D&D 5E Mediation, Meditation, Devastation: A Monk's Guide

ppaladin123 · Nov 25, 2017

Monk didn't get much from Xanathar's. The Kensei is not particularly strong though I suppose you could pick a rapier for one of your weapons and then multiclass with rogue. Sun Soul was a reprint. Drunken master is...fine. Shadow monks might like 3 levels of Gloom Stalker ranger. Seems like open hand is still the strongest path.

mellored · Nov 25, 2017

ppaladin123 said:
Monk didn't get much from Xanathar's. The Kensei is not particularly strong though I suppose you could pick a rapier for one of your weapons and then multiclass with rogue. Sun Soul was a reprint. Drunken master is...fine. Shadow monks might like 3 levels of Gloom Stalker ranger. Seems like open hand is still the strongest path.

Kensai seem pretty good to me. Though i'd start with a battleaxe and pick up whip later.

Sunsoul is crap. Just use a sling if you need range. Searing arc is a waste of ki, and sun shield does crap damage and requires you to take a hit. Searing sunburst is a good feature, but not enough to save the sub-class.

And I think drunken master is better than ok. Redirect attack is an 1 ki for an auto-matic hit. And intoxicated frenzy adds to drunken technique for a big move (1 ki for disengage + 10 feat of movement + 5 extra attacks = nasty AoE).

Hmmm... what's the highest damage, lowest accuracy single attack possible?

ppaladin123 · Nov 25, 2017

Intoxicated frenzy didn't really impress me since it is at level 17 and requires each flurry of blows attack to hit a different creature. Monks need some single-target damage help.

Kensei is basically worth a single point of damage per attack since all monks can use a quarterstaff from the start. No heavy weapons so no TWM.

mellored · Nov 25, 2017

ppaladin123 said:
Intoxicated frenzy didn't really impress me since it is at level 17 and requires each flurry of blows attack to hit a different creature. Monks need some single-target damage help.

Stun is single target.
A monk, by itself, can use stuns to kill an at-level creature without it making a single attack. And at high level, he can do that to a few creatures per high rest.
Or in the more likely scenario of a party, all of your weapon allies have advantage to hit it, and all your caster allies get automatic failure against dex saves (disintegrate says hi) . So you boost party damage quite a bit.

What monks need is anti-horde. Which drunks get, if rather late.

Kensei is basically worth a single point of damage per attack since all monks can use a quarterstaff from the start. No heavy weapons so no TWM.

Ignore the weapon, and use the +2 AC. So they basicly get shield proficiency.
Also, whips will scale into 1d10 reach weapons. So you can stun from 10' away.

Granted, +2 AC probably isn't the feature most people associate with "Kensei" who is supposed to be all about their weapon. But it's a pretty good feature for a monk.

ppaladin123 · Nov 25, 2017

It's a shield at the cost of using a 1d4 rather than a 1d8 for your attack any round you want to turn it on since it has to be an unarmed attack with the attack option (until level 5). Afterward you have to mix in an unarmed attack so a 1d6 along with your 1d10, which balances out to what other monks were doing. Eventually there is no cost. But it is weird that the benefit of sohei is, you think, going to be using a big weapon to do more damage but using the thing they give you at level 3 will actually slightly lower your damage. Oh and same with spending a ki point to add your martial arts damage bonus to your weapon attack...instead of attacking again with flurry or using stunning strike.

mellored · Nov 25, 2017

ppaladin123 said:
It's a shield at the cost of using a 1d4 rather than a 1d8 for your attack any round

Well it's either -2 damage and +2 AC, or +1 damage.
Though +1 damage is something at this level.

You also get +3.5 damage to ranged attacks.

you want to turn it on since it has to be an unarmed attack with the attack option (until level 5). Afterward you have to mix in an unarmed attack so a 1d6 along with your 1d10, which balances out to what other monks were doing.

While still providing +2 AC.
Or +2 damage.
Or -2 damage and reach (with a whip).
Or +7 damage to ranged attacks.

Not ground shattering, but none of those are bad options.

But it is weird that the benefit of sohei is, you think, going to be using a big weapon to do more damage

I agree. It's a failure in the "flavor dictates mechanics" department.

Oh and same with spending a ki point to add your martial arts damage bonus to your weapon attack...instead of attacking again with flurry or using stunning strike.

Yea, the level 6 is crap. But still beats the sun soul and elemental level 6.

Yunru · Jan 22, 2018

Cory Parker said:
Xanathar's Guide is out now. As someone who has bookmarked this thread for some time, and since the monk is my favorite class in D&D 5.0, I'm interested in how Yunru will update

Complete rewrite most probably. Fix up the formatting from bringing it over, add some stuff I've come across during play. Get Xanathar's and include it when budget permits. Been having trouble with college funds so... yay, no money.

EDIT: Kensei; thoughts on using a Torch to deal fire damage?

ppaladin123 · Jan 28, 2018

ppaladin123 said:
Monk didn't get much from Xanathar's. The Kensei is not particularly strong though I suppose you could pick a rapier for one of your weapons and then multiclass with rogue. Sun Soul was a reprint. Drunken master is...fine. Shadow monks might like 3 levels of Gloom Stalker ranger. Seems like open hand is still the strongest path.

Actually I will say that goblin is a very nice monk, what with the bonus action disengage with spending ki or multiclassing to rogue.

shadowoflameth · Jan 30, 2018

Good Guide. Has anyone made a guide referencing the Kensei Monk?

Slack83er · Jun 20, 2018

Ghostwise Halfling

Yep, it’s damn good. Dex and wis for you, and lucky, plus the ability to communicate telepathically with your team mates, as well as all the other goodnesses of the little race. I’ve paired it with shadow monk, but maybe I’ll turn it into long death. Any suggestions?