Thinking of firing up MM7 again (either that or MM6 mod)...considering PMDS this time because it uses 2 classes I stay away from in MM7 (MD) and because I have not done much in alchemy yet. Plan is for Dark path...I have won light path before a couple of times but never Dark.

Just looking for a sanity check...will this work for Dark-specific stuff first time through or should I add more muscle?

That party will work fine. There are only two clerical spells which matter that the Druid and Paladin can't cast: Power Cure and GM Protection From Magic (for protection against eradication), but neither one is essential.

Be careful about how many behemoths you have pounding on you at once in the Breeding Zone, but that's a given for every party.

I think the Warlock promotion quest is one of the hardest promotions in the game, but GM Invisibility simplifies things quite a bit.

I forgot that Druids lose GM also! Can Prot from Magic potions be brewed? (Do not tell me how...I am not looking at spoilers for alchemy...but I may use Cleric instead of Paladin if eradication is a big issue on the Dark path.)

I'd argue that GM Protection from Magic is essential. While the quest in the Titans' Stronghold can be accomplished with Invisibility, because you can get past all those Blood Titans, the quests in The Maze cannot be accomplished that way ... too many Minotaur Kings blocking the way. Besides, both locations have tons of great treasure that you'd miss if you could not go in & wipe the whole place out.

No, Protection from Magic potions cannot be brewed. The GM Alchemy draw is the black potions, including the Pure Stat potions and the black potions that heal massive amounts of HP and MP.

Eradication is no bigger a deal on the Dark path than on the Light path. Most enemies can't do it out right, and I speak from experience when I say it is entirely feasible to finish the game without GM Protection from Magic. If you are really worried about it, then have your Sorcerer drop a Lloyd's Beacon when you enter a new area/dungeon. Both your Sorcerer and your Druid can use Town Portal, so you can just portal back to Harmondale as soon as someone is eradicated and visit the temple. Then Beacon back to the dungeon to get back to killing the inhabitants and taking their stuff. Protection from Magic isn't essential. Don't pull a lot of Minotaur Kings at once and you'll be fine; you can usually kite the minotaurs a long way in The Maze, as well.

If someone suffers from an Instant Death attack, then the Druid and Paladin can both cast Raise Dead. If someone gets eradicated, then just town portal back to Harmondale and visit a temple. Use Lloyd's Beacon to jump back to the dungeon when everyone is alive and well. Problem solved. With two sources of both spells, you just aren't going to have a problem.

I've cleared both those dungeons and the final dungeon without a cleric, more than once.

That I did not realize. Good tip.

I get less concerned about the Titans in the Stronghold, though, because for some reason it seems easier to get around them than the Minotaur Kings in the Maze. I understand, I've done it too a couple times. But it was really annoying. Bad enough to have a Cleric and let the spell lapse, but the whole leave and come back just got old after a while.

Thank you all! Next time I do MM7, I will likely do PMDS and deal with the late game back-and-forth using LB. (Debating MM7 or MM6 next...or possibly MM8 but MM7 is my fav since I have less time for gaming now, even though MM6 was more fun when I had more time to deal with hordes and huge worlds.)

Monk development questions...I know what the *target* is with Staff/Leather/Armsmaster/Unarmed/Dodge all the way, but this would be my first time with a Monk...and my questions revolve around how to best get to that point.

For purposes of below, a "skill set" is "Unarmed/Dodge" or "Staff/Leather/Armsmaster". Here are my questions:

1) Is it best to focus on one skill set first, then the other once developed as far as possible? Or is it better to develop both skill sets simultaneously...to deal with some enemies that may be better to attack with a staff and others unarmed?

2) If "yes" to #1 (focus on one skill set first), which should I prefer, or are they both quite doable for a newbie to unarmed/dodge? (I don't care which is *optimal*, but are both doable without insider tricks? I have beat the game before but never used unarmed/dodge. Unarmed/dodge seems weaker on Normal, but IIRC the expert trainers are in Harmondale so you get to Expert very rapidly.)

3) Monk first promotion is quite easy to achieve...but then leveling becomes more expensive. Is it best to put this off somewhat, or do it right away?

4) Is there any utility to the Monk's spell points?

1) Since you can't use Leather and Dodge at the same time until you have GM Dodge, just focus on one of them at a time. Same with Unarmed and Staff: advance one of these two at a time. Staffs and fists do the same type of damage (physical), so there isn't any reason to swap between them for different enemies.

2) I suggest focusing on Leather/Staff/Armsmaster first, since those provide more benefits faster. Once you've got enough skill points in them to hit Master (or whatever your highest possible mastery level is), then start sinking points into Unarmed and Dodge. Keep in mind that you'll need 10 points in Unarmed and in Dodge before you can GM either one of them.

3) I don't think getting a promotion makes training costs for the character go up. Even if it does increase training cost per level, it is still worthwhile to do the promotion quest early, since it increases your hp and gives the monk some limited casting ability.

4) There is a little bit of utility to monk spell points, since the monk gains access to Self magic. The monk can cast the basic Heal spell, adding one more source of healing to your party (and lowering the amount of time and spell points spent by your main healers after battle). If you go dark side, then the monk won't ever provide much more than a minor band-aid for your party, but at least it is a band-aid your main Self casters don't have to provide.

The same can't be said of the Thief. By the time a thief can cast spells, none of their available spells are relevant.

The only time Eradication is an issue in MM7 (if you're smart enough not to mix two black potions together) is when you're fighting Tolberti or Robert the Wise, and the Town Portal and Lloyd's Beacon combination doesn't work against them. (Their respective "dungeons" only have one inhabitant, who recovers his HP if you leave and come back.)

I wonder... How DO people fight Tolberti or Robert the Wise without GM Protection from Magic?

I know that with a Sorcerer, Druid, or Archer (for Invisibility) and a Thief (to steal the Control Cube) it's possible to bypass that fight completely, but I thought Monks weren't good enough at stealing to do that.

"Fatally". ;)

More seriously, you can either try to use cover, strafing past the doorway or whatever while throwing your best damage abilities at him, or you can charge into melee combat and try to overpower him before you die (which, iirc, was my method). Depending on how much you want all your characters to survive the fight, you can save scum through the battle as well.