I've been toying with some tweaks to the Way of the Drunken Master to try and improve some of its less impressive features. The main problem with the 5e version is that the mobility of Drunken Technique has never been that strong when you can get it via Mobile, or can sort of replicate with Crusher (push an enemy back so you can move away), meanwhile Drunkard's Luck expensive and situational. I renamed to Way of the Daoist to distinguish the sub-class, but ran out of ideas for feature names. 😝
Utilising the forms and styles of the eight drunken immortals, a Daoist monk excels at unpredictability.
Bonus Proficiencies
3rd-level Way of the Daoist feature
Your martial arts technique mixes combat training with the precision of a dancer and the antics of a jester, granting you proficiency in the Performance skill and brewer's supplies. In addition, you are also proficient with improvised weapons, which count as Monk weapons for you so long as they lack the heavy and special properties.
Daoist Technique
3rd-level Way of the Daoist feature
You are adept at moving in sudden, unexpected ways, granting you the following benefits:
Drunken Escape.Whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you gain the benefit of the Disengage action, and your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the current turn.
Redirect Attack. When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can spend 1 Ki point as a reaction to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.
Unpredictable
6th-level Way of the Daoist feature
You can move in sudden, swaying ways, granting you the following benefits:
Layabout.Being prone does not grant advantage on melee attacks against you, and you can leap back to your feet on your turn at a cost of only 5 feet of movement.
Sway.When you are hit by an enemy attack, or fail a Dexterity saving throw triggered by an enemy effect, you may spend 1 Ki as a reaction to gain the benefits of half cover until the end of your next turn, including against the triggering effect.
Drunkard’s Luck
11th-level Way of the Daoist feature
You have uncanny luck in adverse situations, granting you the following benefits:
Before rolling an ability check or saving throw with disadvantage, you may spend 1 Ki to ignore disadvantage on the roll.
Before attacking with disadvantage, you may spend 2 Ki to ignore disadvantage on attacks until the end of your turn.
If activating your Sway reaction causes the triggering attack to miss, you may also use Deflect Attack as a single reaction.
Intoxicated Frenzy
17th-level Way of the Daoist feature
You gain the ability to make an overwhelming number of attacks against your enemies. When you use your Flurry of Blows you may choose one of the following options:
You make up to three additional unarmed strikes (for a total of up to five), but each strike must have a different target.
You make two additional unarmed strikes (for a total of four), but all strikes are rolled with disadvantage.
Notes
Changes from the original version of the sub-class are:
Added improvised weapons to the Bonus Proficiencies, and these count as Monk weapons, allowing you mix in throwing loose objects into your fighting style.
Tipsy Sway's Redirect Attack ability moved to 3rd-level since it costs Ki and a reaction, and makes that level better a bit stronger.
Tipsy Sway's Leap to Your Feat becomes "Layabout" which also now prevents enemies from getting advantage against you while prone (falling down/kneeling etc. on purpose becomes a possible strategy).
Adds a new Sway ability at 6th-level which allows the Monk to spend 1 Ki as a reaction to gain half-cover in response to being hit or failing a DEX save. Basically it's like having a weaker yet slightly more flexible shield, but competes with your more valuable reaction.
Drunkard's Luck allows cancelling disadvantage on checks and saves for only 1 Ki, while cancelling on attacks lasts until the end of your turn (so can cancel for all attacks, rather than just one).
Also adds to Drunkard's Luck the ability to use Sway and Deflect Attack as a single reaction for 2 Ki. 1. Sway to force a miss, 2. Deflect Attack to redirect it, 3. ???, 4. Profit!
Intoxicated Frenzy now allows a choice between an up to 5 attack Flurry vs. different targets, or an up to 4 attack Flurry with disadvantage. The latter means you can overwhelm easy to hit targets, or can pair with Drunkard's Luck (3 Ki total) for a burst of six regular attacks.
Basically while the Daoist is still best against groups, it should now have more utility even while facing single opponents. The addition of improvised weapons should make it more flexible, and the ability to fight while prone (by using Drunkard's Luck) adds some weird new tactics.
I've been toying with some tweaks to the Way of the Drunken Master to try and improve some of its less impressive features. The main problem with the 5e version is that the mobility of Drunken Technique has never been that strong when you can get it via Mobile, or can sort of replicate with Crusher (push an enemy back so you can move away), meanwhile Drunkard's Luck expensive and situational. I renamed to Way of the Daoist to distinguish the sub-class, but ran out of ideas for feature names. 😝
Anyway, here it is:
Utilising the forms and styles of the eight drunken immortals, a Daoist monk excels at unpredictability.
Bonus Proficiencies
3rd-level Way of the Daoist feature
Your martial arts technique mixes combat training with the precision of a dancer and the antics of a jester, granting you proficiency in the Performance skill and brewer's supplies. In addition, you are also proficient with improvised weapons, which count as Monk weapons for you so long as they lack the heavy and special properties.
Daoist Technique
3rd-level Way of the Daoist feature
You are adept at moving in sudden, unexpected ways, granting you the following benefits:
Drunken Escape. Whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you gain the benefit of the Disengage action, and your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the current turn.
Redirect Attack. When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can spend 1 Ki point as a reaction to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.
Unpredictable
6th-level Way of the Daoist feature
You can move in sudden, swaying ways, granting you the following benefits:
Layabout. Being prone does not grant advantage on melee attacks against you, and you can leap back to your feet on your turn at a cost of only 5 feet of movement.
Sway. When you are hit by an enemy attack, or fail a Dexterity saving throw triggered by an enemy effect, you may spend 1 Ki as a reaction to gain the benefits of half cover until the end of your next turn, including against the triggering effect.
Drunkard’s Luck
11th-level Way of the Daoist feature
You have uncanny luck in adverse situations, granting you the following benefits:
Intoxicated Frenzy
17th-level Way of the Daoist feature
You gain the ability to make an overwhelming number of attacks against your enemies. When you use your Flurry of Blows you may choose one of the following options:
Characters: Bullette, Chortle, Dracarys Noir, Edward Merryspell, Habard Ashery, Legion, Peregrine
My Homebrew: Feats | Items | Monsters | Spells | Subclasses | Races
Guides: Creating Sub-Races Using Trait Options
WIP (feedback needed): Blood Mage, Chromatic Sorcerers, Summoner, Trickster Domain, Unlucky, Way of the Daoist (Drunken Master), Weapon Smith
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