Meh; here's a lackluster combat ... vs level 1 critters.

>> sw
[Coastal Cliffs]
Deep crevices have split the solid rock beneath your feet, and you catch a glimpse of what must surely be the center of Elanthia as you carefully step over and around them. The sound of the sea echoes up through some of the crevices, indicating the presence of underground water flows. You also see a sea nymph.
Obvious paths: northeast, west
> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a sea nymph!
You have decent positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 104 + d100: 86 = 177
... and hit for 11 points of damage!
Edge of hand scores a shallow cut across the abdomen!
Strike leaves foe vulnerable to a followup punch attack!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> punch
You attempt to punch a sea nymph!
You have good positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 109 + d100: 22 = 118
... and hit for 21 points of damage!
Sucker punch to the chin! The sea nymph's jaw cracks loudly.
The sea nymph falls to the ground and dies.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
A sea nymph just arrived.
> loot
You search the sea nymph.
It had a dagger, some flowing robes.
It carried a sturdy gold coffer on it!
A sea nymph decays into compost.
> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a sea nymph!
You have decent positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 99 + d100: 15 = 102
... and hit for 1 point of damage!
Lackluster jab to the mid-back.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> look
[Coastal Cliffs]
Deep crevices have split the solid rock beneath your feet, and you catch a glimpse of what must surely be the center of Elanthia as you carefully step over and around them. The sound of the sea echoes up through some of the crevices, indicating the presence of underground water flows. You also see a sturdy gold coffer, some flowing robes, a dagger and a sea nymph.
Obvious paths: northeast, west
R> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a sea nymph!
You have decent positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 99 + d100: 34 = 121
... and hit for 2 points of damage!
Fast but ineffective blow to left hip.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> incant 1201
You take a deep breath and focus inward, raising a hand and quietly murmuring the words of the Force Orb spell...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at a sea nymph.
A translucent orb of force coalesces out of the air next to a sea nymph.
CS: +24 - TD: +6 + CvA: +25 + d100: +25 == +68
Warded off!
The orb dissipates harmlessly into the air.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a sea nymph!
You have decent positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 99 + d100: 90 = 177
... and hit for 11 points of damage!
Curling strike knocks left hand aside!
The sea nymph starts to favor its wounded arm!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
The sea nymph whispers a seductive song.
> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a sea nymph!
You have decent positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 105 + d100: 25 = 117
... and hit for 2 points of damage!
Hits right elbow, but lacks force.
Strike leaves foe vulnerable to a followup punch attack!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> punch
You attempt to punch a sea nymph!
You have decent positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 104 + d100: 7 = 98
A close miss!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> punch
You attempt to punch a sea nymph!
You have good positioning against a sea nymph.
UAF: 37 vs UDF: 42 = 0.880 * MM: 104 + d100: 82 = 173
... and hit for 44 points of damage!
Descending hand impacts left shoulder, fracturing the clavicle!
The sea nymph falls to the ground and dies.
Roundtime: 3 sec.<<

Any suggestions?



The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me

Here's a melee monk build example. He's not as fun as the UCS monk so I don't play him but he sliced through 13 lvls with 0 difficulty. I think I'm going to this guy at .3x spells. Maybe even drop that down more although I really don't know yet.

Level 0 Stats for Ostia, Half-Krolvin Monk

Strength (STR): 58
Constitution (CON): 50
Dexterity (DEX): 70
Agility (AGI): 41
Discipline (DIS): 62
Aura (AUR): 85
Logic (LOG): 77
Intuition (INT): 73
Wisdom (WIS): 81
Influence (INF): 63

Stats: Normal (Bonus) ... Enhanced (Bonus)
Strength (STR): 64 (17) ... 64 (17)
Constitution (CON): 61 (15) ... 61 (15)
Dexterity (DEX): 74 (12) ... 74 (12)
Agility (AGL): 54 (7) ... 54 (7)
Discipline (DIS): 68 (9) ... 68 (9)
Aura (AUR): 87 (18) ... 87 (18)
Logic (LOG): 80 (5) ... 80 (5)
Intuition (INT): 77 (13) ... 77 (13)
Wisdom (WIS): 83 (11) ... 83 (11)
Influence (INF): 65 (2) ... 65 (2)

Ostia (at level 13), your base skill bonuses, ranks and goals are:
Skill Name | Actual Actual
| Bonus Ranks Goals In-Game Time to Goal
Two Weapon Combat..................| 120 30 30
Combat Maneuvers...................| 105 25 25
Edged Weapons......................| 120 30 30
Multi Opponent Combat..............| 25 5 5
Physical Fitness...................| 105 25 25
Dodging............................| 105 25 25
Harness Power......................| 35 7 7
Mental Lore - Transformation.......| 50 10 10
Perception.........................| 15 3 3
Climbing...........................| 35 7 7
Swimming...........................| 35 7 7

Spell Lists
Minor Mental.......................| 5 5


Skill name Mnemonic Ranks
Combat Mobility mobility 1
Surge of Strength surge 2
Burst of Swiftness burst 2

Available Combat Maneuver Training Points: 8

Argh; on the other hand, my DS really stinks. If the critter gets off the first shot, I am in trouble.

>> sw
[Melgorehn's Valley, Grasslands]
Melgorehn's Reach towers off to the southwest. It dominates the valley, a constant presence in the waving grass. The ground is broken and ill-lit by the wan moonlight, causing you to trip and curse several times. No insects buzz through the area, giving you an uneasy feeling. You also see a lesser orc, a lesser orc and a lesser burrow orc.
Obvious paths: northeast
>
A lesser orc swings a short sword at you!
AS: +108 vs DS: +81 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +85 = +147
... and hits for 16 points of damage!
Minor puncture to the right leg.
>
A lesser orc swings a short sword at you!
AS: +108 vs DS: +80 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +41 = +104
... and hits for 1 point of damage!
Glancing blow to your right leg!<<

Run away!



The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me

True, but that's a penalty of being a giant. Been considering re-rolling as a half-elf just to correct that. Now, since this IS a problem for giants, I always start my giantkin characters with both dex and agl somewhere around 70. This time, however, I varied from that concept. Since Agl is a prime stat for monks, I figured it would grow fairly quickly. It's not so much the actual stat value as it is the poor bonus that giantkin get from it.

The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me

<Hmm, ok; you are only going for 0.5x spells. Can you atcually ward anything at that spell rank, or are you mainly interested in protection spells?>

You won't be warding much of anything with a monk unless you're using a mutant build. Monks are squares, not semis or pures. If you drop spells down to .5-.75x you should have enough TPs to get whatever else you want/need. The only attack spell I've found much use for so far is 1207, so you can prolly drop HP down to .5x as well if you need more TPs. I haven't had any problems with reduced training in HP, I don't use it a whole lot unless I'm spelling up.

Starchitin

A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.

If you want to play as a giantman I'd suggest dropping CM to 1x and .5x at most on perception, don't train any lores, 2x dodge, 1-2x PF, 2x brawling, either 1 rank or .5x in TWC. Try to get as close to 1x spells as you can, also pick up HP as you can. Eventually your spells will compensate for your AGI mod. Keep doing this up to 1220, then you can stop spell training and bring up all of the skills that you neglected.



It will be tough for awhile but eventually you'll be in a good place.

You will also have to give up on casting any offensive spells. You will use 1207, 1219 and maybe 1203 in combat. A CS build monk is just not an option. Monks only viable option for combat is via physical attacks. The good news is that a giantman would make a nice monk archer so you'll have more flexibility as you level.

>>You will also have to give up on casting any offensive spells. You will use 1207, 1219 and maybe 1203 in combat. A CS build monk is just not an option.<<

This is strange; almost counter intuitive. However, I didn't think about Savants. OK, so Savants get to have the best of the MnM spell circle, and monks are the neglected red-headed sisters? Sort of like warriors trying to train to get spell 410, but not using armor, shield or weapons along the way?

That seems pretty sucky, actually.

Even if I were a much more dextrous elf/half-elf/halfling/gnome,my DS would be a bit better, but not all that much.

The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me

<I didn't think about Savants. OK, so Savants get to have the best of the MnM spell circle, and monks are the neglected red-headed sisters?

Wouldn't really draw that conclusion, kind of sucks for both. There are spells that are completely useless for either class within the circle, and that comes from not giving monks their own circle. When will a Savant ever use the UCS boosting 1209, or whichever it is that gives unarmed players innate ability to parry (assuming runestaves will be standard for Savants)? And monks will never have the CS for attack spells or the spell aim for telekenesis.

RE: the rest of your post...I'm anticipating massive gain in effectiveness of my monk at level 10. UAF seems kind of wonky at low levels, some creatures I can't even hit and they're below my level (looking at you, Thurfel's Island) and others I can destroy. But level 10 will give +40 UAF from footwraps/handwraps, and seeing how UAF is used in the hit calculations that should make a massive difference.

>>That's because dodge DS is AGI rather than DEX. <<

OK, I was speaking generically; I know Agl determines DS in general. I used "dextrous" here to refer to general overall physical qualities of movement, not the dex stat per se. I could just as well have used the word "agile" in that context.

So. Apparently my monk is going to suck for some time. As I mentioned, with the agl and str stats set to 60 (70 post professional bonus) I was getting WAY more PTPs than I needed and nowehre near enough MTPs. With the stats set the way they are now, I have adequate MTPs and better mana. If you look, I am tripled in PF and have a relatively high swimming/climbing skill level for a level 4 character. I literally couldn't find another skill to soak up the extra PTPs I had, until I revised the physical stats downward and the mental upward.

Has anyone tried training in shield use? I was thinking the abyssmal DS might be mitigated by using a shield, and shield skill would soak up the extra PTPs, while having a macro to stow the shield just prior to attacking with UCS. This tactic worked fine for my THW using cleric (she was also trained in brawling). She would start with open hand and shield for a ridiculously high DS, then stow shield and grab a THW once the foe was disabled via spells; this was her usual tactic. Worked fine even to cap.

Speaking of DS, has anyone tried using UCS with spell 102 in effect? Does it lower the effectiveness? Might be amusing to try it. I am not suggesting to actually learn spell 102, just get a cleric or sorcerer to imbed/bless the spell in an item and see what happens. My empath can actually use a THW quite effectively even with spell 102 in effect; but then, empaths cheat with their spells (211, 215, 1109, 1119), which give a massive AS bonus. (Warpaths rule!).


The bells of Hell
o ting-a-ling-a-ling
or you but not for me

You'll want to convert sooner or later. Better to have useful mental skills than useless physical ones and monks have training point costs skewed mental but their prime stats are physical.

Shield will kill your UAC efficiency unless you do the shield dance trick. You don't need to train it though, and before level 20 you'll have enough dodge that you don't even want to hold it because of the nasty things it does to dodge DS. I tried that out in the beta and its good for 10 levels, iffy for 10, and definitely not worth it after that.

102 isn't worth it early on, unless you are using it as a way to turn strength into DS. Around level 20 was when I started making a lot of use of it.

Yes, I meant to add that as well. You can't be worried about conversion of points early on. Once you hit your mid 20's you'll be able to stop training some things, tp's will increase and points will start unconverting naturally.

OK, I'm sorry, but I can't imagine going through 30 or so levels of this crap before my monk gets decent in combat.

>> nw
[Melgorehn's Valley, Grasslands]
The grass waves about you, rustling in the breeze. In the distance you can hear the river running, and the call of the occasional frog. A headless, dead fish lies on the ground, toothmarks evident in the body. Whatever took a bite from this fish had very large teeth. You also see a lesser burrow orc and a wooden shield.
Obvious paths: north, southeast
> incant 1201
You take a deep breath and focus inward, raising a hand and quietly murmuring the words of the Force Orb spell...
Your spell is ready.
You gesture at a lesser burrow orc.
A translucent orb of force coalesces out of the air next to a lesser burrow orc.
CS: +27 - TD: +21 + CvA: +19 + d100: +89 == +114
Warding failed!
The orb quickly spins about him then strikes!
The burrow orc is crushed by the orb for 8 damage!
... 3 points of damage!
Blow raises a welt on the burrow orc's left arm.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)
> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have decent positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 108 = 0.398 * MM: 69 + d100: 75 = 102
... and hit for 1 point of damage!
Weak jab to chest doesn't faze him.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> stance defen
You are now in a defensive stance.
>
A lesser burrow orc swings a short sword at you!
AS: +127 vs DS: +111 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +1 = +52
A clean miss.
> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have decent positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 61 = 0.704 * MM: 91 + d100: 52 = 116
... and hit for 1 point of damage!
Quick jabs patter across the burrow orc's back like rain... and are about as effective.
Strike leaves foe vulnerable to a followup punch attack!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> pun
You attempt to punch a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 61 = 0.704 * MM: 91 + d100: 78 = 142
... and hit for 31 points of damage!
Uppercut to solar plexus. Air forced from the lungs!
The burrow orc is stunned!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> pun
You attempt to punch a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 60 = 0.716 * MM: 109 + d100: 27 = 105
... and hit for 1 point of damage!
The burrow orc twists around and the blow only grazes the neck.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> pun
You attempt to punch a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 60 = 0.716 * MM: 109 + d100: 30 = 108
... and hit for 2 points of damage!
Awkward punch gently brushes the left thigh. It's like a first date!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> pun
You attempt to punch a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 60 = 0.716 * MM: 108 + d100: 61 = 138
... and hit for 30 points of damage!
Wild swing heavily impacts left forearm, fracturing the bone!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
A lesser burrow orc grunts, "Gla bagg, og darn't ant tar mrak aru!"
R>
> pun
You attempt to punch a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 120 = 0.358 * MM: 88 + d100: 29 = 60
A close miss!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> pun
You attempt to punch a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 120 = 0.358 * MM: 77 + d100: 3 = 30
A clean miss!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 120 = 0.358 * MM: 91 + d100: 8 = 40
A clean miss!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 120 = 0.358 * MM: 94 + d100: 70 = 103
... and hit for 1 point of damage!
Fingertips barely brush the throat.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> jab
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 120 = 0.358 * MM: 80 + d100: 81 = 109
... and hit for 1 point of damage!
Lackluster jab to the mid-back.
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
A lesser burrow orc swings a short sword at you!
AS: +107 vs DS: +45 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +2 = +99
A clean miss.
R> kick
You attempt to kick a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 68 = 0.632 * MM: 99 + d100: 7 = 69
A close miss!
Roundtime: 5 sec.
R> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have good positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 68 = 0.632 * MM: 100 + d100: 81 = 144
... and hit for 12 points of damage!
Flurry of jabs to the ribs leaves the burrow orc winded!
Strike leaves foe vulnerable to a followup jab attack!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have excellent positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 61 = 0.704 * MM: 113 + d100: 50 = 129
... and hit for 9 points of damage!
Quick chop to elbow numbs left arm!
The burrow orc starts to favor his wounded arm!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>
A lesser burrow orc swings a short sword at you!
AS: +97 vs DS: +45 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +62 = +149
... and hits for 19 points of damage!
Torn muscle in your left leg!
> stance offen
> jab
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
You attempt to jab a lesser burrow orc!
You have excellent positioning against a lesser burrow orc.
UAF: 43 vs UDF: 64 = 0.671 * MM: 110 + d100: 81 = 154
... and hit for 26 points of damage!
Hard chop across the stomach causes internal bleeding!
The lights in a lesser burrow orc's eyes dim and finally go out.
Roundtime: 3 sec.<<

15 attacks to kill one lousy lesser orc? (16 if you count the initial force orb attack.)



"If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying hard enough."

My monk is only 18, and it doesn't take 16 attacks to kill things. Most are probably 5-10, actually took 2 attacks to kill an orc the other day. Under hunting for a bounty, first jab was a punch opening and I got an extra tier up with that punch. Once aiming becomes more reliable I am sure that number will shrink a bit too.

@Throgg

Well it took 15 attacks because you weren't doing it efficiently. You tiered up on attack four with a punch (Good thing). You then followed that by punching 6 more times when jab would likely have been the better choice as you are really looking for another tier up. You then jabbed 3 times after that which was fine, then you randomly tossed in a kick which has a higher RT and if you already are missing a lot than this probably has a decent chance of missing as well, only with a longer wait to attack again. You then jabbed twice and got to excellent tier (woohoo) but then once at excellent tier you Jabbed yet again...which is the wimpiest attack you have. Jab is entirely for getting tier up opportunities.

Reading through your stat and skill placement I'm not sure you could have made this any harder on yourself. Monks are squares and they'll be far more deadly if your physical stats reflected this fact. I realize you don't want to convert physicals to mentals but early on I couldn't find anyway around doing it with the 4 races I considered for my monk. Good news though! This isn't GS3 anymore and any TPs will unconvert as you level!

If you're serious about giving monks a chance,

1. Place your physicals at least reasonably.
2. Get a pair of those 1-2x flaring gloves that were sold....Felthrops wagon I think. Flares are easy easy damage especially when fighting level 4 creatures with a total of like 50 health.
3. Get strength, a statue, and mass spells from TSC. A dim and a look as well if you find some generous folks. Spells outweigh skills by a substantial amount at the lowest levels.
4. If col is the route this character would go, that is a very beneficial 35 as/ds.
5. If you don't already have it, get robes in every enchant so you can wear the new set as soon as you're able to hold them. Each +5 from armor bonus was noticable as I leveled.


Lochiven

>>15 attacks to kill one lousy lesser orc? (16 if you count the initial force orb attack.)

Throgg, I really appreciate that you're trying to get the profession improved though I wonder if you're giving it a fair shake.

You have an upper 30's UCS rogue right? The one from the post "MONKS SUCK AT UAC.." You know better than to fight that Orc way you did. First off, your monk needs to level up. Go kill red orcs if you have to, but it shouldn't take more than a few hours to advance at this level. If you're still level four, and you're posting about this guy a couple days in a row....you're doing it wrong.

As Thornbrook pointed out your monk was almost purposely throwing that fight. First off, you don't need 1201. It's not going to help. Secondly, wait for the Orc to attack (got to stance him with that level difference and you probably don't know feint). Then, work him with the jab, tier up to punch and get it, go back to jab, tier up, and finish him. Stance dance in between.

What other characters have you played? I've only played Rogues, Rangers, Monks and a converted Paladin. At lvl 4 they were vulnerable in Melghoren's valley. That lesser burrow orc is tougher than your monk. Go for the lesser orcs and walk away from the big boys if you have to.

>>1. Place your physicals at least reasonably. <<

Actually, initially I did. I placed my main stats at 70. Then I found that I had a huge number of PTPs I wasn't using, and a decided lack of MTPs; at which point I pumped up all my mental stats, and dropped the physical. My current stat placement is actually not bad if you consider long term stat growth results. Str and Agl should max out since they are the prime stats for the profession. I doubt that stat placement is a significant problem here. It's the slowness of the UCS in general when used from the open and not from hidden ambush that's the culprit. It needs revision.

OK, maybe at or near cap monks are super killers; I can't speak from experience there. But who would want to wade through 80+ levels of this nonsense to get to that point? I have been playing for 14 years, and this character has me more frustrated than any other I have created.


The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me

Let me put this in another way, from a somewhat different perspective. The main focus of EVERY profession is killing critters. Yes, you can advance some professions another way. An empath, for example, can sit in TSC all her/his life and do nothing but heal. Most professions have secondary foci of skills. Rogues can open boxes, clerics raise the dead, rangers do nature type stuff, wizards enchant, etc. But a couple professions have their main and only focus on hunting. Warriors basically just exist to kill things. Monks seem to be the same; combat is their only reason for existing.

Not only that, but the UCS system was created purely as a venue for monks to hunt. The fact that they are NOT the best at using this system to hunt seems to me to be a serious flaw therein. It's not a matter of where I placed my stats, it's a flaw in the system. I have 3 rogues, all trained in brawling (all are in Voln, so prior to this they used the old Voln-fu) and all of them kick butt using the new UCS ... because they attack from hidden ambush! Should monks really need to train in S&H to achieve that level of hunting ability?

It's a flaw in the profession design that a low level monk is actually better at hunting if they train in OHE/shield and not brawling/UCS. Well, OK, low level spell casters also usually train in weapon/shield/THW at low levels, but that's another flaw in the system, and another story. (All my THW using spell casters have capped; Now THAT's an aberration!)

The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me

OK, I admit this is a nice example; congrats to you. I would, however, like to ask how typical it is for results using UCS on a like level hunt. Even at low level, I have had a few hunts where I whacked things in a few rounds, and they just fell over dead, but that was extremely lucky, and so I have not enumerated them here in this folder. Again, with a combat sstem designed for the profession, monks should not be reduced to looking for lucky die rolls in combat.

Well, I shouldn't have gotten hit! If I'd been paying better attention, I would've force blasted one. And I didn't get a flare off my gloves; I might've expected at least one in seven attacks. But I assure you, I typically kill my opponents within three to six attacks, with excellent consistency and safety (which I think is the real advantage of UAC at this level at least). Generally I open up with jabs until I get a tier -- usually within two jabs -- then tier up, which has an excellent chance to stun. At that point I just punch. If I get a tier, I'll take it, but good positioning is enough to kill most enemies before they get unstunned. Good positioning guarantees me a good crit, their being stunned usually means I can't miss, and I don't even have to worry about them lucking into a dodge because E/B/P doesn't apply. Two ranks of Punch Mastery helps a lot here. And of course I have Krynch for multiple targets and 1207 if I need to knock something down. Some enemies are a little harder -- shadowy specters stand out as a hard opponent, since they can't be critted, seem to resist knockdown and cast bolts -- but just as many are so easy I don't even bother jabbing. Remember also that most of my swings are only 3 seconds of RT.

I'm not saying that I might not run into trouble as I level, but frankly, my monk is the strongest low-level character I've played, and I've played a few. I do have somewhat better stats than your guy, but you should be able to do the same thing. Get punch mastery, wait for stance, go to town. I think one error many people make is jabbing too much -- for example, in my clip, I should probably have ignored the last tier opportunity and just gone for a punch.

>>Good positioning guarantees me a good crit, their being stunned usually means I can't miss,<<

Lots of older critters either don't stun or shake stuns off within 2-3 seconds. I know some older (read near cap) rogues and warriors converted to monks. Can we see some examples of UCS used in the Rift or Nelemar or OTF? I am concerned about those instances where it is vital to disable a critter before they get off devastating spell or CMan attack.

>>You need to pick and choose your targets for what is most vulnerable to your hunting style. Since you've played so many characters of so many professions, you should know this by now.<<

Of course I can probably find easier stuff to fight. I am accustomed to underhunting with most professions at the start, especially pures. Warriors are one exception to this. As I mentioned, mine were whacking lesser orcs at level2. Monks are squares; they can even 3x in PF just like warriors. IMO, they therefore should be able to hunt as well as warriors from day 1. This is not the case. The conclusion I reach is that they need some improvement, at least at low levels. As mentioned, I have no experience of monks at higher levels; maybe they romp through anyyhing. But extrapolating from my own experiences, I don't see that. If nothing else, the lack of armor will leave them vulnerable to CS based spells. CvA of 25 vs -21(MBP)? Significant difference there.

I have a thought. How about if 1202 gave monk the CvA of the armor cless invoked, as well as the physical protection?


The bells of Hell
go ting-a-ling-a-ling
for you but not for me

I think a level 2 monk could do very well with lesser orcs, but not against lesser burrow orcs. I think they are one of the toughest creatures around at their level. I've had a couple of level 5 characters have a hard time with them even with my main keeping perma haste on them.

The difficulty curve for a monk is the opposite of what you are experiencing. It should be the easiest class to level until your mid 20's when you start running into spell casting mobs on a regular basis.

I'm fine with keeping 1202 CvA where it is, but I do think that Inner Harmony/Slippery Mind could use a bit of a buff so that a monk has an option to mitigate it. I also like the idea of monks being able to keep up an offensive and a defensive stance at the same time, in which case you could probably leave them as is.