Part 99: Monk

Astrology talk I was fine with, as it related to a game mechanic. Don't go to astronomy because no one will end up happy. Who cares about Pluto unless Norma is hitting someone with it?


I got that from FFXII. Shared world and all that.

Job Dissection: Monk


Monks are warriors who train their bodies in the ways of martial arts. Their battle ability 'Punch Art' drives enemies away.
Requires level 2 Knight. Level 3 unlocks Geomancer. Level 4 is one of the prerequisites for Samurai.

Pros:
+High HP and PA
+Above average Speed
+Skillset has ranged attacks, healing, and status removal
+MP recovery (this is rare enough to be a pro by itself)
+Counter
+Doesn't require weapons, saves gil

Cons:
-No hats. Endgame hats are so good that this is a terrible drawback
-Lack of equipment options hurts synergy with secondary abilities
-healing lacks range and vertical tolerance
-Extremely brave dependent
-Punch Art is hampered without Martial Arts, so it doesn't work well with other classes

Monks hurt people with fists unless a buddy is hurt, then they use their rippling pecs to heal the buddy. Punch Art is everything you could want in a skill set - ranged damage with Wave Fist and Earth Slash. HP and MP restoring, Status recovery, and revival. Even a status effect! Combine this with a utterly brutal physical attack and good speed, and Monks get somewhere.

The Monk's drawbacks are some of the most severe a unit could have, though. A total lack of hats counteracts the high natural HP leaving them around average, and late hats carry speed boosts that the Monk will miss. Without hats or robes, Monks aren't good with magic despite an average MA score as their MP is horrible and they can't get many MA boosts. A lack of weapons as a whole cuts them out of using Jump or letting special characters have fun. Punch Art skills suffer a pretty strong penalty (think its 1/3 of effectiveness) without Martial Arts attached, so having Punch Art as a secondary skill means either dedicating the support ability to it or decreased effect.

If you can get around these issues, Monks have a hell of a lot to offer. Chakra alone is worth it in some cases, and with 90+ brave, any class of decent PA can use Martial Arts to punch far harder than most weapons. Monks suffer from the same issue as Squires, becoming less useful as the game goes on, but it's much slower and much less of a decrease. They still pack a punch.

P.S. Monks are the best thieves. Martial Arts gives a bonus to Steal for some reason.