Post by hemmy on Dec 22, 2014 7:55:12 GMT
I have never really posted on these boards before, but as I have recently been trying to contribute more to the community, and because I have made what I think is a very good build I wanted to share mine with everyone. Also I am trying to contribute more, so please be kind.
Monks are to me a great character class to play. They can solo a lot of areas, and for me are a blast to play because of their versatility. That said they do have some weaknesses which are not easy to lessen, such as low strength if a dex monk, and low dex if a strength. Their inability to use a shield, or wear gloves or bracers as anything other than weapon gloves means that they miss out on the possible benefits that can be found on these items. While carrying a banner, or a torch can help, there is still a loss. I found this to be no more obvious than when playing my strength monk. While he is an excellent build, with an ac of 129 unbuffed at lvl 63, and a very high str, and decent ab, he is still a challenge to keep alive at times because of the AC. At the same time dexer monks, while having high ac often have very poor damage output. Hence I sat down and planned out a build that would have both high ac, and mid level damage output. One that could solo nasty areas that generally only casters would attempt to solo, and that could in turn easily survive party play, and make an excellent tank.
I am having no real problems with him in terms of survival with this. Did half a dozen hell runs, shallow ones I admit, but he did not die except once, where I was not quick enough reengaging with the boss Quimath after assisting someone who had been knocked down, and he caught me flat footed. Otherwise no problems whatsoever. Have also soloed oinos with no problem, killing everything that attacked me with no real problem. This toon even handled a spawn of 7 nasties at once, which included an Armanite and some other bad guys which would have been a problem for my strength monk. Again, he did so without any problem. While he isn't the fastest killer, he does get there, and he isn't all that slow really, as his damage output is respectable, averaging over 100 a hit.
Also all of these stats are non-demi, and without asmo gear.
Strengths:
*High Ab: 99 unbuffed (Final stat)
*High Ac: 146 (Final Stat)
*Decent Str Checks for Dex Monk (40 str + paragon anchoring, and paragon stability for further reducing knockdowns)
*Superior Critical, so lands crits a decent number of times
*Decent damage output (All weapon specializations taken)
*Difficult to knowdown (Due to paragon anchoring, and stability)
* Very high Saving throws
* Decent Stunning fist with stunning fist pandect (Able to stun some trash mobs very well)
*Concealment of 80% (70% if using breach boots)
*Spell Resistance of 80
*Water breathing for free (after 20 levels of monk)
*Levitation for free (after another 20 levels of monk. This is quite useful in oinos, and hells where some nasties like to toss you. No lev rig required for this build.)
Weaknesses:
*Could still be knocked down in party lacking proper buffs if facing paragon mob. Unlikely, but possible.
* Lower damage output than his strength counterpart.
That's about it. I have not been disappointed with his damage output to be honest. While I have to pay careful attention to what gloves I am wearing he almost always does over 100 a hit on average, which for a dex monk is very, very good. In truth for a melee tank he doesn't have a lot of weaknesses, and his high ac and concealment give you a lot of wiggle room in regards to survival.
----------------------
Sub-race: Zenythri
Base-race: Human
----------------------
Below are starting stats.
----------------------
Strength 15 (19) Subrace bonus
Dexterity 16 (20) Subrace Bonus
Constitution 10
Wisdom 14 (18) Subrace Bonus
Intelligence 12
Charisma 8
----------------------
This build will really only work with the Zenythri sub race. Any other race would require going "non" pure to get the necessary feats, which is not ideal. Whilst I went non pure with my original strength monk for the added bab, so as to get another attack per round, and to take the weapon specialization feats, you lose too much doing this. Firstly you lose monk levels that could have gone towards ac, as every 5 levels after 20 is another ac. This doesn't seem like much, but when you have no shield, and limited resources believe me it is. You also would lose one of your free survival abilities, of which the pure monk will get 2. Every 20 levels of monk you can visit spells pedestal and claim a survival feat. The best ones to choose are water breathing, and levitation. I run into these environments most often in game play, and also the levitation will protect you from getting tossed by Malebraches and other nasties if you fail your save. If you are looking to build a toon with survival skills, I think getting both of these abilities and not having to wear any rings to do so is very important. If you have ever died from a Malebranche, or some other nasty tossing you, you can see the value of going pure if it allows levitation without a ring. Also, every 6 levels a monk gains 1 extra point of damage, up. Though not a lot, again it is another "small" thing which, when added up speak highly in favor of going pure.
Another good reason to go pure is spell resistance and concealment, which will both reach 80 at level 60 if pure. Using a pure monk has enabled my Survivor toon to survive plodes without plode immunity in a number of different areas simply because the enemy could not beat his spell resistance. Though some areas will of course have enemies and environments that can lower sr, many also will not, so this advantage cannot be overlooked simply because it does not always apply. There is also concealment, which at 80% makes you near impossible to hit if you have a good ac, which this toon does. Finally there is the bonus feat one gets at monk level 40, which is lost if one does not take a full 40 levels of monk before going LL.
Below are feats in order of which they should be taken as a Survivor Uni Monk.
Feats and Level Progeression
Level 1: Strong soul, Great Fortitude
Level 3: Weapon Focus, Unarmed Strike
Level 6: Weapon Finesse
Level 9: Greater Weapon Focus, Unarmed Strike
Level 12: Power Critical, Unarmed Strike
Level 15: Iron Will
Level 18: Toughness
Level 21: Great Dexterity I
Level 24: Great Dexterity II
Level 25: Epic Weapon Focus (Bonus feat)
Level 27: Great Dexterity III
Level 30: Epic Prowess, Great Dexterity IV (Bonus Feat)
Level 33: Great Dexterity IV
Level 35: Armor Skin (Bonus feat)
Level 36: Great Dexterity V
Level 39: Great Dexterity VI
Level 40: Superior Critical
Level 42: Legendary Weapon Focus
Level 45: Legendary Weapon Specialization
Level 48: Great Strength I
Level 51: Legendary Hardened Soul
Level 55 Use stunning Fist Pandect (If you can acquire one that is, and Dex artifact)
Level 54: Great Strength II
Level 57: Great Strength III
Level 60: Great Strength IV
Level 63: Paragon Weapon Focus
Level 66: Paragon Weapon Specialization
Level 69: Paragon Anchoring
Level 72:Great Dex VII
Level 75: Paragon Stability (Gives a second roll against being knocked down at -6 of the checked stat)
Level 78: Great Strength V
------------------
Put all ability points into Dexterity.
------------------
Final stats:
Strength: 40
Dexterity: 66 (With Dex arti)
Wisdom: 34
Intelligence: 28
Constitution: 26
Charisma: 24
------------------
Final Saving Throws:
Fortitude: 68
Reflex: 79
Will: 76
------------------
Final Conceal: 80%
Final Spell Resistance:80
------------------
Final AB: 99 (This is without buffs, non-demi, and with +14 gear)
Final AC: 146
------------------
Gear being used with current stats:
Robes of the Dim Mak Master
Amulet of Pharaoh
Legendary boots of absorbtion
Dis gloves
Cloak of Elements
Torch of Absorbtion
Ainafes Masterwork Belt
Scintillating Scarf
Various rings depending on the situation
---------------
Put all skill points into Concentration, Craft Armor, Discipline, Listen, Parry, and Tumble. This will cover all the necessary skill checks for LL areas. Be sure to use human for base race as you will get 1 extra skill point.
--------------
These stats are based on having gear that grants +14 to all stats, keep that in mind. These stats are also 100 percent "non" demi, and are not based on buffs of any kind. With Asmo gear that grants plus 16 you can add a one to ab, ac, as well as all saves.
Demi will also add a +2 to everything.
The final Ab on this toon with current +14 gear,and non demi will be 99 with +16 on gloves and no buffs. The Final AC with current gear as non Demi will be 146 with maxed craft armor. The current Ab right now is 95 without buffs, and AC is 143 without buffs. Buffed his final AB could reach 103 non demi, and 104 with +16 gear. That is not bad for a non demi dex monk, and in truth his accuracy is very high. I think people are too used to super high ab's, and sometimes tend to forget that it doesn't have to be "super" high to land a hit. A 95 ab is more than good enough, and don't forget this can be gotten up to 99 with buffs.
As you can see the saving throws are quite high, and that is quite on purpose. Also there were scant few choices in regards to feats in pre epic terms. Hence the options were either more saves, or dodge and mobility. I chose saving throws. While there are times when there are better feats available, and taking more saving throw feats at the expense of something more important would be foolish, this was not one of those times.
I built this toon with 2 things in mind. Survival, and doing damage. He currently has a +36 to physical damage, which does not include possible bonus damage that can be garnered from certain gloves. Strength monks can get this up to around 50, but I like to see the glass as half full, and not half empty. Plus 36 to physical damage is nothing to sneeze at. However the only way to get this +36 damage is by using Zenythri, as it has both the weapon specialization, and epic weapon specialization feats for free. The weapon specialization feat also allows you access to the legendary and paragon forms of these feats. However the only way to stay pure and get these feats is to use the Zenythri subby. If you were to use any other race you would have to multi class using fighter to attain them, which would lose you some key benefits to this build, which I addressed earlier. You also get Improved critical unarmed strike for free when using Zenythri, which opens up yet another pre epic feat for this build. You also receive whirlwind, and improved whirlwind for free if you use Zenythri. Though I don't personally use these feats, you may, depending on your play style.
I also chose power critical, and superior critical to help up the damage somewhat in areas where you can crit. The crit range on this build is not great by the way, 18-20, but with both power and superior crit you get a +10 on confirmation rolls for critical hits, so you will end up landing critical hits a lot more than you might expect considering the crit range.
I have dumped quite a few points into strength as well, mainly to increase his ability to survive. This might seem counter intuitive at first, as this is a dex monk, however for the purposes of this build, mainly to survive a lot of soloing, and still be able to do decent damage, more strength was necessary. He will have a final strength of 40, and depending on what ability point you get awarded first in paragon levels he could have a 39 str as early as 62, or as late as 71. A 39 is enough to beat most strength checks, so whatever kind of run you are doing, be it solo, or in a large group, this adds a lot to his survivability. In the worst areas you may need a ring that grants anchoring one until you can take the paragon feat itself, but with this feat, either from ring or taking the feat, you will have no problem with strength checks.
Basically this toon is made to be a survivor, as well as a decent damage dealer. Though he will not be beating out a weapon master ab wise you will be surprised at his damage output. I did a hell run before this post and this build was second highest damage dealer at 102k, with the leader having done 109, so his damage output is nothing to laugh at. Because of his high ab, for a monk, and number of attacks, as well as all the weapon specialization feats, and high strength for a dexer adding to damage done, he can shell out a respectable amount of damage. This in my view makes him an optimal uni build. Simply put I have designed this toon to survive solo loot running, as well as be a very decent damage dealer when on LL runs, and an excellent tank with an AC into the mid to high 140's
In summation I think this build achieves what I set out for it to do, and that is to be a toon that can deliver a decent amount of damage, while at the same time be very tough, and very survivable, making an excellent tank, as well as a good damage dealer that can rank near the top in regards to damage done at the end of a run. His ability scores mean that he can handle most checks, even strength ones, and his high ac and conceal make it a lot more likely he will survive the possible failure of any such checks, which is going to be a rare, or non occurrence given his high dc in that regard. Basically he is a true uni monk, and though he takes a while to mature, once he does there is no stopping him, and he is one tough bugger to kill.
I will continue running him and let everyone know how he does after a few more hell runs. However overall I am quite pleased with him. Any feedback is appreciated, I only ask that you please be nice ok, I am trying Thanks for reading.
Monks are to me a great character class to play. They can solo a lot of areas, and for me are a blast to play because of their versatility. That said they do have some weaknesses which are not easy to lessen, such as low strength if a dex monk, and low dex if a strength. Their inability to use a shield, or wear gloves or bracers as anything other than weapon gloves means that they miss out on the possible benefits that can be found on these items. While carrying a banner, or a torch can help, there is still a loss. I found this to be no more obvious than when playing my strength monk. While he is an excellent build, with an ac of 129 unbuffed at lvl 63, and a very high str, and decent ab, he is still a challenge to keep alive at times because of the AC. At the same time dexer monks, while having high ac often have very poor damage output. Hence I sat down and planned out a build that would have both high ac, and mid level damage output. One that could solo nasty areas that generally only casters would attempt to solo, and that could in turn easily survive party play, and make an excellent tank.
I am having no real problems with him in terms of survival with this. Did half a dozen hell runs, shallow ones I admit, but he did not die except once, where I was not quick enough reengaging with the boss Quimath after assisting someone who had been knocked down, and he caught me flat footed. Otherwise no problems whatsoever. Have also soloed oinos with no problem, killing everything that attacked me with no real problem. This toon even handled a spawn of 7 nasties at once, which included an Armanite and some other bad guys which would have been a problem for my strength monk. Again, he did so without any problem. While he isn't the fastest killer, he does get there, and he isn't all that slow really, as his damage output is respectable, averaging over 100 a hit.
Also all of these stats are non-demi, and without asmo gear.
Strengths:
*High Ab: 99 unbuffed (Final stat)
*High Ac: 146 (Final Stat)
*Decent Str Checks for Dex Monk (40 str + paragon anchoring, and paragon stability for further reducing knockdowns)
*Superior Critical, so lands crits a decent number of times
*Decent damage output (All weapon specializations taken)
*Difficult to knowdown (Due to paragon anchoring, and stability)
* Very high Saving throws
* Decent Stunning fist with stunning fist pandect (Able to stun some trash mobs very well)
*Concealment of 80% (70% if using breach boots)
*Spell Resistance of 80
*Water breathing for free (after 20 levels of monk)
*Levitation for free (after another 20 levels of monk. This is quite useful in oinos, and hells where some nasties like to toss you. No lev rig required for this build.)
Weaknesses:
*Could still be knocked down in party lacking proper buffs if facing paragon mob. Unlikely, but possible.
* Lower damage output than his strength counterpart.
That's about it. I have not been disappointed with his damage output to be honest. While I have to pay careful attention to what gloves I am wearing he almost always does over 100 a hit on average, which for a dex monk is very, very good. In truth for a melee tank he doesn't have a lot of weaknesses, and his high ac and concealment give you a lot of wiggle room in regards to survival.
----------------------
Sub-race: Zenythri
Base-race: Human
----------------------
Below are starting stats.
----------------------
Strength 15 (19) Subrace bonus
Dexterity 16 (20) Subrace Bonus
Constitution 10
Wisdom 14 (18) Subrace Bonus
Intelligence 12
Charisma 8
----------------------
This build will really only work with the Zenythri sub race. Any other race would require going "non" pure to get the necessary feats, which is not ideal. Whilst I went non pure with my original strength monk for the added bab, so as to get another attack per round, and to take the weapon specialization feats, you lose too much doing this. Firstly you lose monk levels that could have gone towards ac, as every 5 levels after 20 is another ac. This doesn't seem like much, but when you have no shield, and limited resources believe me it is. You also would lose one of your free survival abilities, of which the pure monk will get 2. Every 20 levels of monk you can visit spells pedestal and claim a survival feat. The best ones to choose are water breathing, and levitation. I run into these environments most often in game play, and also the levitation will protect you from getting tossed by Malebraches and other nasties if you fail your save. If you are looking to build a toon with survival skills, I think getting both of these abilities and not having to wear any rings to do so is very important. If you have ever died from a Malebranche, or some other nasty tossing you, you can see the value of going pure if it allows levitation without a ring. Also, every 6 levels a monk gains 1 extra point of damage, up. Though not a lot, again it is another "small" thing which, when added up speak highly in favor of going pure.
Another good reason to go pure is spell resistance and concealment, which will both reach 80 at level 60 if pure. Using a pure monk has enabled my Survivor toon to survive plodes without plode immunity in a number of different areas simply because the enemy could not beat his spell resistance. Though some areas will of course have enemies and environments that can lower sr, many also will not, so this advantage cannot be overlooked simply because it does not always apply. There is also concealment, which at 80% makes you near impossible to hit if you have a good ac, which this toon does. Finally there is the bonus feat one gets at monk level 40, which is lost if one does not take a full 40 levels of monk before going LL.
Below are feats in order of which they should be taken as a Survivor Uni Monk.
Feats and Level Progeression
Level 1: Strong soul, Great Fortitude
Level 3: Weapon Focus, Unarmed Strike
Level 6: Weapon Finesse
Level 9: Greater Weapon Focus, Unarmed Strike
Level 12: Power Critical, Unarmed Strike
Level 15: Iron Will
Level 18: Toughness
Level 21: Great Dexterity I
Level 24: Great Dexterity II
Level 25: Epic Weapon Focus (Bonus feat)
Level 27: Great Dexterity III
Level 30: Epic Prowess, Great Dexterity IV (Bonus Feat)
Level 33: Great Dexterity IV
Level 35: Armor Skin (Bonus feat)
Level 36: Great Dexterity V
Level 39: Great Dexterity VI
Level 40: Superior Critical
Level 42: Legendary Weapon Focus
Level 45: Legendary Weapon Specialization
Level 48: Great Strength I
Level 51: Legendary Hardened Soul
Level 55 Use stunning Fist Pandect (If you can acquire one that is, and Dex artifact)
Level 54: Great Strength II
Level 57: Great Strength III
Level 60: Great Strength IV
Level 63: Paragon Weapon Focus
Level 66: Paragon Weapon Specialization
Level 69: Paragon Anchoring
Level 72:Great Dex VII
Level 75: Paragon Stability (Gives a second roll against being knocked down at -6 of the checked stat)
Level 78: Great Strength V
------------------
Put all ability points into Dexterity.
------------------
Final stats:
Strength: 40
Dexterity: 66 (With Dex arti)
Wisdom: 34
Intelligence: 28
Constitution: 26
Charisma: 24
------------------
Final Saving Throws:
Fortitude: 68
Reflex: 79
Will: 76
------------------
Final Conceal: 80%
Final Spell Resistance:80
------------------
Final AB: 99 (This is without buffs, non-demi, and with +14 gear)
Final AC: 146
------------------
Gear being used with current stats:
Robes of the Dim Mak Master
Amulet of Pharaoh
Legendary boots of absorbtion
Dis gloves
Cloak of Elements
Torch of Absorbtion
Ainafes Masterwork Belt
Scintillating Scarf
Various rings depending on the situation
---------------
Put all skill points into Concentration, Craft Armor, Discipline, Listen, Parry, and Tumble. This will cover all the necessary skill checks for LL areas. Be sure to use human for base race as you will get 1 extra skill point.
--------------
These stats are based on having gear that grants +14 to all stats, keep that in mind. These stats are also 100 percent "non" demi, and are not based on buffs of any kind. With Asmo gear that grants plus 16 you can add a one to ab, ac, as well as all saves.
Demi will also add a +2 to everything.
The final Ab on this toon with current +14 gear,and non demi will be 99 with +16 on gloves and no buffs. The Final AC with current gear as non Demi will be 146 with maxed craft armor. The current Ab right now is 95 without buffs, and AC is 143 without buffs. Buffed his final AB could reach 103 non demi, and 104 with +16 gear. That is not bad for a non demi dex monk, and in truth his accuracy is very high. I think people are too used to super high ab's, and sometimes tend to forget that it doesn't have to be "super" high to land a hit. A 95 ab is more than good enough, and don't forget this can be gotten up to 99 with buffs.
As you can see the saving throws are quite high, and that is quite on purpose. Also there were scant few choices in regards to feats in pre epic terms. Hence the options were either more saves, or dodge and mobility. I chose saving throws. While there are times when there are better feats available, and taking more saving throw feats at the expense of something more important would be foolish, this was not one of those times.
I built this toon with 2 things in mind. Survival, and doing damage. He currently has a +36 to physical damage, which does not include possible bonus damage that can be garnered from certain gloves. Strength monks can get this up to around 50, but I like to see the glass as half full, and not half empty. Plus 36 to physical damage is nothing to sneeze at. However the only way to get this +36 damage is by using Zenythri, as it has both the weapon specialization, and epic weapon specialization feats for free. The weapon specialization feat also allows you access to the legendary and paragon forms of these feats. However the only way to stay pure and get these feats is to use the Zenythri subby. If you were to use any other race you would have to multi class using fighter to attain them, which would lose you some key benefits to this build, which I addressed earlier. You also get Improved critical unarmed strike for free when using Zenythri, which opens up yet another pre epic feat for this build. You also receive whirlwind, and improved whirlwind for free if you use Zenythri. Though I don't personally use these feats, you may, depending on your play style.
I also chose power critical, and superior critical to help up the damage somewhat in areas where you can crit. The crit range on this build is not great by the way, 18-20, but with both power and superior crit you get a +10 on confirmation rolls for critical hits, so you will end up landing critical hits a lot more than you might expect considering the crit range.
I have dumped quite a few points into strength as well, mainly to increase his ability to survive. This might seem counter intuitive at first, as this is a dex monk, however for the purposes of this build, mainly to survive a lot of soloing, and still be able to do decent damage, more strength was necessary. He will have a final strength of 40, and depending on what ability point you get awarded first in paragon levels he could have a 39 str as early as 62, or as late as 71. A 39 is enough to beat most strength checks, so whatever kind of run you are doing, be it solo, or in a large group, this adds a lot to his survivability. In the worst areas you may need a ring that grants anchoring one until you can take the paragon feat itself, but with this feat, either from ring or taking the feat, you will have no problem with strength checks.
Basically this toon is made to be a survivor, as well as a decent damage dealer. Though he will not be beating out a weapon master ab wise you will be surprised at his damage output. I did a hell run before this post and this build was second highest damage dealer at 102k, with the leader having done 109, so his damage output is nothing to laugh at. Because of his high ab, for a monk, and number of attacks, as well as all the weapon specialization feats, and high strength for a dexer adding to damage done, he can shell out a respectable amount of damage. This in my view makes him an optimal uni build. Simply put I have designed this toon to survive solo loot running, as well as be a very decent damage dealer when on LL runs, and an excellent tank with an AC into the mid to high 140's
In summation I think this build achieves what I set out for it to do, and that is to be a toon that can deliver a decent amount of damage, while at the same time be very tough, and very survivable, making an excellent tank, as well as a good damage dealer that can rank near the top in regards to damage done at the end of a run. His ability scores mean that he can handle most checks, even strength ones, and his high ac and conceal make it a lot more likely he will survive the possible failure of any such checks, which is going to be a rare, or non occurrence given his high dc in that regard. Basically he is a true uni monk, and though he takes a while to mature, once he does there is no stopping him, and he is one tough bugger to kill.
I will continue running him and let everyone know how he does after a few more hell runs. However overall I am quite pleased with him. Any feedback is appreciated, I only ask that you please be nice ok, I am trying Thanks for reading.