Hi everyone. In this thread, I wanted to present my build for my ninja-type Kensei Monk. I'm looking for any feedback to help with her optimization. I already have an idea for what I want her to be: A highly-mobile, difficult-to-pin-down, agile striker. I've designed her to be capable of bolting in and out of combat, sniping some times to force an engagement, and then closing in to deal her big damage. She can tank when she needs to with her high AC (final item build will eventually be Cloak of Protection, Ring of Protection, and Bracers of Defense) and about-average CON.
Here's what I have so far.
Level 1: Monk, Human Variant -- Quarterstaff and Darts are her primary weapons this early on; with a standard point-buy and Athlete going into a +1 DEX, this allows her scores of STR: 10, DEX: 16, CON: 14, INT: 10, WIS: 16, and CHA: 8. Athlete also makes it much easier to get around, and makes it much easier to recover from being knocked prone, should it happen.
Level 2: Monk
Level 3: Monk (Way of the Kensei) -- Longsword (Katana) and Longbow become Kinuko's primary weapons of choice for both their damage output, and the fact that she can now force the issue with long-range pressure. Positioned carefully, anything that comes after her this early on will have a devil of a time coming to blows with her. Add to that her standard Catch Missile ability, most things will literally be forced to try and close ranks, or be at a severe disadvantage the whole fight. Also, proficiency with Painter's Supplies because... why not?
Level 4: Monk, Mobile feat -- Mobile allows Kinuko to utilize her speed even more. At this level, she'll have 50 ft. of movement. She can dish out her damage at point-blank range and then safely move back out of reach, forcing most creatures she's fighting at this level to expend a Dash action to get back in close. The game essentially is knowing how to kite your enemies and not get pinned in or surrounded. If you need to use Slow Fall to get out of a sticky situation, you can. Just make sure where you're jumping from isn't too high.
Level 5: Monk -- Extra Attack makes it that much easier to be an effective participant in combat. Don't even need to drop Ki anymore to deal decent damage.
Level 6 (current level): Monk -- Deft Strike is amazing. 1 Ki to give a major boost to your weapon attacks (essentially almost lets you hit four times with two attacks -- assuming you land them both). Also, Scimitar (Wakizashi) as her third Kensei weapon (primarily for the possibility of taking Defensive Duelist feat later on).
Level 7: Monk -- Why wouldn't you? Purge fear and charm effects at-will. And Evasion is a must-have, particularly when your DEX runs as high as it will be.
Level 8: Monk, DEX +2 -- Essentially maxing DEX here and at 12 to peak out at 20. My dice aren't always kind to me, and any boost I can get to reliably increase my chances of hitting and damage are a must.
Level 9: Rogue -- Take a dip into Rogue for the eventual plan of taking Scout (and a massive increase in mobility). Also, Expertise in Athletics and Acrobatics. And a Sneak Attack die doesn't hurt.
Level 10: Rogue -- Cunning Action makes life a whole lot easier in terms of choosing your fights. Bonus actions to Dash every turn (or Disengage if you really are swamped) and you get to conserve all your Ki for Deft Strikes.
Level 11: Rogue -- Scout. Period. Nothing ever gets to stand next to you for long, and your high AC means they'll have a heck of a time hitting you anyway. Nature and Survival proficiencies (with Expertise, no less) are a nice bonus. I honestly think Scout/Monk combos are almost-kinda-sorta broken. Seriously, what in the game could catch you, short of a creature with Legendary Actions and teleports? A second Sneak Attack die is gravy.
Level 12: Monk -- Now we get Unarmored Movement Improvement. Don't like the situation you're in? Run up the wall and get the heck out of there. As if you weren't hard to corner already. Now you're getting options for how to escape. Also, no more climb checks are nice. Running down cliffs is awesome. Running up trees is awesome. Running sideways on walls just out of reach of the group that's blocking your path in that cramped dungeon... is awesome.
Level 13: Monk -- Immunity to disease, poison damage and the condition alone is worth this level, but the fact that at this point, you get a walking speed of 60 ft. too? Yum.
Level 14: Monk -- Sharpen the Blade. That nonmagical katana I carry around is now a +3 whenever I want it to be. May not always need to use this if I eventually come across a +3 longsword. Also, Daggers (Kunai) are a Kensei weapon now, because why not? One of the most easily accessible weapons and it's always magical in your hands. As a bonus, if you need to mix up the damage types because something is resistant to a type you deal, now it's easy to.
Level 15: Monk, DEX +2 -- Maximum attack and damage bonus, nice Stealth rating and Initiative, raise AC further.
Level 16: Rogue, Alert or Defensive Duelist (not sure which) -- Alert would help keep one-shotting Rogues at bay, and allow for better positioning earlier in combat. +10 Initiative is nothing to laugh at. Defensive Duelist, on the other hand, would really limit your enemy's offense. Your AC, assuming you have your full item load-out, is well into the 20's at this point, and is pushing close to 30 one attack per round with this feat. You really could be your party's tank. And if you do take Defensive Duelist, you could dip a level into Fighter and get a free +2 to damage with every swing, rendering the longsword irrelevant. Or, if you want to take the boring option, opt for +2 to WIS.
Level 17: Monk/Fighter -- Tongue of Sun and Moon is really just getting you towards your true capstone ability: Diamond Soul. If you took Defensive Duelist, however, you can give yourself a total of +10 to damage per swing of your Wakizashi by taking Duelist.
Level 18: Monk -- Diamond Soul is truly the best ability the Monk has. After this point, you'll probably have a fighting chance against pretty much anything your DM can throw at you. If you dipped into Fighter, you've just delayed it a level.
Level 19: Fighter/Monk -- Take another level of fighter if you want Action Surge. Otherwise, Diamond Soul.
Level 20: Monk/Fighter -- Timeless Body is... okay. If it gave your character immortality, then I'd say it was worth it in its own right. Part of me, however, would rather go a third level into Fighter and take the Samurai archetype.
So, how do you like it, my fellows? Do you see any leveling I could have done better? Any alternative routes you would have taken? Part of me thinks maybe I should stick with Monk until level 14 to grab Diamond Soul, just because it's that good, then explore the side classes afterward. Scout with Monk, however, is really, really good too, and the other part of me wants to grab that sooner rather than later.
Really, I'm at war with myself. I've yet to make a concrete decision for her final leveling path. Samurai matches her background quite well. Scout matches the fact that she's on the run. Sadly, I probably won't have enough levels to explore them all.
Just one comment. The monk's ability to deflect arrows can only deflect one missile per round. Plus it doesn't always eliminate all damage from that attack. It's a nice ability, but it's not as effective as it looks. Two opponents can work together to shoot arrows at a monk all day long and eventually they'll wear the monk down unless the monk closes into melee with them.
Fair point. I stand by my assessment, though. Most of my experience with missile enemies, they've had their damage reduced to zero and had their missile flung right back at them, whether with the Ki ability or on my turn, while their friends were preoccupied with mine. And full cover is always effective when you have it, otherwise. High AC would make it difficult to hit the Monk anyway -- many of the times when I've been sniped at, I've been secretly praying for a high roll from the DM just so they'd hit and I could use my ability.
My experience with missile enemies and monk is the damage by returning a weapon isn't worth the Ki points so I only did it once. When we fought a group of opponents who all used missile weapons I was only able to block one missile and I got hit. When we fought opponents who closed to melee quickly instead the deflect missile ability protected me from any damage when the DM did manage to hit me.
Tough was another one of the "freebie" feats that I was considering. That said, HP isn't the only thing keeping you alive in the later levels (saving throws, specifically), but you have Diamond Soul for that, so...
Anyone have any thoughts on Ranger/Gloom Stalker combo with Kensei? Given Kinuko's "ninja" archetype, part of me thinks darkvision would work well thematically for her. You also get the WIS modifier on your initiative, and Zephyr Strike, Jump, and Hunter's Mark work with my vision of her style of fighting.
3 levels of Gloomstalker could prove very helpful. You also gain a fighting style; Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer make for fun situational and flavorful features. I say go for it if you like it.
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"Time is money. Nobody knows how much time they have, but you can always count how much time you spent. So spend it wisely."
Something else to consider is taking Archery when you dip into Fighter, followed by Sharpshooter with the feat you take at Rogue 4. Not as sexy as the +2 from Duelist, but if you consider that your attack bonus with ranged weapons will be +13, it makes it easy to take the -5 to hit and do the +10 damage. And in a combat round you could fire your longbow, then move in for a melee shot, pile on more with Flurry of Blows, then get away clean thanks to Mobile. If you don't have much movement left you could always Disengage.
also dont forget your wisdom increases your AC as well so you should try and max that out to 20 as well. Just going to cost you two ASI spots.
Stopping points for me on Monk multiclassing has been 14, 17, or 19. So going past 14 to 15 is no benefit. Going to 16 makes sense for the ASI/feat but 1 more level makes all your kensei/monk weapons 1d10.
The problem is over thinking it. Do what you feel your character would do and not so much the number crunch of it all.
So, my level 6 Kensei actually died the other night in a multi-table Epic ("Peril at the Port"). <Spoilers below if you plan on running it>
One of the DM's playing Captain Smoke, the "Big Boss", dropped on our table and walked all over our party. Between her fear effect driving a couple party members away, the scary-ass cutlass Smoke wields (OMG, 27 Thunder damage x_x), and the tentacle AoE dealing massive damage by itself, my character was left the last one standing (thank you high DEX saves!). While I was proud of this fact at least, I also overlooked the fact that I wasn't using my Ki to bonus action Dodge. (Between the advantage it gives on DEX throws versus the tentacles and the disadvantage to be attacked, I really should've thought it through better...) More frustrating? Smoke only had 10 HP left when I dropped. And my terrible attack rolls kept me from walking away the victor. Last phase, I tried to use my 55 ft. of movement to run out of reach, but of course my DEX save failed me when I needed it most. :(
Had to drop 1,250 GP to be raised, walked away with no experience from the encounter, and Port Nyanzaru was left in ruins. God, that was a frustrating session.
Which brings me to my question: How often does everyone else use their bonus action Dodge during a fight? Is it more a boss fight tool for you? Do you prefer to expend your Ki on more offensive abilities? What questions do you tend to ask yourself during a fight to decide the best course of action? Should you conserve your Ki or burn it while you have the chance?
I know I'm metagaming a little bit here, and I hate to do that, but to have been so close to a boss kill only to fail really rubbed me the wrong way. And I often find myself missing things in a fight that, when I go back and think about it, I shouldn't have, and my character ICly wouldn't have either. What's your method of playing a Monk when faced with overwhelming odds like this? Should I have run sooner, or used Dodge to tank more effectively?
Any experience you have to relate, I'd appreciate. Thanks in advance!
I completely forget everytime that I have deflect missiles, so I understand completely. If it turns out your tanking then use dodge a lot. Or try your damndest to stun him.
Rarely. I have a Level 9 Lizardfolk Kensei, and with Agile Parry, I have an AC of 19 (that is without any magic, 10+3 natural,+ 4 Dex, +2 agile parry). But more importantly, I have a raging lizardfolk Ancestral Guardian Barbarian fighting next to me, so there is rarely a need to because they already have disadvantage to hit me due to Ancestral Protectors. So I don't even have Parry up much, and just do lots of flurries.
And I'm focused on my Con, than Wis, so with 66 health at level 9, I have only dirtnapped once. But I don't do many stuns either with only a DC 13. But targets die fast so it works.
This is a case of very intentional pairing and a good example of building with what is around you.
Rarely. I have a Level 9 Lizardfolk Kensei, and with Agile Parry, I have an AC of 19 (that is without any magic, 10+3 natural,+ 4 Dex, +2 agile parry). But more importantly, I have a raging lizardfolk Ancestral Guardian Barbarian fighting next to me, so there is rarely a need to because they already have disadvantage to hit me due to Ancestral Protectors. So I don't even have Parry up much, and just do lots of flurries.
And I'm focused on my Con, than Wis, so with 66 health at level 9, I have only dirtnapped once. But I don't do many stuns either with only a DC 13. But targets die fast so it works.
This is a case of very intentional pairing and a good example of building with what is around you.
I would say use your ki on everything but stunning strike with that DC
Rarely. I have a Level 9 Lizardfolk Kensei, and with Agile Parry, I have an AC of 19 (that is without any magic, 10+3 natural,+ 4 Dex, +2 agile parry). But more importantly, I have a raging lizardfolk Ancestral Guardian Barbarian fighting next to me, so there is rarely a need to because they already have disadvantage to hit me due to Ancestral Protectors. So I don't even have Parry up much, and just do lots of flurries.
And I'm focused on my Con, than Wis, so with 66 health at level 9, I have only dirtnapped once. But I don't do many stuns either with only a DC 13. But targets die fast so it works.
This is a case of very intentional pairing and a good example of building with what is around you.
I would say use your ki on everything but stunning strike with that DC
Yep, that was the trade essentially. Lose Stun as a primary ability, gain armor ( +3,) and shift stats to Con for health. Now Flurry and repeat.
But having observed another monk with the full kit...The stun can be nice, but boy does she hit the ground a lot. Might be more to not using dodge though.
Rarely. I have a Level 9 Lizardfolk Kensei, and with Agile Parry, I have an AC of 19 (that is without any magic, 10+3 natural,+ 4 Dex, +2 agile parry). But more importantly, I have a raging lizardfolk Ancestral Guardian Barbarian fighting next to me, so there is rarely a need to because they already have disadvantage to hit me due to Ancestral Protectors. So I don't even have Parry up much, and just do lots of flurries.
And I'm focused on my Con, than Wis, so with 66 health at level 9, I have only dirtnapped once. But I don't do many stuns either with only a DC 13. But targets die fast so it works.
This is a case of very intentional pairing and a good example of building with what is around you.
I would say use your ki on everything but stunning strike with that DC
Yep, that was the trade essentially. Lose Stun as a primary ability, gain armor ( +3,) and shift stats to Con for health. Now Flurry and repeat.
But having observed another monk with the full kit...The stun can be nice, but boy does she hit the ground a lot. Might be more to not using dodge though.
Hi everyone. In this thread, I wanted to present my build for my ninja-type Kensei Monk. I'm looking for any feedback to help with her optimization. I already have an idea for what I want her to be: A highly-mobile, difficult-to-pin-down, agile striker. I've designed her to be capable of bolting in and out of combat, sniping some times to force an engagement, and then closing in to deal her big damage. She can tank when she needs to with her high AC (final item build will eventually be Cloak of Protection, Ring of Protection, and Bracers of Defense) and about-average CON.
Here's what I have so far.
Level 1: Monk, Human Variant -- Quarterstaff and Darts are her primary weapons this early on; with a standard point-buy and Athlete going into a +1 DEX, this allows her scores of STR: 10, DEX: 16, CON: 14, INT: 10, WIS: 16, and CHA: 8. Athlete also makes it much easier to get around, and makes it much easier to recover from being knocked prone, should it happen.
Level 2: Monk
Level 3: Monk (Way of the Kensei) -- Longsword (Katana) and Longbow become Kinuko's primary weapons of choice for both their damage output, and the fact that she can now force the issue with long-range pressure. Positioned carefully, anything that comes after her this early on will have a devil of a time coming to blows with her. Add to that her standard Catch Missile ability, most things will literally be forced to try and close ranks, or be at a severe disadvantage the whole fight. Also, proficiency with Painter's Supplies because... why not?
Level 4: Monk, Mobile feat -- Mobile allows Kinuko to utilize her speed even more. At this level, she'll have 50 ft. of movement. She can dish out her damage at point-blank range and then safely move back out of reach, forcing most creatures she's fighting at this level to expend a Dash action to get back in close. The game essentially is knowing how to kite your enemies and not get pinned in or surrounded. If you need to use Slow Fall to get out of a sticky situation, you can. Just make sure where you're jumping from isn't too high.
Level 5: Monk -- Extra Attack makes it that much easier to be an effective participant in combat. Don't even need to drop Ki anymore to deal decent damage.
Level 6 (current level): Monk -- Deft Strike is amazing. 1 Ki to give a major boost to your weapon attacks (essentially almost lets you hit four times with two attacks -- assuming you land them both). Also, Scimitar (Wakizashi) as her third Kensei weapon (primarily for the possibility of taking Defensive Duelist feat later on).
Level 7: Monk -- Why wouldn't you? Purge fear and charm effects at-will. And Evasion is a must-have, particularly when your DEX runs as high as it will be.
Level 8: Monk, DEX +2 -- Essentially maxing DEX here and at 12 to peak out at 20. My dice aren't always kind to me, and any boost I can get to reliably increase my chances of hitting and damage are a must.
Level 9: Rogue -- Take a dip into Rogue for the eventual plan of taking Scout (and a massive increase in mobility). Also, Expertise in Athletics and Acrobatics. And a Sneak Attack die doesn't hurt.
Level 10: Rogue -- Cunning Action makes life a whole lot easier in terms of choosing your fights. Bonus actions to Dash every turn (or Disengage if you really are swamped) and you get to conserve all your Ki for Deft Strikes.
Level 11: Rogue -- Scout. Period. Nothing ever gets to stand next to you for long, and your high AC means they'll have a heck of a time hitting you anyway. Nature and Survival proficiencies (with Expertise, no less) are a nice bonus. I honestly think Scout/Monk combos are almost-kinda-sorta broken. Seriously, what in the game could catch you, short of a creature with Legendary Actions and teleports? A second Sneak Attack die is gravy.
Level 12: Monk -- Now we get Unarmored Movement Improvement. Don't like the situation you're in? Run up the wall and get the heck out of there. As if you weren't hard to corner already. Now you're getting options for how to escape. Also, no more climb checks are nice. Running down cliffs is awesome. Running up trees is awesome. Running sideways on walls just out of reach of the group that's blocking your path in that cramped dungeon... is awesome.
Level 13: Monk -- Immunity to disease, poison damage and the condition alone is worth this level, but the fact that at this point, you get a walking speed of 60 ft. too? Yum.
Level 14: Monk -- Sharpen the Blade. That nonmagical katana I carry around is now a +3 whenever I want it to be. May not always need to use this if I eventually come across a +3 longsword. Also, Daggers (Kunai) are a Kensei weapon now, because why not? One of the most easily accessible weapons and it's always magical in your hands. As a bonus, if you need to mix up the damage types because something is resistant to a type you deal, now it's easy to.
Level 15: Monk, DEX +2 -- Maximum attack and damage bonus, nice Stealth rating and Initiative, raise AC further.
Level 16: Rogue, Alert or Defensive Duelist (not sure which) -- Alert would help keep one-shotting Rogues at bay, and allow for better positioning earlier in combat. +10 Initiative is nothing to laugh at. Defensive Duelist, on the other hand, would really limit your enemy's offense. Your AC, assuming you have your full item load-out, is well into the 20's at this point, and is pushing close to 30 one attack per round with this feat. You really could be your party's tank. And if you do take Defensive Duelist, you could dip a level into Fighter and get a free +2 to damage with every swing, rendering the longsword irrelevant. Or, if you want to take the boring option, opt for +2 to WIS.
Level 17: Monk/Fighter -- Tongue of Sun and Moon is really just getting you towards your true capstone ability: Diamond Soul. If you took Defensive Duelist, however, you can give yourself a total of +10 to damage per swing of your Wakizashi by taking Duelist.
Level 18: Monk -- Diamond Soul is truly the best ability the Monk has. After this point, you'll probably have a fighting chance against pretty much anything your DM can throw at you. If you dipped into Fighter, you've just delayed it a level.
Level 19: Fighter/Monk -- Take another level of fighter if you want Action Surge. Otherwise, Diamond Soul.
Level 20: Monk/Fighter -- Timeless Body is... okay. If it gave your character immortality, then I'd say it was worth it in its own right. Part of me, however, would rather go a third level into Fighter and take the Samurai archetype.
So, how do you like it, my fellows? Do you see any leveling I could have done better? Any alternative routes you would have taken? Part of me thinks maybe I should stick with Monk until level 14 to grab Diamond Soul, just because it's that good, then explore the side classes afterward. Scout with Monk, however, is really, really good too, and the other part of me wants to grab that sooner rather than later.
Really, I'm at war with myself. I've yet to make a concrete decision for her final leveling path. Samurai matches her background quite well. Scout matches the fact that she's on the run. Sadly, I probably won't have enough levels to explore them all.
Thoughts?
Just one comment. The monk's ability to deflect arrows can only deflect one missile per round. Plus it doesn't always eliminate all damage from that attack. It's a nice ability, but it's not as effective as it looks. Two opponents can work together to shoot arrows at a monk all day long and eventually they'll wear the monk down unless the monk closes into melee with them.
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Fair point. I stand by my assessment, though. Most of my experience with missile enemies, they've had their damage reduced to zero and had their missile flung right back at them, whether with the Ki ability or on my turn, while their friends were preoccupied with mine. And full cover is always effective when you have it, otherwise. High AC would make it difficult to hit the Monk anyway -- many of the times when I've been sniped at, I've been secretly praying for a high roll from the DM just so they'd hit and I could use my ability.
...Am I the only one who does that? :)
My experience with missile enemies and monk is the damage by returning a weapon isn't worth the Ki points so I only did it once. When we fought a group of opponents who all used missile weapons I was only able to block one missile and I got hit. When we fought opponents who closed to melee quickly instead the deflect missile ability protected me from any damage when the DM did manage to hit me.
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Defensive Duelist, Slow Fall, Deflect Missiles, and Skirmisher all use your reaction. Take Alert instead.
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A good point. Alert was on my radar, anyway, so that's a compelling argument for it.
I'm gonna vote Tough feat. Especially for higher levels it's a considerable amount of staying power with the additional HP on top of the decent AC.
Tough was another one of the "freebie" feats that I was considering. That said, HP isn't the only thing keeping you alive in the later levels (saving throws, specifically), but you have Diamond Soul for that, so...
Anyone have any thoughts on Ranger/Gloom Stalker combo with Kensei? Given Kinuko's "ninja" archetype, part of me thinks darkvision would work well thematically for her. You also get the WIS modifier on your initiative, and Zephyr Strike, Jump, and Hunter's Mark work with my vision of her style of fighting.
3 levels of Gloomstalker could prove very helpful. You also gain a fighting style; Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer make for fun situational and flavorful features. I say go for it if you like it.
"Time is money. Nobody knows how much time they have, but you can always count how much time you spent. So spend it wisely."
Something else to consider is taking Archery when you dip into Fighter, followed by Sharpshooter with the feat you take at Rogue 4. Not as sexy as the +2 from Duelist, but if you consider that your attack bonus with ranged weapons will be +13, it makes it easy to take the -5 to hit and do the +10 damage. And in a combat round you could fire your longbow, then move in for a melee shot, pile on more with Flurry of Blows, then get away clean thanks to Mobile. If you don't have much movement left you could always Disengage.
I do to lol
also dont forget your wisdom increases your AC as well so you should try and max that out to 20 as well. Just going to cost you two ASI spots.
Stopping points for me on Monk multiclassing has been 14, 17, or 19. So going past 14 to 15 is no benefit. Going to 16 makes sense for the ASI/feat but 1 more level makes all your kensei/monk weapons 1d10.
The problem is over thinking it. Do what you feel your character would do and not so much the number crunch of it all.
So, my level 6 Kensei actually died the other night in a multi-table Epic ("Peril at the Port"). <Spoilers below if you plan on running it>
One of the DM's playing Captain Smoke, the "Big Boss", dropped on our table and walked all over our party. Between her fear effect driving a couple party members away, the scary-ass cutlass Smoke wields (OMG, 27 Thunder damage x_x), and the tentacle AoE dealing massive damage by itself, my character was left the last one standing (thank you high DEX saves!). While I was proud of this fact at least, I also overlooked the fact that I wasn't using my Ki to bonus action Dodge. (Between the advantage it gives on DEX throws versus the tentacles and the disadvantage to be attacked, I really should've thought it through better...) More frustrating? Smoke only had 10 HP left when I dropped. And my terrible attack rolls kept me from walking away the victor. Last phase, I tried to use my 55 ft. of movement to run out of reach, but of course my DEX save failed me when I needed it most. :(
Had to drop 1,250 GP to be raised, walked away with no experience from the encounter, and Port Nyanzaru was left in ruins. God, that was a frustrating session.
Which brings me to my question: How often does everyone else use their bonus action Dodge during a fight? Is it more a boss fight tool for you? Do you prefer to expend your Ki on more offensive abilities? What questions do you tend to ask yourself during a fight to decide the best course of action? Should you conserve your Ki or burn it while you have the chance?
I know I'm metagaming a little bit here, and I hate to do that, but to have been so close to a boss kill only to fail really rubbed me the wrong way. And I often find myself missing things in a fight that, when I go back and think about it, I shouldn't have, and my character ICly wouldn't have either. What's your method of playing a Monk when faced with overwhelming odds like this? Should I have run sooner, or used Dodge to tank more effectively?
Any experience you have to relate, I'd appreciate. Thanks in advance!
I completely forget everytime that I have deflect missiles, so I understand completely. If it turns out your tanking then use dodge a lot. Or try your damndest to stun him.
I used to use my monk's dodge ability regularly. It's incredibly useful and it makes the monk able to be a front line melee fighter.
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Rarely. I have a Level 9 Lizardfolk Kensei, and with Agile Parry, I have an AC of 19 (that is without any magic, 10+3 natural,+ 4 Dex, +2 agile parry). But more importantly, I have a raging lizardfolk Ancestral Guardian Barbarian fighting next to me, so there is rarely a need to because they already have disadvantage to hit me due to Ancestral Protectors. So I don't even have Parry up much, and just do lots of flurries.
And I'm focused on my Con, than Wis, so with 66 health at level 9, I have only dirtnapped once. But I don't do many stuns either with only a DC 13. But targets die fast so it works.
This is a case of very intentional pairing and a good example of building with what is around you.
I would say use your ki on everything but stunning strike with that DC
Yep, that was the trade essentially. Lose Stun as a primary ability, gain armor ( +3,) and shift stats to Con for health. Now Flurry and repeat.
But having observed another monk with the full kit...The stun can be nice, but boy does she hit the ground a lot. Might be more to not using dodge though.
Beg your DM to have you find bracers of defense.
Its a thought...if I was getting hit. Might ask for other stuff instead ;)