Neverwinter Nights Monk Character Guide Version 1.3
Author: Eddie LaRusic August 15th, 2002
===============================================================================
Introduction
------------
Just a quick note about all content below this one; this guide is (currently)
designed to be most beneficial to those who create monks in the NWN campaign,
and did not multiclass.
This FAQ also assumes you are at least somewhat familiar with Neverwinter
Nights, and it's engine. It also assumes that you have the instruction book
handy to tell you have each skill and feat does if you are unsure. Looking
the skill/feat up in the game will also provide an accurate description.
If you've got an opinion on something in this FAQ, and
are willing to tell me it with a) proper English and b) grace I'll look into
putting it in here, with full credit. See Section 8 for more details.
Section 0 - FAQ Related Information
===================================
0.1: Version History
0.2: Things to Add
Section 1 - The Monk at a Glance
================================
1.1: Why Use a Monk?
1.2: Monk Strengths
1.3: Monk Weaknesses
Section 2 - Creating a Monk
===========================
2.1: What Races Make Good Monks?
2.2: What Stats are Important for a Monk?
2.3: How Should I Start My Monk's Abilities?
2.4: Where Should I Place My Monk's Bonus Ability Points?
2.5: Multiclassing (Monk: Major)
2.6: Multiclassing (Monk: Minor)
2.7: Monk Builds
Section 3 - Monk Skills
=======================
3.1: A Review of Monk Skills
3.2: Which Skills Should I Max?
Section 4 - Monk Feats
======================
4.1: Feats Monks Get Naturally
4.2: A Review of Possible Monk Feats
4.3: Which Feats are Must Haves?
Section 5 - Monk Stats
======================
5.1: The Monk
5.2: Every Statistic You'd Ever Want to Know About a Monk
Section 6 - Monk Items
======================
6.1: Monk Weapons
6.2: Monk Specific Armour
6.3: Monk Specific Gauntlets
6.4: Monk Specific Boots
6.5: Handy Items for a Monk
Section 7 - Other Monk Stuff
============================
7.1: Monk Henchmen
7.2: Monk Multiclass 'Unarmed' Attack Bonus Bug
Section 8 - Credits and Contact Information
===========================================
8.1 Credits!
8.2 Contact Information!
8.3 Legal Stuff!
===============================================================================
SECTION 0 - FAQ Related Information
===============================================================================
0.1 Version History
-------------------
1.3 - Added more info about the monk attack bug, including ways to exploit it!
Including a mega way to exploit it!
- Some more small updates to both skills and feats.
- Some commentary on both stat distribution and feats
- Minor updates to various parts of the FAQ.
- Gloves don't work with Kama's! Bad FAQ! BAD FAQ!
- Fixed some inconsistancies with capitilization.
1.2 - Unreleased version.
- Added the monk 'multiclass' bug.
- Fixed gloves to read that they don't work with kama's, which they don't.
- More multiclass info.
- Various comments and editing.
1.1 - Completely forgot about our friends, the Half-Elves. Added them.
- Added "Still Mind" to the monk feat list (gained at level 3)
- Found out that Haste gives a +4 bonus to AC. Woot!
- Changed some of the skill descriptions to dis-include Tomi. (poor guy)
- Fixed Threads of Fate kama to show that it actually does cost zero
charges.
- While talking about Kama's, I've added a bunch more thanks to the
toolset. Fixed up the gloves to, to show +1 to +5 versions of each.
- Minor cleanup, re-editing. I think I've rid myself of all the tab
demons now.
- Added a multi-class monk build!
1.0 - Initial release, hopefully has mostly correct information and speeling.
0.2 Things to Add
-----------------
- Any additional builds and info on the monk would still be appreciated.
===============================================================================
SECTION 1 - The Monk at a Glance
===============================================================================
1.1 Why Use a Monk?
-------------------
Simply put, I consider monks to be the best class later on in levels. They get
an incredible amount of abilities, and save a little bit of money by not having
to invest in weapons. Also, they get the most attacks at later levels,
and their bare hands do incredible damage. Spell Resistance is also a nice
bonus against magic users who try and whack you with their best spells.
They're simple to use, and extremely effective.
1.2 Monk Strengths.
-------------------
- Monks gain a large amount of useful abilities as they progress in level.
- A monk uses an d8 for hit dice, so while their hit points won't be
fantastic, they'll be able to take blows.
- A monk usually has a terrific Armour Class, due to some monk specific items
- Monks use the 'higher' saving throw for Reflex, Fortitude, AND Will.
- A monk's fists gradually become better and better, and at high levels are
EXTREMELY powerful.
- Monks (using a kama or their fists) usually gain more attacks per round then
a Fighter of equal level.
- Monks eventually become immune to disease, poison, mind-affecting spells,
and gain high magic resistance as they progress.
- I personally love the way monks giggle when you kiss them.
1.3 Monk Weaknesses.
--------------------
- Monks cannot use scrolls.
- Monks can't cast spells.
- Monks can get into trouble when they do not have their AC Dodge modifier.
- Monks can also get into trouble when facing multiple enemies
===============================================================================
SECTION 2 - Creating a Monk
===============================================================================
2.1 What Races Make Good Monks?
-------------------------------
First off, Halfling and Gnomes are going to have problems being a monk. Their
fists do pitiful damage (by monk standards) all the way to level 12, and they
don't really improve. While other monks are suddenly smashing for 1 - 20
damage, a Halfling monk is only attacking for 2- 12 damage.
Pretty much any Medium or larger race can be a pretty good monk. Half-Elves
don't gain any bonuses to their stats, yet give up the extra feat and skill
points a Human gets. They're immune to sleep, but your monk won't find his
eyes-resting that often. Elves only get a mere bonus to AC (due to their +2
Dex), and lose some valuable hit points doing so. Half-Orcs are next best,
getting a bonus to strength, yet losing two fairly unimportant stats for a
monk. Dwarves are second best, losing Charisma (darn!) and getting +2
constitution in the process.
However, Humans I believe make the best monks. Monks require a good balance of
4 of the stats, and while humans gain no bonuses specifically, they make up for
it in an extra feat and some extra skill points.
2.2 What Stats Are Important to a Monk?
---------------------------------------
Str: Possibly the most important, as this can help you hit your target and
add some damage to boot. Many readers have mentioned that I should
boost the strength of the monk 'builds' I have listed below; Your choice
ultimately.
Dex: Important, because as monks don't wear 'armor' per say, they do require
dex to help dodge things. I do recommend raising this to at least 14, but
I believe it foolish to raise it 18 or 20.
Con: Even with their usually excellent AC, monks still need to take hits.
Their d8 hit dice are good, but you'll still be glad when you've gained
additional hit points due to having a high constitution.
Int: Not very useful for a monk. Monks don't use many skills anyway. I'd
keep it above 9 however so you speak not strange.
Wsd: Very useful. Like Dex, monks add any bonus to this to their AC, which
sorta gives a monk "two" dexterity bonuses. Also allows 'insight'
dialogue choices which is good.
Cha: I like a high persuasion, and that alone should cancel out any negative
you may want to place here.
2.3 So How Should I Start My Monk's Abilities?
----------------------------------------------
Here's a table as too how I'd place my ability points:
Human/Half-Elf Elf Dwarf Half-Orc Gnome Halfling
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Str ' 14 14 14 16 12 12
Dex ' 15 16 16 14 15 16
Con ' 14 13 16 15 16 15
Wsd ' 14 14 14 14 14 14
Int ' 10 10 10 10 10 10
Cha ' 10 10 6 6 10 10
A real argument can be made to increase strength to 16 and drop dexterity to
14 for a dwarf; While your AC drops one, your attacks all get a +1 to strike
and damage. Not too shabby. Use you're own judgement.
Except for Dwarves and Half-Orcs, your stats will all be positive, thus you
won't have any negatives. It's also important to note that ANY 'odd' stat, has
the same bonus as the previous 'even' number (i.e. both a stat of 12 and 13
give the same bonuses). That means that having a stat of 13 is literally no
different then a stat of 12; no extra skill points, no extra damage, nothing
(it may let you carry more, but that's all) Feats however, require 'odd number'
stats, so if you're looking for Power Attack, bump that Strength up to
13. Here's a small table to show you the 'bonus' a stat will give:
Stat Bonus
0-1 = -5
2-3 = -4
4-5 = -3
6-7 = -2
8-9 = -1
10-11 = 0
12-13 = +1
14-15 = +2
16-17 = +3
18-19 = +4
20-21 = +5
.. and so on.
Thus, if you're never going to increase your intelligence after starting the
game, there is no reason to put it at 11 to start. You're better off setting
it to 10. Note however, that if you want to gain a higher 'bonus' you must
increase the stat to the next highest 'even' number. That means that if you
want your dex bonus to go from +2 to +3, and your dex is currently a 14, you
must increase it twice; First to +15 (which has no effect) and then to +16
(which does have an effect.)
I'd also like to mention that these stat distributions are by no means the
'best way' to spend your points. If you wish to raise your strength to 16, by
all means, go right ahead. You should build the monk you're most comfortable
with. Due to the increased cost to raise a stat after the first 6 points
however, I find it more beneficial to raise other stats if they'll provide a
benefit.
From James N. Daniel III about putting more priority on Strength:
I find that every point of strength that I add makes a big difference,
though mostly with respect to being able to hit often. Starting at 14,
though acceptable, actually seems a bit low to me. Wisdom, on the other
hand, does not figure as prominently in a monk's design as 3E and NWN
designers might want you to think. Upping Wisdom by 2 points (i.e., an
extra bonus from wisdom) only gets a monk 1 better AC and makes it
slightly (very slightly) harder to save against the stunning fist.
Monks have naturally high AC to start (from a wisdom of at least 14, of
course), but I don't see much gain from adding to it later on. Yes, you
can merely add to strength with belts and such, but if you add to
strength AND wear strength items (which, unlike in the PnP version,
stack together in NWN), your monk ends up with very high bonuses to hit
and of course the extra damage per hit. With the monk's ability to hit
7 times per round in the end game (5 base, +1 flurry, +1 hasted by the
Dark Moon robes), that's easily 21 or 28 extra points of damage dished
out per round, if all 5 stat increases go into strength and base
strength starts high (15 or 16).
In short, I would do:
STR: 16
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 10
WIS: 14
CHA: 8
Increase Strength every 4 levels. Wear the Girdles of Strength, but
the Gauntlets of Ogre power aren't worth it cuz of the unique monk-only
gloves. There's enough monk-only AC items that make you nigh-unhittable,
so higher Dex isn't necessary. Higher Wis has the problems I have
mentioned above. Intelligence is just not that important, because your
strength is not in your skills. Charisma is sort of important, but
spending points in Persuade more than makes up for the -1.
Every 4 levels you'll gain a 'point' which you can use to increase any stat by
one. You can get 5 total of these points.
2.4 Where Should I Place My Monk's Bonus Ability Points?
--------------------------------------------------------
One thing I should make clear is as these stat points are for the LONG game,
they should be placed so they have the most effect in said long game. There
are two powerful items in particular that increase your stats when worn that I
recommend using. I'll go into these later, but here's a brief guide into 'what
ability'
First point (level 4): You should place this in a stat that is currently an
odd number. For instance, if you're a human or half-elf, and you're following
my ability point allocation, you should throw the stat into Dexterity, as
should Gnomes. Elves should throw it into Con, as should Half-Orcs and
Halflings. For dwarves, it's your decision, but I'd throw it into Wisdom.
Second point (level 8): If your a dwarf, place it into Wisdom to give it an
even number (should make your wisdom an 16 now). Everyone else, throw it into
Strength.
Third point (level 12): Dwarves can toss this into Strength. Every one else,
Wisdom (Note: I know your Strength should now be a 13 or 15, but that's the
way to best utilize the Belt of Ogre/Giant/whatever might you've probably
found by now. You should be able to pick one up that gives a +3 to strength,
thus giving you a 16 or 18 overall. Not too shabby).
Fouth point (level 16): Dexterity for a dwarf, everyone else will want it in
Wisdom.
Fifth point (level 20): Non-Dwarves will want this final point in Dexterity.
Dwarves? Which ever stat you'd like. Maybe Con if you prefer higher hit points
to Dexterity, but I'm not sure how you'll take advantage of it without
neglecting to use Boots of the Sun Soul +5.
Thus, your final 'base' abilities should look something like this:
Human/Half-Elf Elf Dwarf Half-Orc Gnome Halfling
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Str ' 15 15 15 17 13 13
Dex ' 17 17 17 15 17 17
Con ' 14 14 16(17?) 16 16 16
Wsd ' 16 16 16 16 16 16
Int ' 10 10 10 10 10 10
Cha ' 10 10 6 6 10 10
This will allow you to best use a Belt of Hill/Frost/Fire Giant Strength, and
Boots of the Sun Soul +5, which provide +3 to your dexterity. Neat eh?
2.5 Multiclassing (Monk: Major)
-------------------------------
Monks have many limitations as to what they can and cannot use for weapons in
armour, thus making most multiclassing a 'bad idea.' I think monks are very
effective when they stay the course of a single class, but here is a brief
rundown on what you'll gain (or won’t) from taking a level or two of another
class.
Also, the following combinations are impossible, due to alignment restrictions:
Barbarian/Monk
Bard/Monk
Cleric/Monk : You gain armor proficiencies, but they're all useless to you
as you shouldn't be wearing armour anyway. The simple weapons
you gain are also of little use. Nothing useful for skills,
and being able to cast only a few level 0 and 1 spells isn't
going to help you much in the long run. Your charisma will
generally be low as a monk, thus the Cleric's turning ability
will be sub-par at best. The shield bonus is nice however.
Druid/Monk : Note, you must be Lawful Neutral to multiclass as this. Again,
the weapon and armour proficiencies aren't much use, and you
don't even have the spontaneous healing a cleric would obtain.
You get an animal companion tho. Another class that will allow
a monk to use a shield. One advantage to using a Druid/Monk
is that you'll use the monk's 'unarmed' attack bonus while
polymorphed, and due to the current bug (mentioned near the
end of this FAQ) you'll still have a great number of attacks.
Fighter/Monk : You get a bonus feat, and slightly better hit dice, but you
ain't using any of those armour and weapon proficiencies.
Possibly good if you're going for a kama monk; If you're only
going to take a level of Fighter, your best bet would be at
your 4th + level; That way you can pick up Weapon
Specialization to add a fat +2 to your damage rolls. You also
gain the use of a shield.
Monk/Paladin : Worse then a fighter, again your Charisma will be low, so you
won't benefit from the 'increased saving throws' a Paladin
normally gets due to his Charisma. You become immune to
disease at 5th level too. I'd rather multiclass as a fighter.
Shield!
Monk/Ranger : Possibly the first or second best multiclass, you gain
Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats for free, and a
favored enemy. a few extra hit points never hurt either. If
you want to try that 'dual kama' monk, this might be the way
to go. A polymorphed Ranger uses the monk 'base attack bonus'
as well, so go morph into an Umber Hulk kids.
Monk/Thief : Probably the way I'd go if I was into multiclassing a monk.
You get a ton of skill points, which can possibly help you
open locks and disarm traps. You also get a sneak attack
bonus, which isn't much, but is better then nothing.
Monk/Sorcerer : Magic-lobbing classes really are poor with only a few levels
in them, so it'd be pretty stupid to waste a few levels
learning some low level spells that aren't going to prove
themselves worthwhile once you hit the higher levels. Also,
pumping Charisma means losing stat points in other, more vital
areas for a monk.
Monk/Wizard : Like the Monk/Sorcerer class, except you can't spontaneously
cast from your spellbook.
2.6 Multiclass (Monk: Minor)
----------------------------
I felt this deserved it's own section due to the increased info I've been
seeing/sent about only taking a few levels of a monk.
Cleric/Monk: Cleave is a useful 'free' feat a Cleric can pick
up; The rest however, aren't quite as useful.
You might however, be able to use the monk specific
robes effectively, and you'll have full shield
bonuses.
Druid/Monk: I believe Druids will gain more from the Fighter
class, but a single level for the free feats
wouldn't hurt too badly.
Fighter/Monk: A few levels of monk can give you some free
feats (including: Cleave, Evasion, and Deflect
Arrows). Adding 6 levels of monk will give you
both Knockdown and Improved Knockdown, Monk
Speed, and Purity of Body. You can make a very
insane kama 'monk' if you use the monk multiclass
'unarmed' attack bug (see section 7.2 for
details.)
Monk/Paladin: Still not as good as the Fighter, but again, the
free feats can go a long way.
Monk/Ranger: You lose a lot of the fighter feats, but you
gain the few feats noted under monk for only
investing a level or two. The 'unarmed' bug
could be easily applied here as well, and would
be especially sick with dual kama's. (see Section
7.2 for bug details.)
Monk/Thief: You don't benefit as much here as you do with the
'Fighter' classes. You'll gain Evasion on your own,
and you won't be cleaving as much, Still, not
horrible; You'll probably be better served using
a fighter as your second class however.
Wizard or Sorcerer/Monk: You gain quite a few defensive abilities to help
your spell-lobber survive. You gain the monks AC
bonus, Evasion, and Deflect Arrows. You're also
allowed to use the awesome various monk robes.
A few better Hit Point rolls never hurt either!
(thanks to Sherwin Tam for this info)
2.7 Monk Builds
---------------
1. Multiclass Monk/Fighter/Thief by Kaisergeist
```````````````````````````````````````````````
Hey, just thought I'd run something by you I tried in the game. I made an
absolutely beastly character by multi-classing a monk with fighter and rogue
levels. Here's how.
Start out as a monk . . . the stats I tend to use for monks are:
Str - 14 - Important for hitting people, of course.
Dex - 16 - Important for AC and reflex saves, also of course.
Con - 10 - Not something I like to sacrifice, but . . .
Int - 10 - You don't need to worry a lot about skills this way.
Wis - 16 - Important for AC and will saves.
Cha - 8 - Let's be honest . . . who needs to be nice when you can kill?
Give the monk a fighter level early on. He gets a great HP bonus and fort
save bonus, and the VERY SPECIAL PARTS of the fighter class for a monk - A
MONK CAN USE SHIELDS WITHOUT LOSING HIS WISDOM BONUS! And with fighter
levels you can use the Weapon Specialization feat for Unarmed Strike OR Kama.
Plus, fighter levels jack the base attack bonus faster and it still applies
to the favourable number of attacks you'd have as a monk (unlike real D&D) and
you get feats so fast it's amazing.
Now the explanation for the rogue levels. First, good reflex saves obviously.
Those first level bonuses of 2 rather than 1 are sweet that way. Second, this
allows your monk to get Sneak Attack damage to his attacks when it's available.
That extra few d6 damage to his hits really count.
*Editor's Note: You'll have larger XP problems trying this build with an Elf,
Gnome, or Half-Orc due to their Favoured class restrictions.*
===============================================================================
SECTION 3 - Monk Skills
===============================================================================
3.1 What About skills?
----------------------
This is pretty objective, so I won't do a "place this much skill points
here..." but I will give my opinion on each skill.
(note that Animal Empathy, Perform, and Use Magic Device are entirely unusable
by a monk)
(second note: "CS" means that the skill is a Class related one, and thus each
point placed into it raises it one rank, as opposed to a non-class skill,
which requires two points to raise it one rank).
(third note: If you're planning on using a shield as a monk, or specifically,
a tower shield, placing points in Hide and Move Silently skills would be a bad
idea. A tower shield adds a whopping -10 to these skills, and a few of the
cross-class skills)
Concentration (CS) : Worthless. You don't cast spells, and I don't
ever remember a creature Taunting me.
Disable Trap : Worthless to a pure monk. In single player,
you can hire Tomi to do your detecting early
on, and hopefully enlist the aid of a rogue
friend in multiplayer. The fact is, a monk
doesn't get many skill points to play around
with, and later on your saving throws will be
so high you can merrily walk through many of
the traps you find; Go Improved Evasion!
Discipline : Good. The only non-class skill I like, you'll
find Knockdown to be plenty annoying, and
while you usually shouldn't be able to get
disarmed, it also can help negate called
shots.
Heal (CS) : Excellent. For a meagre amount of gold and
some skill points invested, you can easily heal
30 to 50 hit points per 'healer's kit' with
this skill.
Hide (CS) : Undecided. I haven't quite got the hang of
'hiding' but I also find that running in
and pummelling the enemy is pretty effective.
If you've found Stealth to be useful, by all
means, raise the skill.
Listen (CS) : Poor. A few points never hurt, but you don't
encounter many invisible enemies in the game.
Lore (CS) : Excellent. I love this skill, but if you don't
mind paying money to identify items, feel
free to ignore this. I just found it
convenient to identify items when I find them.
Move Silently (CS) : Undecided. Again, I don't play the monk as a
rogue, so I never used this very effectively.
It's your own discretion.
Open Lock : Worthless. You should have no trouble opening
chests with your fists later on. The ones you
can't, your helper might be able to. If you're
still worried about opening locks, I'd take the
Power Attack feat.
Parry (CS) : Undecided. I've read that same people like
this skill, and indeed, it does sound neat, but
I never used it. Frankly, most enemies will
attack fewer times a round then the monk will,
thus that's wasted attacks that could result
from you being in parry mode. Again, use
your judgement.
Persuade (CS) : Fantastic. An excellent skill, I'd always make
sure this was maxed. Note that this may not
be so useful for a user created module, but
there are few skills worth pumping for a monk
anyway.
Pick Pocket : Worthless. You're not a thief.
Search : Worthless. You see, you're basically spending
as a monk a minimum of 4 points just to have
minimal success dealing with traps; 2 points
for every rank in Spot, and two more for a
rank in Disable Trap. This gets too costly,
especially with the amount of skill points
you'll receive. The only dangerous traps at
higher levels for you with my the Spike Traps,
but even then with full health you'll still
have breathing room after setting them off.
Set Trap : Worthless. I shouldn't need to explain why.
Spellcraft : Worthless. You can't counterspells, so knowing
that you're about to be hit by a fireball
isn't going to help you any.
Spot : Not too many invisible enemies in the game
that need spotting, and definitely not enough
to warrant spending points in a cross-class
skill.
Taunt : Undecided. Taunt SEEMS powerful, but not
enough to justify using your few skill points
to increase this.
3.2 So What Skills Should I Max?
--------------------------------
Again, this is subjective, but I think maxing Heal and Persuade is definitely
a good idea. And again, I consider Lore to be terrific. Again, it depends on
your play style. If you like sneaking around with your monk, maxing "Hide" and
"Move Silently" would probably be a good thing.
I've got some questions on maxing out the 'heal' skill, so I'd like to address
the heal skill here.
I'd first off like to say that yes, a potion of heal will do a bang up job
curing your monk of hitpoints. However, outside combat, I'd much prefer to
use a healing kit to recuperate my hit points.
The market price for a Potion of Heal is 2640 gold. This will of course, cure
all your hit points. A Healer's Kit + 10 goes for the low low price of 344 gold,
and with a maxed out skill (and assuming +3 wisdom bonus) will heal 56 hit
points. This is because outside combat, you take 20. It also has the side
benefit of curing any poison and/or disease you, or your helper/friend might
be afflicted with. For 7 Healing Kits +10(less then the cost of one Potion of
Heal) you can cure 350 hit points. A mere Healing Kit +1 will barely cost you
100g's a shot, and will cure over 40 hp's a shot.
Resting is of course, free. However, it is convenient to simply pop a healing
kit if you're down about 50 hit points. It takes only a few seconds to use a
healing kit, while it takes almost 20 to rest.
Also, you aren't immune to poison until level 11, so they are VERY handy
before then, and just REAL handy afterwards :)
From Mark Lauer, against maxing the skill 'Heal':
"Healing kits, while being pretty much useless in the official
campaign and other normal campaigns, do have their uses in persistent
worlds that follow Dungeons and Dragons rules closely. For example,
some persistent worlds only allow you to rest every 8 gameplay hours,
and I have seen a couple that go even further and don't let you
recover your maximum amount of hit points on rest. In this case, your
monk with the heal skill and healing kits can substitute as a weak
cleric, giving a small boost to your party members' hit points. In
other persistent worlds, when you die, you actually don't really die
until you reach -10 hit points(-1 hp per round), so your allies have
a chance to heal you before you die and require a raise dead or
resurrection spell. You can't chuck a potion down his throat for him,
but you can use a healing kit to save him. Healing kits also allow
you to cure poison and disease, and while you are immune to those
effects, your allies won't be. In single player or campaigns where
resting is allowed, healing kits are near useless, but they can be
used to great effect in persistent worlds.
===============================================================================
SECTION 4 - Monk Feats
===============================================================================
4.1 Feats Monks Get Naturally.
------------------------------
Monks get quite a few feats for free at first level, and gain several more as
they progress. These technically aren't "feats" so much as monk abilities, but
they're all listed in the same section as monk feats, thus I felt it best to
throw them in this section too. Most monk 'feats' are used automatically, thus
making you a formidable opponent without even trying!
Improved Unarmed Strike (first level) This feats basically prevents opponents
from making attacks of opportunity
against you when you try and smack
them with your fists (and you will be
doing that a lot).
Use: Automatic
Stunning Fist (first level) This feat works much differently for a
monk then it does for other
characters; Basically, you make a
normal attack, and if you hit, the
target must roll a fortitude save (DC
= 15 + 1/2 your level + your wisdom
modifier) or be held for 3 rounds.
Monks can use this a number of times a
day equal to their level, and while
I'm on the topic, Constructs, Undead,
and creatures immune to critical hits
are immune to this mmmkay?
Use: Selected
Cleave (first level) A wonderful skill, if you manage to
fell an opponent with your attack, you
may make a free attack on an opponent
your monk can hit from where he's
standing.
Use: Automatic
Specialty Weapon (first level) You use a kama (normally an exotic
weapon) pretty well. Instead of your
'normal' base attack bonus, you use
your 'unarmed attack bonus' when
swinging these puppies, and you also
benefit form some skills that are
normally only used when using your
bare hands. Keep in mind however, that
you no longer use your unarmed damage
bonus while wielding a kama, and monk
gloves will not improve your attack.
Use: Automatic
Monk Armor Class Bonus (first level) You add your Wisdom modifier to your
Armour Class... as long as you aren't
Wearing armor.
Use: Automatic
Flurry of Blows (first level) When using your fists or a kama, you
get an extra attack per round.
However, all your attacks are made at
a -2 penalty. This feat is terrific;
You can use it as many times a day as
you'd like, and at later levels a -2
to your attack is a minor penalty with
the attack bonus your sure to have.
Use: Selected
Evasion (first level) If you successfully make a reflex save
in a situation that would normally
cause you to take only half damage,
you escape unharmed. For example, if
an EVIL wizard decided you would be a
good target for his fireball, and you
were 'hit' by it, a successful saving
throw would mean that you safely
ignored the fireball. An incredible
skill, that gets better later on.
Note: Having this skill does NOT mean
that you have a chance to completely
avoid damage from a spell/effect that
allows a reflex save. The spell MUST
state (like fireball) that a
successful reflex save would allow
half damage. If it doesn't say that,
sorry chum. Suck it up.
Use: Automatic
Deflect Arrows (second level) The first missile attack per round has
a chance to be automatically dodged
(Reflex Save DC 20). A nice little
bonus for being a monk.
Use: Automatic
Monk Speed (third level) Starting at third level, your monk
moves faster then other classes not
under the influence of a haste spell
or effect. It increases as your level
rises, starting at being 110% faster,
to be 150% faster at very high levels.
Use: Automatic
Still Mind (third level) This one isn't mentioned in the
instruction book nor the 'readme' that
comes with the game. Anyway, it's here,
and your monk gets a +2 bonus to all
saving throws against Mind-Affecting
Spells.
Purity of Body (fifth level) Your monk is now immune to disease,
both common and (as far as I can tell)
magical. A good thing to have when
you're up to your neck in mummies!
Use: Automatic
Knockdown (sixth level) Pretty similar to Stunning Fist. You
make an attack roll at -4, and if
successful, your opponent must make a
successful disciple check, or be
knocked on their butt. You get a bonus
if you're bigger then your target, and
a negative if you're smaller. +4 for
every size smaller, and -4 for every
size larger. This means that if you're
a gnome, and you try and hit a elf
with this, your attack would be made
at -8. I consider Stunning Fist to be
superior, but it's up to you in the
long run.
Use: Selected
Improved Knockdown (sixth level) In the previous description, I said
your gnome would get a -8 to hit that
elf. I was actually lying. You'd only
get a -4, because with this skill, you
act as if you're one size larger.
Hopefully, I don't get too many people
e-mailing me about my 'error...'
Use: Automatic
Wholeness of Body (seventh level) Once a day, your monk can restore
twice it's level in hit points. That
means a level 10 monk can restore 20
hit points. Not really useful, when you
consider a healing kit can do that and
more.
Use: Selected
Improved Evasion (ninth level) Fail your reflex save against that
nasty fireball? No problem! You're
still taking only half damage! Again,
as in evasion, the spell/effect MUST
state that a successful reflex save
allows half damage. Otherwise, you
better hope your hit points are
currently high.
Use: Automatic
Ki Strike (tenth level) Damage Reduction getting you down?
Well, no more (maybe)! Your fists now
count as if they were +1 weapons, and
at 13th level, they'll count as if
they were +2. And, at level 16, your
fists, in addition to being quite
calloused, are now considered +3
weapons when calculating damage
reduction. Note however, that this
'enchantment' bonus isn't the same as
a magical weapon. You will not have
the normal bonus to strike and damage
like most magic weapons grant. Still,
your fists are mighty weapons without
added bonuses. Oh, and it should be
mentioned that Ki Strike has NO EFFECT
on monsters/objects with Damage
Resistance; +3 or not. But that
goes for all magical weapons striking
something with Damage Resistance.
Use: Automatic
Diamond Body (eleventh level) A misleading name if I ever saw one.
No, you don't get damage reduction;
that's later. Instead, you'll have to
settle for being immune to poison,
both natural, and as the manual
states, most magical. As soon as I
became eleventh level, my monk was
never poisoned again, so either he's
immune to ALL magical poison, or most
magical poison sucked, and the enemy
mages preferred to cast good spells
against me instead. Not that that
helped them.
Use: Automatic
Diamond Soul (twelfth level) Spell Resistance! Quite the beautiful
thing. What does this mean exactly?
Well, excluding the possibility of the
spell penetration feat, 45% of the
spells cast upon your monk by a wizard
of equal level are safely ignored.
Diamond Soul grants Spell Resistance
equal to your monk's level plus 10.
Use: Automatic
Quivering Palm (fifteenth level) Instant death! YAAAAAAAAA! If you
scream that as you use this skill, you
get a +1 bonus to successfully hit. I
swear. Actually a fairly poor skill, a
struck opponent must make a fortitude
save (DC 10 + 1/2 monk's level +
monk's wisdom modifier) or collapse
into a puddle of very dead goo.
Unfortunately, at 15th level most
fortitude saves are quite high. It's
actually impossible for my level 20
monk to be killed by this effect (DC
23) unless I roll a 1. Expect similar
difficulty against other players.
Still, could be a useful last ditch
attack in a pinch. Instant Death only
once a day!
Use: Selected
Empty Body (eighteenth level) I didn't get much use out of this
skill; It might have just been that
it's hard to see on my computer if
my dude was actually still "empty."
I'm going to need to test it some
more. Still, having 1/2 the attacks
aimed at you automatically miss is
some good. Twice a day.
Use: Selected
Perfect Self (twentieth level) Phew! You've finally done it. Your
friends said you were crazy for not
taking a level of rogue, or a level of
ranger, but you stuck with being a
monk, and now you've been rewarded
with damage reduction! Ignore the first
twenty points baby! Well, as long as
they aren't using a magical weapon. So
really, it's hard to say whether or
not the damage reduction part really
IS worth it. It's great against giants
of all varieties (they seem not to use
magical weapons) but does jack against
a +1 toothpick. Well, at least you're
also now immune to all mind-affecting
spells... Oh yeah, cool thing to look
at: Your monk's eyes will now glow
blue with what I assume is POWER!
Use: Automatic
4.2 A Review of Possible Monk Feats.
------------------------------------
Alertness +2 to spot and listen? Ugh. They're
not even class skills...
Ambidexterity Yes, you have two fists, but no, you
can't use em both as separate weapons.
You gain benefit from having this while</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
using your bare hands. I've heard of a
monk 'kama' build that might use these
effectively however... (Req: Dex 15+)
Armor Proficiency Light/Medium/Heavy Monks get excellent 'clothing' that
they can use, and you would lose your
wisdom bonus and unarmed attack bonus
by wearing armour anyway. Ignore these
feats, they aren't worth your time
(Req: Light for Medium, Medium for
Heavy. Got it?)
Called Shot Monks tend to have pretty good attack
and Armor Class, but if you find that
they're not high enough, this feat
could help. Using Stunning fist
might be more effective however.
(Req: Base Attack Bonus +1 or higher)
Disarm Your opponents will usually have
larger weapons then you do (you are
using your fists after all) thus,
you're looking at a -6 to strike right
off the bat, and your opponent will be
getting +4-+12 to their discipline
check. Oh yeah, and you provoke an
attack of opportunity. I thought this
was worthless, and while not
spectacular, you can improve your
chances to hit by using 'Knockdown'
first; And since most enemies in the
game do not have Improved Unarmed
Strike, you gain an attack of
opportunity each time they take a swing
at you. It still requires 13 Int to
use tho.
(Req: Int 13+, Improved Unarmed Strike)
Dodge An excellent ability, receiving a +1
bonus to avoid that nasty sword that's
aiming for your neck.
(Req: Dex 13+)
Great Fortitude Much like it's companions (Lightning
Reflexes and Iron Will) this feat
really isn't worth it.
Improved Critical It's not much of an increase, but with
this ability you'll critical twice as
often, and that's never bad. In fact,
that’s very good.
(Req: Base Attack Bonus +8)
Improved Disarm Well, it makes it a little better
anyway. Still removing the attack of
opportunity and reducing the penalty
still doesn't make this very useful
using bare fists. Also, as is the case
for most feats that require 13
intelligence, I'd never put my
Intelligence up to 13 in order to use
this.
(Req: Int 13+, Disarm)
Improved Parry Er, I don't use the Parry skill.
However, if it's your bag of tea, I
heartily recommend this skill!
(Req: Int 13+)
Improved Power Attack A -10 to attack is a pretty harsh
penalty, even with a +10 to damage. I
don't even bother with Power Attack,
and I consider this 'improvement' much
worse then it. (Req: Str +13, Power
Attack)
Improved Two Weapon Fighting Unless you're making a 'kama' monk,
ignore this like Ambidexterity and Two
Weapon Fighting.
(Req: Base Attack Bonus +9, Two-Weapon
Fighting, Ambidexterity)
Iron Will I actually picked this when my monk
hit 18th level, but that's only
because I had nothing better to pick.
Lightning Reflexes Monk's have a great Reflex save
anyway, but if you're running into too
many traps maybe this feat is for you.
Possibly the best of the trio due to
the monks 'Evasion' feat.
Mobility A good feat, your monk shouldn't be
provoking too many attacks of
opportunity (and even less should be
successful) but this feat is always
handy to have around. Just in case.
(Req: Dex 13+, Dodge)
Point Blank Shot Er, plan to use shurikens in close
combat?
Power Attack I don't like this skill, but I can't
deny that it could come in handy
sometimes. Still, you get cleave for
free, so you don't even need it for a
pre-requisite or anything. It is,
from what a few readers have told me,
a very useful thing to switch on after
a successful 'Knockdown' attack. Note
however, that you cannot have both
'Furry of Blows' and 'Power Attack'
running at the same time.
(Req: Str 13+)
Rapid Shot You STILL aren't stuck on using A
SLING as a monk are you? (Req: Dex
13+, Point Blank Shot)
Shield Normally, armor = bad when it comes to
monks, but monks can use a shield
without any penalty (aside from the
regular skill penalties that all
shields give.. You'll look goofy, but
it works. I originally assumed this
was a bug, but one reader mentioned
that Monte Cook, the dude who provides
to D&D rule questions, mentioned
shields as an option for monks, thus
don't expect them to be 'fixing' this
any time soon.
Skill Focus While there are a few good skills a
monk gets, I don't think it's worth it
to take this skill to increase one of
them. Find a better combat one
instead. If you're absolutely stuck
with nothing to do with a feat however,
Skill Focus: Discipline isn't too
bad. Best used on cross-class skills,
like the aforementioned Discipline.
Toughness This is the way the feat should have
been in the Player's Handbook. It's
like a free point of constitution.
Two-Weapon Fighting Again, it really depends on whether or
not your one of those rogue 'kama'
monk builds. I still think an unarmed
monk would be better, but if you have
3 feat slots you're REALLY not using...
Weapon Finesse Possibly useful, but I like to keep my
monks strength at a decent level.
However, it's still pretty useful
should your strength get decreased by
poison/disease. So I'd get this if you
have a free feat to spend, but I
wouldn't go out of my way to get this.
Belts of ______ Strength should keep
your strength above your dex for most
of the game.
(Req: Base Attack Bonus +1)
Weapon Focus A skill you should pick up. It's not
much, but you'll be using your fists
for damn near the entire game, so why
wouldn't you give them a +1 bonus to
strike?
(Req: Base Attack Bonus +1)
Weapon Proficiency: Exotic Trust me when I say, a monk wielding a
Scythe would be pretty damn cool, but
anyone wielding a scythe would be
pretty damn cool... but your fists
would still be better.
(Req: Base Attack Bonus +1)
Weapon Proficiency: Martial/Simple For reference, monk's can use the
following weapons at level 1: clubs,
daggers, handaxes, light and heavy
crossbows, kamas, quarterstaffs,
shurikens, and slings. They also would
rarely want to use any of those
listed. Thus, why would you learn how
to use more weapons you'd never use?
4.3 Which Feats are Must Haves?
-------------------------------
I think the following should be learned by every non-kama monk:
Improved Critical: Unarmed Strike
Weapon Focus: Unarmed Strike
I also recommend these feats:
Dodge
Toughness
Shield
In the end, it's always your choice on what to take. Note, that via
multiclassing a monk can pick up feats he is normally denied access to, like
Weapon Specialization.
Some more comments on feats, specifically both power attack and it's improved
version by James N. Daniel III:
Power Attack and Improved Power Attack. On one level, you are correct
and these are not very important for combat, especially in the early
game. The penalties to hit are too high. In the mid-to-late game,
though, the amount of damage added per blow becomes quite high. Have
you noticed how even somewhat wimpy things like Dire Wolves and Trolls
have lots of hit points, and the monk has to hit several times to kill
just one? This is where Power Attack (and sometimes Improved Power
Attack) come in: if it is a low-armor, high-hit-point critter, and
say 4 hits per round (3 base at mid levels, +1 haste), that
comes out to 20 (or 40 with improved power attack) extra points of
damage per round. Of course, if they have a high AC, this doesn't
happen, but it's just a matter of tactics to decide when it will be
effective. On top of these bonuses, a monk that is bashing open
chests (because Tomi isn't along) does so much, much, much faster
with Improved Power Attack. Improved Power Attack is essential for
a solo monk to open chests without dying of boredom. :)
===============================================================================
SECTION 5 - Monk Stats
===============================================================================
5.1 The monk
------------
Alignment Restrictions: Any lawful. So no Barbarian/Monk hybrid; Druid/
Monk's are perfectly legal as of 1.3
of this FAQ tho.
Hit Die: d8. Strong enough to take a few blows, but
feel free to use that 'increased monk
speed' to get you out of a dangerous
situation.
Skill Points You don't get many skill points, but
(Int Modifier * 4 at first level) there aren’t many skills that are
4 + Int Modifier. really worth maxing, so it works out.
Still, a negative Int Modifier is NOT
recommended.
5.2 Every Statistic You'd Ever Want to Know About a Monk
--------------------------------------------------------
I'm lying again, there are probably some other statistics you'd love to know,
but the ones below are the most important / common / useful. From the
instruction manual, straight to your home in one big table! Makes you wonder
why I called the section "monk tables" now doesn't it?
*NOTE 1*: A monk has 'higher' saves across the board. This means that while
other classes usually get one save that's twice that of one of the others, a
monks are uniformly high. Thus, I felt no need to list the same stat for both
Reflex, Will, and Fortitude, just one big universal saving throw.
*NOTE 2* In case you haven't read the manual at all, or are still having
trouble spelling the word "rogue" the 'Base Attack Bonus' is what the monk
uses when he's using a weapon other then a kama or his bare hands. The
'Unarmed Attack Bonus' is what the monk uses when he's ready to tear the
streets up with his fists (or a kama).
*NOTE 3* in the 'Unarmed Damage' column, the first number represents damage
done by a medium or larger monk. The second number is by those small gnome and
Halfling monks.
*NOTE 4* Experience tables are not listed, because I honestly think they
shouldn't need to be. To determine the amount of experience you need to advance
in level, simply multiply your current level by 1000 experience. Easy,
no?
Monk |Saving | Base | Unarmed | Unarmed | AC | Run
Level |Throws | Attack | Attack | Damage | Bonus | Speed
| | Bonus | Bonus | | |
------+-------+------------+------------------+-------------+-------+-------
1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | 1d6 / 1d4 | +0 | 100%
2 | +3 | +1 | +1 | 1d6 / 1d4 | +0 | 100%
3 | +3 | +2 | +2 | 1d6 / 1d4 | +0 | 110%
4 | +4 | +3 | +3 | 1d8 / 1d6 | +0 | 110%
5 | +4 | +3 | +3 | 1d8 / 1d6 | +1 | 110%
------+-------+------------+------------------+-------------+-------+-------
6 | +5 | +4 | +4/+1 | 1d8 / 1d6 | +1 | 120%
7 | +5 | +5 | +5/+2 | 1d8 / 1d6 | +1 | 120%
8 | +6 | +6/+1 | +6/+3 | 1d10 / 1d8 | +1 | 120%
9 | +6 | +6/+1 | +6/+3 | 1d10 / 1d8 | +1 | 130%
10 | +7 | +7/+2 | +7/+4/+1 | 1d10 / 1d8 | +2 | 130%
------+-------+------------+------------------+-------------+-------+-----
11 | +7 | +8/+3 | +8/+5/+2 | 1d10 / 1d8 | +2 | 130%
12 | +8 | +9/+4 | +9/+6/+3 | 1d12 / 1d10 | +2 | 140%
13 | +8 | +9/+4 | +9/+6/+3 | 1d12 / 1d10 | +2 | 140%
14 | +9 | +10/+5 | +10/+7/+4/+1 | 1d12 / 1d10 | +2 | 140%
15 | +9 | +11/+6/+1 | +11/+8/+5/+2 | 1d12 / 1d10 | +3 | 145%
------+-------+------------+------------------+-------------+-------+-------
16 | +10 | +12/+7/+2 | +12/+9/+6/+3 | 1d20 / 2d6 | +3 | 145%
17 | +10 | +12/+7/+2 | +12/+9/+6/+3 | 1d20 / 2d6 | +3 | 145%
18 | +11 | +13/+8/+3 | +13/+10/+7/+4/+1 | 1d20 / 2d6 | +3 | 150%
19 | +11 | +14/+9/+4 | +14/+11/+8/+5/+2 | 1d20 / 2d6 | +3 | 150%
20 | +12 | +15/+10/+5 | +15/+12/+9/+6/+3 | 1d20 / 2d6 | +4 | 150%
===============================================================================
SECTION 6 - Monk Items
===============================================================================
Monk specific items are what turn your average monk, into a powerhouse. Monks
get GREAT armor to use, especially later in the game.
*NOTE*: You won't find all of these weapons/armour in one play through of a
game. You can buy the majority of them, but as with such items as Gloves of the
Hin Fist, you'll have to be lucky enough to find them, and they're randomly
given. (Gin Won reports finding a +5 Hin Fist gloves in Chapter 2; I didn't
Find above a +3 throughout the entire game)
6.1 Monk Weapons
----------------
Kama 1d6, critical x2 Useable by classes other then
monks, kama's are still unique
in that they work with several
other monk skills, the most
notable being the monk's
unarmed attack bonus. Kama's
come in +1, +2, and +3
varieties.
Peasant Dynasty 1d6, critical x2 Nothing special here,
Enchantment Bonus: +1 basically a +1 kama with some
Acid Resist 5 / - elemental resistances.
Cold Resist 5 / -
Elec Resist 5 / -
Fire Resist 5 / -
Thread of Life 1d6, critical x2 An extremely useful item for
Enchantment Bonus: +1 any class to have. It's a poor
Regeneration: +1 weapon, but allows you to cast
Charges: 50 Cure Minor, Moderate, Serious,
Use: Cure Minor Wounds (1) and Critical Wounds. It
(0 charges per use) unfortunately has charges, but
Use: Cure Moderate Wounds (3) 'Cure Minor Wounds' requires
(2 charges per use) zero charges, thus you can use
Use: Cure Serious Wounds (5) it as many times as you'd
(4 charges per use) like. Obviously Cure Minor
Use: Cure Critical Wounds (7) wounds isn't very effective
(5 charges per use) in the heat of combat, but
Cure Critical isn't too
shabby.
Empty Fields 1d6, critical x2 Too bad the enchantment bonus
Enchantment Bonus: +1 wasn't higher. Still, possibly
On Hit: Doom (DC 14) a very good item switch; If you
Duration: 50%/2 rounds tag your opponent with this and
have the 'Doom' effect work
(DC 14, it's a Level 1 Cleric
spell) you're flying sweet for
2 rounds.
Imaskari Kama 1d6, critical x2 Not great, but the added acid
Enchantment Bonus: +1 damage could be pretty good
Damage Bonus: +1d4 acid since few enemies are
Discipline skill +1 resistant to acid.
6.2 Monk Specific Armor
-----------------------
Robes of the Shining Hand Like all robes, they basically
act like clothing. This means
that they don't count as
armor, thus you get your
Wisdom bonus and unarmed
attack bonus, etc. etc. Robes
of the Shining hand are there
to help increase your AC early
in the game, and give either a
+1, +2, +3, +4 or +5 to your
AC while you wear them. You
also gain a slight negative to
your Listen skill while walking
around in these (Listen -1)
but who paying attention? Get
it? Get it?
Robes of the Old Order Slightly better then Robes of
the Shining Hand +1 and +2,
Robes of the Old Order give
you Damage Reduction: 5 / +1.
This means non-enchanted
weapons that hit you have
their damage reduced by 5
points. Very useful early on,
effectively negating the
damage from weak enemies, and
halving the damage from strong
ones. Made obsolete by...
Improved Robes of the Old Order Exactly the same as Robes of
the Old Order, but with an
additional +2 AC bonus for
your teeth to sink into.
Robes of the Dark Moon These not only give your monk
an extra attack, the haste
effect also serves to give
your monk a fat +4 bonus to AC.
Oh, your Concentration skill
goes down a point (Concentration
-1). Guess that's the end of
your monk's spell-lobbing days.
The best robes in the game by
far.
6.3 Monk Specific Gloves
------------------------
Gloves of the Yellow Rose Like all monk gloves, the
+1 - +1 to unarmed strike number that comes after the
+1 electrical damage name indicates the bonus to
strike. I.E. Gloves of the
+2 - +2 to unarmed strike Yellow Rose +3 will give your
+1 electrical damage monk a +3 bonus to strike in
combat UNARMED (kama's do not
+3 - +3 to unarmed strike work). Gloves of the Yellow
+1 electrical damage Rose have the distinction of
adding an extra point of
+4 - +4 to unarmed strike electrical damage when they
+1 electrical damage strike. (+1 Electrical
Damage). These are the worst
+5 - +5 to unarmed strike monk gloves, but the most
+1 electrical damage common.
Gloves of the Hin Fist Like, Gloves of the Yellow
+1 - +1 to unarmed strike Rose, only with sonic damage
+1 sonic damage applied. +1 Hin Fist gloves
apply +1 sonic damage, +2 and
+2 - +2 to unarmed strike +3 Hin Fist gloves apply +2
+2 sonic damage sonic damage, +4 applies +1d4,
and +5 apply +1d6 sonic damage.
+3 - +3 to unarmed strike The best monk gloves, due to
+2 sonic damage the inability of most
creatures/players to absorb
+4 - +4 to unarmed strike sonic damage.
+1d4 sonic damage
+5 - +5 to unarmed strike
+1d6 sonic damage
Gloves of the Long Death Useless Trivia: Grimgnaw,
+1 - +1 to unarmed strike everyone's favourite evil
+1 cold damage Dwarven monk, comes from the
'Long Death Clan.' the second
+2 - +2 to unarmed strike best monk gloves. They mirror
+2 cold damage the ability of the Hin Fist
gloves, except they apply
+3 - +3 to unarmed strike cold damage instead of sonic,
+2 cold damage thus making them easier to
absorb.
+4 - +4 to unarmed strike
+1d4 cold damage
+5 - +5 to unarmed strike
+1d6 cold damage
6.4 Monk Specific Boots
-----------------------
Boots of the Sun Soul The only monk specific boot
+1 - +1 AC (dodge) type, they are none-the-less
awesome, granting a bonus to
+2 - +2 AC (dodge) AC (dodge) while equipped.
They come in +1, +2, +3, +4
+3 - +3 AC (dodge) and +5 varieties. The +4 boots
are notable because they add
+4 - +4 AC (dodge) +2 to your Dexterity, and the
+2 Dexterity Boots of the Sun Soul +5 add
an cool +3 dexterity to your
+5 - +5 AC (dodge) Dexterity! For those doing the
+3 Dexterity math, yes, you can get +6 - +7
AC from a pair of shoes as a
monk (or a thief with a
high Use Magic Device skill)!
6.5 Handy Items for a Monk
--------------------------
Belt of Giant Strength These belts come in various
sizes, the best being the Belt
of Fire Giant Strength (+5
Strength). The reason to keep
your base Strength a odd
number. Belts of Hill Giant
Strength provide +3 to
Strength, and Belts of Frost
Giant Strength provide +4 to
Strength.
Amulet of Natural Armor Coming in +1 to +5 varieties,
Amulets of Natural Armor
provide a 'Natural' AC bonus,
which is notable because you
can only use one type of
Natural and Deflection bonus
on your character at a time.
'Natural' AC bonuses are
pretty rare, so you'll always
usually get the full bonus
from wearing one of these.
Ring of Resistance These rings add whatever
numerical suffix they have to
all your saving throws. Handy
for all situations. They come
in +1, +2, and +3 styles.
Ring of Power An incredible item, a Lesser
Ring of Power provides Cold,
Fire, and Electrical
Resistance ( 5 / - ) and
Regeneration +1. The mightier
Ring of Power provides Cold,
Fire, and Electrical
Resistance at a higher
strength ( 15 / - ) keeps the
Regeneration + 1, and adds
Freedom, so you'll never
have to worry about wearing
briefs again.
Cloak of Fortification It really comes down to
whether you want one of these,
or a Ring of Protection. I
prefer Cloaks of Fortification
due to the added bonus of
increasing your saving throws.
These paired with a Ring of
Resistance can grant +6 to all
your saving throws, and that
ain't bad. These cloaks
increase both AC and as
mentioned, saving throws. They
come ready to wear in +1, +2,
and +3 sizes.
Boots of Hardiness +3 Until you get Boots of the Sun
Soul +5, these are usually
better then Boots of the Sun
Soul. Adding +3 to your AC,
they also add +3 to your
Constitution, giving you more
Hit Points to play with.
Hastsezini's Shield Thanks to Gundam Deathscythe,
if you want to use a shield
for your monk, there's no
better then this +5 tower
shield, useable only by lawful
characters.
Periapt of Wisdom Not as useful (in my opinion)
as an Amulet of Natural armor,
but the +4 and +5 periapts
will add two to your AC, and
give you more 'insight'
options in conversation. Also,
if you're looking into using
Stunning Fist successfully,
there isn't an item in the
game that'll benefit you more
then this amulet.
Amulet of the Uthgardt A quest item you can receive
from Daelen with enough
persistence, you'll get a fat
+4 to strength, and immunity
to fear. This can be a trade
off with a +5 to AC, but
sometimes +2 to strike and
damage is tempting, especially
against accursed Ancient Red
Dragons. Yes, I was absolutely
beaming after defeating that
mother of a tough enemy. You
can get this in chapter 3 if
you got his item in chapters
1 and 2.
===============================================================================
SECTION 7 - Other Monk Stuff
===============================================================================
7.1 Monk Henchmen
-----------------
Since this is sure to come up, I'd just like to briefly comment on the various
Henchmen you can acquire through the Neverwinter Nights single player game.
Linu La'neral Elven Cleric Great personality, and pretty
interesting to listen to. Her
clerical abilities can come in
handy, but she's strictly
average in combat. You should
be able to gain more of a
benefit from some of your
other helpers.
Sharwyn Human Bard So beautiful, but so useless.
Her low AC WILL get her killed
in combat (and quickly), she
has terrible AI with regards
to her spells and abilities
(i.e. she'll use her bard song
ability on the first enemy you
fight after resting, and it's
usually always a lone dire
wolf or something). Her high
charisma isn't getting her any
points in my party I'm afraid.
Daelan Red Tiger Half-Orc Barbarian A great helper, simply because
he's a tank, and can dish out
grievous amounts of damage
(like you can!). Useful on
some of the harder bosses (A
certain Ancient Red Dragon
comes to mind...).
Tomi Undergallows Halfling Thief A terrific helper, Tomi does
it all. Detects Traps,
Disables traps, Picks Locks,
Sneak Attacks for fantastic
damage, and all the while with
a great accent! My first
choice for a monk Henchman.
Grimgnaw Dwarven Monk A great character in melee
combat (In fact, he'll usually
be only slightly worse then
you due to henchmen level
progression.) Grimgnaw
unfortunately doesn't
compliment you in the least.
But you know what the Japanese
say. "Why kick ass with one
monk, when you can ass kick
twice as much, with two
monks." Okay, I'm honestly not
sure if the Japanese ever said
that. In fact, I might just be
badly transformed quote I heard
in a movie.
Boodyknock Glinckle Gnome Sorcerer Kinda funny to talk to, but
his bad hair cut goes with his
bad AI. You'll constantly find
him casting powerful spells on
weak enemies. Ugh.
7.2 Monk Multiclass 'Unarmed' Attack Bonus Bug
----------------------------------------------
*NOTE:* The following attack bonus is a bug, and will (hopefully) be fixed in
later patches. Beware. There (as mentioned) is a bug when multiclassing as a
monk. When unarmed/using a kama, you add the other classes Base Attack Bonus
to the monk's unarmed base attack bonus, and then calculate the number of
'unarmed' attacks from there. This doesn't sound too useful, but remember that
a monk's unarmed attack bonus is calculated by subtracting 3 instead of 5 from
the highest attack. A brief explanation on how 'Attacks' are calculated, and the
bug, courtesy of Sherwin Tam:
"I'm not sure how much you know of 3rd Edition rules, but the way
multiclass attack bonuses work in the official rules, you take your
highest normal attack bonus for all your classes and add them together,
and you keep subtracting 5 to get your next attacks. So, for a monk
10/fighter 10, a monk's normal highest attack bonus at level 10 is 7,
while a fighter's highest attack bonus at 10 is 10. So, 10+7 is 17,
equivalent to a 17th-level fighter, with attack bonuses of 17/12/7/2.
Now, in the official rules, the monk attack bonuses for unarmed attacks
is a separate set based only on monk level, so the M10/F10 character
would have a separate attack bonus set for unarmed attacks of 7/4/1 for
a 10th-level monk, and the character would choose which set to use for
unarmed attacks (obviously the normal set is better in this case).
What the game is doing, however, is just setting a flag between subtracting
5 and subtracting 3 for the attacks, since monk unarmed attack bonuses
normally go down by only 3. The game is incorrectly adding the monk
unarmed attack bonus set to the fighter normal set and only subtracting
three, so in this case it's 10+7, then subtract 3 for 17/14/11/8/5/2.
Essentially the programmers took the lazy way out; rather than keeping two
sets of attack bonuses for monks, they keep one and just subtract 3 instead
of 5 to calculate extra attacks when monks are unarmed or with a kama.
Works fine with a single-class monk, but breaks when multiclassing."
This means that a 19th level fighter/1st level monk would have the following
'unarmed' attack bonus:
+19/+16/+13/+10/+7/+4/
Note: Yes, it should read +19/+16/+13/+10/+7/+4 but the game sets a cut-off
point of 6 attacks. Thanks to Sherwin again for pointing this out as well.
That isn't even counting Haste, or Furry of Blows. That 'Unarmed Attack' will
work for Ranger and Paladins as well. It works for other classes too, but not
as effectively as a 'fighter' class uses it (A 19th level Thief/1st level monk
would use +14/+11/+8/+5/+2... the exact same 'unarmed' attack bonus a level 19
monk would get.)
Some more commentary from Mr.Tam, on how to further exploit the bug:
Rangers and Paladins can get the same number of attacks with the same
attack bonus set. Rangers are especially evil (figuratively speaking)
because they get all the two-weapon feats for free by level 9, and the
light armor restriction is not a problem. A Ra19/M1 with dual kamas gets
up to 10 attacks, has a good animal companion, and can polymorph into an
Umber Hulk for kicks (and still retains 7 attacks with the unarmed bonus
and Flurry of Blows), along with summoning other animals and other fun
stuff with spells. Yep, some buggy monk stuff here. Get it before they
fix it. ;)
But how to best abuse this bug? Well, if you don't want to go the kama route,
how would you like to still have 6 attacks, and have your fists dealing 1d20
damage as well?
Thanks to Parker Newman, you can. He mentioned to me (I believe, unaware of the
bug) that a level 16 monk / 4 fighter will give you a base attack bonus of
16 for your first attack. Using the bug, that gives you +16/+13/+10/+7/+4/+1,
which jsut squeezes you past the cut-off limit. The best thing however? Well,
you still gain the majority of the monk's 'special' feats including spell
resistance, +3 to your AC, and fists that count as +3 weapons when calculating
damage reduction. But it gets better. As a fighter you get the 'Shield' feat
for free, giving you some more AC to work with, and the kicker: Weapon
Specialization: Unarmed Strike. Go out and have some fun kids.
===============================================================================
SECTION 8 - Credits and Contact Information
===============================================================================
8.1 Credits!
------------
*NOTE* I save all my e-mails, so if I tell you I'll give you credit, and you
don't appear below here, just e-mail me and I'll be sure to throw you on the
list.
Manish, Neal, and Mark Lauer for re-affirming my trust in humanity, and telling
me that haste gives a +4 to AC.
Makurayami Ittou on the GameFAQs NWN message board for mentioning the fact that
version 1.0 completely neglected Half-Elves! D'oh!
Gundam Deathscythe for pointing out the best shield an awkward monk can use, and
pointing me towards the NWN toolset to find out that each monk glove has a +1 -
+5 bonus.
Gin Won for re-afirming that there is +5 Hin Fist gloves. Wish I had a pair.
Kaisergeist for his Monk/Fighter/Thief build.
Donny Chan for pointing out that I should finish some of my sentences, and to
not say one thing and show another when it's about a Thread of Life.
Berch for proving that shields are gerrrrrrrrrrrrEAAT for a monk.
Jake Wolff for also mentioning about +5 Hin Fist gloves and reminding me to
mention about periapt's while I'm at it.
Steve Honeywell for some more glove info.
Sherwin Tam for various suggestions, and pointing out the monk multiclass bug.
Also, some ways to exploit said bug! Woot!
Mark Lauer on various comments, including the heal skill, giving more strength
to dwarves, skills, feats, and a kitchen sink. I had to edit the latter out
due to space constrictions. Sorry, Mark.
James N. Daniel, III for mentioning that Furry of Blows and Power Attack are
mutually exclusive. Also some other comments which are in the FAQ about
why Strength is more important to a monk then I said it is.
Tom (or, tkcheng as his e-mail likes to call him) for giving an arguement to
use Disarm.
Wetwork for mentioning the Amulet of Uthgardt as a possible item to use with
a monk.
Parker Newman for telling me the best way to exploit that bug. Big thumbs up
to you dude.
Matthew Allen for various comments on what to add, and mentioning how the
'Shield Bug' might not be a bug at all.
John LaRusic, friend, brother, and countryman, who is the reason I got to play
this game in the first place. I raise an Alexander Keiths to you man.
8.2 Contact Information!
------------------------
I've heard horror stories about FAQ writers getting bombarded with e-mails
from people who obviously have NOT read the FAQ in it's entirety. That'd be
okay if the FAQ was long and unstrung, but those FAQs (and this one) have
CLEARLY labelled sections. I hope I'm not too arrogant to say that my Table of
Contents should point you in the direction of any information I can provide,
so please. Make sure you check the FAQ to be sure the information you're
looking for is there first, before e-mailing me. I'd even appreciate if you
check twice.
Next thing I'd like to mention, is that this FAQ (currently) is only to be
found on one of the following:
GameFAQs (
http://www.gamefaqs.com)
Neverwinter Haven (
http://www.neverwinterhaven.com)
Sorcerer's Place (
http://www.sorcerers.net/index.shtml)
Neverwinter Nights Character Gallery (
http://nwncg.netfirms.com)
If you are reading this now from a different site, PLEASE check one of the
above sites to make sure you are reading the latest, my current version of
this FAQ.
Finally, please. Some internet etiquette. I would GREATLY appreciate it if you
took the time to change all of your "u"'s into "you"'s and to take the time to
make sure your "i"'s are capitalized when they stand alone. Nothing turns me
off more then when I'm reading something on the internet, and see poor
grammar. It would only take a minute, and not only would I not trash the e-
mail right away, I might actually give you credit for any useful information
your e-mail might contain! Don't you want that?
So, in conclusion, please, follow ALL three of the above steps. This is vital
for me not trashing your e-mail. VITAL. Then, you can drop me a line at
[email protected] and tell me what you have to say about my FAQ. I don't
normally use a hotmail account, but it's right now on a probationary period so
I can find out if I get too many idiots e-mailing me or not.
Progress report: No idiots so far! Still going to use Hotmail tho, as it
keeps my personal and FAQ stuff quite separate.
8.3 Legal Stuff!
----------------
This FAQ, or Monk Character Guide, if you prefer, is copyright (c) 2002 Edward
LaRusic. It's for personal and private use only. It may not be reprinted in
part or in whole, or reproduced in any way or in any form (written or </pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
otherwise). This document is free, and thus cannot be used in any commercial
transaction. You must get my express written consent to reference, alter or
post FAQ.
To quote the Meligrove Band, "Illegal copying of this recording just ain't
rock and roll."
Neverwinter Nights is copyright (c) 2002 Infogrames Entertainment, S.A. All
Rights Reserved.
Dungeons and Dragons is copyright (c) 2002 Wizards of the Coast. All Rights
Reserved.
- Eddie 'Um Jammer' LaRusic
