Are Monks garbage in BG:EE (But good in BG2?)

[TheBlueFox]

Everything I see about the monk seems to suggest they're pretty....awful. Like, really bad. Pretty much Terrible.

But they do get better later on. If I were to make Charname a Monk in BG:EE, would I have a bad time?

[Shackler316]

Originally posted by TheBlueFox:

Originally posted by Shackler316:

Let's use Bracers of AC 2. You have 18 Dex which gives you -4 to AC. So at the start you're at a -2 AC. Add a Ring of Protection +1. Now you're at -3 AC. Monks get AC bonuses, which ever level they get them at. You then add those bonuses to the AC. So at 2nd level you get +1 to AC. You add that bonus to your overall AC.

Bracers of Defense 2: Your base AC is 2
18 Dex: -4 to AC
Ring of Prot +1: +1 to AC
Monk Bonuses: +1 to AC (additional bonuses at certain level): +1

Overall AC: -4

Hope this helps. Bracers and Rings of Prot are really beneficial to the Monk Class in terms of defense. Every time he is able to get that additional bonus to AC, it's added to your overall AC.

Sorry, I believe you're wrong.

Monk bonuses to AC do not stack with Bracers of Defense. Only the one with the biggest benefit applies

Yes...it does stack. If you don't think so, then test it out yourself. Find the Bracers of AC 2 and Protection Rings.

Put them on and you'll see with the additional +3 to AC due to Monk level bonuses.

[Shackler316]

I currently have a level 5 normal Monk. He has the following items...

Bracers of Defense AC 8
18 Dex (-4 Dex)
+1 Ring of Protection
Monk AC bonues +3 to AC (1st level / 3rd level / 5th level)

Armor Class: 0

[TheBlueFox]

I'm sitting here, as I type this, wearing nothing on my monk.

I have no equipment on whatsoever. I'm a level 6 monk.

My AC reads:
Armor Class:6
Dexterity: -4
Armor class modifiers
Missile: -2

Total AC: 2


Now, I'll put on the bracers of armor class 8. According to you, I should have

Armor class 8
Dexterity -4
Monk bonus -3
Total AC 1


Well, I just put it on and it reads
Bracers of Defense AC 8
Armor Class: 8
Dexterity: -4
Armor class modifiers
Missile: -2

Total AC: 2

Technically I should have 4AC, since I only have the bracers of AC8 and dexterity bonus of -4, but the monk bonus is 3, which beats the AC bonus from the bracers (which is 2), and only the higher is taken.

I am NOT getting a bonus from the bracers of AC 8 because my monk bonus is better. I'm sitting here putting them on and taking them off, there's no change.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Bracers act like armor. Bracers AC 8 set the base AC to 8, if the base AC is higher than that. It's not a -2 bonus to AC. If the base AC 6 is already due to wearing other armor or level dependent AC bonuses, the bracers AC 8 do nothing.

[Shackler316]

Originally posted by TheBlueFox:

I'm sitting here, as I type this, wearing nothing on my monk.

I have no equipment on whatsoever. I'm a level 6 monk.

My AC reads:
Armor Class:6
Dexterity: -4
Armor class modifiers
Missile: -2

Total AC: 2


Now, I'll put on the bracers of armor class 8. According to you, I should have

Armor class 8
Dexterity -4
Monk bonus -3
Total AC 1


Well, I just put it on and it reads
Bracers of Defense AC 8
Armor Class: 8
Dexterity: -4
Armor class modifiers
Missile: -2

Total AC: 2

Technically I should have 4AC, since I only have the bracers of AC8 and dexterity bonus of -4, but the monk bonus is 3, which beats the AC bonus from the bracers (which is 2), and only the higher is taken.

I am NOT getting a bonus from the bracers of AC 8 because my monk bonus is better. I'm sitting here putting them on and taking them off, there's no change.

Bracers of Defense of AC 8 would be your base AC period. Add your 18 Dex bonus of -4 to AC.

Your base AC is now 4. Monk bonuses come into effect. Since you're level 5, you get to add 3 more points to your AC.

Your base AC should be 1.

I have no idea where you're getting this "AC bonus from the bracers (which is 2), and only the higher is taken." AD&D 2nd Edition doesn't work like this, which the game is based on.

The only thing that doesn't stack when it comes to AC is Magic Armor, Rings and Cloaks of Protection.

Outside of that, I really don't know what to tell you. You're either reading the info wrong, your game is bugged, or you're wearing something that you missed that is messing with your AC.

[Shackler316]

If I could figure out how to post a screen shot of my monk I would. But I've never done it before and don't know how to do it.

[TheBlueFox]

I was relating the fact that all characters start out at a base AC of 10. Using the bracers of AC 8 is thus a benefit of 2. Perhaps that's the wrong way to refer to it, and I apologize. However the only incorrect statement I made was that the monk gets an AC reduction every Odd level, It's every Even level and they start at 9AC. This confused me initially.

The bracers of AC do *NOT* stack with the monk AC growth by level.

I have just spent the last 30 minutes testing the use of bracers on a monk and I can say this with full confidence. Perhaps that is not how it is supposed to work, but in the mechanics of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced edition this is how it functions:

The monk class starts at AC9 at level one, and reduces it's Base AC by 1 every even level. The bracers of AC set your Base AC to a certain level, Both of these effects do not stack.

If your monk levels reduce your AC to 6, but you wear Bracers of AC 8, your AC is 6
If your monk levels reduce your AC to 6, but you wear Bracers of AC 2, your AC is 2

It only uses the lowest of the two, not both together.

[Shackler316]

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/436111076110589438/4C22F5122DA0C8B1202715AD365618115BDCA110/

[TheBlueFox]

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=769620276

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=769620264

[TheBlueFox]

There, thats with the bracers of AC8 and without

[Shackler316]

Originally posted by TheBlueFox:

I was relating the fact that all characters start out at a base AC of 10. Using the bracers of AC 8 is thus a benefit of 2. Perhaps that's the wrong way to refer to it, and I apologize. However the only incorrect statement I made was that the monk gets an AC reduction every Odd level, It's every Even level and they start at 9AC. This confused me initially.

The bracers of AC do *NOT* stack with the monk AC growth by level.

I have just spent the last 30 minutes testing the use of bracers on a monk and I can say this with full confidence. Perhaps that is not how it is supposed to work, but in the mechanics of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced edition this is how it functions:

The monk class starts at AC9 at level one, and reduces it's Base AC by 1 every even level. The bracers of AC set your Base AC to a certain level, Both of these effects do not stack.

If your monk levels reduce your AC to 6, but you wear Bracers of AC 8, your AC is 6
If your monk levels reduce your AC to 6, but you wear Bracers of AC 2, your AC is 2

It only uses the lowest of the two, not both together.

A monk starting AC is based on Dex attribute first. So if it's an 18 it's a AC of 6, not 9. Then you add in the monk bonus of 1, so initially you have a AC 5, with no equipment.

Bracers of Defense is considered Armor. Bracers of Defense AC 8, makes you're starting AC of 8.

Youre totally not doing this right. Plus I added a screen shot of my monk in a previous post.

[TheBlueFox]

I am naked and have AC 2

I put on bracers of AC8 and have AC 2

Now how am I "Not doing this right"

[Shackler316]

Originally posted by TheBlueFox:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=769620276

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=769620264

You're bugged, then.

[TheBlueFox]

Let me see if running this character WITHOUT Dragonspear does anything

[Shackler316]

Are you using any mods? Your screen shot looks way different then mine. Yours is a lot darker and just looks different.