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“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.”
-- Sun Tzu
Your martial skills improve as you reach level 6.
Your experience has gained you mastery of the Adept of Forms elemental school.
With Update 19, all Monks will receive upgrades to all four elemental stances, as feats, automatically.
Not only do the Adept stances grant greater protection and defense but often supplement your new class enhancements.
Adept training requires only that you reach level 6 and no longer require any specific ability stat scores to receive the training.
Because of the changes of elemental stances into feats, you may find that you gain no appreciable benefit to having more than one elemental attack on your toolbar from previous schools of Form training. Experiment and see.
Remember: Only one Monk Stance may be active at one time, no matter your training level (Adept, Master, etc.).
On reaching level 6, you need not change the Stance icons on your toolbar. The effects of the upgraded stance will activate automatically. The new stance's effects are shown in a buff icon.
DO replace your Way of Elements ki attacks in your toolbar with your updated Adept ki attacks.
Monk Stances are generally independent of traditional stances available to other classes, such as Power Attack, Precision and Defensive Fighting.
Notes from the Old Master:Resist the Urges
This is a challenging time for you.
I have taught many students. Only a few complete their training. In frustration, a few students attempt to integrate their skills and talents from their old lives into the life of the monastic. The results were...less than favorable as they applied them in the field.
As a result, I've gathered enough soulstones to build a fortress, complete with a sauna bath. It is very soothing there. The stones hold the hot spring waters well. I use the finest bath oils.
Your martial skills take time to develop. Without practice, you will feel challenged, even overwhelmed in some adventuring before you reach the 12th level of enlightenment. If you can master well what you have learned, and avoid attempting to design yourself into something other than that found in the monastic, you will be well rewarded in the future.
Monk Elemental Path Improvements
Monk Elemental Path Improvements
Here is a summary of your new Adept of Forms elemental training.
Adept of Wind: The wind is untouchable, and you continue on the path to understanding what it is to be like the wind.
- Wind Stance: The relentless storm focuses on movement and speed. Wind Stance grants +2 Dexterity, a 10% Enhancement bonus to melee and thrown attack speed, and grants a 5% chance to doublestrike with melee weapons, at the cost of -2 Constitution.
- Storm Strike II: 2d6 additional lightning damage
Wind Stance speeds you up, but leaves you the most vulnerable of all the Monk Stances as it lowers your Constitution and, as such, your HP.
Wind Stance movement speed does not stack with Haste (as they are both Enhancement bonuses) but movement speed is increased by Striding items and the Phiarlan Pendant of Time while in public areas.
Aside from speed, Wind Stance adds doublestrike opportunity, increasing the chance of an additional attack on an enemy per round.
Adept of Flame: The sun burns with an eternal fire, and you continue on the path to understanding that intensity.
- Sun Stance: The consuming flame focuses on an aggressive offense. Sun Stance grants +2 Strength at a cost of -2 Wisdom. While in Sun Stance you gain 'Hit Effect: Gain 1 ki.' and 'Critical Effect: Gain 3 ki.'
- Fires of Purity II: 2d6 additional fire damage
Fire Stance strengthens your attacks, adding more damage. But your reduced WIS affects your WIS-based abilities, such as landing Stunning Fist attacks.
When using the Jidz-Tet'ka bracers in Fire Stance, you gain a 25% insight bonus to healing amplification.
Aside from power, Fire Stance adds the fastest ki regeneration as you attack. Note that Fire Stance offers, overall, the fewest additional options of any other Monk Stance.
Adept of Rock: The mountain is eternal, and you continue on the path to understanding the way of stone.
- Mountain Stance: The unyielding mountain stance focuses on endurance and defense. Mountain Stance grants +2 Constitution, a 10% boost to AC, 8 physical resistance, and a +40% Insight bonus to melee threat generation, at the cost of -2 Dexterity and -10% movement speed. While in Mountain Stance, you gain 'Get Hit Effect: Gain 1 ki.'
- Strike of the Enduring II: 8 additional damage
Earth Stance gives you greater defenses and (later) critical hits, but might lower your to-hit chances with a lower DEX. Enemies will also be more attracted to you and attack you more often.
Earth Stance is a "tanking" stance, not only because of its increases to AC, Physical Resistance Rating and HP, but because it also adds points to your Intimidate skill and generates Threat. Intimidate and Threat are part of the game mechanics that help you to get "aggro": To attract and keep an enemy's attention on you, rather than more vulnerable party members.
Aside from defense, advanced Earth Stances will greatly increase your opportunity for powerful critical hits, and thus, more damage.
Adept of Rain: The sea is always in motion, and you continue on the path to understanding the way of the sea.
- Ocean Stance: The eternal ocean focuses on redirection and the supernatural. Ocean Stance grants +2 Wisdom, +2% dodge, and +3 to all Saving Throws at a cost of -2 Strength.
- Flowing Water Strike II: 2d6 additional cold damage
Ocean Stance is a balanced stance that offers a medium of offense and defense, but it lowers your overall STR and, as a result, your damage per attack.
Ocean Stance increases your WIS, making it the most powerful stance for ensuring that your Stunning Fist and other WIS-based ki attacks work reliably. Your overall saving throws and Dodge bonuses are increased to help avoid traps and some damage.
As well, Master and Grandmaster Ocean Stance training adds +1 ki regeneration when your ki pool is less than your stable number. This effect stacks with other Monk class tree regeneration enhancements.
Granted Feats
Granted Feats
You'll have new feats granted to you as you improve.
- Wholeness of Body (Level 7): You can heal yourself every 2 minutes to near- or completely full HP, with only 10 ki.
- Improved Evasion (Level 9): You can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. When you attempt a Reflex save against an effect that normally does half damage when saved against, you suffer no damage if you successfully save and half damage even if you fail.
- Ki Strike: Lawful (Level 10): Your unarmed attacks bypass Lawful damage reduction.
- Diamond Body (Level 11): You are now immune from many natural poisons.
- Abundant Step (Level 12): You can use ki to traverse long distances--and do so more often than other classes.
Ability Stat Training
Ability Stat Training
By now, you have a preference towards a particular Monk Stance. You may choose to add points to STR, DEX, CON and WIS to support this preference. However, I warn against becoming too dependent on a single Stance.
When in Fire Stance, you apply more damage (and, with the Jidz-Tet'ka Bracers equipped, have better healing amplification). Yet, your WIS suffers, making it harder to stun enemies and weakening your overall DC checks against enemies with your other skills.
When in Wind Stance, you move and attack faster, and have a chance to strike enemies more than once. However, your CON and defenses suffer. As such, you're more vulnerable to damage.
When in Mountain Stance, you have greater defense and (later) will have the most powerful critical hits, but not only does your DEX suffer (making it harder to hit) but the Stance increases your Threat level and you move a bit slower than in other stances.
Fewer Monks use Ocean Stance prior to Update 14, but this has changed with Epic content. It increases your WIS and improves your saves, ensuring the best chance to stun or perform other tasks. While the Stance decreases your STR, it increases your Dodge bonus and saving throws--an excellent stance for defenses against lightweight mobs or traps.
Be sure to test yourself in every Stance. Gain an appreciation for what each can do for you. You will find yourself more versatile as a result, especially as you complete your training and complete the Master of Forms elemental school.
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