Monk class

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I've played this game through with about every build possible except a Monk (just never appealed to me) I understand a Monk can use weapons available to thief class. Just asking for suggestions weapons, bracers, rings etc...

 

Well, you shouldn't have to worry about weapons down the track due to stunning fist and ki strikes down the track.

As for what weapons etc, well. It all depends on what stats you're going to go in with and how high your str and dex will be.

What I'd recommend:

Weapons: Shortswords and maybe Longswords, I know some people will say Katana's, but really you won't use weapons for that long, there are some thief weapons you can't use, and they're two handed weapons.

Bracers: If you can get away with taking them away from your mage, get the Bracers of Armor AC3 when they come available AC4 are in Ribalds.

Rings:
stage i - early on - Ring of Regen off Ribald if you can manage it, plus the Earth Elemental Control ring from D'Arnise.
stage ii - replace ring of regen with ring of gaxxx

Helmet: Ioun stone that gives the ac bonus, you could take the thac0 but i've always been in favour if your pc is a front line, you want all the ac you can get.

Cloak: Non-Detection if you're going sneaking, but that will stay in your inventory, use cloak of the sewers.

Boots: Speed boots

Belt: well I guess the strength belt, there's a few of them

Overall, starting out, and not going on the ac bonuses the monk gets, if you go in with 18 dex:
ac 10
ac 4 - +6 ac from 18 dex
ac 3 - bracers may only drop you one more (may well be a waste)
ac 2 - ring of earth
ac 1 - ring of gaxx
ac 0 - ioun stone
ac -1 - cloak of the sewers.

I don't think I've missed any more ac boosting eq, you could go for a thief weapon that grants an ac bonus, but I think your unarmed damage will end up doing more, perhaps.

But overall your ac should end up being phenomally high.

 

Well, despite my errors, and it's been about 2-3 years since i've bothered with the ring of gaxx, i just knew it was one ac at least. Also given the number of ioun stones it doesnt hurt to give the monk the ac one. Really I still think boosting the monk up with all those ac points is worth it, the bracers down the track no I'll agree, hence I actually said that in my post, but short term bracers are a good idea, til his ac gets up, there is a point to them. Finally, well I've never wondered how fast a monk gets under 2nd ed rules, but if you dont give a monk boots, then I'd certainly give him something like boots of avoidance (vs missile attacks) cos if you use a monk to close in on melee fighters or even archers that little bit can help.

 

A monk's AC keeps improving over levels. Once every 3 levels iirc.

If you wanna cheese, a monk with the right stats can wear Keldorn's armour. This is nerfed in the baldurdash fixpack.

Boots of speed wont do you much good. By the time you get them the monk must be moving fast enough anyway. Boots of Stealth, if he can wear those.

Cloak of the Sheild is better as your base AC goes down to 2. Try and get the improved CotS mod.

Gauntlets of Crushing are the best for a monk. Side with the Shaguin King.

You can always wear the Mask of King Strohm. Else go with the THAC0 improving one. Monks have the crappy CLeric's THAC0.

 

I always thought cloak of the shield had to be cast and it had limited uses for it to have effect ? I've honestly never thought that or the shield amulet were very well explained, both seemed to me to suggest they had limited uses and charges, and only added to ac if you used them ?

 

Yeah you are right. However, I always play with a mod available here: http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/index_editors2.php

It makes the cloak actually useful. At any rate it has some 42 charges unmodded. more than enough for SoA.

 

That's true, but I'm trying to stick to plain ol' vanilla with the official patch and a fixpack When I've done 99% of all the strongholds and had my fun with different classes, then I'll probably go on a downloading spree of all the mods that are worth it. I guess I'll just go off the modlist at pocketplane's site mentioned in Simpson's BG2 walkthrough I think the first mod I'll put on though will be unfinished business cos I want to know if certain buildings are connected the way I think they were meant to be *nod self*

 

The boots of speed are, as stated above, effictively useless after level 9 because the Monk class gains immunity from Slow and HASTE spells - including the haste imparted from the boots. It doesn't really matter though as Monks gain increased movement rate with levels.

Armour (Firecam), Bracers etc. that give a set AC are efectively useless as Monks generally have a lower AC anyway.

I'm not sure but they may be able to wear robes - this would be a better option than the Armour.

The only reason why you would want to use a weapon is for its bonus' such as mirror immage, haste etc.

 

For some reason, monks CAN use any WANDS! This is a huge power boost, as wands are over too powerfull, especially when you do solo. Summoning endless monsters, releasing nasty and cheesy cloudkills, pretty high damaging fireballs or cone of colds, lightning bolts!!! Plus you will beat badguys senseless too! YOU MUST HAVE THESE WANDS IF YOU WANT TO SOLO A MONK!
Be sure to charge wands by selling it t o a shop and buy them back, they will have 100 charges! Ofcourse it will cost you a fortune, but if you have a thief stal wands, then they are 'fenced' and can not be sold back! (you can always sell them to shadow thieves or any other thiefly shopkeeper.)
And NEVER EVER use a wand with 1 charge left, else it will be GONE for good!

One example: Are you sure monks THAC0 advance as priests? I thought they had fighter THAC0!
SOMEBODY PLEASE CORRECT THİS!

 

Monks' THAC0 is entirely different, IIRC. Atleast, there was a separate table for them in the manual.

 

Monks use Cleric THAC0 progression. Separate, but the values were the same.
Wands sold and bought again only have 50 charges, iirc.

 

Monks seriously rules man!
I mean a monk could simply dispatch a group of higher level foes with barely a sweat.

 

That they do. Few other classes can withstand an onslaught of wizardry spells without any preparation, and no other class given 25 strength and only a choice of weaponry can match the damage of their fists.
The reason I'm not so fond of them are their restrictions though.

 

IMO a high level monk is awesome, a low level one is a liability. It's a pity there is no monk NPC, I really don't relish the idea of charname being a monk (way too boring for me especially in SoA).

 

And you can't Improved Haste them!! That sucks.

The MR and stealth are nice bonuses though. Quivering Palm is great for sneaking up and attacking Firkraag with it.

Overall...I think you could do a lot better with any other single classed Fighter, however.

 

@Caradhras
couldnt agree more. I cant think my char is a monk.
child of bhaal and monk? doesnt sound right

 

The Monk is great, but I find him/her too boring as they don't really use magic or weapons. I really wanted to like the Monk...

 

Therein lies the rub. Monks - while eminently capable - are often dull to play because their list of immunities/resistances is just so comprehensive, turning many battles into a matter of waiting for stuff to die. Their MR, for example, is just obscene at high levels. That, and there's no real motivation to horde shiny ones, which is what Magpies do best...

 

one more bad thing for monks imo, you dont use many equipments on them and i'm an equipment-buff, i love finding better ones and replacing them (or redistrubuting them among party members) and monks are usually left out.