Maybe they make Pal and Rang be able to choose either cantrips or weapon mastery.

Also all the Warriors should get an extra Fighting Style at medium level (7-10), including the Barbarian, which would be its first as it doesn't get one at 1st.

I’m sure someone has said this before but does anyone think that deflect missiles should include melee attacks as well instead of just ranged attacks? 

Quote from cergonian123 >>

I’m sure someone has said this before but does anyone think that deflect missiles should include melee attacks as well instead of just ranged attacks? 

 It has been a common comment on various monk threads, yes

Quote from ThriKreenWarrior >>

Quote from cergonian123 >>

I’m sure someone has said this before but does anyone think that deflect missiles should include melee attacks as well instead of just ranged attacks? 

 It has been a common comment on various monk threads, yes

 It would help make the Monk fill some kind of role at least.  Give them a d10 hit die, plus deflect melee attack and they have a shot at front lining like the other warrior group classes (I'm making the assumption here that each group is supposed to fill some kind of central role...skill monkeys, supporters, blasters, front liners). 

Monks should steal Uncanny Dodge from Rogues.

Quote from JonROsborne >>

Monks should steal Uncanny Dodge from Rogues.

 Well, they already stole (or have it along with rogues) Evasion. So I could see them having this as well. But then it starts stepping on the toes of the rogue, and I'm sure you might hear "then monks should just be a subclass of Rogue"

A key question for monks is... what are they expected to be?

It looks like intent is that they're melee skirmishers -- high mobility, high damage, mostly rely on mobility to survive. The problem is that they can't manage both the mobility and the damage.

A third level thief (swashbuckler) can bonus action dash, move in, attack twice with shortswords with total damage output (assuming dex 16) of 4d6+3 (17), and use remaining movement to get out. The fact that you have d8s for hit dice and AC 15 is... not great, but survivable since you're moving 60'.

A third level monk

• Can pull the same trick using Step of the Wind -- but is then doing a maximum of 2d4+3 (8) and can only do it 3x per short rest.
• Can instead pretend to be a front line character using Patient Defense -- but again, is only doing (8) damage.
• Can try hit and run with movement speed 40 (doing 14.5 without a DP, 21 with). This works... sort of... for shadow (because you can avoid opportunity attacks with darkness) and five elements (because elemental attunement gives reach and push), but Open Hand options just aren't adequate.

There's a really simple change that would make all of these abilities a lot more functional: Bonus Unarmed Strike becomes

Extra Unarmed Strike: When you use the Attack action with an Unarmed Strike or a Simple Weapon on your turn, you can make one extra Unarmed Strike.

That means your damage with Step of the Wind or Patient Defense is 14.5, which is solid for level 3. Flurry of Blows is 27.5, which might be a bit much for level 3. Possibly change the martial arts die to start at 1d4, but scaling a bit faster.

Because the Rogue is bad designed from the ground up. And in the case of Bard because seems to be a favored class, no other reason.

Remember that the monk starts with d6 for MA, not d4. Getting a Fighting Style could compensate, using a versatile weapon to reroll 1 and 2, or using two-handed style to add its ability bonus to the off-hand attack, can effectively increase the average.

In the case of monk is more optimal to use that ki point 1 time per 2 rounds, you use Patient Defense the round you approach, to evade the multi-attack, and don't use it the round you get distant, receiving only the opportunity attack while you make all your attacks. And has no dependency about the target being adjacent to a friendly character.

So with Fighting Style, i.e. using daggers (Light, Nick, d4 not using Bonus Action for off-hand attack) + dual-weapon style: d4 + 3 + d4 +3 + d6 + 3 = 17.5. Removing the style would be 14.5. Getting the Dual Wielder feat could use one quarterstaff with d8 (Flex) instead a dagger, increasing to 19.5 (16.5 without style). Getting access to martial weapons could increase something more the effectiveness using better masteries than Flex (using the previous but a better weapon than quarterstaff). This is the round you make all your attacks and the opportunity attack is made against you, the other round subtract the last, so subtract 6.5, leaving it in a low number indeed, even with style.

And, is not hardwritten, but the unarmed attack should be Light by its own, well it has no weight, so can't be lighter than that. For combining with others (like unarmored + dagger).

Then, with all these considerations, I summarize it in my rework, granting a fighting style, to some martial weapons, and changing how unarmored defense works.

Quote from LilithFairen >>

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

A third level monk

• Can pull the same trick using Step of the Wind -- but is then doing a maximum of 2d4+3 (8) and can only do it 3x per short rest.
• Can instead pretend to be a front line character using Patient Defense -- but again, is only doing (8) damage.
• Can try hit and run with movement speed 40 (doing 14.5 without a DP, 21 with). This works... sort of... for shadow (because you can avoid opportunity attacks with darkness) and five elements (because elemental attunement gives reach and push), but Open Hand options just aren't adequate.

People who pretend to understand why a class is Totes Bad but then think you're going to rely solely on unarmed strikes when you're at a d4 Martial Arts die (instead of using a spear or quarterstaff for the versatile!d8 die) really sum up how much Monk "critics" understand about playing a Monk.

If this example were using an unarmed strike, then it would do 1d6 + Dex instead of 2d4 + Dex that it does. It appears that the assumption was two daggers, sickles, or light hammers. Technically non-optimal, since only one weapon has to have Nick for it to work, but the Rogue also used two Nick weapons in the example, so it still seems like a fair comparison.

Quote from LilithFairen >>

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

A third level monk

• Can pull the same trick using Step of the Wind -- but is then doing a maximum of 2d4+3 (8) and can only do it 3x per short rest.
• Can instead pretend to be a front line character using Patient Defense -- but again, is only doing (8) damage.
• Can try hit and run with movement speed 40 (doing 14.5 without a DP, 21 with). This works... sort of... for shadow (because you can avoid opportunity attacks with darkness) and five elements (because elemental attunement gives reach and push), but Open Hand options just aren't adequate.

People who pretend to understand why a class is Totes Bad but then think you're going to rely solely on unarmed strikes when you're at a d4 Martial Arts die (instead of using a spear or quarterstaff for the versatile!d8 die) really sum up how much Monk "critics" understand about playing a Monk.

 Well I computed something more precise and with that quarterstaff got 7.5 and 14 on the approach and walking away rounds, spending 1 Discipline point every 2 rounds, receiving full attacks with disadvantage then an opportunity attack normally. Those numbers are with the monk just like is currently, and using something more optimal, that includes the quarterstaff with Flex.

Anyway before getting the extra attack is not only the monk, the Fighter (and maybe others) suffers disadvantage compared to those that get extra damage dice from start. The Fighter could try to compensate getting some weapon and style (like Graze or great weapon style) to increase the average, but nothing breathtaking. IMO are those other classes, like Rogue (from level 1 and unlimited), Paladin (at level 2 but limited), Ranger (with Colossus but is level 3), Warlock with Hex (from level 1 but limited) and etc the favored ones that get an important boost too soon.

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

A third level thief (swashbuckler) can bonus action dash, move in, attack twice with shortswords with total damage output (assuming dex 16) of 4d6+3 (17), and use remaining movement to get out. The fact that you have d8s for hit dice and AC 15 is... not great, but survivable since you're moving 60'.

A third level monk

• Can pull the same trick using Step of the Wind -- but is then doing a maximum of 2d4+3 (8) and can only do it 3x per short rest.
• Can instead pretend to be a front line character using Patient Defense -- but again, is only doing (8) damage.
• Can try hit and run with movement speed 40 (doing 14.5 without a DP, 21 with). This works... sort of... for shadow (because you can avoid opportunity attacks with darkness) and five elements (because elemental attunement gives reach and push), but Open Hand options just aren't adequate.

 

 See this analysis is only true of One D&D because the melee-rogue has gotten a huge buff by the existence of the Nick property

-> in 5e melee-Rogues similarly can only hit-and-run every two rounds b/c often they would need their BA for a second chance to hit and trigger sneak attack whereas ranged-Rogues need their BA to Hide to ensure Advantage to improve their chances for Sneak Attack. Rogues need that 2 rolls of a d20 for their DPR to remain competitive with classes that get Extra Attack.

Whereas One D&D has massively nerfed Open Hand by putting a saving throw on their "remove reaction" Open Hand ability.

-> in 5e every monk subclass (except long death) got a way to facilitate hit-and-run playstyle. Open Hand & Drunken Master could use Flurry of Blows prevent the enemy from getting AoOs on them, Sun Soul & Astral Self & Four Elements got ranged/reach attacks that could use Flurry of Blows while staying outside of melee range, while Kensei got Longbows and an unlimited damage buff to them to allow saying out of melee range. Shadow gets the BA teleport. Finally Mercy Monk got the ability to deal extra damage and poison the enemy (with no save) for 1 ki giving the enemy DA on the AoO should they choose to hit & run.

If monk got access to a Fighting Style which do you think would be appropriate?

I am partial to Defense, Archery, Blind-fight, and Interception.  I don't think the Dualing one fits, but it would be a chance to get more out of their weapon damage.

Quote from HeroZero >>

If monk got access to a Fighting Style which do you think would be appropriate?

I am partial to Defense, Archery, Blind-fight, and Interception.  I don't think the Dualing one fits, but it would be a chance to get more out of their weapon damage.

 Without any sort of Armor Training, Defense and Dueling are functionally useless. I would be in favor of adding Throwing, Two-Weapon Fighting, and even Unarmed if their Martial Arts got a tweak.

I forgot defense requires armor, but dueling does not.  Two weapon fighting would be similar to how the extra unarmed attacks work but would give a bump to nick in particular.  3 attacks with modifier would be decent.

My mistake on archery, I had throwing weapons in mind when I suggested that.

Quote from Agilemind >>

See this analysis is only true of One D&D because the melee-rogue has gotten a huge buff by the existence of the Nick property

 If you do the same in 2014 (using a rapier now) your damage is 1d8+2d6+3 (14.5).

Quote from LilithFairen >>

People who pretend to understand why a class is Totes Bad but then think you're going to rely solely on unarmed strikes when you're at a d4 Martial Arts die (instead of using a spear or quarterstaff for the versatile!d8 die) really sum up how much Monk "critics" understand about playing a Monk.

 2d4 (2 daggers, both with nick) is better than 1d8 (staff). Staff is better at level 5.

Defense style should grant +1AC in any case.

Quote from DarkSch666 >>

Defense style should grant +1AC in any case.

 Someone in one of these threads had suggested and reworded the fighting styles to help benefit monk. Not sure who or where but Defense was something like “if you are wearing armor or have the Unarmored Defense feature” you gain the AC bonus. 

I definitely think monks should have access to fighting styles. They are part of the Warrior group now so I think it would be fitting. Not all will be top picks for monks but just to have some options is nice. 

A nice quality of life bump, and a little more identity to your monk not being like every other monk.