I am trying my hand at homebrewing and want to help the monk be useful and not rely on Ki points or DPR to do so. I created a homebrew monk subclass that is inspired by Ty Lee in Avatar, the Way of the Ki Paw. Any advice would be welcome just to streamline and balance it.
Tamarin Fist
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate your enemy’s ki to hinder its flow through the body. After you hit one target with two Unarmed Strikes before the start of your next turn, you can impose one of the following effects:
Dispelling Paw - The target rolls all concentration checks on spells with disadvantage and all saving throws against spells the target casts are rolled with advantage until the end of their next turn.
Numbing Paw - The target cannot use its Reaction, the target also rolls all attack rolls with disadvantage, until the end of the target's next turn.
Thundering Paw - The target takes an extra 1d6 force damage from all damage rolls and its movement speed is 0, until the end of the target's next turn.
Your Ki save DC can use DEX and WIS to determine its value.
Bodily Knowledge
Starting at 3rd level, you gain a deeper understanding of the body and its functions. you gain expertise in Widom(medicine) checks and proficiency in Herbalism kit.
Tarsier Instincts
At 6th level, when a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one Ki point to make an unarmed strike against the creature. If you hit, you add an extra martial arts die to the attack's damage roll.
Bonobo Beak Strike
Beginning at 11th level, you attack with blinding speed and precision, when your Tamarin Fist activates, in addition, you can spend a ki point to impose the following effects:
Mystical Block - You strike your opponent in a way that disables their verbal or somatic capabilities(your choice) of spells, or innate magical abilities eg. a dragon's breath weapon, until the end of their next turn, They must make a Wisdom saving throw to resist the effect.
Muscle Immobilization - You strike your opponent in a way that disables their body, They lose their action or bonus action (your choice) and they drop the object they're holding. They must make a Wisdom saving throw to resist the effect.
Twin Howler Fist
At 17th level, when you hit with an unarmed strike, you learn to attack with such unexpected speed that you can turn a miss into another strike. When you miss with an unarmed strike, you can spend a ki point to reroll it.
Interesting idea. Not that familiar with Avatar or Ty Lee, but this homebrew seems like it could almost just be Way of the Open Hand, but flavored as these types of strikes. But if you want to do a homebrew subclass, have fun with it.
Anyway, a few things: (will quote and put responses in a different color)
Tamarin Fist
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate your enemy’s ki to hinder its flow through the body. When you hit with two Unarmed Strikes in a turnshould it be in a round? though that's a bit clunky and I don't recall if any other class uses verbiage. I don't know if there is a way to get more than one strike on another turn other than your own. Maybe on your turn? But I think Round is what you intended., you can impose one of the following effects:
Dispelling Paw - The target rolls all concentration checks on spells with disadvantage and all saving throws against spells the target casts are rolled with advantage until the end of their next turn. When does this take effect? Is this on the second Unarmed Strike that hits? And only against that second attack, and subsequent attacks this turn, have disadvantage?
Numbing Paw - The target cannot use its Reaction, its movement speed is 0 and all attack rolls are made with advantage on the target until the end of their next turn. Seems a bit too powerful, basically a variation of Stunning Strike but earlier with no saving throw.
Thundering Paw - Till the end of the target's next turn, it takes an extra 1d6 force damage from all damage rolls and the target also rolls all attack rolls with disadvantage. This also seems a bit overpowered. Maybe just extra damage on your damage rolls?
Tamarin Fist seems just a bit too good for 3rd level. And seems a bit confusing on how it activates.
Bodily Knowledge
Starting at 3rd level, you gain a deeper understanding of the body and its functions. you gain expertise in Widom(medicine) checks and proficiency in Herbalism kit. Nice addition.
Tarsier Instincts
At 6th level, when a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one Ki point to make an unarmed strike against the creature. If you hit, you add an extra martial arts die to the attack's damage roll. Good so far. If this hit activates your Tamarin Fist, it will last till the end of the target's next turn. Doesn't all the Tamarin Fist options last until the end of the target's next turn already?
Bonobo Beak Strike
Beginning at 11th level, you attack with blinding speed and precision, when your Tamarin Fist activates, you can spend a ki point to impose the following effects: Is this in addition to the TF options or in place of?
Mystical Block - You strike your opponent in a way that disables their verbal or somatic capabilities of Spells, until the end of their next turn, They must make a Constitution saving throw to resist the effect.
Muscle Immobilization - You strike your opponent in a way that disables their arms, they drop their weapons and they are unable to use object interaction of unarmed strikes, or one innate ability, that you know exists, of a creature. They must make a Wisdom saving throw to resist the effect. The innate ability you now exists seems a bit odd. I see what you are going for, but maybe better if it was cannot take an action or bonus action involving their arms? Still a bit odd. Maybe just can't take an action, bonus action, or reaction (unless this stacks with TF you don't need to include the reaction part). And not sure if Wisdom is the right saving throw.
The saving throw DC for these effects equals 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus. Would probably be better if you used the Ki DC's for these abilities. Instead of adding another DC calculation.
Five Finger Howler Palm
At 17th level, when you hit with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 ki points to halt the Ki flow in the target and paralyzes it, this lasts for a number of hours equal to your monk level. The creature must make a WIS saving throw to resist this effect. If it succeeds the manipulated Ki still explodes and momentarily turns against the body, doing 10d10 necrotic damage. This seems way overpowered. Paralyzed is a crazy bad condition which pretty much means death for the target when in combat. Having it last for 17+ hours seems unnecessary. Not sure Wisdom is the right saving throw. See below.
The saving throw DC for these effects equals 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus.
From the DMG about saving throws:
Saving Throws
Ability
Used For…
Strength
Opposing a force that would physically move or bind you
Dexterity
Dodging out of harm’s way
Constitution
Enduring a disease, poison, or other hazard that saps vitality
Intelligence
Disbelieving certain illusions and resisting mental assaults that can be refuted with logic, sharp memory, or both
Wisdom
Resisting effects that charm, frighten, or otherwise assault your willpower
Charisma
Withstanding effects, such as possession, that would subsume your personality or hurl you to another plane of existence
Constitution looks like it might be the more appropriate saving throw to use for most of your effects.
You have some interesting ideas and with some revisions might be a fun subclass to play. Maybe some others here can provide their input. These are just my opinions, and I'm no game designer, so feel free to disregard anything you disagree with.
Thanks for the advice. The Tamarin fist activates after you hit with the second attack so it does not affect the second attack. I should clarify that more. It might seem powerful but at lower levels i will probably have to spend a ki point to activate it and later levels it helps to have extra attack. But i will see what i can do. The per turn instead of per round is to include the level 6 reaction attack and opportunity attacks as it does not happen on turn but in the round. This is so that sentinel also is op with the subclass. The thundering paw is their for strategy because i will probably not attack after i already hit with two attacks so it is more support than anything else.
The ki DC goes off of wisdom and this subclass tries to fix that relying mostly on DEX so that is the reason i could maybe make it that the ki save, as a whole, uses dex instead of wisdom. So that MAD issue does not hurt it as much. Yes the bonobo fist stack and ill word it better. The 17th level feature is just a nerfed version of the quivering palm. And its 17th level i don't think most campaigns reach that so i nerfed quivering palm and made it more like a powerful smite. I could make the ki cost more.
I should work on clarity and wording thanks i appreciate the feedback a lot.
I don’t think the 17th level is a nerfed quivering palm. QP does nothing until you force the save. Then they go to zero or take 10d10. Yours is paralyzed for 17+ hours or take 10d10. Paralyzed is basically the deadliest condition, other than death, and every attack for 17+ hours has advantage plus automatic critical hits if within 5 feet. So basically a death sentence. Just not instantaneous when ending the vibrations of QP.
But you are right, it is 17th level and I don’t necessarily have an issue with the power level. Just that the paralyzed duration seems high. QP, the target is free to act normally until they have to save so I understand the duration for that.
For TF it says two unarmed strikes in a turn. Maybe it should be two unarmed strikes before the start of your next turn. As written it would only work on your turn (two Unarmed Strikes in a turn) and you can only make one attack on a reaction so you can’t make 2 on that turn. It won’t activate on Tarsier Instincts because you can’t get “two unarmed strikes in a (this) turn”.
Tamarin Fist
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate your enemy’s ki to hinder its flow through the body. After you hit one target with two Unarmed Strikes before the start of your next turn, you can impose one of the following effects:
Your Ki save DC can use DEX and WIS to determine its value.
Bodily Knowledge
Starting at 3rd level, you gain a deeper understanding of the body and its functions. you gain expertise in Widom(medicine) checks and proficiency in Herbalism kit.
Tarsier Instincts
At 6th level, when a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one Ki point to make an unarmed strike against the creature. If you hit, you add an extra martial arts die to the attack's damage roll.
Bonobo Beak Strike
Beginning at 11th level, you attack with blinding speed and precision, when your Tamarin Fist activates, in addition, you can spend a ki point to impose the following effects:
Mystical Block - You strike your opponent in a way that disables their verbal or somatic capabilities(your choice) of spells, or innate magical abilities eg. a dragon's breath weapon, until the end of their next turn, They must make a Wisdom saving throw to resist the effect.
Muscle Immobilization - You strike your opponent in a way that disables their body, They lose their action or bonus action (your choice) and they drop the object they're holding. They must make a Wisdom saving throw to resist the effect.
Twin Howler Fist
At 17th level, when you hit with an unarmed strike, you learn to attack with such unexpected speed that you can turn a miss into another strike. When you miss with an unarmed strike, you can spend a ki point to reroll it.
This an updated version
Interesting idea. Not that familiar with Avatar or Ty Lee, but this homebrew seems like it could almost just be Way of the Open Hand, but flavored as these types of strikes. But if you want to do a homebrew subclass, have fun with it.
Anyway, a few things: (will quote and put responses in a different color)
Tamarin Fist seems just a bit too good for 3rd level. And seems a bit confusing on how it activates.
Constitution looks like it might be the more appropriate saving throw to use for most of your effects.
You have some interesting ideas and with some revisions might be a fun subclass to play. Maybe some others here can provide their input. These are just my opinions, and I'm no game designer, so feel free to disregard anything you disagree with.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
Thanks for the advice. The Tamarin fist activates after you hit with the second attack so it does not affect the second attack. I should clarify that more. It might seem powerful but at lower levels i will probably have to spend a ki point to activate it and later levels it helps to have extra attack. But i will see what i can do. The per turn instead of per round is to include the level 6 reaction attack and opportunity attacks as it does not happen on turn but in the round. This is so that sentinel also is op with the subclass. The thundering paw is their for strategy because i will probably not attack after i already hit with two attacks so it is more support than anything else.
The ki DC goes off of wisdom and this subclass tries to fix that relying mostly on DEX so that is the reason i could maybe make it that the ki save, as a whole, uses dex instead of wisdom. So that MAD issue does not hurt it as much. Yes the bonobo fist stack and ill word it better. The 17th level feature is just a nerfed version of the quivering palm. And its 17th level i don't think most campaigns reach that so i nerfed quivering palm and made it more like a powerful smite. I could make the ki cost more.
I should work on clarity and wording thanks i appreciate the feedback a lot.
I don’t think the 17th level is a nerfed quivering palm. QP does nothing until you force the save. Then they go to zero or take 10d10. Yours is paralyzed for 17+ hours or take 10d10. Paralyzed is basically the deadliest condition, other than death, and every attack for 17+ hours has advantage plus automatic critical hits if within 5 feet. So basically a death sentence. Just not instantaneous when ending the vibrations of QP.
But you are right, it is 17th level and I don’t necessarily have an issue with the power level. Just that the paralyzed duration seems high. QP, the target is free to act normally until they have to save so I understand the duration for that.
For TF it says two unarmed strikes in a turn. Maybe it should be two unarmed strikes before the start of your next turn. As written it would only work on your turn (two Unarmed Strikes in a turn) and you can only make one attack on a reaction so you can’t make 2 on that turn. It won’t activate on Tarsier Instincts because you can’t get “two unarmed strikes in a (this) turn”.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?