[Gimli]

Oh what the heck:

"lol, as I said, 18 dexterity. I don't see a problem with that. I also use a weapon until my BAB gets high enough (I used moonblade). I COULD have used weapon finesse instead and just suffered a short sword +1 or a similar weapon, but I liked the undead killing portion."

So you took an 18 Dex for the Pally/Monk? OK, if so there has been at least one solid decision. Your BAB is going to be simply awful because of your low Str though. So is your damage. Weapon finesse would be a totally wasted feat if you are going to switch to unarmed combat later on (it does not apply to unarmed attacks). Using a sword early on is fine - but with a 10 Str you're going to be lame with it.

"An ECL is not really a big difference. As I said, the only thing that humans that I'd want for one of my characters is the bonus feat."

It's the ECL plus the Paladin level, which essentially puts you 2 levels behind a pure Human Monk. You'll feel that for sure. Generally you finish the game at roughly level 16. So make that 15 because you're an Aasimar, minus one to Monk levels because you took the Paladin level. You'd be missing Quivering Palm, another +1 to AC, +2 to movement, and the switch to d20 from d12 in unarmed damage. I'd say that's pretty significant.

"Their is also a touch of REALISM in having a high charisma score for a monk. lol, heaven forbid I make a decision based on thoughts OTHER than of powergaming... lol"

So you're saying all Monks are charismatic, handsome devils? There's no less realism in a loner-type, secluded Monk who shies away from civilization and has no people-skills, and therefore has a low Cha. Low Cha is fun to RP too.

"Monks saves are not really any better than anybody elses in particular. It certainly isn't their 'chief strength' by any stretch. Also, have you ever had the joy of having your monk fail his saving throw and be halted in the fight? Its really annoying."

I guess you just don't pay attention to the rules - Monks have the *best* saves, bar none, of any character in the game. Check out page 136 of the manual, where it lists the "base save bonuses". There are 3 types of saves, Will, Reflex and Fortitude. Monks get the highest base save bonus for *every* one of those - no other class does, they all have at least one (and most 2) weaknesses (meaning they go by the lower save base bonus). I'd say that is a great advantage and a major strength of the class. And if you don't think saves are important, then why would you ever take a Paladin level, and max out Cha to a 20, and say it's great because you never fail saves?? Also with a maxed out Wis get their Wis bonus to Will saves; they get evasion and improved evasion, plus their Dex bonus to Reflex saves; and if they have a decent Con (which is quite a challenge with maxed Cha to devote points to), they add that to their Fortitude saves. Plus they get spell resistance at 13th level. They are saving thow *machines* and categorically do *not* in any way need the Paladin's boost with maxed Cha to improve them - it's overkill and a waste of stat points and a level. The *only* reason to do this is *purely* for roleplaying purposes, it makes absolutely no sense from a game mechaincs point of view.

What would be way more annoying to me than rarely failing a saving throw would be missing alot in combat, and doing very little damage when you do manage to hit, and also having low HP.

"Monks have poor HD for a warrior, and their BAB is low. Thus, I can use spells to aide his strength enough (which isn't much, its good enough by itself really)."

You can use spells on any Monk to up Str, not just on poorly designed ones that start out with a 10 in Str. Spells that increase Str don't stack, so the best you're looking at is about +5 from a Bull's Str. I'd much rather have that going on top of an 18, or better yet a 22 at level 16. Their HD problem is offset by the fact that their AC can get really high, and also should cry out "raise my Con, not my Cha". Their BAB is right in the middle as BAB goes, it's not "low", check pages 136 and 137.

"Skills don't amount to anything. They are pointless for a warrior. A waste of time even. So HOW does having that 1 extra skill point help that human fighter?
lol, it doesn't."

Are we talking about a human fighter? No we're talking about a Monk. If you're going to use him as a leader type, which you said you would (which IMHO is also a mistake) you need to raise Diplomacy; also Monks have access to, and should most definitely take advantage of Hide and Move Silently - they are perhaps the best mage-killers in the game, and sneaking behind enemy lines and taking out mages is something they can do amazingly well. That means your particular Monk ideally would need 3 skill points per level. I think the Human hits the sweet spot for a Monk - even with a 3 Int, they get 2 skill points per level, which means maxed out Hide and Move Silently, which pretty much will eventually equal free invisibility all the time.

"And yet, you keep mentioning it like its important? lol, how does it stack up to the handy sunscorch ability? Or perhaps the nightvision (which is better than 1 skill point per level by far)? Or perhaps, the bonus to stats? Or perhaps... lol, the list goes on."

Free invisibility from hide and move silently is so much more useful than sunscorch (the damage from a sling of a Monk with a good Str will do more damage than that, I don't think any Aasimar I've played has ever bothered to even use it). Nightvision is also not needed- it's nice, but I'd rather the screen look a little greyer to me than to pass up having another skill maxed out. Plus so long as one other character in the group has nightvision, the whole group can get its benefits, so it is also IMHO a waste if you have it more than once.

Again, have fun roleplaying this character, enjoy your game - but you really have alot of holes in your knowledge of how to design characters IMHO. And also using the acronym "lol" ad infinitum doesn't make your arguments any more persuasive.

[ 10-29-2002, 10:38 PM: Message edited by: Gimli ]