What are some abilities that should be in the Monk Way of Mercy? I do like the idea of a Yin-Yang, death and life monk subclass, but I don't think they executed that correctly in this subclass.
What are some ideas?
I think if they just add a "life focused" options to the miasma and they'd have pretty much nailed it.
I have to agree with The_Runner_Who_Runs on this one.
I actually have an idea for this. Take the level 11 feature "healing technique", and move it down to level 6, make it an Aura of Positive Ki. When this aura is active, when you use your healing hands on a creature within 5ft you can remove one of the following conditions: Blinded, Deafened, paralyzed, poisoned.
My thought is, the Healing Techinique is very much inline with Lesser Restoration, but coming online at level 11 when spell casters can start at level 3 is just too much of a gap. I'm ok with some gap, but that's crazy, especially if you are thinking of running this monk as a 'healer role' for recovering after the fight.
Then at level 11, upgrade the techniques, Let the Miasma bypass poison resistance and immunity (it starts to attack the Ki itself, not just the body) and the healing technique upgrades to affect status conditions associated with Greater Restoration.
It's still coming online a bit later than a spell caster, but not so much longer that you can't fill the role in the party.
Also, regarding the 'Healing/Poison' theme, I have to say I find it quite interesting. Far more interesting than the 'radiant/necrotic' thing that's been frankly done to death, and I feel like it would thematically encroach on the Way of the Long Death in an unnecessary fashion (side note: dndbeyonds monk page doesn't actually include that Subclass from the Swordcoast Adventurer's Guide! HA)
6th level is actiually really good since it is at the exact same time as many four elements monks get acess to their second level spells.
also note that since you wanna make the eleventh level feature able to compete with greater restoration, an 5th level spell, it ought to cost arround 6 ki points, or somewhere arround 5-6 ki points. If the feature is still 1 ki to activate aura and 1 ki for a use of healing hands it might unbalance some stuff, like an succubi might charm an party member but not to worry, the monk can with just one ki point fix that. Or they might fight a medusa or basilisk and the monk can just constantly fix everyone who gets petrified, or suddenly being an berserker barbarian can go into their frenzy every range confident in that the monk can just fix their exhaustion.
also a thing i dont think we have talked about is how healing with a range of touch in general is more potent in the hands of an monk than any other character due to the fact that the monk play style is all about moving fast across the battlefield and generally being an skirmisher
also is the 17th level feature any stronger than the way of the open hand feature? not exactly relevant to the thing we are currently talking about at all but like it is there
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
I actually have an idea for this. Take the level 11 feature "healing technique", and move it down to level 6, make it an Aura of Positive Ki. When this aura is active, when you use your healing hands on a creature within 5ft you can remove one of the following conditions: Blinded, Deafened, paralyzed, poisoned.
My thought is, the Healing Techinique is very much inline with Lesser Restoration, but coming online at level 11 when spell casters can start at level 3 is just too much of a gap. I'm ok with some gap, but that's crazy, especially if you are thinking of running this monk as a 'healer role' for recovering after the fight.
Then at level 11, upgrade the techniques, Let the Miasma bypass poison resistance and immunity (it starts to attack the Ki itself, not just the body) and the healing technique upgrades to affect status conditions associated with Greater Restoration.
It's still coming online a bit later than a spell caster, but not so much longer that you can't fill the role in the party.
Also, regarding the 'Healing/Poison' theme, I have to say I find it quite interesting. Far more interesting than the 'radiant/necrotic' thing that's been frankly done to death, and I feel like it would thematically encroach on the Way of the Long Death in an unnecessary fashion (side note: dndbeyonds monk page doesn't actually include that Subclass from the Swordcoast Adventurer's Guide! HA)
6th level is actiually really good since it is at the exact same time as many four elements monks get acess to their second level spells.
also note that since you wanna make the eleventh level feature able to compete with greater restoration, an 5th level spell, it ought to cost arround 6 ki points, or somewhere arround 5-6 ki points. If the feature is still 1 ki to activate aura and 1 ki for a use of healing hands it might unbalance some stuff, like an succubi might charm an party member but not to worry, the monk can with just one ki point fix that. Or they might fight a medusa or basilisk and the monk can just constantly fix everyone who gets petrified, or suddenly being an berserker barbarian can go into their frenzy every range confident in that the monk can just fix their exhaustion.
also a thing i dont think we have talked about is how healing with a range of touch in general is more potent in the hands of an monk than any other character due to the fact that the monk play style is all about moving fast across the battlefield and generally being an skirmisher
also is the 17th level feature any stronger than the way of the open hand feature? not exactly relevant to the thing we are currently talking about at all but like it is there
Thanks, and yes, I would of course want the cost to be appropriate.
I also used the lesser and greater terms more as short-hand for capabilities than full intention, I'm sure you get the drift though.
I personally don't see much of a problem using Ki points to undo Berserker Exhaustion, synergistic team work should always be valued in my mind and Berserker isn't so stupidly powerful that it would be unbalancing and would promote interaction between players as the monk and the barb become a more cohesive unit on and off the battlefield. In my mind I see the restoration abilities more as Out of Combat things but not relegated to a 'Rest' (perhaps a new use for a medicine kit?), but I left that thought out since I figured most people would find it overly restrictive, and there is something for the visual of the 'poke three nerve clusters and you're cured' vs 'lay down, ill get my accupuncture needles'. Both are fitting but have two very different things going on.
I actually have an idea for this. Take the level 11 feature "healing technique", and move it down to level 6, make it an Aura of Positive Ki. When this aura is active, when you use your healing hands on a creature within 5ft you can remove one of the following conditions: Blinded, Deafened, paralyzed, poisoned.
My thought is, the Healing Techinique is very much inline with Lesser Restoration, but coming online at level 11 when spell casters can start at level 3 is just too much of a gap. I'm ok with some gap, but that's crazy, especially if you are thinking of running this monk as a 'healer role' for recovering after the fight.
Then at level 11, upgrade the techniques, Let the Miasma bypass poison resistance and immunity (it starts to attack the Ki itself, not just the body) and the healing technique upgrades to affect status conditions associated with Greater Restoration.
It's still coming online a bit later than a spell caster, but not so much longer that you can't fill the role in the party.
Also, regarding the 'Healing/Poison' theme, I have to say I find it quite interesting. Far more interesting than the 'radiant/necrotic' thing that's been frankly done to death, and I feel like it would thematically encroach on the Way of the Long Death in an unnecessary fashion (side note: dndbeyonds monk page doesn't actually include that Subclass from the Swordcoast Adventurer's Guide! HA)
6th level is actiually really good since it is at the exact same time as many four elements monks get acess to their second level spells.
also note that since you wanna make the eleventh level feature able to compete with greater restoration, an 5th level spell, it ought to cost arround 6 ki points, or somewhere arround 5-6 ki points. If the feature is still 1 ki to activate aura and 1 ki for a use of healing hands it might unbalance some stuff, like an succubi might charm an party member but not to worry, the monk can with just one ki point fix that. Or they might fight a medusa or basilisk and the monk can just constantly fix everyone who gets petrified, or suddenly being an berserker barbarian can go into their frenzy every range confident in that the monk can just fix their exhaustion.
also a thing i dont think we have talked about is how healing with a range of touch in general is more potent in the hands of an monk than any other character due to the fact that the monk play style is all about moving fast across the battlefield and generally being an skirmisher
also is the 17th level feature any stronger than the way of the open hand feature? not exactly relevant to the thing we are currently talking about at all but like it is there
Thanks, and yes, I would of course want the cost to be appropriate.
I also used the lesser and greater terms more as short-hand for capabilities than full intention, I'm sure you get the drift though.
I personally don't see much of a problem using Ki points to undo Berserker Exhaustion, synergistic team work should always be valued in my mind and Berserker isn't so stupidly powerful that it would be unbalancing and would promote interaction between players as the monk and the barb become a more cohesive unit on and off the battlefield. In my mind I see the restoration abilities more as Out of Combat things but not relegated to a 'Rest' (perhaps a new use for a medicine kit?), but I left that thought out since I figured most people would find it overly restrictive, and there is something for the visual of the 'poke three nerve clusters and you're cured' vs 'lay down, ill get my accupuncture needles'. Both are fitting but have two very different things going on.
yes but if you are going to tie them to hands of healing they will automatically be in combat abillities in some way considering they cost only one ki point to do and takes only 1 action or 1 bonus action to "cast" so to speak, meaning that you must consider every condition the monk can cure with this feature and how often an player will be affected by it.
i recon an two player campaign with an monk and an barbarian would be a lot of fun, regardless of what subclasses they choose, as the monk learns to loosen up an adopt an less ridgid thinking pattern and world philosophy and the barbarian learns the values of more peaceful endeavors, one chaotic and one lawful, one can stun their opponents with their unarmed strikes and the other deal extra damage with critical hits, one might be able to easily trip opponents while the other can easily grapple opponents to keep them prone, one can take hits, the other can not, both prefer to nor be weighed down by armor, both are really fast
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Ok, since there seemed to be some interest in my crazy half baked idea I wrote it up.
Way of Mercy 2.0
Implements of Mercy
3rd level Feature
You gain proficiency in the insight or medicine skill (your choice), and you gain proficiency with the herbalism kit and the poisoner’s kit.
Hands of healing
3rd level feature
Your mystical touch can mend wounds. As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to touch a creature and restore a number of hit points equal to a roll of your martial arts die + your wisdom modifier.
When you use your flurry of blows, you can replace one of the unarmed strikes with a use of this feature without spending its ki cost.
Hands of Harm
3rd level feature
You use your ki to infect wounds. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 ki point to deal extra necrotic damage equal to one roll of your martial arts die. If the creature is incapacitated or poisoned, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to three rolls of your martial arts die instead. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.
Noxious Aura
6 level feature
As a bonus action, you spend 1 ki point to turn your ki into an aura of toxic miasma. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction , but not through total cover. It lasts for 1 minute, until you’re incapacitated, or you dismiss it (no action required)
While your aura is active, ranged attacks have disadvantage against you. Any other creature that starts its turn in the aura must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of your next turn and take poison damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 0 damage).
Rejuvenating Aura
6 level feature
As an Action, you can spend 3 Ki points to create a rejuvenating positive energy around you. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. It lasts 10 minutes, until you’re incapacitated, take any offensive action involving an attack roll or forcing a saving throw, or you dismiss it (no action required)
While your aura is active, when you use your Healing Hands feature , you can also end one disease or a condition from the following list affecting the creature: Blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.
Enhanced Noxious Aura
11 level feature
You have become adept at weaving your poison into the ki of all things. Your Noxious Aura can now affect creatures that resistant or immune to poison as if they had no resistance at all. The damage they take per turn also increases to 2x your wisdom modifier (minimum of 0 damage).
Enhanced Rejuvenating Aura
11 level feature
You have mastered the esoteric healing of the body and the spirit. You may now activate a more enhanced rejuvenating aura when the need arises. As a bonus action, and for an additional 3 ki points you can upgrade your rejuvenating aura to a enhanced rejuvenating aura. With this aura you can use your healing hands ability to reduce exhaustion by 1 level, restore an effect reducing the targets hit point maximum, any reduction of the targets ability scores, or one effect that Charmed or Petrified the target.
As a Material component, creating this enhanced aura consumes 100gp worth of diamond dust which the aura consumes.
Hand of Mercy
17 level feature
Unchanged.
I added the caveat to the healing aura that it drops if the monk takes an offensive action. This way YES you can absolutely run around lesser restoring everyone in combat, but at the total cost of your offensive capabilities, which on a striker class chassis like a Monk is a pretty big deal. So it's more of a tactical decision than a hard 'No, you cant do that'
Hand of Mercy is a good feature. But... Hand of Mercy + Freedom of Movement spell is utterly broken. That needs to be fixed, long before this subclass becomes official.
It took me a minute to figure out what you are saying. I get it now. But you seem to be overreacting just a smidge.
The only downside to Hand of Mercy is the paralyze effect, Freedom of movement says the paralyze effect cannot apply. So the end result is that you or someone else is now immune to all damage, poison etc, etc.
Assuming that was not an intended use case (some of those 17 monk skills are wacky), it's a super easy fix in the words.
"During this time, the creature is paralyzed, has immunity to all damage, and any curse, disease, or poison affecting it is suspended."
to
"During this time, the creature is paralyzed, while paralyzed it additionally has immunity to all damage, and any curse, disease, or poison affecting it is suspended."
I'll certainly be putting that into the review when i fill it out for WoTC though, it's a good edge case scenario catch.
Regarding the barbarian's claws.. It says that when you take the attack action you can take an additional one as part of THAT attack. Doesnt say once on your turn like other features do either.
That leads me to believe that at level 5 you can make 4x claw attacks. 1 claw attack + free claw attack as part of THAT action
Then a 2nd claw attack + free claw attack as part of THAT action.
And you would still have your bonus action. (Would claws be considered light for a 5th 2wf attack? Why aren't fists light. Right hook, left hook was the first 2wf combo!)
Others seem to not think so but this is what it reads like to me.
Regarding the barbarian's claws.. It says that when you take the attack action you can take an additional one as part of THAT attack. Doesnt say once on your turn like other features do either.
That leads me to believe that at level 5 you can make 4x claw attacks. 1 claw attack + free claw attack as part of THAT action
Then a 2nd claw attack + free claw attack as part of THAT action.
And you would still have your bonus action. (Would claws be considered light for a 5th 2wf attack? Why aren't fists light. Right hook, left hook was the first 2wf combo!)
Others seem to not think so but this is what it reads like to me.
This is wrong. It says, " When you take the Attack action on your turn and make an attack with your claws, you can make one additional attack using your claws as part of the same action." This means, you have to take the Attack action and attack with the claws at least once, and you get an additional attack with claws. This is limited to only once each turn, but doesn't need to say it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Yeah, I had wondered about that too, but my understanding is the same as LeviRocks'. You can make multiple attacks, but it's still only one action.
Mind you...if you took a dip into fighter for Action Surge, then that would allow for a total of 6 attacks, possibly 7 if two-weapon fighting came into play, or 8-9 if it was a fighter dipping into barb (Okay, another question for the rules lawyers: CAN two-weapon fighting conceivably come into play here?)
to use two weapon fighting you need to have a light weapon in both hands and to use the claw you need to have a hand free, but if you just keep throwing away one handaxe per turn and you use your free object interaction per turn to always equip a new handaxe it should work just fine, make shure to pick up crossbow expert to not get disadvantage or mobile so you can run into and away from the range of your enemies before you start throwing
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
to use two weapon fighting you need to have a light weapon in both hands and to use the claw you need to have a hand free, but if you just keep throwing away one handaxe per turn and you use your free object interaction per turn to always equip a new handaxe it should work just fine, make shure to pick up crossbow expert to not get disadvantage or mobile so you can run into and away from the range of your enemies before you start throwing
Or instead of throwing it as a ranged attack you could just make a melee attack and then just drop one of the light weapons thus freeing up your hand for claw attacks. Kinda weird and cheesy to be using your item interaction to pick the weapon back up off the ground every turn but technically legal.
Bonus points for flavoring it as sticking the handaxe into your opponent's shoulder, slashing them with your claws a couple times, and then wrenching your handaxe back out of the wound.
to use two weapon fighting you need to have a light weapon in both hands and to use the claw you need to have a hand free, but if you just keep throwing away one handaxe per turn and you use your free object interaction per turn to always equip a new handaxe it should work just fine, make shure to pick up crossbow expert to not get disadvantage or mobile so you can run into and away from the range of your enemies before you start throwing
Or just take the Dual Wielder feat.
One of the aspects is that it removes the 'light weapon' requirement from dual wielding. Since the claws are 'weapons' that 'lack the light property' they would fall under the category of being affected by the Dual Wielder feat.
Of course, following this same logic, both of your hands are now clawed weapons and thus are no longer hands, as such you have no 'free hands' with which to hold a shield or grapple.
to use two weapon fighting you need to have a light weapon in both hands and to use the claw you need to have a hand free, but if you just keep throwing away one handaxe per turn and you use your free object interaction per turn to always equip a new handaxe it should work just fine, make shure to pick up crossbow expert to not get disadvantage or mobile so you can run into and away from the range of your enemies before you start throwing
Or just take the Dual Wielder feat.
One of the aspects is that it removes the 'light weapon' requirement from dual wielding. Since the claws are 'weapons' that 'lack the light property' they would fall under the category of being affected by the Dual Wielder feat.
except that the specific rules for two weapon fighting state that you need to hold an weapon for it to be affected by two weapon fighting, the feat does not change that and you are not holding your claws, they are attached presumably to your fingertips, so like no you cannot
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
to use two weapon fighting you need to have a light weapon in both hands and to use the claw you need to have a hand free, but if you just keep throwing away one handaxe per turn and you use your free object interaction per turn to always equip a new handaxe it should work just fine, make shure to pick up crossbow expert to not get disadvantage or mobile so you can run into and away from the range of your enemies before you start throwing
Or just take the Dual Wielder feat.
One of the aspects is that it removes the 'light weapon' requirement from dual wielding. Since the claws are 'weapons' that 'lack the light property' they would fall under the category of being affected by the Dual Wielder feat.
except that the specific rules for two weapon fighting state that you need to hold an weapon for it to be affected by two weapon fighting, the feat does not change that and you are not holding your claws, they are attached presumably to your fingertips, so like no you cannot
I'm content to agree to disagree on that one. It falls into the 'Specific vs General' classification of rules, IMO.
Though as I edited, if the DM agreed that the natural weapons did count as being 'held' then the hands are no longer 'Free' and cannot be used for Grapple or shield. Personally this is how I would rule this usage as it gives the three weapons three distinct usecases.
Claws: All out offense (both hands taken). Bite: Defensive Staying power (combine with shield and one handed weapon). Tail: Grapple Versatility (combine with shield and open hand for grapple).
Dan Dillon already answered that the claws grow from your fingers/your hands are transformed into claws so they are not being held and you can hold a weapon or grapple. but doing either of those does not count as using your claws for the purpose of making the 3rd claw attack.
Dual wield daggers, or tridents with the feat, just throw one, and make a claw attack, then an additional one, and then the next dagger/trident attack can be melee or ranged.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
6th level is actiually really good since it is at the exact same time as many four elements monks get acess to their second level spells.
also note that since you wanna make the eleventh level feature able to compete with greater restoration, an 5th level spell, it ought to cost arround 6 ki points, or somewhere arround 5-6 ki points. If the feature is still 1 ki to activate aura and 1 ki for a use of healing hands it might unbalance some stuff, like an succubi might charm an party member but not to worry, the monk can with just one ki point fix that. Or they might fight a medusa or basilisk and the monk can just constantly fix everyone who gets petrified, or suddenly being an berserker barbarian can go into their frenzy every range confident in that the monk can just fix their exhaustion.
also a thing i dont think we have talked about is how healing with a range of touch in general is more potent in the hands of an monk than any other character due to the fact that the monk play style is all about moving fast across the battlefield and generally being an skirmisher
also is the 17th level feature any stronger than the way of the open hand feature? not exactly relevant to the thing we are currently talking about at all but like it is there
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Reflavor the Miasma to be life sucking, make it necrotic instead of poison damage, and I'm honestly fine with it.
Thanks, and yes, I would of course want the cost to be appropriate.
I also used the lesser and greater terms more as short-hand for capabilities than full intention, I'm sure you get the drift though.
I personally don't see much of a problem using Ki points to undo Berserker Exhaustion, synergistic team work should always be valued in my mind and Berserker isn't so stupidly powerful that it would be unbalancing and would promote interaction between players as the monk and the barb become a more cohesive unit on and off the battlefield. In my mind I see the restoration abilities more as Out of Combat things but not relegated to a 'Rest' (perhaps a new use for a medicine kit?), but I left that thought out since I figured most people would find it overly restrictive, and there is something for the visual of the 'poke three nerve clusters and you're cured' vs 'lay down, ill get my accupuncture needles'. Both are fitting but have two very different things going on.
yes but if you are going to tie them to hands of healing they will automatically be in combat abillities in some way considering they cost only one ki point to do and takes only 1 action or 1 bonus action to "cast" so to speak, meaning that you must consider every condition the monk can cure with this feature and how often an player will be affected by it.
i recon an two player campaign with an monk and an barbarian would be a lot of fun, regardless of what subclasses they choose, as the monk learns to loosen up an adopt an less ridgid thinking pattern and world philosophy and the barbarian learns the values of more peaceful endeavors, one chaotic and one lawful, one can stun their opponents with their unarmed strikes and the other deal extra damage with critical hits, one might be able to easily trip opponents while the other can easily grapple opponents to keep them prone, one can take hits, the other can not, both prefer to nor be weighed down by armor, both are really fast
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Ok, since there seemed to be some interest in my crazy half baked idea I wrote it up.
Way of Mercy 2.0
Implements of Mercy
3rd level Feature
You gain proficiency in the insight or medicine skill (your choice), and you gain proficiency with the herbalism kit and the poisoner’s kit.
Hands of healing
3rd level feature
Your mystical touch can mend wounds. As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to touch a creature and restore a number of hit points equal to a roll of your martial arts die + your wisdom modifier.
When you use your flurry of blows, you can replace one of the unarmed strikes with a use of this feature without spending its ki cost.
Hands of Harm
3rd level feature
You use your ki to infect wounds. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 ki point to deal extra necrotic damage equal to one roll of your martial arts die. If the creature is incapacitated or poisoned, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to three rolls of your martial arts die instead. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.
Noxious Aura
6 level feature
As a bonus action, you spend 1 ki point to turn your ki into an aura of toxic miasma. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction , but not through total cover. It lasts for 1 minute, until you’re incapacitated, or you dismiss it (no action required)
While your aura is active, ranged attacks have disadvantage against you. Any other creature that starts its turn in the aura must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of your next turn and take poison damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 0 damage).
Rejuvenating Aura
6 level feature
As an Action, you can spend 3 Ki points to create a rejuvenating positive energy around you. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. It lasts 10 minutes, until you’re incapacitated, take any offensive action involving an attack roll or forcing a saving throw, or you dismiss it (no action required)
While your aura is active, when you use your Healing Hands feature , you can also end one disease or a condition from the following list affecting the creature: Blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.
Enhanced Noxious Aura
11 level feature
You have become adept at weaving your poison into the ki of all things. Your Noxious Aura can now affect creatures that resistant or immune to poison as if they had no resistance at all. The damage they take per turn also increases to 2x your wisdom modifier (minimum of 0 damage).
Enhanced Rejuvenating Aura
11 level feature
You have mastered the esoteric healing of the body and the spirit. You may now activate a more enhanced rejuvenating aura when the need arises. As a bonus action, and for an additional 3 ki points you can upgrade your rejuvenating aura to a enhanced rejuvenating aura. With this aura you can use your healing hands ability to reduce exhaustion by 1 level, restore an effect reducing the targets hit point maximum, any reduction of the targets ability scores, or one effect that Charmed or Petrified the target.
As a Material component, creating this enhanced aura consumes 100gp worth of diamond dust which the aura consumes.
Hand of Mercy
17 level feature
Unchanged.
I added the caveat to the healing aura that it drops if the monk takes an offensive action. This way YES you can absolutely run around lesser restoring everyone in combat, but at the total cost of your offensive capabilities, which on a striker class chassis like a Monk is a pretty big deal. So it's more of a tactical decision than a hard 'No, you cant do that'
Hand of Mercy is a good feature. But... Hand of Mercy + Freedom of Movement spell is utterly broken. That needs to be fixed, long before this subclass becomes official.
It took me a minute to figure out what you are saying. I get it now. But you seem to be overreacting just a smidge.
The only downside to Hand of Mercy is the paralyze effect, Freedom of movement says the paralyze effect cannot apply. So the end result is that you or someone else is now immune to all damage, poison etc, etc.
Assuming that was not an intended use case (some of those 17 monk skills are wacky), it's a super easy fix in the words.
"During this time, the creature is paralyzed, has immunity to all damage, and any curse, disease, or poison affecting it is suspended."
to
"During this time, the creature is paralyzed, while paralyzed it additionally has immunity to all damage, and any curse, disease, or poison affecting it is suspended."
I'll certainly be putting that into the review when i fill it out for WoTC though, it's a good edge case scenario catch.
Kind of makes you able to cast no concentration invulnerability with a 17 day duration only for 4 ki points.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Regarding the barbarian's claws.. It says that when you take the attack action you can take an additional one as part of THAT attack. Doesnt say once on your turn like other features do either.
That leads me to believe that at level 5 you can make 4x claw attacks. 1 claw attack + free claw attack as part of THAT action
Then a 2nd claw attack + free claw attack as part of THAT action.
And you would still have your bonus action. (Would claws be considered light for a 5th 2wf attack? Why aren't fists light. Right hook, left hook was the first 2wf combo!)
Others seem to not think so but this is what it reads like to me.
This is wrong. It says, " When you take the Attack action on your turn and make an attack with your claws, you can make one additional attack using your claws as part of the same action." This means, you have to take the Attack action and attack with the claws at least once, and you get an additional attack with claws. This is limited to only once each turn, but doesn't need to say it.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Yeah, I had wondered about that too, but my understanding is the same as LeviRocks'. You can make multiple attacks, but it's still only one action.
Mind you...if you took a dip into fighter for Action Surge, then that would allow for a total of 6 attacks, possibly 7 if two-weapon fighting came into play, or 8-9 if it was a fighter dipping into barb (Okay, another question for the rules lawyers: CAN two-weapon fighting conceivably come into play here?)
to use two weapon fighting you need to have a light weapon in both hands and to use the claw you need to have a hand free, but if you just keep throwing away one handaxe per turn and you use your free object interaction per turn to always equip a new handaxe it should work just fine, make shure to pick up crossbow expert to not get disadvantage or mobile so you can run into and away from the range of your enemies before you start throwing
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Or instead of throwing it as a ranged attack you could just make a melee attack and then just drop one of the light weapons thus freeing up your hand for claw attacks. Kinda weird and cheesy to be using your item interaction to pick the weapon back up off the ground every turn but technically legal.
Bonus points for flavoring it as sticking the handaxe into your opponent's shoulder, slashing them with your claws a couple times, and then wrenching your handaxe back out of the wound.
Or just take the Dual Wielder feat.
One of the aspects is that it removes the 'light weapon' requirement from dual wielding. Since the claws are 'weapons' that 'lack the light property' they would fall under the category of being affected by the Dual Wielder feat.
Of course, following this same logic, both of your hands are now clawed weapons and thus are no longer hands, as such you have no 'free hands' with which to hold a shield or grapple.
except that the specific rules for two weapon fighting state that you need to hold an weapon for it to be affected by two weapon fighting, the feat does not change that and you are not holding your claws, they are attached presumably to your fingertips, so like no you cannot
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
I'm content to agree to disagree on that one. It falls into the 'Specific vs General' classification of rules, IMO.
Though as I edited, if the DM agreed that the natural weapons did count as being 'held' then the hands are no longer 'Free' and cannot be used for Grapple or shield. Personally this is how I would rule this usage as it gives the three weapons three distinct usecases.
Claws: All out offense (both hands taken). Bite: Defensive Staying power (combine with shield and one handed weapon). Tail: Grapple Versatility (combine with shield and open hand for grapple).
Dan Dillon already answered that the claws grow from your fingers/your hands are transformed into claws so they are not being held and you can hold a weapon or grapple. but doing either of those does not count as using your claws for the purpose of making the 3rd claw attack.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137390-weretouched-beasthide
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137424-weretouched-longtooth
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137431-weretouched-razorclaw
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137461-weretouched-swiftstride
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137646-weretouched-wildhunt
wait so we dont even need a silly attack routine i can just hold two weapons?
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
I mean, yes you can hold two weapons. But you can't attack with your claws while holding the weapon.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137390-weretouched-beasthide
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137424-weretouched-longtooth
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137431-weretouched-razorclaw
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137461-weretouched-swiftstride
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137646-weretouched-wildhunt
Dual wield daggers, or tridents with the feat, just throw one, and make a claw attack, then an additional one, and then the next dagger/trident attack can be melee or ranged.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms