Monk versus Kensai?
Pantalion
Member Posts: 2,137
I'm genuinely curious (and don't play single class characters to compare); how does the Kensai compare to the Monk - without dualling.
The former in BG gets... +2 to hit and damage, -2 AC (ever), and 8D10 HP; can't wear gauntlets, can't wear armour, can't use bows. So ending up with THAC0 11 before strength. They can Master a weapon too, so THAC0 8, +2 damage and 2.5 APR, 8 base AC, down to give or take 3 or 4 with rings and stuff.
The latter (correct me if I'm wrong) get to wear gauntlets, including Bracers of Armour(?), get fighter THAC0 and thief proficiencies (so.... Bows and Scimitars, basically, just like a Thief except with a better base THAC0), and attack twice a round, but only when unarmed... THAC0 of 13 and 8D8 HP.
Meanwhile their AC ends up at 5 base, so potentially -1 with Bracers, -3 with the Baldy Cloak, -5 with the +2 Ring, and -7 with the Claw (no reason not to since they don't get Fighter Con Bonus), -8 if you slap on a Scimitar and SWF (and probably should).
So the Kensai gets a Two Handed Sword, a comparative +5 to hit, but an AC much higher (though HP is superior); the Monk gets to play with Scimitars and ends up with a comparative -5 to be hit, at least.
Am I about right with this?
The former in BG gets... +2 to hit and damage, -2 AC (ever), and 8D10 HP; can't wear gauntlets, can't wear armour, can't use bows. So ending up with THAC0 11 before strength. They can Master a weapon too, so THAC0 8, +2 damage and 2.5 APR, 8 base AC, down to give or take 3 or 4 with rings and stuff.
The latter (correct me if I'm wrong) get to wear gauntlets, including Bracers of Armour(?), get fighter THAC0 and thief proficiencies (so.... Bows and Scimitars, basically, just like a Thief except with a better base THAC0), and attack twice a round, but only when unarmed... THAC0 of 13 and 8D8 HP.
Meanwhile their AC ends up at 5 base, so potentially -1 with Bracers, -3 with the Baldy Cloak, -5 with the +2 Ring, and -7 with the Claw (no reason not to since they don't get Fighter Con Bonus), -8 if you slap on a Scimitar and SWF (and probably should).
So the Kensai gets a Two Handed Sword, a comparative +5 to hit, but an AC much higher (though HP is superior); the Monk gets to play with Scimitars and ends up with a comparative -5 to be hit, at least.
Am I about right with this?
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Comments
My experience with the classes at high levels is that the Kensai is purely a glass cannon. Kai (either naturally or through some mod or other I had installed) maximizes all damage of your attack. Weapon, elemental, whatever. Which means with things like the Celestial Fury katana in BG2 or Gram the Sword of Grief in ToB you are dealing unbelievable amounts of damage. You also have very good bonuses to hit and damage. In BG1 though, a Kensai has less to work with as far as magic weapons and the bonuses from their class go. It's probably best to specialize in SWF for the -2 AC bonus if you play a Kensai, and have 18 Dexterity. That way you end up with an AC of 2 at the start. 1 with a Ring of Protection. By the time you need a lower AC than that I think you should be able to have mages or druids buff you spells. After all, most NPCs at the beginning won't have an armor class much lower than 1.
The monk will start with less hit points and a worse AC than the kensai. Using the same tactic as the kensai above, a monk will have an AC of 2 rather than 1. Their stunning blow won't do much to help at this level either, because it would have to actually hit something first. However, at high levels the monk is one of the best tanks in the game. With the right gear, they will have a very low AC and plenty of immunities. They will also be able to land their stuns more effectively and have decent damage. But that's mid SoA at best. And a monk will never deal as much damage as a kensai, no matter what you do.
Monks also have the disadvantage of having to be human. A Kensai can be an elf with a longsword for an extra hit bonus or, perhaps better, a half orc. Kensai also has the advantage of being able to dual class, but you said to ignore that.
tl;dr They are both awesome at high levels, but neither matures very well in the level range of BG1. High level monk = tank, kensai = damage.
Also I think the OP's missed out Rasaad's boots which are usable by Lawful Human Monks & Mages and give a 2 AC bonus. However I'm not sure that bracers of AC6 work once their natural AC surpasses 6.
They are much worse warriors than Kensais at low levels. Their biggest advantage as they get high in levels are all the automatic immunities they get so you don't generally spend much time buffing them since they are magic resistant and immune to poison, slow, etc. etc.
Kensais are higher maintenance in BG1 but can be very effective all the same. (Hint: grab the shield amulet from the carnival as soon as possible).
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After doing all that, you might want to play BG:EE.
Clever girl.
Edit: And then maybe take a few levels of Druid. You know; for balance.