Style, Gender, Path and Race
Style
The Monk is found under the Melee category. You must be a VIP to choose this class or purchase it through the DDO Store for Premium/Free to Play accounts. The Monk class can not be unlocked through Favor.
Gender
As with all D&D games, the choice of male or female appearance is a personal aesthetic. Both genders have the same abilities.
Path
Since you have a guide, choose "Customize" here. The character paths option here will automatically select all your feats and skills and is not recommended. (Don't confuse character paths with the Philosophy path, to be discussed later, in "Discipleship.")
Race
Being a melee class, some races work better as Monks.
Humans are a good pick if this is your first time playing a Monk and/or if you can only make 28-point character builds.
Advantages:
- Humans get an extra feat at character creation.
- Humans receive 4 extra skill points at creation and extra points as they level.
- Humans also get Improved Recovery for extra healing amplification, which stacks with Improved Recovery enhancements in most other Class enhancement trees.
Disadvantages: None.
Half-Elves make for a great option if you want to play more combat-oriented classes such as Paladin, Cleric, Barbarian and Fighter in stealth operations. You can use the Dilettante feats and training to add special abilities found in other classes, including wand and scroll use. Also, you gain the fortitude and diversity of humans while inheriting some stealth-related skill boosts and traits found in elves, and archery proficiency if you choose more Elven enhancements.
Advantages:
- Dilettante feat and training to add traits from other classes
- Can choose Elven or Human Versatility traits (but not both)
- Gain racial Improved Recovery for extra healing amplification, which stacks with other healing amplification effects unless otherwise stated
- More fortified than Elves
- Can train the Elven Arcane Archer class tree into the character
- Bonuses to Listen, Search and Spot
Disadvantages:
- Higher Action Point costs
- Butt-ugly avatar facial customizations for some players
Halfings are a surprisingly good and popular third race. Their racial enhancements, especially if a Dragonmark feat is trained at character creation, can fortify the overall resources for Ninja Spies, particularly in battle recovery, healing, Dodge bonuses and cap, and Sneak Attack. Don't train the thrower-based enhancements as these enhancements don't stack with similar core abilities given to Ninja Spies.
Advantages:
- +2 to Dexterity.
- Extra racial abilities improve their saves and skill in throwing items.
- +1 to AC for being small, and thus harder to hit.
- Bonuses to throwing.
Disadvantages: -2 to Strength, and less likely to Trip a larger enemy.
Dwarves, with their Dwarven Tactics, add greatly to their Difficulty Checks for Stunning Fist, making for powerful attacks early in your training than with other races. They also have +2 CON for more HP. While hearty for melee fighting, the Dwarf's racial enhancements favor the use of axes and other weapons that a typical Monk cannot use while staying Centered without highly specialized training in the Kensei Fighter tree.
Half-Orcs are also hardy races with their racial abilities. They have higher innate STR than all other races, making for greater damage than many other races. Their racial training favors Two Handed Fighting feat skills, making them an alternate choice over Humans for the quarterstaff-wielding Henshin Mystic.
Warforged are naturally immune to Energy Drain, cannot drown and are resistant or immune to certain spells, poisons and disease. Their disadvantage is that they are harder to heal than other races, suffer -2 WIS, and are more vulnerable to Rust Monsters and Oozes. As with Dwarves, they have +2 CON for more HP as well as access to similar Tactic enhancements. Warforged may be the toughest race to use as a Monk because of their healing factor, lesser WIS and vulnerabilities to the simplest enemies found early in the game: Oozes.
Elves have better +2 DEX but -2 CON, making them frail for a melee class. They are an optimal race if you are considering a monastic archer.
Advantages:
- Immunity to Sleep enchantments.
- Natural proficiency with longbows (the Zen Archery feat is required for a Monk to wield bows and stay Centered)
- Higher DEX
- Through enhancements, you can make longbows use DEX-to-Damage, foregoing the need to work in the Bow Strength feat to be an effective non-Ranger archer.
Disadvantages:
- Lower CON.
Drow are similar to Elves but have special inherent abilities that make them especially useful for experienced Ninja Spies.
Advantages:
- Immunity to Sleep and similar enchantments
- Gains the Shuriken Expertise feat for free, which offers a chance to throw an extra shuriken per attack.
- Spell Resistance equal to 10 + Character level. (Monks gain this same ability at level 13 with the granted Diamond Body feat, so these two effects do not stack.)
- Competency bonuses to increase damage with shortswords and shuriken.
- Possess the Venomed Blades enhancement for Poison-type attacks.
- Bonuses to Listen, Search and Spot skills.
- Greater CHA and DEX.
Disadvantages:
- Begin at 30-point builds and have different rules for Reincarnation and build points than other races.
- Not a free-to-play race. You must either buy this race through the DDO Store or (preferably) unlock this class through Total Favor on your server.
- Does not possess any Dragonmarks.
- Lower CON.