That sounds reasonable :-)
For those who grabbed Pathfinder during the recent sale yet feel like they’re missing out on the special DLC pets because they didn’t want to spend an extra $10 or so for an artbook and OST (which is actually not bad, fwiw), please note they can be added to your game via mods; they’re cute, have SMALL impacts on certain die rolls, and each one takes up a belt slot.
Just wanted to take a moment to mention how much I’m enjoying this game! As a veteran of the Infinity Engine games, this feels like a beautiful, modern update to them. The possibilities for character development seem endless, and the combat is full of interesting, varying challenges that have kept me on my toes. I picked it up for 20 gold on sale and have been playing it incessantly the last week or two; I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. Great fun!
I picked it up on the summer sale. I am enjoying it so far. I started with a monk and then re-rolled as a sorcerer due to the lack of arcane support. Now that I am into it more, I question if a monk is even viable. Mainly its the AC being the issue. My main tanks are Vallary and Regnora. Vallary has an ac of like 36 and she does fine. Regnorar has an ac of like 32 and he can get spanked quite hard. I stopped using the barbarian chick because while she did great damage, she would drop like a rag doll all the time.
Anyway, back to the monk question. How do people deal with the low AC or how do they make up for it? Sure there are bracers of armor, amulets of natural armor and rings of deflection and whatnot, but that’s not going to push your AC up to a reasonable level it seems. I am up to the part where I am in an tomb of some guy who is responsible for making a city of people vanish. I have never seen any kinds monk robes or anything, nevermind any decent gear at all for a wizard or sorcerer (beyond a helm of +cha or +int).
It also seems that I do not have much time to level up my kingdom stats because of all the crysis that keep happening.
It’s a good game that is too beholden to some of the basic D&D rules about buffing that translate terribly into modern CRPGs, which really makes the end game feel increasingly tedious up until the point that I was honestly relieved when the campaign ended. Which is kind of a bummer because I felt the first half of the game was quite strong.
Pillars of Eternity 2 handles buffs far, far better. It also does some stuff worse, but that’s for a different thread.
Oh, and don’t get me started about the spellcasting animation times that make magic almost impractical in non-boss fights, and are a bizarre departure from the actual D&D rules.
Most of the guides I’ve seen show monks as having the highest AC possible in the game. Just search for guides, there are a ton out there.
funny thing is that in that tomb you come across the only robes I’ve seen that are restricted to a monk. Unfortunately they are also restricted to lawful good monks.
I’ll agree with Balasarius in that monks can be quite good at getting high AC, but you really have to know and therefore use the system. First off, a minor spoiler about magical items: there are monks robes. Three, to be precise. Each are gated to a specific alignment (LG, LN, and LE). The LG gives you +5 to your AC and +1 to attack/damage on your unarmed strikes. LN is +3/+3, LE is +1/+5.
That said, you also have styles, one of which is available is Crane. Heading down this tree (and taking supporting feats) and then fighting defensively when your monk is the primary target of a nasty brute will boost your AC considerably. Turn that off and do Dragon or Pummeling when your monk isn’t getting focused on.
Non-spoiler magic item stuff; while anything boosting your Dex will help with AC (and initiative), don’t forget items (and spells) which boost Wisdom (standard monks) or Charisma (Scaled Fist) boosts will also boost it. You’ll be able to find items with hefty bonuses as you continue on. Oh, and the standards like Mage Armor, natural AC, etc…
In terms of gameplay, until you get there and while you still have a semi-squishy monk, I’d bring in a tank to aggro the biggest bad guy first and then your monk to support via flanking.
Yeah, my sorcerer just sits around shooting his cross bow most of the time. The melee and archers do more then enough damage and it seems that half time time I target something, it dies before the spell goes off.
Are there big differences in playthroughs due to alignment or choices? Are any of the DLC worth getting? I am not sure Id have another playthrough in me if its the same thing. I have no idea how far I am into the game. If kingdom size is any indicator, then I am really like 25% done. I could spend like 6 months of time just leveling up advisors. I just do not seem to have much time to get stuff done before some big crisis happens.
All the DLC is too expensive for my tastes, but each has strong points and adds something.
Wildcards adds Tieflings to playable classes, Kineticist as a selectable class, and a Tiefling Kineticist companion with a pretty unique story line/quest. Tieflings are cool, Kineticists are fun to make stuff go boom, and it’s a good companion. That said, nothing earth shattering to be found. Definitely worth it on sale at the very least.
Beneath the Stolen Lands adds a hefty dungeon to the main campaign, which you can also do as a separate game mode. When doing it as a separate game mode, it’s procedurally generated. Seems to be worth it if you like the idea of this as a quasi-ARPG. If not, meh?
Varnhold’s Lot is basically Pathfinder: the Maegar Varn story (you work for him). Also a separate (and shorter) run than the main campaign. Seems worth it if you like that kind of a story line, but I haven’t run it yet so I can’t speak from experience.
edit - to me, I’d think most people who like the base game would at least like two of the DLC depending on their preferences; Wildcards + one other. Then you look at the cost of the season pass and realize it gets you $4 off the third. But still, the overall cost is steep.
Monks have the highest AC in the game barring weird multiclasses… that always include monk.
My first playthrough my monk had an AC in the mid-high 40’s and I was mostly a Strength build. How are your stats distributed?
Because just quick napkin math:
10+4 Dex + 4 Wis/Cha + 4 bracers + 2 ring + 2 Natural + 3 Defensive Fighting + 4 Crane Wing + Monk levels = 35 and those numbers are very tame
More realistic numbers at mid-late game:
10 + 6 Dex + 6 Wis/Cha + 8 bracers +3 deflection ring + 3 natural armor + 3 Def Fight + 4 Crane Wing + 4 Shield spell +3 Monk levels = 50 AC
And that’s mostly without spells. You can net higher Natural Armor and Deflection from low level spells from a Cleric/Druid/Ranger/Alchemist.
Now the +8 bracers are a little bit off still, but not too far after Vord’s Tomb, but the rest of it should be available (Shield requires Use Magic Items or an Alchemist usually). The rest you should probably have. Getting +4 Wisdom and Dex is easy by that point, which is 4 AC right there.
Edit: Fired up my OG Monk. I’m built for damage, not AC, so no Crane styles. This is unbuffed and doesn’t include my +3 AC from wings from being an Aassimar. Also my Dex is pretty low, like I might have Dex damage low. The first +3 from Charisma is monk levels they just label it wrong.
@DeepT Basically something like this should be doable by Stag Lord (level 4/5 ish). +4 bracers probably substituted by mage armor (scrolls, wands, or multiclass), and you can add in +4 shield spell (scroll/wand/multiclass), or an actual shield cus for some reason that works in this game even though it shouldn’t from descriptions. And that doesn’t include gear bonuses to dex/wis/cha, extra feats like dodge (+1) or the halfling defense thing (+2)
And that’s without the in combat buffs too
e.g. Valerie into monk just for easy access to the Crane tree because once again for some reason that works despite descriptions.
I bought the Season Pass, because this game is fantastic and the devs should be fully rewarded. That said, Varnhold’s Lot isn’t great. You are not in charge, Varn is. So when I started playing, I created a party and traveled to the first zone and quickly remembered I forgot to spend the 20k (or whatever) they give you to buy magical gear. No problem, I’ll just travel back to town and buy the gear I need.
“Fuck you,” says Varn. “We’re not done here.” (I’m paraphrasing.) So there I was, in a level 5-7 zone, with adventurers wearing chain mail or worse and wielding normal long swords. It turned practically every fight into a massive challenge more difficult than the final fight of the base game. Well, it wasn’t a challenge so much as a roll of the dice – can I hit and crit them to death before they do the same to me with my pitiful gear? Many fights took over 10 attempts.
Varn is a rogue, and you also get a wizard. But in the final dungeon, spoiler, they both leave you. So there you are in the final dungeon, down to a party of four and probably without a rogue and/or wizard. This is uncool.
Not really a fan.
What is with the charisma on the monk suggestions? I never knew that stat mattered at all for monks.
I also heard that you can make more than one custom party members. How is this done and has anyone done this?
Also, there is a main quest I am going to hold off on. Its the part where:
Tristrian becomes a traitor and the barbarians attack. I did the barbarians part, but now need to find their chief’s tomb. I am going to hold off on that indefinitely to do kingdom stuff for years maybe if I can. I am not going to lose the game if I do this, right?
I am just tired of never having time to do anything and you go from crysis to crysis over and over again. Its terrible design.
Scaled Fist uses Charisma instead of Wisdom for all it’s stuff.
To make a custom party member talk to the elf at the tavern standing at the bar. The Pathfinder chick, I forget her name.
You can’t hold off indefinitely on the thing you asked about, but you need to probably research the solution via Kingdom stuff. After you finish that you have a lot of time without much going on not long afterwards. Like… practically a year with no major crises.
iirc for that one, I think the kingdom stuff just reduces the required perception skill check on the map?
I know they’ve patched some of this, but back at launch if you took too long you would fail Amiri’s personal quest and she would leave you at the end of the game.
I did that part of the quest, so I am on the next part to find the leader guy after he flees. Its that part I was wanting to take my time on.
Look, I get they were poorly optimized games, but the last was released 6 years ago. ;)
More seriously, I wish they did the system a bit differently, as we’re all subject to the whims of the RNG gods and timers can be a PITA. There are mods which can help, if you’re interested. Even the basic “Bag of Tricks” has a “freeze timed quest at 90 days” setting.
Possibly, but the DC is so high you’re very likely to miss it requiring you to go do the Kingdom thing.
But it is a timed thing. The timer is long, but you can’t wait forever on it. After you do it and the other thing you have… like a year or more of nothing to do but upgrade the kingdom/do side stuff.