Shaolin Monk Quarterstaff

[SofiaNRage]

The idea here is to create a character than can excel in using some of the few really good 1/4 staffs that are in the game, but use 1/4 staffs as their primary weapon.
I chose drow, because its a little more flexible for those without access to 32pt build and the premium races, drow being easy to unlock.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.14.01
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 Lawful Good Drow Male
(2 Fighter \ 6 Monk \ 12 Rogue) 
Hit Points: 294
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 19
Reflex: 24
Will: 16

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 20)           (Level 20)
Strength             14                 17                   18
Dexterity            14                 15                   20
Constitution         13                 16                   16
Intelligence         14                 14                   14
Wisdom               14                 14                   16
Charisma             10                 10                   10

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Constitution used at level 2
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 6

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills        Base Skills        Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)          (Level 20)          (Level 20)
Balance               2                  5                   13
Bluff                 0                  0                    0
Concentration         1                  3                    3
Diplomacy             0                  0                    0
Disable Device        n/a               n/a                   n/a
Haggle                0                  0                    2
Heal                  2                  3                    3
Hide                  2                  5                    7
Intimidate            0                  0                    0
Jump                  2                  4                   10
Listen                2                  3                    5
Move Silently         2                  5                    7
Open Lock             n/a               n/a                   n/a
Perform               n/a               n/a                   n/a
Repair                2                  2                    2
Search                2                  2                    4
Spot                  2                  3                    5
Swim                  2                  4                    4
Tumble                n/a               n/a                  n/a
Use Magic Device      n/a               n/a                   n/a

{\b {\ul Notable Equipment }} \par Armored (+8) Bracers \par Dexterous +6 Gloves \par Ogre Power +6 Belt \par Natural Armor Bonus +3 Necklace \par Wise +6 Ring \par Ring of Greater False Life \par Minos Legens \par Pink Ioun Stone (Unsuppressed) \par  \par Level 1 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Dodge


Level 3 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Combat Expertise
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Trip


Level 4 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: CON
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Mobility


Level 5 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Lightning Reflexes


Level 6 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Spring Attack


Level 7 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Path) Path of Inevitable Dominion: Fists of Darkness


Level 8 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 9 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Whirlwind Attack


Level 10 (Rogue)


Level 11 (Rogue)


Level 12 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Nimble Fingers


Level 13 (Rogue)


Level 14 (Rogue)


Level 15 (Rogue)
Feat: (Rogue Bonus) Improved Evasion
Feat: (Selected) Luck of Heroes


Level 16 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 17 (Rogue)


Level 18 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Two Handed Fighting


Level 19 (Monk)


Level 20 (Monk)
Ability Raise: DEX
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Toughness
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost II
Enhancement: Rogue Skill Boost I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity II
Enhancement: Fighter Critical Accuracy I
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Trip) I
Enhancement: Rogue Item Defense I
Enhancement: Rogue Subtle Backstabbing I
Enhancement: Static Charge
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey I
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey II
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Monk Ninja Spy I
Enhancement: Adept of Wind
Enhancement: Adept of Rock
Enhancement: Adept of Flame
Enhancement: Adept of Rain
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Rogue Faster Sneaking I
Enhancement: Rogue Thief-Acrobat I
Enhancement: Rogue Thief-Acrobat II
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Accuracy I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Accuracy II
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Training I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Training II
Enhancement: Improved Balance I
Enhancement: Improved Balance II
Enhancement: Improved Jump I
Enhancement: Improved Jump II
Enhancement: Improved Tumble I
Enhancement: Improved Tumble II
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity I
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity II
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity III
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom I
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom II
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense I
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense II
Enhancement: Rogue Wand and Scroll Mastery I

I'm not sold on the Combat Expertise & Improved trip feats but felt that it went well with the build idea.
The Nimble fingers and Lightning reflexes were chosen because, well its primarily a rog and still need to do traps and sometime the box is on the far side, so I want the character to survive to get to it.
The gear is not the actual gear, but a good yardstick to use to figure out what ending stats/skills are going to be, and I didnt want to make it so you had to have uber gear to make it work.
I did include 1 +2 tome on con just because (okay habit since all my toons end up with + tomes when needed)
Skills were not included and I took all enhancements at lvl 20 just to see the finished product quickly
I went dark monk over light monk because to get the monk prestige. light needed stunning fist and as a 1/4-staff user it seemed a waste of a feat, since hands are already occupied holding a stick

I don't expect it to be a great build but it should be fun to play. Just looking for some ideas to improve upon what I've started or maybe there is a reason 1/4 staff users don't really exist.

[Raoull]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news.....

or maybe there is a reason 1/4 staff users don't really exist.

There are a number.

For monks, handwraps are superior. They are way better DPS, and just as important, the best melee CC in the game (Stunning Fist) can only be done with handwraps.

For rogues, TWF is also far superior. Most of your damage comes from sneak damage, which is a fixed amount per hit. Using GTWF you hit 180% as often as normal (closer to 200% for handwrap melee). A THF rogue does over half the damage of a TWF rogue..... but not by much.

In PnP DnD, Acrobats are doable only because there is the ability to count a Quarterstaff as a "Double Weapon". That allows the one weapon to be wielded as if it were two (not unlike handwraps on DDO), giving the full TWF attack speed. Without that, the Acrobat prestige class is basically a trap.

[unbongwah]

Something to bear in mind: sneak attacks will proc on Cleave attacks but not glancing blows; and Improved Feint (when it gets fixed) is supposed to Bluff enemies in an arc in front of you. So one tactic I've seen proposed for staff Acrobat builds is Imp Feint -> Great Cleave -> Cleave for inflicting SAs on mobs in front of you.

Unfortunately, Imp Feint is broken at the moment; you can't even take the feat right now and if you already have it, it doesn't work!

Do you have druid? If so, one idea tossed around for staff builds is splashing it for Ram's Might & Shillelagh.

[SofiaNRage]

Something to bear in mind: sneak attacks will proc on Cleave attacks but not glancing blows; and Improved Feint (when it gets fixed) is supposed to Bluff enemies in an arc in front of you. So one tactic I've seen proposed for staff Acrobat builds is Imp Feint -> Great Cleave -> Cleave for inflicting SAs on mobs in front of you.

Unfortunately, Imp Feint is broken at the moment; you can't even take the feat right now and if you already have it, it doesn't work!

Do you have druid? If so, one idea tossed around for staff builds is splashing it for Ram's Might & Shillelagh.

That would free up the second fighter level to get monk 7 and grant wholeness of body, that could work too, or at least give another source of self healing ability. I did put the ImpFeint in the build, hoping that it does get fixed, if not it can be swapped out:
Updated;

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.14.01
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 Lawful Neutral Drow Male
(7 Monk \ 12 Rogue \ 1 Druid) 
Hit Points: 268
Spell Points: 240 
BAB: 14\14\19\24
Fortitude: 14
Reflex: 17
Will: 14

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(28 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 20)           (Level 20)
Strength             14                 18                   18
Dexterity            14                 14                   19
Constitution         13                 16                   16
Intelligence         14                 14                   14
Wisdom               14                 14                   16
Charisma             10                 10                   10

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Constitution used at level 2
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 6

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills        Base Skills        Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)          (Level 20)          (Level 20)
Balance               2                  4                   12
Bluff                 0                  0                    0
Concentration         1                  3                    3
Diplomacy             0                  0                    0
Disable Device        n/a               n/a                   n/a
Haggle                0                  0                    2
Heal                  2                  3                    3
Hide                  2                  4                    6
Intimidate            0                  0                    0
Jump                  2                  4                   10
Listen                2                  3                    5
Move Silently         2                  4                    6
Open Lock             n/a               n/a                   n/a
Perform               n/a               n/a                   n/a
Repair                2                  2                    2
Search                2                  2                    4
Spot                  2                  3                    5
Swim                  2                  4                    4
Tumble                n/a               n/a                  n/a
Use Magic Device      n/a               n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Dodge


Level 3 (Druid)
Feat: (Selected) Combat Expertise
Spell (1): Charm Animal
Spell (1): Cure Light Wounds
Spell (1): Entangle
Spell (1): Faerie Fire
Spell (1): Jump
Spell (1): Lesser Vigor
Spell (1): Longstrider
Spell (1): Magic Fang
Spell (1): Maul
Spell (1): Merfolk's Blessing
Spell (1): Pass Without Trace
Spell (1): Produce Flame
Spell (1): Ram's Might
Spell (1): Shillelaugh
Spell (1): Summon Nature's Ally I
Spell (1): Takedown


Level 4 (Monk)
Ability Raise: CON
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Mobility


Level 5 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Path) Path of Inevitable Dominion: Fists of Darkness


Level 6 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Feint


Level 7 (Monk)


Level 8 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 9 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Spring Attack


Level 10 (Rogue)


Level 11 (Rogue)


Level 12 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Whirlwind Attack


Level 13 (Rogue)


Level 14 (Rogue)


Level 15 (Rogue)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave
Feat: (Rogue Bonus) Improved Evasion


Level 16 (Rogue)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 17 (Rogue)


Level 18 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Great Cleave


Level 19 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Toughness


Level 20 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost II
Enhancement: Rogue Skill Boost I
Enhancement: Druid Blood Moon Frenzy I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity II
Enhancement: Rogue Item Defense I
Enhancement: Static Charge
Enhancement: Ten Thousand Stars
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey I
Enhancement: Way of the Clever Monkey II
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery II
Enhancement: Monk Ninja Spy I
Enhancement: Unbalancing Strike
Enhancement: Winter's Touch
Enhancement: Adept of Wind
Enhancement: Adept of Rock
Enhancement: Adept of Flame
Enhancement: Adept of Rain
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Rogue Faster Sneaking I
Enhancement: Rogue Thief-Acrobat I
Enhancement: Rogue Thief-Acrobat II
Enhancement: Improved Balance I
Enhancement: Improved Balance II
Enhancement: Improved Jump I
Enhancement: Improved Jump II
Enhancement: Improved Tumble I
Enhancement: Improved Tumble II
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity I
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity II
Enhancement: Rogue Dexterity III
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom I
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom II
Enhancement: Druid Toughness I
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense I
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense II
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense III

[SofiaNRage]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news.....


There are a number.

For monks, handwraps are superior. They are way better DPS, and just as important, the best melee CC in the game (Stunning Fist) can only be done with handwraps.

For rogues, TWF is also far superior. Most of your damage comes from sneak damage, which is a fixed amount per hit. Using GTWF you hit 180% as often as normal (closer to 200% for handwrap melee). A THF rogue does over half the damage of a TWF rogue..... but not by much.

In PnP DnD, Acrobats are doable only because there is the ability to count a Quarterstaff as a "Double Weapon". That allows the one weapon to be wielded as if it were two (not unlike handwraps on DDO), giving the full TWF attack speed. Without that, the Acrobat prestige class is basically a trap.

The whole point of the build though is to use 1/4staffs not handwraps or TWF. Hence no stunning fist becuase hands are already occupied, though stunning blow might be an option since that will proc off a weapon and getting a Stunning+X weapon is very easy to do.
I wasnt looking for the most uber character in the game, i was looking for something that was a)survivable and b)fun to play

[threefeetunder]

You might be interested in this thread
Stat wise you're too spread out. why 14 int? you'll still be able to max out the skills that matter with 8 or 10. why 14 wisdom? you can't use stunning blow with qstaves and you'll fail all your will saves anyways, may as well start at 8.


Improved sneak attack (epic feat that grants 3d6 SA) has a 21 dex req, so increasing dex to say,16, getting a +3 tome and putting 2 ability points and you can get that at lvl 21. With the rest of the points you can up con to 14 and the rest to str.

That said, drow is a pretty poor choice for a qstaff build as they basically bring nothing interesting. stat wise the int and cha is useless to you, con debuff is a concern has rogues already have hp issues, and dex is only a minor buff, no to mention 0 usefull enhancements. human, maybe halfings (for the bonus sneak attack) would easily be better choices.

On the whole dark/monk thing, on a monk splash you don't go light for the prestige, you go light for the Fists of Light ability and the huge boost to survivability it provides. I'm not advising one over the other, but don't discount light just because of the prestige, both philosophies are good choices.

[SofiaNRage]

You might be interested in this thread
Stat wise you're too spread out. why 14 int? you'll still be able to max out the skills that matter with 8 or 10. why 14 wisdom? you can't use stunning blow with qstaves and you'll fail all your will saves anyways, may as well start at 8.


Improved sneak attack (epic feat that grants 3d6 SA) has a 21 dex req, so increasing dex to say,16, getting a +3 tome and putting 2 ability points and you can get that at lvl 21. With the rest of the points you can up con to 14 and the rest to str.

That said, drow is a pretty poor choice for a qstaff build as they basically bring nothing interesting. stat wise the int and cha is useless to you, con debuff is a concern has rogues already have hp issues, and dex is only a minor buff, no to mention 0 usefull enhancements. human, maybe halfings (for the bonus sneak attack) would easily be better choices.

On the whole dark/monk thing, on a monk splash you don't go light for the prestige, you go light for the Fists of Light ability and the huge boost to survivability it provides. I'm not advising one over the other, but don't discount light just because of the prestige, both philosophies are good choices.

Sunning blow can be used stunning fist cant be used w/ 1/4-staffs hence not going light and taking shinto prestige line, so having a feat that is completely unusable seems like a waste
Drow start with 10 Chr
14 WIS was for bonus to AC from monk being able to able to use WIS to AC, but with prr and dodge taking precedence now that might not be such an issue
14 INT is because Combat Expertise is needed for Whirlwind attack, and if need a 13 for that might as well balance it out to a 14 for the extra skill points. I like the idea of the extra sneak attack from greater backstab(?), and the added dex will help with the reflex saves anyway which this build seems to have a not smallish issue with anyway
Halfling has the same problem but in reverse since they start with a really low STR as opposed to the low CON that drow start with, and since 1/4 staffs use str for tohit, every little bit helps it would seem, you'ld end up with 1 less str with everything being the same. Humans don't really bring anything to the build though other than an extra feat.
If I wanted to use a premium race helf*** would probably work best with a barb dilly so i could add 2 more con and the 1 inherent DR, other than that I think that would end up the about same.
*Since I'm taking 7 lvls of monk anyways might as well take a monk prestige to go along with it, and get the benefits from it as well.
** Does +1 to hit/dmg really matter? at low lvl yes but at end game doesnt come into play that much, which does add more credence to using 1/2 enhancements because +2/4/6/8 depending on lvl of guile does help especially with crits
*** Since using premium class might use premium race, the possibility does exist

[unbongwah]

That would free up the second fighter level to get monk 7 and grant wholeness of body, that could work too, or at least give another source of self healing ability.

I would recommend rogue 13 / monk 6 / druid 1: get an extra rogue feat (Imp Evasion + Opportunist) and +1D6 SA. I haven't posted them yet, but I have a few build ideas along these lines.

14 INT is because Combat Expertise is needed for Whirlwind attack, and if need a 13 for that might as well balance it out to a 14 for the extra skill points.

You're better off starting INT 11 or 12 and taking a +1 or +2 tome.

why 14 wisdom? you can't use stunning blow with qstaves and you'll fail all your will saves anyways, may as well start at 8.

The only reason I can think to start with higher WIS (base 12 + 2 tome) is to get Ocean II stance for the Dodge & saves bonus. But given how tight APs wind up being on these builds, I'm hard-pressed to convince myself that's worthwhile.

[Raoull]

The whole point of the build though is to use 1/4staffs not handwraps or TWF. Hence no stunning fist becuase hands are already occupied, though stunning blow might be an option since that will proc off a weapon and getting a Stunning+X weapon is very easy to do.
I wasnt looking for the most uber character in the game, i was looking for something that was a)survivable and b)fun to play

For the most part, you'll do fine. I certainly don't want to rain on the parade of anyone doing a fun build just because it isn't perfectly min/maxxed. The game is for fun, and people should play whatever toon maximizes their fun.

I only gave the downer post I did because you mentioned "or maybe there is a reason 1/4 staff users don't really exist".

I wouldn't bother with Stunning Blow though. Without the +1/2 character lvl that Fist has, it takes much more Str than it does Wisdom to get to similar DCs. (And an equal DC does not make it equal, as SF triggers on offhand strikes as well as a way shorter cooldown.) A 40 DC would take a 40 Str (along with a +10 weapon, and +5 from the spare hand), vs. a mere 20 Wisdom for Fist. You'll approach near 30 Str on this at end game, which will give you only a 36 DC (assuming you get the enhancement). That probably won't be enough to be worthwhile. My monk has a similar (tad higher) Stunning Blow, and it rarely works against non-arcanes. (Although I guess that might make it reasonable, if you think CC just vs. Arcanes is worth the Feat.)

I don't have experience with tripping though, so that might be a better option.

[SofiaNRage]

Thanks all for the input and suggestions. Since this was more of a proof of concept type build i didnt want to spend the tomes to get all the needed stats, but its looking like I will build it using a helf and spend the needed tomes and decide on 6 or 7 monk at 20th when I get there. Implementing tomes for the build will make things a tad easier lvling anyway, it isnt like I dont have plenty of Capped, TR'd, and epic lvl toons to pull the needed gear.

[SofiaNRage]

I would recommend rogue 13 / monk 6 / druid 1: get an extra rogue feat (Imp Evasion + Opportunist) and +1D6 SA. I haven't posted them yet, but I have a few build ideas along these lines.

You're better off starting INT 11 or 12 and taking a +1 or +2 tome.

The only reason I can think to start with higher WIS (base 12 + 2 tome) is to get Ocean II stance for the Dodge & saves bonus. But given how tight APs wind up being on these builds, I'm hard-pressed to convince myself that's worthwhile.

I'm still undecided on 6 or 7 monk, wholeness of body is nice on the one hand, but the extra SA and pos. another rog feat might have some merit too, I'll probably hold off on that decision until later in the build's life to see.
I didn't want to have to rely on tomes, but its looking like they might be a necessary addition to really make the build work.
Being the veteran of many multi-classed builds I know full well how tight AP's can get

[xoowak]

I'm still undecided on 6 or 7 monk, wholeness of body is nice on the one hand, but the extra SA and pos. another rog feat might have some merit too, I'll probably hold off on that decision until later in the build's life to see.

Wholeness of body is an excellent ability while leveling, but it's based on monk level and WIS mod, so I doubt this build would get much out of it since you'd be 20 by the time you picked it up. By that point your UMD should be good enough for wands/scrolls anyway.

[Diyon]

Stunning blow can work if you're setup well for it. My stick build is a 13/6/1 rogue/fighter/monk though, so I get +3 DC from those fighter lvls, have the +5 combat mastery, +10 stunning, +6 from LD destiny and 40+ STR from good gear, getting a 50+ stun DC.

I'd go 6 monk. WoB is not worth losing out on either Opportunist or Imp. Evasion.

[unbongwah]

Ideally this build gets both Overwhelming Critical & Improved Sneak Atk as its epic feats; but that requires base STR 23 DEX 21 - not a realistic goal for a build which isn't a heavily-twinked TR, IMHO.

If you're trying to do this build on the cheap, have you thought about 28-pt dwarf instead? Base stats 16 / 12 / 18 / 12 / 8 / 6 with lvl-ups into STR. Feats: Toughness, PA/Cleave/GC, IC:B, CE (req's +1 INT tome), IF, Dodge (Ninja pre-req, need at least +1 DEX tome, pref. +2 for Wind II stance), WF:B, OC:B (req's +2 STR tome before lvl 21), epic Toughness (req's +3 CON tome but not until lvl 24) with two feats left over for, say, Precision & Imp Sunder (w/Opportunist you're looking at up to -45% fortification).

[SofiaNRage]

Ideally this build gets both Overwhelming Critical & Improved Sneak Atk as its epic feats; but that requires base STR 23 DEX 21 - not a realistic goal for a build which isn't a heavily-twinked TR, IMHO.

If you're trying to do this build on the cheap, have you thought about 28-pt dwarf instead? Base stats 16 / 12 / 18 / 12 / 8 / 6 with lvl-ups into STR. Feats: Toughness, PA/Cleave/GC, IC:B, CE (req's +1 INT tome), IF, Dodge (Ninja pre-req, need at least +1 DEX tome, pref. +2 for Wind II stance), WF:B, OC:B (req's +2 STR tome before lvl 21), epic Toughness (req's +3 CON tome but not until lvl 24) with two feats left over for, say, Precision & Imp Sunder (w/Opportunist you're looking at up to -45% fortification).

Now thats something I hadnt thought about, good catch there. The original concept and something I'm trying to stick to is that it doesnt need money/time/plat/gear grinding to make it work. Even the druid lvl was a splurge, but the benefit seemed worth it, unfortunately it does have to start as a 28pt build, but everything else is up for grabs.

[unbongwah]

The truly F2P version I would make is rogue 13 / ftr 6 / barb 1; it sucks missing out on the goodies monk & druid bring to the table, but that's what you get for being a cheapskate! Each F2P race has its own pros: dwarf for max sturdiness & Tactics enhs; halfling for extra SA DPS & Bluff (Cunning & Guile); human for the extra feat & heal amp; elf for...ummm...flowing locks & pointy ears?

[Diyon]

elf for...ummm...flowing locks & pointy ears?

Spell penetration.

[Raoull]

Random note......

There is a new Qstaff available much better than anything I had been aware of. That changes the performance of this build at end game substantially.
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=383595

That's a pretty big step up from the past. You may want to go Lawful Good, or max UMD, in order to potentially wield it.

Who knows.... after the enhancement pass, Acrobats might be swarming the place....

[Diyon]

Random note......

There is a new Qstaff available much better than anything I had been aware of. That changes the performance of this build at end game substantially.
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=383595

That's a pretty big step up from the past. You may want to go Lawful Good, or max UMD, in order to potentially wield it.

Who knows.... after the enhancement pass, Acrobats might be swarming the place....

Something to keep in mind is that Shillelagh can't be used with Sireth because it is steel. On an acrobat, getting that UMD score should be easy by lvl23. A good contender that's wooden is the Stout Oak Walking Stick. While not as good as Sireth, it still blows everything else out of the water and has a cool no save knockdown. Plus it benefits a little more from +W effects.

[hu-flung-pu]

As a Q-staff monk/fighter I can safely say it's one of my most fun builds.

The backstab from rogue helps a ton, also look up the Big Fin stick build.

I went half-orc for the STR and double fisted damage enhancements.

The thing with Q-staff, is it's not effective against single targets. Because it's damage profile sucks so much. BUT... it does damage in a nearly 360 degree arc, each swing. The more the better, just like the Shaolin staff specializes in.

So you stand in the middle of a group, swing away, and you're doing nearly full damage each swing with all three two handed fighting feats. The changes to cleave and great cleave will only make that damage better.