Time for a more in-depth look.
Way of the Kensei
The Secret of Gun-Fu
Path of the Kensei
Three weapons
These are explicitly not Monk weapons, which is really sad if you wanted your Kensei weapon to be a dagger or some other simple Monk weapon, like the Unarmed Strike.
Putting off learning the weapon that you are going to be using for the rest of your life till level 3 is a bit of story/mechanics dissonance, but it really can't be helped with the current format. I suppose you could ask your DM to let this work for you in some fashion from level 1, something like "you can use a greatsword, but until level 3 it must use the Monk damage die." That would be weird too, but at least it's balanced. Three proficiencies lets you pick a bow, a greataxe, and whatever else you would like, like the net.
Actually, can you imagine using the net as your main weapon? Restraining and Monk damage, that just may make the net a viable option somehow.
Aside from nets, using longbows is the other mindblowing option. Maybe more so for a 3 level dip, so you can benefit from using a belt of storm giant strength in your traditional archer build.
For Gun-Fu you use a hand crossbow, pickup the crossbow sniper feat, and get three magical ranged attacks with full Monk die damage.
Pole-arms, on the other hand, aren't so hot due due to already getting melee bonus action attacks. And speaking of bonus actions...
Strength or Dexterity for your attacks
This makes Kensei weapons work almost entirely like Monk weapons.
Side effects include using Great Weapons with Dex, to make Dex even better. And Using Belts of Giant Strength on Archers, to give them even more damage.
Pummel
For lack of a better name.
This is
not an attack. You spend your Bonus Action as you take your Attack Action, then you deal 1d4 bonus bludgeoning damage to every target you hit with your Attack option.
I would assume this is intended to replace the traditional Martial Arts Bonus Action, because your Kensei Weapon isn't a Monk weapon for reasons. There are a few problems with this:
- It doesn't scale beyond the fact that you can attack twice at level 5.
- It doesn't get bonus damage.
- It dosn't work on the same target more than once per turn.
- Flurry Of Blows does work with Kensei Weapons. (Well, one of them anyway~)
- Using an Unarmed Strike as part of your full Attack (yes you can use multiple weapons) lets you use the Martial Arts bonus action, and gives you +2 AC.
As for why you would ever use this? You decided to use a Longbow or a Net, or you aren't level 5 yet. And you somehow made a ranged weapon pummel the target. I'm not sure how that works either, perhaps the arrow "twanged" and slapped them in the face after it embedded itself in the chest of the target?
+2 AC for using Unarmed Strikes.
Helps out melee Kensei tremendously. Not only do they qualify for Martial Arts, and do more damage as a result, but they get a bonus for it!
Ranged Kensei could potentially use it as a pseudo-Mobile feat in order to get some distance for their longbow to be effective.
Or you could just be a Hand Crossbow Kensei and get the best of both worlds
One with the Blade
Magic weapons
Very useful, especially if you are a Gun-Fu expert and your DM didn't give you a magical Hand Crossbow.
Precise Strike.
Once per rest, you can use a bonus action to get double your proficiency bonus to your next attack, against a creature that is no more than 30' away from you, provided that you can see it. This is bad. I would say it got hit by the same nerf bat that they hit 4e's rendition of the
Knock spell with, except this didn't exist before now. If it's limited in the number of times you use it, make it unrestricted on targets, because you want to thematically use it against the invisible or far away ones. If it's limited against targets I can use it against, just let me use the bonus action whenever I deem necessary.
Or just replace it with a ribbon. This subclass badly needs a ribbon anyway. Something that lets them repair or make Kensei weapons with minimal effort would be good.
Sharpen the Blade
You make your Kensei Weapon even more magical for this encounter. Like +3 magical. Your Gun-Fu knows no DM gear limitations~
This doesn't work on Monk weapons, sadly. Which makes makes synergies with Unarmed strike not so hot. Which is unfortunate because it's still better to use Unarmed Strike than Pummel.
Unerring Accuracy
This is a really fun Capstone. One Re-roll every turn means you are going to be seeing it in use all the time. It also works on every weapon and any attack.
Thoughts.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!1!
OK, sorry, my malicious streak came over me. This is the
Revengance of the hand-crossbow come to bloom in full glory. (if you know that game, you know why that works) Gun-Fu is going to be up, down, and all around, everywhere now, and not even a lack of magical crossbows can save you from it.
Petty celebrations aside, this path has some bad anti-synergies. The Kensei and Monk weapon divide hurts for no logical reason. Unarmed Strikes not technically being a weapon also hurts. Pummel needs to be useful on more weapons than just the Longbow and Net after level 5. Precise Strike needs to be made useful in the first place, or swapped. Swapping for a Ribbon is also cool.
Aside from those problems, I rather like the class in theme. I know the Kensei has traditionally been a Fighter, but Ki is the Monk's only claim to fame outside of punching stuff right now, and it's good to see non-punching monks being explored.
Way of Tranquility
Because there is more than one way to
not punch stuff.
Path of Tranquility
Sanctuary every 60 seconds. That's another one of those "Encounter Recharge" powers being tested out. Also, Sanctuary is a very popular go-to defensive option for some reason.
It's not bad or anything like that, it just follows a trend that has been popping up as of late.
Healing Hands
It's a pool of healing, like Lay on Hands. Only bigger, and you can also use it as a Bonus Action if you spend a Ki point of Flurry of Blows.
I'm not sure how practical a reserve of 10xlevel is for being a group's only healer in terms of raw HP restored, but it is good enough for getting people back into the fight.
Unfortunately, it's not good for all the other stuff a healer has to deal with.
Things like:
- Ability Score Reductions
- Blindness/Deafness
- Charm
- Curses
- Death
- Exhaustion
- Fear
- Lost Limbs
- Maximum Hit Point loss
- Paralysis
- Petrification
- Stun
I don't expect every healer to bring back the dead, and maybe not even re-attach a limb. But I expect a "Healer" to be able to cover everything that
Greater and
Lesser Restoration can. Hit dice can make up for the rest. Giving them some way to snap people out of mind effecting things is also a plus, because I know people who like playing the Leader role love that kind of stuff.
Emissary of Peace
That's a good ribbon. Advantage, and extra proficencies.
Douse the Flames of War
This isn't so good. You can force one target to stop fighting, but only if it isn't hurt, and your friends aren't fighting it or it's friends at the moment.
I suppose you could heal the target to make sure it works, but there has to be a better ability that could be placed here instead. Others have suggested combat oriented non-lethal stuns and holds, I could see stuff like that working for this, and better in general.
Anger of the Gentle Soul
This is somehow both Thematic and Counter-thematic.
It's very powerful, up to 80 extra damage per short rest. But it doesn't feel right. Maybe if this ability was gained at a lower level it wouldn't seem so out of place? This is the Capstone ability for Monks who don't like Violence, it should probably be something Non-Violent. Maybe the ability to cast
Imprisonment? Banishing Evil happens all the time in those Kung-Fu movies, well mostly before the movie, but somebody still has to do it first!
Thoughts
This peace-loving healer of a Monk isn't enough of a Peace-Lover or Healer for my tastes. Though it seems easier to fix than some of the other Subclasses we have been getting.
