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The Book of Syncletica: A DDO Monk Guide

The Power of Shadow: Stealth Tactics

The stealth coding has been completely overhauled in Update 19. This chapter has received some heavy revision but needs some illustrations to make it most useful. Be patient--the results will be so worth it.

Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

--Sun Tzu

Most of the adventures found in the world of Dungeons & Dragons Online are designed for parties: a group of up to six player characters.

Most parties comprise of players with characters whose primary role is, frankly, to kill monsters and break things. Many players and parties use little to no stealth to complete this--in fact, it seems that the very idea of completing a dungeon without a sizable level of destruction is anathema to almost everyone.

This chapter's goal is to have you think differently about quest completion, through the power of stealth, class skills as a Monk. While this information will serve the solo Monk or small party best, this knowledge may come in handy in dire situations where a party is in a perilous area where they cannot blast, chop or bludgeon their way out to the next objective. In such a situation, you may be able to adjust the party's tactics so they they can survive long enough to maneuver away from their foes without detection to recharge their resources.

Update 19 complete rewrote the game's stealth system. The results may encourage you to give stealth tactics a closer look.

What is Stealth?

Stealth can be defined under two conditions in DDO: Sneaking and Invisibility.

Sneaking, of course, is a skill granted to most classes. But how well you can sneak depends on:

Whether you are sneaking (as opposed to running around)
Your Move Silently score
The lighting conditions of the area
How close you are to the enemy
The enemy's special abilities to detect you, in addition to sight and sound
Your Hide score

Let's explore the new stealth system and, frankly, how awesome it is.

What You Can Do In Stealth

A major change in the stealth system is the ability for anyone to jump or tumble while still in stealth!

Simply being able to jump gives far greater options to move about in quests where boxes and other climbable areas could be used to maneuver around mobs and on towards your objective.

The downside is that your movement speed is curtailed (unless you use the Faster Sneaking ability in the Ninja Spy tree), and you get -20 penalties to Jump and Tumble. While adding more than 40 points to Jump was useless in the past, now the idea has some merit if you have a stealthy Monk.

Being Heard

Enemies, like real people, are likely to hear you before you're seen. Thus, if you are moving, you stand a good chance of being detected. By "moving," we mean while on a surface, but not when falling.

The new system gives you a simple indicator that something can hear you.

If you see red blips about your feet, be warned--something can hear you, right now. You are detected.
While in stealth, blips mean
- Your Move Silently score is not high enough, or
- Your Move Silently score is not applicable as the enemy has other ways to "hear" you.
If you're not in stealth but merely invisible, you'll always see red blips about your feet if enemies can hear as you are making lots of noise. Invisibility only hides you if you are far enough from enemies. It does nothing for noise.
More and more enemies have heard you if the blips become darker and redder.
If you're in stealth, you might see white blips about your feet. This indicates that you are approaching an enemy on the verge of hearing you.

An enemy that thinks it hears or sees something and is investigating will show a "?" symbol over their head.

If the enemy has definitely heard you, there's a red ear symbol with an exclamation point over their head. Be ready to fight, or escape (see below).

Sometimes an enemy will hear you but (depending on other factors in your favor), they cannot find you. They will move to the location where they heard the sound and search about for you, for a time.

Some changes:

Enemies no longer cheat in finding you by using more noises of their own, nor will they just home in on you arbitrarily after 6 seconds.
Bugs were fixed that made stealthed and invisible a worse condition than being invisible alone.
Enemies will expand their search radius when making blind attacks. After a time, they'll hate the target less after a few missed attacks, and eventually give up searching for you altogether after a number of fruitless attacks where they are unable to hit anything.
Lastly, enemies should not shoot projectiles directly at you if they can't see you.

Be warned. If you give an enemy something else to stop to hear, the process begins again.

Being Seen

With the new system, enemies are always actively searching for you. Your goal is never to get too close and for too long for their Spot check to lock in on you.

Invisibility is similar to being hidden in that it effectively gives you immunity from Spot--to a point. However, whether invisible or using stealth, an enemy WILL detect you over time if you stay in their line-of-sight for too long, or are too close.

In the past, you've noticed the little eye symbols hanging over your player, looking a little like this:

With Update 19, the eyes have a different meaning, and now a few eye-symbols appear over the heads of your enemies.

If one or more s appears over your head, it means that an enemy's Spot check has spotted something suspicious but hasn't made up its mind to pursue you yet. If you see any eyes, immediately get away and out of sight. The more eyes that appear on you, and the longer they persist on you, the more likely you will be revealed.
The enemy itself will show a set of small eye symbols of their own. This represents their Spot bonus ability.
Enemies get bonuses to Spot once they think they detect something.
The colors of these eyes change in number, flashing and changing color rapidly, showing their Spot bonus growing and growing in their ability to narrow in on you. Don't be too close for long or eventually these small Spot eyes change into one, large ominous red eye, which means you are spotted and that you are being pursued. You'll may also hear an ominous crunching sound if you have your sound effects running.
Stealth combined with invisibility reduces the ability of monsters to to spot you at far distances, and reduces the bonus that they get to see you at closer distances.
The enemy’s spot bonuses gained while invisible won't reveal you as long as you stay invisible, but their spot bonuses will reduce your ability to hide if your invisibility goes away.
If you are approximately a human body length away from a foe, invisibility will fail you and the enemy will likely spot you.

You have a better chance to try to use levers and switches if:

You're invisible but not too close to the enemy.
The enemy's backs are turned or they are far away.
You return to stealth and/or become invisible before moving away.

Escaping after Detection

If you are detected, you do have a chance to escape by running away! But as you run away, you'll need to move far, fast and quietly, disappearing long enough for the enemies to get frustrated and give up the search.

One way to escape is to give the enemy something more dangerous to concentrate their attention.

This includes others in the party, or you can use abilities to do this. Ninja Spies have the Diversion ability that, in one move, makes them invisible while leaving a dummy of themselves for enemies to attack.

The key in escape is to break the enemy's line-of-sight of you long enough for them to search for you again. That is, enemies will pursue you around a corner but still have to see you to attack you as they follow. If you go into hiding after rounding the corner, they have to find you once more.

Find a spot, stay quiet and still for a time. The mob will walk off once they give up the search.

You could always leave your hireling(s) behind as well as a distraction.

Rogue/Monks who can make noisemakers could leave one in the opposite path they're going to escape, leading the enemies the other way.

How Invisibility Works (and Doesn't)

Being invisible makes you, well, invisible. You'll be noticed only if you're practically adjacent to the enemy, or if you make any noise. You effective gain a much higher Hide that only fails if you are too close (about a body length away).

Invisibility has its limits. Unless you are in actual stealth and have a good Move Silently score, moving will all but guarantee that an enemy's Listen check will hear you running. The effect is worthless against enemies with True Seeing or See Invisibility, such as beholders and giants. Nor can you use invisibility once enemies see you. They can generally track you once you're discovered. You have to break the line-of-sight of an enemy that's detected you to use invisibility.

The most common use of Invisibility is the "Scream and Run" technique to get to a quest entrance within a wilderness environment. The trick is not to have so many enemies detect you that a yellow or higher Dungeon Alert causes you to become Harried, which slows you down to become easier prey. Remember that the new system will make the scream-and-run technique less effective since all enemies have greater Spot and Listen skills--unless you are eventually able to escape from their pursuit.

For all its benefits, there are a few enemies where stealth and invisibility just will not work.

Spiders use tremor-sense. No matter your Move Silently score or use of invisibility, they know you are there. (Scorpions, however, don't have this.)

Wraiths and other undead enemies can sense your life force. Some enemies don't need eyes to find you, such as Tharaak hounds and oozes.

Some bosses have their own way of seeing. You can never hide from them. This includes some giants and Drow.

You'd think, then, that a Beholder would be impossible to approach. It's easy. They often do have True Seeing, rendering Invisibility useless. But they can't detect a good sneaking player. One Stunning Fist and he's your volleyball.

Power Stealth: "Stick and Hide"

Stealth skills aren't just useful now in sneaking to some location. What happens when you are discovered and have quest objectives where escaping might make things harder on you? A good example is found in "A Cabal of One," in Gianthold. The quest rests within a hobgoblin fortress. You must kill several conspirators before you can reach the boss. The hallways are narrow and often packed with enemies.

You shouldn't go "hero" and take on everything in the open, especially if solo and on higher difficulties. Hobgoblin shamans and other spell casters throw debilitating spells, and each conspirator is heavily guarded.

What's a Monk to do?

Use stealth to bypass hordes to specific targets. Remember that you can jump and use Abundant Step while in stealth (with the right prerequisites and skill).
- You don't need to kill everything, which creates noise that will certainly attract more attention. Leave the masses behind and get to the places you must go. If you are detected, use your speed to run and then hide. Enemies that lose direct sight of you must search again for you. You can't use invisibility while enemies have you in direct sight but it will reinforce an attempt to re-hide once you're out of the line of sight.
If you have the means, assassinate lone guards. If not, clear a small area behind you, then pull enemies one at a time to isolate them and thin out mobs. Don't be too close to others if possible when doing this as it makes noise.
- Once you reach a destination, there may be a lone enemy that you can eliminate without much attention.
- A good stun works to quickly kill. If you're level 15 and received Quivering Palm, use it to assassinate, but remember this pulls you out of stealth. Return to hiding right away.
- A throwing star from a long distance works very well in attracting one enemy at a time.
- Ninja Spies can use Freezing the Lifeblood, a finishing move that paralyzes humanoids for up to a minute. If other's backs are turned, you can paralyze many enemies one by one, sneaking behind each of them.
You can attract the attention of a whole mob to lure them away from your target. Be ready to think three-dimensionally to escape and backtrack. Break the line-of-sight before going to stealth or it won't work.
- In "Cabal," the conspirators reside in small rooms with several guards. Pulling to isolate is often ill-advised as there's likely no place to escape (if you've left others in the hallways behind you). In this case, intentionally get the attention of the enemies and run away.
- Next, know where to break the line-of-sight of pursuers and then go stealth and invisible (if possible), using any solid object if possible to retreat behind.
- If you did it right, enemies lose track of you and begin searching for you for a time. Move away while in stealth to confuse them further. If you haven't enough points in Hide and Move Silently, you'll discover it now. After a few moments, they will stop searching.
- Enemies use Spot not just in a forward arc but in a virtual arc as well. That virtual search tends not to be high (perhaps 1.5 times as high as the enemy's height). If you can turn a corner and reach a high enough spot, enemies may not be able to find you.
- The new stealth AI often tells the enemies to return to their start points, but this may not always happen. Sometimes they take their time as well. Use this opportunity to bypass them or pull individuals away to assassinate.
Use breakables to lure enemies away.
- Similar to #3 but using sound and not sight, destroy a barrel or other breakable nearby one or more enemies. They'll hear the sound and move to investigate. Most of the time, the enemies return to their location after a moment. If a breakable isn't around, throw a star at an enemy. Their cry attracts others--but this tactic may also aggro the enemy to you, or worse, every enemy that heard the sound.
Always isolate red-named bosses.
- These targets take longer to kill and often have attacks and defenses that will tax you. If the boss has an entourage, you'll likely become overwhelmed.
Use summoned creatures to aid in fighting or distraction if needed.
- Normally, a solo player doesn't have backup. At the end fight, however, you may need to break up co-bosses or powerful minions. In "Cabal," you have the option to have a scheming hobgoblin disable traps throughout the quest, only to have him join forces with the boss at the end fight as a second red-named enemy.
- A skilled player might leave summoned creatures (or hirelings) to fight the main boss and then pull the secondary boss away so that you beat each one separately. Summoned allies are expendable.
If you have the means, use charming spells to force enemies to fight each other.
- This is an excellent way to force enemies to thin out themselves. Shadowdancers in Epic play can use Shadow Manipulation every 2 minutes. Target problematic mages and use their spells to attack a horde while also getting rid of them. If you can use Curse of the Void (Henshin Mystics) to charm enemies, this can work as well.
If you're a level 18 Ninja Spy, try the Diversion ability.
- This core ability drops a pirate-themed training dummy that's one very huge hate-magnet, drawing every enemy's attention from you while also making you briefly invisible. While good for emergency escapes (use Sneak and Abundant Step!), it can be used tactically once completing a non-combat objective where an attack often follows, or when a quest is completed but enemies are still about that prevent looting of chests before finishing out. Diversion uses a Meditation turn.

Suggested Quests for Stealth Adventuring

There are many quests that aren't officially designed for stealth that can yield great benefits. A handful of quests are specifically built with a experience-lucrative stealth option.

"The Claw of Vulkoor" in the Red Fens
- Available in Heroic and Epic difficulty. Designed for stealth. Gives substantial experience bonuses for remaining undetected by scorpions.
- Sometimes, a guardian scorpion will camp over it's pressure plate, where Ionna's staff must go. You can lure it off the plate by carefully throwing something at a wall near him, but not close to you. It will leave the plate to check out the noise. This quest requires the best Hide/Move Silently skills you've got.
"Blockade Buster" in the Attack on Stormreach story arc
- Heroic difficulty only. Designed for stealth. Entering doors does not break your stealth or invisibility here. Boost up your INT to open the mine bay doors, time your detonations right, and you likely won't fight a soul. (Sometimes, a crest will be guarded too closely, so you might have one to fight.) Rogue Monks with trapmaking skills will do best here as they can make one detonator and a perfect kill of all ships at once.
"Spies in the House" in House Deneith
- Heroic and Epic difficulty. Very challenging with many types of enemies, a vertical quest path (like "The Pit") that requires jumping, traversing thin pipes for walkways, jet blasts, and electrified floors. Next to "Claw of Vulkoor," arguably the toughest stealth challenge in-game due to the virtual climb.
"The Tide Turns" in Sentinels of Stormreach story arc
- Heroic and Epic difficulty. Fighting required in a few places, but stealth pays off well in here. Abundant Step and good Reflex saves are key to bypassing the traps.
Any of the flagging quests for the "Tower of Despair" raid in the Devil Battlefield in Shavarath (save, perhaps, "Genesis Point")
- Hordes of devils, elementals, tieflings...and you can avoid most of them. Be warned than "Sins of Attrition" has statues that turn into mobs...unfortunately, the mobs may not see you but often materialize in your path, making sneaking past them virtually impossible. Remember: they can teleport.
"Undermine" in the Attack on Stormreach story arc
- The kobold miner's backs face you, which means you are out of their visual arc. As for the rest of the Droaam army, perhaps the detonation packs could be handy. Sneaking, by the way, will allow you to pass through the large minefield without detection or setting them off--usually.
"Diplomatic Impunity" and "Eyes of Stone" in Lordsmarch Plaza
- "Impunity" has plenty of room to avoid just about everything. You have only four required objectives, and only the last one (slaying the Droaam captain) requires you to break stealth for fighting. A good Bluff/Diplomacy/Intimidation helps with the wildmen tribe, although that, too, is optional.
- In "Eyes," bring a Knock clicky for quick runs to get more Stonedust Handwraps in a locked chest.
"Frame Work" in Lordsmarch Plaza
- It is possible to complete this as a simple infiltration and assassination mission in under 4 minutes. Dubious? Teacher MrCow (who provided the source of the stealth notes in this chapter) has a movie that shows how to do it (using a multiclassed Monk) A pure Monk can do this about as fast. Ninja Spies? You're up.

Advanced Study

While Grandmaster of Flowers is a powerful and highly useful Epic Destiny for Monks, the Shadowdancer Epic Destiny should be seriously considered for stealthy players.

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