Way of the Pistol Monk. Is it balanced?

Ark the Pie King · Apr 28, 2019

ad_hoc said:
Sun Soul is the subclass to base another ranged subclass from.

Yeah I can definitely see the comparison. I think it has more in common with Kensei though for a couple of reasons. Sun Soul really wants to be a ranged blaster, and gets a few interesting AoE options as well. near as I can tell Sun Soul never wants to be in melee if it can avoid it since it's damage really stays the same at any range. Kensei and Pistol both use weapons, lack AoE options, and they both have motivation to try and to weave in and out of melee.

77IM · Apr 28, 2019

If the pistol subclass is truly balanced with the kensei, then just play a kensei and take the Gunslinger feat.

Ark the Pie King · Apr 28, 2019

The big appeal for me was the bonus action shot. I feel like Kensei is an overall better subclass, but Pistol fulfills the fantasy of weaving guns and martial arts a lot better. Minus the, uh, sex appeal I really just wanna do this. Kensei doesn't *quite* get me there, but Pistol is like a perfect match which why I got so excited when I saw it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIOxsYDHWGc

Edit: So with my number crunching, what would you all propose to bring it in line with the other subclasses? Obviously rework Zen Marksmanship (which I'm unsure of what to do with) and maybe drop the scaling on the guns so it's just gun damage instead of 2*unarmed damage? I was thinking of something along the lines of at level 6, if you make a melee attack you can flurry with the guns. This still keeps it mixing melee with ranged attacks, but makes it distinct enough from the Sun Soul monk which can do full flurries at range.

ad_hoc · Apr 28, 2019

Ark the Pie King said:
Yeah I can definitely see the comparison. I think it has more in common with Kensei though for a couple of reasons. Sun Soul really wants to be a ranged blaster, and gets a few interesting AoE options as well. near as I can tell Sun Soul never wants to be in melee if it can avoid it since it's damage really stays the same at any range. Kensei and Pistol both use weapons, lack AoE options, and they both have motivation to try and to weave in and out of melee.

You should take another look at the Sun Soul.

They do better in melee than ranged. Their ranged attack is just a way to attack if they can't get to melee. They can't Stunning Strike with it for example which is a Monk's best ability.

They also want to be up close in order to Burning Hands.

Fireball comes much later and is again, a back up option. Having a 3rd level spell at level 11+ is nothing special but it is there as an option.

I don't understand why a gun subclass would get melee abilities.

Ark the Pie King · Apr 28, 2019

ad_hoc said:
You should take another look at the Sun Soul.

They do better in melee than ranged. Their ranged attack is just a way to attack if they can't get to melee. They can't Stunning Strike with it for example which is a Monk's best ability.

They also want to be up close in order to Burning Hands.

Fireball comes much later and is again, a back up option. Having a 3rd level spell at level 11+ is nothing special but it is there as an option.

I don't understand why a gun subclass would get melee abilities.

Mmkay, I see that. I always pictured them as more blasters than anything but you raise a fair point with Stunning Strike

But take a look at the video I linked. It's about rule of cool more than anything. I find Gun Kata to be absolutely wickedly awesome and I want to do THAT, and I'm trying to find a way to make it work. Kensei is close, but doesn't quite get me there. Pistol is the closest thing I've found and I want to make that happen. Sun Soul is awesome, and I've got a Sun Soul monk I'm wanting to play someday, but she's definitely not for a cowboy game. Playing a cool awesome martial arts cowboy kick and shooting dudes at the same time sounds like more or less the coolest thing imaginable and that's where the fantasy lies.

Edit: And like I said I want to workshop it. I know it needs work, I'm really just wanting some help getting there.

Kobold Avenger · Apr 28, 2019

I always thought of the Kensei being more viable for a Pistol+Rapier (or Sabre) type instead of a dedicated Gunslinger.

Guest 6801328 · Apr 28, 2019

Anyway, you should watch the final scene in Kurosawa's Yojimbo before you make any decisions about sword vs. pistol....

Way of the Pistol Monk. Is it balanced?

Ark the Pie King

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77IM

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