High Strength Monk

Guest 6801328 · Oct 19, 2017

Ok, my latest iteration. I dropped damage reduction entirely and borrowed the damage die idea from above.

Way of the Mountain

Level 3: Blocking
When another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your Strength modifier to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.

Level 3: Stone Stance (suggestions for better names welcome)
Spend your bonus action to enter Stone Stance, which lasts until you cancel it or move more than your Martial Arts Movement in one turn. (E.g., more than 10 feet at 3rd level.) While in Stone Stance:
- Your damage die increases one step
- You have Advantage on any Strength checks or saving throws to avoid being moved. If you fail you moved only have the distance.

Level 6: (Unnamed)
- When using Stunning Strike, you may use Strength instead of Wisdom when computing the Saving Throw
- When you attempt Stunning Strike, you may also attempt to Shove your target as a free action

Level 11: Improved Stone Stance
- While in Stone Stance, you have Advantage on all Strength checks and saving throws.

Level 17: Capstone
Still trying to come up with something good. Preferably something that costs ki and could be named "Avalanche".

Guest 6801328 · Oct 19, 2017

Update:

Ok, I've got a capstone sketched out. Looking for feedback.

Avalanche
Spend up to 10 Ki to leap into the air and slam into the ground with the concussive force of a falling mountain. Within 10' of where you land, all creatures take 1d8 Force damage for each Ki spent, and are knocked Prone. A successful Strength saving throw reduces damage by half and prevents the Prone condition, but any who fail by 5 or more are also Stunned.

Thoughts?

Oh, and this suggests that the level 6 ability should be modified so that you may use Strength instead of Wisdom when computing all of your Saving throws, not just those for Stunning Strike.

WayOfTheFourElements · Oct 20, 2017

Not bad, [MENTION=6801328]Elfcrusher[/MENTION], but I'm not sure your sub-class accomplishes what you want. It still seems like a Dex/Wis based Way of the Mountain monk would be better Str-based one.

Guest 6801328 · Oct 20, 2017

WayOfTheFourElements said:
Not bad, [MENTION=6801328]Elfcrusher[/MENTION], but I'm not sure your sub-class accomplishes what you want. It still seems like a Dex/Wis based Way of the Mountain monk would be better Str-based one.

Hmmm...you think? I was trying to design it so that there's a strong incentive to go Str, without making it mandatory. Str is used for Blocking, and also for Saving Throw DCs. There are so few mechanisms to increase your own Saving Throw DCs that I was weighting the +1 or +2 from this pretty heavily.

But I guess AC is pretty major. The simple fix would be to simply allow Str instead of Dex for AC, but that just rubs me wrong. It feels like a lazy solution, partly because it just doesn't make much narrative sense (to me). TBH I don't love "Blocking" for the same reason. I suppose allowing light armor would mostly compensate, but lack of armor is such a central feature of monks.

Blocking could use Proficiency instead of a stat, but then it's just Defensive Duelist, sort of. Maybe I should go back to working on resistance to B/P/S damage. Then Strength would need to factor in a different way.

Grrrr.... (I pretend to groan but I love this.)

Tormyr · Oct 20, 2017

Out of interest, what is it about the monk that is more desirable than the barbarian. The reason I ask is that the barbarian is already built around a strength build. So what are the key monk features that work better for what you want than the barbarian? Is it:
1. escalating damage dice based on monk level?
2. slow fall?
3. missile deflection?
4. unarmed strikes as magical attacks?
5. extra saving throw proficiency?

Aside from the escalating damage die for unarmed combat and magic unarmed strikes, the barbarian handles a lot of what the monk does, just differently. If a barbarian subclass had escalating damage dice and magic attacks from unarmed strikes, I think you would be most of the way there. So why not take a short break and try a barbarian subclass that blends in desired monk features instead?

Guest 6801328 · Oct 20, 2017

Tormyr said:
Out of interest, what is it about the monk that is more desirable than the barbarian. The reason I ask is that the barbarian is already built around a strength build. So what are the key monk features that work better for what you want than the barbarian? Is it:
1. escalating damage dice based on monk level?
2. slow fall?
3. missile deflection?
4. unarmed strikes as magical attacks?
5. extra saving throw proficiency?

Aside from the escalating damage die for unarmed combat and magic unarmed strikes, the barbarian handles a lot of what the monk does, just differently. If a barbarian subclass had escalating damage dice and magic attacks from unarmed strikes, I think you would be most of the way there. So why not take a short break and try a barbarian subclass that blends in desired monk features instead?

Unarmed combat is the key thing (ki thing?) so I could see making a brawler or wrestler barbarian class. But overall the flavor is still going to be different, so I see it as an "also" not an "instead of".

Tormyr · Oct 20, 2017

Elfcrusher said:
Unarmed combat is the key thing (ki thing?) so I could see making a brawler or wrestler barbarian class. But overall the flavor is still going to be different, so I see it as an "also" not an "instead of".

I imagine this as a heavyweight MMA fighter subclass for barbarian.
Level 3: martial arts w/ escalating damage die
Level 6: rage empowered strikes (overcome magic resistance while raging)
Level 10: stillness of mind
Level 14: retaliation

Xeviat · Oct 20, 2017

Tormyr said:
Out of interest, what is it about the monk that is more desirable than the barbarian. The reason I ask is that the barbarian is already built around a strength build. So what are the key monk features that work better for what you want than the barbarian?

Because the player looked at the class descriptions, not the mechanics, and said their idea fit Monk the best.

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CapnZapp · Oct 22, 2017

Xeviat said:
Because the player looked at the class descriptions, not the mechanics, and said their idea fit Monk the best.

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What happened to the simple and direct solution?

"Use Strength instead of Dexterity"?

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Guest 6801328 · Oct 22, 2017

CapnZapp said:
What happened to the simple and direct solution?

"Use Strength instead of Dexterity"?

Not sure if that's directed only at the person you're quoting, but my answer (again) is that it misses the opportunity to do something new and flavorful and fun.