dont get the monk class

ameliaboggins

they seem so dull to play?

feel like a jack of all trades and master of non?

where is their cutting edge?

are they really only for roleplayers and bruce lee fetishers ?!

TheArtisan

Master of none? More like master of all once you get them high enough level. Monks are absolutely insane. Great damage and AC scaling, Stunning Blow is basically a death sentence, magic resistance (wizard slayers? HA!), movement speed, etc. They don't need items, but items just make them even better. Their weakness in BG1 is a little overstated too, as a monk with decent stats can still hold their own. I'd even say soloing BG1 with a monk is easier than with a fighter. Dull? Sure, but no more so than any other pure fighter class.

JumboWheat01

Monks always appeal to the person who wants to "work" for their power. They don't grab super-powered magical arms or armor and show their power that way, they rely on hard training. And hard it is, as they're a very back-loaded class, no matter the edition.

ameliaboggins

i went through the monks like a hot knife through butter in bp2

just dont see them superior to swashbuckler or blade.

just something missing from them for me i guess. Also i tend to prefer my melee types dual weilding decent weapons...

cervanntes

Ran a monk all the way through BG1, and am currently sitting in the Underdark with him in BG2. I have to agree with Artemius_I -- while you do have to be a bit careful for the first couple of levels, they aren't as weak as a lot people say they are even in the beginning, and after about 8th level they really start to pick up steam. The trick with the monk -- just like any other class -- is to learn how to use them effectively. They do require more micromanaging than, say, a fighter, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Grond0

One aspect that's easily over-looked for monks is their ability to stealth. That may not be used much in a party, where stealth is less important anyway and other characters can do it better. However, it is a serious advantage if playing with a solo monk.

Aerakar

I have played a monk in SoA through ToB and he was very powerful once he received the innate magic resistance. It was really like a playing a tornado fisted blender of death. Nothing could stop him, seriously.

I have tried to play one in BG but became bored as he played like a weak fighter. I agree with the comment above on earning your power slowly. Once you start getting the immunities, extra attacks, extra AC, etc. the monk really starts to shine and become a unique play experience. They make great scouts and mage killers.

On the monk specific items, there are some for monks now, but still I wish they had more monk only items like in Neverwinter Nights, e.g. robes, belts, gloves.

Aerakar

Must not get motivated to play a monk....focus on elven assassin run...focus...agh!!!

BelgarathMTH

My main problem with monks, and therefore Rasaad, has always been their critical hit vulnerability. Are they supposed to keep running in and out of combat trying to not get hit in the first place?

batoor

They're rough to play in BG1, it can be done..but there's not a lot of reward/satisfaction in it. It's better with the kits though, compared to what it used to be in a vanilla BGT setup/tutu at least.

SoD makes them a bit more appealing.

Papa_Lou

This is perfect, actually. Restartitis hit me, and I decided to give a monk a go. They sound like absolute beasts once they get a few levels into them, but I did have a couple questions an this seems to be a good a place as any to do it.

1- Do Sun Soul (or Dark Moon) monks get the same bonuses as a normal monks, minus the setbacks listed in the class description? I wanna make a Sun Soul, but don't want to give up the magic resistance and other dandy things the normal monk gets. Should I just play a normal monk?

2- Is there any way to strip the monk of their increased movement speed? I don't want my monk to end up getting miles ahead of the party and walk right into an ambush, only to have to wait around for the rest of the party to catch up..

JumboWheat01

Unless it's says it is removed, yes, you keep the benefits. As for removing the movement speed, no idea, I'm not a mod maker.

TheArtisan

Ring of free action maybe?

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Abi_Dalzim

BelgarathMTH said:

My main problem with monks, and therefore Rasaad, has always been their critical hit vulnerability. Are they supposed to keep running in and out of combat trying to not get hit in the first place?

Used to not be so bad, back when Ioun stones counted as helmets. I haven't played a Monk since that change, but I'd at least take a crack at using Strom the Third's Burial Mask to see if that still works.

cervanntes

BelgarathMTH said:

My main problem with monks, and therefore Rasaad, has always been their critical hit vulnerability. Are they supposed to keep running in and out of combat trying to not get hit in the first place?

I never had that much trouble with critical hits, but then again, I don't solo, so my monk always had at least one solid NPC around to help absorb punishment. For most battles, the monk didn't need to do a lot of hit & run, but against really tough opponents with potentially devastating crit hits, the combination of being able to hit & run very effectively and being able to potentially stun the enemy made up for the lack of any critical protection. Takes more work, sure, but then again, one reason I don't really enjoy playing fighters is that they DON'T take much work. Just rush in and start swinging. Boring!

There's another side to this as well. Sure, the monk is more vulnerable to crit hits than most other melee fighters. On the flip side, they become less vulnerable to a lot of other dangers in combat. As the monk progresses, he gets...bonus against missiles, immunity to disease, immunity to slow, immunity to poison, immunity to charm, magic resistance, and immunity to non-magical weapon. And they get a solid self-heal that can help them recover from anything that doesn't immediately kill them. For a vanilla monk, there's also stun, which can render an enemy incapable of striking back. It's easy to forget about all these defensive bonuses, some of which kick in at reasonably low levels and can make a surprising difference. I actually found my monk was surviving better in a lot of fights than my tank-types during SoD and the first half of BG2, even though the tank-types had better overall AC and crit protection.

Also don't forget stealth. Not really that useful at low levels, but once you get it built up a bit, it's quite useful in setting up the fights to your best advantage, especially if you are a vanilla monk with stun or quivering palm available. Nothing quite like sneaking around a horde to the most dangerous individual and popping out of hiding with a stunning blow and/or instant-death-blow. Again, you don't need crit protection against something that can't move or doesn't live long enough to even get one strike in.

alceryes

Papa_Lou said:

2- Is there any way to strip the monk of their increased movement speed? I don't want my monk to end up getting miles ahead of the party and walk right into an ambush, only to have to wait around for the rest of the party to catch up..

There may be a mod but I think EEKeeper can do it too...
Yup, load up your game in EEKeeper, go to the 'effects' tab, and delete the 'movement modifier'. This may have to be removed again at level up (or maybe just the level ups where your movement speed increases). I agree, the movement speed bonus is great when solo'ing but more of a detriment in a party.

alceryes

BelgarathMTH said:

My main problem with monks, and therefore Rasaad, has always been their critical hit vulnerability. Are they supposed to keep running in and out of combat trying to not get hit in the first place?

You could always 'force' him to wear one in EEKeeper. As long as you don't take it off he'll be protected.

Papa_Lou

alceryes said:

Papa_Lou said:

2- Is there any way to strip the monk of their increased movement speed? I don't want my monk to end up getting miles ahead of the party and walk right into an ambush, only to have to wait around for the rest of the party to catch up..

There may be a mod but I think EEKeeper can do it too...
Yup, load up your game in EEKeeper, go to the 'effects' tab, and delete the 'movement modifier'. This may have to be removed again at level up (or maybe just the level ups where your movement speed increases). I agree, the movement speed bonus is great when solo'ing but more of a detriment in a party.

I've actually never used EEkeeper before, because I never had a real reason to, so I'm only now getting to see just how much you can do with it.
This is a very dangerous tool...

Zilber

Papa_Lou said:

alceryes said:

Papa_Lou said:

2- Is there any way to strip the monk of their increased movement speed? I don't want my monk to end up getting miles ahead of the party and walk right into an ambush, only to have to wait around for the rest of the party to catch up..

There may be a mod but I think EEKeeper can do it too...
Yup, load up your game in EEKeeper, go to the 'effects' tab, and delete the 'movement modifier'. This may have to be removed again at level up (or maybe just the level ups where your movement speed increases). I agree, the movement speed bonus is great when solo'ing but more of a detriment in a party.

I've actually never used EEkeeper before, because I never had a real reason to, so I'm only now getting to see just how much you can do with it.
This is a very dangerous tool...

Set out what you want to do, and do only that. It is madness otherwise.