Octopode monks?

[somesortofthing]

Is it viable? Since you have the constriction. it's pretty easy to damage enemies with unarmed, and their UC apt isn't too terrible. What makes them less commonly played? They seem good.

[Sar]

Octopodes have no AC. This is very much noticeable, in a negative way.

[TheDefiniteArticle]

1 AC is really just amazingly bad. Combine that with low HP and average dodging ability and it is pretty clear why melee backgrounds are not recommended.

[Sar]

I wouldn't call their HP low, they have 0 HP apt like humans, don't they?

[arcanist]

wiki assumes that they have -1 apt in health

[DracheReborn]

Also, isn't octopode constriction an aux attack? So it works whether you melee with a weapon or with UC.

[Sar]

In-game table of aptitudes tells me the same. My bad!

[tasonir]

Yes, it works with weapons (unless you're reaching with a polearm - it works if you melee with a polearm). So there isn't a need to go unarmed to use constriction.

Octopode TM's are recommended, in that you can use a lot of forms that would meld armor and you get to keep all your rings (spider, blade hands, statue form have 8 rings). That said, it is NOT an easy start because you're still dealing with 1 ac (or 2 in spider form) but it's better than monk. I've done it a few dozen times, and haven't won, but you REALLY notice the difference on the one or two lucky runs when you find a +5 ac ring early on. Suddenly you stop taking absurd damage from everything. If you got far enough in to find a few protection rings you could play like a fairly normal race, but getting there is tough.

My personal best this tournament was http://dobrazupa.org/morgue/tasonir/mor ... 135954.txt. I started as an EE, transitioned into melee, but never found statue form, and died in the vaults without being able to get AC. I had a +8 slaying ring and several evasion rings, it kept throwing evasion at me, but never spawned so much as +1 protection

Starting as an EE if you plan to eventually go statue form is an easier start - but you still have to find the book, which was my eventual downfall (TM's don't start with statue form either, of course).

[moocowmoocow]

I think the biggest strong point of Monk is starting with ** piety as soon as you worship a god. Other than that you're probably better off starting with a spellbook, or with a god to begin with.