D&D 4E Seeking opinion of role of 4e monk

[Alabast]

I'm trying to make a placeholder monk class for a fourth edition game, and I was wondering if there had been any word on the role the monk would fill in the party. The obvious choice would seem to be striker, since monks have a lot of mobility and can inflict various conditions on their targets, but I could also picture a monk as a defender, able to fight a whole bunch of enemies, albeit unarmored. Was their been word on this from Wizards? Opinions?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'm trying to make a placeholder monk class for a fourth edition game, and I was wondering if there had been any word on the role the monk would fill in the party. The obvious choice would seem to be striker, since monks have a lot of mobility and can inflict various conditions on their targets, but I could also picture a monk as a defender, able to fight a whole bunch of enemies, albeit unarmored. Was their been word on this from Wizards? Opinions?

I can hardly picture the monk as being as tough as the muscular chainmail-wearing fighter. Besides, defenders rarely have the kind of mobility a monk would enjoy.

The latest word were that monks can be played as a ranger (TWF) variant, and rumors are it will appear in a later product (presumably as a ki striker, but I'm hoping a martial striker, with maybe a ki-based paragon path).

 

[Stalker0]

I think striker is probably the best fit, though I could see a controller for the monk.

He uses flurry of blows to hit many targets around him, and his powers often leave debilitating conditions on his opponents.

I'm hoping for the later, we have 3 strikers right now and one controller, its time to balance the roles out a bit.

 

[Victim]

Striker or Defender would be best, IMO. While I don't see a defender monk as packing the same innate toughness as a fighter or paladin, they could be built somewhat like the swordmage and have some superior interrupt type abilities in exchange for reduced base surges.

I don't really see a monk as being any more of a controller than a fighter with abilities like Rain of Blows, Vorpal Tornado, Unyeilding Avalanche, and such.

 

[Alabast]

That's the type of defender I was picturing. Not tough, per se, but able to fight off a bunch of enemies. Perhaps I will make him as a striker, but with a few powers to hit multiple enemies a la the ranger. Or perhaps a "defender monk" and a "stiker monk" could be made as two seperate classes. What could we call them, I wonder?

 

[LowSpine]

Striker.

Mobility - jumping around, flipping, running up walls.
Split the tree - flying double kick, etc.
Death Touch. Massive striker damage.

(Wish they'd get rid of the monk name and call it a pugilist or something else. Monk pigeon holes too much. It doesn't stop a pugilist from being a monk.)

 

[Mr. Teapot]

Before the game was released, a designer was asked if the monk would be a martial striker. He replied that the question was "half right" or words to that effect. Now, since then the Ki power source was confirmed to exist, and I find it hard to believe that the Monk won't fall into the Ki source if they have a Ki source. So the 50% that would be right would be striker, which makes more sense than the alternative (Monk being neither striker nor Ki).

 

[Wonka]

I see the monk as either a striker or defender. There is a really nice defender/controller monk-like class over on the wotc boards that I really like you can find here: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1049802

 

[Simm]

I think the monk would work best as a sort of melee warlock. It's damage wouldn't be as high as the ranger or rogue, but it could inflict some really debilatating conditions. Trip, Disarm, stunning fist, grapple, sleeper hold, the monk picks a target and just shuts them down.

 

[Gort]

Striker, absolutely. Everybody I ever saw who tried to play a 3e monk wanted to be Bruce Lee, taking guys out left, right and centre, and were horribly disappointed when the class turned out to be more of a specialised mage-killer, who didn't do as much damage as a fighter.

I'd also argue that the question has already been settled, since the advice for converting a monk uses a two-blade ranger as a base.