The Mad Monk

[elg582]

I've been holding out to see if we were going to get some way to use DEX for damage with unarmed before I used my +20 Heart of Wood, but it looks like the devs are pretty well dead set against letting that happen, so I had to go another way.

I think I may have gone mad, though :

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Level 28 Lawful Good Half-Elf Female
(4 Fighter \ 12 Monk \ 4 Ranger \ 8 Epic) 
Hit Points: 397
Spell Points: 266 
BAB: 17\17\22\27\27
Fortitude: 21
Reflex: 18
Will: 18

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(36 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 28)
Strength             16                    23
Dexterity            14                    17
Constitution         14                    16
Intelligence          8                    10
Wisdom               15                    23
Charisma             13                    15

Tomes Used
+4 Tome of Strength used at level 15
+3 Tome of Dexterity used at level 11
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+5 Tome of Wisdom used at level 19
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 28)
Balance               3                    22
Bluff                 2                    10
Concentration         7                    36
Diplomacy             2                    10
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle                2                    10
Heal                  9                    18
Hide                  3                    11
Intimidate            2                    10
Jump                  9                    24
Listen                5                    14
Move Silently         3                    11
Open Lock             n/a                  n/a
Perform               n/a                  n/a
Repair                0                     8
Search                0                     8
Spellcraft            0                     8
Spot                  9                    33
Swim                  5                    14
Tumble                n/a                  12
Use Magic Device      4                    21

Level 1 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
Feat: (Half-Elf Dilettante) Half-Elf Dilettante: Paladin
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Monk
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Monk
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Stunning Fist


Level 3 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Past Life: Disciple of the Fist


Level 4 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Dodge


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


Level 6 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave


Level 7 (Monk)


Level 8 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Mobility


Level 9 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Great Cleave
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 10 (Monk)


Level 11 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Two Weapon Fighting


Level 12 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Bludgeoning Weapons


Level 13 (Fighter)


Level 14 (Monk)


Level 15 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Two Weapon Fighting


Level 16 (Monk)


Level 17 (Monk)


Level 18 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Spring Attack
Feat: (Selected) Grandmaster of Forms


Level 19 (Ranger)


Level 20 (Ranger)


Level 21 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Vorpal Strikes


Level 22 (Epic)


Level 23 (Epic)


Level 24 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Overwhelming Critical


Level 25 (Epic)


Level 26 (Epic)


Level 27 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Improved Martial Arts


Level 28 (Epic)
Feat: (Epic Destiny) Epic Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting

This could easily go either light or dark:

Enhancements:

Dark

Ninja (36 AP)
-Shadow Veil (25% incorporeal for 60 seconds, 15 ki)
-Shadow Double (100% doublestrike for 6 seconds, 30 second cooldown, 30 ki)
-Touch of Death

Shintao (14 AP)
-Deft Strikes (+10% off-hand proc)
-Iron Skin
-Conditioning

Kensei (12 AP)
-Kensei focus
-Haste Boost
-Contemplation (+1 passive ki gen!)

Tempest (6 AP)
-Tempest (+10% off-hand proc)

Racial (12 AP)
-Improved Dilettante
-Damage Boost


Light

Shintao (34 AP)
-Deft Strikes (+10% off-hand proc)
-Iron Skin
-Conditioning
-Empty Hand Mastery (d8 unarmed die)
-Violence Begets violence
-Kukan-Do

Ninja (11 AP)
-Shadow Veil (25% incorporeal for 60 seconds, 15 ki)
-Agility

Kensei (15 AP)
-Kensei focus
-Haste Boost
-Contemplation (+1 passive ki gen!)

Tempest (6 AP)
-Tempest (+10% off-hand proc)

Racial (14 AP)
-Improved Dilettante
-Damage Boost



I think either way would work, but I'm really looking for a reason to go light over dark; does Violence Begets violence and higher base damage make up for that massive burst doublestrike from ninja? I think that it is at least close, costs less AP, and gives you self-healing and an extra stun.

[Arkadios]

With so many ranger levels it'd be a shame not to have ranged capabilitys, I'd suggest dropping toughness, mobility and spring attack for, PBS, Zen archery and manyshot (you missed out an epic destiny feat so maybe pick up toughness there?)

[purplebelly]

I think either way would work, but I'm really looking for a reason to go light over dark; does Violence Begets violence and higher base damage make up for that massive burst doublestrike from ninja? I think that it is at least close, costs less AP, and gives you self-healing and an extra stun.

While i find that neither Violence Begets Violence nor Empty Hand Mastery make up for the epic burst damage that shadow double and touch of death does, i will point out that shintao/light gets a free spirit cake once every 15min cooldown/rest gives casters aligning in the beginning of a quest which I know this is a DPS build those are some great utility to note.

[elg582]

Interesting points.

Ranged is certainly more DPS, but at the expense of tanking ability (mobility, spring attack, toughness, etc), and once you accept that premise, you wind up ranged ~85% of the time

I have a monkcher, and the DPS is untouchable, but it's a different character. For one thing, it doesn't have the AP to spare for defensive enhancements.

And I'm not sure about the DPS difference between light and dark; Empty Hand Mastery alone is 8 more damage per hit, and the extra crit range from Violence begets Violence is hard to quantify, but could certainly be significant. Touch of Death doesn't impress me, anymore; no double/triple/quad hits, everything saves for half damage most of the time, even on a high WIS pure monk, doesn't work on anything with deathward...

[purplebelly]

To be honest i don't like going dark monk unless i'm going henshin and getting the light move(which i find is better then fists of light) but that's mostly because i hate having no healing aside from pots

good luck in whatever you build

[elg582]

Question from guildies:

Is the Paladin dilettante feat worth it?

It costs a ton of build points for only +5 to saves, forget the wand and scroll usage, assuming I can spare the AP to take all the improvements.. Of course, that works against most other dilly's, too; there's not much point in taking the cleric line only to not be able to use heal or raise dead scrolls.