help me make a melee monster monk


log in or register to remove this ad

Tyrrell said:
A fellow player in my game is frustrated with the way his monk is turning out in combat.....13 strength....
There's your problem right there. Almost impossible to build a decent combat monk with low strength. Many have tried, most have failed. This has been discussed heavily on the boards over the last couple of years.

The suggestion for a Monk's Belt is a good one, but it doesn't stack up with a Belt of Giant Strength. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that when you crunch the numbers, the Belt of Giant Strength is more beneficial than the Monk's Belt.

Weakening Touch (CW) is a good feat.

Otherwise, a monk really needs to concentrate on one style (usually dictated by his chosen bonus feats) to really match it with other characters.

With his existing feats, the suggestion for Pole Fighter feat is a good one. Or perhaps EWP (spiked chain) to make use of Combat Reflexes some more.

And yeah, sorceror with Enlarge Person is your friend.
 


Classic defensive Monk. That is why combat is no fun.

Weapon Finesse is a mistake. He should not purposefully allow Str to fall so far behind your Dex. In fact, his Str should be higher than your Dex if he does not want to be laughed at by all the real fighters.

I am also not sure if bothering with Dodge and Mobility makes sense unless he is hot to have Spring Attack. Remember that Spring Attack is hardly a necessity, as you do have Tumble as a class skill.

I would go Str 18, Wis 18. Pump up that Wis with the level boosts. Pump up both with items.

Ditch Weapon Finesse. Consider Weapon Focus instead. I am dead serious.

Concentrate on Stunning Fist because it is a fun ability when it works. At level 6, he should have a DC 18 Stunning Fist. At level 8 that be at least DC 20. Stunning Fist is not reliable, but he should be laying down 2-3 Stun attempts per combat and so he should average ~1 successful stun per combat. Even a Troll or a Giant can easily fail a DC 20 saving throw.
 

Ridley's Cohort said:
Weapon Finesse is a mistake. He should not purposefully allow Str to fall so far behind your Dex. In fact, his Str should be higher than your Dex if he does not want to be laughed at by all the real fighters.

Yes. Sure, the damage dice are (sorta) high, but they roll low about exactly as often as they roll high, so it's good to have the Str to add into your damage.

The last time I played a monk, I emphasized Str over Dex, and he turned out fine.

Brad
 

I'd stick with monk. He should boost his Strength at 8th level. He should pick up Improved Natural Attack.

Let him pick up a Monk's Belt in something other than belt form (a Robe would work), an Amulet (or whatever) of Mighty Fists (gives enhancement bonuses to unarmed attacks, as a weapon), and a Belt of Giant Strength. Boots of Speed are also nice.

Fighter bonus feats are nice, but the high-level Monk special abilities rock, too. The Monk isn't really missing out on anything else that the fighter has:
-BAB? At 9th and 11th level, the flurry of blows really begins to come into its own - and a full attack sequence from a Monk compares very favorably with that of a Fighter.
-HD? The Wholeness of Body class feature essentially gives the Monk two extra hp/level.

-Stuart
 

Probably the most common complaint about the Monk class is "I have a sky high Wis and Dex, and I somehow suck."

The Monk, like the Paladin, has a lot of obvious ways to really boost up the defense that have attractive synergies. And like the Paladin, the Monk's true inherent weakness is a somewhat soft offense for what is fundamentally a melee-focused class.

It is pretty much a sure thing that you need a respectable offense for your PC to be enjoyable to play. And that is doubly true for melee PCs. That is my experience.

Build a character that will be fun to play, and do not be seduced by those defensive synergies just because they are there. Invest in that offense from the get go and keep plowing in feat and magic items as you level up. Create a coherent strategy stick with it. And a good Str is really the best way to get started.
 

My advice? Go with Ridley's advice :)

Ridley, what character build did you use for Stone Bear in Piratecat's story hour?

Also, if you are going to play a monk, try and come to some agreement with the other players that you get the most appropriate magical items. Sure, the items Ridley recommends benefit everyone, but they provide more benefit to the party if the monk gets them as it makes him a viable melee combatant, as against a marginal improvement to the standard suite of melee combatants.
 

Resist the urge to maximize AC

I agree with everyone who says maximize strength if you want to hurt people.

I would get 18 strength and 18 dex. Put the 13 in constitution and pay for a +4 boost item to Con, and add your level 4 increase in con. That gives you str = dex = con = 18. Then get a +2 str, +2 dex. item.

Now you have a strong monk with decent hitpoints and a relatively low AC.

Because you are ignoring Wisdom, you need to spend money on AC. Just deal with it. You can't have everything.

Honestly, spending money to increase AC is very easy. Lots and lots of things increase AC. It's easier to get AC by spending $ than having a high attribute.

There are the classic "bracers" of ac, natural ac, feats (dodge), and all other sorts of ac bonuses (insight, sacred, etc. etc.). You could get the cleric to cast holy vestments on your clothing every morning, and pay him back with a pearl of power. Etc. Also, an item that mirror images the monk 3/4 times a day would be a wonder. Or a blur item etc.

With a 20 strength, you could even be a decent grappler, with some feats, or do the old "pole arm AOO combat reflexes thing) with a dex = 20.

In my opinion, if you want to do damage, you simply can't afford a dex = 18 = wisdom. Nobody can make a monk like that who does real damage unless you are in 45 point buy land.
 

Legildur said:
My advice? Go with Ridley's advice :)

Ridley, what character build did you use for Stone Bear in Piratecat's story hour?

You flatter me. I am just a fan who quotes the wisdom of the great Stone Bear.

Also, if you are going to play a monk, try and come to some agreement with the other players that you get the most appropriate magical items. Sure, the items Ridley recommends benefit everyone, but they provide more benefit to the party if the monk gets them as it makes him a viable melee combatant, as against a marginal improvement to the standard suite of melee combatants.

I am a big fan of Stunning Fist, although I admit that some people will find the lack of reliability frustrating. But, yes, it is good idea to consider how the Monk will fit into the party. Stunning Fist has fabulous synergies with a Rogue in the party who has a lot of Sneak Attack dice. Yum.
 

Pets & Sidekicks

Remove ads

Top