Should Rasaad wield a staff?

RedGuard

I keep looking at Rasaad's portrait in game and the other art available for him and can't help but be bugged a bit by him having a staff and not being able to wield one in game. I know Monk's have their own restrictions on what they wield, but I've often pictured Monks as wielding staffs. Seeing it in Rasaad's art makes we wonder if this couldn't be changed, even if it was just for Rasaad.

I'm wondering if it's theoretically possible for Monks to wield staffs or do they not have the required animations?

Kushu

Huh. Learn somethin new every day. I thought they could use staff and it was just inefficient to do so because they lose all their unarmed fighting bonuses.

RedGuard

Kushu said:

Huh. Learn somethin new every day. I thought they could use staff and it was just inefficient to do so because they lose all their unarmed fighting bonuses.

Yeah, they can use any thief class weapon bar two-handed weapons (if I remember right). Not sure why, it seems a bit arbitrary.

lunar

I have once changed my mage character to use monk avatars. He could fight with the staff but the graphics looked a bit wonky, he used the high-jump kicking animation when swinging the staff, well that looked really awkvard and ineffective too.

In the game monk's natural unarmed attacks are considered to keep their two-hands busy (they even look like they are holding a staff when not attacking in combat mode) they can not equip a two handed weapon nor can dual wield.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Avenger_teambg

It would require lots of hacking and arting. By default, the monk animations don't support staves.
Never did.

That the portrait depicts a staff - eww. It could have been worse if it depicts it equipped.

RedGuard

I half expected that it might be something like that.

Still, at least we have the portraits. I like them fine enough.

Djimmy

Strange enough but monks in BG cannot use staves... But why...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkFdfi5O7v8

Corvino

As I understand it there were difficulties implementing some parts of the monk class. In order to stop them using dual wield and shields/bucklers they had to make the offhand slot permanently occupied, which also precludes staves.

Avenger_teambg

Short answer: ...
Longer answer:
The original animator (for bg2) made xbow/bow/sling animations instead of staves.
We are working on this, but can't promise it will be done soon or ever.

ReadingRambo

I always change yoshimo s avatar to monk so I'm glad they have bow animation s

Sharn

It bothered me a bit, but since actual monks that D&D monks are based on would never fight hand to hand if they had any weapon available it hardly matters to me. Monks where loosely based on actual monks and the real point of them in game was to let people punch stuff to death, for some reason, so the class has always been more effective bare handed then with weapons.

I do recall monks using weapons being effective in 3.5, they can still get their full attacks and what they lose in base damage dice they make up for by having an enhancement bonus to hit and damage.

Avenger_teambg

ReadingRambo said:

I always change yoshimo s avatar to monk so I'm glad they have bow animation s

Hmm, at least there is some use of them.

ReadingRambo

Avenger_teambg said:

ReadingRambo said:

I always change yoshimo s avatar to monk so I'm glad they have bow animation s

Hmm, at least there is some use of them.

It is very silly they don't have quarter staff animation tho

Hesse

He only uses it as a walking stick.

ZanathKariashi

well..allowing them to put a point in 2 handed style would allow monks +5% crit while equipped with a staff or unarmed, since the monk unarmed weapon is considered 2 handed.