Monk/wizard cross class

[PFitz44]

I have a player that is a monk and wants to cross class as a wizard. His basis for this si so he can use touch base spells to increase damage on his unarmed strikes. Anyone run into this before?

 

[wildstarsreach]

I have a player that is a monk and wants to cross class as a wizard. His basis for this si so he can use touch base spells to increase damage on his unarmed strikes. Anyone run into this before?

We have a player who is doing a monk/sorcerer/ Human paragon then enlighted fist PrC.

 

[Arkhandus]

Meh, I'd say avoid it.

Multiclass instead into Fist of Zuoken (Psionic Fist in the System Reference Document), which is a psionic prestige class for monks in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Then take feats like Psionic Fist, Greater Psionic Fist, Unavoidable Strike, Ghost Strike, and Aligned Strike for better unarmed effectiveness. Take the Psionic Meditation feat at some point too probably to regain psionic focus faster and thereby make more frequent use of these psionic feats.

 

[hong]

You can deliver a touch spell with an unarmed strike and do damage, but you'll need to hit the regular AC, not the touch AC.

 

[phindar]

Seems like skills aside, he'd have been better off to start in his casting class, especially if he can't go back to Monk and will take multiclassing penalties going anywere else. Maybe Monk to whatever level you want (I like 9, but for this concept I might go to 5 or 6 depending on what class abs I was after) and then go 1:1 in Wizard (or Sorcerer) and Fighter (or Rogue) after that. Actually, any of those sound kind of neat. A Monk/Sorc/Rogue delivering sneak touch attacks. Prima Facie, that's the sort of character I'd enjoy playing. I might even name him Prima Facie.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

FWIW, there is no multiclass restriction on the monk as presented in Oriental Adventures, and I've HRed that to apply to any monk.

In addition, there is a feat in DCv1 called Ring the Golden Bell, which allows a monk to use his unarmed attacks at (limited) range, including any effect he could deliver with an unarmed attack, including stuns or touch spells.

 

[Destil]

The actions spent casting the spell in combat more than even out the damage, and monks have a lot of level dependent benefits (i.e. he's slowing down his base monk damage for this). If anything it's underpowered. The standard action to cast true strike, shocking grasp or chill touch is a very fair cost, and mage armor will only last a few hours at most. Enlarge person is about the best of the bunch, but more for grapple.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If you want to go the "get big" route, take levels of PsyWar. You can boost your size twice.

 

[phindar]

Actually, Mage Armor is pretty good because it can be cast when you figure combat is coming up. Even at 1st level it still lasts an hour, as opposed to an AC bonus like Shield which is measured in minutes. But you throw Mage Armor up at the door to the dungeon and Shield in the first round, and that's a +8 to AC. With the Monk AC bonus and maybe a couple items of Protection and Nat Armor and its nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Aries_Omega]

In my game we did have a character that was a sorcerer that became a monk later. So far so good. He took several levels of sorcerer (could cast 3rd level spells) before going to monk. It was a nice build and not overly cheesy IMHO. He has a good background reason for all of it and all.

I agree that the Psionic Fist prestige class is one of the best builds for what you are doing.