I KNOW. Lots of Monk discussion, possible fixes, and here's another. But I want to take a look at one specific thing: that the Monk's main resource, Discipline/Ki/Focus/Spirit/Other, refreshes on a short rest and how that creates some dissonance in the party when discussing the need to stop and rest. Whether or not this is a good thing, the nature and rules around Short and Long Rests, is more a topic for other threads, I simply want to try to envision a Monk that does not do that.
So, general goals:
1. Costs should be the same. IOW, I'm not changing how many Discipline points an ability costs (sorta, put a pin in this).
2. Not overly complicated.
3. Creates a better experience for the Monk player at all levels. (This is where I admit to needing help, I've never played above level 10 and have only theory-crafting experience with high level play)
4. That said, this is not a serious attempt to "fix" the Monk.
With those in mind, here's the current thought experiment, for which I'll use Focus Points for, just so it's a different name.
Monks start the day with no Focus Points, but have two numbers: Focus Granted, which is the same as their Proficiency Bonus, and Maximum Focus, which is twice that. For example, a 5th level Monk has Focus Granted: 3 and Max Focus: 6, a 20th level Monk has Focus Granted: 6 and Max Focus: 12.
Monks gain a new action that allows them to generate Focus Points: Focus. When the Monk takes the Focus action, they gain Focus points equal to their Focus Granted. These last up to 10 minutes before fading. They can have up to their Maximum Focus in Focus Points, any points over Maximum Focus are lost, so if the Monk just takes the Focus action three times in a row, the third does nothing. Finally, a Monk automatically takes the Focus action when they roll Initiative, no action required, even if surprised.
Now, this does give the Monk effectively unlimited Focus Points out of combat, so let's pull out that earlier pin. Any ability that might be too powerful if granted at-will ... liked the new Four Elements Environmental Burst ability, gains an ascending cost that resets after a Short or Long Rest. So, for example,
So, for Environmental Burst, the first one costs 2, then 4, then 6 ... etc, and then goes back to 2 after a Short or Long Rest. Stunning Strike would be another example. This should prevent spamming. I know Monk players can just spam the Focus action, but if key abilities are still gated with ascending costs ... does it matter? I'll admit I'm not really sure.
Anyway, thoughts?
So, general goals:
1. Costs should be the same. IOW, I'm not changing how many Discipline points an ability costs (sorta, put a pin in this).
2. Not overly complicated.
3. Creates a better experience for the Monk player at all levels. (This is where I admit to needing help, I've never played above level 10 and have only theory-crafting experience with high level play)
4. That said, this is not a serious attempt to "fix" the Monk.
With those in mind, here's the current thought experiment, for which I'll use Focus Points for, just so it's a different name.
Monks start the day with no Focus Points, but have two numbers: Focus Granted, which is the same as their Proficiency Bonus, and Maximum Focus, which is twice that. For example, a 5th level Monk has Focus Granted: 3 and Max Focus: 6, a 20th level Monk has Focus Granted: 6 and Max Focus: 12.
Monks gain a new action that allows them to generate Focus Points: Focus. When the Monk takes the Focus action, they gain Focus points equal to their Focus Granted. These last up to 10 minutes before fading. They can have up to their Maximum Focus in Focus Points, any points over Maximum Focus are lost, so if the Monk just takes the Focus action three times in a row, the third does nothing. Finally, a Monk automatically takes the Focus action when they roll Initiative, no action required, even if surprised.
Now, this does give the Monk effectively unlimited Focus Points out of combat, so let's pull out that earlier pin. Any ability that might be too powerful if granted at-will ... liked the new Four Elements Environmental Burst ability, gains an ascending cost that resets after a Short or Long Rest. So, for example,
New Added Paragraph: Each use of this ability costs 2 Focus (Discipline) points more than the previous use until you take a Short or Long Rest, after which it resets to the original cost.
So, for Environmental Burst, the first one costs 2, then 4, then 6 ... etc, and then goes back to 2 after a Short or Long Rest. Stunning Strike would be another example. This should prevent spamming. I know Monk players can just spam the Focus action, but if key abilities are still gated with ascending costs ... does it matter? I'll admit I'm not really sure.
Anyway, thoughts?
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