pawsplay
Hero
Stunning fist has a DC that scales with a character's level. If it never works, it's because you're not using it right. Essentially, is has the same DC range as a spell, so anyone who says "never use Stunning Fist, it never works" should throw in "and never cast spells with saving throws, either."
Level 14 monk stunning fist: 10 + 7 + Wis modifier
Level 14 wizard casting 7th level spell: 10 + 7 + Int modifier
So the only real difference should be that Wis is usually the second highest stat after Str, rather than the highest (as with a wizard's Int).
Since stunning fist does not preclude your regular attack, the fact that you might miss is a non-issue.
Also, a monk is only missing 5 points of BAB by level 20, which is 25%. It is significant, but should not render you unable to hit anything. If the fighter can hit reliably, you can hit reasonably reliably, and you have flurry of blows. Very high AC opponents, such as enemy blakckguards or dragons, may give you more problems, but then again, flurry of blows means those natural 20s will roll around, sometime.
If you plan to stick mainly with unarmed strikes and thrown weapons, Weapon Focus is extremely efficient, and Improved Critical can enlarge your offensive potential considerably. Str boosting items, amulets of mighty fists, spells, rings of minor spell storing, and the like should virtually guarantee you can hit something at the appropriate level.
I suspect most of the monk complaints spring from
1) people who have not played a lot of monk, and thus have a small pool of experience to draw on
2) who have fellow players with some relatively more maximized characters in those scenarios
3) and have gone into battle against +4 to +6 CR opponents with little advance preparation
4) and who expect monks to generate "big numbers" rather than decent damage numbers, the occasional stun or grapple, and neutralizing carefully chosen targets (low AC high threat, such as spellcasters, many Large creatures, and mobile enemies)
I also suspect that attempting to create a Weapon Finesse monk without really good ability rolls has resulted in some relatively weaker builds lacking Str and Wis. A monk really doesn't need Dex, yet there is often the impulse to base them on Dex (I guess because they seem like they should be really agile).
Wis adds to AC as well as Dex does, does not add to ranged attacks, and does add to Stunning Fist. Your Wis bonus does not go away if you are flat-footed. Wis should almost always take precedence over Dex, although you want your Dex as high as possible as you can get it.
AC wise, it's important to use a variety of sources. It's much cheaper and more practical to get bracers of armor and a ring of protection than to simply to get very high rated bracers. The real tough choice for a monk is the neck slot: the periapt of wisdom, amulet of mighty fists, and amulet of natural armor are all tempting. My inclination is to suggest an amulet of mighty fists, an incandescent blue ioun stone (+2 Wis), and the occasional potion of barskin. However, it's reasonable to own both an amulet of mighty fists and an amulet of natural armor and to switch them out as needed, replacing the other with expendable magics.
Level 14 monk stunning fist: 10 + 7 + Wis modifier
Level 14 wizard casting 7th level spell: 10 + 7 + Int modifier
So the only real difference should be that Wis is usually the second highest stat after Str, rather than the highest (as with a wizard's Int).
Since stunning fist does not preclude your regular attack, the fact that you might miss is a non-issue.
Also, a monk is only missing 5 points of BAB by level 20, which is 25%. It is significant, but should not render you unable to hit anything. If the fighter can hit reliably, you can hit reasonably reliably, and you have flurry of blows. Very high AC opponents, such as enemy blakckguards or dragons, may give you more problems, but then again, flurry of blows means those natural 20s will roll around, sometime.
If you plan to stick mainly with unarmed strikes and thrown weapons, Weapon Focus is extremely efficient, and Improved Critical can enlarge your offensive potential considerably. Str boosting items, amulets of mighty fists, spells, rings of minor spell storing, and the like should virtually guarantee you can hit something at the appropriate level.
I suspect most of the monk complaints spring from
1) people who have not played a lot of monk, and thus have a small pool of experience to draw on
2) who have fellow players with some relatively more maximized characters in those scenarios
3) and have gone into battle against +4 to +6 CR opponents with little advance preparation
4) and who expect monks to generate "big numbers" rather than decent damage numbers, the occasional stun or grapple, and neutralizing carefully chosen targets (low AC high threat, such as spellcasters, many Large creatures, and mobile enemies)
I also suspect that attempting to create a Weapon Finesse monk without really good ability rolls has resulted in some relatively weaker builds lacking Str and Wis. A monk really doesn't need Dex, yet there is often the impulse to base them on Dex (I guess because they seem like they should be really agile).
Wis adds to AC as well as Dex does, does not add to ranged attacks, and does add to Stunning Fist. Your Wis bonus does not go away if you are flat-footed. Wis should almost always take precedence over Dex, although you want your Dex as high as possible as you can get it.
AC wise, it's important to use a variety of sources. It's much cheaper and more practical to get bracers of armor and a ring of protection than to simply to get very high rated bracers. The real tough choice for a monk is the neck slot: the periapt of wisdom, amulet of mighty fists, and amulet of natural armor are all tempting. My inclination is to suggest an amulet of mighty fists, an incandescent blue ioun stone (+2 Wis), and the occasional potion of barskin. However, it's reasonable to own both an amulet of mighty fists and an amulet of natural armor and to switch them out as needed, replacing the other with expendable magics.
