Just a quick little question here to save me the bother of digging my CDs out of the box...

I am thinking of starting a game of SoA with a monk. If I have a character who is a CLERIC in Baldurs Gate, will I be able to choose the monk kit?

Yes or no.

Thanks.

No.

As the monk isn't a kit, it's a class of it's own. Though I don't have BG1 I'm sure you can't switch from your cleric class to a monk. Sorry.

You won't be given the choice of monk, sorry.

Monks, sorcerers and barbarians are not available to imported characters, since they are considered separate classes. The only kits that can be chosen are the sub-kits for the class that your character already belongs to...fighters can choose to remain straight fighters, or switch to kensai or berserker or wizard slayer, but nothing else.

I'm not sure about mages, and whether you can switch specialties or to a non-specialist though.

Its not really even possible to import a character from bg1 into bg2 and have a monk, barbarian or sorcerer, since those classes did not exist in bg1. you would have to start a new character to play one of those. sorry

In this case then, I am actually willing to 'modify' my stats to simulate a successful Baldurs Gate 1 completion. And max out my HP.

Would have been fun to solo through BG 1 from a L1 monk - he would have SUCKED SO MUCH to begin with it would have been funny.

Have to say that it's worth starting afresh with a monk. Sure, they suck big time at the beginning, but get a few level-up's and they transform into a juggernaut of destruction.

Jatelka rule! (Although having difficulties with Balor: See separate thread!)

What exactly is sooooo awesome about monks. From my reading they obviously kick ass, but can someone explain how their abilities work out in higher levels and like how much damage they do and stuff. Ive never played one, even though their description and stuff looked good, I just never really saw waht would would make them so much better than other classes.

Well, at high levels...

Immune to poison.
d20 damage for BARE HANDS.
Hands strike as MAGICAL WEAPONS.
Increased movement rate.
Huge to hit bonuses.
Likewise, huge armour class bonuses.
Ability to heal.

They are pretty good fighters at high levels. In my experience though, not up to the standard of a good high level warrior (and associated equipment).

If you ever want to test a character class out, just start a new game and edit the file with shadowkeeper to give yourself 8 million exp. Then just level up and play through Irenicus dungeon. All phun [img]smile.gif[/img]

Sorry. No single classed warrior can hold a candle to the Monk. A Monk is capable of killing anything in the game in one shot. Monks gain better magic resistance then the Wizard Slayer, have more bonuses then a Berserker in his berserk state, and, can do more damage and make more attacks per round then a Kensai. Not to mention they move incredibly fast, quickly closing the gap between the party and the enemy.

At high levels, a Monk becomes pretty much immune to everything. Arrows, weapons, magic, almost anything you throw at them, they can soak it up and ignore it for the most part.

Quivering Palm is the cheesiest attack in the game. It by passes stoneskins, kills instantly, and makes the Monk a fearsome figure in combat.

Sorry, but, all of the fighter kits in BG suck eggs. Big time. However, as I have stated many times, dual classing changes the dynamic considerably.

Monks and Blades both are the supreme force on the battlefield. In the hands of a skilled player, nothing else comes close.

however, both of those classes fall victim to the spells time stop and imprisonment hehe.

Both Monk and Blade can be immune to Imprisonment.

Blade = Spell Immunity Abjuration. Not to mention that a Blade can cast Imprisonment themselves.

Monk = Protection from Magic Scroll.

Edit. Forgot to mention that Blades can also cast Time Stop.

[ 01-26-2003, 07:59 PM: Message edited by: Butterfingers ]

since when do bards have access to lvl 9 spells? do you have some sort of mod (if so, feel free to email it to me: rhapsody407@hotmail.com) hehe

Immune to Imprisonment a on a whopping TWO occasions [img]smile.gif[/img]

Quivering Palm gives you what? One attack per day that kills instantly if the target fails a normal saving throw? Sounds quite a bit inferior to the Vorpal Sword if you ask me...

Monks combine tons of nice abilities, resistances and immunities into one character. But they're certainly not superior to all fighters in any aspect. They get poorer THAC0 than any of them, lower hit power than a Kensai*, poorer AC than a Berserker, lower ApR than any of them**, and far less life than any fighter. Their immunities can easily be simulated by using the right items, and though nothing can really touch their MR in an unmodded game, that is the only big advantage they have over fighters.

*or any properly equipped fighter

**any fighter can easily go to 5, 6, or even 10 ApR with the right weapons and the aid of a mage, a Monk can *never* have more than 4 ApR in SoA

Any Bard can cast level 9 spells, no mod needed. Figure it out. It aint that hard to do. You don't need Use Any Item either.

As for Monks, it's easy to get impressive AC. It's not hard to get THAC0 down to about -10 or so. Getting 4 attacks at 1D20 per attack is a potential 80 points of damage a round maximum. Quivering Palm is nice, but, do not discount Stunning Blow.

If you want to talk about piss poor AC, the Kensai is your man. No armor, no bracers, no nothing hardly. This can be fixed by dualing, but, that is beside the point.

I do like the Berserker kit, it's not shabby, but, I know from experience that a Monk is capable of doing more damage and gains better immunities.

I wont even mention the Wizard Slayer.

I aint the only one. Ask around. Nothing holds a candle to the Monk :D

Never said Monks were bad. They're great, but to say they outdo Fighters in the fields Fighters were designed to excel in, is simply wrong. Any properly equipped Fighter can easily beat 80dmg/round, any* Fighter can go lower than the -10 AC that Monks can normally get, and any Fighter will have at least 50 more HP than a Monk at lvl 20. Stunning Blow is just a temporary version of Celestial Fury.

*with the exception of the Kensai. Who in turn, when it comes to Hit power and THAC0, outdoes the Monk so badly it aint funny.

[ 01-26-2003, 10:08 PM: Message edited by: Rataxes ]

While the Monk can, indeed, gain some impressive bonuses, etc., They are severely limited by their weapons & armor restrictions. This is where you say, "Oh! But Monks don't NEED armor or weapons! They have a great natural AC, and their fists strike as Magical Weapons!" and then I respond, "You are correct. But they cannot take advantage of the incredibly cool gear that the game throws at you by the cartload. How many times have you wished you could get the 50% Fire Resistance from the Red Dragon Scale? Or wanted to get the physical resistances from the Defender of Easthaven? Or felt a deep, insufferable longing for the Helm of Balduran? Sure, you can still use the Celestial Fury, but with severe THAC0, Damage, and Attacks per Round handicaps, compared to what a Warrior could do with it. Hell, I designed Weimer's Holy Buckler of Amaunator, so Thieves could have a way to get Negative Plane Protection, but Monks can't even use THAT.

While the Wizard Slayer truly got burned, restrictions-wise, Monks have it even worse, to the point that I can say All Monks are exactly the same.
You're Human.
Your stats are 18/18/16/who cares/who cares/who cares.
You're wearing: Pale Green Ioun Stone, Gauntlets of Crushing, Ring of Gaxx, Ring of oh, Earth Control I suppose, Belt of Inertial Barrier, Cloak of the Sewers, Boots of Avoidance, and you're using the Sling of Everard and sometimes the Boneblade+4.
If there was ever a class that needed more variety (kits?), it's the Monk.

[RANT] I keep seeing people praising their Monks in this fashion: "His AC is -12, without armor! Can you say THAT about your Fighter?" It doesn't work that way, and never has. Comparing a Monk to a Fighter without armor is like comparing a Monk to a Mage without spells.[/RANT]

And Butterfingers, a Bard casting Level 9 spells? Now that I have a difficult time believing. True, they can set a bunch of Time Traps, but you also mentioned Imprisonment, and sorry, but Bards don't play that kinda music.

[ 01-27-2003, 09:25 PM: Message edited by: SixOfSpades ]

It's a forest for the trees thing I think.

Big hint! Bards can cast spells from scrolls. Hello!

How could somebody not know this?

I dunno about you folks, but, I give my Bards plenty of scrolls to cast. If I find a scroll of magic missle or fire arrow, I use it. To do so, place item in the quick slot then press the button. Any Bard can do it, no mods required.

:D Thank goodness it's not brain surgery :D

Indeed they can cast Imprisonment...

If you got ToB that is, and even then, a whoppin' one time* in the entire game :eek: [img]tongue.gif[/img]

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*leaving clone cheese out of the picture

Ok. I am going to lay it all out.

There is a purity I love with Monks. No dual classing, no use of items to gain munchkin tactics, nada. If you pick a fighter kit, and, don't like the downsides, you dual, even when it really does not fit with the kit description, and you work around it. Blech.

With a Monk, you learn tactics. You are forced to pick your fights carefully, and gain a greater understanding of combat. This actually translates into Baldur's Gate, which is a pleasant surprise. You start out weak, slowly working, EARNING your path to power. There is no chance to tweak or change class, or do something to break character, you are forced to play with the hand you are dealt. I like this. You can build a character you are actually proud of. The Monk is a richly rewarding class, even in BG. When you are getting your ass handed to you by goblins and mephits, you curse a bit and grit your teeth. Slowly, the pain ends, and, a change takes place. Slowly, steadily, you gain power. When you actually reach the point when you gain things like Quivering Palm, you actually feel like you deserve them. You cursed, you grunted, you sweated and you stuck it out. There are visible milestones awaiting you, pulling you, keeping you going to get that next big class bonus in just a few more levels, keeping you up till 3 am with a big stupid grin on your face.

It's probably just me, and, I probably sound pretty stupid for how I feel. But I love the roleplay experience.

Edit: Just realized this is also why I love to play Bards so much. You are forced to deal with what you have and you are forced to become good inspite of your restrictions. It actually makes you become a better player by learning how to work within your limits, rather then breaking out and changing what the limits are.

[ 01-27-2003, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: Butterfingers ]