Kensai or Monk? - from returning player
SleepingSamurai
Member Posts: 9
Hello everyone,
I'm returning player to Baldur's Gate games. I've done two playthroughs of BG2 + TOB 10 years ago and recently bought BG:EE and BG:EE 2, hoping to enjoy whole saga from beginning to end this time.
Back then I was playing as Cavalier and while it was fun i'm looking for something else this time. I'd like my character to somewhat resemble Geralt, and by that i mean character which focus more on speed and agility, than strenght. I narrowed my ideas to Kensai and Monk.
Which one would you advise to returning player like me? or perhaps there is better choice?
Thank you in advance.
I'm returning player to Baldur's Gate games. I've done two playthroughs of BG2 + TOB 10 years ago and recently bought BG:EE and BG:EE 2, hoping to enjoy whole saga from beginning to end this time.
Back then I was playing as Cavalier and while it was fun i'm looking for something else this time. I'd like my character to somewhat resemble Geralt, and by that i mean character which focus more on speed and agility, than strenght. I narrowed my ideas to Kensai and Monk.
Which one would you advise to returning player like me? or perhaps there is better choice?
Thank you in advance.
Post edited by SleepingSamurai on
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Comments
Or maybe a gnome swashy instead - spectacular thieving bonuses, no negatives to primary stats, bonus to saves. Put two pips in dagger for melee and ranged coverage and never look back! They really make great swashbucklers or fighter/thieves.
Anywho, welcome to the forums!
Totally Fighter/Mage. Just forgo the Elven Chain Mail as long as you feel you can, rely on spells for protection and dance around with long swords. I'd recommend an Elven one, you'll be a little more fragile... if they can hit you, and you get that sweet sword bonus.
@alceryes Gnome sounds interesting, however i think Viconia wouldn't want to romance gnome character in BG2
@JumboWheat01 Yes, Geralt the Witcher.To be honest, i've only played first Witcher, tried Witcher 2 but i quit after first two chapters. I'm more familiar with Witcher books.
Fighter/Mage multi is cool, i thought about this option for some time, but this playthrough i'd like to have single class character. Firstly because, i'm yet to master magical system in BG, and secondly, because i really don't see Geralt's character as mage, at least according to books. He uses signs very rarely in whole saga(at least this is how i rembember it) and they seem to be rather primitive kind of magic, comparing to what mages can do in witcher universe.
@Grond0 Does Kensai have any advantages over Monks? in terms of roleplaying i hate that monk has to be lawful character, i had the same problem when playing Paladin. I tend to act as neutral/neutral good character.
Witchers are monster slayers after all. And Rangers do get some basic spells but also some arcane ones.
Geralt is specialized in multiple weapons but generally favors two. A silver and a steel sword. So dual-wielding two swords isn't too far off.
Geralt wears leathers mainly. He's also quite nimble and can definitely "assassinate" (Backstab) but also sneak.
Either Stalker or Blade to make a Witcher, personally.
Here is the glorious little stab-rabbit himself. He's all out of bubblegum so he's currently kicking ass all over the sword coast with a custom 4-pack party.
And considering how they're both fighters, it would be more like comparing a granny smith apple to a mcintosh apple.
That's taxonomically accurate, because apples and pears are in the same family (Rosaceae). Fighters could be the family, the kits would be considered the Genus, and the difference of pure kits or dual clas could be the Species
Sorry for nerding out on biology.
Anyway ..
Kensai behave very much like a regular fighter except they are offtank simce they never will have armor or bracers (unless you dual to theif and use UAI). Monks eventually become super tanky (but are suspectivle to crits, no helmet.. ioun stones work still?) and have a ton of immunities but hit less often (less ways to improve APR and THAC0). Thematically they are similar, but mechanically are pretty different.
@Archaos
I believe you're right about Stalker being closest thing to Witcher.However, is it harder class to play compared to Monk or Kensai?
@KramerTheWeird
Would you recommend any of those two class to begginer player?
Are those hard classes? Should i pick easier class?
Tony Shalhoub is your man.
That's how I usually roleplay Candlekeep monks, anyway.
Stalker: like thieves, the Stalker has to worry about positioning. You want to be directly behind a target to backstab. Also, stalkers can only wear leather and studded armor so cannot take much hits, so you have to pay attention to when they're attacked. They often act as a scout in the party so timing stealth and finding shady spots when you need to restealth can be tricky and some people don't want to hassle (you don't necessarily have go be a scout).
Kensai: have the same issues with being hit and positioning but slightly worse. A stalker can eventually wear leather armor that is as good as plate armor (late into SoA and ToB, but a Kensai will always have terrible AC. A Stalker has some better potential at escaping with their haste spells and improved invisibility compared to Kensai but you can also have a mage cast these spells, too.
Both Stalker and Kensai are like a skirmish class... get in, do some damage and get out ASAP. Stalkers because of their stealth, are better suited for taking out mages before they can get defenses up. Kensai are better suited for assisting a tank in your party (such as a pure fighter, barbarian, or a fighter/cleric multiclass) take down a tough enemy, or mowing through a crowd of weaker mobs, often one shotting them.
Monk: starts out like a kensai that can't do much damage. Because of their speed, they are best at kiting with a sling, darts or throwing daggers for the first few levels. Once they start getting AC and the fist upgrades (lvl 5ish) they start to improve. They become less of a skirmish class and are able to tank some more. Eventually they will be very strong, and can take a beating, even if they have less hitpoints compared to other tanks.
Whereas kensai and stalker are always needing attention and micromanaging (mind you, not as bad as some classes), a Monk starts out worse but towards the end of BG1 soon becomes easier to play and almost becomes autopilot due to how tough they get. You could always start in SoA, right when a monk starts to shine.
The Kensai can never wear any armor or shields on you have to rely on magic items to increase your AC.
Same with the Monk. But even more painful since you don't get the insane damage of a dual-wielding Kensai, though it's more defensive.
The Stalker can wear Studded Leather but you can also use the various ranged weapons in BGEE, to make your life much easier.
You also get percentage STR, unlike the Monk. The backstab is also nice.
The most accurate Witcher is probably the Stalker but the Kensai does more damage consistently later on and the Monk becomes a beast in BG2EE but it has nothing to do with a Witcher.
The Kensai is basically: "I do an insane amount of melee damage but that's about it."
The Monk is basically: "I eventually become super defensive, with lots of movement, damage and resistances".
The Stalker is more balanced from start to finish with lots of variety (dual-wield, sword-shield, archery, stealth, spells).
in single class, just for simplicity. Thanks for idea, though.
@KramerTheWeird @Archaos You convinced me to try Monk. If it'd go terribly wrong for me, i'll restart with Stalker or Wizard Slayer.
Last question, off-topic.
What are your thoughts on Siege of Dragonspear? Do you think that SoD is essential for complete Baldur's Gate playthrough, or is it something i can skip now, being first timer in BG1?
At least Siege of Dragonspear is more important to the story than the randomness of ToSC (they're just extra areas and quests unconnected to the story).
I would definitely go through all of BG1EE, SoD and BG2EE for the complete experience.
I know, more is better. I was asking only from financial standpoint.