What level are you (If you ar elanning from level 1 when ar eyou thinking of taking the dip) What are your stats? What domain are you?
While a chain shirt isn't starting equipment for a cleric I will use it as a comparison as it is dex based and doesn't give disadvantage on steath, making it most comparable to unarmoured defence. As a single class cleric with no reason not to carry a shield you get AC 17. With a level in Monk if you are using point buy you could get and AC of 16 but it makes you quite MAD as you either make your con suffer or dump Cha, Int AND Str. If you roll for stats and roll well this is less of an issue, rolling insanely well and starting off Wis 20, Dex 18 you can get your AC to 19 which is very high at low level.
As you level up, a pure cleric will get breastplate and whatever bonus to AC they can get through magic armor and shields, while the monk dip will increase AC with ASI increases to Wis or Dex, magic items to boost AC for a monk are much rarer, you might want a heads up from the DM whether you will be likely ot get bracers of defence at a time other characters are getting +1 armor.
You are likely to get little benefit from martial arts, your cantrips are likely to be more effective than your weapon attacks and as you get more spell slots you will be using those more often. The Martyial arts abitity to attack with a bonus action is dependent on using your action to make an attack with a monk weapon so you can't cast a spell and make a bonus action attack.
With a bit of luck, unarmored defence will allow you to roughly keep up with the AC of a single class cleric but you will be always a level behind on your Cleric level, your hit points will be on a par with a single class and your cantrips will increase damage at the same point but nearly everything else will be a level behind,you wont get level 3 spells until level 6, you wont get your first ASI until level 5 etc. It is definately sub-optimal but only you can decide whether being down a level makes it unviable.
2. Your role will be different than a standard Plate and shield heal and control tank cleric. You will not have its high level AC.
3. You will not likely take as many feats as a standard cleric because you will be working to push wisdom and dex high for AC
4. Your bonus action fists will not be quite as valuable as spiritual weapon, your cantrips will outdamage your fists eventually.
Build breakdown. You start with 15dex 15wis with racial (and level 1 feat if var hum or cust lineage) you should have 16/17 or 15/18. So AC 16. Another half feat at level 5 gets you to AC17. +2 to an ability gets you to AC18 at level 9. Level 13, AC19. Level 17 AC20. You won't have resilent Con or warcaster, but you also should not be in melee the same as a standard cleric. Work through the spell lists and change up frequently. Certain spells won't work as well. As long as you aren't playing in a game where everyone is overly optimized you will be fine.
2. Your role will be different than a standard Plate and shield heal and control tank cleric. You will not have its high level AC.
3. You will not likely take as many feats as a standard cleric because you will be working to push wisdom and dex high for AC
4. Your bonus action fists will not be quite as valuable as spiritual weapon, your cantrips will outdamage your fists eventually.
Build breakdown. You start with 15dex 15wis with racial (and level 1 feat if var hum or cust lineage) you should have 16/17 or 15/18. So AC 16. Another half feat at level 5 gets you to AC17. +2 to an ability gets you to AC18 at level 9. Level 13, AC19. Level 17 AC20. You won't have resilent Con or warcaster, but you also should not be in melee the same as a standard cleric. Work through the spell lists and change up frequently. Certain spells won't work as well. As long as you aren't playing in a game where everyone is overly optimized you will be fine.
This is pretty much a homebrew question but what do you good folks think of a balance of giving up armour proficiencies for an ASI or a feat?
By giving up armour proficiencies the cleric would be basically giving up the effects of the lightly armoured and moderately armoured half-feats and possibly heavily armoured as well.
I was wondering whether this might be a fair trade if a dip to, say, druid could only be taken at the cost of a feat.
I envision a wandering priest, who wears no armor, only the robes of his order. Is a 1 lvl monk dip viable?
It would be. So would the Eldritch Adept feat from Tasha's which would allow you to take the Mage Armor one.
Please take a look at my homebrewed Spells, Magic Items, and Subclasses. Any feedback appreciated.
What level are you (If you ar elanning from level 1 when ar eyou thinking of taking the dip) What are your stats? What domain are you?
While a chain shirt isn't starting equipment for a cleric I will use it as a comparison as it is dex based and doesn't give disadvantage on steath, making it most comparable to unarmoured defence. As a single class cleric with no reason not to carry a shield you get AC 17. With a level in Monk if you are using point buy you could get and AC of 16 but it makes you quite MAD as you either make your con suffer or dump Cha, Int AND Str. If you roll for stats and roll well this is less of an issue, rolling insanely well and starting off Wis 20, Dex 18 you can get your AC to 19 which is very high at low level.
As you level up, a pure cleric will get breastplate and whatever bonus to AC they can get through magic armor and shields, while the monk dip will increase AC with ASI increases to Wis or Dex, magic items to boost AC for a monk are much rarer, you might want a heads up from the DM whether you will be likely ot get bracers of defence at a time other characters are getting +1 armor.
You are likely to get little benefit from martial arts, your cantrips are likely to be more effective than your weapon attacks and as you get more spell slots you will be using those more often. The Martyial arts abitity to attack with a bonus action is dependent on using your action to make an attack with a monk weapon so you can't cast a spell and make a bonus action attack.
With a bit of luck, unarmored defence will allow you to roughly keep up with the AC of a single class cleric but you will be always a level behind on your Cleric level, your hit points will be on a par with a single class and your cantrips will increase damage at the same point but nearly everything else will be a level behind,you wont get level 3 spells until level 6, you wont get your first ASI until level 5 etc. It is definately sub-optimal but only you can decide whether being down a level makes it unviable.
1. Absolutely viable.
2. Your role will be different than a standard Plate and shield heal and control tank cleric. You will not have its high level AC.
3. You will not likely take as many feats as a standard cleric because you will be working to push wisdom and dex high for AC
4. Your bonus action fists will not be quite as valuable as spiritual weapon, your cantrips will outdamage your fists eventually.
Build breakdown. You start with 15dex 15wis with racial (and level 1 feat if var hum or cust lineage) you should have 16/17 or 15/18. So AC 16. Another half feat at level 5 gets you to AC17. +2 to an ability gets you to AC18 at level 9. Level 13, AC19. Level 17 AC20. You won't have resilent Con or warcaster, but you also should not be in melee the same as a standard cleric. Work through the spell lists and change up frequently. Certain spells won't work as well. As long as you aren't playing in a game where everyone is overly optimized you will be fine.
Thank you! that is really helpful.
there’s actually a point in the dmg that suggests a cleric that replaces heavy armor with in armored defense,.
This is pretty much a homebrew question but what do you good folks think of a balance of giving up armour proficiencies for an ASI or a feat?
By giving up armour proficiencies the cleric would be basically giving up the effects of the lightly armoured and moderately armoured half-feats and possibly heavily armoured as well.
I was wondering whether this might be a fair trade if a dip to, say, druid could only be taken at the cost of a feat.
I rolled pretty well and made a trickery cleric. With 20 Dex and 20 Wis at level 4 a level of monk was very beneficial to me.
What about Barbarian 1?
This will give you, Unarmored defense, one Rage, more HP and another reason to boost CON.