Does the Monk class stink?

[Storminator]

Also be aware that the spring attack tactic isn't always that good...since the opponents just tend to ignore you anyway compared to the front line fighter! You may well be better off sticking in there to make full use of your greater number of attacks round.

I was going to make this exact point. Do not get Spring Attack! One piddly little slap from a monk isn't going to do anything. Stand and fight! Stand and fight the minions, that is. Leave the boss foes to the fighter, and lay waste to all the petty annoyances.

I've seen fights where my monk kills every single minion. I usually try to clear a path for the fighter, so he can get to the Big Bad, then come back to clear guys off the mage, then go back to the fighter's side, then to get any stragglers. I also make sure no one gets away to warn others.

And no thread about monks is complete until someone (usually me!) brings up Beyond Monks: The Art of the Fight. Get this pdf! You will be so glad you did. It has tons of feats that really make a monk more fun. You can get it at RPGNow, or it'll be in print this summer. We now return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast.

PS

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

There is no monk class - there is a mystic warrior class that got called monk.

Some people wanted a martial artist - there's a good martial artist advanced class in D20 Modern - but it isn't designed for a setting with damage reduction or magic items.

 

[Neowolf]

Halfling monk! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I've been playing one for about six months now (just hit level 11), and it's been an absolute blast. He makes a great sneaky character. Here's my advice (sorry if some of this sounds like power gaming):

- 20 Dex, and get a magic item to boost Dex further. My character's got 23 dex, and he's one sneaky mofo.

- Flurry of Blows is your friend, as is Stunning Attack. One problem many players have with the monk is that they don't use the special abilities enough/correctly.

- If you can, get into the Shadowdancer prestige class (from the DMG) sometime after level 10. You want 10 levels of Monk, because at 10th level you get Ki Strike +1, which is helpful for overcoming DR. The Shadowdancer class gives you lots of nifty abilities to enhance stealth, like hiding in plain sight.

- If you have a mage in your party, try to take advantage of Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, and the Wisdom improving spell (sorry can't remember its name... Owl's Wisdom?). They're all a huge help.

- Another thing I just thought of, and I could kick myself for not thinking about this sooner, is that you could take Weapon Finesse (Unarmed) if you decide to go high dex.

- If you can somehow get your hands on a Robe of Blending, that's great fun for sneaking (+15 to Hide!). Plus, the Robe's "change self at will" ability comes in handy if you're in a stealth situation where you're *going* to be caught. Suddenly, you look like a lost little child!

Roleplaying a halfling monk can be something of a challenge. I tend to think of halflings as free-spirited and mischievous, which runs a bit counter to the disciplined nature and lawful alignment of monks. The way I explained it was this: Cade (my character) is an orphan who was raised by the clergy of Yondalla. When it became obvious that he wasn't cut out to be a cleric, they trained him as a monk, which they saw as the "next best thing".

One thing too about my halfling monk: due to all the crazy AC bonuses you can rack up, he has a 24 AC with no armor on. +1 for being small, +2 for his Monk bonus, +4 wisdom, +6 Dex, and +1 for a special (non-magical) item that all the members of party have one of.

I kind of stumbled onto the idea of a halfling monk because I wanted to play stealthy, but Rogues have never really interested me all that much. Anyway, go for it and have fun.

 

[Plane Sailing]

There has been a monk player in the campaign that I run, and a monk player in a campaign which I participate in. In both games they have qualified under the "equal fun" rule... they were at least as much fun to play as any other character, and better than some.

They are IMO a fine character class.

 

[Skaros]

Absolutely....I like the monk as written, and love the monk when you add in the feat swap options from OA....and style mastery can be interesting as well if you want to focus that much.

My next character is an earth-genasi monk with his highest attribute in strength.

He'll take sunder, improved sunder, eagle claw attack, improved grapple, etc, and focus on smashing through things. Should be a blast.

I'll ditch his move silently skill as inappropriate for the concept, and focus on other skills. He'll have the wisdom to understand strategy and the importance of patience and restraint...and the desire to ignore that good sense and smash his way through problems here and there when he judges the risks are small

-Skaros

 

[Christian]

A Monk with Spring Attack is a scary thing indeed...

I dunno about scary-definitely fun, though.

My DM officially renamed the feat 'Wuss Attack'.

 

[The Forsaken One]

Monk/Paladin/Sacred Fist

Nuff said. If you don't know how broken that is... just go make a PC of those classes, try and min max it a bit without magic items and find out... just a human with monk/paladin levels and sacred fist 10....

The profanity...

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

One of the players IMC just went with a Mnk3/Sor1 (FR campaign -- monks of the Old Order can multiclass freely with sorcerer). It's a pretty neat combo. His attacks will be wicked when he takes some touch attack spells; right now he's got mage armor and shield, which are tough enough. His combat shtick has been:

Round1: Move to cover, cast Mage Armor
Round 2: Cast shield, close to melee
Round 3: tumble around setting up flanking/sneak attacks and slapping people.

With the mage armor/shield, Dodge, and his abilities he's got like a 25 to 28 AC -- the minor minions can't touch him. Very effective in team play.

 

[Synicism]

Monk's don't suck. By and large, they're not going to make a super-effective front-liner like a fighter, paladin, or barbarian. That being said, they tend to be more mobile than rangers and hit harder than rogues.

For the most part, the others are right. Monks are generally not stand-up brawlers, although they can be.

I have a 7th level human weretiger monk in an 11th level campaign with baseline GP equipment. He has a 34 strength in hybrid form, Flying Kick, and Knockdown. Even though he's only 7th level, the +12 strength bonus that he gets in his hybrid forms really makes up for the lack of BAB, and makes that Flurry of Blows really, really devastating.

For the most part, though, your monk probably doesn't want to be trading blows with trolls or something. Think of your character as combining the best combat aspects of a rogue and a ranger and there you go.

 

[WizarDru]

I concur with several posters. The monk will not out-fight the fighter. He will, however, offer many different options, most notably mobility and excellent saves. A monk is capable of some amazing tactics, especially when working with other fighters. I've seen stunning fist wreck more than one enemy spell-casters day, for example.

You need to learn to play to the monk's strengths, and he works well. But if you're not playing an OA game centered on monks, don't expect to be the king of pain.