Warrior-Monk on the Cheap

[KellKheraptis]

Got a couple questions for the Assassin experts : I've been wanting to get an uber/boss killer going, and from my days terrorizing Normal Baal and later high level casters with Phage-PK, kickers were amazing, well...assassins of single targets when geared with CB. My main question is how horridly does omitting Venom affect the kill speed when other options can be used to replace it? I keep going back to armor choices and looking at Treachery for it's CtC Fade and awesome IAS (with FHR too), which would allow for a slower but higher damage weapon for Blade Fury, possibly for next to nothing, but the concern is will the lower level Venom override the higher level native Venom I would have on the standard build? If so, how would a trap hybrid fair in this regard (ie. throw out some DS traps and then start kicking arses, for the crowd control and CE pwnage)? Thanks!

~Kell, working on his return on Us East Ladder!

[Namtar]

I don't think that a lower-level Venom overrides a higher level Venom. Perhaps you're thinking of that because Burst of Speed or Fade will override another Burst of Speed or Fade, even if the preexisting one is higher in level. I'm not positive that Venom doesn't do this, but I'm mildly confident that it doesn't. So Treachery wouldn't interfere with a high-level native Venom and wouldn't pose a problem there. Note that this is not the case for Treachery's 5% chance to cast a level 15 Fade. That Fade definitely can override a higher level Fade and it can also override Burst of Speed.

I have little assassin experience, but I do have one kicker. And I gave up on Blade Fury entirely. With the right weapon, it does have killing power even with only one point invested, but Dragon Talon is far more powerful and I just found myself never needing to use Blade Fury because there's nothing that kicks don't kill faster. Your mileage may vary.

[maxicek]

I wouldn't bother with Venom on a PvM kicker. Just use what you get from Treachery.

[CorruptedMollusk]

which would allow for a slower but higher damage weapon for Blade Fury

~Kell, working on his return on Us East Ladder!

BF is independent of IAS, so Treachery doesnt help you there. 6FPA regardless. IAS will make a difference for kicking though.

CM

[KellKheraptis]

Going off the idea of ditching Blade Fury in favor of going trap hybrid (eventually with Rift equipment option), is it even necessary to go with ITD on the weapon when Talon provides a huge AR boost? The reason I ask is the main boss/uber weapon I'll most likely use is a Stormlash, and if I'm gonna splurge on the HR for it, I'd rather slap 20% more CB on it rather than waste a Jah for a skill that doesn't need it.

[Sass]

Ber is perfectly fine. I used one on a Jade Talon for pete's sake :P

[KellKheraptis]

My latest layout (now far more trap focused) actually calls for a Ber Suicide Branch, for the skill, minor res, CB, and FCR.

[Sass]

FCR helps almost nothing at all for a Warrior Monk. MB is useful in UT at times, but not THAT useful to use a suicide branch.

[KellKheraptis]

FCR helps almost nothing at all for a Warrior Monk. MB is useful in UT at times, but not THAT useful to use a suicide branch.

Well, had there not been a reset in two days, she was being repurposed to use Enigma and tele to the key bosses, so the FCR was for convenience of not having to gear/weapon switch to cast. Branch+Spirit+Arach=the 102 bp