How do you're monk's contribute to the party?

[Skaros]

So, I'm vacilating between two different character concepts right now, a monk and a paladin.

In considering the monk concept, it brings me to wonder how much of an asset this character will be. Here is what I consider:

He'll come in at lvl 7. My concept centers around a monk with a celestial bloodline, so he will be an aasimar, and I am most probably going to take the celestial bloodline feat from Races of Faerun, plus the other two that have it as prerequisites.

I'm also leaning towards the spring attack chain of feats. As a monk he'll never hit very hard anyway, so hit and run tactics seem very appropriate.

So....for those of you that have played monks or seen them well-played, what role did you take in the group, and how did you maximize it?

I can easily see how a monk, particularly with aasimar heritage (darkvision 60') and flight (celestial wings) could provide an excellent scout to the group, with saving throws and an armor class to help keep him alive, plus improved evasion, etc.

In combat, he wouldn't be terribly useful. Even assuming I put the 2nd highest stat in strength instead of dex (highest goes to wisdom I think), at lvl 6 he'd have something like +6/+3 for his melee attack bonus....+4/+4/+1 if he flurries, which equates to not hitting much at that level.

So, how did you do it differently? Thoughts, ideas and comments are very welcome. Lets discuss...

Skaros

 

[dreaded_beast]

what is your concept for the paladin?

what is your party composition?

if there are already fighter types and healers, then i would say go for the monk and have fun with it.

on the other hand, if the party is sorely lacking for meleers, then go paladin, since it would help your party and you were considering it anyway

 

[Malcolm]

Usually when I play a Monk he/she is the type who will harass the enemy spell casters. I have high Touch AC, good saves, resist alot of effects, can manuever to keep up in combat, and don't need to hit high or hard to keep a caster sweating and occupied.

Simply put: every round I Stunning fist the Wizard NPC (or attempt to do so) is a round of combat where his attention is likely centered towards me. As for Clerics = Trip them, let the party hit them with +4. Rogues and Fighters I SpringAttack/Trip/Move away from; let them close for 1 attack each round.

If you're already going with feats from RoF, and your GM allows Celestial, then why not some of the Monk/Paladin orders from FRCS as well? Throw both Monk and Paladin together for a cheesy (not infering thats bad) spell-resistant machine! Combine with your choice of feats and you can shine as Defensive, Offensive, or just wacky-Miscellaneous Monk.
Have fun.

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

Well in our current game the level 10 Monk as opposed to my 5/5 fighter paladin is the main combat character,
Ken

 

[hunter2112]

In the game I'm running right now one of players has a 6th lvl human monk with dodge, mobility, and spring attack. With his speed and ability to maneuver through the enemy without getting hit makes him great for taking out spellcasters. Since the group itself is pretty useless at ranged combat (two slings and a halfling with a shortbow) mages with minions would chew them up without him.

dreaded_beast has a point about the paladin though. The monk is only a good choice if the party already has some front line fighter types. If not go for the paladin.

 

[Skaros]

I'm not terribly concerned about party balance in this case, as we have 6 other players aside from me, and aren't lacking in any department. I'm only bouncing back and forth as I like both concepts, and am fleshing them out a bit independently until I decide.

I like the idea of the challenge that playing a monk imposes. Most of my usefulness will come outside of combat, and during combat I'll have to be much more strategic, which is fine.

I also need to consider magic item choice. With so many relevant stats, it would probably be cost effective to grab a +2 stat booster item for strength, dex, wisdom, and perhaps even con. Aside from that, I'll wait on the monk's belt...haste related items must be found in-game in my DM's campaign, which is fine with me.

With fast movement on land or in the air, this could be a great scout, if nothing else.

Trip attacks rely on opposed strength checks, I believe, which leads me to believe they won't often be successful. True in your experience?

-Skaros

 

[Synicism]

Well, we have an 11th level party. The characters are:

Human Bard (archer - support and healing)

Human Fighter/Paladin/Divine Champion/Planar Champion (heavy armor, TWF, tank fighter)

Halfling Rogue/Fighter/Cappurtina Knife Fighter/Bourchet Dagger Fighter (from Swashbuckling Adventures, close support ranged attacks, and lots of thrown daggers)

Human Weretiger Monk (highly mobile damage)

Basically, the monk fills the same role that a rogue might fill in combat, only he hits much, much harder. He's great at getting behind enemies, attacking spellcasters (he has a 100' total move and like a +75 Jump so he can get almost anywhere). The monk can get places that the tank can't, he can hit harder than the halfling, and he hits more often than the archer and is so mobile that he can attack ranged attackers with ease.

Having a high strength, improved grab, flying kick, and an insane Jump score lets him attack flying targets fairly effectively, too.

Your monk will probably never be your front line, but he's a great skirmisher.

 

[Malcolm]

If you get an item equal value to a +2 stat item may I suggest instead: Bag of holding, Hewards Handy Haversack (both good for holding stuff that you don't want to be weighed down by), Brooch of Shielding (you avoid most other spells, add Magic Missle to the list!), Boots of Striding and Springing, Googles of Nightvision (if you don't go with Celestial), Rope of Climbing, Dust of Appearance (track those pesky mages!), or other Misc. gear that does not give stat bonuses.

Stat bonuses items are more available than other types of gear I've found, plus you can get buffs from casters in your group if you are falling far behind. As the Monk you will be last on your groups list of "stat item X" so don't be afraid to get hand-me-downs. The other classes will need stat items more than you do. You'll want mauverability, speed, and "strange effect the NPC wasn't expecting X!"

Trip = pick your targets and this isn't a problem. Trip is a touch attack, opposible using either Str or Dex; mages and clerics are usually lacking in both areas. I usually Trip without much fail, though I make sure that I have at least one Bull Strength variation on with my groups. Here's the kicker: Even if you fail at the Trip attempt most casters will become horrified at what you tried to do and will either
a.) Run away from you, ignoring your friends. or
b.) Try their best to kill you!

(plus if you fail the first Trip during a Flurry, simply keep declaring Trip attacks)

With the power of Offensive spells in Area of Effect combat, each round that a caster is Not casting said spells but is trying to wipe you out is a good one. They will know you for a Monk-type and usually skip the Reflex DC AoEs; your Fighter, Mage, and Cleric types will thank you.
Your best bud = A Rogue to Flank with. You can manuever around faster than most Fighters, and if all you do for the round is 1 attack to Stun, it sets up your Rogue friend beautifully. If need be, setup combat tactics with the Rogue ahead of time: Move out and Ready an action, let your own caster-type "nuke" the enemy caster, then you both Partial Charge as your Readied action and hit the enemy-caster at the same time!
I've done this before correctly and smoothly with a group where we all readied off the enemy-caster (cleric) and dropped him in concert before he could even act the first round. After that his support tanks and casters were easy pickings.

My 2cents.

Edit: for a different Flavor on your Celestial Monk, ask your GM if he/she approves Sacred Fist. This will limit you in some ways, but has definite play and role-playing opportunities.

 

[Utrecht]

My Monk does 3 primary things in this order:

1) Kill Mages. I took improved grapple from OA - Generally Mages are in a world of hurt

2) Break weapons/armor. I took the Sunder/improved Sunder/eagle Claw attack chain. Evil fighters suddenly become a lot less impressive when you break thier primary weopon, shield or armor - and with the number of unarmed attacks - things break quickly.

3) Act as a supplemental fighter. My character is a Ftr4/Mnk8 - so using his unarmed attack bonus he does pretty well.

 

[Skaros]

Great suggestions and insight Malcolm. That is definitely another route I could consider...lycanthrope or some other high strength combination....even just blowing a lot of my money on strength boosting items and my highest stat on strength perhaps.

I pretty much have carte blanche (sp?) to pick my items up to the DMG wealth level for a lvl 7 character. Maybe even slightly more than that depending on if my starting xp is between 7 and 8 or at the entry level for level 7.

No single item over 10k in value though.

-Skaros