Monk Handbook Discussion Thread

[Gavinfoxx]

I didn't see any threads that mention discussions of the Monk.

I would like to start the topic off with this:

Dragon Magazine 330 sets a precedent of being able to customize which weapons a monk is proficient with, and which weapons they consider special monk weapons.

Dragon Magazine 310 has the Raging Monk option.  This replaces Flurry with Rage.  As such, they can then replace Rage with Ferocity, Whirling Frenzy, etc, and remove several major monk issues.  So you can have a monk that can Whirling Frenzy, and treat things like a Spear or Club as special monk weapons for other (ie, non flurry based) class features, and gaining proficiency with Longsword.

So you can have a monk wielding a Jian two handed and going into a Whirling Frenzy.  And at higher levels, where it might be worth it, due to class [like that +1d6 vs evil] features, to switch to Spear or Club, they can do so with no penalty.  Plus the thing where Whirling Frenzy possibly gives extra attacks as a standard action. ... Not bad.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Heh. With all those Expert versus Monk type threads, near the end of BG,
there were any number of very decent Monk builds posted.
Carnivore posted a thread over here, shortly after the restart.


Unordered:
Martial Monk 2 / ToB 2 / Ardent 2 / Titan Bloodline 3 / UrPriest 2 / Psychic Theurge 7 / PsyWar 2
... and LA buy-off frees up 2 more levels.  No matter what you do it's a little behind from levels 1 to 6.
Every decision is a compromise of some sort.  Level 7 "ought" to be Ardent 2 with lots of cheese.

But eventually you get:
Ur 9s , wonky Ardent 9s , Monk abilities over 20 (Tash feat) , Flurry with Titan sized light weapons (feat)
the PsyWar soulknife-y acf lets you retool the weapons on the fly, Ardent supplies the ML for it.
Overall high Tier 2 or low Tier 1 ; but it needs cheese glorious cheese to do it.

[Gavinfoxx]

Well, I was trying to figure out how hardcore we could get basic monk.  I think if you start at midlevels, Wild Monk is very useful... but taking that means you can't trade away stuff for some of the earlier bread and butter alternative class features at early levels.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Monk + Outsider can take fullest advantage of the Alter Self + Polymorph goodies.
Get that little training in UMD thingy that popped up last go round.
Leadership of course, for some decent buffing / making the AS or Poly items.
Then burrow back into all those crazy monk be-yotch sessions,
for more details here and there.

The Commoner 20 build that gets the flying castle also works ... 

[nijineko]

i would also like it pointed out that the OA gave variant rules which optionally replaces any or all of the bonus feats with a selection from an expanded list of feats. page 19 under the monk entry for the rule, and table 6-1 on page 79 for the expanded list of bonus feats. keep in mind that the expanded list of feats must be qualified for regularly unlike normal monk bonus feats.

also note new uses for sense motive and the extreme tumbling expanded DC chart (move a 10' step instead of 5'...).

the cosmopolitan feat from FR allows anyone to have UMD or Iaijutsu focus as a class skill for all levels...

bloodwind (spell compendium) allows melee attacks at range, and is a cheap always on magic item.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Here's a pic for that ZerthoMonk PrC in CPsi
  ... uh I mean a Tash + Clairsentience build.

Gamora is the green skinned one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamora