Hello everyone. So I'm new and all, just trying to have fun with my Illithoid Monk. I'm posting here because I was looking for some feedback from experienced players. I'm currently level 6, and I haven't really used any of my lessons other then for basic stuff that was stated in my collegium help scrolls.

So....how did some of you train your Illithoid monks? Why? I'm just trying to get a pattern developed here so I know what to do each time I level up. I don't want to have to ask this question each time I hit a new level, so if you have the time, try to explain to me why training in x was important. Like kata. I know Kata is crucial, but how many lessons should I put into it each level?




And also, perhaps an explanation about highmagic/lowmagic. Why one might offer more benefits then the other for an Illithoid monk? I realize it's just personal taste, but being new I don't quite understand any differences between the two.

Oh, and trade skills. I'm thinking Tailoring. What trade skill have you enjoyed?


Lots of questions....sorry about that. Just answer the ones you feel like, any answer is appriciated.

Thanks!

Ok, first off, here's an absolutely wonderful site:
http://scryingpool.wikispaces.com/

I don't have much experience with monks, other than that their combat is sort of wonky all around and is being looked at. I'd advise reading your guild suggestions for training, because those are written by people who know their stuff. But there are certain things that are true of everyone.

Like, Discernment, for example, when I first saw it, I thought it was a pretty boring place to spend lessons. But it is really, really useful for keeping track of your potions, seeing through basic shrouding, deathsense, and other such things.

Planar is considered fairly essential later on, for your own sanity if nothing else, due to conglut, which makes death off prime less painful.

Combat is more or less essential against warriors and other monks, dramatically increasing your defensive options.

Apart from the skill differences between high and low magic, keep in mind that, if you want to take herbs or poisons as a trade skill, you'll need lowmagic.

I'm not sure who you are IC, but speak with me if you are in Magnagora, and I can work with you a bit.

For my monk, I've been putting most of my skills in Kata, because at Master you can branch into your specialization and get the corresponding weapon. Your secondary (Stealth) and tertiary (Psionics and...? I forget.) guild skills are also pretty important - and fun! Stealth = once you get closer to Trans. You could do so much with it.

But I digress.

If your collegium scroll hasn't made you do this yet, I'd put enough lessons into Planar until you get Teleport, because you'll find yourself using that more often than not, out of sheer laziness or, sometimes, out of necessity.

15 lessons in Arts will let you do really basic stuff, like carving pipes and fashioning vials in case you really need it. It's not essential to your character's survival, but it helps when you're low on gold and your pipes just decayed.

I'd also put some lessons into Discipline until you get FocusConstruct, because on the way you'll get Insomnia, a really helpful defense in case you're fighting something that puts you to sleep. And more often than not, those somethings will be other players. FocusConstruct will help your nation, too, during weakenings.

As for high and low magic, in an RP sense, high magic is more about the studying of the cabalah while low magic is more natural. In a mechanical sense, most of the skills are the same, and learning high magic makes the trade skills of herbs and poisons unavailable. (And I think vice versa makes enchanting unavailable, but I'm not sure.)

Regarding trade skills... Well, I was an herbalist for a long time, and that got... boring. It's definitely the most profitable trade if you're willing to spend lots of time harvesting, but I got lazy with going out. I really enjoy bookbinding because I write a lot on my druid, plus I can have her speak five different languages, which is fun. My monk is a cook so he can (secret plans to terrorize Celest inserted here). Honestly, the trade skill is up to you, depending on whether you're in it for profit or for fun.

Hope that helps some!

I had considered bookbinding for the very same reason, however being an Illithoid, I already have the ability to understand all the racial languages. Just not speaking it. So I felt other skills might be worth looking at instead. Tailoring seemed nice because I saw a lot of items I'd like to be able to make, and I know greatrobes will come in handly later on when I get a better grasp of combat.

Here is my advice.
1: Bookbinding is nice, but I think the trans skill is useless, for monks. . Do magicbooks have to be wielded to work? I would appreciate if someone would let me know.
2:Herbs come in handy, as two of the most used herbs in healing (Galingale and Sargassum) are close to the start. Slow, but able to make quite a bit of money. And takes NO seed money, so to speak (Hah,I made a funny)
3:Jewelry and most other skills are decent pay, but take some seed money for gems and the like. Poisons are a decent skill to use. Kill 100 creatures that put out a poison, make perhaps 10k-15k for a keg's worth of venom. Mantakaya (Paralysis) is WIDELY used, and the mantas in the Sea aren't super hard, just be sure you are, say, 20th circle or higher, with a decent grasp of your skills.
4: Tailoring is nice, the trans skill works really good for monks, and tailoring is good money, if you can find someone with a shop to sell your wares in.
5:Artisan..... this is me. I can honestly say, I LOVE being an artisan. But, it's not STEADY money. It ebbs and flows, comes and goes. Most money you will get, is from shopowners needing kegs and pipes, and later, instruments.

They do.

C-c-c-combo breaker!