[Cyanide]

“The gods guide me. You cannot win.”

Change log:
May 24th 2012
-Cleaned it up so that it's not as long as it was.
-Added a change log
-Added more abbreviations to make it uniform with Bard's

Skills

Primary Attack

Fists of Thunder (FoT)

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Generates 6 spirit per attack
Deals 110% weapon damage as Lightning
Every third hit deals damage to all enemies in front of you and does a mini-knockback

Comment:
Fastest spirit generator.
When you attacks per second reach at least 2.00, you are basically hitting twice every second. That means you do a mini-knockback (KB) every 1.5 seconds. With a pack of white mobs in front of you, they pretty much cannot attack you at that rate. Hello perma-stun!

Runes

Thunderclap - Blinks to target and releases an electric shockwave with every punch that hits all enemies within 6 yards of your primary target for 35% weapon damage as Lightning

Comment:
Great for chasing because of the blink. I believe it has an internal cooldown for it. I'm guessing the CD is the base time it takes to complete the whole attack (3 punches) before allowing you to blink again. Stopping attacks does not reset the CD. (The bit about internal CD definitely needs confirmation). Will update when known.
Can potentially lead you into trouble when there's a molten trail or plague on the floor and someone knocks the mob back for you. You'll inadvertently blink into the fire. Gotta be alert about that and know when to attack.

Lightning Flash - Increase your chance to dodge by 16% for 2 seconds

Comment:
Increases your chance to Dodge by 16% for 2 seconds. This will be up constantly as long as you are attacking with FoT. Decent mitigation, but note that there are diminishing returns on dodge. Side note: 16% actually gives me 11.1% when I checked. Not good with numbers, don't quite know how it works. Prolly 16% of total dexterity converted to dodge %.

Static Charge - Primary target is charged with static electricity for 5 seconds and takes 37% weapon damage as Lightning when you attack OTHER enemies with Fists of Thunder

Comment:
This is actually pretty cool. You could technically tag a few different enemies and then deal decent damage to a group. However, most fights at Hell and after, you probably want to focus fire as much as possible. I wouldn't recommend it because Thunderclap gives 35% weapon damage without the need to play tag.

Quickening - Crit hits generate an additional 15 spirit

Comment:
I don't think much needs to be said about this. 15 spirit for each hit. Probably good if you are having serious spirit generation problems. Might work if you have very high crit and can forgo Sweeping Wind + Inner Storm.

Bounding Light - Every third hit releases chain lightning instead of the mini-knockback. Each lightning strike hits for 73% weapon damage as Lightning

Comment:
73% weapon damage is pretty good. I'm not sure if there's a limit to how much it can chain. As far as I can tell, there's no limit as long as the mobs are about 10yards from your primary target. If you love to dps, this is your choice.

Personal note: FoT with Thunderclap is my skill of choice because the KB coupled with its AoE on this for white mobs is too good to ignore. Stunlocking a huge pack in front of you pretty means 0 damage coming your way. Also really great for chasing and smacking all those delicious loot out of those pesky treasure goblins.

Deadly Reach (DeR)

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Generates 6 spirit per attack
3 lines of pure force over a short distance distance dealing 110% weapon damage.
First strike straight in front, second strike 2 lines 45 degrees on either side facing front. Third strike combination of 1st and 2nd.
Every third strike extends 25 yards.

Comments:
Great if enemies actually stayed put in one place
Rather slow
This is the closest Monks get to having a "ranged" attack.

Runes

Piercing Trident - Increases the AoE of the second and third strikes

Comments:
Pretty mediocre because this skill is really directional if you want it to work as a ranged attack by holding shift and attacking from a distance. Monks are not meant to do that anyway.

Keen Eye - The third strike increases your armour by 50% for 4 seconds

Comments:
The armour bonus is really nice. A fast attack speed would guarantee a sustained 50% armour increase. I say this because if you use a really slow weapon like a staff, your attack speed will really suffer causing you not to keep up with the buff

Scattered Blows - Replaces the third strike with an attack that hits up to 6 nearby enemies within 15 yards for 170% weapon damage as Lightning

Comments:
Pretty sick damage but only to 6 targets every third strike. There's way more than 6 targets most of the time. And any less than 6 targets mean wasted DPS.

Strike from Beyond - Crit hits generate an additional 10 spirit

Comments:
Spirit generating rune. Not worth it at all in my opinion.

Foresight - Third strike increase damage of all attacks by 18% for 30s

Comments:
18% damage increase for 30 seconds! Damn this buff is good, too bad Deadly Reach is really hard to attack with since it's a very directional spell. Got to aim your blows correctly for it to work, but the short range makes it really unforgiving at Inferno which I tested it on.

Personal note: Probably the hardest to use amongst the 4 primary attacks because of the difficulty in aiming your strikes. DeR with Keen Sight is probably the best combination because of the armor increase. Foresight is really good in a party setting.

Crippling Wave (CW)

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Generates 6 spirit per attack
Large AoE in front of you that does 110% weapon damage
Every third hit damages all enemies around you and dazes them, slows movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 20% for 3 seconds

Comments:
Real contender for tanking play because of all the mitigation it can provide
Support oriented primary attack

Runes

Mangle - Increases damage to 143% weapon damage

Comments:
Nothing negative to say here, more damage is always nice

Concussion - Enemies hit by Crippling Wave deal 20% less damage for 3 seconds

Comments:
This is a great rune because that's 20% less damage from enemies. I believe there's DR and what not, but it's still a damage reduction. Always great to have.

Rising Tide - Critical hits generate an additional 5 spirit

Comments:
Standard spirit generator rune

Tsunami - Third strike range increased to 17 yards and movement speed reduction increased to 60%

Comments:
Don't think it's really useful. Might be really great for PvP though. If it's anything like WoW, movement speed is a big deal in PvP.

Breaking Wave - Enemies hit by Crippling Wave take an additional 10% damage from ALL attacks for 3 seconds

Comments:
Another great rune, if your party has enough mitigation on their own, this is perfect because everyone deals 10% more damage.

Personal note: I'm contemplating using this over FoT. Haven't really tested it yet though. The mitigation is really worth considering with Concussion. Not forgetting the base 20% slower attack speed. Needs to be tested soon!

Way of the Hundred Fists (WotHF)

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Generates 6 spirit per attack
Many little quick hits per strike
Also has a knockback on the third strike
Deals 140% weapon damage

Comments:
A very DPS oriented skill that does 30% more weapon damage than the others.
Another great spirit generator (I doubt each tiny attack generates 6 spirit though, that sounds rather OP, need confirmation on this), especially with Spirited Salvo
Fists of Fury is your other "blink strike" ability other than FoT+Thunderclap

Runes

Hands of Lightning - Increases the number of hits in the second strike from 7 to 10

Comments:
More hits more damage! There are better runes though.

Blazing Fists - Crit hits increase your attack speed and movement speed by 5% for 5 seconds stacking up to 3 times.

Comments:
Pretty selfish solo buff, might be great for PvP though. In fact this is just like Lina's buff in Dota! The increased attack speed also means faster spirit regen.

Fists of Fury - Adds 10% weapon damage per second as Holy damage over 5 seconds. Also adds a short dash to the first strike

Comments:
A 10% weapon damage dot over 5 seconds with a "blink". It's pretty decent. A great alternative to FoT+Thunderclap that does more damage.

Spirited Salvo - 15% chance to generate 15 additional spirit while using this skill.

Comments:
Probably the best spirit generation rune out of all the primary attacks. Might be worth taking if you don't want Sweeping Wind + Inner Storm.

Windforce Flurry - Third strike generates a wave of wind that deals 250% weapon damage as Physical damage to enemies directly ahead of you

Comments:250% weapon damage. Need I say more? Great if you want to spec pure DPS.

Personal note: I think this has the most feel in terms of role-playing a Monk. The consensus seems to be that FoT is the best Spirit generator, WotHF is probably second best.

Secondary Attack

Lashing Tail Kick (LTK)

+ [Full Info] +

Costs 30 Spirit
Roundhouse kick that knockback dealing 200% weapon damage

Comments:
Useful for its knockback capabilities and cheap in spirit compared to Wave of Light
Good as a spirit dump
You can be Chuck Norris

Runes

Vulture Claw Kick - Releases a torrent of fire that burns nearby enemies for 220% weapon damage as fire and causes knockback

Comments:
More damage, that's about it. Don't really use this because I feel that there are better runes

Sweeping Armada - Increases knockback distance by 150% and slows movement speed of struck enemies by 60% for 2 seconds

Comments:
Looks like a really great PvP skill. If PvP is anything like WoW, 2v2 or more.

Spinning Flame Kick - Hurls a column of fire that burns through enemies for 240% weapon damage as fire to each enemy it hits

Comments:
240% weapon damage as Fire. What I don't like about this skill is the flames are directional. Don't really like skills that hurls projectiles in one direction when you are melee, very unforgiving in a sense that you can potentially miss a lot resulting in a DPS loss.

Scorpion Sting - Instead of causing a knockback, enemies have a 50% chance of being stunned for 1.5 seconds

Comments:
I liked the stun over knockback up till Hell because mobs are easier to kill at that level, so you'd rather they group up for you to deal AoE damage. Pretty much perma-stun if you got enough spirit regen going.


Hand of Ytar - Slows movement speed of affected targets by 80% for 2 seconds

Comments:
Never used this before, don't intend to. Probably a PvP skill. Or you could use this to kite mobs effectively with the massive slow.

Personal note: Used this a lot in Normal and Nightmare with either Scorpion Sting or Vulture Claw Kick, in conjunction with Cyclone Strike. Pull and knockback/stun. Fun at lower levels.

Tempest Rush (TR)

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Costs 15 spirit plus an additional 10 spirit while channeling
Deals 50% weapon damage
Charge any direction you want through enemies, knocking them back and slowing their movement speed by 60% for 2 seconds

Comments:
If I didn't need to put others spells, I would use this as my escape mechanism when surrounded by mobs. Lots of fun at lower levels too, especially in Normal mode.

Runes

Northern Breeze - Reduces channeling cost of Tempest Rush to 8 Spirit

Comments:
Spirit intensive spell, so it makes sense they have a Spirit reduction rune.

Tailwind - Increases the movement speed of Tempest Rush by 25%.

Comments:
WOOOOOOOOOSH!

Flurry - Increases the slow to 80% instead of 60%.

Comments:
Probably looking at another PvP useful skill.

Slipstream - Reduces damage taken while running by 25%

Comments:
If Tempest Rush can somehow be worked into a build, I think this could be really useful when using TR as an escape mechanism

Bluster - Enemies knocked back have their damage reduced by 20% for 2 seconds

Comments:
Pretty much the same reason as Slipstream, except this benefits your party as well

Personal note: Would make a great escape mechanism. Other than that, decent debuffs makes it a pretty helpful skill. After thinking about this skill some more. I realized this could be really useful if you have a high enough Spirit Spent to Life conversion. Really need to itemize towards it though.

Wave of Light (WoL)

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Costs 75 Spirit
Does 215% weapon damage as Holy followed by 45% weapon damage as Holy to all enemies in a straight line

Comments:
Great DPS skill with knockback or stun capabilities
Favourite monk skill animation too! The sight of a giant bell crushing your enemies is too funny.

Runes

Wall of Light - Increase the damage of the initial strike to 312% weapon damage as Holy

Comments:
Just a pure DPS increasing rune. Doesn't add any functionality.

Explosive Light - Release burst of energy that deal 285% weapon damage as Holy to nearby enemies

Comments:
This rune gives a massive knockback effect. I use this a lot in Nightmare and Hell when running with a group. Also really great if you're getting swarmed so that you can peel away.

Empowered Wave - Reduces cost of Wave of Light to 40 Spirit

Comments:
Spirit cost reduction rune. 35 Spirit reduction is a lot too, but there are better runes.

Blinding Light - Critical hits stun the enemy for 3 seconds

Comments:
Alternative to Explosive Light. 3 second stun is pretty good

Pillar of the Ancients - Summons an ancient pillar that deals 210% weapon damage followed by another 210% after 2 seconds

Comments:
Moar DPS!!! Would use this if able to go DPS only.

Personal note: Love this for the attack animation! Great DPS and spirit dump skill if you can afford to have it over survivability.

Defensive Skills

These are the skills that actually keep (or try to) you alive. All through Hell, if you're not lucky with gear, going sword and board with 3 defensive skills is pretty effective for the most part.

Blinding Flash

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Costs 10 Spirit
15 Second Cooldown(CD)
Blinds all enemies within 20 yards for 3 seconds. Elites recover faster but suffer a 30% chance to miss with attacks.

Comments:
I used this for the most part of Hell. The Blind is really good especially if you're in a party and want to chain stun groups of Elites.

Runes

Self Reflection - Increase Blind duration to 4 seconds

Comments:
Not useful with Player Vs Enemy (PvE) as far as I can see unless you want to chain stun something. Once again, probably a PvP rune.

Blinded and Confused - Blinded enemies have a 25% chance to attack each other

Comments:
I've never tried it before, if it is really effective against Elites, I might give it a go, even better if the confused packs do the same amount to themselves as they do to me.

Blinding Echo - 6 seconds after using BF, a second flash of light will blind enemies for another 0.5 seconds.

Comments:
Probably the most PvP like rune I've seen so far. Doubt anybody uses it for PvE.

Searing Light - Increases the chance Elites will miss to 60%.

Comments:
I used to go with this rune in Hell. Thinking of using it again to see how well it pans out in Inferno.

Faith in the Light - Your attacks are empowered to deal 30% additional weapon damage as Holy for 3 seconds

Comments:
Probably the best option out of all the runes available.

Personal note: Overall, I think this skill would be awesome for PvP, not so much PvE although I can see it doing well at Hell and below. Stuns work better the more DPS you have.

More to come...


Other sections to come
- Rest of the skills
- Mitigation and how it works (I need help from Bard with this)
- Stats. Which ones matter.
- Weapons, damage, attacks per second etc.
- Perhaps we can take a look at set gear
- Tips and tricks to playing a Monk
- Playstyles: Dual-Wielding (DW), 2-Hand (2H), Sword and Board (SnB)
- Theorycrafting: What if we itemize Spirit Spent to Life Conversion

Please note that this is a work in progress and I will be constantly adding content to it. I will try my best to make it as complete as possible. Also note that I put in my personal opinion about certain choices that I make and how I'd like my character to play out.
Feel free to discuss, and help me by contributing, spotting mistakes, confirming numbers etc. Cheers for now! Stay tuned for the next addition!

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