Thakell wrote:
Monk/Cleric is sweet, i am running one through the sequel to crypt of the everflame, monk abilities with the edge in casting some sweet buffing and offensive spells, tie that in with the healing aspect and the monks imporved movement; i zip around the battlefield healing allies, yes the lack of armor has its downside but encumberance is not an issue, and the alignment requirement for monks limits the diety picks, but it is sweet
I agree entirely! I mean one of the great things about the Cleric/Monk combo is the the emphasis on the Wisdom stat. I basically took 1 level in Monk for background but even the first level stuff is pretty awesome.
I mean need to stack Wis for spells, and it just keeps adding to your AC. Toss in a ring of protection/ bracers of armor and you can jump up there pretty quickly. It would take a few upgrades but a 9 Cleric/1 Monk can pass 22 AC. Also the Wis bonus is very nice for Touch and Flat-Footed ACs.
Also, having that Improved Unarmed strike means you have some chances to flank while you're getting in to heal your party. Flurry is also handy. Stunning fist could be useful.
The Monk class skills include stealth, which can be valuable to a group. I've found acrobatics more useful than I thought.
A few more skill points by taking a level in Monk is nice.
And most of this is just from 1 level in Monk. Personally, for my own particular style/taste 4 levels in Monk would give me most of what I'd want out of it, any additional levels to be taken depending on how combat-heavy the character turns out. I'm going way more caster, but it has been fun. I mean prep a touch spell, then deliver it as part of a flurry of blows? Throw a trip attack in there... Lots of possibilities...
As far as mixing Melee and Caster, Oracle is looking pretty interesting! If you've not put one together, give it a shot, I know mine turned out way more combat viable than I thought it would!
