# magic items for monks?



## Luguolo

hey, i recently had a player interested in playing a monk, and the only magic items i can find are rediculously exspensive, like the amulet of mighty fists. i was wondering if there was anything to just enchant somthing hand held, like say hand wraps, or gloves, or somthing. because its like 3 times as exspensive for monks to get the bonus then it is for others.

sorry if it seems silly or stupid.


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## Dandu

Amulet of Natural Weapons, Savage Species.


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## Dannyalcatraz

My Monks get a lot of use out of a Quiver of Ehlonna- store your bolts & javelins and your quarterstaff in a extradimensional space.  If you're a Dex-based monk, you've just become mobile artillery.

If you add additional weapons to the monk list, it can get even nastier...I had one who loaded up his with _Greatspears._


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## Luguolo

Dannyalcatraz said:


> My Monks get a lot of use out of a Quiver of Ehlonna- store your bolts & javelins and your quarterstaff in a extradimensional space. If you're a Dex-based monk, you've just become mobile artillery.
> 
> If you add additional weapons to the monk list, it can get even nastier...I had one who loaded up his with _Greatspears._




lol sounds excellent, but i suppose i should have been more clear (though i will defenetly look into that). i am more looking for unarmed power, it costs 2000 to enchant a weapon, but 6000 to get the same thing for a monk with an amulet.


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## Dannyalcatraz

One of the easiest ways to enhance a Monk's unarmed striking power isn't through magic items, but other pathways.

Multiclassing to certain PrCls like the Kensai (CompWar), for instance, boosts the PC's weapon of choice- which can be a Monk's unarmed strike- and has other benefits as well.  And it is a PrCl that doesn't cut off Monk advancement.  Similarly, the Shiba Protector Monk PrCl (Oriental Adventures) lets the PC add his Wis bonus to attacks and damage.

The Improved Natural Attack feat also boosts the Monk's potency.

If your campaign cherry picks stuff from 3PPs, you might want to check out Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Arcana Evolved.  In it, there is a feat called Hands as Weapons, which lets the Monk enhance his unarmed strikes in exactly the same way as manufactured weapons.  Some people allow this in standard D&D on the basis of this language:


> *SRD*
> A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.




Not everyone agrees with that interpretation, of course...which is one reason why Monte Cook put that language in his game.


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## Luguolo

Dannyalcatraz said:


> One of the easiest ways to enhance a Monk's unarmed striking power isn't through magic items, but other pathways.
> 
> Multiclassing to certain PrCls like the Kensai (CompWar), for instance, boosts the PC's weapon of choice- which can be a Monk's unarmed strike- and has other benefits as well. And it is a PrCl that doesn't cut off Monk advancement. Similarly, the Shiba Protector Monk PrCl (Oriental Adventures) lets the PC add his Wis bonus to attacks and damage.
> 
> The Improved Natural Attack feat also boosts the Monk's potency.
> 
> If your campaign cherry picks stuff from 3PPs, you might want to check out Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Arcana Evolved. In it, there is a feat called Hands as Weapons, which lets the Monk enhance his unarmed strikes in exactly the same way as manufactured weapons. Some people allow this in standard D&D on the basis of this language:
> 
> 
> Not everyone agrees with that interpretation, of course...which is one reason why Monte Cook put that language in his game.




hmm, i will remember that for my new players monk, but tossing my hat into the ring for a moment, i am making a sword sage, and putting one level of monk so i can get unarmed strike free, and use the bonus for superior, giving me 1d8, and as a sword sage i can add wisdom to some of my diciplines as it is, so i am looking for natural power for that.

and that feat seems PERFECT for that, my only fear, is it unbalancing? i wonder if people might get upset if i am punching two or three times as hard as a great axe ^^;

whats your experiance with that feat, if you have used it?


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## Dannyalcatraz

I have never heard a word against it.

Many people consider the Monk to be underpowered- an opinion I don't really share- so the Hands as Weapons feat is usually viewed as a nice bump to bring them up to snuff.

As per your questions to me:

1)   "3pp" = Third Person Publisher- IOW, any D20 related product made by a company other than WotC (or sometimes, by Paizo).

2)  Arcana Unearthed and Arcana Evolved are 2 editions of Monte Cook's 3pp alternative to 3Ed and 3.5Ed D&D, respectively.  They are widely considered to be among the best 3pp products out there.


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## Dandu

I've always viewed monks as not well designed as a class due to their combination of MAD, 3/4th BAB, lackluster abilities (with a few exceptions), inability to wear armor, and d8 hit dice.

What makes them underpowered, though is probably the existence of Druids...


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## Luguolo

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I have never heard a word against it.
> 
> Many people consider the Monk to be underpowered- an opinion I don't really share- so the Hands as Weapons feat is usually viewed as a nice bump to bring them up to snuff.
> 
> As per your questions to me:
> 
> 1) "3pp" = Third Person Publisher- IOW, any D20 related product made by a company other than WotC (or sometimes, by Paizo).
> 
> 2) Arcana Unearthed and Arcana Evolved are 2 editions of Monte Cook's 3pp alternative to 3Ed and 3.5Ed D&D, respectively. They are widely considered to be among the best 3pp products out there.




hmm all right, i guess my only other question would be, if this were your game, would you allow the amulet of mighty fists along with this? or would you consider one to cancel the other out?


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## ValhallaGH

Dandu said:


> What makes them underpowered, though is probably the existence of Druids...




So ... All classes (except Cleric) are underpowered?


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## Dandu

Clerics, Sorcerers, Wizards, Archivists...


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## Dannyalcatraz

Can't say about the Amulet.  I'd probably allow it if I were running a published module and it were part of the treasure, but if I were running a homebrew and the PC already had Hands as Weapons, I probably wouldn't include it.

It is not so much out of a concern over its power- I excise precious little from my game- but just because I don't think it would be needed.  It would be kind of redundant.

OTOH, it would obviate the player's perception that he needs for the Monk to spend GP getting his hands enchanted with the abilities in the Amulet...


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## meltinbradley

*hey*

I have a monk as well. Are d20 systems books allowed in your campaign? If so, I know of MANY REALLY GOOD items designed for monks that are from maybe 3,000 to 30,000 gp and then some that go above that. If you are able to use those books I will share them with you. Let me know.
MB


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## Luguolo

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Can't say about the Amulet. I'd probably allow it if I were running a published module and it were part of the treasure, but if I were running a homebrew and the PC already had Hands as Weapons, I probably wouldn't include it.
> 
> It is not so much out of a concern over its power- I excise precious little from my game- but just because I don't think it would be needed. It would be kind of redundant.
> 
> OTOH, it would obviate the player's perception that he needs for the Monk to spend GP getting his hands enchanted with the abilities in the Amulet...




hmm, true enough they would cancel eachother out. i guess i could keep it and add some kind of downside to magic hands to account for the lower price. and i am not totally getting your last line, sorry ^^; are you saying that keeping the amulet would make enchanting his hands make more sence?

thanks for all your help!



meltinbradley said:


> I have a monk as well. Are d20 systems books allowed in your campaign? If so, I know of MANY REALLY GOOD items designed for monks that are from maybe 3,000 to 30,000 gp and then some that go above that. If you are able to use those books I will share them with you. Let me know.
> MB




i am not allowing just any d20 books, just 3.5 or pathfinder stuff. thanks though.


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## Kharrne

Monk's belt. Other than that if you want to pump that unarmed damage you should try and find something to make you large, if you aren't so already. Being large moves your unarmed damage to the next category, plus a bonus to strength.


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## Jhaelen

Kharrne said:


> Being large moves your unarmed damage to the next category, plus a bonus to strength.



I'd like to note that becoming Large in and of itself will not grant a Strength bonus.

Imho, it's really best for a monk to get a ki-focus weapon. Save those unarmed attacks for the rare cases when you encounter something with a low AC. The best unarmed damage won't do you any good if you cannot hit.


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## Dannyalcatraz

The aforementioned Kensai has another benefit (besides their weapon enhancement power) that makes them great for monks: a +8Str boost that is 1) untyped and 2) usable once per day...unless you make a Wisdom-based DC check (like a Monk can't make_ a few_ of those).


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## Dandu

Dannyalcatraz said:


> The aforementioned Kensai has another benefit (besides their weapon enhancement power) that makes them great for monks: a +8Str boost that is 1) untyped and 2) usable once per day...unless you make a Wisdom-based DC check (like a Monk can't make_ a few_ of those).



You are not using the most recent version of Kensai as found in the Complete Warrior, where you must make a Concentration check to use Power Surge again.


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## Dannyalcatraz

Actually, I am..."Wisdom" was a typo.  Thanks for the correction!

I meant "Constitution"- the underlying stat for the Concentration skill- a stat Monk builds tend to emphasize.


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## Volcarthe

amulet of mighty fists is expensive because it was built in the wrong item slot.

Creating Magic Items :: d20srd.org

it should actually be gauntlets or bracers, based on the rules. but since it's in the wrong slot, it costs 50% more than it normally would.

why? i can only assume that they looked at monks and said "they don't spend money on a lot of things, let's make what they do buy more expensive to even it out."

so you can build your own magic items that work the way the rules intend for essentially the same pricing scheme as a magic weapon.

also, if you have magic item compendium, there's a ton of useful stuff in there for monks (and everyone else).


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## Luguolo

Jhaelen said:


> I'd like to note that becoming Large in and of itself will not grant a Strength bonus.
> 
> Imho, it's really best for a monk to get a ki-focus weapon. Save those unarmed attacks for the rare cases when you encounter something with a low AC. The best unarmed damage won't do you any good if you cannot hit.




unfortunetly that doesnt do me any good. i am using a sword sage, and unarmed is the favored weapon of the shadow hand AND tiger claw diciplines, which are the ones i focus on.

in order to use alot of their moves, i must be unarmed. the reason this plays into monk, is because he has a level of monk, and most of his combat stuff is monk-ish


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