D&D 5E UA Monk Way of Mercy - Have you tried this?

[DND_Reborn]

We are doing a short series of adventures over the summer and decided to all make monks. I was looking for a "healer" version and remembered the UA article on the Way of Mercy. I am curious if anyone has tried this UA material? Did you find it fun and balanced?

Any input of feedback on this UA would be appreciated. Thanks!

Here is a summery of it:

Hands of Healing
At 3rd level, your mystical touch can mend wounds. As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to touch a creature and restore a number of hit points equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier. When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can replace one of the unarmed strikes with a use of this feature without spending its ki cost.

Hands of Harm
At 3rd level, you use your ki to inflict wounds. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 ki point to deal extra necrotic damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die. If the creature is incapacitated or poisoned, the creature instead takes necrotic damage equal to three rolls of your Martial Arts die instead. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.

Noxious Aura
Starting at 6th level, as a bonus action, you spend 1 ki point to turn your ki into an aura of toxic miasma. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. It lasts for 1 minute, until you’re incapacitated, or you dismiss it (no action required).

While your aura is active, ranged attacks have disadvantage against you. Any other creature that starts its turn in the aura must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of your next turn and take poison damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 0 damage).

Healing Technique
Starting at 11th level, your skill in manipulating your ki to heal increases. When you restore hit points to a creature using your Hands of Healing, you can also end one disease or a condition from the following list affecting the target: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.

Hand of Mercy
By 17th level your mastery of life energy opens the door to the ultimate respite technique. As an action, you can touch a creature, expend 4 ki points, and force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw (a creature can willingly fail this save). Unless the save succeeds, the creature enters a state of suspended animation for a number of days equal to your monk level or until you end the effect early (no action required). During this time, the creature is paralyzed, has immunity to all damage, and any curse, disease, or poison affecting it is suspended. The creature appears dead to all outward inspection and to spells used to determine the creature’s status.

You can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a time.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

I remember it, and I still have the same feeling it’s suffering from a lack of focus. You should be allowed to spend additional points for increased healing at higher level. At the same time, there should be something preventing the monk from healing the party fully with 1-2 short rests.

 

[DND_Reborn]

It does seem quite "all over the place". I like the idea of channeling ki to heal another, but some of the other features seem out of place. Still waiting for further feedback (if there is any).

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Wasn't there a monk that let you cast sanctuary with a ki point? I remember that one being a bit better. Pacifist monk or something? I"m pretty sure it had healing too

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Way of Tranquility

Edit: You, basically, get Lay on hands that is twice as good as a paladin's. SInce there isn't a paladin in the party, you probably don't need to nerf it but, if there was, I'd look at making the ability the same as a paladin.

Edit 2: it also lets you heal someone AS PART OF YOUR ATTACK ACTION if you are using it with flurry of blows. which is also better than a paladin who has to use up an action.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Way of Tranquility

Edit: You, basically, get Lay on hands that is twice as good as a paladin's. SInce there isn't a paladin in the party, you probably don't need to nerf it but, if there was, I'd look at making the ability the same as a paladin.

Edit 2: it also lets you heal someone AS PART OF YOUR ATTACK ACTION if you are using it with flurry of blows. which is also better than a paladin who has to use up an action.

That's a good option as well. I forgot about it. It might work well enough with the concept. Combined with the Healer Feat, it should give us a decent amount of healing. Thanks!

 

[jasper]

wrong thread.

 

[Undrave]

I think its pretty neat, but the miasma thing doesn't really fit the 'two sided' thing of the Hand of Harm and Hand of Healing thing. Of course there's the whole "Short rest, spend all your ki to heal someone, then short rest again" cheese loop but honestly I don't really care if monks can last longer during the day. The individual encounters still has limited Ki.

You could go Way of Mercy and add the Healer's Feat if you really want to go full healer!

If you want to nerf Hands of Healing just have it consume Hit Dice somehow?

 

[DND_Reborn]

I think its pretty neat, but the miasma thing doesn't really fit the 'two sided' thing of the Hand of Harm and Hand of Healing thing. Of course there's the whole "Short rest, spend all your ki to heal someone, then short rest again" cheese loop but honestly I don't really care if monks can last longer during the day. The individual encounters still has limited Ki.

You could go Way of Mercy and add the Healer's Feat if you really want to go full healer!

If you want to nerf Hands of Healing just have it consume Hit Dice somehow?

Yeah, I am not crazy about the Noxious Aura thing either, and not really keen on healing and harming...

Overall I think the Way of Tranquility is a better fit. And yes, I will have the Healer feat to add to that. With short rests, we should hopefully be ok with healing even in tight spots.

 

[Iry]

I made a "Monk of Flowers".

All my abilities were themed on flowers, both beautiful and poisonous. I was a vuman with mobility because I didn't want to waste any precious ki on disengaging. 16 Dex and 16 Wis, and I pumped Wis at 4th. Took Herbalism kit and made flower based healing potions.

Way of Mercy is really good at whack-a-mole, since I could flurry then walk over to heal someone at 0hp. Miasma was hemlock and lily leaves. It's mostly a defensive ability that made me very tanky when I wanted to be, and more than once I popped it just for protection from ranged attacks while running from bad guys.

If I had any ki left, I would throw out some minor healing before short rests. The "endless" minor healing was also useful during RP since I could tend to the masses (I gave them flowers and potpourri).

I rarely used Hands of Harm. I just didn't have enough ki to waste, so I only really used it when someone was poisoned and I could crit. I'm sure you could do a nice burst at higher levels, but the extra damage never seemed as important as having another stun, another heal, or another miasma.

Never made it to 8th. Scheduling issues.