UA Monks Introduces the Kensai and Tranquility Traditions

The Kensei was pretty much exactly how I expected/wanted it to be. With the exception of the bludgeoning damage. A d4 that doesn't scale? I hate d4s, and especially at higher levels it's hardly worth anything. Especially since as a monk, I could just use my bonus action to make an unarmed attack and use monk damage dice for that.

I've never been a fan of pacifist PCs, so the tranquil monk isn't my cup of tea. I understand others may feel differently though.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The monk does fall behind in damage at 11th and 20th, but then they have more ki than they know what to do with. The ability to stun on nearly any hit switches their role from a damage dealer to a controller.
k

Exactly. It's never a fair comparison to compare a monk with a fighter and only look at DPS. The monk has a lot of other benefits, including mobility, the ability to stun over and over, and the ability to avoid being hit in the first place by spamming dodge.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I had to run up and save him from dying for the THIRD time.

The druid ran away. Let that sink in for a second.

Man, I would be really upset about that. They came back, which is more than nothing, but after you saved them from the brink so many times, you'd think they would be a little more... appreciative.

That's really terrible.

 

[dpkress2]

Man, I would be really upset about that. They came back, which is more than nothing, but after you saved them from the brink so many times, you'd think they would be a little more... appreciative.

That's really terrible.

I'm kind of annoyed yes. Mine was not the character who should have died.

 

[Yunru]

a kensei is a DD not a controller. claiming it is anything other than a damage dealing class is an absurd act of mental gymnastics.

No, it's evaluating the class based of it's features rather than some imagined concept.
Anything else is just fantasy (well, moreso anyway).

 

[Duan'duliir]

a kensei is a DD not a controller. claiming it is anything other than a damage dealing class is an absurd act of mental gymnastics.

I'm afb right now, but doesn't the monk have proficiency in acrobatics? It'd be easy for a monk (kensei) to make a Wisdom (Acrobatics) check.

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[Flamestrike]

I'm afb right now, but doesn't the monk have proficiency in acrobatics? It'd be easy for a monk (kensei) to make a Wisdom (Acrobatics) check.

DM: Make a Wisdom [acrobatics] check.

PC: OK... ummm.. damn. Its a three.

DM:

View attachment 79190

 

[Duan'duliir]

DM: Make a Wisdom [acrobatics] check.

PC: OK... ummm.. damn. Its a three.

Who plays a monk with only a +1 wisdom?

EDIT: You changed it from 4 to three. Who plays a monk with only an 11 wisdom?

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[Flamestrike]

Who plays a monk with only a +1 wisdom?

View attachment 79191

 

[Flamestrike]

[dont be that guy]

 

[smbakeresq]

Action surge is once per short rest. At 5th level, flurry is five times per short rest.

5th level monk (kensei), great sword:
Base: 2d6+4 x2, 1d6+4 (martial arts) = 29.5
Flurry (5/short): 2d6+4 x2, 1d6+4 x2 =37
Across 2 combats, 3 rounds each, 6 total = 214.5
DPR potential: 35.75

5th level fighter (battle master), short swords (because you were looking at number of attacks):
Base: 1d6+4 x3 (two weapon) = 22.5
Action surge: 1d6+4 x5 (2 base, one twfing, 2 action surge) = 37.5
Plus: 4d8 superiority per short, no miss = 18
Across 2 combats, 3 rounds each, 6 total = 168
DPR potential: 28/round

5th level fighter (battle master), great sword:
Base: 2d6*+4 x2 = 24.7
Action surge: 2d6*+4 x4 = 49.3
Plus: 4d8 superiority per short, no miss = 18
Across 2 combats, 3 rounds each, 6 total = 190.8
DPR potential: 31.8

The monk does fall behind in damage at 11th and 20th, but then they have more ki than they know what to do with. The ability to stun on nearly any hit switches their role from a damage dealer to a controller.


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I get the idea, but remember with a fighter you get the chance to spike damage with more crits or using BM with GWF feat to make sure those +10 dmg attacks hit home. If the scenario goes longer than 2 combats, 3 rounds each, then it all swings to fighter.

Also flurry is unarmed strikes, so you at 5th level its 1d6+4 (x2) once per round. You would never use Kensai feature when you have flurry available. That sort of short circuits the feature of the sub-class, making it pointless.