I have a monk, and I can honestly say that he is the most "kick-ass" character that I have ever had the honor of playing in all my d&d days. So what's all the hype over the Kensai/Mage class?

The monk starts off kinda shitty, but like a mage, as the game progresses he easily becomes one of the most powerful character classes in the entire game but I never hear mention of it. The quivering palm which can instantly kill any opponent, the increased speed, the ever-increasing immunities as the levels increase... i mean, a character at level 15 who can walk into any combat unarmed, no armor and with no magical protective spells on him, that can slaughter a fu**ing lich with one hit has to be considered one of the best ...

So what's all this about the kensai/mage?

Monks are good. Continuous bonus to their AC, immunities you couldn't jump over, and lots of damage with their fists. The only real problem is that for some reason they have the same THAC0 as a cleric (?) but they attack five times per round, so that's not too much of a problem.
The popular image of a kensai mage is a scrawny bloke running around with two katanas. They're basically the same as a fighter mage, which is what I am, except they trade bracers, a helm and a shield for an extra +1 bonus to hit and damage for each three levels they were a kensai. I played one. They're fairly good, but not nearly as good as all this hype makes them out to be.

You've got to include that this game doesn't follow all of D&D's rules exactly and the monk may not hold the power he once did. Kensai are good fighters who can't where armor and having spells is a perk that makes this problem not so big.


Sorry for double post.

You've got to include that this game doesn't follow all of D&D's rules exactly and the monk may not hold the power he once did. Kensai are good fighters who can't where armor and having spells is a perk that makes this problem not so big.

I have never played a kensai/mage before, but I have a level 15 monk and
he is the best character I have ever played. also he has a ac of -7

I liked the Monk so much I played through twice with one. What a class!
Best ever for me, even more than my previous fav, the Bard.