1. Introduction
2. Build

2.1 Leveling Order
2.2 Abilities
2.3 Feats
2.4 Enhancements
2.5 Skills
2.6 Gear
2.7 Epic Destiny and Twists

3. Essentials

3.1 Offense
3.2 Defense
3.3 Self Healing



4. Conclusion






1. Introduction


Hi everybody!


For quite some time I've been thinking about a 4th life for Aranja, my monk. Right now she is a 12 fighter / 8 monk with two monk past lifes, a build to gain a fighter pastlife pre motu. Her gear is also mostly pre motu.

I read alot about the state of the monk on the forums, and credit goes out to:

  • Marten
  • Mo of Sarlona for alot of helpful posts on the monk forum and his build, Munkenmo Woodfist
  • Dilnu/Kelray of Sarlona for a really helpful discussion about his experience with his monk in EE quests

My goal was to find a balance between dps, EE DCs and survivability while being as monkish as possible. Dps wise I wanted to get overwhelming critical and maintain a reasonable strength. For DCs wisdom is obviously the way to go.

Survivability means both a good damage mitigation, which is fairly easy for a monk in earth stance, and a reliable source of self healing.

I decided to go for a human with 16 monk for quivering palm and most of a monks other goodies, 2 fighter for feats, haste boost and tactics, and 2 fvs for magical training, access to metamagics, divine might and extra saves.


So, without further ado, I present you Hansong Master, my take on an epic elite DC Monk.

2. Build

2.1 Leveling Order:


1. Monk
2. FvS
3. FvS
4. Monk
...
18. Monk
19. Fighter
20. Fighter

Those fighter levels are last because of a starting dex of 12. This unlocks Improved and Greater Two Weapon Fighting at level 19, when the +5 tome kicks in. I do not recommend this for leveling, but rather use a lesser reincarnation at level 20.

2.2 Abilities:

Strength 42: 16 Base + 5 tome + 2 level + 7 item + 1 exc. + 9 divine might + 2 ship

Dexterity 30: 12 Base + 5 tome + 8 item + 1 exc. + 2 ins. + 2 ship

Constitution 32 + 4: 15 Base + 5 tome + 7 Item + 1 exc. + 2 ins. + 2 ship + 4 Stance

Intelligence 16: 8 Base + 5 tome +1 exc. + 2 ship

Wisdom 48 + 6: 16 Base + 5 tome + 5 level + 11 item + 1 exc. + 3 ins + 2 enhancements + 3 destiny + 2 ship + 4 stance + 2 yugo + 2 accute instincts

Charisma 28: 12 Base + 5 tome + 8 item + 1 exc. + 2 ship

I took the two levels in strength to get overwhelming critical. I planned them on levels 4 and 8, but it doesn't really matter as long as you take them while being heroic.


2.3 Feats:

01. Level: Cleave, Power Attack (Human Bonus) and Stunning Fist (Monk Bonus)
03. Level: Active Monk Pastlife
04. Level: Dodge (Monk Bonus)
05. Level: Fists of Light
06. Level: Great Cleave
08. Level: Improved Sunder (Monk Bonus)
09. Level: Empower Healing Spell
12. Level: Two Weapon Fighting
15. Level: Improved Critical: Bludgeoning
18. Level: Grandmaster of Forms
19. Level: Improved Two Weapon Fighting (Fighter Bonus)
20. Level: Greater Two Weapon Fighting (Fighter Bonus)
21. Level: Overwhelming Critical
24. Level: Vorpal Strikes
26. Level: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting (Epic Destiny Feat)
27. Level: Improved Martial Arts
28. Level: Tactician (Epic Destiny Feat)

This feat selection adds a maximum to dps, a little bit to DCs (both Tactician and Improved Sunder) and a bit of mitigation (dodge) and self healing (empower heal).

2.4 Enhancements:

Human Tree:

  • Damage Boost
  • Improved Recovery I


Ninja Spy Tree:

  • Core Enhancements up to Shadow Veil
  • first two Sneak Attack Training
  • Acrobatic Rank 2
  • Agility Rank 3

Kensai Tree

  • Kenai Focus: Martial Arts
  • Extra Action Boost Rank 3
  • Kensai Weapon Specialization: Martial Arts
  • Haste Boost Rank 3
  • Kensai Tactics Rank 3


Warpriest Tree:


  • Smite Foe
  • Divine Might Rank 1


Henshin Mystic Tree:


  • Riddle of Fire
  • Way of the Patient Tortoise


Shintao Tree


  • Core Enhancements up to Argent Fists
  • Difficulty at the Beginning
  • Deft Strikes Rank 3
  • Smite Tainted Creature
  • Iron Skin Rank 3
  • Fists of Iron
  • Jade Strike
  • Dismissing Strike
  • Tomb of Jade
  • Kukan-Do
  • Instinctive Defense Rank 1
  • two times Wisdom
  • Violence Begets Violence
  • Meditation of War
  • Empty Hand Mastery


2.5 Skills

I maxed out Concentration, Heal and UMD and spread the remaining points into Balance and Jump with one point in Tumble

UMD 41: 11 Ranks + 8 Epic Level + 9 charisma mod + 6 Green Steel + 4 GH + 2 Good Luck + 1 Mask

Enough to no-fail heal scrolls without ship buffs.

2.6 Gear:

Headgear: Random gen Deadly X of Resistance +10
Necklace: Random gen Charismatic +8 of Archmagi with a Yellow slot (Globe of True Imperial Blood)
Trinket: Planar Focus of Prowess with Dex +8
Cloak: Wolf for DPS (exc. Seeker +5, Diversion 20%) and Bear for DCs (Combat Mastery +6)
Belt: Green Steel Conc Op Belt with 25 HP, 100 SP and charisma skills +6
Ring 1: EE Consuming Darkness (Seeker 10, Combat Mastery 5) slotted with False Life 40
Gloves: Purple Dragon Gauntlets (Str +7, Heal Amp 30, Insightful Con +2)
Boots: EE Goatskin Boots (Speed XV, Fort 115% slotted with Good Luck +2 and Ins. Dex +2
Ring 2: Seal of House Dun`Robar With Con +7, Dodge 8%, Shatter +10
Bracers: Convalescence Bracers of Parrying VIII
Armor: Spider-Spun Caparison with Insightful Wis +3, Vitality 20, Enhanced Ki, Reinforced Fists, Concentration +15, Resistance +6, Armor Bonus +9
Goggles: EE Shadowsight (Ethereal, Wisdom +11, Accuracy +10) slotted with PRR +16

I did not manage to get a perma blur item in, so Blur Wands will have to do. The lack of Sneak Attack items is also sad, but I hope that things die fast enough anyway when stunned.

2.7 Epic Destiny

Grandmaster of Flowers


  • Lily Petal
  • Orchid Blossom
  • Drifting Lotus
  • Perfect Balance Rank 3
  • A Dance of Flowers Rank 3
  • Hail of Blows
  • three times Wisdom
  • Standing With Stone Rank 3
  • Dancing With Flames Rank 1
  • Perfection of Soul Rank 2
  • Everything is Nothing


Twists:


  • Sense Weakness
  • Legendary Tactics
  • Acute Instincts or Rejuvenation Cocoon



3. Essentials


3.1 Offense

Unarmed Damage Die
3.0 Monk Level 16
0.5 Active Monk Past Life
1.0 Improved Martial Arts
2.5 Antipode
0.5 Reinforced Fists
1.5 Grandmaster
9.0

Base Damage per Swing
08 Wraps
16 Strength mod
10 Deadly
02 Monk Past Lifes
05 Power Attack
01 Kensai Enhancements
40 Average of 9d8 damage

Haste Boost, Damage Boost, x 4 crit multiplier, seeker 17 and enemies helpless state with Sense Weakness of course add alot more damage on top of that.

DCs



Stunning Fist Quivering Palm
Base 10 10
Level 14 08
Item 10 10
Fighter Past Life 01 01
Combat Mastery 06 06
Legendary Tactics 06 06
Grandmaster of Flowers 03 03
Kensai Enhancements 03 03
Wisdom Modifier 23 23
Tactician 02 02
Total 78 72

Improved Sunder and the shatter side effect reduce an enemys fort save by 4 on the first hit, effectivly adding another 4. This is not as high as its possible, but I hope that its high enough to be effective in EE Storm Horns and

Gianthold, especially due to the fact that with 100% offhand strikes and 15% double strike, every enemy has to save at least twice against it.

3.2 Defenses:

Dodge 23 to 27%: 6 monk + 2 ninja spy + 8 item + 3 feat + 3 Destiny + 1 Haste (capped in Earth Stance) + 4 water stance

AC: 72 (meaningless in EE)

PRR 71 in Earth Stance: 25 Shintao + 15 Grandmaster + 15 Planar Conflux + 16 Slot

Blur 20% (50% with displacement scrolls when necessary)

Incorp 25% (Shadow Veil)

This should net aprox. 70% mitigation in EE Quests, more with Displacement.



HP:

128 Monk
016 FvS
020 Fighter
080 Epic
040 Heroic Durability
308 Con
020 Animal Path
040 False Life
020 Vitality
025 Green Steel
015 Epic Destiny
012 Epic Past Life
724

056 Earth Stance Con Mod
056 Primal Scream
times 1.03 Earth Stance
861



Saves:

Fortitude 53 to 58: 10 monk + 3 fighter + 3 fvs + 10 resistance + 4 epic level + 2 good luck + 2 parrying + 4 gh + 11 to 15 con mod + 5 in water stance

Reflex 54 to 59: 10 monk + 3 fvs + 10 resistance + 4 epic level + 2 good luck + 4 parrying + 4 gh + 3 enhancements + 4 grandmaster + 10 dex mod + 5 in water stance

Will 56 to 65: 10 monk + 3 fvs + 10 resistance + 4 epic level + 2 good luck + 4 parrying + 4 gh + 19 to 23 wisdom mod + 5 water stance

Saves could be higher, but I expect them to be pretty solid.


Self Healing:

Spellpoints 659: 150 Fvs + 80 magical trainng + 99 charisma mod + 220 Archmagi + 110 Green Steel (an extra 10% for items due to 2 fvs level)

Heal Amp 237%: 1.05 Pala PL x 1.1 Human x 1.1 Ship Buff x 1.2 Convalescence Bracers x 1.3 Purple Dragon Gauntlets x 1.2 Shintao

Positive Energy Spellpower 313 to 317: 23 heal skill + 138 augment + 75 empower healing + 40 Shintao + 18 implement + 19 to 23 wisdom mod

Healing Ki results: (Spellpower + 100 - 75)/100 x heal amp/100 x 9d4
min: 72
max: 289
avg: 180

Cocoon Results: (Spellpower + 100 - 75)/100 x heal amp/100 x 4 x 5d6
min: 196
max: 1178
avg: 687

Heal scroll results:

110 x heal amp = 260

Between Cocoon (with echoes of power, cocoon can be recast every 15 seconds for eternity), healing ki finisher and no-fail heal scrolls, self healing is very strong on this toon.


4. Conclusion


I expect this toon to perform very well in the most difficult content both solo and in a group.

And even though I'm very happy how the game mechanics turned out for this build, I'm also more than happy to get constructive feedback to improve this build.