Maybe I'm being obtuse but I am having trouble understanding how to effectively play a Monk.
I've read that one of the monks best attributes is his ability to move around the battle field yet it seems to me that they are most effective when they stay still. That is when the move they can't flurry and a monk who is not flurrying just seems wrong. Additionally archetypes (is that the right word?) like sacred mountain monk only give you benefits when you stay stay...
How do you get around this? Is there a build or strategy that best uses the monks movement?
Please don't take this as a I hate monks rant or thread because I am having so much fun with my current monk but I just don't know how to best utilize him in combat.
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I believe the main reason people cite monks as mobile is because of their speed bonuses and their ability to dodge Ao0 using acrobatics. I see a typical monk strategy going something like this:
round 1: move to your target opponent, using acrobatics to avoid attacks, stunning fist to keep them still.
round 2: flurry against your opponent, 5 foot step to the next one.
round 3: ????
round 4: Profit!
In order to flurry your opponent needs to be within your reach. High maneuverability allows you close faster and have the option to bring that flurry to bear on a greater number of possible targets. That might be the difference between getting hung up in the front line fighting hard targets versus getting to the back line and fighting soft targets. So while you might not use the high maneuverability and flurry at the exact same time, they do work together.
I try to move as little as possible. I draw enemies to me using a flurry of shurikens or taunts. Most of which I steal from Monty python. I see myself as the first line of defense for our parties wizard (who I in game I owe my life to) I will often position myself in front of him taking my AoO's and flurrying, pinning, tripping anyone who wants to get by me. Using the monk of the sacred mountain build this strategy becomes vastly more successful.
Ultimately this is really going to depend on the scenario but positioning my monk who can buff his AC in to the mid 30's in a doorway while the wizard casts from the other room is never a bad idea.
Yeah, our party's monk is always the first to be able to close with the boss, easily get within the ogre's reach, etc. The other fighter moves like 20' and is usually stuck with the screeners and mooks as a result.
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round 0: (as you're very likely not going to be surprised and not going to lose initiative) find the enemy caster, stun enemy caster
Just out of curiosity, how do you find the enemy caster and stun him, all in the surprise round, when you only have a standard action? Assuming you didn't begin the surprise round within reach of that caster, how do you pull that off?
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Just out of curiosity, how do you find the enemy caster and stun him, all in the surprise round, when you only have a standard action? Assuming you didn't begin the surprise round within reach of that caster, how do you pull that off?
Pretty sure that this expects the caster to be detectable and usually surprised. Which happens more often than not in my games. Can't be invisible and aware all the time.
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This is why I like the Zen Archer. I have high speed to keep distance and burn people down with bow. Dealing a massive amount of dmg.
And If you dip once into sorcerer at 1st level you can pick up nice spell like Gravity Bow, which is the best archer spell I have seen. get the protean line and glue your enemy to ground then pelt them with arrows. Its a fun combo.
I have a player who uses this in PFS. Deadliest character I know, bar none. It will only get worse once he starts taking AOO's with his bow.
As a GM, I've always allowed Stunning Fist as part of a charge. This may or may not be the standard rule, but I figure it's an attack action, it can be the attack made at the end of the charge. It just makes sense to me that of all the attacks with which one could stun someone, it would be the one with some running momentum behind it.
If you plan to multiclass with the monk (you can do that now! YAY!), rogue is my favorite path. The finesse and agility of the rogue compliments the monk's abilities well (and the added chunk of skill points are a big help too). Plus, once you have Improved Feint, you can fist someone's face, combine it with Sneak Attack damage, and make them cry a lot before they go squish.
If you want to stay straight monk (which I also applaud), high Acrobatics or just the Mobility feat will be some of your strongest defenses. Then you can dive right into a pile of enemies and start pummeling. You can stun them to leave them open to attack from your other party members. Another fun tactic: get Improved Trip. You can trip several, let your wizard/sorcerer drop a fireball, and use your high Reflex Save + Evasion do duck out of the blast. Stop, Drop, and Roll, baddies! ... Huh. Guess you did two out of three for them. :D
I strongly suggest carrying some ranged weapons regardless of monk build. I can't count how many times I've seen fellow monk players who were left out in the cold in a fight with an aerial foe because they had no ranged weapon. (Although one monk made up for this by using himself as a ranged weapon--super jump plus aerial glomp; he failed the grapple check and plummeted fifty feet, breaking most of his bones. Sound theory though.)
At any rate there's lots of great things you can do with the monk. Also, never forget that you can combine combat maneuvers into your flurry of blows. Carrying a trip weapon and having Improved Trip will annoy the crap out of your enemies. Disarming three or four enemies is always fun too. Sometimes they're stupid and, instead of picking up their weapon, they try and fistfight with you. You never know what kind of opportunities will spring up for a well-prepared monk.
How have you been playing your monk to date? Are you worrying based on some theorycrafting when building your character, or are you having trouble w/ your execution?
