I want to play a monk but...
Goose1009
Member Posts: 3
I'm having trouble starting a new BG2EE game. I simply cant decide on a class to play. The monk is very appealing to me, but it seems to me like it simply wasnt implemented correctly. Even following the monk guide, i'm finding that right out the gate I'm sitting at a 12 THACO and am having trouble hitting anything. Now from what I read this does get better, but i'm curious how much better? What level do I actually start being able to reliably hit other enemies?
I have 18 str/dex/con and took single weapon prof, but nothing seems to be helping. Obviously i expect a few issues right out of the gate, but when fighters have an extra 3 or 4 to their roll, i'm having trouble finding the reason to stick with the monk. Is there items you need to get early in the game to help out? or is this something that will always plague me? Or do i simply have to start using regular old melee weapons (at which point I may as well just re-roll as a fighter).
Thank you all for any and all input and advice you give me. I appreciate it all. Perhaps i just need to give it more time to develop?
I have 18 str/dex/con and took single weapon prof, but nothing seems to be helping. Obviously i expect a few issues right out of the gate, but when fighters have an extra 3 or 4 to their roll, i'm having trouble finding the reason to stick with the monk. Is there items you need to get early in the game to help out? or is this something that will always plague me? Or do i simply have to start using regular old melee weapons (at which point I may as well just re-roll as a fighter).
Thank you all for any and all input and advice you give me. I appreciate it all. Perhaps i just need to give it more time to develop?
0
Comments
With some more detail: THACO will more or less cease to matter in a few levels. Also damage output is absolutely ok, I guess with a dual-wielding grand master fighter you can have a bit more in the endgame but the monk certainly has nothing to be ashamed of and will out-perform in the midgame when damage goes to 1-20 for the fist.
I just took a look at a savegame mid-ToB with Minsc as my primary fighter & tank. He does 19-25 damage at level 24, at comparable strength to Rassad with 5/2 attacks Flail of Ages while Rasaad has 19-38 with 4 primary attacks at level 30 (almost same XP).
Both can upgrade with dual-wielding (yes, monks can now dual-wield, best to put scarlet ninja-to in the offhand later). This is with some of the gloves that give +3 damage from his quest I think while I missed the best monk-gloves (gauntlets of crushing or whatever they're called that give +4 hit and damage).
XP/kill ratio is comparable, Minsc is at 30% while Rasaad is at 27%. Minsc was in the group much earlier plus gets good benefits of Azuredge one-shot undead kills.
THACO for Minsc is at -9 with -5 for Rasaad. The innate magic resistance more than makes up for it (78%, yeah!).
Also monk AC can get ridiculously low (I think it's actually a bug) since his AC bonus stacks on top of bracers or other "fixed AC gear" -> e.g. potions of defence which rock for a monk. AC for Minsc is -9 while Rasaad is at -11 without potion or AC bracers (gear optimizing on damage). With a potion of defense or invulnerability it goes to -21 and I have a stack of 15 potions each lasting hours for all major fights in the backpack.
Both are NPCs with sub-optimal stats so as PC with 18s in your prime you will of course out-perform.
I also have a monk-solo where I´m around level 18 somewhere in chapter 2 which so far went without a major problem. AC -13 (with bracers), THACO 0 and 11-30 damage at 4 attacks main hand. Will continue playing that once I get the ipad version (which is my designated solo-run platform since anything else is more or less unplayable on the ipad in my opinion).
Summary: if the monk appeals to you don't worry and play him, you will certainly be able to perform nicely with it.
As a side note with as few spoilers as possible: When you get to the Asylum Island, you'll want to get the boat back to the mainland at the end rather than take the portal. You will also want to side with the King rather than the Prince for a very nice bit of Monk gear.
…Monks can dual wield?
This changes everything!
I don't think slowing them down is a good idea, but they can make it into a no-time limit ability (call it "running foot", "soles of the cheetah" or something else monkish, lol). That way you can turn it on/off whenever you please.
I think Monks should be capable of moving at an exceptional pace when they want to/when the situation call for it, rather than Kung-Fu ADHD warriors
The only issue you'll have is that it's a little boring loot wise, since you pretty much can't use anything. You'll find this with a few classes though, so it's not unique to the monk.
They're also complete pants in BG1, I couldn't use Rasaad in it because most of his abilities kick in at around level 10!
Throw a couple buffs on them and watch them annihilate stuff.
What appealed me was their Magic Resistance by level 14. It caps at 78% but is unparalled even by Wizard Slayers and their meager 1% per level! Since the hardest fights involve Magic, Monks are very reliable.
Give them some AC bracers and Mirror Image items and they become very hard to hit.
Their fists are ravaging and they can end battles quickly with Quivering Palm on Malisoned/Doomed/Called Shot enemies.
not to mention monks seem weird when in the middle of a heavily armoured party toting plus 5 weapons seems a little out of place I like monks more as solo characters or in very small parties
The soundtrack from Rocky will do.