Advice needed on tactics

[Hypersmurf]

I've always wanted to play a monk that specializes in shuriken - you can flurry the shuriken, and of course get them all magicked-up. Say you have 4 attacks in a flurry: get 4 +1 returning shuriken, have them all with different properties like a silver one, an adamantine one, cold iron, etc., AND have them all different as far as things like flaming/shocking etc..

That's a very very Bad Idea.

Generally speaking, ammunition that hits its target is destroyed or rendered useless, while normal ammunition that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed or lost.

Although they are thrown weapons, shuriken are treated as ammunition for the purposes of drawing them, crafting masterwork or otherwise special versions of them and what happens to them after they are thrown.

-Hyp.

 

[werk]

I would suggest that the real problem is that your DM is pitting your party against enemies that can be routed in one or two rounds using the party's standard tactic. If your DM is thinking fighters and casters vs fighters and casters, then specialty classes like monk or bard or even rogue tend to get underutilized.

Our party monks tended to win init, jump into battle (usually targeting a caster) and then save against the aoe spell(s) that go off. Then he would move around flanking and taking aoo, generally facilitating combat. You are dex heavy, you are optimized for ranged and defense, so use that.

 

[Victim]

Minor nit pick... You can't use Flurry in conjunction with grapple. You can only use iterative attacks as is described in the description of grapple.

You can, but you make attacks at -4 instead of grapple checks, because you have to use the attack with a light weapon option.

The shuriken monk build essentially requires the Master Thrower class and doesn't take off for a long time. When you combine greater flurry, rapid shot, two weapon fighting with the thrower touch attack and 2x shots tricks, you have LOTS of attacks that will probably hit. Use Greater Magic Weapon on the shuriken for your damage mods.

 

[sdt]

I have a good idea for your monk: Jump into the mouth of the largest dragon and maybe it will choke on your character. After that, roll up a Cleric or someone useful.

 

[satori01]

There is a feat in Arcana Unearthed that lets a character enchant their hands like magic weapons.

Hands as Weapons [Ceremonial]
After a ritual in which participants sear your hands with scalding
water, your body can hold special magical abilities.
Prerequisite: Truename
Benefit: A character with this feat can add—or have someone
else add—an enhancement bonus or a weapon special ability
(such as flaming or disruption) to her unarmed attacks. She must
add the bonus or abilities normally, such as by enlisting the aid
of someone with the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat, who
pays the gold and XP Costs, and so on. Like weapons, these
bonuses and abilities can be suppressed, but not permanently
dispelled.
Obviously, some weapon special abilities, such as dancing,
cannot apply to your unarmed attacks.
This feat can be used to modify unarmed attacks with natural
weapons such as claws or a bite attack. Characters with more
than one unarmed or natural attack need not take this feat muliple times.

Adding energy dice to your attacks or just a plain 'Plus' enchantment will help your average damage. Theoreticly you could place the cleave or mighty cleave abillity on your natural attacks giving you that option, couple you parties distanced damage output and speed, and you should get some benefit from it.

I would also ask your DM if you can reconfigure your feat selection. Right now you can have Spring Attack and be one feat away from Whirlwind. Stunning blow with a Whirlwind attack whilst in the midst of a group of enemies can be quite effective, at least the idea is cool.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Sadly, like many cool and interesting builds, this shuriken idea ain't gonna fly.

Price of 4 +1 Returning [one more enchantment] shurikens is: 4*18 = 72K. Yup. You read it right.

Shuriken count as ammunition, so you don't need returning ones. You cleric can cast GMW on 50 of them to give them all +2 hit and damage (that will improve later on). Get a wand of flame arrow that the sorcerer can use to prepare your shuriken too. If you can get to 11th level your greater flurry could give 4 attacks, rapid shot brings it up to 5 attacks, if the DM allows twf, itwf, gtwf that could be another 3 attacks, boots of haste for an extra attack.

So we could be talking about 8 missile attacks in a round. You would really need Far Shot to offset the crippling range penalty on the shuriken too.

Now in pure damage terms this still isn't an awful lot, even if they all hit, but it is getting better.

Then poison them all. I have heard that shuriken were typically used primarily as poison introduction devices, and it certainly makes them much more meaningful if the target has to make half a dozen poison saves.

(hmm, if you could get a wand of flame arrows (energy substitution cold), a wand of flame arrows (energy substitution shock) etc - one for each of the additional energy types, then the sorcerer could power up your shuriken so that each one did 1 + 1d6 fire +1d6 cold +1d6 electrical +1d6 sonic +1d6 acid +2 GMW, +4 Str +1 point blank shot.

8 attacks for potentially 5d6+8 damage each. Not too bad.

Of course, the cost of all those wands would be prohibitive...

 

[duhtroll]

I agree, your DM is softballing if combats are that easy all the time.

Heck, I have a 9th level monk in the Living Greyhawk campaign (i.e. don't get to use all the books) and she's doing better than that.

Ask for a rebuild maybe?

5 monk/5 tattooed monk and take (in order) Chameleon (alter self into humanoid werebear for +7 NA and large size/reach), Crab (DR #Tattoo/magic), and Dragonfly (#T to dodge AC bonus).

You need a monk's belt most definitely. With the werebear form and the belt you will be doing 3d8 damage+STR 3x/rnd on flurry, and that will allow you to handle combat much better. And your AC will be in the 30s, or even 40s due to the bonuses and some moderate level bracers.

And I disagree on weapon finesse. Dex is a big skill stat for monks so having it much higher than STR is good IMO (since monks are more useful OUT of combat than in - ever have any traps, chasms to cross, etc.?). Having weapon finesse can help get rid of that BAB penalty monks have.

I play my monk as a target. "I" run in and hope everything attacks me. I usually have the highest AC and saves at the table and am very mobile, so getting the baddies to target me leaves our BDFs and casters open. Sure you're not in the spotlight, but the party will thank you in the long run.

Just my $0.02

-A

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I've always wanted to try a monk, though I haven't gotten the chance yet. My thoughts were to create a Strength-based monk to boost his attack bonus, then focus on one thing and one thing only: messing with the enemy.

What do I mean? The fighters and wizards do the damage. The cleric heals. But the monk is uniquely suited to being the Pain-in-the-Arse that just messes up all the baddies' plans.

Pick up Spring Attack. With insane monk speed, I can always be out of range of melee retaliation.

Pick up Improved Trip and Improved Disarm, both of which can be substituted for a melee attack.

Then just blast through the battlefield, either tripping, disarming, or stunning as needed. Speed by the rogue and stun his enemy. Speed by the fighter and disarm his foe. Speed up to the wizard and grapple him....

Be the unpredictable, unexpected factor on the field.

But, as I said, I haven't gotten a chance to play him yet. I'm not sure how well the character would work out in practice, as opposed to theory.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

And I disagree on weapon finesse. Dex is a big skill stat for monks so having it much higher than STR is good IMO (since monks are more useful OUT of combat than in - ever have any traps, chasms to cross, etc.?). Having weapon finesse can help get rid of that BAB penalty monks have.

The problem with Weapon Finesse is that your Str should not lag so far behind Dex as to be worth it. You need that Str modifier in order to Grapple and Trip.

If you allow your Str to lag, then you have Monk's Disease: "I am so cool but I cannot actually help the party enough to earn my share of the loot."

 

[TheGogmagog]

I don't know much about monks, but you are a flanking machine. You have plenty of tumble, and I'm guessing your AC is in the mid 20's. When the opponent has DR, try AID ANOTHER All you have to do is hit AC 10 to give the fighter +2 to attack or AC. It is a tad on the useless side, but better than nothing.

I would also consider power attack yourself. The bright side of 3.5 DR is it can be overcome with a little power attack.

It also seems like you should have some +2 or +4 items for attacking with by 10th level, but that's not always in your control.