Hi yall this may seem like a fairly simple problem but I’m new to being a dm and I’m struggling so hard to actually hit my players. They are currently level 14 and beside some metagaming issues the story has gone amazing and everyone is loving it. But I’m having a really hard time actually hitting the 5.5 e open hand monk because it feels like they have a resistance or way out of everything I can throw at them. I know strength checks would do it but I don’t even know how to just make those happen. It’s become really frustrating on my end especially because this player is super into combat.
There are several ways to deal with a higher-level monk, if that's what you are looking to do.
Give an enemy access to the Telekinesis spell. It requires a Strength Save and can restrain the target, making it easier for other attackers to hurt them.
Also consider AoE spells that do not require a Dex Save, like Sickening Radiance. This will get around Evasion, as it requires a Con Save.
Use monsters that either have damaging auras in an area around them or do automatic damage to the attacker on each hit so that the battle becomes one of attrition.
Alternatively, some monsters, like the Fractine have neat reactions that do large amounts of damage to their attackers.
Reactions
Mirrored Damage. In response to being damaged by a creature it can see within 120 feet of itself, the fractine forces that creature to make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 24 (8d6) force damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Another option is to put him up against a Champion Fighter NPC with a Sword of Sharpness.
You could also use an enemy with spellcasting that uses spells with Intelligence or Charisma saves to really ruin his day (Synaptic Static to debuff him maybe?)
I am curious as to what the struggle is. I am running a 5e game at level 13 and honestly, with the monsters I'm sending their way, I am struggling to not hit them.
Most things have at least +9 to their attack rolls, if I'm aiming for challenging encounters. What is it that is confounding you with the monk? I' don't know how it's changed from 5e, but...
Deflecting ranged attacks: This is a reaction, if it's really a problem, shoot them twice, and let them enjoy their ability once per turn.
High AC: Let them have their false sense of security, when something big comes out (case in point this week was a Roc, with +13 to attack rolls) they will regret being blase about being hit.
Evasion: Let them evade things that their ability lets them do, but throw in things which Evasion doesn't work on.
It's all about maintaining balance without focussing on them. You don't want to say "the goblins instinctively know you're a monk so don't shoot you". Let them use their abilities! Similarly, you don't want all the melee creatures to always focus on the barbarian who wants to take the damage, but you also don't want them to always ignore them.
If you can better explain why you can't hit them, we can offer better advice!
Wanna scare your players? Throw a Marut at them. There's no 'To Hit' roll at all, it automatically deals 60 force damage, and pushes the target 5ft away. They only have 400 some odd hit points, so make for a great solo boss monster.
The downside is that they are pretty boring as a creature. So, I homebrewed my own variant of a Marut for a band of level 5s:
Mini Marut AC: 22 HP: 275 Speed: 40ft, Fly: 20ft STR: 20 (+5), Dex 12 (+1), CON 20 (+5), INT 14 (+2), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 10 (+0)
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks Damage Immunities: Radiant, Poison Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Unconscious Senses: Darkvision 60ft Traits Magic Resistance: Advantage on saving throws against magical effects & spells Abilities Multiattack: Marut uses two Unerring Strikes attacks Unerring Strike: Automatic Hit, one target, within 5ft. Deals 25 force damage, and pushes target 10ft away. Plane Shift (3/day): Once the Marut takes more than half its damage, or has eliminated hostile creatures within range it casts Plane Shift innately, requiring no Verbal, Somatic, or Material Components.
This removes some of the resistances, keeps the enemy fairly scary, and even pushes the enemy out of melee ranges so that player characters have the option to freely withdraw without risking an attack of opportunity. If they choose to move back into melee range, that's their mistake. Not the DM's. Likewise, Plane Shift innately allows the GM to pull the plug on the fight if it begins to get too overwhelming and there's a legitimate TPK risk.
For its unerring strike too, a monk has an average of 5d8 HP by level 5, so the strike can in theory deliver enough damage to knock a player character out. This is by design however. This enemy I wanted as a real threatening guardian of a magic shop. So if players decide to steal, they are going to run into BIG problems. You can of course alter the damage so that it deals less or more, but keep the same number. When players realise that this thing hits without a dice roll, and deals an exact number of damage...they tend to think twice about their actions and tactics. It's a good hard counter to a monk.
Finally, a note for those who like giving their players loads of shiny magical weapons in early levels - alter the damage resistance. Many creatures in 2014 are just flat out resistant to the standard Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning damage. Very, very few enemies are resistant to magical Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning damage. I'd advise making this homebrew alteration on occasion if you're the type of DM that hands out magic weapons like candy. Interestingly a change made in 5.5e is that Monk unarmed strikes aren't as standard magical at level 6 anymore. The monk has to choose to make the strike deal Force Damage. This may indicate a change to the way resistances help to make enemies actively scary again. Of course, it may also be an oversight.
Wanna scare your players? Throw a Marut at them. There's no 'To Hit' roll at all, it automatically deals 60 force damage, and pushes the target 5ft away. They only have 400 some odd hit points, so make for a great solo boss monster.
The downside is that they are pretty boring as a creature. So, I homebrewed my own variant of a Marut for a band of level 5s:
Mini Marut AC: 22 HP: 275 Speed: 40ft, Fly: 20ft STR: 20 (+5), Dex 12 (+1), CON 20 (+5), INT 14 (+2), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 10 (+0)
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks Damage Immunities: Radiant, Poison Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Unconscious Senses: Darkvision 60ft Traits Magic Resistance: Advantage on saving throws against magical effects & spells Abilities Multiattack: Marut uses two Unerring Strikes attacks Unerring Strike: Automatic Hit, one target, within 5ft. Deals 25 force damage, and pushes target 10ft away. Plane Shift (3/day): Once the Marut takes more than half its damage, or has eliminated hostile creatures within range it casts Plane Shift innately, requiring no Verbal, Somatic, or Material Components.
This removes some of the resistances, keeps the enemy fairly scary, and even pushes the enemy out of melee ranges so that player characters have the option to freely withdraw without risking an attack of opportunity. If they choose to move back into melee range, that's their mistake. Not the DM's. Likewise, Plane Shift innately allows the GM to pull the plug on the fight if it begins to get too overwhelming and there's a legitimate TPK risk.
For its unerring strike too, a monk has an average of 5d8 HP by level 5, so the strike can in theory deliver enough damage to knock a player character out. This is by design however. This enemy I wanted as a real threatening guardian of a magic shop. So if players decide to steal, they are going to run into BIG problems. You can of course alter the damage so that it deals less or more, but keep the same number. When players realise that this thing hits without a dice roll, and deals an exact number of damage...they tend to think twice about their actions and tactics. It's a good hard counter to a monk.
Finally, a note for those who like giving their players loads of shiny magical weapons in early levels - alter the damage resistance. Many creatures in 2014 are just flat out resistant to the standard Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning damage. Very, very few enemies are resistant to magical Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning damage. I'd advise making this homebrew alteration on occasion if you're the type of DM that hands out magic weapons like candy. Interestingly a change made in 5.5e is that Monk unarmed strikes aren't as standard magical at level 6 anymore. The monk has to choose to make the strike deal Force Damage. This may indicate a change to the way resistances help to make enemies actively scary again. Of course, it may also be an oversight.
Just a couple quick comments. The OP mentioned a level 14 monk, not a level 5. In addition, the CR25 Marut has a con modifier of +8 and is not immune to stun, the mini version only has a +5. If the party manages to burn through the legendary saves then it is pretty likely that they can stun lock the Marut for several rounds. Giving them a good chance of bringing it down depending on the party composition.
To the OP, unless the monk has some impressive magic items their AC should be around 20-22 ... a creature with +10 to +12 should hit them half the time. Monks are generally good with spells at level 14 since they are proficient with all saves which adds a +5 ... however, this still means that they will fail a DC17-DC19 spell against a weaker stat (strength/intelligence/charisma typically - unless they have especially high rolled stats) more than 1/2 the time unless they have magic items to boost their saving throws. In addition, the monk usually doesn't do a ton of damage compared to others unless they have some significant magic items - I've found that a major contribution of high level 5e-2014 monks is stun and crowd control. Most combats only last 3 rounds or so - as a result the 14 ki they have available is often sufficient to lock down the fight and they can get it restored on a short rest.
Hi yall this may seem like a fairly simple problem but I’m new to being a dm and I’m struggling so hard to actually hit my players. They are currently level 14 and beside some metagaming issues the story has gone amazing and everyone is loving it. But I’m having a really hard time actually hitting the 5.5 e open hand monk because it feels like they have a resistance or way out of everything I can throw at them. I know strength checks would do it but I don’t even know how to just make those happen. It’s become really frustrating on my end especially because this player is super into combat.
For level 14 combat, enemies should have ~+11 bonus to attack rolls and a way of getting advantage on those attack rolls. Enemies should also have lots of non-attack based damage effects - e.g. reflected damage when hit by melee attacks, aura damage effects that automatically hurt anyone within 15 ft of them, AOE blast effects with a variety of damage types / saving throws, lair actions / terrain around them that deals damage that they can shove players into - e.g. throwing the monk into a pit of lava, or exploding a vat of acid that hurts anyone that steps on it.
SPHERE OF ANNIHILATION TO TERRIFY THEM! RANDOM LICH NAMED BIGGIE M. SKULLS! A DOG THAT IS CR 20! These all work, but the last two are specifically if the party's total level is greater or equal to 20. If the party could easily kill the lich and the dog, however, than amp them up to CR 28. Or just go the too many hobgoblins way.
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I make strange but effective solutions to your DM problems!
A L14 monk is one of the most powerful classes in 5.2024e. I'm DMing for a party with a L3 (Warrior of Shadow) monk and have already found that my encounter building/designing is primarily focused around dealing with/countering the monk. Monks have so many features and are so versatile, they're a challenge to deal with. Don't even target the monk with ranged attacks. I think creating encounters with multiple types of enemies is the way to go. For example:
At least one tank who can take lots of damage from the monk's multiple unarmed strikes and high CON to avoid being stunned
At least one one creature with (innate) spellcasting, despite having proficiency in all saving throws at L14 (Disciplined Survivor)
In general, homebrew/customize your monsters. This should go without saying, really. You--or your players--might think this is unfair, but remember that while the class upgrades are currently available from the 2024 PHB, the new monsters from the MM hasn't been upgraded.
A L14 monk is one of the most powerful classes in 5.2024e. I'm DMing for a party with a L3 (Warrior of Shadow) monk and have already found that my encounter building/designing is primarily focused around dealing with/countering the monk. Monks have so many features and are so versatile, they're a challenge to deal with. Don't even target the monk with ranged attacks. I think creating encounters with multiple types of enemies is the way to go. For example:
At least one tank who can take lots of damage from the monk's multiple unarmed strikes and high CON to avoid being stunned
At least one one creature with (innate) spellcasting, despite having proficiency in all saving throws at L14 (Disciplined Survivor)
In general, homebrew/customize your monsters. This should go without saying, really. You--or your players--might think this is unfair, but remember that while the class upgrades are currently available from the 2024 PHB, the new monsters from the MM hasn't been upgraded.
Why would you NOT target the monk with ranged attacks?
The monk's ability to Deflect Attacks requires the use of their reaction - so they can deflect at most one attack each round. Stopping one attack isn't a big deal unless the party is fighting one creature and it only has one attack (in which case, you probably need a bit more encounter variety). On the other hand, if the monk is being allowed to deflect more than one ranged attack then you might have missed the rule about using their reaction to use the ability.
At level 3, a monk has 3 ki. Stun can be effective if successful but it becomes more powerful the fewer the number of opponents. If there are 3 or 4 opponents then stunning one of them helps quite a bit but it won't break the encounter AND stun is limited to one use/turn anyway - it also ends at the start of the monk's next turn so the monk doesn't have the benefit from their own stunned condition for any more than any remaining attacks on the first round when the creature is initially stunned.
The monk does about as much damage as other martial classes in tier 1 - maybe a couple of points more since they can add their stat bonus to the martial arts attack. However, this isn't much different from a fighter with the two weapon fighting style using two weapon fighting to make a bonus action attack too.
So, I think the 2024 monk is overall in a better place than the 2014 monk (which was OP when stun worked and relatively weak otherwise), but I wouldn't classify it as "one of the most powerful".
Also, monks don't even get stunning strike until level 5, and their save DC isn't that high unless they're emphasizing wisdom, but then their melee is weaker.
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Hi yall this may seem like a fairly simple problem but I’m new to being a dm and I’m struggling so hard to actually hit my players. They are currently level 14 and beside some metagaming issues the story has gone amazing and everyone is loving it. But I’m having a really hard time actually hitting the 5.5 e open hand monk because it feels like they have a resistance or way out of everything I can throw at them. I know strength checks would do it but I don’t even know how to just make those happen. It’s become really frustrating on my end especially because this player is super into combat.
There are several ways to deal with a higher-level monk, if that's what you are looking to do.
Grapple and Spike Growth.
Just be aware your players will do this back.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
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"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Another option is to put him up against a Champion Fighter NPC with a Sword of Sharpness.
You could also use an enemy with spellcasting that uses spells with Intelligence or Charisma saves to really ruin his day (Synaptic Static to debuff him maybe?)
I am curious as to what the struggle is. I am running a 5e game at level 13 and honestly, with the monsters I'm sending their way, I am struggling to not hit them.
Most things have at least +9 to their attack rolls, if I'm aiming for challenging encounters. What is it that is confounding you with the monk? I' don't know how it's changed from 5e, but...
Deflecting ranged attacks: This is a reaction, if it's really a problem, shoot them twice, and let them enjoy their ability once per turn.
High AC: Let them have their false sense of security, when something big comes out (case in point this week was a Roc, with +13 to attack rolls) they will regret being blase about being hit.
Evasion: Let them evade things that their ability lets them do, but throw in things which Evasion doesn't work on.
It's all about maintaining balance without focussing on them. You don't want to say "the goblins instinctively know you're a monk so don't shoot you". Let them use their abilities! Similarly, you don't want all the melee creatures to always focus on the barbarian who wants to take the damage, but you also don't want them to always ignore them.
If you can better explain why you can't hit them, we can offer better advice!
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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I think by this point, they can deflect anything. However, the shoot them twice still stands.
And very few things are immune to magic missiles.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Any high-level character who hasn't invested in a Brooch of Shielding deserves what they get.
Edit: I actually mean this Marut - Monsters - D&D Beyond not the one linked in the tooltip.
Wanna scare your players? Throw a Marut at them. There's no 'To Hit' roll at all, it automatically deals 60 force damage, and pushes the target 5ft away. They only have 400 some odd hit points, so make for a great solo boss monster.
The downside is that they are pretty boring as a creature. So, I homebrewed my own variant of a Marut for a band of level 5s:
Mini Marut
AC: 22
HP: 275
Speed: 40ft, Fly: 20ft
STR: 20 (+5), Dex 12 (+1), CON 20 (+5), INT 14 (+2), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 10 (+0)
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities: Radiant, Poison
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Unconscious
Senses: Darkvision 60ft
Traits
Magic Resistance: Advantage on saving throws against magical effects & spells
Abilities
Multiattack: Marut uses two Unerring Strikes attacks
Unerring Strike: Automatic Hit, one target, within 5ft. Deals 25 force damage, and pushes target 10ft away.
Plane Shift (3/day): Once the Marut takes more than half its damage, or has eliminated hostile creatures within range it casts Plane Shift innately, requiring no Verbal, Somatic, or Material Components.
This removes some of the resistances, keeps the enemy fairly scary, and even pushes the enemy out of melee ranges so that player characters have the option to freely withdraw without risking an attack of opportunity. If they choose to move back into melee range, that's their mistake. Not the DM's. Likewise, Plane Shift innately allows the GM to pull the plug on the fight if it begins to get too overwhelming and there's a legitimate TPK risk.
For its unerring strike too, a monk has an average of 5d8 HP by level 5, so the strike can in theory deliver enough damage to knock a player character out. This is by design however. This enemy I wanted as a real threatening guardian of a magic shop. So if players decide to steal, they are going to run into BIG problems. You can of course alter the damage so that it deals less or more, but keep the same number. When players realise that this thing hits without a dice roll, and deals an exact number of damage...they tend to think twice about their actions and tactics. It's a good hard counter to a monk.
Finally, a note for those who like giving their players loads of shiny magical weapons in early levels - alter the damage resistance. Many creatures in 2014 are just flat out resistant to the standard Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning damage. Very, very few enemies are resistant to magical Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning damage. I'd advise making this homebrew alteration on occasion if you're the type of DM that hands out magic weapons like candy. Interestingly a change made in 5.5e is that Monk unarmed strikes aren't as standard magical at level 6 anymore. The monk has to choose to make the strike deal Force Damage. This may indicate a change to the way resistances help to make enemies actively scary again. Of course, it may also be an oversight.
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Any high level character that wastes an attunement slot on a Brooch of Shielding deserves what they get.
Just a couple quick comments. The OP mentioned a level 14 monk, not a level 5. In addition, the CR25 Marut has a con modifier of +8 and is not immune to stun, the mini version only has a +5. If the party manages to burn through the legendary saves then it is pretty likely that they can stun lock the Marut for several rounds. Giving them a good chance of bringing it down depending on the party composition.
To the OP, unless the monk has some impressive magic items their AC should be around 20-22 ... a creature with +10 to +12 should hit them half the time. Monks are generally good with spells at level 14 since they are proficient with all saves which adds a +5 ... however, this still means that they will fail a DC17-DC19 spell against a weaker stat (strength/intelligence/charisma typically - unless they have especially high rolled stats) more than 1/2 the time unless they have magic items to boost their saving throws. In addition, the monk usually doesn't do a ton of damage compared to others unless they have some significant magic items - I've found that a major contribution of high level 5e-2014 monks is stun and crowd control. Most combats only last 3 rounds or so - as a result the 14 ki they have available is often sufficient to lock down the fight and they can get it restored on a short rest.
For level 14 combat, enemies should have ~+11 bonus to attack rolls and a way of getting advantage on those attack rolls. Enemies should also have lots of non-attack based damage effects - e.g. reflected damage when hit by melee attacks, aura damage effects that automatically hurt anyone within 15 ft of them, AOE blast effects with a variety of damage types / saving throws, lair actions / terrain around them that deals damage that they can shove players into - e.g. throwing the monk into a pit of lava, or exploding a vat of acid that hurts anyone that steps on it.
SPHERE OF ANNIHILATION TO TERRIFY THEM! RANDOM LICH NAMED BIGGIE M. SKULLS! A DOG THAT IS CR 20! These all work, but the last two are specifically if the party's total level is greater or equal to 20. If the party could easily kill the lich and the dog, however, than amp them up to CR 28. Or just go the too many hobgoblins way.
I make strange but effective solutions to your DM problems!
Homebrew: Monsters Species Spells Background(s)
I am secretly a green dragon.
Greater Wills
If it's too easy then use stronger monsters and harsher tactics.
If you want to add strength checks/ saves they are typically things like
monks are also typically weak to
A L14 monk is one of the most powerful classes in 5.2024e. I'm DMing for a party with a L3 (Warrior of Shadow) monk and have already found that my encounter building/designing is primarily focused around dealing with/countering the monk. Monks have so many features and are so versatile, they're a challenge to deal with. Don't even target the monk with ranged attacks. I think creating encounters with multiple types of enemies is the way to go. For example:
In general, homebrew/customize your monsters. This should go without saying, really. You--or your players--might think this is unfair, but remember that while the class upgrades are currently available from the 2024 PHB, the new monsters from the MM hasn't been upgraded.
Started playing 1e in the late 70s and stopped in the mid-80s. Started immersing myself into 5e in 2023
Why would you NOT target the monk with ranged attacks?
The monk's ability to Deflect Attacks requires the use of their reaction - so they can deflect at most one attack each round. Stopping one attack isn't a big deal unless the party is fighting one creature and it only has one attack (in which case, you probably need a bit more encounter variety). On the other hand, if the monk is being allowed to deflect more than one ranged attack then you might have missed the rule about using their reaction to use the ability.
At level 3, a monk has 3 ki. Stun can be effective if successful but it becomes more powerful the fewer the number of opponents. If there are 3 or 4 opponents then stunning one of them helps quite a bit but it won't break the encounter AND stun is limited to one use/turn anyway - it also ends at the start of the monk's next turn so the monk doesn't have the benefit from their own stunned condition for any more than any remaining attacks on the first round when the creature is initially stunned.
The monk does about as much damage as other martial classes in tier 1 - maybe a couple of points more since they can add their stat bonus to the martial arts attack. However, this isn't much different from a fighter with the two weapon fighting style using two weapon fighting to make a bonus action attack too.
So, I think the 2024 monk is overall in a better place than the 2014 monk (which was OP when stun worked and relatively weak otherwise), but I wouldn't classify it as "one of the most powerful".
Also, monks don't even get stunning strike until level 5, and their save DC isn't that high unless they're emphasizing wisdom, but then their melee is weaker.