Monk was one of my favorite classes in 1E AD&D, though it was hard to achieve with its high stat requirements but when I had the chance, I played one.
Thought it would be nice to have a thread to share your favorite Monk character and any interesting and fun concepts you’ve either played or want to play,
One I had in AD&D was a Monk whose monastery practiced the fighting style of the Thri-Kreen (my favorite monster as you can tell from my name) who uses shuriken that looked like the Thri-Kreen throwing wedges and similar style quarter staff.
I have a few builds on this forum I would like to try like my Goblin Spores Druid/Long Death monk. After being captured and enslaved by Mind Flayers he was able to escape when the Mind Flayers were attached, by whom he never waited around to find out. He wandered through the Underdark where he survived on all sorts of mushrooms and other fungi where the then made a mystical connection to the death and decay that surrounded him and he gained insight and power both magical and physical
A hairy lumbering Bugbear approaches, a club dragging in the dirt in one hand and a wine skin in the other. He introduces himself as Brogram, takes a swig from the skin and says “I got a club and I hit things” it’s not until a combat starts that you realize he isn’t what he seems as he darts and flows through the enemy, stumbling as if drunk, yet striking with precision anyone who gets within his long limbed reach
A kobold "Long Death" Monk with a death wish...maybe they're the last of their tribe, wiped out by a party of adventurers...or perhaps they are just part of a monastery of particularly "enlightened" kobolds...
A kobold "Long Death" monk is particularly brilliant for two reasons: "Pack Tactics" & "Grovel, Cower & Beg".
"Pack Tactics" means that the kobold gets advantage on their attack rolls as long as an ally is within 5ft of their target...and a kobold monk is going to be attacking VERY often, thanks to their "Flurry of Blows".
This means more opportunities to inflict "Stunning Strike"...and more opportunities to actually kill the target.
Killing the target for a Long Death monk means that they get their Temporary HP buff from "Touch of Death"...so all these features mesh particularly well together.
It gets better with "Grovel, Cower & Beg":
Normally, this feature is a bit of a joke...yeah, you're allies get advantage on all enemies within 10ft of the kobold while he is begging for his life...but you're putting the kobold at risk by doing this.
Well...with you're Temporary HP from "Touch of Death"...you've got a bit of a damage-buffer to safely use this feature, while supporting your allies.
...and at higher levels, the Long Death kobold can ignore deathblows by simply expending a single Ki-point.
Imagine a group of bandits trying to kill this groveling kobold...and he simply WILL...NOT...DIE.
...and then the kobold activates their "Hour of Reaping".
Now it's the bandits who are screaming.
Honestly, the features of the Long Death Monk seem tailor-made for the kobold character.
I posted this on another thread. It's an idea I had and we have tested in a few combat only scenarios with the DM but I'm planning to test it through a full module/adventure.
I'm really drawn to a Monk character for the last two months. The concept that is really speaking to me right now is a Shadow Monk/War Magic Wizard lv 2. So Monk 6/Wiz 2... The extra shield spells augment the unarmored defense, absorb elements help keep you alive, especially after 7th level. Then after you run out of spell slots, you get the +2 ac/+4 saving throw bonus. The big key, I think, is the init bonus from intelligence which makes it earlier in the round you can shadow step, get bonus on your first attack (stunning strike) then if successful you have advantage on all attacks through the end of your next turn plus advantage for all your allies. I think that's key. Any bonus to initiative is awesome in that scenario, the earlier you stun, the more attacks at advantage. I plan to full on test this build in a complete adventure as opposed to just some combat encounters the DM and I have played out.
I posted this on another thread. It's an idea I had and we have tested in a few combat only scenarios with the DM but I'm planning to test it through a full module/adventure.
I'm really drawn to a Monk character for the last two months. The concept that is really speaking to me right now is a Shadow Monk/War Magic Wizard lv 2. So Monk 6/Wiz 2... The extra shield spells augment the unarmored defense, absorb elements help keep you alive, especially after 7th level. Then after you run out of spell slots, you get the +2 ac/+4 saving throw bonus. The big key, I think, is the init bonus from intelligence which makes it earlier in the round you can shadow step, get bonus on your first attack (stunning strike) then if successful you have advantage on all attacks through the end of your next turn plus advantage for all your allies. I think that's key. Any bonus to initiative is awesome in that scenario, the earlier you stun, the more attacks at advantage. I plan to full on test this build in a complete adventure as opposed to just some combat encounters the DM and I have played out.
Sounds like a fun build, let us know how it plays. Did you roll stats? Seems MAD with having to keep Dex and Wis high plus Int for the initiative bonus. Usually people seem to put Con third for HP. That’s a lot to spread around. But if it’s fun, have at it.
I did roll stats. The DM in my game rolls and gives them to us to distribute in any order we want. Stats are good. Con is the 4th stat though. Then a tossup between str/cha. Although with a half elf, cha will be at least average. Why a half elf you may ask instead of a wood elf? Good question. I get all the plusses to playing a wood elf monk. But I like the extra skill that half elf variant gives you. Plus it gives access to elven accuracy feat which is nice with that first attack after shadow step being at advantage...with three rolls it all but guarantees you will get a hit and be able to try and stun the target. Maxing dex and wisdom is important but I've found that usually by level 4 in almost any other campaign there have been a couple of magic items that help AC for the squishier types. I am assuming the same will be true if I campaign this character and I can snag one of those.
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Monk was one of my favorite classes in 1E AD&D, though it was hard to achieve with its high stat requirements but when I had the chance, I played one.
Thought it would be nice to have a thread to share your favorite Monk character and any interesting and fun concepts you’ve either played or want to play,
One I had in AD&D was a Monk whose monastery practiced the fighting style of the Thri-Kreen (my favorite monster as you can tell from my name) who uses shuriken that looked like the Thri-Kreen throwing wedges and similar style quarter staff.
Kensei Monk/Hunter Ranger
Spores Druid/Long Death Monk
I have a few builds on this forum I would like to try like my Goblin Spores Druid/Long Death monk. After being captured and enslaved by Mind Flayers he was able to escape when the Mind Flayers were attached, by whom he never waited around to find out. He wandered through the Underdark where he survived on all sorts of mushrooms and other fungi where the then made a mystical connection to the death and decay that surrounded him and he gained insight and power both magical and physical
A hairy lumbering Bugbear approaches, a club dragging in the dirt in one hand and a wine skin in the other. He introduces himself as Brogram, takes a swig from the skin and says “I got a club and I hit things” it’s not until a combat starts that you realize he isn’t what he seems as he darts and flows through the enemy, stumbling as if drunk, yet striking with precision anyone who gets within his long limbed reach
anyone else like to share their Monk ideas?
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
So...picture this...
A kobold "Long Death" Monk with a death wish...maybe they're the last of their tribe, wiped out by a party of adventurers...or perhaps they are just part of a monastery of particularly "enlightened" kobolds...
A kobold "Long Death" monk is particularly brilliant for two reasons: "Pack Tactics" & "Grovel, Cower & Beg".
"Pack Tactics" means that the kobold gets advantage on their attack rolls as long as an ally is within 5ft of their target...and a kobold monk is going to be attacking VERY often, thanks to their "Flurry of Blows".
This means more opportunities to inflict "Stunning Strike"...and more opportunities to actually kill the target.
Killing the target for a Long Death monk means that they get their Temporary HP buff from "Touch of Death"...so all these features mesh particularly well together.
It gets better with "Grovel, Cower & Beg":
Normally, this feature is a bit of a joke...yeah, you're allies get advantage on all enemies within 10ft of the kobold while he is begging for his life...but you're putting the kobold at risk by doing this.
Well...with you're Temporary HP from "Touch of Death"...you've got a bit of a damage-buffer to safely use this feature, while supporting your allies.
...and at higher levels, the Long Death kobold can ignore deathblows by simply expending a single Ki-point.
Imagine a group of bandits trying to kill this groveling kobold...and he simply WILL...NOT...DIE.
...and then the kobold activates their "Hour of Reaping".
Now it's the bandits who are screaming.
Honestly, the features of the Long Death Monk seem tailor-made for the kobold character.
I posted this on another thread. It's an idea I had and we have tested in a few combat only scenarios with the DM but I'm planning to test it through a full module/adventure.
I'm really drawn to a Monk character for the last two months. The concept that is really speaking to me right now is a Shadow Monk/War Magic Wizard lv 2. So Monk 6/Wiz 2... The extra shield spells augment the unarmored defense, absorb elements help keep you alive, especially after 7th level. Then after you run out of spell slots, you get the +2 ac/+4 saving throw bonus. The big key, I think, is the init bonus from intelligence which makes it earlier in the round you can shadow step, get bonus on your first attack (stunning strike) then if successful you have advantage on all attacks through the end of your next turn plus advantage for all your allies. I think that's key. Any bonus to initiative is awesome in that scenario, the earlier you stun, the more attacks at advantage. I plan to full on test this build in a complete adventure as opposed to just some combat encounters the DM and I have played out.
Sounds like a fun build, let us know how it plays. Did you roll stats? Seems MAD with having to keep Dex and Wis high plus Int for the initiative bonus. Usually people seem to put Con third for HP. That’s a lot to spread around. But if it’s fun, have at it.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
I did roll stats. The DM in my game rolls and gives them to us to distribute in any order we want. Stats are good. Con is the 4th stat though. Then a tossup between str/cha. Although with a half elf, cha will be at least average. Why a half elf you may ask instead of a wood elf? Good question. I get all the plusses to playing a wood elf monk. But I like the extra skill that half elf variant gives you. Plus it gives access to elven accuracy feat which is nice with that first attack after shadow step being at advantage...with three rolls it all but guarantees you will get a hit and be able to try and stun the target. Maxing dex and wisdom is important but I've found that usually by level 4 in almost any other campaign there have been a couple of magic items that help AC for the squishier types. I am assuming the same will be true if I campaign this character and I can snag one of those.