It used to bug me that monks don't appear to have a way to throw people around for damage. Yes your athletics may also not be great but a level of rogue or skilled feat will expertise you right up, and or a barb lvl will get u advantge when raging, so no need to ever take str above a 13. But how to use it? I was looking at wildshape monk combos when I noticed that basic monk already has everything it needs to throw people around starting at lvl 4 (if you solve the athletics problem):
1. Fall dmg reduced by 5 per monk lvl
2. Step of the Wind
3. Unarmored Movement Improvement
All you have to do is grapple somebody then use step of the wind to get a bonus action dash, then drag them at 1/2 speed up to the nearest balcony and jump off. They take 1d6 dmg per 10 feet and are proned, no save. You still have them grappled and take no dmg, and are therefore not prone. They can't stand up on their turn until they break your grapple. What if there's no balcony? Is there a tree or a rope around? Climbing is 1/2 speed. So now you're moving 1/4 but you only need to make it 10 ft. Then at lvl 9... you can run up walls or over water but physics reasserts itself if you end your turn there. So you can drag somebody up a wall at normal dragging speed (1/2) and just fall off with them when you run out of move (with normal monk speed, dash and step of the wind that would be 135 ft / 2 or 6d6, 7d6 if you can get another 5 ft, presuming you have 70 feet of wall). Or drag them out over water then drop em and run back. This is all notwithstanding the normal use of grappling which is to drag em into the wizard's AOE or the fancy terrain feature, which you are also amazing at with all your extra move.
I had never considered this before. Could be a fun move to use in a combat, but could get boring if used to much.
Astral Self monks are by far the best grappling monks. Like you said, get the Skill Expert feat to get expertise in Athletics (VHuman or Custom Lineage can get this at level 1), focus on Wisdom and when your Astral Arms are active you can use Wisdom instead of Strength for your Athletics check (you still have to use your real arms to grapple). At level 8 you can have +11 to your Athletics (WIS) check. And you can dump Strength if you want.
I agree, abusing it is a good way to get your DM to start putting you in rooms with low ceilings. In fact I think that's why wotc were willing to bake it in to begin with - the DM can just nerf the scenery if they don't want it. They can't stop you from dragging/shoving people into a buddy's AOE though. On second glance: Long Death can fear em so they can't leave the AOE, Open Hand can knock em back 15', Elements can do 20', Dragon can straight up fly with em at lvl 6, and Shadow can jump into any bottomless pit with them then disappear as long as it's dark :D ...also goliaths and duergar monks would be tons of fun.
It used to bug me that monks don't appear to have a way to throw people around for damage. Yes your athletics may also not be great but a level of rogue or skilled feat will expertise you right up, and or a barb lvl will get u advantge when raging, so no need to ever take str above a 13. But how to use it? I was looking at wildshape monk combos when I noticed that basic monk already has everything it needs to throw people around starting at lvl 4 (if you solve the athletics problem):
1. Fall dmg reduced by 5 per monk lvl
2. Step of the Wind
3. Unarmored Movement Improvement
All you have to do is grapple somebody then use step of the wind to get a bonus action dash, then drag them at 1/2 speed up to the nearest balcony and jump off. They take 1d6 dmg per 10 feet and are proned, no save. You still have them grappled and take no dmg, and are therefore not prone. They can't stand up on their turn until they break your grapple. What if there's no balcony? Is there a tree or a rope around? Climbing is 1/2 speed. So now you're moving 1/4 but you only need to make it 10 ft. Then at lvl 9... you can run up walls or over water but physics reasserts itself if you end your turn there. So you can drag somebody up a wall at normal dragging speed (1/2) and just fall off with them when you run out of move (with normal monk speed, dash and step of the wind that would be 135 ft / 2 or 6d6, 7d6 if you can get another 5 ft, presuming you have 70 feet of wall). Or drag them out over water then drop em and run back. This is all notwithstanding the normal use of grappling which is to drag em into the wizard's AOE or the fancy terrain feature, which you are also amazing at with all your extra move.
Anyway just wondering if anybody has done this.
I had never considered this before. Could be a fun move to use in a combat, but could get boring if used to much.
Astral Self monks are by far the best grappling monks. Like you said, get the Skill Expert feat to get expertise in Athletics (VHuman or Custom Lineage can get this at level 1), focus on Wisdom and when your Astral Arms are active you can use Wisdom instead of Strength for your Athletics check (you still have to use your real arms to grapple). At level 8 you can have +11 to your Athletics (WIS) check. And you can dump Strength if you want.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
I agree, abusing it is a good way to get your DM to start putting you in rooms with low ceilings. In fact I think that's why wotc were willing to bake it in to begin with - the DM can just nerf the scenery if they don't want it. They can't stop you from dragging/shoving people into a buddy's AOE though. On second glance: Long Death can fear em so they can't leave the AOE, Open Hand can knock em back 15', Elements can do 20', Dragon can straight up fly with em at lvl 6, and Shadow can jump into any bottomless pit with them then disappear as long as it's dark :D
...also goliaths and duergar monks would be tons of fun.
they should add way of the thrower and way of the submission artist.