D&D 5E The Mystic (variant monk) for Champions of The Ninth Realm

[doctorbadwolf]

In the product I'm working on, I am reworking the monk as a more globally inspired mystical warrior. The goals are to unify the ki and martial arts die into a number of focus dice, make some of it's current ki stuff at-will or even passive, upgraded by spending a focus die, and adding more focus techniques, including meditations, stances, and regimens, that each work differently from eachother and from the regular action techniques.

Thematically, this is a warrior who has brought their body, breath, soul, and mind, into alignment in order to master themselves and defy normal mortal limitations. Right now I've got the feature that grants focus dice being called Focused Breath, because the conceit is that all physical, spiritual, and even intellectual, movement begins from your breath.

Here's what it looks like so far.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, lets just keep it positive in the sense of not arguing about whether the monk should exist, the name I've chosen (i;m up for other suggestions, but i'm not going to engage in arguments about them), and keep in mind that half the levels of the class don't have features in this draft and I haven't updated the class table fully yet. This is rough work, at the moment.

design notes

The idea is to have focus techniques that are one and done, focus stances that last a minute or longer with concentration, meditations which are done between fights and last until you get knocked out or do a different one, and focus regimens which can only be done as part of a long rest or during downtime and are basically like training. If that all seems odd, cehck out the force powers, talents, techniques, and regimens, in star wars saga edition. Force Powers

The idea isn't to emulate those exactly, but the vibe is similar.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

As ever, speaking to my wife has clarified some things.

Flurry of Blows and Feats of Strength shouldn’t be stances. Both for their own sake and bc the level 2 option gain should be a mix of types of techniques, not just 4 stances.

Feats of Might lasts until the end of your next turn. Easy. Might find something to boost by a die amount.

Flurry of Blows (pop pop) adds an attack, and bonus damage you can deal with one attack per turn before the end of your next turn. The wording will give you an extra unarmed attack once per turn until the end of your next turn, meaning with a reaction, it’ll give you 3 potential extra attacks in 2 rounds. Oh and a bonus damage die you can use once before end of next turn.

More on meditations and regimens tomorrow.

I’m considering introducing “talents” or “disciplines” in place of the features I’ve cut and pasted to the end of the document. Not a bunch, but enough to be looking at a few whenever the choice of one comes up.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I need to tune down the stances a bit, I know. The idea is that concentration adds a cost and you get a mix of big hits and longer buffs. But either I’ll drop the “THP equal to your focus die result when you enter a stance” or tune down the specifics, or both.

The idea is though, that you get more from spending focus than the monk does from spending ki, and have more options, with fewer being so dominant.

 

[Stormonu]

You went quite the different direction than I did. One of the things I really disliked about the monk is the lock-step acquired abilities. Unless you're playing a 4-elements monk, every monk advances the same way with the same abilities.

I leaned hard into the martial arts to try and give life to various styles, and tried to create stances that were akin to, but different from the fighter's fighting styles. If any of it would be of benefit to what you're attempting to accomplish, feel free to plunder.

(BTW, Tongue of the Sun and Moon isn't a bad ability, it's just at a bad level and one foisted upon the monk without an option for another ability in its place.)

 

[doctorbadwolf]

You went quite the different direction than I did. One of the things I really disliked about the monk is the lock-step acquired abilities. Unless you're playing a 4-elements monk, every monk advances the same way with the same abilities.

I leaned hard into the martial arts to try and give life to various styles, and tried to create stances that were akin to, but different from the fighter's fighting styles. If any of it would be of benefit to what you're attempting to accomplish, feel free to plunder.

(BTW, Tongue of the Sun and Moon isn't a bad ability, it's just at a bad level and one foisted upon the monk without an option for another ability in its place.)

Absolutely, and other than a couple I actually intend on broadening it out more than is currently the case, without going quite as complex as an artificer or warlock, for instance.

I do want to play with the wording of martial arts to make clear that it's a combo strike sort of thing, it doesn't have to be part of your body that impacts, it would indeed be that you turn a move into a throw against an object, do a pommel or guard hit, do a grappling move that just plain hurts, etc.

The items I moved to the end of the document will come back in at some point, but as optional meditations and regimens and such.

I do want to figure out a meditation (short rest ability, basically) for level 2, and a regimen for somewhere between 3 and 6, to introduce those.

i will dig into your version later when I have some real time! Thanks!

 

[doctorbadwolf]

You went quite the different direction than I did. One of the things I really disliked about the monk is the lock-step acquired abilities. Unless you're playing a 4-elements monk, every monk advances the same way with the same abilities.

I leaned hard into the martial arts to try and give life to various styles, and tried to create stances that were akin to, but different from the fighter's fighting styles. If any of it would be of benefit to what you're attempting to accomplish, feel free to plunder.

(BTW, Tongue of the Sun and Moon isn't a bad ability, it's just at a bad level and one foisted upon the monk without an option for another ability in its place.)

I like your monk, but it’s more focused on martial arts styles in a way that goes in the direction I don’t want, for the mystic. However!

I think your styles are good examples of the sort of thing that can be talents or regimens, wherein you master a regimen, and when you practice it you gain its benefits for 24 hours, and you can have a number determined by level active. Like if warlock invocations worked like artificer infusions.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

So, I’ve codified regimens as class features you can learn, with more known than active, and you choose each day with to use.

Many of them have a trio of checks, and a minimum benefit. So regardless you get +1 bene, 1 success gets you a +1d6 bene, 2 gets you +1d6 and a reroll, and 3 gets you advantage +1d6, or whatever.

They also each take hours to complete, and are done as part of resting. The language will make clear that you can hand wave the precise times a bit if you need to, as long as you aren’t changing regimens any faster than as part of a long rest.

The design goal is that you have a broad knowledge base, and you choose what to focus on, and can change that focus when needed, if given some time.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Man there has to be a good name somewhere for a member of a mystical, esoteric, martial tradition.

Like I’ve got Meistro and Mystic right now, as contenders. Maybe Ascetic, but it’s not a great fit.

Maybe play on atheme, but people got weird when I suggested that for my swordmage.

Kensei has been used for the monk subclass that focuses on weapons, and it may be best to not use an East Asian word for the class. Which sucks because it’s damn near perfect. A swordmaster who has surpassed normal limits of the perfect swordmaster into something deserving of reverence, a Sword Saint. Like, it’s so good.

Ugh.

Might end up building a new word tbh. Heronne/Heronim/Heronin as a subtle nod to the Heron Marked blades of swordmasters in Wheel of Time?

 

[Stormonu]

If you can use Paladin in place of "Holy Warrior", I see no reason not to use Kensei.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If you can use Paladin in place of "Holy Warrior", I see no reason not to use Kensei.

Gotta be careful when naming a variant of a deeply orientalist class, moreso if you’re considering an East Asian name.