I mean, he doesn't have a great AC (acceptable, but not great), and his damage output for a striker is just piddly. I mean, if, IF I hit with a 'Blistering Flourish,' then NEXT round, I hit with an attack, AND use my Desert wind Flurry of blows on a guy, then I can deal 1d8+13 . . . but that gets rid of the best part of the flurry of blows ability (the -2 to hit if I use it on someone else), and it relies on me hitting twice on two concecutive rounds. Most of the time I am just stuck dealing 1d8+4 (Maybe 1d8+9 if I use the flurry of blows ability on the same guy I hit.) It just seems like the rogue can do the striker job SO much better, AND they don't need to be on the front lines taking hits!
My level 1 stats are:
Str:11, Dex:18, Con:14, Int:10, Wis:10, Chr:16, and at first level I took the Ki Focus Expertise feat so that I can actually hit. Any suggestions? Should I compleatly tank my HP, fort defense, and Healing surges to increase my Dex to 20?
You are level 1. You're not going to obliterating creatures in one round. A d8+4 for most of your attacks is about right from what I've seen with other low-level characters. As for to hit, +5 v a standard Monsters's NADs (level +12 if I remember correctly) will mean you hit on a 8 (13-5=8). You have good accuracy, decent Monk damage and respectable defenses.
First of all, calling Non-AC Defenses NADs is HILARIOUS. Especially if it is a fort save.
Second, a Monk is supposed to be a striker. 1d8+4 is good damage for a defender hitting someone with his longsword, or a leader smacking someone with a mace, or a controller . . . but Strikers are supposed to do DAMAGE, that is their shtick, and 1d8+4 is just not that good. Compare my monk to a rogue. A good essentials rogue can have combat advantage every round (using, let's say, ambushing trick and tactical trick), and hits for, say 1d6(weapon)+2d6(sneak attack)+dex mod+2 (Weapon Finesse) damage. And an extra d6 if they backstab! So, if a rogue has a Dex mod of 4 (same as me) They hit for 3d6+6 damage PER ROUND. I can, if I use my flurry of blows on the same guy, hit for 1d8+9 All I am saying is that I am seeing that I am comming up short on the damage side of things.
They often lack high single target damage and by default they can't use the standard striker non standard action tricks of minor action, immediate action, and granted attacks combined with big static mods. And they don't make good chargers and have tricky implement rules.
They can be fairly effective and are more interesting to play than most other strikers, but they are normally more 5th man/2nd striker PCs than primary strikers.
Monks don't stink, but they don't work like other strikers. They normally do well with multitarget damage and control along with having excellent movement powers (also a striker shtick) and good defenses.
They often lack high single target damage and by default they can't use the standard striker non standard action tricks of minor action, immediate action, and granted attacks combined with big static mods. And they don't make good chargers and have tricky implement rules.
They can be fairly effective and are more interesting to play than most other strikers, but they are normally more 5th man/2nd striker PCs than primary strikers.
Thanks for the input . . . so monks are like . . . striker/controller hybrids? In that case, what do you think of my monk? Any suggestions for other feats or altering his stats?
I played a blistering flourish monk through low paragon a few months ago and it worked fine, but the power and the desert wind flurry of blows are a little annoying to keep track of. Monks already have a lot of stuff to keep track of at higher levels compared to most strikers and both powers have variables that effect how they work from round to round.
Monks are a class where you want to go with a starting 20 dex. It effects your to hit/damage, your ac/ref, and your initiative and skills.
I played a blistering flourish monk through low paragon a few months ago and it worked fine, but the power and the desert wind flurry of blows are a little annoying to keep track of. Monks already have a lot of stuff to keep track of at higher levels compared to most strikers and both powers have variables that effect how they work from round to round.
The only problem is HP. If I change to 20 Dex and 16 chr, that leaves my con at a whopping 11, giving me a piddly 23 HP, 11 Fort save, and 7 Surges. While I know that most of the time I will be next to the tank, I can still get hit by area attacks and other things (like the tank or myself getting pushed or slid away from each other. I dunno, if you've played a Monk before, and it worked for you that's fine, but I generally prefer more survivability.
Plus, I'm picking up Superior Ki Focus prof. at level two so I can have the Mountain Ki Focus (the one that gives +1 to push/slide/pull effects and +1 AC/Ref when you hit for a turn.
Monks are a class where you want to go with a starting 20 dex. It effects your to hit/damage, your ac/ref, and your initiative and skills.
I played a blistering flourish monk through low paragon a few months ago and it worked fine, but the power and the desert wind flurry of blows are a little annoying to keep track of. Monks already have a lot of stuff to keep track of at higher levels compared to most strikers and both powers have variables that effect how they work from round to round.
The only problem is HP. If I change to 20 Dex and 16 chr, that leaves my con at a whopping 11, giving me a piddly 23 HP, 11 Fort save, and 7 Surges. While I know that most of the time I will be next to the tank, I can still get hit by area attacks and other things (like the tank or myself getting pushed or slid away from each other. I dunno, if you've played a Monk before, and it worked for you that's fine, but I generally prefer more survivability.
Plus, I'm picking up Superior Ki Focus prof. at level two so I can have the Mountain Ki Focus (the one that gives +1 to push/slide/pull effects and +1 AC/Ref when you hit for a turn.
Most of the effects you're worried about will target Ref, which with your 20 Dex you have no cause for worry about. Your first two feats should be for Unarmored Agility and an Accurate ki focus, making you harder to hit and easier to get your effects that rely on hitting off. If you can't be HIT, you can't be HURT, now, can you?
Most of the effects you're worried about will target Ref, which with your 20 Dex you have no cause for worry about. Your first two feats should be for Unarmored Agility and an Accurate ki focus, making you harder to hit and easier to get your effects that rely on hitting off. If you can't be HIT, you can't be HURT, now, can you?
Unarmored Agility is godly.
There is a guide for Monks somewhere in the character development forum I think. It gives a list of abilities and feats that monks might want to consider. As far as my personal experience playing Monks, make sure you understand the different movement abilities. They have to be done as when said ability is used, so Dragon's Tail movement can only be used in the same turn as the attack. This is how I was taught, could be wrong, I haven't played Monk in a year.
The effects that Monks cause are fun for me, though I'd rather go Battlemind (defender).
Most of the effects you're worried about will target Ref, which with your 20 Dex you have no cause for worry about. Your first two feats should be for Unarmored Agility and an Accurate ki focus, making you harder to hit and easier to get your effects that rely on hitting off. If you can't be HIT, you can't be HURT, now, can you?
Unarmored Agility is godly.
There is a guide for Monks somewhere in the character development forum I think. It gives a list of abilities and feats that monks might want to consider. As far as my personal experience playing Monks, make sure you understand the different movement abilities. They have to be done as when said ability is used, so Dragon's Tail movement can only be used in the same turn as the attack. This is how I was taught, could be wrong, I haven't played Monk in a year.
The effects that Monks cause are fun for me, though I'd rather go Battlemind (defender).
community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758...
That said, if you average the damage from the Monk and the Rogue, and compare it to what a level 1 defender does, you'll see there's a bigger difference between the Monk and the defender than the Monk and the Rogue. While not the best striker, the Monk still fulfills his role adequately.
What amuses me is that you're going to play in an Essentials game (low difficulty) and chose to play a Monk (not Essentials, and far from easy to play correctly out of the box). That said, if you average the damage from the Monk and the Rogue, and compare it to what a level 1 defender does, you'll see there's a bigger difference between the Monk and the defender than the Monk and the Rogue. While not the best striker, the Monk still fulfills his role adequately.
Oh, and I might be wrong, but isn't Desert Wind Flurry of Blows a melee attack? If that's the case, your Flurry gets the damage bonus from Blistering Flourish, and you're doing 1d8+dex+cha+cha+2 at-will, and next turn an additional +cha as well. If you have an 18/18 stat array, that's 18.5 average damage at-will at level 1, right there. Then the Rogue can suck it :-)
First off, I had to talk the DM into letting me play a Monk using the powers presented in the "Heroes of the Elemental Chaos" book which was used in essentials (that was the only way he'd let me play) and I just wanted to play a Monk. I'd played one in Second and Third edition, and they were always fun, so I wanted to try it.
Second: The Fighter can power attack, and, while yes, it is an encounter, 2d8 (I am assuming longsword or scimitar or something)+4 is probably on par with 1d8+9 every once in a while (I have to hit the same target with desert flurry of blows, and I'd much rather give people -2 to hit me.)
Third: I thought that the flurish stacks with flurry of blows at first too, but alas, no. Blistering Flourish says ". . . your melee ATTACKS deal extra fire damage . . ." and Desert Wind Flurry of Blows is a "Monk Feature" not an attack.
Monk have encounters powers too, and there are some at level 1 that (should) do much more than 2d8+4. If not to one enemy, then spread amonst several (spreading damage is what Monks do best).
About Flurry being a feature instead of an attack: I thought so too at one point, so I can't blame you for thinking the same. But the author of the aforementioned Monk Handbook (have you looked at it yet? It's really good!) explained to me that Flurry is, in fact, an attack power. It's also in the Monk Handbook itself:
Show
Is Flurry of Blows an attack power? Flurry of Blows (FoB) is a class feature. However, by the Rules Compendium guidelines, FoB would also clearly fit under the attack power clasification. Therefore, FoB is both an attack and a class feature. FoB being an attacks means you CAN augment it with a few items, but that you can only use it once per turn.
Oh, I'm not telling you off or something for playing a Monk; far from it, you should play what you like and enjoy it! Just wanted to mention that observation.
Monk have encounters powers too, and there are some at level 1 that (should) do much more than 2d8+4. If not to one enemy, then spread amonst several (spreading damage is what Monks do best).
About Flurry being a feature instead of an attack: I thought so too at one point, so I can't blame you for thinking the same. But the author of the aforementioned Monk Handbook (have you looked at it yet? It's really good!) explained to me that Flurry is, in fact, an attack power. It's also in the Monk Handbook itself:ShowIs Flurry of Blows an attack power? Flurry of Blows (FoB) is a class feature. However, by the Rules Compendium guidelines, FoB would also clearly fit under the attack power clasification. Therefore, FoB is both an attack and a class feature. FoB being an attacks means you CAN augment it with a few items, but that you can only use it once per turn.
What is a Full Discipline power? Hide
All monk at-will attack powers and all monk encounter attack powers are Full Discipline powers. You can tell if a power is a Full Discipline power by checking to see if it has the Full Discipline keyword. Each Full Discipline power contain both a movement power (called the movement technique) and an attack power (called the attack technique). You can use one or both of these powers in a given turn. However, you cannot use powers from a different Full Discipline power in the same turn unless you use an action point.
For example, you could use the Five Storms attack power to attack, and then the Five Storms movement power to shift two squares as a movement action. Once you've done this, you cannot use a movement power from Fallen Needle as a minor action (unless you spend an action point) because Fallen Needle is a different Full Discipline power.
For example, you could use the Five Storms attack power to attack, and then the Five Storms movement power to shift two squares as a movement action. Once you've done this, you cannot use a movement power from Fallen Needle as a minor action (unless you spend an action point) because Fallen Needle is a different Full Discipline power.