Henshin Crusader

[TheDr0wRanger]

First, lets be clear, if you are going to tell me that this isn't going to work, save your breath. I made him to prove that idea wrong and I'm going to work on him until such a time as I'm convinced of that by experience.

Now, I've LRed a Horc Monk at lvl28 into a Henshin Mystic, following the teachings of Spencarian I'm trying to balance his staff skills with the usage of his SLAs .

Due to the melee-intensive and fire-oriented nature of Crusader I suspect there's a great opportunity for it.

I've lost the build sheet and there was a glitch when I rolled the toon, so I cant recall everything in my plan at the moment, but the basic idea was to leverage the Henshin and Horc increased damage for the staff, using cleave, great cleave and possibly whirlwind, while also taking the Crit Range increase from higher Henshin. Adding that from Crusader, along with the numerous damage options and another increased Crit Range punctuated by Strike Down and I can see lot of multi-target damage. Further since Henshin allows a lot of Fire spellpower without the requirement of a lot of feats to get it, I can enter Crusader with enough SP to leverage its power. Strength for damage and Wisdom for DCs in both Henshin and Crusader.
Hes got all the wrong gear for this stick thing, and unfortunately he longer has a raid-box to get Sireth, which essentially means he won't ever get one given the amount of hatred for that raid.


As I said I LR'd this character from an unarmed monk that I simply found unexciting, stunning and beating one guy at a time, even at the absurd speeds I'd pushed the character to, was nothing to compare to the raging doom machine of my Human Flame Savant or the steel tornado of my PDK Dex-built Bastard-Dreadnought Cleaver.

Early testing as I try to advance the Crusader destiny was exciting, he didn't get the dps or the amount of Ki I was aiming for but he was in the ballpark, which makes sense given an unleveled destiny and no gear. Because of fire wave, Cleave and Great Cleave he hits everyone in his vicinity quite frequently, if I get a Cauldron of Flame up and Consecrate the ground, I suspect my ability to grab and ruin bad-guys will be more than adequate for my purposes. He's pure monk and I intend to keep him that way because multiclassing hardly proves the viability of the Henshin Crusader if hes not exactly that.


Disadvantages I can see ahead:
Control, hes got no great way of holding or stopping enemies from hitting him, theres just not much on offer in terms of CC.
SP reliance, I build all of my melees with Magical Training for unlimited cocoons, so he won't be totally screwed, but given the number of potent crusaders skills requiring SP I may find myself under-equipped.
Ki: Its expensive for a henshin with no other focus, its very difficult to keep running when you spam the SLAs, at least so far.
Toughness: It remains to be seen if this character has the stones for full confrontation, advice on what to maximize is appreciated.

Advantages: More kills faster, as I said he hits everyone most of the time, and in a pinch he can kite and pop off ki skills for tolerable effect.
Unlimited capacity: The lack of SP and Ki are problems of having enough fast enough, given time he regenerates ki on a constant basis and SP up to a usable level.
Healing: Light monk skills, Heal Amp, Crusader abilities and correct equipment should make me competent in self-sufficiency and possibly pinch-hit backup healing.
Cool: I've yet to see one, it'd be nice if I was able to draft something new for once(although my Fighter-Monk Cleaver was made before anyone was talking about those much, so I kinda co-developed it with the rest of the world).

I'll post the character planner sheet after work sometime, to make this whole idea a little more clear.

But I'm asking, can anyone offer advice on how to make this work to the best of its capacity? If it sucks I'll deal with that but I want to try it at its best before I judge it.

[Saekee]

First, lets be clear, if you are going to tell me that this isn't going to work, save your breath. I made him to prove that idea wrong and I'm going to work on him until such a time as I'm convinced of that by experience.

Now, I've LRed a Horc Monk at lvl28 into a Henshin Mystic, following the teachings of Spencarian I'm trying to balance his staff skills with the usage of his SLAs .

Due to the melee-intensive and fire-oriented nature of Crusader I suspect there's a great opportunity for it.

I've lost the build sheet and there was a glitch when I rolled the toon, so I cant recall everything in my plan at the moment, but the basic idea was to leverage the Henshin and Horc increased damage for the staff, using cleave, great cleave and possibly whirlwind, while also taking the Crit Range increase from higher Henshin. Adding that from Crusader, along with the numerous damage options and another increased Crit Range punctuated by Strike Down and I can see lot of multi-target damage. Further since Henshin allows a lot of Fire spellpower without the requirement of a lot of feats to get it, I can enter Crusader with enough SP to leverage its power. Strength for damage and Wisdom for DCs in both Henshin and Crusader.
Hes got all the wrong gear for this stick thing, and unfortunately he longer has a raid-box to get Sireth, which essentially means he won't ever get one given the amount of hatred for that raid.


As I said I LR'd this character from an unarmed monk that I simply found unexciting, stunning and beating one guy at a time, even at the absurd speeds I'd pushed the character to, was nothing to compare to the raging doom machine of my Human Flame Savant or the steel tornado of my PDK Dex-built Bastard-Dreadnought Cleaver.

Early testing as I try to advance the Crusader destiny was exciting, he didn't get the dps or the amount of Ki I was aiming for but he was in the ballpark, which makes sense given an unleveled destiny and no gear. Because of fire wave, Cleave and Great Cleave he hits everyone in his vicinity quite frequently, if I get a Cauldron of Flame up and Consecrate the ground, I suspect my ability to grab and ruin bad-guys will be more than adequate for my purposes. He's pure monk and I intend to keep him that way because multiclassing hardly proves the viability of the Henshin Crusader if hes not exactly that.


Disadvantages I can see ahead:
Control, hes got no great way of holding or stopping enemies from hitting him, theres just not much on offer in terms of CC.
SP reliance, I build all of my melees with Magical Training for unlimited cocoons, so he won't be totally screwed, but given the number of potent crusaders skills requiring SP I may find myself under-equipped.
Ki: Its expensive for a henshin with no other focus, its very difficult to keep running when you spam the SLAs, at least so far.
Toughness: It remains to be seen if this character has the stones for full confrontation, advice on what to maximize is appreciated.

Advantages: More kills faster, as I said he hits everyone most of the time, and in a pinch he can kite and pop off ki skills for tolerable effect.
Unlimited capacity: The lack of SP and Ki are problems of having enough fast enough, given time he regenerates ki on a constant basis and SP up to a usable level.
Healing: Light monk skills, Heal Amp, Crusader abilities and correct equipment should make me competent in self-sufficiency and possibly pinch-hit backup healing.
Cool: I've yet to see one, it'd be nice if I was able to draft something new for once(although my Fighter-Monk Cleaver was made before anyone was talking about those much, so I kinda co-developed it with the rest of the world).

I'll post the character planner sheet after work sometime, to make this whole idea a little more clear.

But I'm asking, can anyone offer advice on how to make this work to the best of its capacity? If it sucks I'll deal with that but I want to try it at its best before I judge it.

Are you using Elegant crane for extra Ki on hit? Also, Lighting the candle is a HUGE ki drain, so kill it if you are running into problems
What staff are you using? The Eveningstar Stout Oak Walking Stick has a x3 modifier and is easily obtained. I am sure some Big Stick people here can advise you best on the staff side. Note that you may need to switch to a different staff that buffs your fire and force skills when using Henshin ki attacks. (THe Henshin makes any staff an implement though)
If you are using the attacks like Cauldron, what is your current combustion and impulse spell powers and crit chances?
I do not recommend Whirlwind attack, especially if you already have the two cleaves
Can you UMD displacement and Tenser's? They do not last long but if you know what is ahead and can plan for the brief durations, they help immensely.

I am sure Spencerian would be happy to chat with you on this also.

While you have this build, i suggest you farm for the Forester's Brush Hook on at least EH.

Also, you might find better luck with Fury of the Wild then Divine Crusader. If you had taken the Fists of Darkness, you can do SCEWL which heals out 100 per mob death inflicted by it. Really handy; not necessary in Divine Crusader due to the heals that come from that line.

[ArcaneArcher52689]

First, lets be clear, if you are going to tell me that this isn't going to work, save your breath. I made him to prove that idea wrong and I'm going to work on him until such a time as I'm convinced of that by experience.

Now, I've LRed a Horc Monk at lvl28 into a Henshin Mystic, following the teachings of Spencarian I'm trying to balance his staff skills with the usage of his SLAs .

Due to the melee-intensive and fire-oriented nature of Crusader I suspect there's a great opportunity for it.

I've lost the build sheet and there was a glitch when I rolled the toon, so I cant recall everything in my plan at the moment, but the basic idea was to leverage the Henshin and Horc increased damage for the staff, using cleave, great cleave and possibly whirlwind, while also taking the Crit Range increase from higher Henshin. Adding that from Crusader, along with the numerous damage options and another increased Crit Range punctuated by Strike Down and I can see lot of multi-target damage. Further since Henshin allows a lot of Fire spellpower without the requirement of a lot of feats to get it, I can enter Crusader with enough SP to leverage its power. Strength for damage and Wisdom for DCs in both Henshin and Crusader.
Hes got all the wrong gear for this stick thing, and unfortunately he longer has a raid-box to get Sireth, which essentially means he won't ever get one given the amount of hatred for that raid.


As I said I LR'd this character from an unarmed monk that I simply found unexciting, stunning and beating one guy at a time, even at the absurd speeds I'd pushed the character to, was nothing to compare to the raging doom machine of my Human Flame Savant or the steel tornado of my PDK Dex-built Bastard-Dreadnought Cleaver.

Early testing as I try to advance the Crusader destiny was exciting, he didn't get the dps or the amount of Ki I was aiming for but he was in the ballpark, which makes sense given an unleveled destiny and no gear. Because of fire wave, Cleave and Great Cleave he hits everyone in his vicinity quite frequently, if I get a Cauldron of Flame up and Consecrate the ground, I suspect my ability to grab and ruin bad-guys will be more than adequate for my purposes. He's pure monk and I intend to keep him that way because multiclassing hardly proves the viability of the Henshin Crusader if hes not exactly that.


Disadvantages I can see ahead:
Control, hes got no great way of holding or stopping enemies from hitting him, theres just not much on offer in terms of CC.
SP reliance, I build all of my melees with Magical Training for unlimited cocoons, so he won't be totally screwed, but given the number of potent crusaders skills requiring SP I may find myself under-equipped.
Ki: Its expensive for a henshin with no other focus, its very difficult to keep running when you spam the SLAs, at least so far.
Toughness: It remains to be seen if this character has the stones for full confrontation, advice on what to maximize is appreciated.

Advantages: More kills faster, as I said he hits everyone most of the time, and in a pinch he can kite and pop off ki skills for tolerable effect.
Unlimited capacity: The lack of SP and Ki are problems of having enough fast enough, given time he regenerates ki on a constant basis and SP up to a usable level.
Healing: Light monk skills, Heal Amp, Crusader abilities and correct equipment should make me competent in self-sufficiency and possibly pinch-hit backup healing.
Cool: I've yet to see one, it'd be nice if I was able to draft something new for once(although my Fighter-Monk Cleaver was made before anyone was talking about those much, so I kinda co-developed it with the rest of the world).

I'll post the character planner sheet after work sometime, to make this whole idea a little more clear.

But I'm asking, can anyone offer advice on how to make this work to the best of its capacity? If it sucks I'll deal with that but I want to try it at its best before I judge it.

as already mentioned, stout oak walking stick is a great choice for weapons, especially in that destiny. You get 19-20/x3, bumped up to 17-20/x4 by staff spec, bumped up to 15-20/x4 by Crusader. A t1 thunderforged weapon would be good for bosses-vulnerablity.

I'd consider wearing something like this:
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Restored_Elfcraft_Robe

not as good as a fire/kinetic spellpower/lore item, but it offers 72 spell power and 6% crit without giving up too much. Also really easy to obtiain.

[Alternative]

Make sure you splash some rogue levels for +15% stacking attack speed! also quick strike from acrobat tree has shorter cooldown so there's that too, you only need 2 rogue levels for both those things. Staff builds are fun and Divine Crusader is okay but the real power is in LD.

[TheDr0wRanger]

*SNIP*

I have to wait until I renew my recently lapsed sub to get the values you asked, I'll look into it.


I probably passed on Crane, I usually take Tortoise, I imagine you are fully right, thanks for that.

I believe unless I've forgotten my plan, I was aiming for one of the universal lore items because they might be easier to slot, still its a good idea and I'll look into the elfcraft.

I split my staff usage between a naked Thunderforge staff and the Walking Stick, I was thinking of a DreamPiercer as well.

I get off work in 5 and I've got some business but I'll have my original build sheet up yet tonight.

[Grailhawk]

http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Cloak_of_Flames

[TheDr0wRanger]

As promised:

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 04.20.01
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Ruuhlan Arcalian
Level 28 Lawful Good Half-Orc Male
(20 Monk \ 8 Epic) 
Hit Points: 442
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 15\15\20\25\25
Fortitude: 16
Reflex: 14
Will: 21

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats         Base Stats         Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)          (Level 28)           (Level 28)
Strength             18                 26                   30
Dexterity            14                 14                   14
Constitution         14                 18                   18
Intelligence          6                  6                    6
Wisdom               16                 22                   22
Charisma              6                  6                    6

Tomes Used
+3 Tome of Strength used at level 20
+4 Tome of Constitution used at level 20
+4 Tome of Wisdom used at level 20

                  Starting            Ending          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills        Base Skills        Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)          (Level 28)          (Level 28)
Balance               2                  2                   10
Bluff                -2                 -2                    6
Concentration         6                 27                   42
Diplomacy            -2                 -2                    6
Disable Device       n/a               n/a                    n/a
Haggle               -2                 -2                    6
Heal                  3                  6                   16
Hide                  2                  2                   10
Intimidate           -2                 -2                    8
Jump                  8                 33                   41
Listen                3                  6                   14
Move Silently         2                  2                   10
Open Lock             n/a               n/a                  n/a
Perform              n/a               n/a                    n/a
Repair               -2                 -2                    6
Search               -2                 -2                    6
Spellcraft           -2                 -2                    6
Spot                  3                  6                   14
Swim                  4                 10                   18
Tumble                n/a               n/a                  n/a
Use Magic Device     n/a               n/a                    n/a

Level 1 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Deflect Arrows
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack


Level 2 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Dodge


Level 3 (Monk)
Feat: (Monk Path) Path of Harmonious Balance: Fists of Light
Feat: (Selected) Two Handed Fighting


Level 4 (Monk)
Ability Raise: WIS


Level 5 (Monk)


Level 6 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave
Feat: (Monk Bonus) Toughness


Level 7 (Monk)


Level 8 (Monk)
Ability Raise: WIS


Level 9 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Two Handed Fighting


Level 10 (Monk)


Level 11 (Monk)


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


Level 13 (Monk)


Level 14 (Monk)


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


Level 16 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 17 (Monk)


Level 18 (Monk)
Feat: (Selected) Great Cleave


Level 19 (Monk)


Level 20 (Monk)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 21 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Improved Martial Arts


Level 22 (Epic)


Level 23 (Epic)


Level 24 (Epic)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Overwhelming Critical


Level 25 (Epic)


Level 26 (Epic)
Feat: (Epic Destiny) Epic Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting


Level 27 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Blinding Speed


Level 28 (Epic)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Epic Destiny) Epic Destiny: Epic Spell Power: Fire
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Fury (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Strength (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Fury (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Strength (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Weapon Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Weapon Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Improved Power Attack (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Improved Power Attack (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Improved Power Attack (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Weapon Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Half-Orc - Orcish Weapon Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Riddle of Fire (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Ki Bolt (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Sounding Staff (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Incinerating Wave (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Cauldron of Flame (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Serenity (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - All-Consuming Flame (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Staff Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Way of the Patient Tortoise (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Porous Soul (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Staff Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Contemplation (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Contemplation (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Contemplation (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Static Charge (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Staff Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Lighting the Candle (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Lighting the Candle (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Lighting the Candle (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Embrace the Void (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Embrace the Void (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Embrace the Void (Rank 3)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Strength (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Winter's Touch (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Staff Training (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Focus (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Strength (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Void Strike (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Henshin Mystic (Mnk) - Staff Specialization (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Shintao (Mnk) - Bastion of Purity (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Shintao (Mnk) - Restoring the Balance (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Shintao (Mnk) - Exemplar (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Shintao (Mnk) - Exemplar (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Shintao (Mnk) - Iron Skin (Rank 1)
Enhancement: Shintao (Mnk) - Iron Skin (Rank 2)
Enhancement: Shintao (Mnk) - Iron Skin (Rank 3)

[TheDr0wRanger]

I need to rework some of it, in retrospect it has issues, but thats the build that the character was based on.

[Robbenklopper]

My plans for the future with my actual 10 fighter / 8 Monk staff build is the same. I experienced with my other wrap C6 capped shintao / C4 Henshin Monk who maxed firespellpower by twisting and running in draconic destiny, is big fun (but: ...)
Crusader would synergize pretty well besides draconic fate and seems to be a lot more durable. You can still Twist in energyburst and Dragon heritage.

The main Problems with staying pure i see and am working on are:
-staffs are too less durable without "item defense" from stalwart and break too early
-lacking of haste boost from kensei
-lacking of ki, even with crane and henshin C6 capped and nice robe etc, besides you run in fire-stance.
-running in fire stance reduces PRR down to 16 (with Augment) or 24 with that LVL27 ring. that´s pretty too low. ok, you can have planar Focus prowess with additional 15, but too less.
-weak against fire-resistant enemys, although there are alternatives

Damage will be pretty fine, with SLA and staff, you can Keep them at bay and kill fast (every vulnarable to fire+force), but when they hit while in fire stance, they hit hard.
A crit range 15-20 with a seeker +10 is pretty fun, and void strikes does same.

Alternatively i think about 14 sorc / 6 Monk henshin for, but i love that pure 20 henshin idea too much

[ReaperAlexEU]

i have a S&B paladin in divine crusader, so i can help a bit with that side of it.

sounds like you've only just scratched the surface of the AoE dps DC has to offer. consecration is nice and obvious, i'm sure you'll push it way past the 300dmg/tick my paly does, and you'll enjoy the healing too. consecration also adds 10% to all phys dmg too (final upgrade), so it's worth using even on mobs immune to the damage (or ones that heal from fire and are harmed by good, still 10% net dps boost to your melee!)

the other massive source of AoE dmg is castigation. that one is a beauty, from 1 to 25% of the mobs remaining HP each tick. while the purification stacks don't mean a lot initially i made sure to max out my ability to build stacks (purge the wicked and no regret). you'll notice it the most on orange named mobs when it can hit for well over 1K a tick, think i've seen 2K from it before. on normal trash it's not rare to see 300 a tick on the bigger meat bags. doesn't work on red named at the mo, when it does it will max out at 25d6 dmg, kinda nice but it's the trash this ability excels at. and the beauty of it is it will always be relevant no matter how high the mobs hp scale.

also the strike down cleave is great, 500 fire dmg cleave (arc similar to greater) every 12 seconds for zero cost. with no remorse my game often lags out when i kill a large pack of mobs in one cleave, then all the healing comes flooding in from their deaths . speaking of which that healing also scales with mobs as it's based on their CR.

with the consecration, strike down and castigation (i have no other cleaves) i just focus on hitting the boss, the trash will normally just die from all the AoE.

as for survivability, i'm not sure how you will fair, i have enough AC and PRR to make a difference and together with the 30-60 DR from my shadow plate going into melee on EE isn't automatic suicide. i expect your self healing will be better than mine due to having the monk sources in addition to the DC sources. sure burst healing will be a bit worse thanks to LoH but for most fights i don't need that. consecration heals a lot more than my CSW for less SP, so i rarely use CSW these days. add some monk heals in and you'll have plenty of incoming heals.

i run my paly with both torc and concop and that keeps my SP bar nice and full in most situations. i expect you will kill a lot faster due to having more sources of AoE dmg, so things should be a bit more flexible as you wont need to keep going as long. as much as i enjoy my paly he's no DPS monster, he's more like the duracell bunny . i dont think sp regen procs on 0 dmg hits, so even with your high dodge (probably similar avoidance to my AC) i think you'd get a ton of sp back from torc+concop, i lose a lot due to my DR. not that i'm complaining, but in some easier quests i do have SP issues as a result. always sucks if i have to hold back on consecration cos i'm not regenning SP.

if your survivability pans out i can see you having a ton of fun rounding the mobs up for some nuking

[TheDr0wRanger]

So I've gotten to work with this build, and its quite fun.

I get upwards of 75% doublestrike on a regular basis, I have 3 cleave attacks, I can hit Consecration and Cauldron of Flame to deal excellent damage to enemies around me. I need to improve the survivability and getting more DCs to my monk skills appears to be the next challenge. Since I don't know of any DC boosting effects that apply, and I can only get a DC of around 41 right now. I'm thinking of respeccing to more Wis but I can't see my way to getting properly dangerous DCs without dumping his Strength, which I love.

I need gear to fully test the build but with only moderate gear I can easily run around in Ehard snatching up everyone and beating them down in groups. With a moderate jump in capacity I could easily see this becoming a favorite.

I have some feat issues I'm going to resolve, I never qualified for Overwhelming Crit and I'm going to take that next time I have the necessary stone. As it stands hes got the above mentioned 15-20x3 crits.

It's a good build is what Im saying, if you play it carefully it's a very fun build. Ideas for twists are my next goal. I think of Momentum Swing and Lay Waste but I don't know if it's going to be too expensive, and I don't want to pigeon hole just into melee and more cleaves.

[TeacherSyn]

So I've gotten to work with this build, and its quite fun.

I get upwards of 75% doublestrike on a regular basis, I have 3 cleave attacks, I can hit Consecration and Cauldron of Flame to deal excellent damage to enemies around me. I need to improve the survivability and getting more DCs to my monk skills appears to be the next challenge. Since I don't know of any DC boosting effects that apply, and I can only get a DC of around 41 right now. I'm thinking of respeccing to more Wis but I can't see my way to getting properly dangerous DCs without dumping his Strength, which I love.

I need gear to fully test the build but with only moderate gear I can easily run around in Ehard snatching up everyone and beating them down in groups. With a moderate jump in capacity I could easily see this becoming a favorite.

I have some feat issues I'm going to resolve, I never qualified for Overwhelming Crit and I'm going to take that next time I have the necessary stone. As it stands hes got the above mentioned 15-20x3 crits.

It's a good build is what Im saying, if you play it carefully it's a very fun build. Ideas for twists are my next goal. I think of Momentum Swing and Lay Waste but I don't know if it's going to be too expensive, and I don't want to pigeon hole just into melee and more cleaves.

Excellent build idea.

Robbenklapper's work certainly pioneered the spell power boosts, and you're got a great variation. Time is very short for me and it will be some time before my Mystic reaches either Crusader or Draconic EDs to enjoy this myself right away. Keep us updated.

A Mystic's offense, like a spell caster, is offset by a sucky defense. But you can improve your miss-chance powers to reduce damage. Consider moving some AP into Ninja Spy, enough to train Shadow Veil for 25% Incorporeality to add to Dodge and Concealment effects. Based on what you've got, many things get seriously burned by the time they get close to you, so a quick swat and they're so much ash in the wind if you're able to boost Fire spell power to insane levels. On that, Deflect Arrows wasn't a bad feat choice.

[TheDr0wRanger]

SNIP

Well he favors Earth Stance, which combined with the Shintao enhancement for PRR and my plans to get him a Guardians Ring shortly should result in moderate PRR bonuses. He's in Shadowscale for Ghostly effects currently as well. With a standard-issue Thunderforged stick I hit for approx 90-110 per swing, comparable to some greatsword builds I know when they aren't blitzing. Doublestrike is the surprise for me, I hadn't counted on the incredible synergy of Quick Strike and Zeal of the Righteous. I just turn while swinging to distribute damage evenly among those around me, and cleave as they come off timer. Right now most things are dead by the third cleave, I kill the stragglers without issue.

The DCs are my greatest issue. If I give him 2 more lives I'll have higher Wisdom but I cannot see my way to more than a middling DC at any rate short of dumping most level ups into Wis. I might Tome it next time I have money for some more, do you know if the Finishing Move DCs in Henshin apply to these moves? I suspect not, but I imagine you might have seen.
I'm tempted to just leave the dcs as they are, the Fire magic bonuses pair with Cauldron and Consecration regardless of what becomes of the earlier skills.

The fun thing so far, as I was explaining to some friends, is that I currently don't need to use all of the DPS at my disposal to RIP through dungeon-scaled Epic Necro, which has a massive mob count. I've done a good show in Ehard quests as well. I haven't had anyone last long enough to stack up percentage vulnerability and Purification, nor have I had anyone last long enough to get Cauldron really going on them. I've still got more damage options to employ when the really ugly folks show up. I've got to get a pair of Sib Shards to move some feats and get things straightened out, hopefully I'll get a little spike of power from that. My hope it to get to a point where I can neglect Cocoon completely, replacing the twist with something more in line with his build goals. To that effect I'm considering dropping Fists of Light(which I frankly don't hit fast enough on a single target to get much from) and pick up Fists of Darkness so I can qualify for Shadows Cannot Exist Without Light. That heal should be considerably more potent in my case, and provide party utility superior to Healing Curse.


I haven't seen Robbenklapper's work at all, is there a specific thread I should look for? I'm interested in what other monk-fans are doing, particularly those with creative build philosophies.

[TheDr0wRanger]

Double Post because I can't edit the last one.

I've got Sages Specs on, which gives Combustion bonuses of some value.
My intentions are to seek a Shamanic Fetish for Devotion(I have none but what I get from Shintao cores 1-2), and Cannoneers Goggles for Impulse, while changing the Specs out for Inferno Bracers. I'm debating the functionality of Force spellpower at this point since only Void Strike and the 2 semi-useless Henshin SLAs use it. Void strike might become a bigtime single-target heavy hitter, but I hardly need it with 3 cleaves and this much doublestrike on hand. And unless I can seriously up the DCs on these SLAs I don't know that I'm going to even keep them hotbarred. I'd get SCEWL if I dropped voidstrike, and likely have some more free points to plug into more durable tree options.

I took Sense Weakness as a tier-4 twist, I'm strongly considering Lay Waste still, and I may give a try to Energy Burst: Fire, although it feels wrong.

[Saekee]

Well he favors Earth Stance, which combined with the Shintao enhancement for PRR and my plans to get him a Guardians Ring shortly should result in moderate PRR bonuses. He's in Shadowscale for Ghostly effects currently as well. With a standard-issue Thunderforged stick I hit for approx 90-110 per swing, comparable to some greatsword builds I know when they aren't blitzing. Doublestrike is the surprise for me, I hadn't counted on the incredible synergy of Quick Strike and Zeal of the Righteous. I just turn while swinging to distribute damage evenly among those around me, and cleave as they come off timer. Right now most things are dead by the third cleave, I kill the stragglers without issue.

The DCs are my greatest issue. If I give him 2 more lives I'll have higher Wisdom but I cannot see my way to more than a middling DC at any rate short of dumping most level ups into Wis. I might Tome it next time I have money for some more, do you know if the Finishing Move DCs in Henshin apply to these moves? I suspect not, but I imagine you might have seen.
I'm tempted to just leave the dcs as they are, the Fire magic bonuses pair with Cauldron and Consecration regardless of what becomes of the earlier skills.

The fun thing so far, as I was explaining to some friends, is that I currently don't need to use all of the DPS at my disposal to RIP through dungeon-scaled Epic Necro, which has a massive mob count. I've done a good show in Ehard quests as well. I haven't had anyone last long enough to stack up percentage vulnerability and Purification, nor have I had anyone last long enough to get Cauldron really going on them. I've still got more damage options to employ when the really ugly folks show up. I've got to get a pair of Sib Shards to move some feats and get things straightened out, hopefully I'll get a little spike of power from that. My hope it to get to a point where I can neglect Cocoon completely, replacing the twist with something more in line with his build goals. To that effect I'm considering dropping Fists of Light(which I frankly don't hit fast enough on a single target to get much from) and pick up Fists of Darkness so I can qualify for Shadows Cannot Exist Without Light. That heal should be considerably more potent in my case, and provide party utility superior to Healing Curse.


I haven't seen Robbenklapper's work at all, is there a specific thread I should look for? I'm interested in what other monk-fans are doing, particularly those with creative build philosophies.

here it is:
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...Finishing-Move

Void strike's power is not in the force damage--it is in the instakill, no resist. AFAIK nothing can resist void strike and there is no DC for it. It is only on a vorpal but that means every 20 hits do the ultimate DPS.

[TheDr0wRanger]

here it is:
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...Finishing-Move

Void strike's power is not in the force damage--it is in the instakill, no resist. AFAIK nothing can resist void strike and there is no DC for it. It is only on a vorpal but that means every 20 hits do the ultimate DPS.

While that is true, I find that instakills drop in value the higher your outright DPS, especially with Bypasses about. This build gets VERY tight on AP due to his investment in Half-Orc THF enhancements for sheer stick DPS as well as needing the capstone from Henshin. 1 in 20 strikes being an instakill is something of a waste of time when I can DPS upwards of 15 enemies and expect to bring them down inside 10 seconds, while it's possible I will wish I had that kind of mojo on some enemies, my primary method of engagement doesn't require it nor enable it to really shine. It never makes it into the rotation right now as I don't see enough coming out of it. If I can get the force up, it will be worth throwing as an additive bonus on Glancing Blows(Assuming it triggers, which I've yet to ponder), but it still has to beat out SCEWL for sheer utility. The chance to instakill is great but healing for free is probably better, if you have to choose between them on a DPS heavy toon. I'm still deciding, right now I don't have much Force Spellpower and I'm waiting to see if that improves things.