our Dm is creating a new campaign. and we have all been tasked to create a char outside our wheelhouse. to spread our wings and try something we wouldn't normally play. i have never played a goliath nore a monk. so i am going way outside my box on this one and could use your help in nailing one down anything and everything you can think of to be of assistance would be appreciated. im creating the backstory as we speak. a traveling monk lost in the wilderness stumbles upon a Warband of orcs fighting a female goliath as she is dispatching the last one. mortally wounded, dying he tries to help her. all of his efforts are in vain and her last and only words are "my baby". the monk delivers the child. and raises him as his own. ( i still got more to hammer out but its a foundation. pre thanks for any and all help.

Goliath can definitely work, especially if you want to make a Strength based monk. The only issue with Strength based monks is that the monk class is dependent on multiple ability scores (usually referred to as M.A.D)

Monks want a good Dex score because this applies to their unarmored AC and can be used as their primary attack score

Monks want a good Wis score because this applies to their unarmored AC and their save DC for ki effects

Monks want a good Con score because....well....more health is good. (this should be covered by your racial ASI) 

Now, obviously, I could be reading your intent for this character wrong. Making a Dex-based Goliath monk is also perfectly fine, but your Str score will probably be boosted by your racial ASIs. 

I once made a Str-based Goliath Way of the Shadow Monk, trying to go for an imposing figure that is surprisingly stealthy. It was fun, but sadly the campaign did not last long enough for me to really get a feel for how well the character worked. 

i have seen people refer to a str based monk. but PHB page 78 it says doing unarmed/monk based weapons during combat you use dex instead of str for determining attack and damage rolls. so what's the reason for doing a strength build?

Quote from megafreakintron >>

i have seen people refer to a str based monk. but PHB page 78 it says doing unarmed/monk based weapons during combat you use dex instead of str for determining attack and damage rolls. so what's the reason for doing a strength build?

 From their Martial Arts feature, a monk CAN use Dex in place of Str for unarmed strikes and attacks made with monk weapons. The key is that you do not have to. You can still choose to use Str (which is the normal modifier for those types of attacks).

Consider making your Goliath monk a STR-based grappler.  Open hand has lots of control abilities that synergize with grappling, like knock prone on flurry of blows.  

I’m doing something similar with a tortle monk.  Tortle makes it less MAD because I don’t need much DEX.  

Depending on what your DM has access to or allows, I forget which, but one of the rule sets allows for the creation of races to swap their bonuses to match their class primary stat.

ill ask a friend where it is. hes our dm and for shits and giggles he made a goliath wizard using those rules

 I think it was Tasha's cauldron  under customizing origin rules and assign the ability score increase that your character comes with to the ability score of your choosing

If this is your first time playing a monk I would say do not go STR based. Monk is designed around DEX and WIS. And unless you are ready for a challenge, and hearing from other people’s experiences monks can be a challenge to play well to begin with, then you might not enjoy the character. 

I've only played one monk so far (lvl 17 Tabaxi kensai monk) but it has been great! Maxing out my dex and wis through ability score improvements through lvling, I have a 20 AC with no armor or shield plus I can use a ki point to dodge or make an unarmed attack and gain +2 ac that round. My DM hates Todd Mountain Tree!

I do hate Todd Mountain Tree

Totem Bearbarian Empty Hand monk grappler. But that’s a bad idea for you for a multitude of reasons.

I would go Long Death Monk over empty hand. Long Death gives you good synergy with your racial abilities. Being able to stand on the front lines and focusing on damage output while you generate temporary hit points. And if you’re hit with a nasty crit your racial ability will save you from taking tons of damage on top of your temporary hit points. 

Plus it sort of fits with the flavor of your background. You have been surrounded by death and survival and it has fascinated you at how fragile life is. 

Ask your dm about using the optional ability score changes from Tasha's Cauldron for your goliath monk. Also, consider doing more research on various media that include stories about monks. Your monk doesn't even have to be from a monastery if you don't want them to. There are many ways to flavor your character. Do research, be open to inspiration, and have fun! (Also consider astral self monk to avoid having to rely on high strength, a strength based monk really isn't worth the hassle)

I literally statted one of these for Lulz a while back. Let me fetch the link https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/Darkaiser/characters/57761267

I would have gone Barb 4/ Monk 16 but I really wanted the Quivering Palm thing. So essentially this is all of the BIG characters you see in the martial arts movies. Using STR instead of Dex to hit means the additional damage from Rage counts. The 15 AC isn't really a worry since you'll have Resistance while Raging. At the top end you'll be doing piles of damage with Flurry of blows.