Monk advice

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I'll probably try a Monk next. I have no experience with them and not read much about them other than the obvious; good tank, fast, lots of attacks, magic resistance, immunities, etcetera.

What's good Monk equipment? Gauntlets of Crushing? Scarlet Ninja-to off-hand? Does that even work with Monk fists? Anything else? There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of Monk equipment (not that they need it.) What goes in the Armor slot?

Are there any Monk-particular tactics I should be aware of? Seems like rather a basic rush-and-kick class.

 

No offhand weapons or shields for monks.

You want gauntlets of crushing, a non-enchanted katana, whatever robes/boots/jewelry you'd put on a tank. An ioun stone/King Strom's Mask.

There's very little they can use but there's very little that they need.

Oh, and some darts. There are a few occasions when you need to be ranged.

 

You mean they just can't? Or does it mess with the Monk Fist thing? I'd think you couldn't go wrong with the Scarlet Ninja-to, seeing as how it would give an extra main hand attack even if you're not proficient at all...

I do like throwing the Crimson Dart at Adamantine Golems that got stuck.

 

They just can't use off-hand items.

 

Oh, boo. Then what's the point of that Scarlet Ninja-To thing? Now I see why it grants +1 attack... I guess it's more likely to be used by Thieves than anyone else.

 

The one and only piece of equipment you "need" as a monk are the Gauntlets of crushing. You can't wear armor, shields, or helms (but you can use ioun stones). Fill in your ring slots, amulet, and robes with things you would normally use on a fighter. As for weapons, by the time you hit level 9, you're fists are +1 weapons, and they do 1d12 damage, with strength bonuses applying as normal, so you're fists are going to be more damaging than any weapon you can purchase.

It's a little slow in the beginning, and you will need a second tank early, simply because you won't be able to hit some stuff that requires magic weapons. That said, the progression is as follows:

Level 9: Fists are +1 weapons
Level 12: Fists are +2 weapons
Level 16(?): Fists are +3 weapons

I'm unsure on the level they are +3 weapons, mainly because by that time you typically have acquired the gauntlets of crushing, and so then you're at +4 for the rest of the game. The only reason for purchasing the Scarlet Ninja-to is so that you can hit things that require a +2 or +3 weapon before acquiring the gauntlets of crushing.

Even though most of your tanks will have +5 weapons equipped, I have no found the gauntlets of crushing at +4 to be any type of serious impediment. There's really not much out there that can be hit by +5 weapons, but not by +4 weapons. The only one I can think of is a pit fiend. Generally speaking, the problem arises when a mage casts protection from magic weapons, and then it doesn't matter if you have a +4 or +5.

So it is a late blooming class to reach its full potential. At level 15+, you'll likely have the gauntlets of crushing, and now you get a 1d20 roll for damage with your fists, which is obviously awesome.

 

If you do not mind using an exploit monks can wear keldorn's family armor though you need to make sure that you have the correct ability scores (which will likely require you to wear the ring that gives 18 cha when you put the armor on). While the AC won't stay useful forever (and it will prevent stealth) it does give some nice stuff like free action and allows you to fill the armor slot (not filling a slot annoys me to no end). You can also put the robe of aprenti though you need to CLUA console that in if you are a monk.

Monks are skirmishers which means they come in fast and hit hard. They are hard to hit but are not really good at taking them (they aren't bad with cleric HP but they do not get the bonus con for 17+ con).

Monks also can use a variety of items that you would not expect like the moon dog figurine. The only way to now is to find or CLUA console the items to find out. Monks are loads of fun and they are dangerous just remember to carry a magic weapon that is better than your fists just in case (hence the scarlet ninja-to since it is +3 and it takes a while to get there with +3 fists).

 

It seemed rather expensive for just that. Is it important?

I didn't even know about that Pit Fiend. Where is it?

In fact, I can only think of three critters that need at least +4; Lesser Demon Lord in the Temple of Lolth, the Ravager and Kangaxx the Demi-Lich.

The fixpack put a stop to that, but I'll keep my eyes open.

BG2 has such a confusing item usability scheme... "Only usable by" + "not usable by" = ??? when there's dual- or multiclassing involved. For instance, the Gloves of Healing cannot be used by a Cleric or Mage... unless it's a Cleric/Mage!

 

Very optional IMO. You can use any weapon a thief can use (except quarterstaves), so just plunk a proficiency in some thief weapon that you know you can get a +3 version of fairly early. You won't get the extra attack, but since you aren't using it much anyway, who cares?

It's summoned - Gate.

Generally speaking, multi-classes should be able to equip items that either class can use, although there may be some restrictions to spell casting or thief skills. But the cleric appears to be the funky one, with absolute weapon restrictions regardless of what you multi/dual classed with.

 

Nah, that gates in DEMPITSU.CRE, which can be hit by +3 weapons. There is a DEMLORD.CRE (Lesser Demon Lord) that needs +5, but it's not the one from the Temple of Lolth (that's UDDEMON.CRE).

And Kensai and Druids, both ever so tricky. Especially a freshly dualled Kensai/Mage... only Quarterstaff and Dagger.

 

Yeah, a kensai/mage dual would be tough while reactivating your kensai class. I've never found druid weapon restrictions to be too terrible. You have clubs, daggers, quarterstaves, scimitars, darts, and slings. So there's plenty of options there - blunt, slashing, two handed, one handed, melee and missile. I actually find cleric weapons to be more restrictive.

 

The weapon selection is tough, but other than that it's actually surprisingly easy. A stoneskinned meteor thrower with 150 hit points is far easier to manage than an AC 3 tank.

Yeah, except for any really good ones. At least Clerics can have the Flail of Ages or Crom Faeyr.

 

As far as the strongest weapons go the Flail of the Ages and some staves, definitely. But not Crom - any cleric can use a strength item + Draw Upon Holy Might to reach 25 strength, rendering Crom's strongest enchantment redundant. But it helps that blunt/crushing-type damage is strongest in BG2.

Ultimately though clerics always were a more martial bunch compared to druids, I find it difficult to imagine how a cleric can remain effective if he/she stays away from the frontlines. Druids aren't as restricted. They have a lot more summoning/offense spells.

 

So... I started a new game. Little monk named Xi-Xi. Her alignment is Righteous Stupid. Dialogue options will be chosen accordingly. Minsc approves.

Currently struggling with Chateau Irenicus. Not going too smoothly; Immy's morale failed in the Illych fight, so I couldn't move her out of harm's way, and then she took a few hits, of course, so she ran off. Her Strength spell will be missed. Wish she could have de-trapped the bedrooms, too... those traps are way annoying, almost killed Minsc. Good thing Yoshi's upstairs.

What's this... Monks can't Lay On Hands on other people? What are they, selfish?

Monk seems very weak at the start, but I was warned of that.

 

Monks are weak at low levels, but scaringly strong at high levels. You should get BG2 refinements mod's improved HLA table, it gives monks some unique, cool and powerful mystic HLAs, like inner time, different stances, ethereal ability, second wind, faster than the eye, tiger strike, dragon strike, flying kick etc. Cool and extremely powerful! Highly reccomended. Vanilla monk is boring with fighter HLAs, whirlwind attack over and over again, yawn.

BG2 refinement monk kicks serious a**, a flying kick to send an enemy flying across the screen stunned, dragon fist stripping a mage's protection spells with each strike. Inner time doubles a monk's attack rate so he attacks 8/round, and if you activate quivering palm, the victim must make 8 saving throws that round or die instantly. Now that's scary! A lvl 40 monk can easily beat a lvl 40 barbarian, barbarian can only hope to win if he uses Smite to stun lock the monk, but monk can do so many other nasties to him meanwhile. Also innate regeneration HLA can be taken multiple times and it stacks with everything else, a grandmaster of flowers level (original D&D level name for top level monks) monk regenerates like a troll!

Them monks may also be able to use some cleric scrolls and wands too, IIRC. Nothing major, but a bonus regardless.

 

While I agree that monks getting normal fighter HLAs is boring I don't use the modded HLAs for them. I think they sound pretty overpowered and it's not like monks are really suffering in terms of power, just that it's a little dull.

I mean one of them removes mage protections, what non-caster wouldn't kill for that HLA?

 

I'm a bit of a purist. I prefer the original game experience, with only fixes and perhaps Ascension and a few cosmetic tweaks. Other people's imaginings of uber stuff are not for me.

 

The reason for those absolute restrictions is because those restrictions are due to the person's beliefs, as opposed to merely being things a person in that profession would normally use. The thief and mage restrictions are more arbitrary, but the cleric and druid ones are from their ethos. However, IIRC in second edition not all gods prohibited their clerics from using weapons that shed blood. Only some of them did. Also, like in 3rd edition, a cleric was allowed to and even expected to take a proficiency in his deity's favored weapon, even if it was a longsword.

I could be remembering wrong, my AD&D group broke up in 1997 and I'm too lazy to try to dig out the Forgotten Realms Campaign Manual (2nd edition) or even my PHP.

 

Sometimes you can't use stuff because you don't know how, sometimes because it's forbidden. It's often difficult to tell which is which. For instance, aren't Druids forbidden from wearing metal armor and using metal weapons? Then why can Jaheira wear Full Plate but not wield a Long Sword?

(What's even sillier is the Scimitar proficiency... "Druids use sickles, and sickles are curved blades, and scimitars are also curved blades, so obviously Druids can use scimitars! But not katanas! Those aren't curved enough!")

(Or the Cleric's taboo on weapons that shed blood. "Here's a wicked morning star! Try not to shed any blood, will ya?")

 

Druid weapon proficiencies are a combination of legend, theme, and stuff from random stories. Scimitars are cited as a reference to the story of the 13th warrior if I recall correctly.