are either of the prestige classes better for a solo monk? I see that the Shintao prestige class increases my ability to bypass different DR types, and lets me whip up on aberrations. Ninja Spy has extra damage and more stealth, which appeals to my rogue/ranger addiction, but I don't know if Dark/Spy is better than Light/Shintao.

If you have a recommended build for a WF Monk, particularly one well suited for solo adventuring, I'd appreciate a link and/or advice. Thanks!

[Jsbeer]

I was also thinking about starting my first proper monk character also. From what I have read Half-Elves (with Cleric Dilly initially for better self-healing, then changing to rogue for better damage at end-game) are regarded as a very good choice

Would really like to hear the ideas of the experienced monk players on this too.

[Superspeed_Hi5]

Ok wholeness of body is available at lvl 7 monk. It is available every 2 minutes so you should be able to full heal (honestly not sure how good it is on forged) after combat.

If you are going to splash anything into the mix I recommend buying Arti for splashness. they have some spells for improving constructs and have access to wands, but more importantly they have Trap/UMD skills. Arti would be best splash for your thoughts.

[TPICKRELL]

I've been gone quite a while, so I'm not really new but it feels like a new game to me again. There have been a LOT of changes since I left, so I'd like some advice on building a Warforged monk for solo play. (I play alone 99% of the time, without even a hireling, so the build has to be aimed at solo play.)

I have Veteran II access, and 32 point builds available. I'm used to playing WF rogues and rangers, with a strong emphasis on stealth. When I played WF rogue/ranger types, I always splashed a level of wizard for the access to wands and low level utility spells. I have never played a monk, however, beyond running around as a level 4 checking out the animations.

Should I go for a pure monk, or would splashing a level of wizard and/or something else be better? I'm not sure how a monk heals himself in combat (other than chugging a potion). I believe out of combat, I can use Wholeness of Body (at 10th level?) to regen HP quickly without resting, but I'm not sure.

In choosing Light (or Dark) for a solo monk, which is better?

Are either of the prestige classes better for a solo monk? I see that the Shintao prestige class increases my ability to bypass different DR types, and lets me whip up on aberrations. Ninja Spy has extra damage and more stealth, which appeals to my rogue/ranger addiction, but I don't know if Dark/Spy is better than Light/Shintao.

If you have a recommended build for a WF Monk, particularly one well suited for solo adventuring, I'd appreciate a link and/or advice. Thanks!

My main has been a WF monk for a couple of years.

For solo play, I go light path, dex/wis build and aim for a high 60's/low 70's ac walking off the boat. Get as much healing amp as you can afford from enhancements and try to get a healing amp item (I use DragonTouch with healing amp on tier i and tier ii). Yields a 130% healing in wind stance and 150% in fire with jidz tetka bracers on.

Make sure your stunning fist DC is in the 45+ range (pretty easy with a spare hand belt), and your kukandoh (tier iii shintao remote stun) is in the 50 DC range.

WF Monk is viable, but they have gotten a raw deal in terms of loot for quite some time now, and they are currently at a considerable disadvantage due to gear. I'm still wearing dragon touched because there isn't a better wf/monk option. Fleshy monks get the frozen tunic which is a huge advantage with the monk attack rates and it adds the +1 ki per hit effect that wf have to slot as either oremis necklace or the alchemists necklace.

I've got a lot invested in WF gear on my main, or I would give serious consideration to switching to a fleshie, because the gear situation is way out of balance at the moment and hasn't shown any improvement in a long time.

EDIT: Note, that the expansion pack due out in a little over a month will change the viablity of this sort of build, and probably not for the better.

[Ardkor]

@Superspeed: Well, I don't have Artificers yet, and I'm loathe to buy another class I haven't played just yet. Thanks for the tip on Wholeness of Body, that takes a little of the worry about non-combat heals off my mind. It makes WIS a little more important, too, I see. With a +2 WIS mod, at 7th I can heal 75 HP in 30 secs out of combat, with a 3 minute cool down. The wiki says that regular healing amp enhancements and such have no effect on WoB but for a 'between fights' heal it seems just fine. If I go pure monk I'll definitely have to take both the WF and Monk enhancements for healing, to make potions more effective.

@TPickrell: May I ask how you have your classes split up for your WF? (I looked at the list in your signature and my eyes crossed, LOL.)

I noticed that the Ninja Spy prestige class says 'available at 6th level monk' but one of the prerequisites for it isn't available until 7th (according to the wiki anyway). Is going all the way to 20 as a monk worthwhile?

Solo, it looks like my best options are:
Pure Monk, (maybe, I've never played a pure 20 class) or
Rogue 1/Wiz 1/Monk 18, for access to wands and Search/Open Lock or
Rogue 3/Wiz 1/Monk 16, same but extra SA damage, rogue enhancements while still getting the last level of DR bypass as a monk.

Splashing Wiz and Thief means a little slower development into my prestige class, but the trade off for being able to open locks and search for traps, plus wand whip, means higher survivability I'm thinking.

[TPICKRELL]

@TPickrell: May I ask how you have your classes split up for your WF?
I noticed that the Ninja Spy prestige class says 'available at 6th level monk' but one of the prerequisites for it isn't available until 7th (according to the wiki anyway). Is going all the way to 20 as a monk worthwhile?

Solo, it looks like my best options are:

LOL.... I'd go pure monk, especially if you are going light path, you need to go 18 to get the real goodies and at leve 20 you get alot as well. So a shallow splash on a light monk gives up a lot (20 DR, WIS+2, Extra Ki...)

You get ninja spy at 6, not sure what the wiki says, but I definitely get it on my dark path monks at 6. Ninja spy is heavier dps, but a little harder to solo. Fist of light, area healing finishing move and remote stun are extra survivability tools. And healing amp qualifies you for Shintao and adds to survivability.

Wis is important for both AC and the DC's on your stun don't skimp on wis. Stunning fist is very important for a monk lots of extra DPS and crowd control at the same time.

If you are looking for something to run a lot at 20 in groups/raids then str build dark is competive (some would say better) But for leveling solo, I'd definitely go pure light. IF Dark appeals to you more, go for it, it can solo well, just a little bit harder.

I do have a rogue 7 monk12 fighter 1 dark monk helf with cleric dilettante which is pretty good at survivability and solid damage and can easily get all traps.

Its a fun build, but it misses out on a lot of the higher level monk goodies, so if you are doing this to experience a monk, stay pure.

[Ardkor]

Well, I'm mildly irritated now. I'm using the most recent version of the Character Planner, and trying to plan out a pure monk build. But it doesn't seem to match with the same choices you get in game when you actually try to roll up your character. I must be doing something wrong, somewhere, because my enhancement choices seem to be off.

I'm going to go with your suggestion to try a full 20 monk, even though the idea of playing a character with low skill points feels like suicide (did I mention I'm addicted to rogues and rangers?). I plan to raise Concentration, Move Silent, Hide and Spot every level. I'll alternate Balance and Jump with the 5th point each level.

For a Dex/Wis build, I should probably start with S12 D16 C16 I10 W14 Ch6, put all my ability increases into Dex, and make sure I take Monk Wisdom I-III plus Warforged Constitution I-II. I'm not really sure about those stats though - if I had STR 13 I could take the Power Attack/Improved Sunder combo, and with INT 13 I could take Combat Expertise/Improved Trip (a favorite feat of mine). CE is also one of the possible prereqs for the Shintao Monk, but I won't have a high STR for the trip DCs so that's probably a wash.

Obviously I need to pick up the whole Two Weapon Fighting tree (TWF, ITWF, GTWF), plus Stunning Fist and Weapon Finesse. One more feat needed for the prereq on Shintao Monk (Dodge, Defiance or Resilience all look good). That's 6 of my 10 possible feats. For the rest, I'm not sure what works best. Monks have so many options that I'm kind of lost. My initial impulse is to take Wpn Focus:Bludgeoning, Mobility, Spring Attack and Toughness. I liked the visual of a monk deflecting arrows, but I seem to recall that it was a waste of a feat.

Looking ahead at the styles, it looks like I'm best suited for Wind and Earth given the higher DEX/CON. I really like Way of the Monkey (trap saves and energy resistance, yes please). Beyond that I'm not certain what's 'must have' and what's 'just flavor'.

[ProdigalGuru]

Sometimes, things become available at a certain level, but the "points spent" prerequisite makes it more like that level +1/2. That is WAI, I am pretty sure, and not a problem with the planner.

WF Monk Shintao is pretty darn good for soloing purposes, IMO, and will likely be my 3rd life when I decide to do it.
Fists of Light, Wholeness of Body, and Potions will be plenty to keep you healed, and you will likely skip MANY shrines.

Things to note:
Kukan-Do DC is based off CHA, not WIS.
"of Stunning +10" matters a LOT.
Healing Amplification is VERY important for WF Monks.
Stun + Banish in the Vale OWNS.
Jidz + Fire Stance is only slightly more Heal Amp than Levik's Bracers, which you can use in any stance.
Voice + Mantle is super-useful on this build while leveling.
Run speed + Abundant Step are amazing and addictive.
Align the Heavens... a LOT.
Two words: Vampiric Stonedust.
Superior Potency I affects your finishers.
Rise of the Phoenix is not as good as it sounds.
Get the entire TWF chain, not THF.

Hope this helps!

[Ardkor]

Things to note:
Kukan-Do DC is based off CHA, not WIS.
"of Stunning +10" matters a LOT.
Healing Amplification is VERY important for WF Monks.
Stun + Banish in the Vale OWNS.
Jidz + Fire Stance is only slightly more Heal Amp than Levik's Bracers, which you can use in any stance.
Voice + Mantle is super-useful on this build while leveling.
Run speed + Abundant Step are amazing and addictive.
Align the Heavens... a LOT.
Two words: Vampiric Stonedust.
Superior Potency I affects your finishers.
Rise of the Phoenix is not as good as it sounds.
Get the entire TWF chain, not THF.

Hope this helps!

Thank you, it does!

[JollySwagMan]

There are some good recommendations here, but I notice the interest in stealthy soloing expressed in your OP. I'd like to put a word in for the Dark Side

First off, cookies.

The Light Monk excels in a full party that fights through the whole dungeon, providing nifty buffs, stuns and even a bit of support healing. The Dark Monk excels at bypassing unnecessary fights and killing bosses quickly

Ninja Fade is awesome, it can be activated often and you can always build up enough Ki for it by stealthing. It is pretty much a limitless supply of Invis potions. When you do fight stuff, the Incorporeality bonus is a separate check (and thus works alongside) Blur/Displacement type concealment bonuses

With regards to going into sneak mode: from your experience playing a Rogue/Ranger you may have already be familiar with stealthy techniques like pulling specific mobs or going into sneak mode when you jump onto a ladder/dive into water. A Dark Monk regenerates ki and has a doubled ki reserve cap while in sneak mode. Stealthing while 'bunny hopping' can be handy for grabbing a few points of Ki while maintaining a brisk pace.

Abundant Step is notable amongst its other uses for being a form of movement that can bypass the detection of spiders.

This said...my WF Monk (Dark) has been parked at 15 for a while as I cater to my alt-itis. Eventually I mean to switch him over to Light side for some raiding at level 18, then back to Dark side if I ever gear him up to keep as a (mostly solo) stealth toon.

[TPICKRELL]

...I'm going to go with your suggestion to try a full 20 monk, even though the idea of playing a character with low skill points feels like suicide (did I mention I'm addicted to rogues and rangers?). I plan to raise Concentration, Move Silent, Hide and Spot every level. I'll alternate Balance and Jump with the 5th point each level.

For a Dex/Wis build, I should probably start with S12 D16 C16 I10 W14 Ch6, put all my ability increases into Dex, and make sure I take Monk Wisdom I-III plus Warforged Constitution I-II. I'm not really sure about those stats though - if I had STR 13 I could take the Power Attack/Improved Sunder combo, and with INT 13 I could take Combat Expertise/Improved Trip (a favorite feat of mine). CE is also one of the possible prereqs for the Shintao Monk, but I won't have a high STR for the trip DCs so that's probably a wash.

Obviously I need to pick up the whole Two Weapon Fighting tree (TWF, ITWF, GTWF), plus Stunning Fist and Weapon Finesse. One more feat needed for the prereq on Shintao Monk (Dodge, Defiance or Resilience all look good). That's 6 of my 10 possible feats. For the rest, I'm not sure what works best. Monks have so many options that I'm kind of lost. My initial impulse is to take Wpn Focus:Bludgeoning, Mobility, Spring Attack and Toughness. I liked the visual of a monk deflecting arrows, but I seem to recall that it was a waste of a feat.

Looking ahead at the styles, it looks like I'm best suited for Wind and Earth given the higher DEX/CON. I really like Way of the Monkey (trap saves and energy resistance, yes please). Beyond that I'm not certain what's 'must have' and what's 'just flavor'.

Your stat distribution looks ok, If you don't have any tomes available at all, I'd consider moving one point from WIS to STR, so that you can qualify for power attack.

You have to choose one qualifiying feat that you would nomrally not take. Lately I've been going with cleave for leveling then switching it out for something else more appropriate at higher levels. I don't think Dodge qualifies you for Shintao, I think it only works for Ninja Spy. I don't have access to the game, but according to the wiki your choices are:

Cleave, Combat Expertise, Diehard, Discipline, Luck of Heroes, Precision, Resilience, Self Sufficient

If you are expecting to run mostly in Wind stance while soloing, I'd skip Diehard, as you can turn off wind stance and get back hit points to simulate the effects of diehard.

Other feats to consider: Improved Crit Bludgeon, Power Attack, Improved Sunder

Monk's have very good natural saves. That effects a lot of things, including what items you need at what levels, how you spend your skill and aciton points, what feats work well...

Wind and Earth are currently considered the two best DPS stances. You will want a +2 CON tome eventually to qualify for Grandmaster of Mountains.

Tier III WIS enhancement is pretty steep in price, so it's worth consideering, but weigh your other choices when you get there.

I tend to go with monkey stance most of the time, or tortoise if the build needs the extra hit points for some reason. Almost always monkey, the extra stacking elemental resist points are really nice while leveling. I tend to only take 2 tiers of animal path at the most.

For a solo survivability build, I'd still recommend light path, but as JollySwagMan pointed out, if you are used to running rogues, ninja spy can have more similarities in style of play and Shadow Fade is awesome. I think Shadow Fade is one of the most useful tier I pre effects in the game. Shintao's really good effects come at level 18, Ninja Spy gets it's best one at level 6.

Other important milestones, Shintao gets the healing finisher (with potency 1 item and good healing amp you can spam 80 point area heals at high levels) and Aligning the heavens at level 3. Ninja Spy gets touch of death at level 9.

Note that dark also gets their finishers at level 3, I just find them less useful than the Shintao finishers for leveling, because they are single target debuffs and most individual targets die quickly while leveling so the debuff doesn't have very long to provide value.

All monks get abundant step at level 12, its adictive once you start using it as a tactical tool.

And I agree with the post above to avoid the rise of the pheonix line in order to qualify for Shintao. It looks good on paper, but I took it my first life and maybe used it 3 or 4 times in leveling to 20. It's easily replaced by a tier two greensteel clickie in most circumstancesd where it is useful. IMO Monk Improved Recovery is a better option since it comes into play every time you run your monk.

[TPICKRELL]

Just one last time.

Although I've run a WF monk for two years and just TRed back into one, I wouldn't advise starting a new WF monk right now. The WF racial benefits have been erroded over time, and the downsides have and continue to become more of an issue. And on top of that WF monk's are at a serious disadvantage in the armor slot, which has the knock on effect of tieing up the necklace slot since we can only get the +1 ki /hit effect in the neck slot.

WF monk is viable but its a noticeably more difficult path at the moment.

[Ardkor]

Thanks to everyone who has answered me so far, I've learned a lot!

I also realized why the enhancements weren't adding up right - I'd forgotten that the +DEX/CON from enhancements doesn't count towards feats/etc, and that some enhancements require you have spent a bunch of AP before you can use them. I don't have any tomes available atm, so I'll use 2 of the 5 attribute increases I getto bring CON up for GM of the Mountain.

I'm going to tinker a little bit more with the build when I get home from work, then I'll post what I have here for your opinions. As far as solo WF monk being a tough road to travel, I'm OK with that, since I enjoy PD play too (lol).

Two things I do want to ask:

Lawful Neutral or Lawful Good?

Is it worth the AP to take the third tier of Warforged Healer's Friend? (I have to take Monk Imp Recovery III for Shintao, in any case.)

[TPICKRELL]

...
I'm going to tinker a little bit more with the build when I get home from work, then I'll post what I have here for your opinions. As far as solo WF monk being a tough road to travel, I'm OK with that, since I enjoy PD play too (lol).

Two things I do want to ask:

Lawful Neutral or Lawful Good?

Is it worth the AP to take the third tier of Warforged Healer's Friend? (I have to take Monk Imp Recovery III for Shintao, in any case.)

KK, just wanted to make sure you are going WF knowing what that means.

Alignment is a personal choice. Handwraps have historically been bugged and do not enforce alignment restrictions, so LN can still use PG. Not so for crafted wraps, and although it's been that way for a long time, it could change at any point. LN gives you less damage when mobs start using evil damage effects and allows you to use the Litany of the dead.

I personally am not willing to farm Abott so I go LG, but its really a toss up.

HF III is really expensive, so when I'm taking monk improved recovery III I generaly can't fit it in. WF Healers friend works differently from monk improved recovery, it adds to your base, so it contribues more than you might htink from the 5% increase, but it's just too many action points. (I'm hoping that they lower the cost in the enhancement system revamp, I'd love to be able to take it).

What server are you on? If you are on Khyber, I can take a look at my mules and drop you a +1 tome or two. First life monks are really stat starved so even a tome or two would make it much easier to maintain enough to hit while still meeting the minimums for GM Earth/Wind.

[Ardkor]

KK, just wanted to make sure you are going WF knowing what that means.
What server are you on? If you are on Khyber, I can take a look at my mules and drop you a +1 tome or two. First life monks are really stat starved so even a tome or two would make it much easier to maintain enough to hit while still meeting the minimums for GM Earth/Wind.

I have a couple of low level toons on Khyber but my main server was/is Cannith. The only semi-wealthy characters I have are there, so they will dump some extra junk and a couple hundred platinum on him as a starting bank roll. I appreciate the offer, though. I may pick up some tomes in a week or two, depending on how things go. For now, I'll just plan on using a pair of the attribute increases for CON, so I meet the prereq for GM of the Mountain. It will be a while before I have to worry about it, anyway.

I think I'll stick with LG. I'm doing the whole 'servant of Light' monk path thing, so it fits the theme.

Wife is putting dinner in front of me, so I'll post my build after I eat.

[Ardkor]

OK, so here is my build as it stands now. For those just tuning in (lol), this is a first life, 32 point build without any Tomes, intended for solo play.

Level 20 Lawful Good Warforged Male
(20 Monk) 
Hit Points: 322
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 16
Will: 17

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             12                    12
Dexterity            16                    19
Constitution         16                    20
Intelligence         10                    10
Wisdom               14                    18
Charisma              6                     6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               6                    16
Bluff                -2                    -2
Concentration         7                    43
Diplomacy            -2                    -2
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                     2
Heal                  2                     4
Hide                  6                    26
Intimidate           -2                    -2
Jump                  3                    13
Listen                2                     4
Move Silently         6                    26
Open Lock             n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a                   n/a
Repair                0                     0
Search                0                     0
Spot                  2                     4
Swim                  1                     1
Tumble                4                     5
Use Magic Device     n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Discipline
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Stunning Fist
Enhancement: Warforged Damage Reduction I
Enhancement: Warforged Healer's Friend I


Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Weapon Finesse
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey I
Enhancement: Improved Concentration I
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom I


Level 3 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Path) Path of Harmonious Balance: Fists of Light
Feat: (Selected) Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution I


Level 4 (Monk)


Level 5 (Monk)
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey II
Enhancement: Warforged Healer's Friend II


Level 6 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Toughness
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Bludgeoning Weapons
Enhancement: Shintao Monk I
Enhancement: Adept of Wind


Level 7 (Monk)
Enhancement: Adept of Rock
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I


Level 8 (Monk)
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery II


Level 9 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom II


Level 10 (Monk)


Level 11 (Monk)
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery III


Level 12 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Two Weapon Defense
Enhancement: Shintao Monk II
Enhancement: Master of Thunder


Level 13 (Monk)
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey III
Enhancement: Master of Stone


Level 14 (Monk)
Enhancement: Warforged Constitution II


Level 15 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey IV


Level 16 (Monk)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 17 (Monk)
Enhancement: Warforged Damage Reduction II


Level 18 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Bludgeoning Weapons
Enhancement: Shintao Monk III
Enhancement: Grandmaster of Storms


Level 19 (Monk)
Enhancement: Grandmaster of Mountains


Level 20 (Monk)
Enhancement: Monk Serenity
Enhancement: Improved Concentration II
Enhancement: Improved Concentration III

I debated with myself on taking Improved Crit and Two Wpn Defense, or taking 2 levels of Improved Damage Reduction. The whole 'just hard as nails' thing appeals to me, but I don't know if a few more points of DR are as valuable as the better crit rate and another point of AC. In the end I went with the crit/AC pair. The last two enhancements were kind of an afterthought, since I needed to fill in the 2 AP worth.

[Stormraiser]

If you have an extra feat to spare, get improved sunder. Even if it fails, it still makes your next stunning fist easier to land

[Ardkor]

OK, rolled him up and ran him through all of the Korthos Island stuff (Solo through Elite) to get a feel for how to play a monk. Then I took him over to Stormreach and ran through most of the Harbor quests.

My first impressions on playing a monk solo:

Having your hotbars set up properly makes a world of difference in actual gameplay - LOTS of button mashing as a monk. You are always moving around, jumping over monsters and things and changing your stance/power moves. I've got one hotbar just for stances, one for attacks/finishers, one for healing/potions, and two set up for quick changes of clothing and self buffing.

Regular attacks don't mess up the combo chains you build towards the finishing moves (something that wasn't explicitly clear to me from the class descriptions on the wiki). So it goes something like "boppitabopitaboppita (regular attacks until you have plenty of Ki) then Fists of Light, then more boppitaboppita while FoL cools down, then another FoL, more boppitaboppita, the third FoL (the finisher icon changes to a big sunburst now and lights up to show its loaded)." At that point you can run around using normal attacks until you need the big finisher attack, but if you use any of the power moves EXCEPT another FoL you will lose the finisher move and have to start the chain again. Opening a door or pulling a lever wipes it clean too. This is very cool when you know there is a big fight coming because you can load up the finisher on the minions, then work your way to the boss while holding the finisher ready, then drop it on him. It took me a while to figure this out (some days, my character is a lot smarter than me the player, I admit).

I'm *really* missing the ability to open locks. I just HATE not getting every chest and opening every locked gate, and the little bit of extra goodies that I am now passing up. I'm either greedy, OCD, or both I guess. Too many adventures as a rogue, maybe, because I still figure 'anything that is not nailed down is mine to take, and anything I can pry up is not nailed down'.

I thought I would suffer without the ability to locate and disarm traps, but the combination of Monk saves, WF immunities, and Way of the Monkey energy resistance has neutered every trap so far. I use timing and positioning to avoid the ones I have memorized, and the ones I don't see usually miss me or do nothing of notice. I expect this will be more of a problem as I reach more challenging content (higher DCs and damage, plus I won't have the locations memorized).

I really like the way Fists of Light hurts undead. An extra 4d6 of damage and they just wither under the glowing white fire effect. It offsets the way zombies suck so much when you gotta kill them with your fists, too.

[TPICKRELL]

...
Having your hotbars set up properly makes a world of difference in actual gameplay - LOTS of button mashing as a monk...
...
I thought I would suffer without the ability to locate and disarm traps, but the combination of Monk saves, WF immunities, and Way of the Monkey energy resistance has neutered every trap so far. I use timing and positioning to avoid the ones I have memorized, and the ones I don't see usually miss me or do nothing of notice. I expect this will be more of a problem as I reach more challenging content (higher DCs and damage, plus I won't have the locations memorized).

I really like the way Fists of Light hurts undead. An extra 4d6 of damage and they just wither under the glowing white fire effect. It offsets the way zombies suck so much when you gotta kill them with your fists, too.

Hot bars and especially shortcut keys are critical for my monks. I have a couple of dozen shortcut keys and I use those for things that need to change in the midst of battle. As you level it becomes more important that you leverage your high attack speed and offhand attacks by swtiching to the best weapon you have for the situation. So you get more to manage as you level. I rely on keystrokes for thinigs i use or need to switch in battle and visible hotbars for things that have timers I want to see or things that I don't need access to super fast. All my main strikes are on hot keys for immediate access. I'm left handed, so the keypad is my home base for such stuff.

EDIT: I keep 9 visible hotbars open on all my toons, but that started because my monks needed more and more things visible as they leveled.

As you level you should be careful in traps especially on elite, but there are still very few traps that are a real danger to a monk and especially a dex monk with monkey stance. You don't want to stand in them like a fully speced rogue will, but you can generally just go through them quickly and ignore them.

If you have or can craft a set of holy of undead bane kamas, its might be worth it for zombies at low levels until you can get decent disruptor handwraps. I generally don't bother unless its a quest where zombies are dangerous (most ar not if you have ac).

[JollySwagMan]

If you're going Light Monk, I should like to add:

Superior Ardor 1 potions: you can buy stacks of them from vendors in House P and House J. Use these instead of a Sup Potency 1 item for a more effective Healing Ki.

(similarly, use Superior Inferno 1 potions to boost the Breath of the Fire Dragon, that said I find the targeting of that finisher too awkward to use often)