This build is another modification of the original Versatile Archer build, now called Pesky Mosquito. It was originally designed to be able to stay at range from melee fighters with monk speed and have good saves against casters, plus Improved Evasion. This on top of pretty good AC, nice AB, and moderate damage output. This version of the build sacrifices a few AB and AC, along with two Epic Feats and extra Skill Points, for 9/- Physical Resistance and 120 more HP, helping minimize two of its weaknesses: other archers with high damage output and IGMS. Plus it has a higher fortitude save, helping to compensate for yet another weakness, that being the fact that it isn’t immune to death magic. On a server where you can get imm: death magic and either 5/- or 10/- magic resistance, this build should be extremely powerful in PvP.
Years of monastic devotion coupled with rigorous arcane studies have molded this surprisingly versatile archer. He not only boasts a vicious arrow, but can easily confound all but the most powerful spellcasters with his beefy magical defenses, and can avoid direct melee battle with his tremendous speed. On top of all of this, he has developed a very tough skin, turning many great strikes into glancing blows.
Starting Stats (Ending Stats) STR 10 DEX 17 (24) CON 17 (21) WIS 8 INT 12 CHA 8
Final stats: HP: 548 [15*8 (monk) + 23*8 (arcane archer) + 3*4 (wizard) + 40 (toughness) + 200 (con)] 30 AC Naked With a mundane longbow, AB: +48/+43/+38/+33, dmg: 1-8 + 12 (19-20 x3) Fortitude: 32 (+8 against spells) Reflex: 30 (+8 against spells, with improved evasion) Will: 24 (+8 against spells) Spell Resistance: 25 Physical Resistance: 9/- 53 Discipline +50% speed before even using a haste item.
Items to watch out for: Death magic immunity items and magic resist items. With Death Magic immunity and 10/- magic resist, this build would be exceedingly powerful. Robes with nice ac bonus. Will boosting items, or WIS boosting items for ac and will. Strength boosting items and a bow with mighty on it. (More damage output) Dex boosting items (more AC and AB)
Pros: Great HP for an archer. Nice naked AC. Better AB than at least 95% of melee characters (not including short-term buffs), with the ability to stay out of range due to monk speed. Nice Fortitude and Reflex saves. Improved Evasion. Some Spell Resistance (25) +50% Monk Speed Decent damage output. With strength boosting equipment and a mighty weapon, even better. 9/- physical resistance. This build is now much more powerful vs. other archers.
Cons: While HP is good for an archer, it is still pretty low. But as outlined above, the various defensive capabilities of this build compensate for this very well. Nonetheless IGMS can be a real threat (although you may be able to run out of range of this... I’ve never had a chance to try it, but i somehow doubt it.). (Note that with a decent con boost you can soak up 3 max IGMS) Not immune to death magic/abilities or mind spells. Moderate will saves. _________________ Have I mentioned I hate IGMS?
Edited By Kail Pendragon on 10/10/07 13:27
heh question and suggestion here.. why 21 con to finish with? an odd number wont help you.. instead of starting with 17 con you could go 16, and add the other 3 on to maybe strength or something.. maybe even pump up dex to 18 to start.. save a feat that way right?
Quote: Posted 08/21/04 23:33:24 (GMT) -- Tilbono
heh question and suggestion here.. why 21 con to finish with? an odd number wont help you.. instead of starting with 17 con you could go 16, and add the other 3 on to maybe strength or something.. maybe even pump up dex to 18 to start.. save a feat that way right?
21 con for Epic Damage Reduction. You could start with 16 con and 18 dex with no change to the build.. I just decided not to. Actually 18 dex to start would probably make it easier to level with one more ac/ab. You use your first 5 stat points to pump con, then the last five for dex, plus a great dex, and end at 21con/24dex. The reason I didnt take it up to 22 con is because I'd either have only 22 dex if I didn't take Great Dex, or 24 if I took Great Dex II. I preferred to save the feat for something else, but if you chose to drop something and go that route you could without significantly changing the build. I just happen to prefer not to. _________________ Have I mentioned I hate IGMS?
Edited By yrtsns on 08/21/04 23:46
I can understand the 21 Con for DR feats, but I can also understand why you were asked why 21 Con. Why not 22 Con and 20 Dex? I don't see any feat selections that require 21 dex, so in effect you are costing yourself another 40 HP. Dropping dex down to 20 doesn't cost you any AB either unless you are working stats around items.
Quote: Posted 08/22/04 13:24:21 (GMT) -- Emrill
I can understand the 21 Con for DR feats, but I can also understand why you were asked why 21 Con. Why not 22 Con and 20 Dex? I don't see any feat selections that require 21 dex, so in effect you are costing yourself another 40 HP. Dropping dex down to 20 doesn't cost you any AB either unless you are working stats around items.
How do you figure? As a dex-based archer, I lose 1 ab and 1 ac when I lose 2 dex (or just an extra feat for another Great Dex, in this case), which to me is more valuable than 40 hp. If it isn't to you, you can change the build slightly. The way I see it, this build already has solid hp for an archer, but it has lower ab than many archers, and ac is always an issue for archers. _________________ Have I mentioned I hate IGMS?
The stat bonuses come on even numbers and not odd, therefor having 20 dex and 21 both net you a +5. Having a 21 Con nets you a +5, while having a 22 con nets you a +6. One stat point shift nets you 40 more hit points with no AB loss. That is how I figure.
Quote: Posted 08/22/04 17:36:51 (GMT) -- Emrill
The stat bonuses come on even numbers and not odd, therefor having 20 dex and 21 both net you a +5. Having a 21 Con nets you a +5, while having a 22 con nets you a +6. One stat point shift nets you 40 more hit points with no AB loss. That is how I figure.
You're missing the fact that I don't end with odd dex in the end because I made room for a Great Dex feat in the build. I end with 21 con 24 dex. If I boosted con to 22, I'd end with 23 dex (or drop the feat, and have 22 dex, or take another feat for 24). But, it is all up to your preference. You might want to drop one of the feats and take great con to give you 22 con/24 dex in the end, or you might want to use the Great Dex feat for something else, pump con to 22, and end up with 22/22 dex/con in the end. It's your preference. I just prefer to keep my feats and keep my extra ab/ac. _________________ Have I mentioned I hate IGMS?
My bad. For some reason I saw 21 for your ending Dex too. Oye I hate head colds.
Quote: Posted 08/22/04 18:22:32 (GMT) -- Emrill
My bad. For some reason I saw 21 for your ending Dex too. Oye I hate head colds.
Ah that explains why you kept saying 20 dex instead of 22 _________________ Have I mentioned I hate IGMS?
Yup yup.
I don't play monks much so this may be a very stupid question... but why don't you go pre-epic 8 monk/2 wiz/10 AA ending 14 Monk/3 Wiz/23 AA or if you get 10% bonus speed every 3 monk levels (which I believe) end 12 Monk/3 Wiz/25 AA netting +2 AB and +1 dmg (+ lvl 2 castings) for -10% walk/run speed.
all archers are dependant on sky-high AB and since this nets you +2 I think it's worth it (plus cats grace)... but then maybe it isn't so much a change as a personal twist.
good build though
Well, if you wanted to drop three monks to gain that 2 ab/1 damage bonus, i wouldn't blame you, but i happen to prefer the speed. I tend to think the greatest strength of a monk archer build is the speed. Since the ab is already better than your average melee fighter and the damage output is fairly decent, i feel that the speed bonus just lets you be able to maintain that distance even better, for a faster kill and an easier kill. But again, it's entirely up to you.. some people may be happy with even just a 30% speed boost, in which case go 8 monk 2 wiz 10 aa pre-epic, then take that last monk/and 2 wiz (which i guess would give you an extra spell slot, not that your spells are really worth much) at the very end to max tumble/spellcraft, and you get 27 AA, meaning you'd have 3 ab and 2 damage more than the build as it stands, which needless to say is nice, but it's all about preference. _________________ Have I mentioned I hate IGMS?
Here's a crazy question. Is this supposed to be an elf? If so, the stat points are wrong, since elves get -2 con, 17 con is out of the range, and with +2 dex, 17 con costs more than 17 dex. If not, where's the longbow proficiency?
I couldn't tell you any more. I really don't remember; all I know is I made essentially that exact build successfully. Either it's human and I left out the extra feat which would be used for martial weapon proficiency (which you may not be able to take at level one, so there would be a bit of shifting), or it's elf, and perhaps the starting stats would be more like 18/16, or 19/15.. something like that. My guess is it's intended to be an elf, and I accidentally messed up the stats and treated them like human ones when I edited the build. _________________ Have I mentioned I hate IGMS?
I don't play monks much so this may be a very stupid question... but why don't you go pre-epic 8 monk/2 wiz/10 AA ending 14 Monk/3 Wiz/23 AA or if you get 10% bonus speed every 3 monk levels (which I believe) end 12 Monk/3 Wiz/25 AA netting +2 AB and +1 dmg (+ lvl 2 castings) for -10% walk/run speed.
Well, if you wanted to drop three monks to gain that 2 ab/1 damage bonus, i wouldn't blame you, but i happen to prefer the speed. I tend to think the greatest strength of a monk archer build is the speed. Since the ab is already better than your average melee fighter and the damage output is fairly decent, i feel that the speed bonus just lets you be able to maintain that distance even better, for a faster kill and an easier kill. But again, it's entirely up to you.. some people may be happy with even just a 30% speed boost, in which case go 8 monk 2 wiz 10 aa pre-epic, then take that last monk/and 2 wiz (which i guess would give you an extra spell slot, not that your spells are really worth much) at the very end to max tumble/spellcraft, and you get 27 AA, meaning you'd have 3 ab and 2 damage more than the build as it stands, which needless to say is nice, but it's all about preference.