Monk Assassin!

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From a roleplaying perspective, I really like the idea of playing a Monk/Assassin. Perhaps a diplomat/spy, sniffing out secrets and disposing of troublesome enemies of the state.

I get the impression that Assasins in NWN are considered underpowered, though. Plus, it's always a bummer to slow down one's monk, since they get so many neat powers (I crave Diamond Soul!) So if I wanted to get a few levels of Assassin, how many do you folks think would be effective? 5 or so?

 

Monk/Assassin...hmmm, I wonder if you can poison your hands?

Don't forget to be evil alignment.

I would say you should look at 2, 5 or 7 levels, depending on your style of play and which campaign you are playing. HoTU...you might be able to go with more levels of Assassin...the others would warrant you using fewer.

2 levels brings death attack (which I think is pretty limited on how it actually works) and uncanny dodge.

5 levels adds improved uncanny dodge

7 levels adds the ability to cast invisibility.

Personally, I would feel that you would get the most bang for you buck with just 2 levels...that way you would only need a character level of 22 to max out on your monk .

 

I'm not sure I see the monk tie-in from a roleplaying perspective. I'm not a fan of evil characters in general, have too much trouble roleplaying them, but I'd think what you're trying to roleplay would be better suited to a rogue/assassin or bard/assassin.

If you're looking for a good combination of monk and assassin though, you can't discount the combination of Improved Knockdown (monk 6) and sneak attacks which are automatic against prone opponents. In that case, I'd get to monk level 6-8 then add in assassin levels to taste, perhaps 5 or 7 to at least get the sneak attack protection. That will give you an extra 3 or 4d6 of damage for every blow that lands each time you knock your enemy down. Combine with flurry of blows.... Watch out!

 

The combination of a monk and an assassin-like class is quite common roleplaying wise. Well, perhaps not that common, but there are. Sort of Ninja with their alliegances belonging to the monastery. Solo monk assassins however are rarely seen not on a mission.
However most assassin-monk characters have some type of Prestige Class that keeps advancing their monk abilities. Some of them may get switched for more appropriate sneaky attack abilities.
Oh, such guys do operate more like a rogue would. Or even better, like a ninja would. Meaning as sneaky as possible, mission best acomplished with no victims besides the target.

Too bad there's nothing like that in NwN.
Just to clarify the roleplaying aspect a bit.