Hello! I have a player who loves to create, role play, and innovate. They've approached me with a proposed monk subclass called Way of the Earth Titan. This player is a good one and I want to give them an unbiased judgment. The player explained that they were inspired by Avatar the Last Airbender and wanted to make a monk with cool earth and stone based abilities.
WAY OF THE EARTH TITAN
3rd level perks
Rockslide: When you use the Dash Action, you may expend a ki point to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, targeting a creature within your reach at any point during your move. On a hit, the target takes normal damage and the target must succeed on a STR saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency + your STR modifier) or fall prone.
Granted proficiency in Athletics if the monk doesn’t already possess it.
Feature change: Unarmoured Defence is 10 + WIS modifier + STR or CON modifier, instead of DEX modifier.
6th level perks
Earth Hurl: you gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30/120 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Strength modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is force, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
When you take the Attack action on your turn and use this special attack as part of it, you can spend 1 ki point to make the special attack twice as a bonus action.
When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.
The Earth Speaks: gain tremorsense out to a range of 30 feet.
11th level perks
Crushing Blow: on a hit, use a ki point to force a target to make a Dexterity saving throw equal to 8 + proficiency bonus + the monk’s Strength modifier; on a fail, the target has disadvantage on Dex saves & reduce the target’s AC by a number equal to the monk’s Strength modifier until the end of the monk’s next turn.
This ability cannot be used in conjunction with Stunning Strike. If a target is already stunned, this ability cannot be used.
Stone’s resilience: gain resistance to nonmagical piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage.
17th level perks
Spirit of the Earth Titan: monk regains 10 hp at the start of their turn, spending 5 ki points as a bonus action, if they have at least 1 hp.
even if it is Earth Titan-themed it is still a monk, i suggest you don't change the Unarmored Defense feature to STR/CON
Earth Hurl
This does not make sense that it is a d4 but it follows the Martial Arts column(which at 6th level is a d6, not a d4). Also, it is too weak for a 6th level feature even when combined with the tremorsense, because at that point monk's unarmed strikes are magical so no reason to use force damage, so this will probably be unused a lot. Maybe change it around a bit to not step on unarmed strike's toes, the only difference is that it's ranged, but monks already have +15 speed. I'd suggest making it an AoE. Also at that point they already have extra attack so it's not When you gain the Extra Attack feature...
Crushing Blow
I like the AC lowering, however I don't understand why it cannot be used in conjuction with stunning strike.
Stone's resilience
This seems pretty OP... tons of monsters have B/P/S damage
Sprit of the Earth
Have not completely understood this... you spend 5 ki points to regian 10 hp at the start of your turn? for how long?
if you mean the Unarmored Defense it's because you don't want to make the monk too STR-based just because of a subclass. Sure, some features that use STR are fine but i would avoid trying to change a major monk feature
Jayden0- Earth hurl is based on the Sun Soul's Radiant Sun Bolt. I agree that the extra speed generally makes ranged attacks improbable; however, I see no harm in allowing this ability, especially since it's based on another established subclass ability. I changed the damage type as the DM. The player initially had it as bludgeoning damage. I changed it to force as an indication of the power behind it.
Crushing Blow- not interchangeable with Stunning Strike for balance.
Stone's Endurance- good point. Perhaps it costs ki and lasts for a time period? Treat it like the stoneskin spell?
Spirit of the Earth- the party is 3rd level. I will ask the player how long they intended the regeneration to last.
ah, yes but Sun Bolt is a 3rd level feature whereas Earth Hurl is a 6th level one. There is no problem letting him have this, but i figured there should be a bit of a power difference
For the Earth Hurl thing, Jayden0 is just saying that Sun Bolt is d4 because at 3rd level your unarmed strikes are a d4.
At 6th level however, they are not a d4, therefore it makes no sense for Earth Hurl to be a d4 when Sun Bolt or a unarmed strike would be a d6.
Of course, there's the whole "This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table. so it would basically be a d6 at level 6 anyways, but why not put that in writing as well?
Hello! I have a player who loves to create, role play, and innovate. They've approached me with a proposed monk subclass called Way of the Earth Titan. This player is a good one and I want to give them an unbiased judgment. The player explained that they were inspired by Avatar the Last Airbender and wanted to make a monk with cool earth and stone based abilities.
WAY OF THE EARTH TITAN
3rd level perks
Rockslide: When you use the Dash Action, you may expend a ki point to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, targeting a creature within your reach at any point during your move. On a hit, the target takes normal damage and the target must succeed on a STR saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency + your STR modifier) or fall prone.
Granted proficiency in Athletics if the monk doesn’t already possess it.
Feature change: Unarmoured Defence is 10 + WIS modifier + STR or CON modifier, instead of DEX modifier.
6th level perks
Earth Hurl: you gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30/120 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Strength modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is force, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
When you take the Attack action on your turn and use this special attack as part of it, you can spend 1 ki point to make the special attack twice as a bonus action.
When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.
The Earth Speaks: gain tremorsense out to a range of 30 feet.
11th level perks
Crushing Blow: on a hit, use a ki point to force a target to make a Dexterity saving throw equal to 8 + proficiency bonus + the monk’s Strength modifier; on a fail, the target has disadvantage on Dex saves & reduce the target’s AC by a number equal to the monk’s Strength modifier until the end of the monk’s next turn.
This ability cannot be used in conjunction with Stunning Strike. If a target is already stunned, this ability cannot be used.
Stone’s resilience: gain resistance to nonmagical piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage.
17th level perks
Spirit of the Earth Titan: monk regains 10 hp at the start of their turn, spending 5 ki points as a bonus action, if they have at least 1 hp.
Immune to petrification.
Gain advantage with Constitution saving throws.
Does the tremor sense include the ability to use a Ki point and your reaction to increase your AC by 5?
even if it is Earth Titan-themed it is still a monk, i suggest you don't change the Unarmored Defense feature to STR/CON
Earth Hurl
This does not make sense that it is a d4 but it follows the Martial Arts column(which at 6th level is a d6, not a d4). Also, it is too weak for a 6th level feature even when combined with the tremorsense, because at that point monk's unarmed strikes are magical so no reason to use force damage, so this will probably be unused a lot. Maybe change it around a bit to not step on unarmed strike's toes, the only difference is that it's ranged, but monks already have +15 speed. I'd suggest making it an AoE. Also at that point they already have extra attack so it's not When you gain the Extra Attack feature...
Crushing Blow
I like the AC lowering, however I don't understand why it cannot be used in conjuction with stunning strike.
Stone's resilience
This seems pretty OP... tons of monsters have B/P/S damage
Sprit of the Earth
Have not completely understood this... you spend 5 ki points to regian 10 hp at the start of your turn? for how long?
I hadn't considered that. May I ask why?
for what?
if you mean the Unarmored Defense it's because you don't want to make the monk too STR-based just because of a subclass. Sure, some features that use STR are fine but i would avoid trying to change a major monk feature
Jayden0- Earth hurl is based on the Sun Soul's Radiant Sun Bolt. I agree that the extra speed generally makes ranged attacks improbable; however, I see no harm in allowing this ability, especially since it's based on another established subclass ability. I changed the damage type as the DM. The player initially had it as bludgeoning damage. I changed it to force as an indication of the power behind it.
Crushing Blow- not interchangeable with Stunning Strike for balance.
Stone's Endurance- good point. Perhaps it costs ki and lasts for a time period? Treat it like the stoneskin spell?
Spirit of the Earth- the party is 3rd level. I will ask the player how long they intended the regeneration to last.
Thanks for the input!
ah, yes but Sun Bolt is a 3rd level feature whereas Earth Hurl is a 6th level one. There is no problem letting him have this, but i figured there should be a bit of a power difference
no problem, i hope it was helpful
For the Earth Hurl thing, Jayden0 is just saying that Sun Bolt is d4 because at 3rd level your unarmed strikes are a d4.
At 6th level however, they are not a d4, therefore it makes no sense for Earth Hurl to be a d4 when Sun Bolt or a unarmed strike would be a d6.
Of course, there's the whole "This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table. so it would basically be a d6 at level 6 anyways, but why not put that in writing as well?
if I edit a message, most of the time it's because of grammar. The rest of the time I'll put "Edit:" at the bottom.