Need one more character for the front. Monk vs Ninja

[TheMac]

In earlier versions of Wizardry, there was no monk, only a ninja. I put that character in the front and he really did some damage with his critical hits. Now it looks like the Ninja is more of a throwing character. Does anyone put the ninja in the front? Does the monk also have criticals? Is one more powerful than the other? I keep reading about the farie ninja and don't know if it's a joke, a challenge or a good combination. Thanks.

[ZombieKidzRule!]

I have used both a monk and a ninja in the front line, both at the same time. Actually, after a little bit, all of my characters are front line because you can arrange your party formation to allow all 6-8 characters to attack with close melee weapons.

Both the monk and ninja have critical strike and they are the only ones. They also have martial arts and stealth. The rogue is the only other class to have stealth.

I recommend taking about an hour and reading the game manual that should be in your Steam folder. It doesn't give spoiler hints, but it does tell you a lot about the game.

Chances are that the first party you create you won't actually play all the way through. Part of this game is about learning as you play and probably the majority of people start many different parties before they finish the game. Of course, there are exceptions.

Depending on what you like, I would avoid reading a bunch of walk throughs. There is something to be said for experiencing the game for yourself the first time. When I started playing this game, there wasn't an internet or forums or walm throughs. It is fun not knowing what is behind a door you haven't opened before.

This game is awesome! Just created a party that you want and start exploring. Don't be afraid to start over again with a new party if things aren't working out.

I have played this game since it first came out and I have played far more parties through the beginning than parties that have made it to the late game.

Another thing is to just go through the character creation process to learn about races, classes, skills, etc. you will learn a lot. I think many people spend a lot of time creating their party.

Enjoy!

[TheMac]

Thanks for the hints. I read through the manual again and look at some of the nice character and class hints that I found on a website. I do have to agree that putting the party together is quite fun. Have a Happy New Year.

[ZombieKidzRule!]

You too! From a lot of experience, I can tell you that race/class/attribute combinations can make a great deal of difference.

I prefer hybrids so with a party of 6, I play a bard, ninja, ranger, gadgeteer, bishop, and then either a monk or samurai. I have experimented with a rogue and he was very powerful.

But I also like creating parties and playing through the monastery so I do a lot of experimenting too.

Good luck!

[TheMac]

Sounds like a good party. Seems lots of people like gadgeteers. Hmmm. Thanks for the tips.

[mike.xulima]

They can both be very good front line fighters. A couple of things to consider would be, do you need someone who can cast from the Alchemy school (Ninja) or Psionic (Monk?).

Also the Ninja can do traps/locks if your group needs someone for that.

Both classes (spoiler warning) are good at covering a flank (they can handle one by themselves) and are effective with the Staff of Doom. The Ninja can also dual wield maces and end up with the Vampire Chain and Nunchucka which is not bad at all.

Both will shine more in a smaller party IMO as the critical strikes work better when you're a higher level compared to the monsters. If you're very new to the game, you will probably get a lot more mileage out of a Figter or Rogue in your early parties.

The Faerie Ninja is a beast if you do them right. Basically (spoiler alert) there is a cursed wand only their race can use that is about the best melee weapon in the game. A Faerie Ninja dual wielding wands is a killing/DPS/paralyzing machine in melee. That item is cursed so I usually forego throwing and pump up Alchemy for ranged attacks with that build. It's very strong.


"Both the monk and ninja have critical strike and they are the only ones."

The Samurai has it as well. The Ranger also gets ranged criticals. The Ninja is the only class that gets both ranged and melee crits.

[ZombieKidzRule!]

Sorry, I forgot about the samurai having critical strike as a skill. I usually want both stealth and critical strike so I usually pick the ninja or monk because they get both. The ranger ranged critical (based on ranged combat skill) is good, but it isn't the same as having critical strike as a skill. I have been trying to get both for my ranger by spending some time as a ninja to get the stealth and critical strike. That way my ranger gets criticals in melee and with ranged weapons too. :). Probably unnecessary, but I like it.

[TheMac]

Thanks for your info. I went with both a samuri and a ninja. :-)

[Zadok]

Originally posted by mike.xulima:

The Faerie Ninja is a beast if you do them right. Basically (spoiler alert) there is a cursed wand only their race can use that is about the best melee weapon in the game. A Faerie Ninja dual wielding wands is a killing/DPS/paralyzing machine in melee. That item is cursed so I usually forego throwing and pump up Alchemy for ranged attacks with that build. It's very strong.

That's right. Also there is another benefit: a Faerie's +2 armor.
Faeries suffer from their armor restrictions (equippable item weight limit) and that +2 bonus usually fails to fully make up for it. A Ninja however can only wear the Ninja Garb anyway, so the restriction is irrelevant and the +2 remain.

As to the front line: Fighters, Lords and Valkyries are the toughest. Almost everything can stand in melee range. If "front line" is to say anything about character classes it's either "Fighters, Valkyries & Lords" or "Anything but Mage & Psionic".

[biogoo]

I wouldnt make a fairy ninja for the first playthough. I dont like them in a full party anyway, they shine more in smaller ones.

The weapon that makes them so good is a random drop too. It is at around 80%, but still random. The guy that has it is also someone whom you dont necessarily kill as you progress, so you might completely miss it unless you read a guide. He is also quite tough, so it will take some levels till you can take him down. And the weapon is so strong that it is boring:)

Also, any character with stealth skill can be in the front no problem (or anywhere else).

[TheMac]

Thank you. I went with a samuri, bard, and a gadgeteer, since I had not played either of the two latter classes in the past.

[sammyp94]

It depends what you give them. Personally I think a monk with martial arts is a fantaaaaaasttttttiiiiiic melee option. I really cant emphasize how under valued I think they are. They are super reliable. Hit often, hit many times, can crit, they pen, they can cast, you dont have to worry about curses so you can put a sling in their hands and in a pinch they can throw those powders and bombs for you. They bring so much to the table that I dont think you can find in other places. From the get go the number of hits they put down and the accuracy they do it with is crazy.



Ninja is just super ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ flexible. Like they are that definitive jack of all trades type of character but they take for ever to develop and thats a huge draw back. As some have mentioned fairie ninjas op but can make the game boring. I personally have played with fairie ninjas and different types of ninjas and I can never find that balance between way too strong and pretty useless.