Building A Monk [Archive] - Wizards Community

Building A Monk [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Shekias
10-04-06, 05:57 PM A new player of mine is interested in playing a monk. He was thinking a monk duel wielding kama's with more fighter levels (mainly monk levels for flurry of blows). I'm no expert on monks so I came here to ask for some help on a good monk build. Should he multiclass or just take levels of monk? Also if you can suggest any pretty good builds for me it would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Artector
10-04-06, 06:34 PM Don't forget the multi-classing restrictions on monk.

I'd go straight monk, or straight 2 weapon fighter.

I'm not sure if you can Two-weapon and Flurry at the same time, but I know if it was possible there'd be pretty big attack penalties.
Howland Reed
10-04-06, 08:39 PM If you want to dual-wield kamas, it's not too tricky. Yes, you can flurry while fighting two-wep, and the penalties are not prohibitive...once you're 9th (I think) your penalty for flurrying goes away, so you only have a base -2 for using 2 light weapons. Not bad.

If you want to dedicate 2-wep, you could multi into the Dervish prestige (from Comp Warrior), which would work great with kamas, btw. And/or the Tempest prestige (from Comp Adventurer) which gives superior 2-wep fighting (eventually removing even those minor penalties I mentioned above).

Further, I'm of the opinion that almost ANY monk build can be enhanced by a few levels of Tattooed Monk (again, Comp Warr)...and you can freely multi with it, and the levels stack with monk for some special abilities. And I think just about any combat build can be enhanced by 2-4 levels of fighter.

That's a bunch of suggestions without locking you into anything. But a suggested build?

Mnk10/TatMnk10. If you want to add in a 2-wep class, since you're using the same 2 weapons I'd slip in 3 levels of dervish somewhere (sadly, towards the end, since you can't freely multi with monk...so after you take it, it's strictly tat monk).

Hope that helps.

P.S. Don't forget the "ascetic" feats from Comp Adv...they let you freely multiclass monk with 1 other class. Ascetic Hunter lets you do monk/ranger, and your levels stack for unarmed damage...I'm a fan. Ascetic Rogue does similar with Rogue, and Ascetic Mage with either Wizard or Sorc (but it works better with Sorc...lets you use your Cha bonus instead of Wis bonus for your monk AC).
On_the_wings_of_TPK
10-04-06, 10:00 PM As mentioned above you can TWF with flurry, the penalties stack. As for multiclassing, He should need two, but if you do take the fighter levels first. Also there some feats in the CA allow the monk to multi class with other clases. (Paladin, ranger, rogue, and sorcorer.) I recoemnd just taking TWF at first level, and weapon focus Kama, with weapon Finesse, to pump the AC. Then continue on the TWF tree.
kelvinaw273
10-05-06, 06:49 AM It can be done, but at low level you get a -2 for flurrying and a -2 for TWFing, for a -4 total. Lots of attacks though. If he is dead-set for it, I would recomend Monk to level 2, then Ranger and the feat Ascetic Hunter. This allows monk/ranger crossing, and stacks ranger levels with monk levels for detirmining unarmed damage. You can then take two levels of ranger to gain the dual weapon combat specialisation. After that go which ever way you prefer ...

In all honestuy though the advantages of dual wielding and flurrying at higher levels are minimal compared with the greater damage you can do unarmed. Unless you have a pair of seriously magiced up kama, it really isn't worth the feats. Going Ranger/Monk allows some other bonus abilities like favoured enemy, tracking etc. that compliment well with monk if you decide not to baother TWFing!
PhaedrusXY
10-05-06, 09:23 PM This (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=48573) should be helpful. Yes, you can combine TWF and Flurry. This has been clarified in the FAQ and in one of the Rules of the Game articles.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shekias 10-04-06, 05:57 PM	A new player of mine is interested in playing a monk. He was thinking a monk duel wielding kama's with more fighter levels (mainly monk levels for flurry of blows). I'm no expert on monks so I came here to ask for some help on a good monk build. Should he multiclass or just take levels of monk? Also if you can suggest any pretty good builds for me it would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Artector 10-04-06, 06:34 PM	Don't forget the multi-classing restrictions on monk. I'd go straight monk, or straight 2 weapon fighter. I'm not sure if you can Two-weapon and Flurry at the same time, but I know if it was possible there'd be pretty big attack penalties.
Howland Reed 10-04-06, 08:39 PM	If you want to dual-wield kamas, it's not too tricky. Yes, you can flurry while fighting two-wep, and the penalties are not prohibitive...once you're 9th (I think) your penalty for flurrying goes away, so you only have a base -2 for using 2 light weapons. Not bad. If you want to dedicate 2-wep, you could multi into the Dervish prestige (from Comp Warrior), which would work great with kamas, btw. And/or the Tempest prestige (from Comp Adventurer) which gives superior 2-wep fighting (eventually removing even those minor penalties I mentioned above). Further, I'm of the opinion that almost ANY monk build can be enhanced by a few levels of Tattooed Monk (again, Comp Warr)...and you can freely multi with it, and the levels stack with monk for some special abilities. And I think just about any combat build can be enhanced by 2-4 levels of fighter. That's a bunch of suggestions without locking you into anything. But a suggested build? Mnk10/TatMnk10. If you want to add in a 2-wep class, since you're using the same 2 weapons I'd slip in 3 levels of dervish somewhere (sadly, towards the end, since you can't freely multi with monk...so after you take it, it's strictly tat monk). Hope that helps. P.S. Don't forget the "ascetic" feats from Comp Adv...they let you freely multiclass monk with 1 other class. Ascetic Hunter lets you do monk/ranger, and your levels stack for unarmed damage...I'm a fan. Ascetic Rogue does similar with Rogue, and Ascetic Mage with either Wizard or Sorc (but it works better with Sorc...lets you use your Cha bonus instead of Wis bonus for your monk AC).
On_the_wings_of_TPK 10-04-06, 10:00 PM	As mentioned above you can TWF with flurry, the penalties stack. As for multiclassing, He should need two, but if you do take the fighter levels first. Also there some feats in the CA allow the monk to multi class with other clases. (Paladin, ranger, rogue, and sorcorer.) I recoemnd just taking TWF at first level, and weapon focus Kama, with weapon Finesse, to pump the AC. Then continue on the TWF tree.
kelvinaw273 10-05-06, 06:49 AM	It can be done, but at low level you get a -2 for flurrying and a -2 for TWFing, for a -4 total. Lots of attacks though. If he is dead-set for it, I would recomend Monk to level 2, then Ranger and the feat Ascetic Hunter. This allows monk/ranger crossing, and stacks ranger levels with monk levels for detirmining unarmed damage. You can then take two levels of ranger to gain the dual weapon combat specialisation. After that go which ever way you prefer ... In all honestuy though the advantages of dual wielding and flurrying at higher levels are minimal compared with the greater damage you can do unarmed. Unless you have a pair of seriously magiced up kama, it really isn't worth the feats. Going Ranger/Monk allows some other bonus abilities like favoured enemy, tracking etc. that compliment well with monk if you decide not to baother TWFing!
PhaedrusXY 10-05-06, 09:23 PM	This (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=48573) should be helpful. Yes, you can combine TWF and Flurry. This has been clarified in the FAQ and in one of the Rules of the Game articles.