Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lilt 11-01-04, 08:55 AM	I'm presently playing a VOP Saint monk 5/tattooed monk 6 character who just gained his 12th level. I was planning on putting the level into tattooed monk, but was unsure which tattoo I should get. My present tattoos are Crane, Bellflower, and Wasp. I was considering the phoenix tattoo, as spell resistance is somewhat useful. I also get the 12th level bonus exalted feat from VoP this level, meaning I could take Exalted Spell Resistance so my SR goes to 26 against evil spells and the spell-likes of evil creatures. Taking the campaign tendancies into account, it is a high-powered campaign and we are very often fighting creatures/characters of a higher level than us, even streching into the epic levels. Whilst this is managable, we are a party of between 5 and 7 strong 14th-level characters with cohorts and powerful allies (some of them verge on epic levels too), it means that the spellcasters we fight have very high caster levels and so could bypass SR 22 most of the time. Any ideas for what tattoos could be more useful in such a campaign? Maybe Tiger for pure beat-down potential (my character has a high AC but he only does significant damage against evil-undead and evil-outsiders).
Ipsissimus 11-01-04, 09:48 AM	Even with a lower SR vs. higher casters most of the time casters don't make wands and scrolls at their highest caster level to save money and exp in the production. IMO the SR is one of the better ones and every monk should have to reinforce their will is stronger than most. There will be a lot of times when multi classes caster/somethings will also be throwing spells at you without the uber caster levels of straight mages etc. A VoP monk is pretty cracked out so I don't think combat will be an issue, I would go for tats that allow you versatility. Take a look at "Moon, Crescent and the Centipede ones." Ocean is pretty fun too and frees up a magic slot.
Skyrocket 11-01-04, 11:12 AM	Ocean, Phonix and Crab are pretty good.
maven50312 11-01-04, 12:06 PM	Umm.... Ocean isn't such a great choice seeing that its a non-issue with a VOP Monk unless you wanted to use a tattoo to not sleep, but imho, I think there are better choices. Phoenix is definitely a good choice, Tiger is too, and if you have Stunning Fist, Spider might be fun, although I'm not sure if using poison would remove you from your exalted status. But if it does, Falcon is nice for fear immunity. You can tack that immunity to all the others you've got from the saint template.
Lilt 11-01-04, 05:32 PM	Hmm... Ocean is possible but overlaps significantly with the VOP sustenance ability. Crab also overlaps with the saint's DR abilities, and in the months that we have been playing no enemy who has been able to hit my AC has been unable to overcome my DR. That's somewhat predictable when your AC can reach 50 (53 now) against some opponents, albeit for limited periods of time. I think I'm most likely to take the Phoenix tatoo (and exalted spell resistance) as it at-least means a 25% chance of being unaffected by the spell-likes of a Balor.
rilem 11-01-04, 05:42 PM	Unicorn seems good; defense against the dreaded "1" on a save-or-die effect. White Mask tattoo would seem to work very nicely with an Invisible Blade/Shou Disciple approach, helping your feint rolls significantly. But you really have to coordinate your build right.