to meet my monk fantasy, i've asked for more reactions and i've suggested combo-strikes. but, nothing that cool will show up in UA9. in the end, i think one feature is enough to enjoy a front-line monk. here's an incomplete thought inspired by rogue cunning strike...
?th Level: Martial Arts Adept during a round in which the monk activates Flurry of Blows, Step of the Wind, or Patient Defense, they have access to a new a reaction. Faster than Thought: as a reaction, the monk may choose to spend 1dp to dampen their earthly senses, relying on instinct and muscle memory alone for a moment. monk is blinded except for a 5ft blindsight for the duration. until beginning of monk's next turn, every non-friendly creature which misses a melee attack and/or ends their movement while standing within monk's melee range provokes an attack of opportunity by the monk. this attack must be a shove. if any attack is made this way, monk's movement speed is reduced next turn (once) by 30ft.
??th Level: Martial Arts Expert Faster than Thought now also activates from typical attacks of opportunity and from hostile creatures standing up from prone (without first disengaging) while in monk's melee range. this reaction's movement speed reduction is now 15ft.
Improved Faster than Thought per subclass:
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Astral Self) Astral Fan: when activating Faster than Thought, monk may use Deflect Missiles a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus without spending a reaction. also, blindsight during Faster than Thought is no less than 10ft while Astral Visage is summoned.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Open Hand) Open Hand Technique: when activating Faster than Thought, successfully shoved targets cannot take reactions until the end of monk's next turn. when the monk has access to Martial Arts Expert, successfully pushed enemies also fall prone.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Drunken Master) Shrugged Off: when activating Faster than Thought, blinded condition does not negatively affect your saving throws. also, this feature does not reduce monk's speed.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Shadow ) Shadow Sewing: when activating Faster than Thought, enemies struck while standing at least partially in dim light or darkness have their move speed reduced by 10ft unless they are dashing. if this reduces the enemy speed to zero, the monk may chose to immediately move 5ft without provoking opportunity attacks.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Elements) Lightning Synapses: when activating Faster than Thought, a successful shove can push the target up to 10ft in any direction (not just directly away). when the monk has access to Martial Arts Expert, enemies pushed into other enemies become dazed until the end of their next turn.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Mercy) Physician's Touch: when activating Faster than Thought, a successful shove poisons the target until the end of their next turn.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Cobalt Soul) Questioner's Vise: when activating Faster than Thought, you may grapple instead of shove. if you are grappling only one target, that target is restrained. if an enemy attack roll beats your AC, you may interpose the restrained foe for a +2 AC bonus once per turn. if that bonus causes the attack to miss the monk but the attack roll would beat the restrained foe's AC, then the restrained foe becomes the attack's target. roll damage.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Ascendant Dragon) Questioner's Vise: when activating Faster than Thought, your pupils roll back and the whites of your eyes begin to shimmer with chromatic flames as smoke curls away from the corners of your lips. any foe successfully pushed by this feature is charmed or frightened (your choice) until end of your next turn.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Kensei) Way of the Brush, Indeed: when activating Faster than Thought, blood and ichor splashed seemingly at random by your weapon until end of next turn can run together to form a short sentence of poetry on the floor, wall, and/or ceiling. you have advantage on intimidation checks against all intelligent enemies who perceive the message.
...i was inspired by the thought of using movement as a time resource in combination with Cavalier's Hold the Line. although, you'll note that i hesitated to add a damage component. yep. this is merely to increase their front-line presence with confidence. and even then it does nothing for a monk who just punched the dragon in the nose (isn't that what 'wisdom' is for?). but, it could prevent them from being surrounded by that dragon's minions. that's where i feel lacking as a monk right now (which might just be a me thing): surviving enemy attention after flurry of blows. and despite that i still added a speed reduction to make it harder to retreat? sure. i didn't ask for easy mode, just some confidence. i even made it cost a 'reaction' action so that it'd be less likely that some other defensive stacking could apply. although, having said that, astral monk's modification (under the spoiler tag) might be a touch over-tuned. a moment of weakness.
anyway, everyone else was posting long, long, too long treatisies that'll never happen. i wanted one too. thanks.
Talking about the different issues that have been discussed about the monk class, I came to this conclusion:
- Unarmed Strike brought up to par with Weapon Mastery - Use of martial weapons (limited to dex weapons) - Patient Defense + bonus attack - Step of the Wind - as a movimeno action - Self Healing - Ability check support
Slightly lower dpr in area 1-2 and higher in part 3-4. This way every Force/Ki/D point you use there is no chance of being wasted if the attack does not hit. This way there is also a number of attacks more in line with other classes (in case if enhanced with magic items). Force Focus also allows the enhancement of ranged attacks.
Monk Profession / Background / situation: - Gardian or protector (temple, sacred territory, forest,...) - Sage (village, town, a group) - Hermit (territory) - Conclave of monks who restore balance in the multiverse (Jedi style) - Explorer of the multiverse - Seeking enlightenment outside the temple (pilgrimage) - Excommunicated from the temple - Last survivor of the temple - Heir of a martial arts style - Master of a school of martial arts
Characteristics: - Speed and freedom of movement (jumps, surfaces,...) - Unarmed and armed style - Counterattack based on reaction (Deflect-Missiles, Counter-Strike, Force Barrier) - Force/ki/D allows the monk to overcome the mortals limits
An Unarmed Strike is a Melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or push, or sweep a target within 5 feet of you. Whenever you use your Unarmed Strike, choose one of the following options for its effect: Damage. You make an attack roll against the target. Your bonus to hit equals your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. On a hit, the target takes Bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier.
Grapple. The target must succeed on a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (it chooses which), or it has the Grappled condition. The DC for the saving throw and any escape attempts equals 8 + your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. This grapple is possible only if the target is no more than one size larger than you and if you have a hand free to grab it.
Push. You can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you horizontally if it is no more than one size larger than you.
Sweep. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus, or fall in the Prone condition.
Proficiencies:
Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
1st: Martial Arts
Your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use your Unarmed Strike and Simple Weapons. You gain the following benefits while you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:
Soft Technique. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the Unarmed Strikes (variant) properties, and also for all Simple Weapons that do not have the two-handed property.
Martial Arts Die. You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your Unarmed Strike or your weapon attacks. This die changes as you gain Monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
Quick Strike. When you use the Attack action with an Unarmed Strike or with a Weapon that use dexterity on your turn, you can make one Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action on the same turn.
Unarmed Mastery. Each long rest you can choose a property of Unaremd Strike (Grapple, Push or Sweep) and combine this property with the damage of each of your unarmed strikes.
1st: Unarmored Defense
1st: Weapon Mastery
2st: The Force (ki/D)
Your self-discipline and martial training allow you to sense extraordinary energy around you. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of Force Points. Your Monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Force Points column of the Monk table. You can spend these points to fuel various Force Powers. You start knowing five such powers: Defensive Stance, Force Focus, Force Speed, Living Force, and Force Knowledge. You learn more Force Powers as you gain levels in this class. When you spend a Force Point, it is unavailable until you finish a Short Rest or Long Rest, at the end of which you regain all your expended points. Some of the Force Power Features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the Power’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Force save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Defensive Stance. You can spend 1 Force point to take the Dodge action as a Bonus Action, and you can move your Quick Strike as part of the Attack action.
Force Focus. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can spend 1 Force point, roll a Martial Arts die and add it to the damage roll.
Force Speed. You can spend 1 Force point to take both the Disengage and Dash actions as part of your movement, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.
Living Force. You can spend 1 Force Point as a Bonus action and regain a number of Hit Points equal to a roll of Martial Art die plus your Wisdom modifier.
Force Knowledge. When you fail an ability check, you can spend 1 Force Point as a reaction, roll of Martial Arts die and add it to the ability check.
2nd: Unarmored Movement
You gain the following benefits while you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:
Force Jump. You can use Wisdom instead of Strength to determines how far you can jump.
Heightened Speed. Your speed increases by 10 feet, this bonus increases when you reach certain Monk levels, as shown in the Monk table.
Slow Fall. You can use your Reaction when you fall to reduce any damage you take from the fall by an amount equal to five times your Monk level.
.....
11th: Flurry of Strikes
Your Martial Arts feature now confers two extra Quick Strikes rather than one. If you spend 1 Force point or more as an action that is not an attack action on your turn, you can make the Flurry of Strikes as a bonus action before the end of the turn.
.....
20th: Unlimited Force
Your unarmed attacks have never been more powerful. If you use 1 Force Point at the beginning of your turn to perform Force Focus, each of your attacks that you hit during your turn is a Force Focus.
Unarmed strike with Defensive Stance. Yes.
Force Speed to part of your movement instead of bonus action. Yes.
Force Jump. Yes.
Living Force is how they should have done Quickened Healing in Tashas. I like it.
Force Focus. I would add dex modifier to the damage of this. Compared to what you are getting with Force Speed and Defensive Stance it seems like this feature is an expensive use of ki to add 1d6 damage. Even if the extra damage scales with martial arts die.
I like the term Force points better than discipline points since ki is literally your Life Force. Its a more appropriate term.
FOB is so iconic i am not sure how others would respond to not getting this feature at level 2 but i always thought FOB was too advanced for level 2 so i am fine with the Force Focus as its replacement. However to get similar damage to using FOB in tier one and two it would cost more ki and since lack of ki is kind of an issue for many i am wondering if there is another, more ki friendly way to rework this?
The way your monk is structured requires alot more thought around resource management since you can potentially do your versions of Sotw, Patient defense and Force focus all in the same turn. I am fine with that but it's just food for thought.
Using ki to add a martial arts die to a skill check is an expernsive use of ki. I dont know if would ever use that over asking a group member for a guidance spell, enhance ability or bardic inspiration. Part of the issue with monks skills are some of their opening skills are based on dump stats. They dont even get perception which is odd for a wisdom based class so i think their starting skill list should have some additions. Nonetheless i think Force Knowledge is a decent option to have and some will appreciate it.
What about grapple, push and sweep having their save dc's based on dex instead of strength? Strength is a bit of a dump stat for monks.
Flurry of Strikes. Not sure i understand the wording on the second part. Spending 1ki as an action to get 2 bonus unarmed strikes that are not tied to the attack action seems unusual. Did you mean spend one ki "as a part" of any action that is not the attack action? What about using an action to feed a potion to another player, taking the help action or any other action that i can't add ki expenditure too? I would like to think an 11th level monk could do those things and still make 2 bonus unarmed strikes.
Force Speed to part of your movement instead of bonus action. Yes.
Force Jump. Yes.
Living Force is how they should have done Quickened Healing in Tashas. I like it.
Force Focus. I would add dex modifier to the damage of this. Compared to what you are getting with Force Speed and Defensive Stance it seems like this feature is an expensive use of ki to add 1d6 damage. Even if the extra damage scales with martial arts die.
I like the term Force points better than discipline points since ki is literally your Life Force. Its a more appropriate term.
FOB is so iconic i am not sure how others would respond to not getting this feature at level 2 but i always thought FOB was too advanced for level 2 so i am fine with the Force Focus as its replacement. However to get similar damage to using FOB in tier one and two it would cost more ki and since lack of ki is kind of an issue for many i am wondering if there is another, more ki friendly way to rework this?
The way your monk is structured requires alot more thought around resource management since you can potentially do your versions of Sotw, Patient defense and Force focus all in the same turn. I am fine with that but it's just food for thought.
Using ki to add a martial arts die to a skill check is an expernsive use of ki. I dont know if would ever use that over asking a group member for a guidance spell, enhance ability or bardic inspiration. Part of the issue with monks skills are some of their opening skills are based on dump stats. They dont even get perception which is odd for a wisdom based class so i think their starting skill list should have some additions. Nonetheless i think Force Knowledge is a decent option to have and some will appreciate it.
What about grapple, push and sweep having their save dc's based on dex instead of strength? Strength is a bit of a dump stat for monks.
Flurry of Strikes. Not sure i understand the wording on the second part. Spending 1ki as an action to get 2 bonus unarmed strikes that are not tied to the attack action seems unusual. Did you mean spend one ki "as a part" of any action that is not the attack action? What about using an action to feed a potion to another player, taking the help action or any other action that i can't add ki expenditure too? I would like to think an 11th level monk could do those things and still make 2 bonus unarmed strikes.
Unlimited Force. Sure. Sounds like Fun.
I would play this monk. Nice job.
Thank you, I'm glad you like it.
Force Focus. As the martial arts die is increased, the monk's damage from 1st to 4th level is slightly increased, when it was already quite high before. Thus I decreased its dpr slightly, but the waste of resources is used more efficiently. FoB wasted resources without even being sure of hitting, while Force Focus is only activated after hitting.
Force Knowledge. Although the enhancement is expensive, these are most often skill checks done outside of combat and where it is easy for there to be a short rest in between.
FOB. This technique is definitely iconic, but even in my opinion it is too advanced for a 2nd level, especially if there are magic items involved that enhance damage based on the number of attacks. That's why I decided to create Force Focus, move FoB to 11th level and make it free.
Structured requires. Absolutely true, this class requires some self-control, as the player might spend 1 to 3 force points per turn. But I think resource management is also part of the game strategy and also an important learning that can serve in many different areas.
Flurry of Strikes. My goal is to assimilate a variant of "Ki-Fueled Attack" into the feature.
From when you quoted my text to now, I made some changes, where I changed the names and added more features. In terms of names I just can't make up my mind, could you tell me if they were better before or is this simplified version better?
Force Speed to part of your movement instead of bonus action. Yes.
Force Jump. Yes.
Living Force is how they should have done Quickened Healing in Tashas. I like it.
Force Focus. I would add dex modifier to the damage of this. Compared to what you are getting with Force Speed and Defensive Stance it seems like this feature is an expensive use of ki to add 1d6 damage. Even if the extra damage scales with martial arts die.
I like the term Force points better than discipline points since ki is literally your Life Force. Its a more appropriate term.
FOB is so iconic i am not sure how others would respond to not getting this feature at level 2 but i always thought FOB was too advanced for level 2 so i am fine with the Force Focus as its replacement. However to get similar damage to using FOB in tier one and two it would cost more ki and since lack of ki is kind of an issue for many i am wondering if there is another, more ki friendly way to rework this?
The way your monk is structured requires alot more thought around resource management since you can potentially do your versions of Sotw, Patient defense and Force focus all in the same turn. I am fine with that but it's just food for thought.
Using ki to add a martial arts die to a skill check is an expernsive use of ki. I dont know if would ever use that over asking a group member for a guidance spell, enhance ability or bardic inspiration. Part of the issue with monks skills are some of their opening skills are based on dump stats. They dont even get perception which is odd for a wisdom based class so i think their starting skill list should have some additions. Nonetheless i think Force Knowledge is a decent option to have and some will appreciate it.
What about grapple, push and sweep having their save dc's based on dex instead of strength? Strength is a bit of a dump stat for monks.
Flurry of Strikes. Not sure i understand the wording on the second part. Spending 1ki as an action to get 2 bonus unarmed strikes that are not tied to the attack action seems unusual. Did you mean spend one ki "as a part" of any action that is not the attack action? What about using an action to feed a potion to another player, taking the help action or any other action that i can't add ki expenditure too? I would like to think an 11th level monk could do those things and still make 2 bonus unarmed strikes.
Unlimited Force. Sure. Sounds like Fun.
I would play this monk. Nice job.
Thank you, I'm glad you like it.
Force Focus. As the martial arts die is increased, the monk's damage from 1st to 4th level is slightly increased, when it was already quite high before. Thus I decreased its dpr slightly, but the waste of resources is used more efficiently. FoB wasted resources without even being sure of hitting, while Force Focus is only activated after hitting.
Force Knowledge. Although the enhancement is expensive, these are most often skill checks done outside of combat and where it is easy for there to be a short rest in between.
FOB. This technique is definitely iconic, but even in my opinion it is too advanced for a 2nd level, especially if there are magic items involved that enhance damage based on the number of attacks. That's why I decided to create Force Focus, move FoB to 11th level and make it free.
Structured requires. Absolutely true, this class requires some self-control, as the player might spend 1 to 3 force points per turn. But I think resource management is also part of the game strategy and also an important learning that can serve in many different areas.
Flurry of Strikes. My goal is to assimilate a variant of "Ki-Fueled Attack" into the feature.
From when you quoted my text to now, I made some changes, where I changed the names and added more features. In terms of names I just can't make up my mind, could you tell me if they were better before or is this simplified version better?
i wouldn't reject a jedi reinterpretation of monk origins (although certain multinational companies might). but it doesn't address the question: why monks? why them instead of a class of gladiators or swashbucklers or spell-swords or witches or comic book heros? why would jedi-monks, seemingly another drop-in-the-bucket religion in an already crowded pantheon but minus representation of an "emotion suppression" zeus, plausibly become common enough to be a base class?
...my answer would be those rejecting religion to seek humanoid self-empowerment. atheists with intent. a sort of peaceful guerilla resistance? what's your thought?
Of course, with all the rights acquired by Walt Disney it will be next to impossible to have an official jedi monk. But why not reinterpret the jedi into a monk without calling it a jedi? After all, there are many subclasses that refer to anime, movies, comics, etc., but at the same time they do not claim to be, they simply make it possible for players to dream without being too explicit of the origin of the design.
I don't see monks as a class with a religion, but like you, a class that seeks balance in the Force. Maybe they worship the Force because it is the energy that flows in every living thing and so in a sense they worship life itself. More a philosophical concept than a religious one. In Star Wars they talk about disturbance in the force, and this happens when many lives are extinguished thus creating a sudden void in the force. I see the role of the monk as someone who tries to restore balance by helping these people before the disaster happens or otherwise prevent the disturbance in the force from continuing.
The monk can be many things, but then you would go into the background:
A guardian of a temple, a sacred place, a forest,
A sage of a community, group, conclave
A pilgrim seeking enlightenment
A survivor
A master of a school of martial arts
An heir of a martial arts style
A masked hero
A gladiator
A hermit
A dancer
An artist
A peacemaker
A renegade
An explorer or adventurer
...
Then one has to adapt a little bit to the character's philosophy and so backgraund, and also to one's alignment. The monk could be one who seeks peace and balance in the force or one who seeks the force to dominate and subdue.
suddenly I'm imagining a council of monks coming together to govern an empire and bring order. I can't decide if it's be more fun to run with that light / dark balance or to see it all come crumbling down under a tidal wave of unanticipated modrons. either way, there's our next spelljammer book. hop to it, devs!
We could come with another term for Force, one that's leagues better than Discipline (which is annoying to bring into sentences with universal or extracorporeal meaning). Ki was a good choice, because it was defined as a supernatural energy that existed in every being, whether they could harness it or not was irrelevant; but Discipline cannot be used in the same way, in fact, in the UA, Discipline is never used as a proper noun or to define the supernatural energy inside the body, it's only mention is within the mechanic description of DPs and Martial Disciplines.
What other concept could we use? I'd like to use Souls, but that's too generic and not every creature in DnD has a soul, so a slight variation like Unisoul? (Universal/Unison Soul?) It could work to define the supernatural well of energy and its connection and effects on the rest of the universe, which allows it to affect soulless beings, and fluctuations on the Unisoul would be analog to disturbances in the Force
Well I think as a fighter is master of armed combat monk should be master of unarmed combat .I think mystic and super moves could be added in but that might best be done with subclass. If they properly boost the base class it will allow for more ideas of what monk people can play
We could come with another term for Force, one that's leagues better than Discipline (which is annoying to bring into sentences with universal or extracorporeal meaning). Ki was a good choice, because it was defined as a supernatural energy that existed in every being, whether they could harness it or not was irrelevant; but Discipline cannot be used in the same way, in fact, in the UA, Discipline is never used as a proper noun or to define the supernatural energy inside the body, it's only mention is within the mechanic description of DPs and Martial Disciplines.
What other concept could we use? I'd like to use Souls, but that's too generic and not every creature in DnD has a soul, so a slight variation like Unisoul? (Universal/Unison Soul?) It could work to define the supernatural well of energy and its connection and effects on the rest of the universe, which allows it to affect soulless beings, and fluctuations on the Unisoul would be analog to disturbances in the Force
They very intentionally only used it to describe the mechanical part. The extraordinary energy within a monks body is meant to be interpreted by each monk. Onr monk might use Ki, another might channel spiritual energy, and another might consider it mana. They don’t want to make it clearly defined so those players who want to avoid mysticism can just call it adrenaline or focus. Do I like it, no. Do I understand it, yes.
In martial arts Discipline relates to what type of martial arts you are doing so its not my favorite replacement term for ki as it means something completely different.
Ki means life force or life energy so any term that describes that would be a better fit then discipline points.
Force points
Energy Points
Spirit points (i think they tried that one but it did not work out)
Vitality points
Soul points
Life Energy points
Essence points
Breath of Life Points
All of those somewhat relate to the meaning of ki. I am sure there are others.
In martial arts Discipline relates to what type of martial arts you are doing so its not my favorite replacement term for ki as it means something completely different.
Ki means life force or life energy so any term that describes that would be a better fit then discipline points.
Force points
Energy Points
Spirit points (i think they tried that one but it did not work out)
Vitality points
Soul points
Life Energy points
Essence points
Breath of Life Points
All of those somewhat relate to the meaning of ki. I am sure there are others.
But they don’t want to attach it solely to just life /soul energy any more. It’s suppose to be similar to superiority dice and spell slots. It’s a mechanical only term. Not to be used by the characters in game. You can flavor the Monks source of power as you want.
They could always go with spirit energy like in yuyu hakusho. Yuske is basically what a monk should be , he kicks butt without energy but when he has it he can perform spirit gun or spirit shotgun.
We could come with another term for Force, one that's leagues better than Discipline (which is annoying to bring into sentences with universal or extracorporeal meaning). Ki was a good choice, because it was defined as a supernatural energy that existed in every being, whether they could harness it or not was irrelevant; but Discipline cannot be used in the same way, in fact, in the UA, Discipline is never used as a proper noun or to define the supernatural energy inside the body, it's only mention is within the mechanic description of DPs and Martial Disciplines.
What other concept could we use? I'd like to use Souls, but that's too generic and not every creature in DnD has a soul, so a slight variation like Unisoul? (Universal/Unison Soul?) It could work to define the supernatural well of energy and its connection and effects on the rest of the universe, which allows it to affect soulless beings, and fluctuations on the Unisoul would be analog to disturbances in the Force
They very intentionally only used it to describe the mechanical part. The extraordinary energy within a monks body is meant to be interpreted by each monk. Onr monk might use Ki, another might channel spiritual energy, and another might consider it mana. They don’t want to make it clearly defined so those players who want to avoid mysticism can just call it adrenaline or focus. Do I like it, no. Do I understand it, yes.
Hmm, I undestand, though I wonder how many players actually liked the renaming of Ki and being that conceptually detached from the mystic side of things. It's like asking the player to choose a class for its mechanics and then fill in the blanks for fluff description, I feel like that would be a bit too much for a player's creativity. Having Ki as a default description and then changing it felt easier to do. Well, I guess flavour description is only ever used to catch the reader's attention at first and then, during session, only the mechanical part is used. So it's not much of a problem, but just a concern regarding the background of the class.
We could come with another term for Force, one that's leagues better than Discipline (which is annoying to bring into sentences with universal or extracorporeal meaning). Ki was a good choice, because it was defined as a supernatural energy that existed in every being, whether they could harness it or not was irrelevant; but Discipline cannot be used in the same way, in fact, in the UA, Discipline is never used as a proper noun or to define the supernatural energy inside the body, it's only mention is within the mechanic description of DPs and Martial Disciplines.
What other concept could we use? I'd like to use Souls, but that's too generic and not every creature in DnD has a soul, so a slight variation like Unisoul? (Universal/Unison Soul?) It could work to define the supernatural well of energy and its connection and effects on the rest of the universe, which allows it to affect soulless beings, and fluctuations on the Unisoul would be analog to disturbances in the Force
They very intentionally only used it to describe the mechanical part. The extraordinary energy within a monks body is meant to be interpreted by each monk. Onr monk might use Ki, another might channel spiritual energy, and another might consider it mana. They don’t want to make it clearly defined so those players who want to avoid mysticism can just call it adrenaline or focus. Do I like it, no. Do I understand it, yes.
Hmm, I undestand, though I wonder how many players actually liked the renaming of Ki and being that conceptually detached from the mystic side of things. It's like asking the player to choose a class for its mechanics and then fill in the blanks for fluff description, I feel like that would be a bit too much for a player's creativity. Having Ki as a default description and then changing it felt easier to do. Well, I guess flavour description is only ever used to catch the reader's attention at first and then, during session, only the mechanical part is used. So it's not much of a problem, but just a concern regarding the background of the class.
I think the majority of players probably think Ki is fine, but I understand moving away from a term. It is singular in cultural identity and unlike other terms that have been used in fantasy, so much over the last 40 years they barely mean the same thing Ki is still singularly Asian. Players don’t have a problem accepting spell slots are just the way you count magic. Discipline points are just the way you count, Ki, spirit energy, life energy, prana, focus, inner power, flow, or whatever then player wants to call it.
In martial arts Discipline relates to what type of martial arts you are doing so its not my favorite replacement term for ki as it means something completely different.
Ki means life force or life energy so any term that describes that would be a better fit then discipline points.
Force points
Energy Points
Spirit points (i think they tried that one but it did not work out)
Vitality points
Soul points
Life Energy points
Essence points
Breath of Life Points
All of those somewhat relate to the meaning of ki. I am sure there are others.
But they don’t want to attach it solely to just life /soul energy any more. It’s suppose to be similar to superiority dice and spell slots. It’s a mechanical only term. Not to be used by the characters in game. You can flavor the Monks source of power as you want.
problem is discipline clashes rhythmically, verbally, and conceptually. Its just a bad choice. They could have called wizard's 'arcane recovery' , 'study recovery' because they learn things, but that would be awkward and weird. Every time I write or think of saying 'discipline points' it feels bad.
problem is discipline clashes rhythmically, verbally, and conceptually. Its just a bad choice. They could have called wizard's 'arcane recovery' , 'study recovery' because they learn things, but that would be awkward and weird. Every time I write or think of saying 'discipline points' it feels bad.
I'm not against changing the name from Ki, but I'd definitely prefer "Focus points" personally as it feels a bit more unique, and it works well both for a purely physical Monk, as well as one that is more mystical or spiritual IMO.
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The monk does focus life energy to whatever effect they are trying to generate so Focus points is a really good term.
Focus is certainly a good term, but since it is already used for Spellcasting Focus I do not find it so suitable. This also applies to Force since it is used to define a type of damage. So I thought of making a list and for the moment the ones I prefer are:
Just call them "Monk points" if they want to remove the culturally-specific flavour, just like Sorcerers get Sorcery Points. Though I'd personally prefer "Mystic points" but then I'm one of the few who seem to like the mystical flavour of the monk, rather than it being a Rogue x Fighter hybrid class.
to meet my monk fantasy, i've asked for more reactions and i've suggested combo-strikes. but, nothing that cool will show up in UA9. in the end, i think one feature is enough to enjoy a front-line monk. here's an incomplete thought inspired by rogue cunning strike...
?th Level: Martial Arts Adept
during a round in which the monk activates Flurry of Blows, Step of the Wind, or Patient Defense, they have access to a new a reaction. Faster than Thought: as a reaction, the monk may choose to spend 1dp to dampen their earthly senses, relying on instinct and muscle memory alone for a moment. monk is blinded except for a 5ft blindsight for the duration. until beginning of monk's next turn, every non-friendly creature which misses a melee attack and/or ends their movement while standing within monk's melee range provokes an attack of opportunity by the monk. this attack must be a shove. if any attack is made this way, monk's movement speed is reduced next turn (once) by 30ft.
??th Level: Martial Arts Expert
Faster than Thought now also activates from typical attacks of opportunity and from hostile creatures standing up from prone (without first disengaging) while in monk's melee range. this reaction's movement speed reduction is now 15ft.
Improved Faster than Thought per subclass:
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Astral Self)
Astral Fan: when activating Faster than Thought, monk may use Deflect Missiles a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus without spending a reaction. also, blindsight during Faster than Thought is no less than 10ft while Astral Visage is summoned.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Open Hand)
Open Hand Technique: when activating Faster than Thought, successfully shoved targets cannot take reactions until the end of monk's next turn. when the monk has access to Martial Arts Expert, successfully pushed enemies also fall prone.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Drunken Master)
Shrugged Off: when activating Faster than Thought, blinded condition does not negatively affect your saving throws. also, this feature does not reduce monk's speed.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Shadow )
Shadow Sewing: when activating Faster than Thought, enemies struck while standing at least partially in dim light or darkness have their move speed reduced by 10ft unless they are dashing. if this reduces the enemy speed to zero, the monk may chose to immediately move 5ft without provoking opportunity attacks.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Elements)
Lightning Synapses: when activating Faster than Thought, a successful shove can push the target up to 10ft in any direction (not just directly away). when the monk has access to Martial Arts Expert, enemies pushed into other enemies become dazed until the end of their next turn.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Mercy)
Physician's Touch: when activating Faster than Thought, a successful shove poisons the target until the end of their next turn.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Cobalt Soul)
Questioner's Vise: when activating Faster than Thought, you may grapple instead of shove. if you are grappling only one target, that target is restrained. if an enemy attack roll beats your AC, you may interpose the restrained foe for a +2 AC bonus once per turn. if that bonus causes the attack to miss the monk but the attack roll would beat the restrained foe's AC, then the restrained foe becomes the attack's target. roll damage.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of Ascendant Dragon)
Questioner's Vise: when activating Faster than Thought, your pupils roll back and the whites of your eyes begin to shimmer with chromatic flames as smoke curls away from the corners of your lips. any foe successfully pushed by this feature is charmed or frightened (your choice) until end of your next turn.
??th Level: Improved Faster than Thought (Warrior of the Kensei)
Way of the Brush, Indeed: when activating Faster than Thought, blood and ichor splashed seemingly at random by your weapon until end of next turn can run together to form a short sentence of poetry on the floor, wall, and/or ceiling. you have advantage on intimidation checks against all intelligent enemies who perceive the message.
...i was inspired by the thought of using movement as a time resource in combination with Cavalier's Hold the Line. although, you'll note that i hesitated to add a damage component. yep. this is merely to increase their front-line presence with confidence. and even then it does nothing for a monk who just punched the dragon in the nose (isn't that what 'wisdom' is for?). but, it could prevent them from being surrounded by that dragon's minions. that's where i feel lacking as a monk right now (which might just be a me thing): surviving enemy attention after flurry of blows. and despite that i still added a speed reduction to make it harder to retreat? sure. i didn't ask for easy mode, just some confidence. i even made it cost a 'reaction' action so that it'd be less likely that some other defensive stacking could apply. although, having said that, astral monk's modification (under the spoiler tag) might be a touch over-tuned. a moment of weakness.
anyway, everyone else was posting long, long, too long treatisies that'll never happen. i wanted one too. thanks.
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Unarmed strike with Defensive Stance. Yes.
Force Speed to part of your movement instead of bonus action. Yes.
Force Jump. Yes.
Living Force is how they should have done Quickened Healing in Tashas. I like it.
Force Focus. I would add dex modifier to the damage of this. Compared to what you are getting with Force Speed and Defensive Stance it seems like this feature is an expensive use of ki to add 1d6 damage. Even if the extra damage scales with martial arts die.
I like the term Force points better than discipline points since ki is literally your Life Force. Its a more appropriate term.
FOB is so iconic i am not sure how others would respond to not getting this feature at level 2 but i always thought FOB was too advanced for level 2 so i am fine with the Force Focus as its replacement. However to get similar damage to using FOB in tier one and two it would cost more ki and since lack of ki is kind of an issue for many i am wondering if there is another, more ki friendly way to rework this?
The way your monk is structured requires alot more thought around resource management since you can potentially do your versions of Sotw, Patient defense and Force focus all in the same turn. I am fine with that but it's just food for thought.
Using ki to add a martial arts die to a skill check is an expernsive use of ki. I dont know if would ever use that over asking a group member for a guidance spell, enhance ability or bardic inspiration. Part of the issue with monks skills are some of their opening skills are based on dump stats. They dont even get perception which is odd for a wisdom based class so i think their starting skill list should have some additions. Nonetheless i think Force Knowledge is a decent option to have and some will appreciate it.
What about grapple, push and sweep having their save dc's based on dex instead of strength? Strength is a bit of a dump stat for monks.
Flurry of Strikes. Not sure i understand the wording on the second part. Spending 1ki as an action to get 2 bonus unarmed strikes that are not tied to the attack action seems unusual. Did you mean spend one ki "as a part" of any action that is not the attack action? What about using an action to feed a potion to another player, taking the help action or any other action that i can't add ki expenditure too? I would like to think an 11th level monk could do those things and still make 2 bonus unarmed strikes.
Unlimited Force. Sure. Sounds like Fun.
I would play this monk. Nice job.
Thank you, I'm glad you like it.
Force Focus. As the martial arts die is increased, the monk's damage from 1st to 4th level is slightly increased, when it was already quite high before. Thus I decreased its dpr slightly, but the waste of resources is used more efficiently. FoB wasted resources without even being sure of hitting, while Force Focus is only activated after hitting.
Force Knowledge. Although the enhancement is expensive, these are most often skill checks done outside of combat and where it is easy for there to be a short rest in between.
FOB. This technique is definitely iconic, but even in my opinion it is too advanced for a 2nd level, especially if there are magic items involved that enhance damage based on the number of attacks. That's why I decided to create Force Focus, move FoB to 11th level and make it free.
Structured requires. Absolutely true, this class requires some self-control, as the player might spend 1 to 3 force points per turn. But I think resource management is also part of the game strategy and also an important learning that can serve in many different areas.
Flurry of Strikes. My goal is to assimilate a variant of "Ki-Fueled Attack" into the feature.
From when you quoted my text to now, I made some changes, where I changed the names and added more features. In terms of names I just can't make up my mind, could you tell me if they were better before or is this simplified version better?
Simplified names for sure.
Of course, with all the rights acquired by Walt Disney it will be next to impossible to have an official jedi monk. But why not reinterpret the jedi into a monk without calling it a jedi? After all, there are many subclasses that refer to anime, movies, comics, etc., but at the same time they do not claim to be, they simply make it possible for players to dream without being too explicit of the origin of the design.
I don't see monks as a class with a religion, but like you, a class that seeks balance in the Force. Maybe they worship the Force because it is the energy that flows in every living thing and so in a sense they worship life itself. More a philosophical concept than a religious one. In Star Wars they talk about disturbance in the force, and this happens when many lives are extinguished thus creating a sudden void in the force. I see the role of the monk as someone who tries to restore balance by helping these people before the disaster happens or otherwise prevent the disturbance in the force from continuing.
The monk can be many things, but then you would go into the background:
Then one has to adapt a little bit to the character's philosophy and so backgraund, and also to one's alignment. The monk could be one who seeks peace and balance in the force or one who seeks the force to dominate and subdue.
suddenly I'm imagining a council of monks coming together to govern an empire and bring order. I can't decide if it's be more fun to run with that light / dark balance or to see it all come crumbling down under a tidal wave of unanticipated modrons. either way, there's our next spelljammer book. hop to it, devs!
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!
We could come with another term for Force, one that's leagues better than Discipline (which is annoying to bring into sentences with universal or extracorporeal meaning). Ki was a good choice, because it was defined as a supernatural energy that existed in every being, whether they could harness it or not was irrelevant; but Discipline cannot be used in the same way, in fact, in the UA, Discipline is never used as a proper noun or to define the supernatural energy inside the body, it's only mention is within the mechanic description of DPs and Martial Disciplines.
What other concept could we use? I'd like to use Souls, but that's too generic and not every creature in DnD has a soul, so a slight variation like Unisoul? (Universal/Unison Soul?) It could work to define the supernatural well of energy and its connection and effects on the rest of the universe, which allows it to affect soulless beings, and fluctuations on the Unisoul would be analog to disturbances in the Force
Well I think as a fighter is master of armed combat monk should be master of unarmed combat .I think mystic and super moves could be added in but that might best be done with subclass. If they properly boost the base class it will allow for more ideas of what monk people can play
They very intentionally only used it to describe the mechanical part. The extraordinary energy within a monks body is meant to be interpreted by each monk. Onr monk might use Ki, another might channel spiritual energy, and another might consider it mana. They don’t want to make it clearly defined so those players who want to avoid mysticism can just call it adrenaline or focus. Do I like it, no. Do I understand it, yes.
In martial arts Discipline relates to what type of martial arts you are doing so its not my favorite replacement term for ki as it means something completely different.
Ki means life force or life energy so any term that describes that would be a better fit then discipline points.
Force points
Energy Points
Spirit points (i think they tried that one but it did not work out)
Vitality points
Soul points
Life Energy points
Essence points
Breath of Life Points
All of those somewhat relate to the meaning of ki. I am sure there are others.
But they don’t want to attach it solely to just life /soul energy any more. It’s suppose to be similar to superiority dice and spell slots. It’s a mechanical only term. Not to be used by the characters in game. You can flavor the Monks source of power as you want.
They could always go with spirit energy like in yuyu hakusho. Yuske is basically what a monk should be , he kicks butt without energy but when he has it he can perform spirit gun or spirit shotgun.
Hmm, I undestand, though I wonder how many players actually liked the renaming of Ki and being that conceptually detached from the mystic side of things. It's like asking the player to choose a class for its mechanics and then fill in the blanks for fluff description, I feel like that would be a bit too much for a player's creativity. Having Ki as a default description and then changing it felt easier to do. Well, I guess flavour description is only ever used to catch the reader's attention at first and then, during session, only the mechanical part is used. So it's not much of a problem, but just a concern regarding the background of the class.
I think the majority of players probably think Ki is fine, but I understand moving away from a term. It is singular in cultural identity and unlike other terms that have been used in fantasy, so much over the last 40 years they barely mean the same thing Ki is still singularly Asian. Players don’t have a problem accepting spell slots are just the way you count magic. Discipline points are just the way you count, Ki, spirit energy, life energy, prana, focus, inner power, flow, or whatever then player wants to call it.
Perhaps observing other classes might give us some inspiration?
Sorcerer - Sorcery Points
Warlock - Invocations
Paladin - Channel Divinity
Artificer - Infusions
Bard - Inspiration
Blood Hunter - Hemocraft
Druid - Beast Shapes
Cleric - Divine Domain
Ranger - Primal Awareness
Rogue - Sneak Attack ???
Fighter - Second Wind
Barbarian - Rage
Wizard - Arcane or Spellbook ???
Monk - Ki / Discipline / Force / Spirit / Martial / Focus / Psychic or Psionic / Mystery / Mantra / Mind / Wisdom / Power / Energie / Mana / Prana / Life / Monk / Qi / Inner / Master / Gi / π / Ω / cosmic / transcendental / otherworldly / beyonder / essence / core / enlightenment / existence / intent / ... ???
problem is discipline clashes rhythmically, verbally, and conceptually. Its just a bad choice. They could have called wizard's 'arcane recovery' , 'study recovery' because they learn things, but that would be awkward and weird. Every time I write or think of saying 'discipline points' it feels bad.
I'm not against changing the name from Ki, but I'd definitely prefer "Focus points" personally as it feels a bit more unique, and it works well both for a purely physical Monk, as well as one that is more mystical or spiritual IMO.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
The monk does focus life energy to whatever effect they are trying to generate so Focus points is a really good term.
Focus is certainly a good term, but since it is already used for Spellcasting Focus I do not find it so suitable. This also applies to Force since it is used to define a type of damage. So I thought of making a list and for the moment the ones I prefer are:
Core points
Spirit points
Power points
Essence points
Origin points
Meditation points
Inner points
Energie points
Depth points
Ki / Discipline / Force / Spirit / Martial / Focus / Psychic or Psionic / Mystic / Mantra / Mind / Wisdom / Power / Energie / Mana / Prana / vitality / Monk / Qi / Inner / Master / Gi / π / Ω / cosmic / transcendental / otherworldly / beyonder / essence / core / enlightenment / existence / intent / meditation / origin /principle / ego / impulse / pulse / wawe / depth / hiden / universe / balace / harmony / willpower / will / zenith / vigor / extreme / vortex / vertex / ... ???
Just call them "Monk points" if they want to remove the culturally-specific flavour, just like Sorcerers get Sorcery Points. Though I'd personally prefer "Mystic points" but then I'm one of the few who seem to like the mystical flavour of the monk, rather than it being a Rogue x Fighter hybrid class.