Build Request : Viable 36 PTS Monk Build

[bergeau09]

Hi all,

I'm about to TR my Sorc tonight into a monk (bye bye nuking) and I was looking for a monk build that is 100% ou at least almost self-sufficient. I do not have any problem with Multi-Classing. So here's what I have and what I don't have to help you :

What I have acces to :

Silver Flame Potions
Every races
Any classes but Druid
Some nice pair of wraps, i'll be good for weapons.

What I don't want/have access to :

I won't buy any +X Heart of Wood.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Hoss~

[GlorifyQuC]

+Be able to use heal scrolls
+Stack healing amp
+Dark monk for solo, light monk for group play
+Displacement clickies+Earth stance
+Have vorpals for every situation.

If you give me a rough outline of what you actually want I can give you a firmer build.

The Emerald is a decent splash build.
Pure monk I've heard is the best melee in the game right now, as to which I can only assume since I've just gotten back into the game, stems from grandmaster's epic moment.
Godhand is 12 fighter, underwhelming currently, but relatively fun to play and plays more like a monk than a fighter.

[Willan]

I made this build and posted it on the forums :

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=391573

With Rejuvination cacoon and high dodge + shadow fade + displacement clickies I am self sufficient in EE content to a point. While leveling you can wand whip yourself between fights and the new retribution makes WSS monks do a lot of dps before lit2 Longswords become useful. If you have lit2 Longswords or the ability to make them WSS makes leveling a breeze since the good DPS handwraps don't come into play untill 18( HoX wraps + bursted rings).

[bergeau09]

Thanks for the tips, I made this post really Quick this morning but here some precisions :

I won't play this build at end-game, it's only for the PL (aiming completionist) so I really want a build that can survive thru level 1 to 20 without too much difficulty. I will look for Both builds and give some feedbacks. Thanks again!

Hoss~

[Kinerd]

I would go light monk, wands and scrolls just don't do it for me.
Str 14
Dex 14
Con 14
Wis 14
Is where I start with every monk, which leaves us 12 points. I would go to 16 in Dex, Con, and Wis - with +2 tomes you qualify for GM Wind and Earth, then everything else in Wis to get to Vorpal Strikes and because Wis is good.

Feats, we get 1 human, 3 monk, 7 heroic, and 2 epic capable. Our 2 epic feats are Improved Martial Arts and Vorpal Strikes. We always want GTWF, Toughness, Power Attack, Improved Critical, Stunning Fist, something for Shintao (I like Precision), then I would go Improved Sunder, Dodge, Mobility.

Enhancements, Improved Recovery 3 Human and Monk, Shintao, GM Wind and Earth, Human Versatility, capstone, then whatever you like.

[GlorifyQuC]

+4 dex tome?

18 str
13 dex
17 con
10 wis

Take out of wisdom then con for dex points if needed because of no tome, you need 17. Also the feats will have to be taken 15 itwf/18 gtwf IF you use a +4 dex.

1(h)twf
1(m)toughness
2(m)PA
3(m)Path of inevitable dominion
6(m)stunning fist
1dodge
3mobility
6springattack
9 itwf
12 imp crit bludgeon
15 gtwf
18stunning blow

[YoureDown]

This is my standard monk build, as it is now It solos epic elite gianthold.

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=4856490

The build itself is 34 points, but if you have access to 36 (in your case you do), you can raise STR.

It is not really item intense, since the only important item you need is Ivy wraps (minimum level 23[EH] at least).
also, if you want even better healing, get a devotion item, which makes my heals go to 150 a pop. the build gets 210% heal amp which makes it so each ivy wrap hit heals for 2-4, and a 2-6 from light strike, makes for 4-10 HP per hit. it also has very nice HP to compliment that (currently sitting at 850 in grandmaster, over 1k in sentinel), does 10d6 melee damage per hit, with very high DC's on stunning fist, pops around 80% of the time on EE.

[YoureDown]

+4 dex tome?

18 str
13 dex
17 con
10 wis

Take out of wisdom then con for dex points if needed because of no tome, you need 17. Also the feats will have to be taken 15 itwf/18 gtwf IF you use a +4 dex.

1(h)twf
1(m)toughness
2(m)PA
3(m)Path of inevitable dominion
6(m)stunning fist
1dodge
3mobility
6springattack
9 itwf
12 imp crit bludgeon
15 gtwf
18stunning blow

imo, stunning blow is a waste of a feat, since your stunning fist has way higher DC.
mobility+spring attack is also kind of a waste, 4% dodge is not much, wont make much difference, removing the -4 attack on moving is completely a waste when you get around 50 attack bonus @ 25, and the bonus to AC while tumbling is also w waste, since that little AC doesnt make a difference.
as to the 10 wis, Im known for low wis monks, but 10 wis? youre seriously deserting your monk with 10 wis. compared to 14 wis thats:
-2AC, -2will, -2DC and all that for 1 more con.

[Munkenmo]

I while ago i started a thread with different monk builds (I kinda got distracted and didn't see it all the way through)

I've have a 32pt build that would work for you.

Just change the starting stats to 16/15/15/8/16/8

[Potta]

This is my standard monk build, as it is now It solos epic elite gianthold.

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=4856490

The build itself is 34 points, but if you have access to 36 (in your case you do), you can raise STR.

I've seen your build and your description of your gear in it. I seriously doubt you are solo'ing EE GH with that. Your 80AC is meaningless in EE. Your enhancement choices are terrible, your feats are terrible. I don't want to sound mean, but seriously, I'll need some screenshots of you solo'ing EE Madstone, PoP, Crucible, ToR or even Cabal, the easiest of the lot. If you truly solo EE GH with that character, you may perhaps be the best DDO player on the planet. What's more likely however is that you're significantly exaggerating.

To the OP: There is a lot of bad advice in this thread. Some good too, but it's best if you just take the following away from this thread:

I've done 3 past lives of monk, and my favourite TR Monk build is a Half-Elf Cleric Dilly Monk 18/Rogue 2. Take this stat spread:

16/15/15/8/16/8.

It's a little negotiable depending on your tomes. If you've got +3/4's across the board, you may want to drop one in str and one in wis to bump the int up a little. This will be a solid base. Put your levelups into Wisdom to increase your AC and your Stunning Fist DC.

The Rogue levels are obviously for trap skills, which help a lot with getting yourself into groups. The second Rogue level also gives you Wand/Scroll mastery, which with good healing amp and your cleric dilly abilities, gives you great out of combat healing. In combat healing is another matter. Light is a better choice in this regard, and its Fire:Light:Fire finisher is very useful to boost skills when you're trapping, as is the Void:Light:Void finisher, Moment of Clarity. With some twinking, you should be able to handle any at level elite trap even without maxed skills.

The alternative to Rogue is Arti, but it's only 4 Skill Points per level instead of 8, which can make it a lot harder to fit the relevant skills in. Depending on your requirements, you may even need to go to 3 or 4 Rogue, to continue handling at level traps. But this is fine, you don't lose anything significant past level 16 in Monk.

[t0r012]

Human healing amp build ( or half elf for cleric dilly)
Keep the starting stats balanced str, dex, con , wis. levels up in str or wis your choice. But for just a 1-20 run I'd go str.
Twf x3
Toughness x1
Stun fist
IC : blunt
Shianto prereq feat (take your pick)
Power attack
For the rest of the feats doesn't really matter. Stunning blow is decent enough.

Craft or have crafted a pair of lesser vamp wraps till you can get vampiric stone dust wraps from lords march. Then don't take them off ever. Jid'z'teka at 5. DT healing amp 10&20% armor as soon as you can enter Reavers.

FoL and stunning fist / blow everything. That's the simple version get you from 1-20 no trouble at all.

[Therigar]

Thanks for the tips, I made this post really Quick this morning but here some precisions :

I won't play this build at end-game, it's only for the PL (aiming completionist) so I really want a build that can survive thru level 1 to 20 without too much difficulty. I will look for Both builds and give some feedbacks. Thanks again!

Hoss~

Really, monks are so easy that anything you choose cannot be wrong unless you are just intent on messing up.

I play a first life light path monk that is capped at L25 and that is nearly invulnerable on everything thru eHard. And, I don't even know 90% of the finishers or use the ones I do know with any regularity.

Monks are, maybe, the most forgiving melee class to play. I have not read all the advice given but:

+ Ignore any advice that does not tell you to put all your focus into WIS. WIS is the key stat for everything essential to a monk. I have run STR and DEX based builds and they are nothing compared to my current first life WIS build.

+ After WIS you want enough DEX that you'll qualify the whole TWF line. TWF works with unarmed attacks. Everyone playing monks who knows what they are doing will take this feat line.

+ After WIS and DEX you want CON. I know I've played around with 6 CON but the real consequence of that is to reinforce what we all know, CON is not a dump stat.

+ The last stat you need to focus on is STR. By last I mean that it is 4th and the other stats are entirely irrelevant.

If you are looking to be self sufficient thru L20 just to TR for completionist then you do NOT need UMD. Don't waste your time with it.

Monks get more than sufficient AC along with innate dodge so avoid most damage. The get meditation that allows them to self heal by taking a short break after all the mobs are cleared. They are extremely fast, so can run in circles chugging cure potions if they absolutely have to do so.

At L25 I still carry stacks of CSW potions and chug them from time to time.

Between the meditation, fast speed w potion drinking, fists of light on the light path (if you use it) and various life stealing and vampiric wraps, a monk can sustain themself almost indefinitely.

The key skill is Concentration. It affects how much Ki you can retain. If you do nothing other than max WIS (with 36 points you should do this) and keep Concentration maxed then you will be in excellent shape for all of the heroic content in the run to L20.

There is absolutely no value in splashing any other class. If you really feel the need for a splash then go half-elf and take the cleric dilly. That gives you cure wands (cheaper than potions) and, ultimately, cleric scroll use (no UMD needed). Half-elf also lets you take human recovery for bonus healing amp. Couple that with monk recovery and you have enough healing amp that you'll never worry about the cure side of things.

Half-elf also lets you choose between added DEX (which synergizes with WIS for AC) or human adaptability for both DEX and WIS.

My current character is halfling and I have a 2d life warforged in the works. But, if I were only focused on safety and speed of leveling in order to TR I'd go half-elf for those reasons.

Bottom line is that no matter what advice you decide to take, you will be able to breeze thru to L20.

The risk is that you'll find it so easy to play and so powerful that you may want to convert to monk full time.

[Therigar]

I would go light monk, wands and scrolls just don't do it for me.
Str 14
Dex 14
Con 14
Wis 14
Is where I start with every monk, which leaves us 12 points. I would go to 16 in Dex, Con, and Wis - with +2 tomes you qualify for GM Wind and Earth, then everything else in Wis to get to Vorpal Strikes and because Wis is good.

Feats, we get 1 human, 3 monk, 7 heroic, and 2 epic capable. Our 2 epic feats are Improved Martial Arts and Vorpal Strikes. We always want GTWF, Toughness, Power Attack, Improved Critical, Stunning Fist, something for Shintao (I like Precision), then I would go Improved Sunder, Dodge, Mobility.

Enhancements, Improved Recovery 3 Human and Monk, Shintao, GM Wind and Earth, Human Versatility, capstone, then whatever you like.

This is very sound advice and very close to my approach, which means I like the advice a lot.

I'm not an earth stance guy but I understand its current popularity. I'm all in on wind stance because fast attacks plus stunning fist means the defensive plus from earth isn't needed.

But, to each their own and I don't begrudge that bit of advice.

The only feat change I make to the list given is that I don't use sunder so I take spring attack instead of improved sunder. Again, that is just me and nothing negative about the advice.

I am in 100% agreement about epic feat choices, although that may be moot if you're just going to TR at L20. I also like precision for Shintao prereq and once I have it I just leave it turned on.

Edit: One thing, since I don't play human, that is 1 less feat. I usually avoid power attack. With precision always running PA is just a wasted feat. Current state of game seems to favor precision over PA in any case. So, on non-human this is the feat I drop and on human I might not even take it in any case. Definitely not needed of heroic content no matter what you are doing.

[bergeau09]

Wow! Thanks for all the idea! Well, I'll do more than 1 monk Life, I want to try at least The Emerald & The Ghost Moutain. You guys really helped me, left a couple +1s.

Take Care and have a good day,

Hoss~

[GlorifyQuC]

Having high wisdom is pointless for the leveling process.

So is fine-tuning a character to the degree that highly specialized builds like the emerald do, if you're just doing it for completionist.

Strength builds are faster and more efficient than wisdom based builds for leveling, not necessarily for end game content, but you've already stated earlier that wasn't your game with the character.

Your fists/blows will hit irregardless to your wisdom though all content due to enhancements, past lives(if applicable, though not necessary), and most importantly wraps.

[YoureDown]

I've seen your build and your description of your gear in it. I seriously doubt you are solo'ing EE GH with that. Your 80AC is meaningless in EE. Your enhancement choices are terrible, your feats are terrible. I don't want to sound mean, but seriously, I'll need some screenshots of you solo'ing EE Madstone, PoP, Crucible, ToR or even Cabal, the easiest of the lot. If you truly solo EE GH with that character, you may perhaps be the best DDO player on the planet. What's more likely however is that you're significantly exaggerating.

To the OP: There is a lot of bad advice in this thread. Some good too, but it's best if you just take the following away from this thread:

I've done 3 past lives of monk, and my favourite TR Monk build is a Half-Elf Cleric Dilly Monk 18/Rogue 2. Take this stat spread:

16/15/15/8/16/8.

It's a little negotiable depending on your tomes. If you've got +3/4's across the board, you may want to drop one in str and one in wis to bump the int up a little. This will be a solid base. Put your levelups into Wisdom to increase your AC and your Stunning Fist DC.

The Rogue levels are obviously for trap skills, which help a lot with getting yourself into groups. The second Rogue level also gives you Wand/Scroll mastery, which with good healing amp and your cleric dilly abilities, gives you great out of combat healing. In combat healing is another matter. Light is a better choice in this regard, and its Fire:Light:Fire finisher is very useful to boost skills when you're trapping, as is the Void:Light:Void finisher, Moment of Clarity. With some twinking, you should be able to handle any at level elite trap even without maxed skills.

The alternative to Rogue is Arti, but it's only 4 Skill Points per level instead of 8, which can make it a lot harder to fit the relevant skills in. Depending on your requirements, you may even need to go to 3 or 4 Rogue, to continue handling at level traps. But this is fine, you don't lose anything significant past level 16 in Monk.

Before starting flaming someone else, I'd like to know what you consider "not horrible". horrible feat and enhancements? I would like to see how you break toons with other feat choises. and I am talking like this because you decided to throw the build out of the window after the approval of some pretty well known people.

[Potta]

No problem. The following isn't a list of feats I'd expect to see all on one character, but they're all very defensible choices:

Two Weapon Fighting (x3)
Imp. Crit Bludgeoning
Toughness
Stunning Fist
Improved Sunder
Dodge/Cleave (depending on light/dark)
Power Attack
Precision
Past Life: Disciple of the Fist

You have basically wasted two feats in Resilience and Lightning Reflexes. Your enhancement choices are also very poor. I'm not going to list every enhancement I feel is worthwhile, but instead just the ones you've taken that are bad:

Imp Concentration I
Imp Concentration II
Imp Concentration III
Imp Balance I
Imp Balance II
Imp Balance III
Imp Jump I
Imp Jump II
Imp Tumble I
Imp Tumble II
Way of the Patient Tortoise III
Human Greater Adaptability Dexterity I

Out of 80 Action Points, you've managed to spend 17 of them in almost completely worthless areas. I understand that at level 1, you might have to spend one or two points in dubious areas to unlock higher tiered options, but never to the point that you'd have to waste 17 of them. That's almost 1/4 of all your AP down the toilet. You're missing out on more Wisdom, the entire Human Versatility line of enhancements - one of the best reasons to BE human - and more healing amp.

I've answered your question, so answer mine please. Where are your screenshots of solo'ing EE GH content with this build? How did you cope with the pull of 4 Giant Skeletons in Madstone Crater on EE solo? As much as it may be nice to get 6-12 hp back per swing, they melee for 300-400 each with such a huge range that you cannot simply kite them around. They will pay zero attention to your 80AC. Any non-UD mob in EE GH will laugh at a 51-52 stun DC, so I doubt you're stunning them either.

[jskinner937]

No problem. The following isn't a list of feats I'd expect to see all on one character, but they're all very defensible choices:

Two Weapon Fighting (x3)
Imp. Crit Bludgeoning
Toughness
Stunning Fist
Improved Sunder
Dodge/Cleave (depending on light/dark)
Power Attack
Precision
Past Life: Disciple of the Fist

You have basically wasted two feats in Resilience and Lightning Reflexes. Your enhancement choices are also very poor. I'm not going to list every enhancement I feel is worthwhile, but instead just the ones you've taken that are bad:

Imp Concentration I
Imp Concentration II
Imp Concentration III
Imp Balance I
Imp Balance II
Imp Balance III
Imp Jump I
Imp Jump II
Imp Tumble I
Imp Tumble II
Way of the Patient Tortoise III
Human Greater Adaptability Dexterity I

Out of 80 Action Points, you've managed to spend 17 of them in almost completely worthless areas. I understand that at level 1, you might have to spend one or two points in dubious areas to unlock higher tiered options, but never to the point that you'd have to waste 17 of them. That's almost 1/4 of all your AP down the toilet. You're missing out on more Wisdom, the entire Human Versatility line of enhancements - one of the best reasons to BE human - and more healing amp.

I've answered your question, so answer mine please. Where are your screenshots of solo'ing EE GH content with this build? How did you cope with the pull of 4 Giant Skeletons in Madstone Crater on EE solo? As much as it may be nice to get 6-12 hp back per swing, they melee for 300-400 each with such a huge range that you cannot simply kite them around. They will pay zero attention to your 80AC. Any non-UD mob in EE GH will laugh at a 51-52 stun DC, so I doubt you're stunning them either.

I concur with Potta and this coming from a much better geared completionist monk (fizzymadizzy on Thelanis). I can manage to clear mob of skeletons solo, but it is a lot of kiting and singling one out fight a bit then kiting and scroll healing (full UMD). I am a max WIS build and have a SF of 67 and it is far from no fail. There is no way you are soloing EE dude. Not bashing your build, but don't make it in to something it is not. It is at best an EH solo for some quests. Fair Enough?

As far as Imp jump and tumble 2 ranks are required for ninja spy, but since you are a light monk, there is no reason to take them and the others are just useless period as well as lightning reflexes.