This is my first time playing through SOA, and I'm not really thst great a gamer. I see loads of stuff on these forums about pretty much everyone except monks: So inspire me!

monks are incredibly powerful at high levels. Almost(some people would drop the almost) to powerful at high levels. at low levels you may have a little trouble but you will dominate after a little while

i think the general consensus is that monks are ridiculously strong. havent played one yet though. do they get a stronghold?

They get the D'Arnise hold, same as normal fighters.

ya, monks are really powerful at high levels, someone on this forum (not sure if they are still here or not) one shotted a ancient red dragon with one unarmed attack lol now THATS power

Monks are a very powerful class. In the beginning they might not do much but in the later levels they turn out to be great juggernaughts of destruction. They use martial arts and with their special ability Ki they can take out a dragon in just one hit. Ive only played the monk once. He was powerful indeed and I did indeed laugh out loud when he killed firgraag with a fly kick :D

If I ever want to 'test' a class, I start a new game with a character of that class.

Then use shadowkeeper and give the character 8 million EXP.

Then just play through Irenicus' dungeon.

I didn't really think all that much of the monk, even at L40, though I suppose his abilities are largely wasted on goblins [img]smile.gif[/img]

I played my first game through SoA with a monk. It's not a class to choose if you haven't played either BG or IWD before though. They start out very vulnerable. They cannot wear armor, so their AC is pretty bad, and they use the priest's hp rolls, so they can't take as much damage as a normal fighter. They also can't use any two-handed weapons, so they can't be a support archer. Once you level up a ways though, they become a workable tank. Use rings, cloaks, amulets, etc to boost AC, which also improves as they advance in levels. Their unarmed attacks increase in the amount of damage they can do (eventually becoming THE most damaging weapon in the game), and their fists become equal to enchanted weapons, allowing them to hit magical creatures.

At lower levels, use their stealth to get into melee range when a fight starts and activate stunning blow. It applies to all attacks for two rounds and gives a chance to stun on a hit. I always try to switch targets if I stun the first one to get the most out of the stunning blow charge. The stun doesn't last too long, but long enough for a few free hits. Once you use your stunning attack, have your monk go bother one of their archers or spellcasters, don't try to go toe to toe with enemy tanks (that's what Minsc is for).

Once you hit level 13, you will rock. You get quivering palm (use it and the next one attack has a chance to instantly kill the target). You only get one per day so use it wisely (stunning blows are added one per four levels). Also by this time, your AC will be down to decent levels and your attacks per round will be awesome--but you only get the extra attacks when fighting unarmed.

Level 14 is when it gets insane. You gain 3% magic resistance per level (it's retroactive, so you will suddenly have 42% magic resistance). Add to that your previous immunities to disease, charm, and poison; and mages have a hard time stopping you. Nor do their stoneskins last very long (keep a normal weapon around though, since your fists are magical weapons, so protection from magical weapons applies to them).

At high levels, your only drawback is your low number of hitpoints compared with fighter classes, but that's only a problem against enemies that actually live long enough to hurt you.

Soloing a monk can be tricky--you can detect traps, but not disarm them, locks will be a problem--you can't use potions of strength because you're a priest class, and you don't have a fighter's hp to eat the trap damage.

Just a little nitpick, but the Monk's fists are by far NOT the most damaging weapons in the game, and yes, I know they can attain 1d20 damage.

I have not even factored in weapon proficiencies, woohoohoo. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Pretty much to sum it up: early on, you will want a party to go along with your monk. Later levels, you can walk up and kick a dragon in the nose and still walk away with your pride intact.

Monks are VERY fun, they make a good challenge in the early part of the game, and allow you to be a force-to-reckon-with towards the end.

BTW, I have been gone for a long time, and it's good to be back and see the forum is still alive!!!!

To quote my self from another post on why it is I like Monks.

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.

Or it could be that, just as Bards, they are good at everything but excel in nothing [img]smile.gif[/img]

Amen.

Many thanks to you all!

Currently 10,000 xp off level 14 (and can't wait to get the magic resistance!)
Managed to use quivering palm to finish off a beholder (BIG BIG SMILE). Maybe my monk wasn't the easiest option to play through first time, but I'm starting to see her potential (and maybe to think tactically about fights, rather than just steaming in and hoping to get lucky!)

I'll keep you posted

Ps: Love this community, very approachable: NO QUESTION TOO SMALL!