So I wanted to play a Monk of the Four Elements cause I want to feel like the Avatar. But I heard that the Way of the Four Elements sucks like nobody's business. So I did a bunch of statistical math to figure out how to fix it, so it would be comparably powerful to the Open Hand and Shadow monks, the other two Monk subclasses in the Player's Handbook.
Quick conversion of how to make the Way of the Four Elements better: Instead of using a number of ki points equal to 1 + the spell's level to cast a spell, it costs 1 ki point to cast a 1st level spell, 2 to cast a 2nd or 3rd, and 3 to cast a 4th or 5th. Also you can only increase the number of ki points used up to 3.
Longer conversion: I decided to make it comparable to a third/half caster, in regards to how many features it can learn at each level (instead of 2-5 depending on your monk level, 4-12 depending on your monk level). Then I gave it more options of Elemental Disciplines it could learn, based primarily off of the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, and also Xanathar's Guide to Everything and some of my own ideas. So instead of having 2-5 options out of 16, you now get 4-12 options out of 61.
Here's a link to a google drive file of the completed version (1.0). Tell me what you think! I'll be playing a monk of this type in a Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus campaign we just started.
I made sure to add some options about static things you could take. The other monk subclasses got features that you didn't have to use Ki points for, but Four Elements didn't. Plus Four Elements' features took a LOT more ki points to get the same type of effects. Quivering Palm (Open Hand 17th level feature) is the equivalent of a 5th level spell that hits, but only when the target SUCCEEDS on the saving throw. When the target fails, they immediately drop to 0 hit points, making it comparable to Power Word Kill, albeit gated by a saving throw. But Quivering Palm only takes 3 ki points, meaning an 18th level monk can use it six times per SHORT rest. For a standard Four Elements monk to use a 5th level spell that may miss/the target may succeed on the saving throw of, it takes 6 ki points. Meaning an 18th level Four Elements monk can use a worse ability three times per short rest.
Clearly there's a discrepancy. Four Elements' abilities cost more ki points per usefulness than Open Hand's do. Meanwhile, Shadow gets plenty of abilities that are always turned on and don't require ki. So can Four Elements get some abilities that don't require ki? That would be nice.
So I added those in. Options that you can take as part of your 4-12 options that let you do things like: breathe underwater; elementals have to succeed on a Wis save before they can attack you, like Land druids with beasts and plants, or Undying warlocks with undead, or some paladins with a variety of things when they use channel divinity I think; access to a few cantrips instead of the original elemental equivalent of prestidigitation; tremorsense for 60 feet (freaking Toph); and being able to pass through rough terrain like rocky ground or ice at normal speed. They were quite fitting for the theme of this class, which is being an elemental master, and/or fitting for the desired feel of this class, which is being like your favorite hero of choice from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
I'm very excited to play this.
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So I wanted to play a Monk of the Four Elements cause I want to feel like the Avatar. But I heard that the Way of the Four Elements sucks like nobody's business. So I did a bunch of statistical math to figure out how to fix it, so it would be comparably powerful to the Open Hand and Shadow monks, the other two Monk subclasses in the Player's Handbook.
Quick conversion of how to make the Way of the Four Elements better: Instead of using a number of ki points equal to 1 + the spell's level to cast a spell, it costs 1 ki point to cast a 1st level spell, 2 to cast a 2nd or 3rd, and 3 to cast a 4th or 5th. Also you can only increase the number of ki points used up to 3.
Longer conversion: I decided to make it comparable to a third/half caster, in regards to how many features it can learn at each level (instead of 2-5 depending on your monk level, 4-12 depending on your monk level). Then I gave it more options of Elemental Disciplines it could learn, based primarily off of the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, and also Xanathar's Guide to Everything and some of my own ideas. So instead of having 2-5 options out of 16, you now get 4-12 options out of 61.
Here's a link to a google drive file of the completed version (1.0). Tell me what you think! I'll be playing a monk of this type in a Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus campaign we just started.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1svMvUvmDtSf_tJmwxLggXbs7AgxEKCcc/view?usp=sharing
I made sure to add some options about static things you could take. The other monk subclasses got features that you didn't have to use Ki points for, but Four Elements didn't. Plus Four Elements' features took a LOT more ki points to get the same type of effects. Quivering Palm (Open Hand 17th level feature) is the equivalent of a 5th level spell that hits, but only when the target SUCCEEDS on the saving throw. When the target fails, they immediately drop to 0 hit points, making it comparable to Power Word Kill, albeit gated by a saving throw. But Quivering Palm only takes 3 ki points, meaning an 18th level monk can use it six times per SHORT rest. For a standard Four Elements monk to use a 5th level spell that may miss/the target may succeed on the saving throw of, it takes 6 ki points. Meaning an 18th level Four Elements monk can use a worse ability three times per short rest.
Clearly there's a discrepancy. Four Elements' abilities cost more ki points per usefulness than Open Hand's do. Meanwhile, Shadow gets plenty of abilities that are always turned on and don't require ki. So can Four Elements get some abilities that don't require ki? That would be nice.
So I added those in. Options that you can take as part of your 4-12 options that let you do things like: breathe underwater; elementals have to succeed on a Wis save before they can attack you, like Land druids with beasts and plants, or Undying warlocks with undead, or some paladins with a variety of things when they use channel divinity I think; access to a few cantrips instead of the original elemental equivalent of prestidigitation; tremorsense for 60 feet (freaking Toph); and being able to pass through rough terrain like rocky ground or ice at normal speed. They were quite fitting for the theme of this class, which is being an elemental master, and/or fitting for the desired feel of this class, which is being like your favorite hero of choice from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
I'm very excited to play this.