D&D 5E Kung Fu Panda: How do wildshape and monk class abilities interact?

[Merchant of Shadows]

I would allow a monk/druid to choose if he is using natural armor (if any) or 10+Dex+Wis for AC. I would also allow him to make unarmed attacks instead his animal routine and use martial arts or flurry of blows.
You gain a bit of temporary hit points but your unarmed damage, ability boosts and monk special abilities (ki, stunning fist, etc.) are delayed by 2 levels... not a big deal.

 

[Dausuul]

How does a monk's unarmed defense work with wildshape? For that matter a barbarian's unarmed defense?

Since Wild Shape allows you to keep your class abilities, you still get to use Unarmored Defense, and you get the beast's Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, which may well be better than your own. However, keep in mind that Unarmored Defense overwrites your base AC rather than adding to it. If your Wild Shape form has natural armor, it won't stack with Unarmored Defense.

Even so, it's a sweet deal. A druid's Wisdom and a Wild Shape form's Dexterity means a pretty darn good AC.

How would martial arts--in particular the bonus attack--work in wildshape?

If I recall correctly, natural weapons don't count as unarmed attacks, so you wouldn't get the bonus attack for using natural weapons. Whether you can make your unarmed monk attacks instead of natural weapons is up to the DM--it could be argued that's an ability your new form is physically incapable of using.

 

[juggerulez]

Another detail that I don't think has been brought up here: I think I ran into a tweet that explained that the multiattack move on various monsters is their special way of reflecting the multiple attacks class features that character classes get. As such you're not supposed to be able to use it multiple times on your turn.

yep multiattack is an Action, not a "melee attack"
Mind you, though, that if you have the means to double your actions (e.g Fighter's Action Surge) you *are* able to redo a multiattack!
You threat it as if it was in the same list of possible things to do in a regular Action frame (e.g. disengage, help, dash, etc), thus everything that allow you to take an Action allow you to take a multiattack.

I would allow a monk/druid to choose if he is using natural armor (if any) or 10+Dex+Wis for AC. I would also allow him to make unarmed attacks instead his animal routine and use martial arts or flurry of blows.
You gain a bit of temporary hit points but your unarmed damage, ability boosts and monk special abilities (ki, stunning fist, etc.) are delayed by 2 levels... not a big deal.

The main fuss about this, I think, is that certain masters thought it was too op to boost a bear's AC by tinkering on its stats block, thus they were appealing to RAW in order to demonstrate that natural armour is effectively an armour suit, which is not. It can't be stacked with unarmoured defence but it surely can't deny it's effectiveness.
The same applies to unarmed attacks. Nothing prevents anyone or anything to portray unarmed attacks, nothing and nobody should prevent a druid monk to discharge a flurry of blows as a bear. Natural weapons are, in fact, not monk weapons, but nothing prevents you to head butt as a bear (or use the... elbows? are those of a bear elbows? o.o') so why should your DM?
if your DM doesn't like it, or he has a very convincing explanation (e.g. grim atmosphere where a "silly" monk bear would not be "cool") or you should call shenanigans on his decision.
"because I say so" it's not a convincing explanation, it's a whine.

 

[crashtestosi]

unarmored defense works, unless the animals description states it wears any manufactured armor (you might be able to take it off though)

anything can make unarmed strikes

but:

attacks made with natural weapons are not unarmed strikes unfortunately, so you need to make an unarmed strike to trigger martial arts.

the multiattack action is not the attack action, so no flurry of blows if you claw + bite as a brown bear for instance.

this also means if the animals has multiattack and your character doesn't have extra attack, you replace two natural weapon attacks with a single unarmed strike for your action in order to trigger martial arts. in the brown bear's case, this is a downgrade.

this is purely mechanical and what the player handbook states. and also my opinion. any gm might overrule but this is the closest you get to rules as written i think.

a little semi-related side topic:
if it were me DM'ing: fun scenario

• lizardfolk (can bite to make unarmed strikes)
• shapeshifts to become a dire wolf (2d6+str bite)
• has martial arts
• can now unarmed strike to bite for 2d6+str as a bonus action!

(so interpreting that being able to unarmed strike with any bite you might have, is super duper subjectable, but its also fun, and if the table has a problem with it i'd disallow it)