Starting a Monk

In general is is not advised to create a monk without having access to 32 point builds first, due to the sheer amount of stats a monk needs to work effectively. However, it is not impossible to build an effective 28 point monk build as long as you know what stats affect what.

STR: This stat affects your +damage and +hit chance if you do not take Weapon Finesse. It also is required to take the regularly used feat Power Attack (requires 13 base Strength). Strength is also very useful to staff based monks as Weapon Finesse does not affect Staffs. Typically if a monk specializes in Staffs they pick up the Two-Handed Fighting feat line

Strength also governs the skills Jump and Swim. Jump is usually more highly prized than Swim.

DEX: This stat affects your armor bonus from dexterity (known as DEX bonus), governs Reflex saves and is the key stat pre-req for a few common monk feats including: Two-weapon fighting, Weapon Finesse(if their dexterity is higher than their strength), Dodge, and some of the lesser used but still useful feats such as Mobility and Spring Attack

Dexterity also governs the skills Balance, Tumble, Hide, and Move Silently in order of importance.

CON: This stat affects your overall health in addition to Fortitude saves. It also is your primary stat for maintaining your lifeblood for fighting, your Ki through the skill Concentration. A monk without a decent constitution score and decent Concentration will find it difficult to fight effectively and use monk abilities.

As a melee character is is inadvisable to start with lower than 14 Con (which is still only 1 build point even with the elven races). Even if you think/sure you wont get hit, any slight cleave style effect from a boss creature will most likely be deadly (especially at high levels/difficulty) Also, while monks do have Evasion everyone eventually rolls a 1 sometime. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to pick up the Toughness Feat at least once on a monk.

WIS: Wisdom governs a couple of secondary things for monks. It provides a bonus to armor (WIS bonus) when the monk is not higher than light encumbrance, wearing only a robe/outfit or docent and wielding only Monk weapons (discussed later). Wisdom also is used in calculating how much health is recovered per tick of Wholeness of Body, how high the various DC's are for a few monk moves and finishers and a monk's max Ki.

Wisdom also governs Will Saves and the skills Heal, Spot and Listen. These skills are quasi-useful.

INT: Intelligence is generally a lower priority stat for monks as it only provides: more skill points per level-up, grants access to the feat Combat Expertise which unless the monk is built to tank, it is pointless to have.

Intelligence also governs Repair and Search for monks. These skills are not particularly useful to most monks (especially when Detect Secret Doors items are available at very low levels and True Seeing is available later on.)

CHA: Charisma is another a low priority stat for monks. Only one move in a monks entire arsenal uses CHA in the slightest and that is only at level 20.

Charisma governs Intimidate, Bluff, Haggle, Diplomacy, and Use Magic Device. Of these, generally only Haggle and Use Magic Device are useful to a monk, as they are to most classes.

How to build a Monk
First, decide what of the three main weapon types you monk will typically be wielding by default:
 * Handwraps (known as unarmed)
 * Kama (small bladed weapons)
 * Quarterstaff

Unarmed and kamas generally use DEX as their primary attack stat and grab Weapon Finesse and the Two-Weapon Fighting chain. They are typically found in an Air stance, attacking at the speed of light.

Staff users generally use STR as their primary attack stat and grab the Two-Handed Fighting line of feats. They are typically found in a Fire stance, building and using Ki like there is no tomorrow.

Most monks only focus on one or the other for primary attack stat. While it is possible to build a monk that focuses on both, something else will suffer dearly (health or ability to land special moves/finishers)

Next, bump CON up to a minimum of 14. While it is possible to go with 12,it is ill advised to drop any lower than that. Monks are on the front lines and do not receive as many baseline hitpoints on level-up as Fighters, Paladins and Barbarians do, making them a touch more "squishy".

INT is based purely on the build. Tanks will want to find a way to reach 13INT to pick up Combat Expertise (Tomes count toward this number). For most other builds, 10 Intelligence is sufficient.

Wisdom, as stated before, governs a variety of things for a monk. It is never wise to neglect WIS on a monk but there is no universal standard for what is appropriate/required to function properly other than the wisdom modifier must be positive.

Charisma is purely based on the build of monk desired and specific choice of skills to be used with it. (such as a UMD based monk)

Common Feats
WARNING: Due to a problem Deflect Arrows does not work correctly. It is advised to not take this feat until it is fixed


 * Toughness
 * Power attack (requires 13 Strength)
 * Improved Critical
 * Stunning Fist (can only be taken with Monk Bonus Feat slots)

For DEX users

 * Weapon Finesse
 * Two-Weapon Fighting
 * Improved Two Weapon Fighting
 * Greater Two Weapon Fighting

For STR users

 * Two-Handed Fighting
 * Improved Two-Handed Fighting
 * Greater Two Handed Fighting

Stances and You: Common knowledge
Monks are a support based class who are only able to support their allies when able to be in the fray and build Ki. In most circumstances, a monk should be in the stance in which they have the highest stat modifier (generally Air for Dex and Fire for STR) and attacking. A review on the basic functions of the stances can be found on the Monks Enhancement page.

If Light based
Your allies greatly benefit from your buffs.

Always be sure to use the finisher Aligning the Heavens when it is Buff time to minimize healer and caster SP usage.

While your Dancing of Clouds can overwritten by Blur and Displacement, it has the distinct advantage of being able to affect friendly un-targetable combat capable NPCs. However, it only lasts for one minute.

Walk of the Sun is useful overall as it helps with Skills (finding and disabling traps, UMD) Saves (useful against hostile casters and traps) and to hit chance. Walk of the Sun Stacks with all other bonuses since it is untyped.

Grasp of the Earth Dragon is useful in a select few cases where enemy NPCs have access to spells/effects that would allow you to be instantly critically hit each time you were struck.

Your Healing Ki Finisher is also quite useful as it can save the healer some SP to go further on in the mission and it can revive a player who is incapped but not yet dead. It functions as a level one spell and as such is affected by any effects on equipment you would expect (BUT NOT FEATS). Use this to your advantage and you may not require a healer for certain quests (provided everyone is self sufficient and knows what they are doing).

If Dark based
Try and aid your fellow caster party members by using the debuff to whatever elemental type they primarily use. While it may not raise your damage much, it raises the party's damage and you can accomplish a quest that much quicker and efficiently.

Pay specific attention to your target. You are more damage oriented than your light counterpart, but don't waste ki on certain damaging moves unnecessarily when you know another is about to finish a monster off. Better to have a store of ki on the side for when you need it than to play "who can race to kill mob X first"

Don't neglect basic moves like triple elemental strikes like triple earth against casters. You have a plethora of different moves, the catch is to learn when each is appropriate.