Tools: Choose one type of Artisan’s Tool or Musical
Instrument
ARMORTRAINING
Light Armor, Medium Armor
1ST LEVEL: 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 are unarmored or wielding only Simple Weapons and you aren’t wearing Heavy Armor or wielding a Shield:
Bonus Unarmed Strike. When you use the Attack action with an Unarmed Strike or a Simple Weapon on your turn, you can make one Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action on the same turn.
Dexterous Attacks. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your Unarmed Strikes and Simple Weapons, except those that have the Two- Handed property.
Martial Arts Dice. You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your Unarmed Strike. The number of dice increases as you gain Monk levels, 2d4 at 5th, 3d4 at 11th, 4d4 at 17th.
1ST LEVEL: UNARMORED DEFENSE
While you aren’t wearing any armor or wielding a Shield, your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers. Additionally while unarmored, as bonus action you forfeit 10ft of your remaining movement Speed and take the Disengage action.
1ST LEVEL: WEAPON MASTERY
Your training with weapons allows you to use the Mastery property of two kinds of Simple weapons of your choice, such as Daggers and Spears.
Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change the kinds of Simple weapons you chose. For example, you could switch to using the Mastery properties of Maces and Slings.
2ND LEVEL: MARTIAL DISCIPLINE
Your self-discipline and martial training allow you to harness a well of extraordinary energy within yourself. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of Discipline Points. Your Monk level plus proficiency bonus determine the number of points you have, as shown in the Discipline Points column of the Monk table.
You can spend these points to fuel various Martial Discipline features. You start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. You learn more Martial Discipline features as you gain levels in this class.
When you spend a Discipline Point, it is unavailable until you finish a Short Rest or Long Rest, at the end of which you regain all your expended points. Once per long rest you may spend 1 minute in a meditative state at the end of which you regain all expended Discipline Points.
Some of your Martial Discipline features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC
equals 8 plus your Proficiency Bonus plus your Wisdom modifier.
Flurry of Blows. You can spend 1 Discipline Point to make two Unarmed Strikes as a Bonus Action.
Patient Defense. You can spend 1 Discipline Point to take the Dodge action as a Bonus Action. You may also take one unarmed strike as part of this Bonus Action.
Step of the Wind. You can spend 1 Discipline Point to do 2 of the following as a Bonus action:
Use the Disengage action
Use the Dash action and your jump distance is doubled for the turn
Make one Unarmed Strike
2ND LEVEL: MARTIAL FORMS
Your movements in combat are shaped by your chosen forms. You learn 2 Martial Forms from below. You learn an additional Martial Form at 10th level. Each Marital Form grants a benefit and has an associated Stance. You only gain the benefit of the Stance while you are in it. You can use your bonus action to take a Stance. You may only be in one Stance at a time and a Stance ends when you take another Stance.
Armored Form. You have trained to maintain more of your mobility in armor. While wearing Light Armor you are considered as not wearing armor for your Unarmored Movement feature. While wearing Medium Armor you are considered to be wearing Light Armor for your Unarmored Movement feature. Armored Stance: Your armor can not cause disadvantage on Stealth checks. You gain a +1 to your AC if you are wearing Light Armor or Medium Armor and not wielding a shield.
Explosive Form. You have trained to combine your Strength and Dexterity into power . You may add your Strength modifier to any (Dex) Acrobatics checks and add your Dexterity modifier to any (Str) Athletics checks. Explosive Stance: When you hit with a Simple Weapon or Unarmed Strike you can add both your Strength and Dexterity modifier to the damage roll.
Flowing Form. You have trained to use your movement to gain power. You gain 5 feet to your movement Speed. At 9th level Monk this increases to 10 feet of movement Speed. Flowing Stance: When you hit with a Simple Weapon or Unarmed Strike you can forfeit any of your remaining movement Speed this turn in increments of 10 feet to add +1 damage per 10 feet forfeited.
Infinite Form. You train your breathing and movements to help you store, maintain, and refresh the extraordinary energy within you. You gain additional Discipline Points equal to your Wisdom modifier. Infinite Stance: When you expend a Discipline Point you may use your reaction to roll 1d6, on a roll of 4 or 5 you regain 1 expended Discipline Point, on a 6 you regain 2 expended Discipline Points.
Iron Form. You trained your body to endure the extreme. Your Hit Point maximum increases by 1 for each level you have in Monk and increases by 1 each level you gain in Monk. Iron Stance: You gain +2 to your AC when you aren't wearing any armor or wielding a shield. You gain a +1 to your AC if you are wearing Light Armor or Medium Armor and not wielding a shield.
Sage Form. You trained to strike only at the most prudent moments, at the most opportune targets. For you battle is a game of wits that extends beyond exchanging blows. You gain proficiency in Deception and Insight if you don’t already have them. If you are already proficient in one of these skills choose another skill and gain proficiency with that skill. You can use Wisdom instead of Charisma for Deception checks. Sage Stance: You can use Wisdom instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls of your Unarmed Strikes and Simple Weapons, except those that have the Two- Handed property.
Weapon Form. You trained to use a variety of weapons, not just Simple Weapons. You gain proficiency with two Martial Weapons of your choice. If a chosen weapon lacks the heavy property it counts as a Simple Weapon for you. Weapon Stance: You may use your Martial Arts Dice for damage rolls of Simple Weapons instead of their normal die.
2ND LEVEL: UNARMORED MOVEMENT
Your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a Shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain Monk levels, as shown in the Monk table. While wearing Light Armor and not wielding a Shield you still gain some of the benefits of this increased movement, your speed increases by half the amount shown on the monk table rounded up to the nearest increment of 5 feet.
3RD LEVEL: DISCIPLINED REFLEXES
Your intense training has you improved your reaction time allowing you to do the following:
Deflect Missiles. You can use your Reaction to deflect ranged attacks against you that deal Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 plus your Dexterity modifier plus your Monk level. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can spend 1 Discipline Point to redirect the attack toward another creature. If you do so, choose a creature within 60 feet of yourself that isn’t behind Total Cover. That creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die. The damage is the same type dealt by the attack.
Follow Up. While unarmored you can use your Reaction when you miss an Unarmed Strike made with your Bonus Action to immediately make another Unarmed Strike as part of that same Bonus Action.
Prepared Defense. While unarmored you can use Reaction if you are hit by an attack that has disadvantage to gain resistance to all of that attack's damage.
Unseen Step. While unarmored you can use a Reaction when you take the Dash action to become Invisible until the end of this turn or until you make an attack, or force a creature to make a saving throw. You don’t make sound or leave tracks while invisible on this turn.
3RD LEVEL: MONK SUBCLASS
You gain a Monk subclass of your choice: Warrior of Mercy, Warrior of Shadow, Warrior of the Four Elements, or Warrior of the Open Hand. Subclasses are detailed after this class’s description (for this playtest, use Way of Mercy from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything for Warrior of Mercy).
A subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at certain Monk levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Monk level and lower.
4TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
4TH LEVEL: 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.
5TH LEVEL: EXTRA ATTACK
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
5TH LEVEL: DISCIPLINED STRIKES
Once per turn when you hit a creature with a Simple Weapon or an Unarmed Strike, you can spend Discipline Points to attempt a special strike. The creature already afflicted by the same condition automatically succeeds the saving throw even if the condition is from another source. For example a Stunned creature will always save against Stunning Strike:
Dazing Strike- 1 Discipline point- The target takes an additional 1d4 damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have the Dazed condition until the end of your next turn.
Exposing Strike- 1 Disciple Point- The target takes an additional 1d4 damage and must succeed an Intelligence saving throw or the next melee attack to hit the target before the end of your next turn deals 1d10+ your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) additional damage of the same type as the attack.
Intimidating Strike- 1 Discipline Point- The target takes an additional 1d4 damage and must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or have the Frightened condition until the end of your next turn.
Lingering Strike- 1 Discipline Point- The target takes an additional 1d4 damage and must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have to subtract 1d4 from their saving throws until the end of your next turn.
Numbing Strike- 1 Discipline Strike- The target takes an additional 1d4 damage and must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or have to subtract 1d4 from all their attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
Slowing Strike- 1 Discipline Point- The target takes an additional 1d4 damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw or have their movement speed halved until the end of your next turn
Stunning Strike- 2 Discipline Points- The target takes an additional 1d4 damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have the Stunned condition until the end of your next turn.
6TH LEVEL: EMPOWERED STRIKES
Whenever you deal damage with your Unarmed Strike, it can deal your choice of Force damage or its normal damage type.
6TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE
You gain a feature from your Monk subclass.
7TH LEVEL: EVASION
When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
You don’t benefit from this feature if you have the Incapacitated condition.
7TH LEVEL: ACROBATIC MOVEMENT
While you aren’t wearing Medium Armor, Heavy Armor or wielding a Shield, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the movement. Additionally while unarmored when you fail a Dexterity check you may expend 1 Discipline point to add 2d4 to the roll possibly turning the failure into a success.
8TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
9TH LEVEL: DISCIPLINED SURVIVOR
Your physical and mental discipline grant you proficiency in all saving throws.
Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 Discipline Point to reroll it and take the second result.
10TH LEVEL: SELF-RESTORATION
Through sheer force of will, if you start your turn with Charmed, Dazed, Frightened, or Stunned conditions you can immediately use a Bonus Action to remove one of the conditions from yourself. Also you are immune to Poison and the Poisoned Condition.
In addition, forgoing food and drink doesn’t give you levels of Exhaustion.
11TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE
You gain a feature from your Monk subclass.
12TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
13TH LEVEL: EXTRAORDINARY REFLEXES
Deflect Energy. You can now use your Deflect Missiles ability against ranged attacks that deal any damage type, not just Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing.
Precision Follow Up. When you use the Follow Up ability you can treat a d20 attack roll of 9 or less as a 10.
Preternatural Defense. When you use Prepared Defense ability you can also gain half your Monk level in Temporary Hit Points before you take damage.
Unseen. When you use the Unseen Steps ability your invisibility isn’t ended by making an attack or forcing a creature to make a saving throw. It still ends at the end of this turn.
14TH LEVEL: CONNECTED UNDERSTANDING
Your extraordinary internal energy extends beyond your physical body connecting you to other creatures. You gain the following:
You understand all spoken language and all creatures that understand a language understand what you say.
Once per turn when you miss with an attack that uses your Martial Arts Dice for damage the target still takes half the attack's damage, but the damage type is Psychic instead of its normal damage type.
15TH LEVEL: PERFECT DISCIPLINE
When you roll Initiative, you regain up to 4 expended Discipline Points.
Additionally your Discipline Strikes deal 2d4 additional damage instead of 1d4.
16TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
17TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE
You gain a feature from your Monk subclass.
18TH LEVEL: SUPERIOR DEFENSE
As a Bonus Action, you can spend 3 Discipline Points to perfectly bolster yourself against harm for 1 minute or until you are Incapacitated. During that time, you have resistance to all damage except Force damage.
19TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
20TH LEVEL: PERFECT SELF
You have honed your mind and body through rigorous training pushing them beyond their normal limitations gaining the following:
Death Defying Body. If you are dropped to 0 Hit points or instantly killed, you instead have 1 Hit Point and may immediately expend up to 6 Discipline Points. Roll a 1d10 for each Discipline Point expended and gain Hit Points equal to the Dice Roll plus your Wisdom modifier(minimum 1). You may use this ability once and regain the ability to use it when you complete a Short Rest or Long Rest.
Disciplined Body. If you start your turn with no Discipline Points you regain 1 Discipline Point.
Empty Body. You can spend 8 Discipline Points to cast the astral projection spell, without needing material components. When you do so, you can’t take any other creatures with you.
Timeless Body. You suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can’t be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however.
Trained Body. Increase ability scores of your choice by a combined total of 4. That can be four ability scores by 1, two ability scores by 2, one ability score by 1 and another by ability score by 3, one ability by 2 and two other ability scores by 1, or one ability score by 4. You can increase an ability score using this ability to a maximum of 24.
TLDR: a Monk with armor options but loses other fun features for being armored. Has multiple reaction choices. Has other options than Stunning Strike, but SS cost goes up and last until end of your next turn. Changed Martial Arts dice progression and added Stances. Added proficiency bonus to Discipline Points and there is a stance that adds Wisdom to DP and allows you to attempt to regain DP as a reaction to using DP. None this is balanced and it’s really just me playing with design to inspire or provoke people to speak about what they want out of the monk. If you like something let me know, if you hate something let me know. -I already know some are going to hate Armor on a Monk and I honestly would never do it myself, but I can’t find an appropriate fix for Unarmored Defense. -This whole thing might be too complex, maybe it should be broken down into something far simpler. I already see things that could be cut.
Are there any new ideas for monks fixes floating around?
-I already know some are going to hate Armor on a Monk and I honestly would never do it myself, but I can’t find an appropriate fix for Unarmored Defense.
Try harder 😛
There are some ideas in here I like though, like the stances/forms. You don't have a duration on them though, are they permanent until changed?
-I already know some are going to hate Armor on a Monk and I honestly would never do it myself, but I can’t find an appropriate fix for Unarmored Defense.
Try harder 😛
There are some ideas in here I like though, like the stances/forms. You don't have a duration on them though, are they permanent until changed?
Lol. You know, I’ve tried my hardest. My font of ideas is on empty for Monk. This abomination is from compiling every idea I liked from the other monk threads with my own and trying to make as many people happy as possible. Unarmored Defense is so hard to balance for multiple build types and keep it thematic. The AC 10+ dex + PB is too dip friendly. I’m trying to accommodate people who want Str Monk too. Oh and yeah a stance doesn’t end unless you change it. I was going to put conditions that would end it like being prone or incapacitated, but decided it would just end up being a bonus action tax.
Ability Score Improvement, Slow Fall, Unarmored Movement Improvement
5th
+3
1d8
8
+10 ft.
Extra Attack, Mystic Strike
6th
+3
1d8
9
+15 ft.
Ki-Empowered Strikes, Monastic Tradition Feature
7th
+3
1d8
10
+15 ft.
Evasion, Stillness of Mind
8th
+3
1d8
11
+15 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
9th
+4
1d8
13
+15 ft.
Deflect Energy
10th
+4
1d8
14
+20 ft.
Purity of Body
11th
+4
1d10
15
+20 ft.
Monastic Tradition Feature
12th
+4
1d10
16
+20 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
13th
+5
1d10
18
+20 ft.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon
14th
+5
1d10
19
+25 ft.
Diamond Soul
15th
+5
1d10
20
+25 ft.
Inner Focus
16th
+5
1d10
21
+25 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
17th
+6
1d12
22
+25 ft.
Monastic Tradition Feature
18th
+6
1d12
23
+30 ft.
Empty Body
19th
+6
1d12
24
+30 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
20th
+6
1d12
25
+30 ft.
Perfect Self
Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per monk level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per monk level after 1st
Proficiencies Armor: None Weapons: Simple weapons Tools: Choose one type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth
Unarmored Defense Beginning at 1st level, you have honed your awareness to anticipate the attacks of your enemies. While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 16.
This feature improves as you gain monk levels, increasing to AC=18 at 5th level, AC = 19 at 8th level, AC = 20 at 16th level, and AC = 22 at 20th level.
Martial Arts At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use Unarmed Strikes and monk weapons - which are any Simple Weapon.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:
You can use Dexterity or Wisdom instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes as you gain monk levels, increasing to a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 11th level and a d12 at 17th level as shown in the Monk Table.
When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one additional unarmed strike as part of that action. You can only make one such additional attack on your turn.
Weapon Mastery
Starting at 1st level, you gain mastery in 2 monk weapons of your choice, if you choose a weapon with the “Nick” property you replace it with the “Vex” property. You can apply one weapon mastery to your unarmed strikes from: Vex, Push, Topple. Whenever you finish a Short or Long Rest, you can change these choices.
Discipline Points Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy that flows through all life. You have Discipline Points equal to your Monk level + your proficiency bonus. You regain all Discipline Points when you finish a long rest.
In addition, you can meditate for 1 minute and regain all your expended discipline points. You can regain discipline points twice in this way, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.
Discipline Abilities
While you are not wearing armor or using a shield, you can spend your Discipline Points to fuel various monk abilities. You start knowing three such abilities: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. You learn more discipline abilities as you gain levels in this class. Some of these abilities require a saving throw, this uses your Discipline DC to determine the outcome. When you attempt to Grapple or Shove, you can use your Discipline DC instead of the normal DC.
Discipline DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
Flurry of Blows - you can spend 1 DP to make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.
Patient Defense - you can spend 1 DP to take the Dodge action as a bonus action.
Step of the Wind - you can spend 1 DP to Dash and Disengage as a bonus. In addition, you can jump 30 ft vertically or horizontally until the end of your turn, this uses your movement as normal
Monk Wisdom - you can spend 1 DP when you make an ability check to add one roll of your martial arts die to the result. You choose to use this ability before rolling the check.
Unarmored Movement Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by +10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. You can take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action on your turn.
This feature improves as you gain monk levels, increasing to +15 ft at 7th level, +20 ft at 10th level, +25 ft at 14th level, and +30 ft at 18th level.
Monastic Tradition When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
Deflect Attack Starting at 3rd level, when you are hit by an attack that deals bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage, you can use your reaction to deflect that attack. Roll 1d10+ your Monk level, you reduce the damage by that amount.
You can spend 1 DP to deflect that attack back towards the attacker or another creature within range depending on the attack type: 5 ft for a melee attack, or 60 ft for a ranged attack. Make an attack roll using your Wisdom modifier and your proficiency bonus, on a hit the attack deals damage equal to your martial arts die + your Wisdom modifier of the same type as the original attack, no other effects of the attack are transferred to the new target.
Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you gain the ASI feat or another feat of your choice.
Slow Fall Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level.
Unarmored Movement Improvement At 4th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during your move.
Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Mystic Strike Starting at 5th level, you can manipulate the mystic energy within other creatures. Once on your turn, when you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you can spend 1 DP to trigger one of the following:
Stagger : The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or become Dazed until the end of your next turn.
Terrify : The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Blind : The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of your next turn.
Confuse: The target must succeed on an Charisma saving throw or become charmed by you until the end of your next turn or until you or your allies deal damage to it.
Ki-Empowered Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes can deal force damage instead of their normal damage type.
Evasion At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Stillness of Mind Starting at 7th level, at the start of your turn you can spend 1 DP to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed, frightened, dazed or stunned (no action required). Alternatively, you can use a Bonus Action to end one such effect without spending any DP.
Deflect Energy
Starting a 9th level, you can channel the mystic force to protect you from arcane and elemental forces. Your Deflect Attack feature works on all attacks, not just those that deal bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage.
Purity of Body At 10th level, your mastery of the mystic force flowing through you, making you resistant to poison damage and immune to the poisoned condition, and you gain proficiency in one saving throw of your choice.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon Starting at 13th level, you learn to touch the mystic force of other minds, you can read, write and speak all languages, and can communicate telepathically with any creatures of your choice within 60 ft of you. In addition, whenever you deal damage using a monk weapon or unarmed strike you deal an additional 1d6 psychic damage.
Diamond Soul Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of mystic energies within yourself, grants you proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 DP to reroll it and take the second result.
Inner Focus
Starting at 15th level, whenever you roll initiative you regain 4 discipline points.
Empty Body Beginning at 18th level, you can use your action to spend 4 ki points to become invisible for 1 minute. During that time, you also have resistance to all damage but force damage.
Additionally, you can spend 8 ki points to cast the astral projection spell, without needing material components. When you do so, you can’t take any other creatures with you.
Perfect Self Your Wisdom score increases by +4 and the maximum of your Wisdom score increases by 4 as well.
TL:DR - Stunning Strike is nerfed but given multiple options to increase strategic choices. Unarmed strikes can be STR, DEX or WIS based and use the UA dice scaling, and get your choice of Vex, Topple or Push weapon mastery. Your Martial Arts BA unarmed strike is now part of the attack action & FoB is reduced to 1 attack appropriately. AC and hit points scale like a fighter and Deflect Missiles also works against melee weapons providing plenty of tanking ability. DPR is increased in tier 1 by granting more DP (this is balanced by limiting recharge to 2/day requiring only 1 minute), and increased at level 13 by 1d6/attack. Out of combat utility is enhanced through bonus proficiencies in each subclass and ability to use DP to add your MA die to a skill check.
Warrior of Medicine (formerly Mercy)
TL:DR - Added bonus proficiencies, Hands of Harm is moved to 6th level to balance out increased DP in the base class, and combined into the replacement for Stunning Strike for mechanical consistency. Whereas Hands of Healing has its 6th level feature moved to 3rd level to enable this monk to compete with clerics and druids as healers.
Medical Knowledge
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, you gain proficiency in the Insight and Medicine skills, and you gain proficiency with the herbalism kit and can use a herbalism kit in place of a healer’s kit. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Hand of Healing
At 3rd level, your mystical touch can mend wounds. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 discipline point to touch a creature and restore a number of hit points equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier, and you can end one of the following conditions affecting the target: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned.
Toxic Strike
At 6th level, you gain an additional use for your Mystic Strike:
Venom- you deal additional necrotic damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die plus your Wisdom modifier and the target is poisoned until the end of your next turn.
Channel Life
Starting at 11th level, whenever you use your Venom Mystic Strike, you regain hit points equal to half the necrotic damage you deal.
In addition, you can use an action instead of a bonus action for your Hand of Healing. When you do so you replace each of your attacks with a use of your Hand of Healing, you still only spend 1 discipline point to do so.
Restore Life
When you reach 17th level, your mastery of life energy allows you to resurrect dead creatures. As an action, you can touch the corpse of a creature that died within the past 24 hours and expend 5 ki points. The creature then returns to life, regaining a number of hit points equal to 4d10 + your Wisdom modifier and all conditions affecting it are removed. If the soul is unable to return to the body, you learn the current location of the creature’s soul instead.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Warrior of Shadow
TL:DR - Added bonus proficiencies, when you cast Darkness you can change the size & location at the start of each turn and you can see through it. Shadow Step can be combined with FoB on the same turn. At 11th level you can combine Shadow Step and casting Darkness into a single bonus action.
Shadow Arts
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Perception and Stealth skills, and learn the Minor Illusion cantrip (Wisdom is your casting ability for this spell). And you gain 60ft Darkvision if you don’t already have it. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Call Shadows
At 3rd level, as an action you can spend 1 discipline point to cast Darkness. You can see through this darkness and at the start of each of your turns you can change the location and size of the darkness, but the darkness must remain within 60 ft of you and cannot exceed 15 ft diameter.
Shadow Step
At 6th level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn. If you spend 1 discipline point, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or monk weapon as part of this bonus action.
Stalker in the Shadow
Starting at 6th level, whenever you use your Terrify Mystic Strike while in dim light or darkness, you target creatures of your choice within 10 ft of you.
Path of Darkness
By 11th level, you have learned to combine your Call Shadows with your Shadow Step. As part of using your Shadow Step you can spend 1 discipline point to cast Darkness either at your current location or at your destination prior to teleporting. When you use this ability you can also make one attack without spending an additional discipline point.
Cloak of Shadows
At 17th level, you can spend 3 discipline points as a bonus action to shroud yourself in magical darkness for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. While this is active you gain the following benefits:
You are heavily obscured
You gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed and can hover.
Attacks made with your monk weapons or unarmed strikes deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage.
Warrior of the Astral Self
TL:DR - Refocused this as the utility monk, with bonus proficiencies, Astral self giving Adv on skill checks, devil's sight, disguise ability, and turning your astral self into an Illusory duplicate that can attack.
Mystic Knowledge
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, you gain proficiency in the Insight and Arcana skills. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Astral Arms
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, your mastery of mystical energy allows you to summon a portion of your astral self. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to summon the arms of your astral self which last for 10 minutes and must be attached to your body. While your astral arms are present you gain the following benefits:
You can use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Strength modifier when making Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
You have advantage on Sleight of Hand checks and Acrobatics checks.
Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases by 5 ft, and your unarmed strikes deal radiant, necrotic or psychic damage, you choose the damage type when you summon the arms.
Astral Visage
At 6th level, you can summon the visage of your astral self which covers your face. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to summon this visage for 10 minutes. While your astral visage is present you gain the following benefits:
You can see normally in dim light and darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.
You have advantage on Deception checks and Intimidation checks.
You can use a bonus action to change the appearance of the visage to mimic any type of clothing or the face of someone you have seen.
Wrench Soul
Starting at 11th level, when you use your Confuse Mystic Strike, the target is incapacitated while they are charmed.
Awakened Self
At 17th level, your connection to your astral self is complete, allowing you to unleash its full potential. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points to summon the arms, visage, and body of your astral self and awaken it as a separate magical entity from yourself for 10 minutes. Your astral self cannot be harmed and does not occupy its space.
Your awakened self can move to a location within 60 ft of you at the start of each of your turns, which can include hovering in mid air. You can make unarmed strikes, grapple and shove as if you occupied the space of your astral self. You must use your senses to target the attacks.
Warrior of the Open Hand
TL:DR - Merged Open Hand and Drunken Master. Stunning Strike is restricted to this subclass at level 11, free disengage when you attack for more maneuverability, Quivering Palm moved to 11th level so people actually get to use it, and Wholeness of Body is combined with Patient Defense so it has less opportunity cost.
Physical Training
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Athletics and Acrobatics skills, and you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Open Hand Stance
At 3rd level, you have learned a combat stance that balances offense with defense. When you make an attack with an Unarmed Strike or monk weapon, the target of your attack cannot make opportunity attacks against you until the end of your turn.
In addition, you can change the weapon mastery property that applies to your unarmed strikes before each attack you make.
Wholeness of Body
Starting at 6th level, whenever you use your Patient Defense, you regain hit points equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die plus your Wisdom modifier.
Stunning Strike
When you reach 11th level, your mastery of the mystic energy within creatures allows you to further debilitate them. When a creature fails a saving throw against your Stagger Mystic Strike, they are stunned until the end of your next turn, instead of Dazed.
You gain an additional use of your Mystic Strike:
Quivering Palm : You create imperceptible vibrations within the target, which last until you choose to end them or you use this feature again. You can use an action to end the vibrations dealing 5d10 force damage to the target, the damage dealt by this feature increases by 2d10 at the start of each of the target’s turns up to a maximum 16d10. Or you can end them harmlessly without using an action.
Group Stance
At 17th level, you gain the ability to make an overwhelming number of attacks against a group of enemies. When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can make up to three additional attacks with it (up to a total of four Flurry of Blows attacks), provided that each Flurry of Blows attack targets a different creature this turn.
In addition, whenever a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend 1 discipline point to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.
Warrior of the Elements
TL:DR - Basically the same as the UA but Elemental Burst scales appropriately to rival a Fireball. At high levels you can fly, swim or burrow, and punch enemies into the sky.
Knowledge of the Ages
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Arcana and Nature skills, and you learn to read, write, and speak Primordial. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Elemental Attunement
At 3rd level you have attuned yourself to the raw elements of the multiverse. You learn one cantrip of your choice from any spell list, the cantrip must deal acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage. Wisdom is your casting ability for this spell.
In addition, as a bonus action you can spend 1 discipline point to imbue yourself with elemental energy, which lasts for 10 minutes. You gain the following benefits:
You can cause your Unarmed Strikes to deal acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.
Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases by 10 ft.
When you hit a creature with your unarmed strike you can move it 10ft horizontally.
Explosive Burst
At 6th level, you can spend a number of discipline points less than or equal to your proficiency bonus to cause an explosion of elemental energy (choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder) in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 120 ft of you. Each creature in the area makes a Dexterity saving throw, on a failure they take 2d6 damage of the chosen type for each discipline point you spent, or half as much on a successful save.
Elemental Strike
Starting at 6th level, When you use your Mystic Strike feature, you deal additional damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die. This damage is acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.
Traverse Elements
At 11th level, when you spend one or more discipline points, you can give yourself a Fly Speed, Swim Speed or Burrow Speed equal to your walking speed for the next 10 minutes. If you use this feature again, you lose any previous movement type gained from this feature.
When you move within 5ft of a creature while benefiting from this feature, they take damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die. This damage is acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder you choose when you activate this feature. A creature can only take this damage once per turn.
Elemental Epitome
Starting at 17th level, when you use your Elemental Attunement feature you also gain the following benefits for the duration:
Resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage.
Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases to 30 ft, and the distance you can move creatures increases to 30 ft and you can move them vertically as well as horizontally.
Warrior of Weapons (formerly Kensei)
TL:DR - full use of martial weapons and shields, Sharpen the Blade works with magical weapons.
Weapon Training
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in martial weapons and shields. You can still benefit from your monk class features when using a shield, and martial weapons count as monk weapons for you.
Deadly Weapons
At 3rd level, you can use a bonus action on your turn to make your attacks with weapons more deadly. Choose one weapon you are holding, until the end of your turn that weapon deals an additional 1d4 damage of the weapon’s damage type.
When you take this bonus action, you can spend 1 discipline point as part of this action to have the damage boost last for 1 minute.
One with the Blade
At 6th level, you extend your mystical powers into your monk weapons, granting you the following benefits:
Your attacks with your monk weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
You can use your Mystic Strike feature on attacks made with your monk weapons.
Sharpen the Blade
At 11th level, you gain the ability to augment your weapons further with your ki. As a bonus action, you can expend up to 3 discipline points to grant one weapon you are holding a bonus to attack and damage rolls when you attack with it. The bonus equals the number of points you spend, and cannot exceed +3 even if the weapon already has a bonus to attack and damage rolls.
Unerring Accuracy
At 17th level, your mastery of weapons grants you extraordinary accuracy. If you miss with an attack roll using a monk weapon on your turn, you can reroll it. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.
Warrior of the Long Death
TL:DR - Frighten ability at level 6 is rolled into the replacement for Stunning Strike thus is viable, extra proficiencies provide out-of-combat utility.
Afterlife Knowledge
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the History and Religion skills, and you learn to read, write, and speak Celestial, Abyssal and Infernal. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Balance of Life and Death
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your study of death allows you to extract vitality from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).
Hour of Reaping
At 6th level, you gain the ability to unsettle or terrify those around, for your soul has been touched by the shadow of death. Whenever you use your Terrify Mystic Strike, you target creatures of your choice within 15 ft of you.
Mastery of Death
Beginning at 11th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can expend 1 discipline point (no action required) to have 1 hit point instead.
While you have only 1 hit point, your attacks with your monk weapons and unarmed strikes are rolled at advantage, and deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage on a hit.
Touch of Death
Starting at 17th level, you gain a new option for your Mystic strike:
Touch of Death : The target must make a Constitution saving throw, on a failed save it takes 2d10 necrotic damage or half as much on a successful save. As part of this attack you can spend additional discipline points to increase the damage by 2d10 per discipline point spent up to a maximum of 20d10.
Warrior of the Sun
TL:DR - Radiant Sun Bolts can just replace Unarmed Strikes to fix loop holes, more focus on blinding enemies rather than dealing fire damage.
Guiding Light
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn the Light cantrip, and gain proficiency in Survival and Perception checks. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Radiant Sun Bolt
At 3rd level, you can hurl searing bolts of magical radiance. You can replace any unarmed strike you would make with a ranged spell attack that has a range of 60 feet and deals radiant damage equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die. You use the same bonus to attack and damage rolls as your Unarmed Strikes
Blinding Arcs
At 6th level, you can direct your searing bolts into the eyes of your enemy. You can use the Blind option of your Mystic Strike with your Radiant Sun Bolts. And, when you use the Blind option with an Unarmed Strike, you can target creatures of your choice within 10 ft of you.
Searing Sunburst
At 11th level, Starting at 6th level, you can spend a number of discipline points less than or equal to your proficiency bonus to cause a burst of blinding light in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 150 ft of you. Each creature in the area makes a Constitution saving throw, on a failure they take 2d6 radiant damage and are blinded, or half as much on a successful save. A blinded creature repeats the save at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a successful save. A creature doesn’t need to make the save if the creature is behind total cover that is opaque.
Sun Shield
At 17th level, you can wreath yourself in a luminous, magical aura. You shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can extinguish or restore the light as a bonus action.
If a creature hits you with a melee attack while this light shines, they take 2d8 radiant damage and are blinded until the end of their turn.
What I don’t like about your base monk: You completely dropped to iconic monk abilities, Deflect Missiles and Stunning Strike. Technically you upgraded Deflect Missiles, but the change in its effect gets rid of something that has 30 years of history. Your stunning strike nerf literally removes the ability to stunning strike. Even if stunning strike was a once per short rest or once per long rest ability I would rather have it than not just because of the history. I fear that your Unarmored Defense is too dip friendly and your Unarmored Movement make Step of the Wind a bad option.
What I like about you base monk: It’s way cleaner and less complex than that abomination of compiled ideas I started this thread with. It’s inline with how the Monk is currently designed and more likely the types of changes WotC would be willing to make. Mystic strike gives options (even if you killed stunning strike). You were able to increase higher level damage without trying to shoehorn in an 11th level feature like extra attack.
Overall your base monk looks good at a glance. Of all my gripes I think losing stunning strike completely is the one thing I would complain about the most if this was what WotC put out. I think could accept the other changes I don’t like. I’ll look at you subclasses later.
I like your version quite a lot. The changes are, IMO, rather moderate. I especially like the WoW getting shield use.
My only real divergence would be that I really want to see Discipline Points go away in any form (not just a name change). But that might be too radical of a change, from WOTC's perspective.
I agree, I wouldn't mind Discipline Points going away entirely, and having everything just be limited use or limited by the action economy I just don't think WotC will go that far.
Sub classes all look good except Open Hand and WoW. Open Hand consuming Drunken Master and being the only place to find Stunning Strike feels bad. WoW might just be too good compare to other your Monks Martial Weapons and Shields. That’s a damage boost and defense boost, or just a major damage boost is you go with heavy weapons. They also basically get divine favor with no concentration. At a glance the others all look good. I would need to spend time really looking at them to see exploits or weaknesses. Open Hand and WoW don’t work for me at all as presented.
I was aiming for WoW to be similar to Battlemaster Fighter in terms of feel, theme and power. The subclasses I tried to balance utility vs combat. WoW is the most combat focused and should be the most powerful in terms of combat, whereas Astral Self is the most utility focused and the weakest in terms of combat. But you may be right about stacking too many things into WoW that enhance their combat ability, as I only estimated the DPR for the three subclasses that were set to be in the PHB2024, I didn't check them for WoW, WoS, WoLD or WoAS.
All of the old problems again. d8 HP in a melee-only frontliner class. Crappy AC in a melee-only frontliner class. Bonus action tax just to function normally. MAD means no feats, only ASI just to keep up.
All of the old problems again. d8 HP in a melee-only frontliner class. Crappy AC in a melee-only frontliner class. Bonus action tax just to function normally. MAD means no feats, only ASI just to keep up.
Are those the things you want fixed, or are you critiquing Agile’s or my monk mock up? If it’s a critique it can’t be Agile’s since he gave the monk a d10 and flat AC to avoid MAD.
I would like to separate the Immediately after and attack part of flurry of blows. SO, for one Discipline Point you can make 2 unarmed attacks as a bonus action with no prerequisites.
Maybe even using MA weapon with Flurry of blows or only for Kensei subclass.
Are those the things you want fixed, or are you critiquing Agile’s or my monk mock up? If it’s a critique it can’t be Agile’s since he gave the monk a d10 and flat AC to avoid MAD.
It's about your initial concept. Kinda feels like there's some ingrained prejudice against monks, like they're supposed to be weak. I just recently completed Pathfinder: Kingmaker CRPG as a monk, and boy did I enjoy that feeling of power. That game's monk is not the most powerful class in the game, vivisectionist and sword saint are way ahead, but boy did that feel good to make 6 attacks per round (up to 8 with flurry and haste), two of which came with a free trip attempt. And all the while having highest AC in the party. No big damage, no killer crits, no sneak attack, but a barrage of punches and kicks bypassing damage resistance due to all the ki features. After that, DnD monk feels so lame.
Deflect Energy. You can now use your Deflect Missiles ability against ranged attacks that deal any damage type, not just Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing
So is this stating we can deflect spells back to their source?
Are those the things you want fixed, or are you critiquing Agile’s or my monk mock up? If it’s a critique it can’t be Agile’s since he gave the monk a d10 and flat AC to avoid MAD.
It's about your initial concept. Kinda feels like there's some ingrained prejudice against monks, like they're supposed to be weak. I just recently completed Pathfinder: Kingmaker CRPG as a monk, and boy did I enjoy that feeling of power. That game's monk is not the most powerful class in the game, vivisectionist and sword saint are way ahead, but boy did that feel good to make 6 attacks per round (up to 8 with flurry and haste), two of which came with a free trip attempt. And all the while having highest AC in the party. No big damage, no killer crits, no sneak attack, but a barrage of punches and kicks bypassing damage resistance due to all the ki features. After that, DnD monk feels so lame.
I don’t really like pathfinder so I haven’t played their monk. I have played kingmaker and all the pet classes are overpowered and you are playing that game wrong if you haven’t tried one. I have played 3.5 Monk and flurry of misses wasn’t fun and I know pathfinder uses similar multi attack math. You might not notice the misses in video game format. Video games often let you be far more powerful than tabletop. As for my monk I can only compare it to the 5e Monk and it is superior in every way. I allowed armor, gave stances that also increase AC, multiple choices for special stunning strike like abilities and more. If anything my monk has too much going on and needs to be dialed back to something that is closer to 5e. Agile’s version was simpler
You could reflect the damage type back but the just damage is you martial arts die. Also this is really just a ribbon. How often do things shoot firebolt at you. It has to be a ranged attack roll for this to work.
I just had a thought, which is sort of a variation of some previous ideas, but I just thought about it in relation to hitpoints ... what about an escalating bonus for the character (not the proficiency bonus, because it needs to scale with monk levels and not character levels), and that gets added to:
Your AC if you aren't wearing armor nor wielding a shield (instead of adding your WIS modifier) (Maybe 11 or 12 + Dex mod + this modifier)
Your CON modifier (for all purposes EXCEPT the Barbarian (and Loxodon?) version of Unarmored Defense: hit points per level (retroactively), CON save bonus, etc.)
Your Unarmed Strike damage (instead of an escalating martial arts die)
So at low levels, your body development (hit point training) isn't going to be excessive, but as you go up in levels, it's going to be almost like your hit die got bigger (in terms of maximum and average hit points; though it will be better than a hit die increase wrt to your hit point minimum).
I don’t really like pathfinder so I haven’t played their monk. I have played kingmaker and all the pet classes are overpowered and you are playing that game wrong if you haven’t tried one. I have played 3.5 Monk and flurry of misses wasn’t fun and I know pathfinder uses similar multi attack math. You might not notice the misses in video game format.
Nah, PF monk is a full BAB (base attack bonus) class, a full martial, and the additional attacks over the base 4 are done at highest attack bonus. In 3,5e monk was a medium attack bonus class along with rogue and cleric.
I don’t really like pathfinder so I haven’t played their monk. I have played kingmaker and all the pet classes are overpowered and you are playing that game wrong if you haven’t tried one. I have played 3.5 Monk and flurry of misses wasn’t fun and I know pathfinder uses similar multi attack math. You might not notice the misses in video game format.
Nah, PF monk is a full BAB (base attack bonus) class, a full martial, and the additional attacks over the base 4 are done at highest attack bonus. In 3,5e monk was a medium attack bonus class along with rogue and cleric.
Are those the things you want fixed, or are you critiquing Agile’s or my monk mock up? If it’s a critique it can’t be Agile’s since he gave the monk a d10 and flat AC to avoid MAD.
It's about your initial concept. Kinda feels like there's some ingrained prejudice against monks, like they're supposed to be weak. I just recently completed Pathfinder: Kingmaker CRPG as a monk, and boy did I enjoy that feeling of power. That game's monk is not the most powerful class in the game, vivisectionist and sword saint are way ahead, but boy did that feel good to make 6 attacks per round (up to 8 with flurry and haste), two of which came with a free trip attempt. And all the while having highest AC in the party. No big damage, no killer crits, no sneak attack, but a barrage of punches and kicks bypassing damage resistance due to all the ki features. After that, DnD monk feels so lame.
sooo, while i conceptually enjoy multiple attacks, in actual real play combat its kind of a huge hassle to roll 6 times for attacks and 6 times for damage, outside of a crpg. there are some tricks to mitigate this, but its still pretty tedious. Especially if they are all the same, Like if i was rolling different types/acc attacks, it might be more entertaining. Though even if its entertaining for me, its still probably pretty annoying for other players.
but yes, pf cprg monk is more entertaining, but then again so is bg3 monk. The 5e monk is just fairly poorly done i think
HIT POINTS
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Monk level
PROFICIENCIES
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills (Choose 2): Acrobatics, Athletics, History,
Insight, Religion, Stealth
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Tools: Choose one type of Artisan’s Tool or Musical
Instrument
ARMOR TRAINING
Light Armor, Medium Armor
1ST LEVEL: 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 are unarmored or wielding only Simple Weapons and you aren’t wearing Heavy Armor or wielding a Shield:
Bonus Unarmed Strike. When you use the Attack action with an Unarmed Strike or a Simple Weapon on your turn, you can make one Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action on the same turn.
Dexterous Attacks. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your Unarmed Strikes and Simple Weapons, except those that have the Two- Handed property.
Martial Arts Dice. You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your Unarmed Strike. The number of dice increases as you gain Monk levels, 2d4 at 5th, 3d4 at 11th, 4d4 at 17th.
1ST LEVEL: UNARMORED DEFENSE
While you aren’t wearing any armor or wielding a Shield, your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers. Additionally while unarmored, as bonus action you forfeit 10ft of your remaining movement Speed and take the Disengage action.
1ST LEVEL: WEAPON MASTERY
Your training with weapons allows you to use the Mastery property of two kinds of Simple weapons of your choice, such as Daggers and Spears.
Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change the kinds of Simple weapons you chose. For example, you could switch to using the Mastery properties of Maces and Slings.
2ND LEVEL: MARTIAL DISCIPLINE
Your self-discipline and martial training allow you to harness a well of extraordinary energy within yourself. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of Discipline Points. Your Monk level plus proficiency bonus determine the number of points you have, as shown in the Discipline Points column of the Monk table.
You can spend these points to fuel various Martial Discipline features. You start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. You learn more Martial Discipline features as you gain levels in this class.
When you spend a Discipline Point, it is unavailable until you finish a Short Rest or Long Rest, at the end of which you regain all your expended points. Once per long rest you may spend 1 minute in a meditative state at the end of which you regain all expended Discipline Points.
Some of your Martial Discipline features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC
equals 8 plus your Proficiency Bonus plus your Wisdom modifier.
Flurry of Blows. You can spend 1 Discipline Point to make two Unarmed Strikes as a Bonus Action.
Patient Defense. You can spend 1 Discipline Point to take the Dodge action as a Bonus Action. You may also take one unarmed strike as part of this Bonus Action.
Step of the Wind. You can spend 1 Discipline Point to do 2 of the following as a Bonus action:
2ND LEVEL: MARTIAL FORMS
Your movements in combat are shaped by your chosen forms. You learn 2 Martial Forms from below. You learn an additional Martial Form at 10th level. Each Marital Form grants a benefit and has an associated Stance. You only gain the benefit of the Stance while you are in it. You can use your bonus action to take a Stance. You may only be in one Stance at a time and a Stance ends when you take another Stance.
2ND LEVEL: UNARMORED MOVEMENT
Your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a Shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain Monk levels, as shown in the Monk table. While wearing Light Armor and not wielding a Shield you still gain some of the benefits of this increased movement, your speed increases by half the amount shown on the monk table rounded up to the nearest increment of 5 feet.
3RD LEVEL: DISCIPLINED REFLEXES
Your intense training has you improved your reaction time allowing you to do the following:
3RD LEVEL: MONK SUBCLASS
You gain a Monk subclass of your choice: Warrior of Mercy, Warrior of Shadow, Warrior of the Four Elements, or Warrior of the Open Hand. Subclasses are detailed after this class’s description (for this playtest, use Way of Mercy from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything for Warrior of Mercy).
A subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at certain Monk levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Monk level and lower.
4TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
4TH LEVEL: 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.
5TH LEVEL: EXTRA ATTACK
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
5TH LEVEL: DISCIPLINED STRIKES
Once per turn when you hit a creature with a Simple Weapon or an Unarmed Strike, you can spend Discipline Points to attempt a special strike. The creature already afflicted by the same condition automatically succeeds the saving throw even if the condition is from another source. For example a Stunned creature will always save against Stunning Strike:
6TH LEVEL: EMPOWERED STRIKES
Whenever you deal damage with your Unarmed Strike, it can deal your choice of Force damage or its normal damage type.
6TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE
You gain a feature from your Monk subclass.
7TH LEVEL: EVASION
When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
You don’t benefit from this feature if you have the Incapacitated condition.
7TH LEVEL: ACROBATIC MOVEMENT
While you aren’t wearing Medium Armor, Heavy Armor or wielding a Shield, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the movement. Additionally while unarmored when you fail a Dexterity check you may expend 1 Discipline point to add 2d4 to the roll possibly turning the failure into a success.
8TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
9TH LEVEL: DISCIPLINED SURVIVOR
Your physical and mental discipline grant you proficiency in all saving throws.
Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 Discipline Point to reroll it and take the second result.
10TH LEVEL: SELF-RESTORATION
Through sheer force of will, if you start your turn with Charmed, Dazed, Frightened, or Stunned conditions you can immediately use a Bonus Action to remove one of the conditions from yourself. Also you are immune to Poison and the Poisoned Condition.
In addition, forgoing food and drink doesn’t give you levels of Exhaustion.
11TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE
You gain a feature from your Monk subclass.
12TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
13TH LEVEL: EXTRAORDINARY REFLEXES
14TH LEVEL: CONNECTED UNDERSTANDING
Your extraordinary internal energy extends beyond your physical body connecting you to other creatures. You gain the following:
15TH LEVEL: PERFECT DISCIPLINE
When you roll Initiative, you regain up to 4 expended Discipline Points.
Additionally your Discipline Strikes deal 2d4 additional damage instead of 1d4.
16TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
17TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE
You gain a feature from your Monk subclass.
18TH LEVEL: SUPERIOR DEFENSE
As a Bonus Action, you can spend 3 Discipline Points to perfectly bolster yourself against harm for 1 minute or until you are Incapacitated. During that time, you have resistance to all damage except Force damage.
19TH LEVEL: ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
20TH LEVEL: PERFECT SELF
You have honed your mind and body through rigorous training pushing them beyond their normal limitations gaining the following:
TLDR: a Monk with armor options but loses other fun features for being armored. Has multiple reaction choices. Has other options than Stunning Strike, but SS cost goes up and last until end of your next turn. Changed Martial Arts dice progression and added Stances. Added proficiency bonus to Discipline Points and there is a stance that adds Wisdom to DP and allows you to attempt to regain DP as a reaction to using DP. None this is balanced and it’s really just me playing with design to inspire or provoke people to speak about what they want out of the monk. If you like something let me know, if you hate something let me know.
-I already know some are going to hate Armor on a Monk and I honestly would never do it myself, but I can’t find an appropriate fix for Unarmored Defense.
-This whole thing might be too complex, maybe it should be broken down into something far simpler. I already see things that could be cut.
Are there any new ideas for monks fixes floating around?
Try harder 😛
There are some ideas in here I like though, like the stances/forms. You don't have a duration on them though, are they permanent until changed?
Lol. You know, I’ve tried my hardest. My font of ideas is on empty for Monk. This abomination is from compiling every idea I liked from the other monk threads with my own and trying to make as many people happy as possible. Unarmored Defense is so hard to balance for multiple build types and keep it thematic. The AC 10+ dex + PB is too dip friendly. I’m trying to accommodate people who want Str Monk too.
Oh and yeah a stance doesn’t end unless you change it. I was going to put conditions that would end it like being prone or incapacitated, but decided it would just end up being a bonus action tax.
This is my solution:
Monk Class
Level
Proficiency
Bonus
Martial
Arts
Discipline
Points
Unarmored
Movement
Features
1st
+2
1d6
—
—
Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery
2nd
+2
1d6
4
+10 ft.
Unarmored Movement, Discipline Points, Discipline Abilities
3rd
+2
1d6
5
+10 ft.
Monastic Tradition, Deflect Attack
4th
+2
1d6
6
+10 ft.
Ability Score Improvement, Slow Fall, Unarmored Movement Improvement
5th
+3
1d8
8
+10 ft.
Extra Attack, Mystic Strike
6th
+3
1d8
9
+15 ft.
Ki-Empowered Strikes, Monastic Tradition Feature
7th
+3
1d8
10
+15 ft.
Evasion, Stillness of Mind
8th
+3
1d8
11
+15 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
9th
+4
1d8
13
+15 ft.
Deflect Energy
10th
+4
1d8
14
+20 ft.
Purity of Body
11th
+4
1d10
15
+20 ft.
Monastic Tradition Feature
12th
+4
1d10
16
+20 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
13th
+5
1d10
18
+20 ft.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon
14th
+5
1d10
19
+25 ft.
Diamond Soul
15th
+5
1d10
20
+25 ft.
Inner Focus
16th
+5
1d10
21
+25 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
17th
+6
1d12
22
+25 ft.
Monastic Tradition Feature
18th
+6
1d12
23
+30 ft.
Empty Body
19th
+6
1d12
24
+30 ft.
Ability Score Improvement
20th
+6
1d12
25
+30 ft.
Perfect Self
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per monk level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per monk level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Choose one type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth
Unarmored Defense
Beginning at 1st level, you have honed your awareness to anticipate the attacks of your enemies. While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 16.
This feature improves as you gain monk levels, increasing to AC=18 at 5th level, AC = 19 at 8th level, AC = 20 at 16th level, and AC = 22 at 20th level.
Martial Arts
At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use Unarmed Strikes and monk weapons - which are any Simple Weapon.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:
Weapon Mastery
Starting at 1st level, you gain mastery in 2 monk weapons of your choice, if you choose a weapon with the “Nick” property you replace it with the “Vex” property. You can apply one weapon mastery to your unarmed strikes from: Vex, Push, Topple. Whenever you finish a Short or Long Rest, you can change these choices.
Discipline Points
Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy that flows through all life. You have Discipline Points equal to your Monk level + your proficiency bonus. You regain all Discipline Points when you finish a long rest.
In addition, you can meditate for 1 minute and regain all your expended discipline points. You can regain discipline points twice in this way, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.
Discipline Abilities
While you are not wearing armor or using a shield, you can spend your Discipline Points to fuel various monk abilities. You start knowing three such abilities: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. You learn more discipline abilities as you gain levels in this class. Some of these abilities require a saving throw, this uses your Discipline DC to determine the outcome. When you attempt to Grapple or Shove, you can use your Discipline DC instead of the normal DC.
Discipline DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
Unarmored Movement
Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by +10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. You can take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action on your turn.
This feature improves as you gain monk levels, increasing to +15 ft at 7th level, +20 ft at 10th level, +25 ft at 14th level, and +30 ft at 18th level.
Monastic Tradition
When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
Deflect Attack
Starting at 3rd level, when you are hit by an attack that deals bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage, you can use your reaction to deflect that attack. Roll 1d10+ your Monk level, you reduce the damage by that amount.
You can spend 1 DP to deflect that attack back towards the attacker or another creature within range depending on the attack type: 5 ft for a melee attack, or 60 ft for a ranged attack. Make an attack roll using your Wisdom modifier and your proficiency bonus, on a hit the attack deals damage equal to your martial arts die + your Wisdom modifier of the same type as the original attack, no other effects of the attack are transferred to the new target.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you gain the ASI feat or another feat of your choice.
Slow Fall
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level.
Unarmored Movement Improvement
At 4th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during your move.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Mystic Strike
Starting at 5th level, you can manipulate the mystic energy within other creatures. Once on your turn, when you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you can spend 1 DP to trigger one of the following:
Ki-Empowered Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes can deal force damage instead of their normal damage type.
Evasion
At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Stillness of Mind
Starting at 7th level, at the start of your turn you can spend 1 DP to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed, frightened, dazed or stunned (no action required). Alternatively, you can use a Bonus Action to end one such effect without spending any DP.
Deflect Energy
Starting a 9th level, you can channel the mystic force to protect you from arcane and elemental forces. Your Deflect Attack feature works on all attacks, not just those that deal bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage.
Purity of Body
At 10th level, your mastery of the mystic force flowing through you, making you resistant to poison damage and immune to the poisoned condition, and you gain proficiency in one saving throw of your choice.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon
Starting at 13th level, you learn to touch the mystic force of other minds, you can read, write and speak all languages, and can communicate telepathically with any creatures of your choice within 60 ft of you. In addition, whenever you deal damage using a monk weapon or unarmed strike you deal an additional 1d6 psychic damage.
Diamond Soul
Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of mystic energies within yourself, grants you proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 DP to reroll it and take the second result.
Inner Focus
Starting at 15th level, whenever you roll initiative you regain 4 discipline points.
Empty Body
Beginning at 18th level, you can use your action to spend 4 ki points to become invisible for 1 minute. During that time, you also have resistance to all damage but force damage.
Additionally, you can spend 8 ki points to cast the astral projection spell, without needing material components. When you do so, you can’t take any other creatures with you.
Perfect Self
Your Wisdom score increases by +4 and the maximum of your Wisdom score increases by 4 as well.
TL:DR - Stunning Strike is nerfed but given multiple options to increase strategic choices. Unarmed strikes can be STR, DEX or WIS based and use the UA dice scaling, and get your choice of Vex, Topple or Push weapon mastery. Your Martial Arts BA unarmed strike is now part of the attack action & FoB is reduced to 1 attack appropriately. AC and hit points scale like a fighter and Deflect Missiles also works against melee weapons providing plenty of tanking ability. DPR is increased in tier 1 by granting more DP (this is balanced by limiting recharge to 2/day requiring only 1 minute), and increased at level 13 by 1d6/attack. Out of combat utility is enhanced through bonus proficiencies in each subclass and ability to use DP to add your MA die to a skill check.
Warrior of Medicine (formerly Mercy)
TL:DR - Added bonus proficiencies, Hands of Harm is moved to 6th level to balance out increased DP in the base class, and combined into the replacement for Stunning Strike for mechanical consistency. Whereas Hands of Healing has its 6th level feature moved to 3rd level to enable this monk to compete with clerics and druids as healers.
Medical Knowledge
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, you gain proficiency in the Insight and Medicine skills, and you gain proficiency with the herbalism kit and can use a herbalism kit in place of a healer’s kit. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Hand of Healing
At 3rd level, your mystical touch can mend wounds. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 discipline point to touch a creature and restore a number of hit points equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier, and you can end one of the following conditions affecting the target: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned.
Toxic Strike
At 6th level, you gain an additional use for your Mystic Strike:
Channel Life
Starting at 11th level, whenever you use your Venom Mystic Strike, you regain hit points equal to half the necrotic damage you deal.
In addition, you can use an action instead of a bonus action for your Hand of Healing. When you do so you replace each of your attacks with a use of your Hand of Healing, you still only spend 1 discipline point to do so.
Restore Life
When you reach 17th level, your mastery of life energy allows you to resurrect dead creatures. As an action, you can touch the corpse of a creature that died within the past 24 hours and expend 5 ki points. The creature then returns to life, regaining a number of hit points equal to 4d10 + your Wisdom modifier and all conditions affecting it are removed. If the soul is unable to return to the body, you learn the current location of the creature’s soul instead.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Warrior of Shadow
TL:DR - Added bonus proficiencies, when you cast Darkness you can change the size & location at the start of each turn and you can see through it. Shadow Step can be combined with FoB on the same turn. At 11th level you can combine Shadow Step and casting Darkness into a single bonus action.
Shadow Arts
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Perception and Stealth skills, and learn the Minor Illusion cantrip (Wisdom is your casting ability for this spell). And you gain 60ft Darkvision if you don’t already have it. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Call Shadows
At 3rd level, as an action you can spend 1 discipline point to cast Darkness. You can see through this darkness and at the start of each of your turns you can change the location and size of the darkness, but the darkness must remain within 60 ft of you and cannot exceed 15 ft diameter.
Shadow Step
At 6th level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn. If you spend 1 discipline point, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or monk weapon as part of this bonus action.
Stalker in the Shadow
Starting at 6th level, whenever you use your Terrify Mystic Strike while in dim light or darkness, you target creatures of your choice within 10 ft of you.
Path of Darkness
By 11th level, you have learned to combine your Call Shadows with your Shadow Step. As part of using your Shadow Step you can spend 1 discipline point to cast Darkness either at your current location or at your destination prior to teleporting. When you use this ability you can also make one attack without spending an additional discipline point.
Cloak of Shadows
At 17th level, you can spend 3 discipline points as a bonus action to shroud yourself in magical darkness for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. While this is active you gain the following benefits:
Warrior of the Astral Self
TL:DR - Refocused this as the utility monk, with bonus proficiencies, Astral self giving Adv on skill checks, devil's sight, disguise ability, and turning your astral self into an Illusory duplicate that can attack.
Mystic Knowledge
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, you gain proficiency in the Insight and Arcana skills. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Astral Arms
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, your mastery of mystical energy allows you to summon a portion of your astral self. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to summon the arms of your astral self which last for 10 minutes and must be attached to your body. While your astral arms are present you gain the following benefits:
Astral Visage
At 6th level, you can summon the visage of your astral self which covers your face. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to summon this visage for 10 minutes. While your astral visage is present you gain the following benefits:
Wrench Soul
Starting at 11th level, when you use your Confuse Mystic Strike, the target is incapacitated while they are charmed.
Awakened Self
At 17th level, your connection to your astral self is complete, allowing you to unleash its full potential. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points to summon the arms, visage, and body of your astral self and awaken it as a separate magical entity from yourself for 10 minutes. Your astral self cannot be harmed and does not occupy its space.
Your awakened self can move to a location within 60 ft of you at the start of each of your turns, which can include hovering in mid air. You can make unarmed strikes, grapple and shove as if you occupied the space of your astral self. You must use your senses to target the attacks.
Warrior of the Open Hand
TL:DR - Merged Open Hand and Drunken Master. Stunning Strike is restricted to this subclass at level 11, free disengage when you attack for more maneuverability, Quivering Palm moved to 11th level so people actually get to use it, and Wholeness of Body is combined with Patient Defense so it has less opportunity cost.
Physical Training
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Athletics and Acrobatics skills, and you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Open Hand Stance
At 3rd level, you have learned a combat stance that balances offense with defense. When you make an attack with an Unarmed Strike or monk weapon, the target of your attack cannot make opportunity attacks against you until the end of your turn.
In addition, you can change the weapon mastery property that applies to your unarmed strikes before each attack you make.
Wholeness of Body
Starting at 6th level, whenever you use your Patient Defense, you regain hit points equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die plus your Wisdom modifier.
Stunning Strike
When you reach 11th level, your mastery of the mystic energy within creatures allows you to further debilitate them. When a creature fails a saving throw against your Stagger Mystic Strike, they are stunned until the end of your next turn, instead of Dazed.
You gain an additional use of your Mystic Strike:
Group Stance
At 17th level, you gain the ability to make an overwhelming number of attacks against a group of enemies. When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can make up to three additional attacks with it (up to a total of four Flurry of Blows attacks), provided that each Flurry of Blows attack targets a different creature this turn.
In addition, whenever a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend 1 discipline point to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.
Warrior of the Elements
TL:DR - Basically the same as the UA but Elemental Burst scales appropriately to rival a Fireball. At high levels you can fly, swim or burrow, and punch enemies into the sky.
Knowledge of the Ages
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Arcana and Nature skills, and you learn to read, write, and speak Primordial. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Elemental Attunement
At 3rd level you have attuned yourself to the raw elements of the multiverse. You learn one cantrip of your choice from any spell list, the cantrip must deal acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage. Wisdom is your casting ability for this spell.
In addition, as a bonus action you can spend 1 discipline point to imbue yourself with elemental energy, which lasts for 10 minutes. You gain the following benefits:
Explosive Burst
At 6th level, you can spend a number of discipline points less than or equal to your proficiency bonus to cause an explosion of elemental energy (choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder) in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 120 ft of you. Each creature in the area makes a Dexterity saving throw, on a failure they take 2d6 damage of the chosen type for each discipline point you spent, or half as much on a successful save.
Elemental Strike
Starting at 6th level, When you use your Mystic Strike feature, you deal additional damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die. This damage is acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.
Traverse Elements
At 11th level, when you spend one or more discipline points, you can give yourself a Fly Speed, Swim Speed or Burrow Speed equal to your walking speed for the next 10 minutes. If you use this feature again, you lose any previous movement type gained from this feature.
When you move within 5ft of a creature while benefiting from this feature, they take damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die. This damage is acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder you choose when you activate this feature. A creature can only take this damage once per turn.
Elemental Epitome
Starting at 17th level, when you use your Elemental Attunement feature you also gain the following benefits for the duration:
Warrior of Weapons (formerly Kensei)
TL:DR - full use of martial weapons and shields, Sharpen the Blade works with magical weapons.
Weapon Training
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in martial weapons and shields. You can still benefit from your monk class features when using a shield, and martial weapons count as monk weapons for you.
Deadly Weapons
At 3rd level, you can use a bonus action on your turn to make your attacks with weapons more deadly. Choose one weapon you are holding, until the end of your turn that weapon deals an additional 1d4 damage of the weapon’s damage type.
When you take this bonus action, you can spend 1 discipline point as part of this action to have the damage boost last for 1 minute.
One with the Blade
At 6th level, you extend your mystical powers into your monk weapons, granting you the following benefits:
Sharpen the Blade
At 11th level, you gain the ability to augment your weapons further with your ki. As a bonus action, you can expend up to 3 discipline points to grant one weapon you are holding a bonus to attack and damage rolls when you attack with it. The bonus equals the number of points you spend, and cannot exceed +3 even if the weapon already has a bonus to attack and damage rolls.
Unerring Accuracy
At 17th level, your mastery of weapons grants you extraordinary accuracy. If you miss with an attack roll using a monk weapon on your turn, you can reroll it. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.
Warrior of the Long Death
TL:DR - Frighten ability at level 6 is rolled into the replacement for Stunning Strike thus is viable, extra proficiencies provide out-of-combat utility.
Afterlife Knowledge
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the History and Religion skills, and you learn to read, write, and speak Celestial, Abyssal and Infernal. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Balance of Life and Death
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your study of death allows you to extract vitality from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).
Hour of Reaping
At 6th level, you gain the ability to unsettle or terrify those around, for your soul has been touched by the shadow of death. Whenever you use your Terrify Mystic Strike, you target creatures of your choice within 15 ft of you.
Mastery of Death
Beginning at 11th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can expend 1 discipline point (no action required) to have 1 hit point instead.
While you have only 1 hit point, your attacks with your monk weapons and unarmed strikes are rolled at advantage, and deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage on a hit.
Touch of Death
Starting at 17th level, you gain a new option for your Mystic strike:
Touch of Death : The target must make a Constitution saving throw, on a failed save it takes 2d10 necrotic damage or half as much on a successful save. As part of this attack you can spend additional discipline points to increase the damage by 2d10 per discipline point spent up to a maximum of 20d10.
Warrior of the Sun
TL:DR - Radiant Sun Bolts can just replace Unarmed Strikes to fix loop holes, more focus on blinding enemies rather than dealing fire damage.
Guiding Light
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn the Light cantrip, and gain proficiency in Survival and Perception checks. If you are already proficient in one of these skills you gain Expertise in that skill.
Radiant Sun Bolt
At 3rd level, you can hurl searing bolts of magical radiance. You can replace any unarmed strike you would make with a ranged spell attack that has a range of 60 feet and deals radiant damage equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die. You use the same bonus to attack and damage rolls as your Unarmed Strikes
Blinding Arcs
At 6th level, you can direct your searing bolts into the eyes of your enemy. You can use the Blind option of your Mystic Strike with your Radiant Sun Bolts. And, when you use the Blind option with an Unarmed Strike, you can target creatures of your choice within 10 ft of you.
Searing Sunburst
At 11th level, Starting at 6th level, you can spend a number of discipline points less than or equal to your proficiency bonus to cause a burst of blinding light in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 150 ft of you. Each creature in the area makes a Constitution saving throw, on a failure they take 2d6 radiant damage and are blinded, or half as much on a successful save. A blinded creature repeats the save at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a successful save. A creature doesn’t need to make the save if the creature is behind total cover that is opaque.
Sun Shield
At 17th level, you can wreath yourself in a luminous, magical aura. You shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can extinguish or restore the light as a bonus action.
If a creature hits you with a melee attack while this light shines, they take 2d8 radiant damage and are blinded until the end of their turn.
What I don’t like about your base monk: You completely dropped to iconic monk abilities, Deflect Missiles and Stunning Strike. Technically you upgraded Deflect Missiles, but the change in its effect gets rid of something that has 30 years of history. Your stunning strike nerf literally removes the ability to stunning strike. Even if stunning strike was a once per short rest or once per long rest ability I would rather have it than not just because of the history. I fear that your Unarmored Defense is too dip friendly and your Unarmored Movement make Step of the Wind a bad option.
What I like about you base monk: It’s way cleaner and less complex than that abomination of compiled ideas I started this thread with. It’s inline with how the Monk is currently designed and more likely the types of changes WotC would be willing to make. Mystic strike gives options (even if you killed stunning strike). You were able to increase higher level damage without trying to shoehorn in an 11th level feature like extra attack.
Overall your base monk looks good at a glance. Of all my gripes I think losing stunning strike completely is the one thing I would complain about the most if this was what WotC put out. I think could accept the other changes I don’t like. I’ll look at you subclasses later.
I like your version quite a lot. The changes are, IMO, rather moderate. I especially like the WoW getting shield use.
My only real divergence would be that I really want to see Discipline Points go away in any form (not just a name change). But that might be too radical of a change, from WOTC's perspective.
I agree, I wouldn't mind Discipline Points going away entirely, and having everything just be limited use or limited by the action economy I just don't think WotC will go that far.
Sub classes all look good except Open Hand and WoW. Open Hand consuming Drunken Master and being the only place to find Stunning Strike feels bad. WoW might just be too good compare to other your Monks Martial Weapons and Shields. That’s a damage boost and defense boost, or just a major damage boost is you go with heavy weapons. They also basically get divine favor with no concentration.
At a glance the others all look good. I would need to spend time really looking at them to see exploits or weaknesses. Open Hand and WoW don’t work for me at all as presented.
I was aiming for WoW to be similar to Battlemaster Fighter in terms of feel, theme and power. The subclasses I tried to balance utility vs combat. WoW is the most combat focused and should be the most powerful in terms of combat, whereas Astral Self is the most utility focused and the weakest in terms of combat. But you may be right about stacking too many things into WoW that enhance their combat ability, as I only estimated the DPR for the three subclasses that were set to be in the PHB2024, I didn't check them for WoW, WoS, WoLD or WoAS.
All of the old problems again. d8 HP in a melee-only frontliner class. Crappy AC in a melee-only frontliner class. Bonus action tax just to function normally. MAD means no feats, only ASI just to keep up.
Are those the things you want fixed, or are you critiquing Agile’s or my monk mock up? If it’s a critique it can’t be Agile’s since he gave the monk a d10 and flat AC to avoid MAD.
I would like to separate the Immediately after and attack part of flurry of blows. SO, for one Discipline Point you can make 2 unarmed attacks as a bonus action with no prerequisites.
Maybe even using MA weapon with Flurry of blows or only for Kensei subclass.
It's about your initial concept. Kinda feels like there's some ingrained prejudice against monks, like they're supposed to be weak. I just recently completed Pathfinder: Kingmaker CRPG as a monk, and boy did I enjoy that feeling of power. That game's monk is not the most powerful class in the game, vivisectionist and sword saint are way ahead, but boy did that feel good to make 6 attacks per round (up to 8 with flurry and haste), two of which came with a free trip attempt. And all the while having highest AC in the party. No big damage, no killer crits, no sneak attack, but a barrage of punches and kicks bypassing damage resistance due to all the ki features. After that, DnD monk feels so lame.
I don’t really like pathfinder so I haven’t played their monk. I have played kingmaker and all the pet classes are overpowered and you are playing that game wrong if you haven’t tried one. I have played 3.5 Monk and flurry of misses wasn’t fun and I know pathfinder uses similar multi attack math. You might not notice the misses in video game format. Video games often let you be far more powerful than tabletop. As for my monk I can only compare it to the 5e Monk and it is superior in every way. I allowed armor, gave stances that also increase AC, multiple choices for special stunning strike like abilities and more. If anything my monk has too much going on and needs to be dialed back to something that is closer to 5e. Agile’s version was simpler
You could reflect the damage type back but the just damage is you martial arts die. Also this is really just a ribbon. How often do things shoot firebolt at you. It has to be a ranged attack roll for this to work.
I just had a thought, which is sort of a variation of some previous ideas, but I just thought about it in relation to hitpoints ... what about an escalating bonus for the character (not the proficiency bonus, because it needs to scale with monk levels and not character levels), and that gets added to:
So at low levels, your body development (hit point training) isn't going to be excessive, but as you go up in levels, it's going to be almost like your hit die got bigger (in terms of maximum and average hit points; though it will be better than a hit die increase wrt to your hit point minimum).
Nah, PF monk is a full BAB (base attack bonus) class, a full martial, and the additional attacks over the base 4 are done at highest attack bonus. In 3,5e monk was a medium attack bonus class along with rogue and cleric.
Nah, PF monk is a full BAB (base attack bonus) class, a full martial, and the additional attacks over the base 4 are done at highest attack bonus. In 3,5e monk was a medium attack bonus class along with rogue and cleric.
sooo, while i conceptually enjoy multiple attacks, in actual real play combat its kind of a huge hassle to roll 6 times for attacks and 6 times for damage, outside of a crpg. there are some tricks to mitigate this, but its still pretty tedious. Especially if they are all the same, Like if i was rolling different types/acc attacks, it might be more entertaining. Though even if its entertaining for me, its still probably pretty annoying for other players.
but yes, pf cprg monk is more entertaining, but then again so is bg3 monk. The 5e monk is just fairly poorly done i think