Kamas vs Handwraps?

[AStormbringer]

First time monk here and I just realized that the "elemental" attacks can be used while wielding kamas for the purposes of extra damage (fire, dark, etc...). Assuming apples to apples equipment type ( say +1 shocking burst wraps vs 2 +1 shocking burst kamas) it looks like my attack modifier is the same.

Aside from finishing moves and something like stunning blow, are there pros/cons to using Handwraps over the kamas? ( I don't know a lot about TWF, glancing blows, etc... so am not sure if/how damage or strike rate is affected.)

Thanks.

[darthhento]

Handwraps have faster attack animation. Thus they do more damage. What makes them better.

And...
http://ddowiki.com/page/Handwraps

[AStormbringer]

Handwraps have faster attack animation. Thus they do more damage. What makes them better.

And...
http://ddowiki.com/page/Handwraps

Perfect....thanks for the link. Not even close to comparable.

[t0r012]

The only time I could see pulling out kamas is on an ungeared first life dex/wis monk on hard/elite runs of the level 6-8 quests with dread zombies. Where you won't break DR to generate ki.
Caverns of korrmar comes to mind and the one in the Lighfoot residence in house J( can't remember the name, with the force traps down the stairs at the start)

[Uska]

my rr vorpal kamas are all I use and even then not for long

[Bacab]

I think Handwraps>Kamas like 95% of the time.

When its not the same...

On Clonks at certain times. Clonks suffer from their unarmed dmg being at 1d6. SO Kamas are more acceptable on Clonks at times.

Zombies come to mind.

Or if you have the "Perfect" Kama for a situation. Like say you have a Ghost Touch Disruptor Kama, and do not have something as good on handwraps (yet).

Also a Healing Mastery and Devotion Kama can be nice also.

BTW if you set up your toon to be a Stunning Fist master (which usually/sometimes means super high WIS and a lower STR)...in quest where you cannot stunning fist... Like undead or golem heavy content...

Since your STR may be low, a Kama may be needed to break DR.

[Mastikator]

You use 2 Kamas and only 1 Handwraps. Several effects apply to both attacks when using two weapons, you could for instance use a pair of paralyzing + vertigo Kamas, or vorpal + smiting against warforged.
Kamas are also much cheaper in the AH if you're low on cash.

Overall handwraps win hands down in terms of DPS and they can have stunning, unlike kamas.

[unbongwah]

On Clonks at certain times. Clonks suffer from their unarmed dmg being at 1d6. SO Kamas are more acceptable on Clonks at times.

Except kamas are also d6 base dmg with the same crit profile, so there's no difference. Meanwhile handwraps still have faster atk speed, full offhand STR bonus, and let you use Stunning Fist on a WIS-based caster. So, no contest, IMHO.

What kamas are good for on clonks - or drunks or any other monk-splashed caster - is for caster gear: craft a pair of kamas and double your options while remaining centered.

Zombies come to mind.

This - I have a couple of holy kamas I pass around my monks for zombie-beating.

[TeacherSyn]

Kamas are good when your fists can't break the damage reduction of specific enemies, especially in early levels (12 and less for Light/Shintao Monks, 16 for Dark/Ninja Monks).

Handwraps/unarmed do Bludgeoning damage, which take down skeletons well, but to which zombies are resistant. Kamas give slashing damage and are more effective.

All Monks will have unarmed damage that bypasses Lawful, Magic, and Adamantine over time. You'll need to be a Shintao/Light Monk to get Byeshk, Cold Iron, and Silver with your unarmed attacks. Dark/Ninja Monks need handwraps that have metallic-threading/lining of the same types, or use kamas for DR bypassing.

Overall, unarmed attacks will become faster than any other weapon a Monk will have. But faster doesn't always mean more effective, so keep a kama or two handy, especially early on, for those stubborn enemies.

Remember also that some ki attacks, like Stunning Fist, don't work with weapons, but only when unarmed.

[Bacab]

One other thing I wanted to mention for new players...

I am aware they are not "Ki-Weapons"...

But Monks get Proficiency with Hand-axes also. If you cannot find a nice Disruptor or Holy Kama for Zombies or Mummies, a Hand-Axe is a good choice.

They are not Optimal, but are indeed usable. So if you see a nice Hand-axe on the AH or in your Reward List...it may be worth carrying around.

Example...I used a Anarchic Burst Smiting Hand-Axe and a Holy Pure Good Hand-axe on my Clonk his first life until I got some better wraps for Portal Beating in Shroud Part 1.