How about a Multi-classed Monk Build? (experts needed)

mbz · Post by **mbz** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 12:10 am

Again, I'm thinking about building characters that are slightly different from those on Bioware sites.

I want to do a monk, human (for role playing purposes).
I need to take 4-6 levels of Fighter for epic weapon specialization. I wonder if being a fighter also gives me an extra attack per round?
I want to also take 1 level of shadow dancer. It's fun to just hide from plain sight. But I wonder if this also works in PVP.

I'm thinking of getting devastating critical. It requires a hell lot of prerequisite feats, and a wooping 25 STR. Does anyone think it's worth it?
Is "improved stunning fist" worth taking?

I'll let all the remaing points/epic feats go to wisdom. I still don't know what wisdom does for a monk other than increasing AC.

How does the idea sound if I take 16 for STR, DEX and WIS, and leave all the others with only 8?

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 12:44 am

Well. I like my monk/druid/shifter. A lot of the time, I don't bother shifting and just pummel everyone with my fists and I only have one monk level. I don't know how it works out, must be my nifty gloves with all of their elemental damage, but I beat down everyone I come across that way.

The thing I'd say, if your looking for more skills first off, go with first level as a monk. If your looking for more HP then go fighter. I THINK you end up with an extra attack if you take enough fighter levels, it raises your BAB high enough to bring it up higher but I'm not sure about that. I'm thinking of testing something like this out myself given how I ignore all my cool shifting forms just to smack people around instead.

You'd need those levels, I believe 5-6 levels or so of fighter, in order to get that extra attack though, BEFORE level 20 if I'm not mistaken.

If your wanting to get a 25 strength, with a monk build, you wouldn't have enough ability increases to build your strength up from a 16 until level 36 if you spent each and every one on strength. You may want to keep that in mind. Devestating critical may be a bad choice unless you go light on monk levels, and high on fighter levels, to get all of the epic bonus feats to boost your strength with those. You might get that a few levels earlier but I don't see how that would work well. All of your feats from your monk levels would be pre-requisites to that critical feat essentially.

I'd say get enough levels in fighter to get weapon specialization, just 3, in either unarmed, or kama, and then go with priest levels to get a double use out of your wisdom. You'd have healing and buffs, maybe some attack spells and you could hold your own hand-to-hand. Just my opinion though.

mbz · Post by **mbz** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:08 am

[QUOTE=Magrus]
I'd say get enough levels in fighter to get weapon specialization, just 3, in either unarmed, or kama, and then go with priest levels to get a double use out of your wisdom. You'd have healing and buffs, maybe some attack spells and you could hold your own hand-to-hand. Just my opinion though.[/QUOTE]

I've always thought about making double usage of my wisdom. Once I thought about building a monk/cleric/druid (1/17/22). In the end, my WIS would be high enough so that I could shapeshift into a Dragon (the coolest shapeshift IMO). But I want to be a good fighter who could wack rows of enemies in a single round as well. And the biggest problem about shapeshifting is that you lose all the effects from your items, including constant haste. That could make you worse off. Plus, I love the Monk bonuses.

koz-ivan · Post by **koz-ivan** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:18 am

monk cleric has a lot of potential.

on paper adding ftr levels is a good idea w/ the levels looking something like.... ftr 4, monk 3-5, cleric x...

either way imho the ftr levels get in the way, and don't add as much as they detract.

basic plan is use wisdom for both a/c and spells, fight w/ kama's eventually going for dual wield. between monk items, cleric buffs, and synergy... should hit often, spells like darkfire and kama's w/ elemental damage are key. also keep in mind your offhand weapon does not have to be a kama to use flurryob.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:14 am

[QUOTE=koz-ivan]monk cleric has a lot of potential.

on paper adding ftr levels is a good idea w/ the levels looking something like.... ftr 4, monk 3-5, cleric x...

either way imho the ftr levels get in the way, and don't add as much as they detract.

basic plan is use wisdom for both a/c and spells, fight w/ kama's eventually going for dual wield. between monk items, cleric buffs, and synergy... should hit often, spells like darkfire and kama's w/ elemental damage are key. also keep in mind your offhand weapon does not have to be a kama to use flurryob.[/QUOTE]

Really, so I could use a kama and something else and still use flurrob?

Oh, as for the dragon shape thing. If you split your levels that much with druid and cleric, you may be able to get the dragon shape, but if your planning on using it at 40th level, I believe it will be much weaker than say, someone who is 20/20 druid/shifter. I think they do the abilities of the dragon based on those two classes, the higher levels you go, the better it is. Unless that was just the breath weapon.

mbz · Post by **mbz** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:56 am

I read some old threads saying that a Level 15 monk wielding 2 kamas could deal 10 attacks per round. That is insane...

Then I might be better off to take weaponary master arround 15 levels and fighter 5 levels. So that I can boost my critical range, pump up my strength to 25, in order to get the devastating critical feat.

Also, I'll just sack Dexterity and Wisdom altogether, and put armour on, so that I can fight like a fighter. How does that sound?

Anyone knows the level in which the monk reaches his highest speed?

Fiberfar · Post by **Fiberfar** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:29 pm

If you want to use two kama and have 9 attacks per round, you can't sack dex. Since you need 15 dex to get improved two-weapon fighting.

I would rather recommend WM 7 and fighter 10. Instead of WM 15, since that would only give you more AB. And it would get harder to get devestating critical.

Monk attain their highest speed at lvl 39.

koz-ivan · Post by **koz-ivan** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 5:16 pm

[QUOTE=Magrus]Really, so I could use a kama and something else and still use flurrob?
[/QUOTE]

yes. though two kama's does look very cool. infact it's on my top 5 list of coolest looking weapon setups.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 6:48 pm

[QUOTE=koz-ivan]yes. though two kama's does look very cool. infact it's on my top 5 list of coolest looking weapon setups.[/QUOTE]

Well then, I have something to do the next few days with a new character. I like monks just because, they kick ass regardless of what equipment they end up with. That and everyone else seems so slow after playing one. I'm not sure if I should go with 2 kama's or 1, and then something with piercing damage. Bludgeoning is easy, I just don't use weapons and up my damage quite a bit while dropping a few attacks.

I decided to go with just enough cleric levels to get a few simple healing and buff spells. I'm not sure if I should go past 4th to get higher level spells or not though. Now I have enough to buff my strength, endurance, wisdom and heal myself if need be and that seems to do just fine. I'm tearing through everything I come across with the cheap acid dagger at the beginning of HOTU you get and a +2 kama. I barely get touched.

mbz · Post by **mbz** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:46 pm

[QUOTE=Fiberfar]If you want to use two kama and have 9 attacks per round, you can't sack dex. Since you need 15 dex to get improved two-weapon fighting.

I would rather recommend WM 7 and fighter 10. Instead of WM 15, since that would only give you more AB. And it would get harder to get devestating critical.

Monk attain their highest speed at lvl 39.[/QUOTE]

Wow, that's an additional three feats that I have to spare...I wish characters could multiclass into 4 or 5 different classes. It would save so many feats if I were a ranger. Another 6 feats are needed for the WM class, and another 5 to reach to Devastating Critical. Then I'll need weapon specialization, Epic WS, and Epic Weapon Focus. That's like 17 feats to make full potential out of my attacks!! In addition to that, I'll take luck of heros, blind fight, and epic prowess if I still have feats left.

So, my starting STR would be 16, DEX 15, CHA 8. I need INT to be at least 13, might as well set it to be 14 for the extra skill point. This leaves me with only 6 points left. I'll just put them all in Con. I discovered that a negative WIS modifier will NOT affect AC.

mbz · Post by **mbz** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:55 pm

I tried out my new monk(Monk21/WM 7/ Fighter 8). Under the highest difficulty in HOU ACT 2, he was wacking drows as if reaping through the fields. He deals 8 attacks per round with his two kamas at a AB of about 30. The criticals just kill. The only problem is that he dies way too quickly, especially against those archers, since his AC was something like 27.

Forget about monk speed, AC bonus, I'm going to get armor. I'll keep my monk level at 20. I wonder which combination of fighter and WM levels is the best?

dhessler · Post by **dhessler** » Tue May 17, 2005 1:54 pm

Monk/Assassin

I found a 29/11 Monk/Assassin build to be kinda sweet. The Death Attack Bonuses couple with Improved Ki Strike and Monk Speed made my character a damage powerhouse. The only problem is that the Assassin Bonus crap out when you are facing a hord of enemies (think Act II of HotU).

JackOfClubs · Post by **JackOfClubs** » Tue May 17, 2005 6:16 pm

If Devastating Critical is a goal, you might consider Monk/Sorceror/Red Dragon Disciple. The RDD levels give you +8 STR. Of course you lose Weapon Specialization from the fighter levels but you get a breath weapon and a lot of bonuses.

I recently played a 20/1/19 Human Female version of the above build and was quite happy with her. I went for Whirlwind Attach rather than Dev Crit, just because I like the look and it seemed appropriate for a Monk. (However, it is rather redundant with Cleave and Circle Kick feats.)

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Tue May 17, 2005 6:23 pm

I have to ask, does Circle Kick only give you one extra attack per round total if you hit, or 1 extra attack everytime you hit? Oh, and does it cancel out a cleave attack if you already used a Circle Kick attack in the round also?

JackOfClubs · Post by **JackOfClubs** » Wed May 18, 2005 1:45 pm

Circle Kick only gives one free attack per round (as per the feat description). However, it does not cancel Cleave or Great Cleave so those extra attacks will also apply.

Whirlwind attacks, however, do seem to disable both Circle Kick and Cleave extra attacks. It isn't a particularly effective feat from a combat point of view, but sometimes aesthetics trump pure utilitarianism.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Wed May 18, 2005 2:01 pm

Hmm, thanks.

I've really never come into a situation where I'd truly benefit from using Whirlwind over pummeling someone head on. I just feel the need to use it because I had to get it for that WM class. A sort of "well...I DID pay for it and all" mentality.

I decided to make a monk/rdd build last night, I got one less attack than if I had gone monk/fighter but my attributes are a lot higher. I'm not sure which trade off I like most yet though.