This thread is for discussing monk enhancements. Any comments are appreciated. I'd especially welcome suggestions for possible changes to my formatting. I hope this is easy for everyone to read.

Also, please note that not *all* monk enhancements will be listed here, just the ones that are significant (to me) in some way. There is no point in making comments on Action Boosts or skill-increasing enhancements, for instance, since everyone knows what they do, and most of the time they work. The only enhancements I'll talk about are the ones I think need to be changed, or are especially useful or interesting.

General comments:
Monks, like Clerics, were given a lot of good class enhancements in the enhancement tree system. Not a lot of 'duds', and monks already have a lot of powerful class abilities.


Henshin Mystic

Comments: This tree is kind of odd. For one thing, it focuses a lot on force and fire. Force isn't a problem, but having only fire-element abilities limits the usefulness of these abilities in some content. It would be awesome if the "fire" portion of ki bolt, incinerating wave and cauldron of flame could be changed somehow via a toggle into cold, electric or acid damage.

[Core Abilties]

1) Ki Bolt

Comments: Does damage that scales with monk level and weakens the saves of the target. Nice.

2) Incinerating Wave

Comments: A flying firewall.

3) Cauldron of Flame

Comments: There are two limits on the usefulness of this ability: First, the user must expend a Mediation use in order to use it. Secondly, moving causes the ability to shut off. So, if you move for any reason, such as being knocked back, then you've just wasted a meditation use, of which you can have up to 5 per rest. I would suggest removing *1* of the these two limitations. Either make this ability not use up meditation charges, or make it an aura similar to Body of the Sun.

4) Serenity

Comments: This capstone is okay, as capstones go. I would suggest putting the +1 passive ki generation in all of the monks capstones, though, since it used to be the only monk capstone under the old enhancement system.

[Tier 1]

1) Elemental Words ----> Void Strike

Comments: As a monk under the old enhancement system, I discovered that I could do more damage by not using these at all, and instead using a ki ability that does elemental damage. Also, Void Strike is not affected by any of the elemental words, so why are they a prerequisite?

2) Mystic Training

Comments: It says it affects finishing moves, but does it affect other DC-based ki abilities as well? I haven't tested it.

3) Animal Forms

Comments: I am so happy that these scale with level, but don't cost any extra AP!

[Tier 2]

No Comments

[Tier 3]

1) Lighting the Candle

Comments: Useful. However, it makes generating ki harder.

2) Embrace The Void

Comments: Extra meditation uses are good to have for some abilities. However, I don't the abilities that require meditating in the middle of combat are commonly used. I can think of a few places where they would be, but all of those are in raids.

[Tier 4]

1) Focus

Comments: Useful or useless? Depends on your playstyle.

[Tier 5]

Balance in Dawn

Comments: Two choices here, and both are really potent and do not have saves.


Ninja Spy

Comments: I have not played around with these much. If anyone knows which enemies are immune to Ninja Poison, I'd love to know.

[Core Abilties]

1) Basic Ninja Training ----> Advanced Ninja Training

Comments: I think that daggers should be made into ki weapons, and have the same benefits that shortswords get. It would give the tree some synergy with the Assassin tree.

2) Shadow Veil

Comments: Very useful.

3) Poisoned Darts

Comments: I think it should give more stacks of ninja poison.

4) Diversion

Comments: Lots of restrictions on this one. I would suggest lowering the ki cost a bit. It's a last-ditch defensive ability, after all.

5) Ninja Master

Comments: Add +1 passive ki generation to this.

[Tier 1]

1) Ninjutsu

Comments: Poison Soul works too slowly, and Impending Doom isn't very useful, since I have to spend ki to get ki.

[Tier 2]

No comments

[Tier 3]

1) Flash Bang

Comments: Nice.

[Tier 4]

1) Deadly Exploits

Comments: Potentially very useful.

[Tier 5]

1) Shadow Double

Comments: I've seen other enhancements similar to this, but they all have longer cooldowns.


Shintao Monk

Comments: This tree is dedicated mostly to durability, healing and other paladin-like abilities. Also, the best tree for fighting unarmed. Unusually, it's a very top-heavy tree.

[Core Abilities]

1) Protection From Tainted Creatures

Comments: I'm glad the devs made the AC and saves bonuses stacking bonuses.

2) Touch The Void Dragon

Comments: If one is wearing insightful stat gear in epic levels, it's possible to not get any benefit from this. Meh.

3) To Seek Perfection

Comments: Add +1 passive ki generation to this capstone.

[Tier 1]

1) Reed In The Wind

Comments: An enhancement with a feat prerequisite should be more powerful than this.

2) Ki Shout

Comments: Like intimidate, but uses concentration instead.

[Tier 2]

1) Iron Skin

Comments: I wish my armor-wearing characters had that much PRR in heroic levels.

[Tier 3]

1) Jade Strike

Comments: One of my favorites.

2) Dismissing Strike

Comments: Another favorite!

[Tier 4]

1) Tomb of Jade

Comments: I've made more than a few garden statues with this~

2) Instinctive Defense

Comments: I'm not sure if this is worth 2 AP per tier. Monks have the best saves and balance as a class skill, after all.

[Tier 5]

1) Rise Of The Pheonix

Comments: Expensive, but it lets you resurrect yourself. I think it holds the record for "ability with the longest cooldown", though.

2) Kukan-Do

Comments: A ranged stunning attack.

3) Violence Begets Violence

Comments: Interesting.

4) Meditation of War

Comments: In the case of Air and Water stances, the benefits from this ability are outweighed by the debuffs. Fire and Earth are acceptable, though.

5) Empty Hand Mastery

Comments: Wow.