beginning a new campaign and I rolled for high strength (16), high dexterity (18) the rest was 14, 14, 13, 13. And the decided to go wit monk. I also want to try multi classing. Swashbuckler rogue was my first thought. Are there other options, that run well with a monk?
EDIT: Would like to add that the dm chose to make us roll for each stat so i could not choose where to place what i got. Also my monk is of the Vedalken race.. which with its racial trait, i was able to bump up my AC from a 15 to a17
So monks don't combine well with rogues at all, just because you can't sneak attack with a punch. The nature of having your stat points assigned for you is that you should generally force yourself into a class you have the right stats for and figure out how to have fun from there. Did your GM let you use the Tasha's rules to reassign your stat points, so you became AC 17 by having Wis14 and adding 2 to it by changing the Vedalken racial modifier to +2 Wis, so you're now Wis 16? How debatable is your race? Can you swap to a race with an additional stat point - half elf or mountain dwarf - to solve any stat issues you might have?
As you are, I'd recommend coming up with a fun Barbarian build - Barbarians like Str/Con/Dex like monks like Dex/Wis/Con, and since you've been forced to have good Dex and Str, Barbarian seems like the way to go. I'm not directly aware of any fun Barbarian/Monk builds, so I can't really speak to any, sorry. :/
A fairly basic Barb/Monk combo could be taking 3 levels of Barb to get to Zealot then go Way of the Long Death monk the rest of the way. A Monk can still attack using STR, even if most stuff assumes they'll be using DEX. 3 levels of Barb gives Unarmored Defense that keys off of CON instead of WIS, 3 rages, Danger Sense for Advantage on most DEX saving throws, Reckless Attack for self-advantage, and Zealot gives solid damage boost round after round plus the ability to be revived from death at massively reduced cost, which pairs well with Long Death to just make your character really, really hard to permanently kill. You're still going to want to go mostly Monk, since Monk abilities aren't super useful without the Ki to back them up.
I'm having a hard time understanding the continued hate on rogues matching with monks. Even without Tasha's dedicated weapon to give you a rapier to use as a monk weapon, you have daggers (simple weapons) and Shortswords that are finesse weapons. Losing out on the 1 point of average damage from a spear or quarterstaff wielded two handed to attack with a shortsword to try to land one or two attacks that can trigger 1d6 (or 2d6 with a 3 level dip, 3.5 or 7) average damage is a great trade. Getting bonus action dash or disengage for free offsets some of the ki point loss and adding a bonus action hide adds a somewhat reliable way to land one of those attacks. Expertise gives some nice skill options. Getting something like swashbuckler adds another way to trigger sneak attack via Rakish Audacity and you get a bonus to your initiative from your Charisma, which will be a +1 if you do nothing with it the entire campaign. Fancy footwork works beautifully and very thematically by making all melee attacks prevent OAs against you by the targets of those attacks. With up to four attacks in a round and high mobility, you'll be able to go wherever you want more often than not. All of this assumes nothing about the monk subclass.
If Tasha's is in play, dedicated weapon and the Rogue's Steady Aim are excellent tools for increasing damage. Dedicated weapon removes the melee qualifier for simple weapons meaning that the shortbow now qualifies for ranged attacks and Steady Aim gives you a chance to weaponize your movement by staying still and gaining advantage on your first attack which provides a high chance of success on the attack, a decent chance to crit, and application of sneak attack. Dedicated weapon also puts the d8 on the table sooner for finesse attacks from melee with Rapier becoming an option.
Monk can go Kensei to get better ranged options to help trigger sneak attack or live with the options presented above and choose whatever monk path to fit their character concept.
Quick note about Ranger, the hunter with colossus slayer or with horde breaker can be very effective without adding too much pressure to your bonus action economy. You can choose Favored Foe, bypass hunters mark, and choose support spells.
With your dex already at 18, there is less pressure on your ASIs than there normally would be with a monk. If you've also got your Wisdom at 16 or pushed your dex to 20 with the racial bonus (and your wisdom to 14 by the same manner), then you are one ASI up from a 16/16 or 17/15 split through standard array, and all of your rolls exceed the standard array. You have some flexibility with those and can catch you wisdom up quickly, add some constitution and still have room for a feat, depending on how long the campaign runs.
There are some drawbacks that should be considered with each of the multiclass options, but there are also frequently ways to benefit from them as well. Considering that monks get extra attack, it's often a good idea to wait until after monk 5 to multiclass, though Rogue's sneak attack can offset that damagewise, if you want to get rogue online earlier. Single level dips can be beneficial as a first level starter for proficiencies and gear and a 1 level delay isn't as extreme as a 2 or 3 level dip. However, there is a decent chance that you'll be going 5 levels of monk before your multiclass, which will give you ample time to figure out what should be a good fit for you.
They cannot reorganize their stats to put the 18 in Con.
No, but 18 dex and 14 con, possibly 16 if they put the +2 racial is significant. It's no different than using monk unarmored defense and bumping wisdom instead, other than the con boost increases HP as well, which synergizes well with Rage. If they use a finesse weapon, or one that qualifies for a monk weapon, they can switch to dex for attacks when not using rage or reckless attacks and back to strength when they need those attacks. They'll have a minimum 16 AC, 17 with either a 20/14 or 18/16 spread, which is significantly better with rage and investment in con for taking hits. As long as they don't need martial arts or the other monk features that don't jive with a shield, having barbarian unarmored defense also gives them the flexibility to use a shield, which can be stowed to enable the greater flexibility of monk options when avoiding hits isn't as critical.
I will always recommend 2 levels of Ranger to really bring quite a bit to a Monk character. It gives you:
Achoice of fighting styles to complement your build,
Proficiency in every weapon for your dedicating pleasure (I recommend a whip),
A couple of larger Hit Dice,
A convenient way to pick up extra DPR with Hunter’s Mark and Favored Foe,
Expertise in a Skill from Deft Explorer,
A little Spellcasting never hurts,
All in all, a small Ranger dip really brings a lot to the Monk.
Can not express how dangerous a monk with a Whip of Warning is. To say nothing of a Kensei monk who can attempt to stun before closing in and still getting the 2AC bonus.
My Whip of Warning Kensei/War Cleric Halfling was one of my most favorite characters ever.
A fairly basic Barb/Monk combo could be taking 3 levels of Barb to get to Zealot then go Way of the Long Death monk the rest of the way. A Monk can still attack using STR, even if most stuff assumes they'll be using DEX. 3 levels of Barb gives Unarmored Defense that keys off of CON instead of WIS, 3 rages, Danger Sense for Advantage on most DEX saving throws, Reckless Attack for self-advantage, and Zealot gives solid damage boost round after round plus the ability to be revived from death at massively reduced cost, which pairs well with Long Death to just make your character really, really hard to permanently kill. You're still going to want to go mostly Monk, since Monk abilities aren't super useful without the Ki to back them up.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
They cannot reorganize their stats to put the 18 in Con.
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
I'm having a hard time understanding the continued hate on rogues matching with monks. Even without Tasha's dedicated weapon to give you a rapier to use as a monk weapon, you have daggers (simple weapons) and Shortswords that are finesse weapons. Losing out on the 1 point of average damage from a spear or quarterstaff wielded two handed to attack with a shortsword to try to land one or two attacks that can trigger 1d6 (or 2d6 with a 3 level dip, 3.5 or 7) average damage is a great trade. Getting bonus action dash or disengage for free offsets some of the ki point loss and adding a bonus action hide adds a somewhat reliable way to land one of those attacks. Expertise gives some nice skill options. Getting something like swashbuckler adds another way to trigger sneak attack via Rakish Audacity and you get a bonus to your initiative from your Charisma, which will be a +1 if you do nothing with it the entire campaign. Fancy footwork works beautifully and very thematically by making all melee attacks prevent OAs against you by the targets of those attacks. With up to four attacks in a round and high mobility, you'll be able to go wherever you want more often than not. All of this assumes nothing about the monk subclass.
If Tasha's is in play, dedicated weapon and the Rogue's Steady Aim are excellent tools for increasing damage. Dedicated weapon removes the melee qualifier for simple weapons meaning that the shortbow now qualifies for ranged attacks and Steady Aim gives you a chance to weaponize your movement by staying still and gaining advantage on your first attack which provides a high chance of success on the attack, a decent chance to crit, and application of sneak attack. Dedicated weapon also puts the d8 on the table sooner for finesse attacks from melee with Rapier becoming an option.
Monk can go Kensei to get better ranged options to help trigger sneak attack or live with the options presented above and choose whatever monk path to fit their character concept.
Quick note about Ranger, the hunter with colossus slayer or with horde breaker can be very effective without adding too much pressure to your bonus action economy. You can choose Favored Foe, bypass hunters mark, and choose support spells.
With your dex already at 18, there is less pressure on your ASIs than there normally would be with a monk. If you've also got your Wisdom at 16 or pushed your dex to 20 with the racial bonus (and your wisdom to 14 by the same manner), then you are one ASI up from a 16/16 or 17/15 split through standard array, and all of your rolls exceed the standard array. You have some flexibility with those and can catch you wisdom up quickly, add some constitution and still have room for a feat, depending on how long the campaign runs.
There are some drawbacks that should be considered with each of the multiclass options, but there are also frequently ways to benefit from them as well. Considering that monks get extra attack, it's often a good idea to wait until after monk 5 to multiclass, though Rogue's sneak attack can offset that damagewise, if you want to get rogue online earlier. Single level dips can be beneficial as a first level starter for proficiencies and gear and a 1 level delay isn't as extreme as a 2 or 3 level dip. However, there is a decent chance that you'll be going 5 levels of monk before your multiclass, which will give you ample time to figure out what should be a good fit for you.
No, but 18 dex and 14 con, possibly 16 if they put the +2 racial is significant. It's no different than using monk unarmored defense and bumping wisdom instead, other than the con boost increases HP as well, which synergizes well with Rage. If they use a finesse weapon, or one that qualifies for a monk weapon, they can switch to dex for attacks when not using rage or reckless attacks and back to strength when they need those attacks. They'll have a minimum 16 AC, 17 with either a 20/14 or 18/16 spread, which is significantly better with rage and investment in con for taking hits. As long as they don't need martial arts or the other monk features that don't jive with a shield, having barbarian unarmored defense also gives them the flexibility to use a shield, which can be stowed to enable the greater flexibility of monk options when avoiding hits isn't as critical.
I will always recommend 2 levels of Ranger to really bring quite a bit to a Monk character. It gives you:
All in all, a small Ranger dip really brings a lot to the Monk.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Can not express how dangerous a monk with a Whip of Warning is. To say nothing of a Kensei monk who can attempt to stun before closing in and still getting the 2AC bonus.
My Whip of Warning Kensei/War Cleric Halfling was one of my most favorite characters ever.