Aang Would Be Proud: The “Avatar” Build

20 Aug 2012 6 Comments

by teachersyn in Gameplay Tags: , , ,

I’m always trying to find something new, something that pushes the innate power of Monks to its fullest.

With that, I’m happy to talk about Quintessica, a halfling Monk that goes pppphfff! to Prestige Enhancements. She is trying to do for Monks what Hulk does to…well, everything, actually. She smashes.

I’ve done a little studying on the forums-so thanks to those who’ve already had an idea to emulate Aang and Korra from Avatar: The Last Airbender and it’s successor, The Legend of Korra. A Monk that possesses all four Grandmaster stances should be a highly adaptable fighter.

Downsides:

  1. Action Points usage will be horrific. It’s already tight to fulfill PreE prerequisites, the PreE and its levels itself, one Grandmaster, Monk Improved Recovery, Void Strike IV and have enough for Monk capstone. To master all elemental stances, you simply must sacrifice PreEs, to start.
  2. No Shintao Monk PreE means that Quintessica will have a harder time in DR breaking. Update 14 and Cannith Crafting fixes this a little: More metal-laced handwraps fall in the game, especially at high levels, and crafting allows customization of needed wraps for special occasions. Having a Artificer handy means less stress as well.
  3. The STR, DEX, CON and WIS ability stats must reach 18, minimum, to use their respective Grandmaster stance. Thankfully, Update 14 and the DDO Store appear to have made +3 Tomes available as a permanent offering. Quin is a halfling, a matter I’m still rethinking but I stand by her better overall stats, save STR.
  4. Fewer special attacks mean a consideration of new attacks. Update 14 added Dodge bonuses to the feats that lead up to Whirlwind Attack, something I’ve considered in past builds but never did–until now. That needed a big INT tome but, happily, I’ve pulled 2 +3 tomes lately (sold one for a big replenishment of plat on Lynncletica). That ate three feats and I’ve as yet to see how this will fare with things such as Two-Weapon Fighting feats.
  5. You can have all 4 Grandmasters or Monk Serenity capstone. There aren’t enough APs for both. Thankfully, Master Ocean Stance and new Enhanced Ki +1 items in game will help a bit here.

The whole idea of Quintessica is to maximize the power of finishing moves, stuns, attacks such as Shining Star and Quivering Palm, and utilize her Halfling speed to create the ultimate in Waif-Fu that would make River go, “Nice..!”

I spent the weekend with some awesome guildmates that quickly helped her reach level 12. With that, and a feat respec, the Mighty Quin pulls out her paralyzing handwraps for some interesting crowd control in fights.

Potential problems: Quin’s HP is dangerously low. She needs to kill and fast. My experience with Lynncletica’s Grandmaster of Earth defenses mean good things for Quinn as long as doesn’t pull too much threat inherit from the stance. I mentioned the DR issues, so she will likely become my first kama master and quarterstaff wielder for tough cases until she gets more advanced handwraps. I like that idea since I have a Raul’s Might, Dreamspitter and Dream Edge available to her.

Another changed feat with Update 14 I’m considering: Precision. It provides extra damage, stacks with Monk stances (as do other fighting stances) and may make a serious dent in a punch-drunk Monk’s success.

I’m terrible at posting pictures in posts, much less build summaries (any tips on easy use of this is appreciated), but I will keep you apprised on how Quin is doing.