Post/Author/DateTime	Post
necrosnoop110 04-08-04, 12:47 PM	3.5 Core 3.0 Splatbooks 3.0 & 3.5 Forgotten Realms I am starting a new character, a 6th level monk. STR: 15 DEX: 14 CON: 14 INT: 14 WIS: 18 CHA: 14 I get 13,000 gp to spend. So far I decided on, Ring of Sustenance (DMG) 2,500gp [In this campaign this is highly valuable as we travel constantly and are often in the wild for months] Ki Straps (Sword & Fist) 5,000gp Any suggestions? Thanks, Necrosnoop
HoshiAdam 04-08-04, 01:04 PM	Ring of Protection +1: 2000 Bracers of Armor +1: 1000 Hat of Disguise: 1800 total: 4800, leaving 700 left for random stuff. Or donate to the party caster that has cure light wounds on their spell list and get a wand of cure light for the party.
DreamWeaver 04-08-04, 01:36 PM	Hmm...not so sure that spending 3000 on adding 2 to your AC is such a good idea. I like the hat of disguise though. It is an often overlooked item that can be extremely helpful in social/rp settings (obviously not meant to help you in a combat situation where your goal is to annhilate your opponent, but combat isn't what D&D is ALL about, hehe). So, 7500 from your plans (ring+straps) and 1800 for the hat gives a total of: 9300. So 3700 to spend. Not a lot there. If we could squeeze 300 out of the way, you might be able to grab the beginnings of a +6 ability item (i.e.: a +2 item that could be further enchanted later to improve it to +4 and eventually +6). The problem would seem to be which item is most useful to you now given your current situation. To that end, perhaps you could give us all a bit more info? Your 6th lvl, you campaign type often haves you traveling through the wild (hence the ring idea). Do you often find yourselves in combat? Is it a more even mix of combat and social situations? Do you go through many dungeon crawls? Does your DM like to use traps in his lair/dungeon/city creations? Are there any particular areas that you feel your monk is weak in that you wish to improve (i.e.: perhaps you feel his lack of ability to fight creatures that fly is more of a hinderance than usual)? Perhaps you just want to improve upon the aspect of your character you are focusing on. What is the focus of your character? Hardened battle monk? Enlightened martial artist who prefers to find a peaceful path but will fight if he/she must? Perhaps the wise monk of the temple who knows how to find but seldom if ever does? Answering as many of these questions as possible will help everyone who views this message list get a better understanding of what you are looking for. This will help us narrow down the field of generally monk useful items to items specifically useful to your monk.
necrosnoop110 04-08-04, 01:43 PM	COMBAT: I am a tactical strike Monk, I have the Spring Attack chain, and I maxed Hide and MS skills, I like to move, strike, move and then disappear only to strike again. I am all about stunning and disarming my opponents. I have one full-on tank and two semi-tanks in my group so it gives me the freedom to zip all over the battle field striking where it hurts the enemies the most. (I plan on taking the Shadow Dancer PrC at 8th level.) Campaign: Its about 60 combat/40 role-play very few dungeon crawls mostly overland, forests, and city adventures. Items: I would love to be able to fly but items might be too expensive at this level. I have Use Magic Device as a skill through the Cosmopolitan feat so I can use low level wands and such.
DreamWeaver 04-08-04, 02:05 PM	Well, in that case, there are a few things I would suggest. It appears by what you describe that you are sort of a roguish monk. Maxed out your Hide and MS skills, then maybe keeping the Hat of Disguise, in case you need to disappear and reappear as someone else (your being followed, slip into the shadows, change your appearance, step out of the alley way as someone else), and also getting a Cloak of Elvenkind for 2500 for the +5 to hide might be appropriate. However, if you think you are doing well enough on the hide/ms skill front, perhaps you don't need the hat at all. Maybe you just want to boost your abilities in a combat. You like to zip around on the field? Maybe Boots of Striding and Springing for your remaining 5500 would be best. Gives a +10 enhancement bonus to your speed and a +5 bonus to your jump checks. Or perhaps, considering your natural speed as a monk will continue to increase anyway, you'd prefer flexibility in where you can go? Some Slippers of Spider Climbing for 4800 would be an excellent choice if you wished you could run up the side of a tower or wall to reach that annoying archer at the top so you could pummel them senseless. So, which would you prefer to do? Increase your Hide and Move Silently abilities while decreasing the chance of getting caught (hat), increase the speed of your character so you can more quickly zip around the field of combat, or perhaps increase the areas your monk can choose as suitable footing for combat (you may not fly, but if you can run up a wall next to the flyer, it may serve just as well)?
Femur Toothpick 04-08-04, 02:33 PM	Periapt of Wisdom+2 for 4000 is invaluable. +1 to Stun, AC, key skills, and Wis save.