Monk Class Viable?

Anarandil · Post by **Anarandil** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:25 am

I have recently played a monk to lvl 9 and I am rather disappointed in his performance. He constantly missess during melee and he has actually became the most useless character I have. I am running a paladin, warrior, monk, cleric and wizard.

I am considering dropping the monk and leveling up a ranger with the intention of making him a pure archer. My quesetions are:

1) Anyone else have disappointing results from monks?

2) Are rangers a good choice for a pure damage class?

3) Would I be better served to just fill the slot with a warrior or barb?

Thanks

Ana

Raumoheru · Post by **Raumoheru** » Sat May 01, 2004 11:55 am

well my monk rocks...it depends on the stats he has and the items too. have a druid make Amulet of Mighty Fists +5 and it will add +5 to all his to hit rolls. it says it adds damage too but i think its bugged. if he is an elf u can get him with 20 dex and 18 wis to start. When you level him up add 2 to wis. then get him bracers of armor +5 and boom he has 25 AC!

if he has great dex (18+) give him the weapon finesse feat to hep him hit.

Mulligan · Post by **Mulligan** » Sun May 02, 2004 9:11 am

Monks NOT useless

I agree with Raumo on the Monk, it can be very strong if made properly. My monk was weak in the early game, but totally rock in the end.

Monks rely heavily on the right items and feats. If you told us more info on your monk, like stats, feats and what equipment you have on him, we could maybe help you more in some way.

Hope to hear from you

Raumoheru · Post by **Raumoheru** » Sun May 02, 2004 2:19 pm

exotic weapon proficiency bastard sword is a nice feat for the monk so u can enchant a bastard sword or katana with shocking burst ect. he can deal massive damage with two "bursting" elemental types enchanted on there.

Kalendraf · Post by **Kalendraf** » Sun May 02, 2004 5:46 pm

In the pencil & paper version of the game, the monk often seems to lag in the damage category compared to other melee types until they get past 10th level. Unfortunately, the level cap in ToEE hits just as they are about to take off.

You can have them use weapons which is what some of the previous posts mention. It's very un-monk-like, IMHO, but given the level-cap problem, it's one option to allow you to maximize the character's potential. You'll probably have to make most of the monk's items yourself, since there don't seem to be many available at any of the shops.

No matter what you do, stats and feats are crucial to the monk. You want a high wisdom and usually a high dex. Together, those 2 stats can give you a really high AC. I've seen monks work well with or without high strength bonuses, but in ToEE you'll probably find that a high strength version is more useful. For high dex/low strength versions using unarmed attacks, be sure to take Weapon Finesse to improve your chance to hit.

Mulligan · Post by **Mulligan** » Sun May 02, 2004 8:21 pm

Monks and AC

If you want a pure fighter monk (pure monk), you could also set WIS to 10 or less, and put your scores in STR, DEX, CON & INT. Beeing able to wear light armor (Feat : Light Armor) makes the monk perform very well in Light Armor.

Maxed DEX armor in the game is +8 (dex bonus +4) so if you have a STR 18, DEX 18, CON (max) build you can benefit a lot. Spell 'Shield' adds to AC, as do items of (+ DEX) if your Dex is under 18. Now consentrate on 'Hurt' & 'Damage', and you have a true fighting maniac. If you also have good WIS, loose the armor and use spells 'Mage Armor', 'Shield', 'Barkskin' all the time to have super AC !

Remember that a Monk can use a Quarterstaff as part of his/hers Furry of Blows ability, so enchant a Staff +3 of all the elemental bursts and/or Holy/Axiomatic and let the fun begin.

Never leave home without a Druid if you also have a Monk.!!!

Made right the Monk, even at lvl cap 10, is unstoppable in TOEE !

BTW the Druid is a better enchanter than a cleric, and with 'Scribe Scroll' a Druid is the way to go. !!!

Good Luck
and may your Mighty Fist Prevail.

Raumoheru · Post by **Raumoheru** » Mon May 03, 2004 4:01 am

and have that wonderfull druid get the craft wondrous items feats and make gloves of dex and ammy of wisdom to boost those scores as well.

Keill Randor · Post by **Keill Randor** » Mon May 03, 2004 8:25 pm

Another very useful feat for a well made monk (in this game anyway) is Power Attack. Power attack has a slight catch to it of which I had been unaware. If you are using a two handed weapon, you add DOUBLE the amount that you subtracted from your "to hit" roll to you damage roll. For example, if you subtract 5 from your chance to hit, you will add 10 to damage with a two handed weapon (instead of the normal 5). Well, ToEE considers the monk's unarmed attack to be a two handed weapon. So, after creating your amulet of mighty fists +5 (which should add to damage but doesn't - another bug), you can subtract that 5 with your power attack feat and start doing some very nice damage.

Another idea. My monk is wearing the troll helmet enchanted at +3. The helmet doesn't interfere with any monk abilities. As far as I know, any other armor does interfere. Bracers of armor work well for a monk too.

I agree with weapon finesse as a good feat. That allows you to concentrate on adding to your DEX score, instead of spreading between DEX and STR.

Stunning attack is also great if you have a Rogue in your party. Sneak attacks galore!

As far as Archers go, I am a fan of Rogue archers if you are looking for pure damage. They don't get all of the free feats that a ranger gets, but once you have a spell caster that can cast improved invisibility on them (or your monk stuns the enemy, or your archer goes first in combat) you can use your sneak attack with the bow (within 30 feet of the enemy). This can easily add up to around 30 points of damage per arrow without any magical weapons.

Just some thoughts. Happy hunting.