I looked, and there's nothing like this in the search engine. Compared to my Order of the Wyrm, this build has 2 less AB, 3 more damage, 1 more attack per round, 4 less AC. It has no Dev. Crit, but it has the ability to handle traps and locks.
Dex based would give you higher AC with little to no hit to your AB, and increased rogue skills as well. You could still go unarmed, do knockdown sneak attacks. And unarmed you're still relying on other sources of dmg for primary effect against crit immunes anyway. Also this build could easily swing epic dodge that way as well. Which, coupled with empty body, would make you well-nigh unhittable off the top regardless of overall AC.
Not saying I don't like the build. Just wondering why you went for strength. You're trading an admittedly fair (but not insurmountable) amount of damage for AC, reflex saves, and rogue skills.
It wouldn't be odd not to take Dev Crit just because of the STR score if you didn't take Great Cleave already, normally it's not a necessity to take Dev Crit, it's nerfed in many PWs and all, but when all pre-requirments are met it seems like a mistake not to take it.
Quote: Dex based would give you higher AC with little to no hit to your AB, and increased rogue skills as well. You could still go unarmed, do knockdown sneak attacks. And unarmed you're still relying on other sources of dmg for primary effect against crit immunes anyway. Also this build could easily swing epic dodge that way as well. Which, coupled with empty body, would make you well-nigh unhittable off the top regardless of overall AC.
It's a different build from the usual DEX based with Epic Dodge (though I'm not saying better or worse), personally I enjoy STR based builds more than DEX based, so I don't see anything wrong in that. _________________ "My name is Thaxll'ssyllia, but you simians may refer to me merely as "Sir", if you prefer a less... syllable intensive workout."
Edwin Odesseiron - Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
I you want to, you could sacrifice 2 of those Great Strength feats for Dev Crit. You can take Over Crit at 27, but you can't take Dev Crit until 33.
I should have mentioned that I made this build with the Aielund Saga in mind. I've been told that there is better gear for unarmed monks than for kama monks, and there's an item (Please don't tell me specifically what it is.) that greatly benefits STR-based monks.
All the Rogue skills I am using are INT-based (Disable Trap, Open Lock, Search) or CHA-based (UMD, Persuade). I am not using Hide, Move Silently, or Set Trap. _________________ Logic is a bouquet of beautiful flowers ... that smell bad!
The advantage to going str-based is damage output. The sneak damage is a nice bonus against things that are sneak-susceptible, but dex-based monks often get into trouble against sneak-immune enemies with DR. This build will do 1-20 + 6 (EWS) + 11 (Str) = 18-37 unbuffed, with no glove damage. That will punch through even 20/- DR very consistently. Wth Str fully buffed it will go up to 24-43, doing a good job even against a DwD with 30/- DR. A dex-based version will have a much harder time against high DR enemies, and have to rely almost entirely on elemental glove damage.
That said, I would change a few feats. I think the energy resist feats are pretty much wasted, and you are missing Blindfight (which I consider pretty critical to a melee build). If you want to take 1 energy resist, I would take it vs. Acid to help against Mestil's Acid Sheath. But I would recommend dropping both Great Cleave and the other energy resist for Disarm/Imp Disarm (when you disarm someone while fighting unarmed, the weapon goes directly into your inventory. Also, all disarm attempts are made as if your weapon is the same size as theirs - it compares your fist size vs. their fist size, not their weapon size).
I would also be tempted to move the last Rogue and Fighter levels up a few more. Your trap skills are way higher than needed already, the only reason to delay to level 39 is to get UMD to 40. You can use all scrolls with a 36, and as a monk there aren't going to be any weapons you want to use, and not likely many armors or boots either, so UMD is really mostly for scrolls. That would let you take Epic Prowess earlier, and get that last extra die of sneak damage sooner.
TM
I am taking Blind Fight, at level 3. This build is for PvM, and I read that NPCs are often not disarmable, so I thought Disarm would be wasted. Most likely, the ones you would most want to disarm are the very ones you can't.
I wanted to take Energy Resstance for fire, sonic and acid, but the earliest level I could take Resist Energy was also the earliest I could take Improved Critical, so I had to only take 2. I chose fire because i read it's the most common, and sonic because it is not covered by the Ring of Elemental Resistance. I could easily switch from fire to acid. I debated with myself between Resist Energy or the saves boosting feats, dropping Dodge in order to take all 3.
I am taking just enough Disable Trap to disable epic traps, and not trying to recover them, I need 42 effective Search to instantly find epic traps, and the more ranks in Open Lock, the better.
Quote: Posted 03/25/08 03:39 (GMT) -- Empyre65
I am taking Blind Fight, at level 3.
D!Oh! Looked for it twice, and still missed it....
Quote: This build is for PvM, and I read that NPCs are often not disarmable, so I thought Disarm would be wasted. Most likely, the ones you would most want to disarm are the very ones you can't.
R Reasonable point. I think there are actually quite a few you can disarm in Aielund, but I am not positive.
Quote: I wanted to take Energy Resstance for fire, sonic and acid, but the earliest level I could take Resist Energy was also the earliest I could take Improved Critical, so I had to only take 2. I chose fire because i read it's the most common, and sonic because it is not covered by the Ring of Elemental Resistance. I could easily switch from fire to acid. I debated with myself between Resist Energy or the saves boosting feats, dropping Dodge in order to take all 3.
There are plenty of items that will grant fire resistance (rings of power, elemental resist, some cloaks, etc.) so I would definitely drop fire. I don't think you will run into much sonic damage except for a few traps. In general, those feats offer so little resistance that they are not very worthwhile, especially for a monk with Improved Evasion (where you won't be taking much damage anyway, none if you save and only 1/2 even if you fail). I wuld probably take a reflex save feat over the resistances - a better reflex save will get you more zero's on damage thanks to evasion.
And I won't spoil the reason that there is something nice for str-monks in Aielund, but both this build and the RDD build you posted earlier will make good use of it.
D!Oh! Looked for it twice, and still missed it....
Heh, it's better to use a "find" action on your browser, that only fails when someone mispells "blind", if he hadn't take Blind-Fight I'd be all over it too _________________ "My name is Thaxll'ssyllia, but you simians may refer to me merely as "Sir", if you prefer a less... syllable intensive workout."
Edwin Odesseiron - Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
