Don't forget: You can log in with your Play.net account

Leafiara (prime)/Mechanical Musings/The Autumnwinds' Magical Monk Guide: Difference between revisions

The official GemStone IV encyclopedia.
< Leafiara (prime)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
mNo edit summary
mNo edit summary
 
(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 5: Line 5:
|author-displayed = Leafiara
|author-displayed = Leafiara
|date = 2024-06-19
|date = 2024-06-19
|updated = 2025-02-24
|updated = 2025-03-02
}}
}}


Line 12: Line 12:
By '''[[Leafiara (prime)|Leafiara]]''' Autumnwind, in loving memory of '''[[Saraphenia (prime)/Memorial|Saraphenia]]''' Autumnwind.
By '''[[Leafiara (prime)|Leafiara]]''' Autumnwind, in loving memory of '''[[Saraphenia (prime)/Memorial|Saraphenia]]''' Autumnwind.


Last updated February 24, 2025.
Last updated March 2, 2025.


Feel free to message me on Discord, send a thought, send player mail, or otherwise get feedback to me.
Feel free to message me on Discord, send a thought, send player mail, or otherwise get feedback to me.
Line 168: Line 168:


'''The Level 20 Stat Placement Table!'''
'''The Level 20 Stat Placement Table!'''

'''<font color="red">Please note: If you're adjusting stats at the inn, set Strength and Agility to 10 lower than the numbers shown here.</font>''' The game automatically adds +10 more to prime stats, which for monks are Strength and Agility. (The website is different. If you're someone who only wants to set stats once at level 0 and be done with it, the numbers below are exactly what you'd enter during character creation.)


:{| {{prettytable}} align="center"
:{| {{prettytable}} align="center"
Line 266: Line 268:


Sunfist uniquely offers [[Sigil of Location|access]] to [[warcamp]]s, a type of hunting ground suitable for the level of the characters who enter. It's more or less a means to find private hunting grounds for you and/or your friends whenever you wish! Characters not in Sunfist can accomplish something similar via [[Open Sea Adventures]], which explores the same general concept, but that requires millions of silver to buy in to. Warcamp loot is rather poor, but warcamps remain an appealing aspect of Sunfist and can be a helpful alternative to power through level ranges where you might find traditional hunting grounds unappealing.
Sunfist uniquely offers [[Sigil of Location|access]] to [[warcamp]]s, a type of hunting ground suitable for the level of the characters who enter. It's more or less a means to find private hunting grounds for you and/or your friends whenever you wish! Characters not in Sunfist can accomplish something similar via [[Open Sea Adventures]], which explores the same general concept, but that requires millions of silver to buy in to. Warcamp loot is rather poor, but warcamps remain an appealing aspect of Sunfist and can be a helpful alternative to power through level ranges where you might find traditional hunting grounds unappealing.

Sunfist is certainly not the most common societal choice for monks and arguably not the strongest, but it does open unique options and playstyles well worth considering.




Line 272: Line 276:
This is widely regarded as the mechanical best society for most or possibly all professions.
This is widely regarded as the mechanical best society for most or possibly all professions.


Like all professions, monks get extreme utility out of Voln's [[Symbol of Seeking|teleportation to hunting grounds]] and [[Symbol of Return|back from them]], [[Symbol of Recall|restoring spells]] after being resurrected, and [[Symbol of Dreams|swifter recovery from stat loss]] after being resurrected. In battle, Voln offers a way to [[Symbol of Sleep|put foes to sleep]] and a way to [[Symbol of Submission|force undead foes into an offensive stance]], both of which are even better for unarmed combat than other forms of combat, along with an [[Symbol of Transcendence|emergency button to go noncorporeal]]. While Voln's attack boooster, [[Symbolf of Courage]], gives slightly less sheer UAF than the other societies, it gives three levels' worth of protection against the undead [[sheer fear]] mechanic, which helps when hunting in areas where you might encounter undead more than ten levels higher.
Like all professions, monks get extreme utility out of Voln's [[Symbol of Seeking|teleportation to hunting grounds]] and [[Symbol of Return|back from them]], [[Symbol of Recall|restoring spells]] after being resurrected, and [[Symbol of Dreams|swifter recovery from stat loss]] after being resurrected. In battle, Voln offers a way to [[Symbol of Sleep|put foes to sleep]] and a way to [[Symbol of Submission|force undead foes into an offensive stance]], both of which are even better for unarmed combat than other forms of combat, along with an [[Symbol of Transcendence|emergency button to go noncorporeal]]. Voln's attack boooster, [[Symbol of Courage]], gives slightly less sheer UAF than the other societies; however, it gives three levels' worth of protection against the undead [[sheer fear]] mechanic, which helps when hunting in areas where you might encounter undead more than ten levels higher.


Voln also features two UC-specific abilities in [[Kai's Strike]] and [[Kai's Smite]]. Kai's Smite is its own UC attack that allows you to temporarily turn noncorporeal [[undead]] corporeal. Inflicting physical wounds on things that normally don't have bodies--and usually wear light armor, if any!--is a powerful draw for brawling monks.
Voln also features two UC-specific abilities in [[Kai's Strike]] and [[Kai's Smite]]. Kai's Smite is its own UC attack that allows you to temporarily turn noncorporeal [[undead]] corporeal. Inflicting physical wounds on things that normally don't have bodies--and usually wear light armor, if any!--is a powerful draw for brawling monks.
Line 493: Line 497:
Mstrikes ''sort of'' have a cooldown after use, which is 15-20 seconds or so (depending on training). When on "cooldown," you ''can'' still mstrike, but they'll consume a good chunk of stamina. (I can't give an exact number because it depends on how many hits are in your mstrike and which attack types are used.) When not on cooldown, mstrikes cost no stamina! Focused and unfocused mstrikes share the same cooldown timer.
Mstrikes ''sort of'' have a cooldown after use, which is 15-20 seconds or so (depending on training). When on "cooldown," you ''can'' still mstrike, but they'll consume a good chunk of stamina. (I can't give an exact number because it depends on how many hits are in your mstrike and which attack types are used.) When not on cooldown, mstrikes cost no stamina! Focused and unfocused mstrikes share the same cooldown timer.


Mstrike RT is frontloaded into a single burst and all attacks fire off at once. How much RT depends on the number of attacks and which attack types, but it'll be more attacks per RT than throwing single strikes would have been. However, be aware that it can reach times of 8 seconds or more early in a monk's life, especially if you're a low Agidex race or have made a hard push for high MOC ranks to have more attacks early! As an odd quirk, encumbrance doesn't increase mstrike RT.
Mstrike RT is frontloaded into a single burst and all attacks fire off at once. How much RT depends on the number of attacks and which attack types, but it'll be more attacks per RT than throwing single strikes would have been. However, be aware that it can reach times of 8 seconds or more early in a monk's life, especially if you're a low Agidex race or have made a hard push for high MOC ranks to have more attacks early! As an odd quirk, encumbrance doesn't increase mstrike RT. With high enough Agidex, you can eventually get even the top end of mstrikes down to 5 RT.




Line 509: Line 513:
RT-wise, much like mstrikes, Fury and Clash are difficult to nail down exact numbers on. However, they both seem to have lower max RT (unless encumbered; encumbrance affects techniques) and Fury definitely has lower minimum RT. Fury divides its RT over individual strikes instead of all at once. For example, if Fury has 5 RT worth of attacks, enough MOC to strike three times, and a certain amount of Agidex (again, difficult to pin down an exact amount), it'll execute them as 2 RT, 2 RT, and 1 RT.
RT-wise, much like mstrikes, Fury and Clash are difficult to nail down exact numbers on. However, they both seem to have lower max RT (unless encumbered; encumbrance affects techniques) and Fury definitely has lower minimum RT. Fury divides its RT over individual strikes instead of all at once. For example, if Fury has 5 RT worth of attacks, enough MOC to strike three times, and a certain amount of Agidex (again, difficult to pin down an exact amount), it'll execute them as 2 RT, 2 RT, and 1 RT.


Fury's structure has upsides and downsides. You'll have less RT overall if the early rounds kill the creature. If an emergency comes up mid-Fury, you can interrupt your own attack to leave the room, cast a spell, disable a different foe, etc. On the other hand, enemy creatures can ''also'' interrupt your Fury by leaving the room, stunning you mid-Fury, etc. It's also less likely that your target will be dead the moment your command gets sent to the server since attacks don't happen all at once.
Compared to focused mstrikes, Fury's structure has upsides and downsides. One upside is that you'll have less RT overall if the early rounds kill the creature. Another is that if an emergency comes up mid-Fury, you can interrupt your own attack to leave the room, cast a spell, disable a different foe, etc. On the other hand, enemy creatures can ''also'' interrupt your Fury by leaving the room, stunning you mid-Fury, etc. It's also less likely that your target will be dead as soon your command gets sent to the server since attacks don't happen all at once.





Latest revision as of 17:59, 2 March 2025

This is a guide, tutorial, or gameplay strategy written by one or more players to better assist others with their gameplay enjoyment. The information presented here may be subject to the personal opinion of the contributor(s), and may additionally require periodic updates to keep current as the game environment changes.

Title: The Autumnwinds' Magical Monk Guide

Author: Leafiara

Date Published: 2024-06-19

Updated: 2025-03-02


By Leafiara Autumnwind, in loving memory of Saraphenia Autumnwind.

Last updated March 2, 2025.

Feel free to message me on Discord, send a thought, send player mail, or otherwise get feedback to me.


Introduction: How to Use This Guide

This guide is for all magical monks from 0 exp to 46,000,000! (What do I mean by a magical monk? One not using Kroderine Soul. Somebody else will have to write that guide!) I'll go over monks' strengths, weaknesses, other unique qualities, things to consider, others' perspectives that I hear about, training plans, and so on.

This guide is exhaustive within its scope, or at least it can be.

  • If you want an exhaustive guide, read through it in order.
  • If you want the opposite of an exhaustive guide, jump to the "tl;dr Recap: Cookie Cutter" section at the end.
  • If you're not sure whether you want an exhaustive guide, read the "Why Play a Monk" section to see if monks sound cool, then jump to the Cookie Cutter section at the end, then read the rest if you're intrigued afterward. The Cookie Cutter section provides an overview of what to do and gives a small window into what the rest of the guide covers, which is why to do it.

I've made each section collapsible for easy navigation, but I try to scatter nuggets of wisdom for all experience levels all throughout!

Speaking of experience, what's mine? I capped my monk Tarine before the combat modernizations of 2020 and 2021, helped Saraphenia with her training (both on paper and as a hunting duo) from level 43 to about 9 million exp between 2022 and April 2024, and I'm now working on my monk Sariara, who filled in my knowledge gap before level 43 in the modern world.

Speaking of Saraphenia, who created many monks and enjoyed them more than any other profession, I think of this guide like our joint project. She would have had the passion and interest to create it, but not the knowledge and time. I have the knowledge and time, but wouldn't have had the passion or interest--at least on my own. When I say I've written this guide in loving memory, I truly mean it. If even a few more players find monks even half as exciting as Phenia did because of what they read here, I'll call it a job well done!

No further ado. Let's get on with it!


(Want to read the entire guide? Click here to uncollapse all sections at once!)


Why Play a Monk or Why Not Play a Monk?

Pondering the appeal of why to play a monk at all? Click here!


Character Creation

Need to walk through the creation of your monk? Click here!


Unarmed Combat Primer

Still figuring out how unarmed combat works? Click here!


Training Plan: Skills

Wondering how to train your monk's skills? Click here!


Training Plan: Exclusive Choices

Looking for information about combat maneuver decisions and their opportunity costs, plus meditation resistance? Click here!


Further Character Progression

Curious about feats, meditating, or upgrading your monk's gear later? Click here!


Super Post-Cap Advancement

Far post-cap and still looking for suggestions? Click here!


Odds and Ends

Can I interest you in the weirdest inner workings of my mind re: monks, plus other miscellaneous topics not yet covered? If so, click here!


Infrequently Asked (or Imagined) Questions

Wondering about some weird corner case I somehow never touched on? Ask me on Discord or in the game. To see what weird corner cases other people have asked about, click here!


The TL;DR Recap: Making Cookie Cutter Monks

Low on time or thought processing power and just want a cookie cutter build you don't need to put much thought into? Click here!


Denouement: An Unexpected Journey

First, thank you for reading The Autumnwinds' Magical Monk Guide.

Whether you read only the parts of it you were interested in, read every single word, or anything in between, I'm thankful for every reader.

Sometimes I write a "guide" partially or even almost entirely for myself. For example, with Ascension Considerations, I was going to do the math on efficient progression anyway, so I figured I'd take the extra time to turn what could have been private spreadsheets into wiki tables. Pre-Ascension Stopping Points (which I just noticed is really outdated) originally was a private document, but I turned it into a wiki page because sometimes people ask me if they can see my characters' skills when they want a template of where to take their post-cap training.

This one was for you guys, though. I hope it's been helpful, I hope it's gotten you thinking, and, maybe most of all, I hope you find monks more exciting or intriguing than you used to.

That said, if you were here only for mechanical informational purposes, I'm pretty much done with those. There's one more at the very end for people with multiple character slots (not multiple accounts, but character slots), but otherwise, you can head out! I wish you a good day or good night and hopefully I'll see you around the lands.

Thank you again.


Curious on the backstory of why this guide exists and why now? Click here and we'll close out.