The Wise Old Maestro

[Imriel]

So I've always wanted to role-play the wise martial arts maestro type. The one who trains the young acolytes and asks them to hit him but try as they might the acolytes only seem to hit air, much to the maestros amusement. I'd like to be able to wield a staff, as maestros like to do (so that I can whack the occasional unruly student or ruffian and to also present myself as a simple harmless traveler with a walking stick). I'd also like to be able to wear simple clothing or robes to complete the look.

 

The monk is a natural pick for what I'm going for, but in first POE the monk actually wants to get beat up. And my wise and slippery maestro wasn't having that, so I put the idea on the shelf. Now in POE 2, we have the Shattered Pillar monk, and I'm wondering if maybe I can actually bring the maestro to life. 

 

It would seem, based on stats, that deflection is what I would be looking to prioritize for this type of monk. My question is this: Is it possible for a monk to get deflection high enough to consistently deflect attacks while wielding a staff and wearing non-metal armor? Or would i have to don the toughest durasteel armor and the largest shield I can find in order to accomplish this type of deflection? Does the game have any kind of dodge mechanic or take into account the graceful acrobatic dervish monk type?

 

I wouldn't mind multi-classing if it would help, although I don't really want to be casting actual spells mid-combat. Would multi-classing into Paladin, with all its buffs, help me get deflection high enough while wearing robes? Or would it be better to go with the trickster Rogue (ShadowDancer) who can maybe use some illusion spells (i'll pretend their not spells) to get that deflection up?

 

Fortunately, the staff modal ability plays right into this since it adds to deflection. And the Rogue has a nice ability called riposte which would seem to be all about whacking inept apprentices who miss you during training. The Monk has an ability called Dance of Death, which also seems to play nice with this idea since the longer you go into your dance without being hit the more accuracy you can stack.

 

So what do you guys think? Is it feasible in this game or do I need to put it back on the shelf? What stats would you prioritize (aside from resolve, of course)? What abilities? Multi-class or straight monk?