Is Rasaad supposed to be this bad?

okini55

Or am I bad at this game as usual? .... I tried him several times on my playthroughs and every time he dies fighting the weakest enemies in the entire game... It's not that I have to use him or anything, there are so many other companions in the game but I always thought he was a cool character but every time I have him in my party he dies immediately.

Lammas

Supposed to? I don't know. Kinda is though.

Low level monks just have nothing going on. All their good stuff comes together at levels not reachable in BG1 and to top it off he's got very middle of the road stats that make him not stand out in the least and your actual warriors are probably going to love the stat boosting gear more than he does because they can actually tank and hurt things better soooo...

He's like a third rate flanker DPS or something. You can use your extra strength and heroism potions on him to save him from mediocrity 2 hours at a time (about 10 mins irl) and make sure to keep using his special abilities whenever you're battling something meaningful to get the most out of him.

I just realized I've never played a monk in BG2 Enhanced Editions but since Ioun Stones no longer give crit immunity I'd imagine he's kinda going to be a little bit more of a micromanagement nightmare there too since he's got no helmets.

Genuinely, unless you're a monk or Rasaad super fan, I just wouldn't. He'll give you a crash course into how many consumable resources are available in the game, which is more than I ever bother quaffing down the throats of actual warriors. You can make him work at later levels. Do you want to bother is completely up to you.

Yigor

Well, it makes more sense to play monks starting from level 7-8. At high levels they become strong fighters, cf. for example, my run up to level 37 in BP1&2:

"At level 37, monks are really great melee fighters with AC=-13, THAC0=-7, 100% poison immunity and 78% magic immunity. 👊 "

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/87892/my-three-monks-party-of-level-37

Zaxares

Yep, as others have said, 2nd Ed Monks are pretty lackluster until they hit high levels (like 15+), at which point they turn into uncatchable, near-immune to everything (including Magic if you give them the right Magic Resistance gear in the BG games) lethal skirmishers that can run in, beat the enemy mage/cleric to death, and then run out again without anything touching them. Still, they're very much a niche class that you can safely bench if you prefer the more traditional D&D party make-up.

Gel87

Well, monks takes time to become good.
Im currently playing a solo monk on legacy of bhaal in bg1. I removed xp cap and in actually level 16 atm and soon done with bg1.
I put all 3 monk kits in 1. cause well, yes i wanted to…

Anyway:
Rashaad is the worst type of monk in my eyes. He got low stats, and the sunsoul spells are almost worthless in high difficulty. However here are its advantages:
- Sunsoul beam strikes superfast and can interupt mage spells very well. At decent level you can kite with that + sling to bring down doomguards as an example. Its also good vs kangax as its a lvl 0 spell.
- The fireshield is decent, but most likely rashaad will die first xD it does however give 50% fireres passive.
- the lvl 13 skill is amazing, not due to damage, but due to blinding. Combined with 2 handed fist range blind is super good.
- the Firefist adds very good damage boost, but short duration.

Monks in general adds a general 1/2 attackspeed at certain levels, combined with Nice thaco table and increased movement speed this makes them excellent kiters with sling.

Hide in shadows is also very usable and important in solo monk play.

The dark monk got amazing stuff:
- Blind combined with 2 handed range makes you able to attack most blind enemies without them fighting back.
- Mirror immage and blur is amazing defansive.
- Then ofc quivelring Palm.

The base monk has the amazing stun alibility and quilvering Palm. And they have some healing.

They can drink all amazing pots same as a fighter and can have up to 1100 Wands of heaven strike in bg1ee if enought money.

I also added shadow step x 2.

sarevok57

yeah, beamdog should have given rassad 18 DEX and 16 CON, it is absolute madness that they gave him 16 and 14 instead, and they should have given rassad more monk items to make up for his lacklusterness ( the boots are great, and again would have been better if he had some actual DEX, and the mits you can give him at the end of his quest are meh at best )

in all honesty, if you didnt need to do rasaad's quest to get the belt of 19 STR, i would never EVER use this guy, and in fact i only use him till i get the belt and kick him off to the curb afterwards

okini55

It's a pity that he is so bad
In my opinion he is by far the most interesting companion in the game.

Wisterias

Just pick him, do his quest for the items, and send him vs some basilisks alone.

Holden1

I use a monk as my main every time I play. It's just too fun to beat people up. I'd recommend using a kit mod to make them more interesting, but it's not necessary. You have to micro them carefully at all times, but that just makes them more fun in my opinion.

Phoenix_VII

Rasaad has the misfortune of belonging to the weakest kit of the weakest class in the game. That being said, with the Big-Belted Fist you get from his quest he can start doing appreciable damage by the time he hits Level 7 and gets 1d10 fists and two attacks per round. His speed makes him great at flanking and attacking enemy archers and mages but you will want to support him with the Shield Amulet or Spirit Shield spell...it's a crying shame monks can't be hasted though.

jmerry

I've played with him. He's not great. He'll never be the star. But you can make him carry his weight, and be average-ish in the party.

The key here is to understand skirmisher tactics. Monks have stealth. Monks have bonus movement speed. Monks get bonuses to weapon speed (initiative) with any sort of weapon. Monk fists have long reach and the best possible speed rating. They've got almost everything a skirmisher wants; the only hole in the kit (at low levels) is a lack of burst damage.
What monks aren't, especially at low levels, is tanks. You can't just leave them alone in melee and expect them to do well.

So, then, Rasaad can scout, and spot enemies while under stealth. He can hit enemies that have slow weapons like melee hobgoblins and gnolls, and retreat before they can hit back (Don't try this with animals; wolf bites are just as quick and long-ranged as monk fists). He can join in once the battle is already started, and hit enemies that are focusing on your other party members.
It takes a lot of attention to play like that, but it works.

Also, don't be afraid to use manufactured weapons. When you don't have a good opening to slip in and hit someone, use a ranged weapon. And a decent sword can hit harder than your fists - plus monks do get the warrior +1/2 APR at level 7. 3/2 APR with a magic sword, or 2 APR with your level 6 nonmagical fists? It's not a clear-cut advantage for either side.

There's also an item in the game which is fantastic for a monk, especially one with mediocre physical stats - the Cloak of the Wolf. Transform, and you get STR 18, DEX 17, and a magical attack with 2 base APR and 1d8 base damage (piercing). Which counts as unarmed for the monk APR bonus, so that's 3 APR at level 6-8. It's a little slower than your fists and piercing's not a great damage type, but it's still a substantial upgrade in most situations.