So, I started a new game a couple of weeks ago, and thought I'd have a monk in the party.
I chose a tiefling, stats 14/20/14/10/10/12. She's Dark Moon, and up til now has been multiclassed with Sorceror so I have more access to things like Identify and protective spells like Mirror Image.
Since it's a multiclass character and BABs don't stack for unarmed monk attacks, I've given her a short sword. With the Weapon Finesse feat that makes her pretty mean. Stat points I've used to bump up DEX - I don't see a need for WIS, since DEX increases my AC in the same way and has the added benefit of improving attack bonus.
Surprisingly, though, this character has the lowest kill percentage (8%) in the party. Plus despite the protective spells she is often in trouble, HP - wise. The choice of tiefling probably didn't help with the ECL, either, but what's done is done.
I'm thinking of bumping up CHR to 13 when I hit level 12, then taking more Sorceror levels so I can get Haste and bump up the kills a bit. Any thoughts? That'd also mean I can multiclass evenly for a bit longer to avoid getting an XP penalty.
So, the point is I'm not too impressed by my Monk at the moment. What sort of builds do other people find to be good?
Decent monk builds?
Started by Andyr, May 09 2004 03:30 PM
21 replies to this topic
#1
Andyr
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HERR RASENKOPF
Posted 09 May 2004 - 03:30 PM
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#2
BobTokyo
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Posted 09 May 2004 - 10:13 PM
http://www.gamefaqs....game/15119.html
http://db.gamefaqs.c...dale_ii_upp.txt
Monks in IWD2 work best when single classed, as all of their class features are level dependant. If you do want to multiclass, then one or two levels of Monk and the rest as a Druid works well, maybe with a level of Rogue thrown in. The Monk's AC and movement bonus applies to the Druid's animal forms.
http://db.gamefaqs.c...dale_ii_upp.txt
Monks in IWD2 work best when single classed, as all of their class features are level dependant. If you do want to multiclass, then one or two levels of Monk and the rest as a Druid works well, maybe with a level of Rogue thrown in. The Monk's AC and movement bonus applies to the Druid's animal forms.
#3
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Posted 09 May 2004 - 10:42 PM
Monks can get realy powerfull it may be worth while have a few levels of ranger or another class which has similar stat setup to get a few spells
like 20 monk 10 ranger 10 cleric or scaled down ect eheh
16 levels monk 2 ranger 2 cleric
like 20 monk 10 ranger 10 cleric or scaled down ect eheh
16 levels monk 2 ranger 2 cleric
#4
jester
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Posted 10 May 2004 - 01:01 AM
As mentioned in Bob's links monks should be human to fully exploit their level gains IIRC.
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#5
-Ashara-
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Posted 10 May 2004 - 05:09 AM
I have a single-classed monk at level 9 and he is...how to say it...useless. All he gets is some insane amount of stunning blows and a heal himself thing. I hoped for something more...variable. It's either dumping him or multiclassing. I guess I'd try to go for clerical mc and see if it helps.
#6
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Posted 10 May 2004 - 07:34 AM
At this stage of the game you may be better off just sticking with him/her or trading him/her in for a level 1 character. A level 20+ Monk in IWD2 is very effective; lower level monks tend to be weak, and multiclassed monks only need one or two levels in the monk class to get everything worthwhile (to the other classes) out of it. OTOH, due to the way XP is calculated in IWD2, adding a level 1 character at this stage will increase the XP gained by every member of the party until that character catches up, and they'll catch up quickly.I have a single-classed monk at level 9 and he is...how to say it...useless. All he gets is some insane amount of stunning blows and a heal himself thing. I hoped for something more...variable. It's either dumping him or multiclassing. I guess I'd try to go for clerical mc and see if it helps.
Ariana, a regular on the old IWD2 boards, ran through the game repeatedly with single class parties. IIRC, she claimed that the easiest overall game was with an all Sorcerer or all Fighter party, but that the easiest end game was with an all Monk party.
#7
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Posted 10 May 2004 - 09:33 AM
I'd trade him for a bard as a suppliment to arcane magic and combat. I hope that bards play well in IWD2. I like how other classes do, thought I think that 3 levels behind lag is a bit too much on sniferblin. Oh, well, I'd give it a try later in the week... I cannot wait to get out of the Ice temple.
Edited by domi, 10 May 2004 - 09:37 AM.
#8
Andyr
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HERR RASENKOPF
Posted 10 May 2004 - 12:58 PM
All this talk of high - level characters: I only get to around level 16 normally!
I think next time I'll probably stay single - classed. I hear swrifneblin make good monks, due to the AC bonus and innates.
I think next time I'll probably stay single - classed. I hear swrifneblin make good monks, due to the AC bonus and innates.
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#9
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Posted 10 May 2004 - 02:08 PM
Monks are never a power class in IWD2 (unless you take them to high levels), but they can be useful as scouts, shields, and mage killers.All this talk of high - level characters: I only get to around level 16 normally!
I think next time I'll probably stay single - classed. I hear swrifneblin make good monks, due to the AC bonus and innates.
Check the Dunnykin Adventures thread in the fan-fic section for some in-character comments on a Monk / Rogue / Druid.
#10
Andyr
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HERR RASENKOPF
Posted 10 May 2004 - 05:10 PM
Will do. My Fighter/Barbarian is killing the most atm, followed by the Rogue with his bows.
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#11
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Posted 11 May 2004 - 01:46 AM
I usualy play with this party Monk/Rogue, Paladin/Fighter, Ranger/Figther, Cleric/Druid, Rogue/Bard, Mage/Sorc. The other classes like bard, druid and sorc I will usualy add in HoF mode. I have found monk usefull most of time as scout, mage killer and decoy. The best thing about monk is that he can avoid fireball effects when he is standing next to it while others die. In mage killing and disrupting the stunning blows combined with backstab is nasty. Just hide in shadow and sneak behind their backs and kick them in the groin, stunning.
#12
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Posted 13 May 2004 - 11:41 PM
Aww, I was hoping I'd see someone suggest the comedy monk-barbarian option. I'm not particularly familiar with IWD2, so I don't know if you'd need to blatantly cheat your alignment across the Lawful/Neutral mark or if you could just whore alignment-affecting decisions instead. It'd be a hassle, but a raging half-orc monk evokes amusing mental imagery.
#13
raptor
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Posted 14 May 2004 - 07:24 AM
Never liked Monk much myself, I have however experienced over and over that in normal D&D games most peopl would rather have a fighter on team than a monk, fighters are simply more efficient. Also monks dont get to use all those random magic weapons and armors you get, wich is about half the fun of playing D&D.
Oh and everybody i talk to keep telling me how much they rock, at level 20 ... if they cant rock before that they just arent worth it in my opinion
Oh and everybody i talk to keep telling me how much they rock, at level 20 ... if they cant rock before that they just arent worth it in my opinion
#14
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Posted 14 May 2004 - 09:00 AM
I just finished my first romp through the game, and went solo using a single-class human Monk of the Old Order as my protagonist.
The initial build was S-14 D-18 C-10 I-10 W-18 Ch-6. Feats: Dodge & Luck of Heroes. Skill points: Open Locks-2, Diplomacy-4, Alchemy-2, & Search-2.
The monk had very little trouble throughout the game. He's fast, has great AC, and deals a lot of damage. The tactic of striking with a Stunning Blow and then following through with Power Attack-5 works for most of the battles. And even the toughest enemies didn't resist the dreaded Quivering Palm (I killed the Guardian with a single strike).
Going solo, I hit level 20 towards the end of Chpt 3, and went a long time without a single reload - maybe until the end of Chpt 5. At level 20, the monk is immune to disease and poison, evades area effects, has very high magic and damage resistance.
I think if I had to do over, I would have switched to another class after level 20 just to get some different abilities or maybe even some spells. The monk is a little overpowered to the point where it got boring at times.
Final Build:
Level 25; S-16 D-23 C-14 I-10 W-24 Ch-6; HP: 178; AC: 43
The initial build was S-14 D-18 C-10 I-10 W-18 Ch-6. Feats: Dodge & Luck of Heroes. Skill points: Open Locks-2, Diplomacy-4, Alchemy-2, & Search-2.
The monk had very little trouble throughout the game. He's fast, has great AC, and deals a lot of damage. The tactic of striking with a Stunning Blow and then following through with Power Attack-5 works for most of the battles. And even the toughest enemies didn't resist the dreaded Quivering Palm (I killed the Guardian with a single strike).
Going solo, I hit level 20 towards the end of Chpt 3, and went a long time without a single reload - maybe until the end of Chpt 5. At level 20, the monk is immune to disease and poison, evades area effects, has very high magic and damage resistance.
I think if I had to do over, I would have switched to another class after level 20 just to get some different abilities or maybe even some spells. The monk is a little overpowered to the point where it got boring at times.
Final Build:
Level 25; S-16 D-23 C-14 I-10 W-24 Ch-6; HP: 178; AC: 43
#15
Andyr
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Posted 14 May 2004 - 11:24 AM
A couple of questions:
Did you find HP were ok, starting from CON 10?
Were skills ok with INT 10?
Why did you put lots of bonus points into WIS, not DEX? I would've probably chosen DEX instead, for Weapon Finesse.
Did you find HP were ok, starting from CON 10?
Were skills ok with INT 10?
Why did you put lots of bonus points into WIS, not DEX? I would've probably chosen DEX instead, for Weapon Finesse.
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#16
raptor
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Posted 15 May 2004 - 04:46 AM
Wis also helps on will saving throw, and i belive since he ran 20 level monk hes using fists instead of weapons for most part. The monk already got good savingthrows on all saves already, really anoying. only class with good saving throws on all, and evasion as well.
#17
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Posted 17 May 2004 - 09:48 AM
I multi-classed my grief-giving monk into Ilmater's cleric, and I think he plays a bit better now.
And YAY! I finished the Ice Temple...
And YAY! I finished the Ice Temple...
Edited by domi, 17 May 2004 - 09:50 AM.
#18
-Jeff-
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Posted 19 May 2004 - 07:07 PM
HP is fine with Con 10. You don't need a lot of HP if you don't get hit very often. After level 20, damage resistance 20/+1 means very little hurts you until later in the game. Eventually, the monk hit Con 14 with the Ring of Hearty Strength. This gave quite a bit of cushion.A couple of questions:
Did you find HP were ok, starting from CON 10?
Were skills ok with INT 10?
Why did you put lots of bonus points into WIS, not DEX? I would've probably chosen DEX instead, for Weapon Finesse.
For monks, WIS is key, moreso than DEC. It not only adds to AC like DEX, but also is used for DC (difficulty class) of quivering palm and stunning blow, and I think WIS even improves the monk's fortitude saves. Somebody correct me on that if I'm wrong.
#19
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Posted 20 May 2004 - 06:09 AM
I wanted to elaborate on my last submission regarding: (1) "were skills adequate with INT 10?" and (2) "Why did you put lots of bonus points into WIS, not DEX?"HP is fine with Con 10. You don't need a lot of HP if you don't get hit very often. After level 20, damage resistance 20/+1 means very little hurts you until later in the game. Eventually, the monk hit Con 14 with the Ring of Hearty Strength. This gave quite a bit of cushion.A couple of questions:
Did you find HP were ok, starting from CON 10?
Were skills ok with INT 10?
Why did you put lots of bonus points into WIS, not DEX? I would've probably chosen DEX instead, for Weapon Finesse.
For monks, WIS is key, moreso than DEC. It not only adds to AC like DEX, but also is used for DC (difficulty class) of quivering palm and stunning blow, and I think WIS even improves the monk's fortitude saves. Somebody correct me on that if I'm wrong.
(1) Skills were just fine with INT 10. My allocation wasn't optimal, but I didn't use any walkthrough guides going through. If I had to do over, I would have put some extra points in Alchemy instead of Arcana, and maybe a few more points in Bluff and Intimidate. My dialogue options were mostly driven by high Diplomacy. High WIS gave good Wilderness Lore, and high DEX with potions of master thievery gave good Open locks.
(2) If you're going solo, the game lends itself naturally to a high WIS protagonist. There are two potions of transference in the game. If you drink them, you'll end up -1 DEX, -1 CON, +4 WIS. A monk who starts with WIS 18, will end up WIS 22 even if new ability points are allocated elsewhere. This is good news for the monk because WIS improves Will saves, DC for stunning attack & quivering palm, and gives AC bonus.
I think WIS is better for AC bonus than DEX anyway because there are situations when the monk will lose the DEX bonus to AC (like when fighting hidden/invisible opponents).
There may be an advantage to having high DEX over high WIS if the player installs the Weidu Ease of Use Mod. This mod gives monks Weapon Finese for fists, and Damage Resistance for armor and shields. If Undead Targos is installed, then there are also some powerful weapons and armor that would make the solo monk play the first few chapters identical to a DEX build fighter who gets worse melee but better saves and some special abilities. I played without the mod.
#20
Dalis'ilhea
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Posted 30 June 2004 - 03:15 AM
I made a rogue once, got him to a monk level 20 and ten levels of rogue he worked out quite well but he did wear armor or was it the other way around... I can't remember but he was very good none the less
I apparently have a high level of empathy, combined with a low level of sympathy... weird
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