Hey, monks are fun. They let you feel like a real badass action hero. But as damage dealers they aren’t the best. So I want to know what’s your Highest Damaging Monk.
Guidelines: Lev 16 monk, Standard Array, No Multiclass, No Magic Items. - As Fezzik would say “Skill against Skill Alone”. Average the damage over 3 rounds of combat.
Here is simple one, may not be the best but contrary to popular opinion The Four Elements Monk:
With Fangs of the Fire Snake a monk can increase its their hits by 1d10 per strike for the cost of 1 ki (+ 1ki per hit).
So Attack Action (2 strikes) + Bonus Action (FOB 2 Strikes) + Fangs of Fire Snake = 4x((1d8+5)+1d10) = 60 average damage per round. Costing 6 ki points in a round (18 ki total (which you don’t have) over a 3 round combat).
If you gain Hex from magic initiate or the new Fey Touched feat you can add a 1d6. So = 4x((1d8+5)1d10+1d6) = 74 average damage. Cast hex the first round in combat lowers the Ki cost that round to 3 (15 ki total then over the 3 rounds) but your damage the first round is only 2x(1d8+5)+1d10+1d6) = 37 average damage.
Over the 3 rounds with hex it averages to around 62 (61.6) damage per round needing 15 ki points and 1 bonus action hex spell. The game assume a 60% hit accuracy ( the old war-gamer standard was 2/3 but close enough) so about 37 (36.6) damage per round factoring that in. (See page 274 DMG for more info on that)
keep in mind that the Ki cost is actually lower because you only hit around 60% of the time and you don’t spend Ki on Fire Snake hits when you don’t hit. So the reality is you will probably only spend 4 ki a turn because 2 of your attacks will probably miss every round.
note: I think a fair standard for damage is a warlock casting eldritch blast while having agonizing blast and hex up. To be honest it’s not a super high standard. So with the same restrictions = 3x((1d10+5) +1d6) = 42 average damage. Costing 1 bonus action spell. So at 2/3 accuracy that’s about 25 ( 25.2) damage per round at lev 16. A damage character (DPS to use MMO vernacular) should do at least this much to be viable for this thought experiment.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
I've got a Kobold 4 elements Monk and am Picking up the Eldritch Claw Tattoo. Due to tending to have advantage decently often I hit quite a bit I'm doing a fair bit of damage a turn just at level 5. I'm only a 1d6+4 on my MA damage currently but with the extra 1d6 from Eldritch claw when it's activated and the fact that I hit rather often I'm doing pretty good with averageing 30 or so damage a turn and having a max damage possibility of just over 60 when they are activated. not counting things like Fangs of the Fire Snake. Or using water whip to move enemies around the battlefield for an average damage about similar to 3 of my normal attacks when it works. I haven't talked to the DM about potentially getting ki fueled strike yet but it would up my damage a bit when I use that tactic by allowing me an extra hit as a bonus action after pulling them over and I already have the option of spending 1 more ki point to up water whips damage just at my level.
Once I can get a few more levels and another ASI or two and perhaps something to give me haste my damage will be even better each round when I really turn it on but that is going to take some time and it will almost never be in one large hit like some other classes.
(Edit: I missed your no magic item line in your original post. I was just going with a character that I actually have. Which is only has the one magical item to speak of and is unlikely to pick up other combat magical items as I go. There is just not the need that everybody makes of them.)
Kensei... depending on how your DM rules how Flurry of Blows and Ki-fueled Attack combine, you could conceivably launch four attacks with your weapon a turn. Use the level 11 feature to boost your weapon to +3 accuracy and damage. Once a turn, you deal an extra 1d8 for 1 ki. So far, that's 6 ki. With 10 left, we'll save it for Focused Aim. Between the +3 to hit weapon and +2 from Focused Aim when necessary, and if we assume normally a 60% to hit chance like the OP's elemental monk... in short, I think its safe to say that the kensei won't miss any of its attacks. Likewise, using Hex to boost damage....
2.5 rounds (half round from using Hex as BA) x 4 attacks per round x (1d8+1d6+5+3) damage per attack + 3 x 1d8 damage = 2.5 x 4 x (4.5+3.5+5+3) + 3 x 4.5 = 10 x 16 + 13.5 = 173.5 average damage.
If we can't use Flurry of Blows alongside Ki-fueled Attack (or we're using a bow), then we'd lose two attacks (2x16=32) but save 2 ki, for 141.5 average damage.
Now.... lets start thinking about adding in Sharpshooter's -5/+10 damage... Interestingly, the damage from a single SS kensei bow attack (22.5) is slightly less with than the damage from Hex hitting with every arrow (8*3.5 = 28), but far harder to land. So, lets just eliminate Hex and take Fighting Style in its place - accuracy fishing is the name of the game.
Now, that's only 1 ki per attack, so that leaves us with 13 ki and the 3 lucky dice over nine attacks. With the +3 weapon and FS, its 85% chance to hit, -25% from Sharpshooter. 60% of of 9 attacks hit or miss... 5.4 hit. Of the remaining 3.6, that will give us about 4 ki to boost 3 of the attacks them up to 100%. That leaves 1 ki for 0.6 of an attack. Which, rounding up, should be enough for all attacks to land, at least with the averages we're running.
So, 8 attacks x (4.5+5+3+10) + 13.5 (from Deft Strike) = 8 x 22.5 + 13.5 = 193.5 damage. (216 damage if you can Sharpen before the three round attacks start.)
EDIT - reread how Sharpen the Blade works, so changed how the Sharpshooter section worked, since it was the strongest part. And changed Lucky to just go with Fighting Style: Archery for simplicity with numbers.
Kensei... depending on how your DM rules how Flurry of Blows and Ki-fueled Attack combine, you could conceivably launch four attacks with your weapon a turn. Use the level 11 feature to boost your weapon to +3 accuracy and damage. Once a turn, you deal an extra 1d8 for 1 ki. So far, that's 6 ki. With 10 left, we'll save it for Focused Aim. Between the +3 to hit weapon and +2 from Focused Aim when necessary, and if we assume normally a 60% to hit chance like the OP's elemental monk... in short, I think its safe to say that the kensei won't miss any of its attacks. Likewise, using Hex to boost damage....
2.5 rounds (half round from using Hex as BA) x 4 attacks per round x (1d8+1d6+5+3) damage per attack + 3 x 1d8 damage = 2.5 x 4 x (4.5+3.5+5+3) + 3 x 4.5 = 10 x 16 + 13.5 = 173.5 average damage.
If we can't use Flurry of Blows alongside Ki-fueled Attack (or we're using a bow), then we'd lose two attacks (2x16=32) but save 2 ki, for 141.5 average damage.
Now.... lets start thinking about adding in Sharpshooter's -5/+10 damage... Interestingly, the damage from a single SS kensei bow attack (22.5) is slightly less with than the damage from Hex hitting with every arrow (8*3.5 = 28), but far harder to land. So, lets just eliminate Hex and take Fighting Style in its place - accuracy fishing is the name of the game.
Now, that's only 1 ki per attack, so that leaves us with 13 ki and the 3 lucky dice over nine attacks. With the +3 weapon and FS, its 85% chance to hit, -25% from Sharpshooter. 60% of of 9 attacks hit or miss... 5.4 hit. Of the remaining 3.6, that will give us about 4 ki to boost 3 of the attacks them up to 100%. That leaves 1 ki for 0.6 of an attack. Which, rounding up, should be enough for all attacks to land, at least with the averages we're running.
So, 8 attacks x (4.5+5+3+10) + 13.5 (from Deft Strike) = 8 x 22.5 + 13.5 = 193.5 damage. (216 damage if you can Sharpen before the three round attacks start.)
EDIT - reread how Sharpen the Blade works, so changed how the Sharpshooter section worked, since it was the strongest part. And changed Lucky to just go with Fighting Style: Archery for simplicity with numbers.
So your burned out in just 2 rounds? Mostly on Offsetting the sharpshooter negative hit modifier (which would return you right back to the 60% that was mentioned by the OP) doing something that is purely home brew because you want interaction between two distinctly different bonus actions? I suppose that is really leaning into hoping that encounters are done in just a couple of rounds. You do realize that at 60% your going to have to spend 2 to 3 of your 4 ki on average on just one hit to create that seeming 100% possibility of hitting yes? It's just not there to cover all 3 hits or the 4th hit.
So your burned out in just 2 rounds? Mostly on Offsetting the sharpshooter negative hit modifier (which would return you right back to the 60% that was mentioned by the OP) doing something that is purely home brew because you want interaction between two distinctly different bonus actions? I suppose that is really leaning into hoping that encounters are done in just a couple of rounds. You do realize that at 60% your going to have to spend 2 to 3 of your 4 ki on average on just one hit to create that seeming 100% possibility of hitting yes? It's just not there to cover all 3 hits or the 4th hit.
.... ??
I don't know how to say this nicely, but please go back and reread the entire thing more carefully. Its three rounds, and I included both with a combination of Flurry of Blows alongside Ki-fueled Attack, and a second calculation without Flurry of Blows for using a melee weapon, then more calculations with a bow, which you cannot even use with Flurry of Blows - bows and punches do not mix. Eight attacks is from 3 rounds with 3 attacks each, minus 1 bonus action to activate Sharpen or Hex (I did two sets).
As for spending 2 to 3 ki just one hit, yes, I'm aware of that. 60% chance of a hit means that you just have to roll a 9 or higher. So, barring a dramatic failure (halflings to remove the chance of that happening), you can spend 3 ki to raise a 3 to a 9; spend 4 points if its a 2. And you have 10 ki to spend between less than 4 misses. 2~3 ki per miss, which is enough to raise the misses into hits unless I'm rolling all 2, 3, or 4, the chances of which are small enough that its not worth including in a simple calculation.
Awesome everyone. Very creative monks. Hope to see more. Good job.
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Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
Just to be clear, ki-fueled attack and flurry of blows are mutually exclusive abilities.
Flurry of Blows - Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.
Ki-Fueled Attack - If you spend 1 ki point or more as part of your action on your turn, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon as a bonus action before the end of the turn.
Nothing suggests these abilities combine to give you 4 weapon attacks per turn.
Kensei Sharpshooter with Archery is a very high damage monk option though. Archery + Focused Aim gives you a very high chance to hit, even with the -5 from sharpshooter.
vHuman for SS, level 4 Archery, 8 and 12 DEX to max. 16 ASI has options. Lucky will help in those rare cases where you'd miss. Firearm expert might be a good way to deal more damage if guns are available.
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Hey, monks are fun. They let you feel like a real badass action hero. But as damage dealers they aren’t the best. So I want to know what’s your Highest Damaging Monk.
Guidelines: Lev 16 monk, Standard Array, No Multiclass, No Magic Items. - As Fezzik would say “Skill against Skill Alone”. Average the damage over 3 rounds of combat.
Here is simple one, may not be the best but contrary to popular opinion The Four Elements Monk:
With Fangs of the Fire Snake a monk can increase its their hits by 1d10 per strike for the cost of 1 ki (+ 1ki per hit).
So Attack Action (2 strikes) + Bonus Action (FOB 2 Strikes) + Fangs of Fire Snake = 4x((1d8+5)+1d10) = 60 average damage per round. Costing 6 ki points in a round (18 ki total (which you don’t have) over a 3 round combat).
If you gain Hex from magic initiate or the new Fey Touched feat you can add a 1d6. So = 4x((1d8+5)1d10+1d6) = 74 average damage. Cast hex the first round in combat lowers the Ki cost that round to 3 (15 ki total then over the 3 rounds) but your damage the first round is only 2x(1d8+5)+1d10+1d6) = 37 average damage.
Over the 3 rounds with hex it averages to around 62 (61.6) damage per round needing 15 ki points and 1 bonus action hex spell. The game assume a 60% hit accuracy ( the old war-gamer standard was 2/3 but close enough) so about 37 (36.6) damage per round factoring that in. (See page 274 DMG for more info on that)
keep in mind that the Ki cost is actually lower because you only hit around 60% of the time and you don’t spend Ki on Fire Snake hits when you don’t hit. So the reality is you will probably only spend 4 ki a turn because 2 of your attacks will probably miss every round.
note: I think a fair standard for damage is a warlock casting eldritch blast while having agonizing blast and hex up. To be honest it’s not a super high standard. So with the same restrictions = 3x((1d10+5) +1d6) = 42 average damage. Costing 1 bonus action spell. So at 2/3 accuracy that’s about 25 ( 25.2) damage per round at lev 16. A damage character (DPS to use MMO vernacular) should do at least this much to be viable for this thought experiment.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
I've got a Kobold 4 elements Monk and am Picking up the Eldritch Claw Tattoo. Due to tending to have advantage decently often I hit quite a bit I'm doing a fair bit of damage a turn just at level 5. I'm only a 1d6+4 on my MA damage currently but with the extra 1d6 from Eldritch claw when it's activated and the fact that I hit rather often I'm doing pretty good with averageing 30 or so damage a turn and having a max damage possibility of just over 60 when they are activated. not counting things like Fangs of the Fire Snake. Or using water whip to move enemies around the battlefield for an average damage about similar to 3 of my normal attacks when it works. I haven't talked to the DM about potentially getting ki fueled strike yet but it would up my damage a bit when I use that tactic by allowing me an extra hit as a bonus action after pulling them over and I already have the option of spending 1 more ki point to up water whips damage just at my level.
Once I can get a few more levels and another ASI or two and perhaps something to give me haste my damage will be even better each round when I really turn it on but that is going to take some time and it will almost never be in one large hit like some other classes.
(Edit: I missed your no magic item line in your original post. I was just going with a character that I actually have. Which is only has the one magical item to speak of and is unlikely to pick up other combat magical items as I go. There is just not the need that everybody makes of them.)
Kensei... depending on how your DM rules how Flurry of Blows and Ki-fueled Attack combine, you could conceivably launch four attacks with your weapon a turn. Use the level 11 feature to boost your weapon to +3 accuracy and damage. Once a turn, you deal an extra 1d8 for 1 ki. So far, that's 6 ki. With 10 left, we'll save it for Focused Aim. Between the +3 to hit weapon and +2 from Focused Aim when necessary, and if we assume normally a 60% to hit chance like the OP's elemental monk... in short, I think its safe to say that the kensei won't miss any of its attacks. Likewise, using Hex to boost damage....
2.5 rounds (half round from using Hex as BA) x 4 attacks per round x (1d8+1d6+5+3) damage per attack + 3 x 1d8 damage = 2.5 x 4 x (4.5+3.5+5+3) + 3 x 4.5 = 10 x 16 + 13.5 = 173.5 average damage.
If we can't use Flurry of Blows alongside Ki-fueled Attack (or we're using a bow), then we'd lose two attacks (2x16=32) but save 2 ki, for 141.5 average damage.
Now.... lets start thinking about adding in Sharpshooter's -5/+10 damage... Interestingly, the damage from a single SS kensei bow attack (22.5) is slightly less with than the damage from Hex hitting with every arrow (8*3.5 = 28), but far harder to land. So, lets just eliminate Hex and take Fighting Style in its place - accuracy fishing is the name of the game.
Now, that's only 1 ki per attack, so that leaves us with 13 ki and the 3 lucky dice over nine attacks. With the +3 weapon and FS, its 85% chance to hit, -25% from Sharpshooter. 60% of of 9 attacks hit or miss... 5.4 hit. Of the remaining 3.6, that will give us about 4 ki to boost 3 of the attacks them up to 100%. That leaves 1 ki for 0.6 of an attack. Which, rounding up, should be enough for all attacks to land, at least with the averages we're running.
So, 8 attacks x (4.5+5+3+10) + 13.5 (from Deft Strike) = 8 x 22.5 + 13.5 = 193.5 damage. (216 damage if you can Sharpen before the three round attacks start.)
EDIT - reread how Sharpen the Blade works, so changed how the Sharpshooter section worked, since it was the strongest part. And changed Lucky to just go with Fighting Style: Archery for simplicity with numbers.
So your burned out in just 2 rounds? Mostly on Offsetting the sharpshooter negative hit modifier (which would return you right back to the 60% that was mentioned by the OP) doing something that is purely home brew because you want interaction between two distinctly different bonus actions? I suppose that is really leaning into hoping that encounters are done in just a couple of rounds. You do realize that at 60% your going to have to spend 2 to 3 of your 4 ki on average on just one hit to create that seeming 100% possibility of hitting yes? It's just not there to cover all 3 hits or the 4th hit.
.... ??
I don't know how to say this nicely, but please go back and reread the entire thing more carefully. Its three rounds, and I included both with a combination of Flurry of Blows alongside Ki-fueled Attack, and a second calculation without Flurry of Blows for using a melee weapon, then more calculations with a bow, which you cannot even use with Flurry of Blows - bows and punches do not mix. Eight attacks is from 3 rounds with 3 attacks each, minus 1 bonus action to activate Sharpen or Hex (I did two sets).
As for spending 2 to 3 ki just one hit, yes, I'm aware of that. 60% chance of a hit means that you just have to roll a 9 or higher. So, barring a dramatic failure (halflings to remove the chance of that happening), you can spend 3 ki to raise a 3 to a 9; spend 4 points if its a 2. And you have 10 ki to spend between less than 4 misses. 2~3 ki per miss, which is enough to raise the misses into hits unless I'm rolling all 2, 3, or 4, the chances of which are small enough that its not worth including in a simple calculation.
Awesome everyone. Very creative monks. Hope to see more. Good job.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
Just to be clear, ki-fueled attack and flurry of blows are mutually exclusive abilities.
Nothing suggests these abilities combine to give you 4 weapon attacks per turn.
Kensei Sharpshooter with Archery is a very high damage monk option though. Archery + Focused Aim gives you a very high chance to hit, even with the -5 from sharpshooter.
vHuman for SS, level 4 Archery, 8 and 12 DEX to max. 16 ASI has options. Lucky will help in those rare cases where you'd miss. Firearm expert might be a good way to deal more damage if guns are available.