D&D 3E/3.5 (3.5) Monks and Wisdom

[StreamOfTheSky]

Those stats won't work for monk. A monk needs at least 14 in 4 places, higher than that in as many as possible. Wis 10 will not cut it, sorry. Even with such good stats, you'll be the weakest character at the table, but as you've got it now, your PC will not survive in melee combat.

And the wis bonus to AC is better than dex. You don't lose it when flatfooted and such.

 

[Cyclone Duke]

I've DMed my group of 6 and them being flat footed has never really happened.
DEX modifies many 'melee/athlete' skills like balance, escape artist, tumble, while WIS gives... nothing I can see a brawler needing.

If certain fantastic feats need Wis 15 or the like, that's a good reason to take it. But if all you get is a higher DC for a feat I won't take, and AC which will be active 90% of the time anyway with DEX, then I'd rather get free tumble and inititive.


Swapping CON for WIS to get even more AC sounds viable though the amount of damage I have dealt to my players often has them needing that hp.

 

[Cyclone Duke]

Suggestion: Build a Swordsage instead of a Monk.

Or, you know, a Druid.

Neither is a brawler/athlete. I like monk as they're whole package is pretty cool. The fast movement, feats to grapple enemies, fighting barehanded, that's why I'm rolling a monk and not a druid.

On what basis are you saying druids or sword sages are better choice for a person who wants to play a monk btw?

Thanks everyone for all feedback so far also

 

[Dandu]

Ok, I can fix your problem. Here's what you do.

1. Stats in this order:

STR 14
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 10
WIS 8
CHA 8

2. Start off with three levels in Ranger. Strongarm Ranger from Dragon Magazine gives Power Attack as a bonus feat. You want that.

3. Use the Passive Way monk variant. Two levels.

4. Take the Fist of the Forest prestige class from Complete Champion

5. Take the Steadfast Determination feat from the PHB2.

Now your will saves and AC run off of Con. Problem fixed.

Neither is a brawler/athlete. I like monk as they're whole package is pretty cool. The fast movement, feats to grapple enemies, fighting barehanded, that's why I'm rolling a monk and not a druid.

On what basis are you saying druids or sword sages are better choice for a person who wants to play a monk btw?

Swordsages are ninjas and Druids know monkey kung fu.

 

[Cyclone Duke]

Ok, I can fix your problem. Here's what you do.

1. Stats in this order:

STR 14
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 10
WIS 8
CHA 8

2. Start off with three levels in Ranger. Strongarm Ranger from Dragon Magazine gives Power Attack as a bonus feat. You want that.

3. Use the Passive Way monk variant. Two levels.

4. Take the Fist of the Forest prestige class from Complete Champion

5. Take the Steadfast Determination feat from the PHB2.

Now your will saves and AC run off of Con. Problem fixed.

Swordsages are ninjas and Druids know monkey kung fu.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to post that, but that's not a monk, that's a cluster of min-maxing. I don't let my players do that kind of thing as they just get too powerful.

If the case here is just that WIS is needed purely because the basic monk class can't survive without a high AC, that's grand as it's the answer to my question. But taking level 1 in 10 classes, flaws and traits, alternate class features from 5 books just rubs me up the wrong way to make a character.

I love playing Dungeons and Excel Sheets myself but just for the fun of it, I'd not use it for an actual char.

 

[Dandu]

If the case here is just that WIS is needed purely because the basic monk class can't survive without a high AC, that's grand as it's the answer to my question. But taking level 1 in 10 classes, flaws and traits, alternate class features from 5 books just rubs me up the wrong way to make a character.

Why?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to post that, but that's not a monk, that's a cluster of min-maxing. I don't let my players do that kind of thing as they just get too powerful.

Umm... straight full caster would still be stronger than that cluster, even in regards to melee combat. Heck, all that work and your unholy frankenstein monster of classes and variants would still probably just be about even with straight Barbarian. You'd have better defenses, he'd hit harder. You realize this, don't you?

 

[Dandu]

You realize this, don't you?

Of course he realizes. Always bet on the Duke, remember?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I read the title and my immediate response was "It is rarely Wise to play a Monk".
Yeah, what everyone else is saying about MAD and simply not being able to do what the class flavor suggests it should do. There are other builds (often multiclassing, sorry) that accomplish a better Monk than the Monk.

 

[Dandu]

To be frank, I do take a beef with the idea that, because you've multiclassed and used many sources, that you're doing nothing but powergaming. Some concepts are just horribly supported in D&D and need to be pulled together from various sources, while the more powerful builds don't even need to step outside of core. Examples being Int based fencers for the former and Druids for the latter.

Roleplaying ability and optimization ability are far from incompatible, by which I mean to say that it is entirely possible to roleplay a powerful character well, just as it is possible to shoot yourself in the foot with a character build and roleplay it poorly.

Take, for instance, a tough as nails dwarf brawler who fights with his fists and loves drinking. You could build him as a straight Fighter, Barbarian, or Monk, but those classes may not convey the fluff as well as a multiclassed combination, being that they do not offer anything for drunken boxing, and the class that specializes in unarmed combat is painfully weak.

I suppose it may be disconcerting to see a lot of classes at the top of the character sheet, but if you're judging a build by that then you're metagaming, and I am given to understand that is poor roleplaying. A true roleplayer would look beyond the numbers on his sheet and see the real character within, for whom the numbers are just a representation of his abilities... or so I hear.