D&D 5E My Quick and Dirty Tasha Read

[Flamestrike]

You need to be proficient in the weapon to use that ability, and it doesn't automatically grant proficiencies. So you are gong to want to be an elf to do that.

Not any more.

Thanks to Weapon proficiency racial swaps, any race that grants a martial weapon or armour proficiency can pick up Longsword as well (via swaps). Hobgoblins, Dwarves, Githyanki off the top of my head.

Or Vuman or Clineage also work via feats (finally a use for the Weapon Master feat!).

 

[Flamestrike]

Dex 18 Weapon Master Monks at 1st level seem like a pretty cool thing.

 

[Flamestrike]

Vuman Monk (Dex, Wisdom 16) Feat [fighting initiate: Unarmed] seems like a bit of a default, although Cliniage Monk (Dex 18, Wis 14) Feat [Weapon Master: Longsword, Hand Crossbow, +1) also looks good.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yeah. But I expect many DMs (such as me) wouldn't permit racial swaps made for power gaming purposes.

And I believe elves, dwarves, githyanki, variant half elves and hobgoblins are the ONLY races that qualify anyway.

 

[Flamestrike]

Yeah. But I expect many DMs (such as me) wouldn't permit racial swaps made for power gaming purposes.

If this is your definition of power gaming were miles off in agreement on that term.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If this is your definition of power gaming were miles off in agreement on that term.

Quite possibly. Whatever, I would be very very unlikely to permit anyone to play a mountain dwarf monk with +2 DEX +2 WIS and armour proficiencies converted to martial weapons, and I sure I'm not the only DM who would rule that way.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Yeah, but don't forget they're still playing a Monk, which means they are still behind a number of the other melee classes even if they got to play their dwarf that way.

If you want to compare this Monk to other monks, sure the dwarf might seem slightly OP by comparison... but against the other potential PCs in a party? I personally wouldn't say so.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yeah, but don't forget they're still playing a Monk, which means they are still behind a number of the other melee classes even if they got to play their dwarf that way.

If you want to compare this Monk to other monks, sure the dwarf might seem slightly OP by comparison... but against the other potential PCs in a party? I personally wouldn't say so.

Firstly, I do not accept that monks are "far behind other melee classes". It seems to be tables who "stand and slug" rather than have mobile fights who believe this.

Nor is the issue that the character would be overpowered - player characters in our game vary widely in power level, and it's not a problem. The issue is, the player has made the choice for reasons other than wanting to role-play a dwarven character.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Firstly, I do not accept that monks are "far behind other melee classes". It seems to be tables who "stand and slug" rather than have mobile fights who believe this.

Nor is the issue that the character would be overpowered - player characters in our game vary widely in power level, and it's not a problem. The issue is, the player has made the choice for reasons other than wanting to role-play a dwarven character.

They can’t want to roleplay a nimble dwarven monk? You can see into their mind, or is it just that your biases are more important than their character concept?

I'm not sure about that one, because it steps on the toes of the kensei monk :/

Does it? Getting a longsword is possibly the least part of what makes a kensei, and even if it weren’t, this would just mean you can grab a longsword and something else as a kensei.

 

[Flamestrike]

The issue is, the player has made the choice for reasons other than wanting to role-play a dwarven character.

You dont know that.

Maybe he always wanted to play a Dwarven Monk, but the poor fixed Stat mods to useless stats and useless Armor proficiencies kept him away from the concept.