Dr <3

My opinions and relative "strenght" +++ Rogue endurance 5x instead of 4x +++ Make Deep wounds stackable ++ a little buff to dirty fighting ( like take him to 15% from 10%) like suggested. Maybe add some passive bonus dmg to dagger, stiletto, club ++ Buff rispose like OP suggested ++ Shadowing beyond per encounter ++ Modify shadowing beyond : short the duration ( like 6-7 sec) but make attacks not break invisibility OR modify smoke bomb in the same fashion: gives you invisibility for a little time not breaked by attacks. ++ Modify Shadow step and feign death like suggested by OP + Make Sap a full attack + Backstab should work only with some kind of weapons ( stiletto/ daggers/ clubs) or at least NOT work with 2handers ( there is already sneak attack for that) + Finishing blow per encounter Imho the rogue should be able to do single target DMG at least comparable with a shapeshift druid ( but for a little time window), and have some kind of survivability given by invisibility effects and adapt evesion. Modify some of his ability in a way that they gives you an invisibility not breaked by attacks will do the trick.

Rot skull does not work for sure, never tested citzel recenlty, but i Guess is not working anymore too

Scroll? Or fetid Caress, but scroll woulb bè a better choice

This is my personal rogue guide: Shapeshift druid ( i reached 230 DMG on w crit) >>> melee rogue Ranger >>> ranged rogue Everyone > defensive rogue

You are a good fellow when you apply your skills

Sadly not

Uuuu, never used risonant touch before, shame on me. Never thought it would work also with retaliation effect. In the other side i'm really curious to try the low int variant, in the end even with max int rooting pain manage to hit only mobs surrounding you, probably even with low int you are still able to do that. Many things to iron in this build

Ok in the case i have to put a flagellant path or a Force of anguish in the build for sunk the wounds... Or go for min int and waith that they expire by themself

Are you sure? I've actually never payed attention to that detail, i've always thought that also if the counter is full you can actually get more rooting pain activations no problem. I have to test this. @braven: no stun, but can interrupt like a normal attack @kdubya: Yes, actually this ability is the main reason that i hate enemy monks, you hit them and they wipe your party.

I have not finished all' test yet, but i'm still of my opinion that rooting pain > barbaric retaliation. Ok, it hits fortitude, do crush DMG and do less DMG per hit BUT it activates every time you get a wound, not when you are hit in melee. Main advantage of this are A) if you get hit by a strong hit rooting pain activate multiple times ( es 50 DMG = 5 activations) B) all the mobs that surrounded you are hit ( when soloing is often 3-5 mobs) C) if you are in a middle of a crown of range hitters ( languefath, archers, ecc ) you can DMG them with rooting pain ( ad long you get dmg) while bsrbaric retaliation wouldn't even work.

When i have time i will try all' craghold buffs with barbarian / monk and see wich One come out better. I bet on monk, But some of the ojection of braven make sense, it is just a matter of testing. Maybe blooded and stand alone can fill the gap left from missing turning wheel, we will see Edit: btw yesterday my monk soloed alpine dragon at potd, with the aid of 2 flame shield potion, 2 war paints potion and 4-5 major healing potion, not bad. Tooked me 4-5 trials, but mainly to bugs related to the potion drinking animation ( start of animation but no actual healing effect)

Yeah turning wheel stacks with retaliation. And as barbarian have his own retaliation the monk has rooting pain, that is much better ( it does less DMG but in a aoe). In my experience monk is proving ti bè better for the punchbag approach.

Yo i'm revamping this build, since i'm trying to create my own version: the punchbag monk The concept is to kill opponen mostly using retaliation-kind effects. So i have gone with a fire god-like, max con, max str, max per, dump dex Items : yen whisper sword, sura supper plate, iron circle, hiros mantle, ring of protection, looped rope, shood of faith, blood testament, ryona brestplate talents: sword & shield, vulnerable attack, savage attack, dualism mortal presence, veteran recovery, gallant focus, scion of flame, apprentice sneack attack, bear fortitude Abilities: turning wheel, iron wheel, force of anguish, rooting pain, torment reach, suffering something and the weakening strykes (side-note: rooting pain targets fortitude, so weakened effect proved very useful) main points are: get + 6 con from item, go around with round 450 life and high DR, have good defences with a 140 in fortitude actually it works better than expected, expecially after that the flame retaliation kicks in... BUT there are an awful lot of bugged things around, hence a fast resume: - the DR penetration from vulnerable attack (and eventually from Ryona bracers) APPLY to normal attacks and retaliation from racial, shield and mantle; DOES NOT APPLY to rooting pain sadly - blood testament gloves are uber bugged, works more or less 50% of the time, sometimes they work for a battle and not in the next, also in absence of saving or reloads . Also when it works, like the DR penetration, works for retaliation effects but NOT on rooting pain - Weakening strykes gets applyed from normal attacks, main target in torment reach (not others in the cone) and from racial retaliation, up to now i have NOT observed it to be applyed after a retaliation effect from items (shield & mantle). - Weakening stykes itself is also pretty bugged, sometime an enemy gets hit by the weakening effect but the effect is stated as suppressed in enemies tab. No idea why. Also if it is the only active effect. - Stacking retaliation + effect on hit (binding rope, lavander wreath, Erlyn coat) usaully mean that the effect on hit does not work

Actually novadays they stack or the combo is useless?

And anyway the Battle is soloable from lvl 10 also without any kind of allies, and at the same time is 100% optional, so i really don't understand your complaints. They were Just kind enough to add a quest meant to be played with the expansion for free to the base game.

Remember that the devs specifically stated that they were not balancing the game for solo play. As such it's not really fair to call it cheap for something that wouldn't be a particular issue in party play. I did not know that, but they put in achievements for solo play or TCS, so it must be possible. Just one item that provides immunity to stun would have done it. "Possible" is different from "easy to do" and so should be. Anyway with the time you will learn a couple of triks that makes solo run much easier ( how and when avoid useless fights, what are best items, when fight certain enemies, use food, use corner, ecc)

There is an armor you can find in the sanatory that halves the duration of stun and prone. And around there are a couple of shield and an helm that gives you + 50 to all defences when stunned or proned.

The First time i went in craghold at lvl 8 the Orlan alone wiped all my party

She was a warrior, since her soulbound plate gives you typical warriors abilities ( the Spirit of the previous owner still holds in the plate, and the plate become stronger ad you haunt the phantoms of the past of Ryona). There is also a belt of Ryona that you can buy in a stalwart seller ( the same in wich you can buy the horn of garodh chorus)

They are vegenful type of people

Wait, are we referring to a different backpack baby? I thought we were talking about the potential baby that Aerie and the Bhaalspawn could have in Throne of Bhaal. I thought you were clearly referring to the Orlan baby that you can "steal" in twin elms ( and if you steal him the narrator in ending slides kind of complaints about your Life choice)

Only problem of the backpack baby is that you can be only an Orlan. Anyway i would play anything with backpack baby as the main char.

If you use the +1 movement Chant you should be able to outrun him and summon the Phantom. Edit: btw is a totally pointless fight, i always skip it, is not worth to spend any resources

Or just enter that map from the anslog Compass. Or run until you can summon a Phantom and let it kill him. Or just come back later.

Have you never tryed binding of Isaac? That is damn hard as the game "evolved"