D&D General The 10th level 2024 Monk can do 3 attacks with a BA, but only 2 with an AA

[Silam]

Importantly, there is a change between 2014 and 2024.

In 2014:

When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.

In 2024:

You can make an Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action.

So the 2024 rules are simplified, but also more flexible. An Attack Action is no longer required (as it would be in TWF, for example).

This opens up interesting combos, such as for an unarmed gish. Use an Action to cast a spell, and still do 3 attacks (with 10th level Flurry) as a BA!

This is even better than, for example, a Valor Bard / Sorc using their BA to cast with Quicken Metamagic, and then using an Attack Action to do a mere 2 attacks.

Where to get casting from is left as an exercise to the reader, whether from multi-classing, from the UA’s Warrior of the Mystic Arts subclass, or from feats such as Potent Dragonmark (e.g., coupled with Mark of Storm to get CME once / short rest, at the cost of just two feats…).

I haven’t seen much builds exploiting this, though Colby’s latest Cavern Brawler build does.

Any other ideas on how to take advantage of this?

 

[Zardnaar]

Its mostly a theorycraft build IMHO. Youhave to go deep into monk and then you're really MCing into a druid or cleric probably. Might be better off as pure monk or fighter/ranger dip.

To many of Colby's builds are theory craft ones. Eg they suck until they switch on 2-6 levels after everyone else already had.

I've been looking at ranager and war cleric ideas for something similar but its a bit hard with required levels. 5/Monk then Druid/cleric or whatever might be the best way not 100% sure.

 

[Silam]

Its mostly a theorycraft build IMHO. Youhave to go deep into monk and then you're really MCing into a druid or cleric probably. Might be better off as pure monk or fighter/ranger dip.

Actually, this has been brewing in my mind due to your Stormy EK build

A pure Monk with Potent Mark of Storm could be pretty nice. On 1st round, cast CME and attack thrice, then on subsequent rounds, attack 5 times. Pretty simple, but should be fun.

 

[Zardnaar]

Actually, this has been brewing in my mind due to your Stormy EK build

A pure Monk with Potent Mark of Storm could be pretty nice. On 1st round, cast CME and attack thrice, then on subsequent rounds, attack 5 times. Pretty simple, but should be fun.

Might need warcaster.

Boosts wisdom at least.

 

[bedir than]

Dance Bard - Unarmed Monk combo?

 

[Tigris]

Dance Bard - Unarmed Monk combo?

Why? Dance bard also uses bonus action and has a weak main action. When its the other way round, as a dance bard you might want a 1 level dip in monk to be able to always do bonus action attack without spending ressources, but because of the stat requirement thats hardly worth it.


Just use the Unearthed arcana monk which has the typical 1/3th caster with level 6 cantrip + attack. Then you can from level 11 on do 5 basic attack + 2d6

 

[Zardnaar]

Dance bards kinda trash. Still a bard but still....

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Honestly i think mc ranger, druid, or cleric, still wins.

Rangers gets you hunters mark which is better the more attacks you make, enough so that not getting them in round 1 will often be worth it. Go hunter for collosus slayer, weapon masteries scimitar and shortsword, twf fighting style, only even go 4 levels of ranger.

Druid gets you spells and animal forms, which you can still do all your monk stuff in.

Cleric, grave domain with mercy monk is very fun in general. War cleric is always fun.

If you rolled stats and can swing it, vengeance paladin for divine favor and oath of emnity.

Or go pure monk and use feats.

 

[Clint_L]

It probably hasn't been explored much because it requires at least 10 levels in monk, and very few campaigns go past 10th level - last time WotC released figure it was only a few percent of game. On top of that, monk is probably the hardest class to multiclass with. And on top of that, if you are going to high levels, it's really hard to give up even one level because the monk capstone is so good.

You're right that it offers some potent combinations. I mean, what about 11 levels in monk and 9 in cleric (works great with wisdom!) and casting holy weapon on yourself every fight?

 

[Tigris]

Dance bards kinda trash. Still a bard but still....

I know this is the feeling of many but I really dont get it.

• You get for free 1/2/3 armour (level 3/4/8) and if you ever find the rare +2 cha book you get another one. This costs you no money, no (magic) item slot, is always active and brings no disadvantages to skills or any limitations.
• You get free attacks if you use bardic inspiration in combat. No ressource cost like other subclasses to gain a benefit you just get it for doing whst you already like to do. And you ste not forced to do basic attacks you can still do whatever you want with your actions like casting leveled spells.
• You gain for free slightly improved melee attacks over normal bards while having a hand free/not needing a (magic) item slot. Simple weapons are 1d6 you get 1d8 at level 5 and it goes up to 1d12.
• You gain one of the best uses of bardic inspiration. Giving everyone +1d8 on initiative means everyone gets in average +4.5 to initiative which is in average 22.5% of an extra turn. This goes up to 32.5% later with an average party of 5 this is 1.6 extra turns (with movement action and bonus action) for no action cost and just 1 use of bardic inspiration.
• You can, again for free, instead of doing an attack on an enemy, grant an ally extra movement, by giving up some of yours. Like you can at the first turn give a fighter bardic inspiration, which you might want to do anyway, grab them, they choose to fail the saving throw, and then move them half your movement speed, which can help them to reach the enemy. This again gained the fighter or other martial 1 full attack action.
• You can also as a reaction (by using bardic inspiration so this is not free) do extra attacks, extra movement and grant 1 ally extra movement. This also means that a melee enemy which has not an at least 50% higher movement speed than you, will never be able to catch you to attack. Since they need dash action to catch up to you to which you can then hit then and get away.
• You can also in an important fight spam your ressources to get 2 extra attacks each turn. 1 from the bonus action and 1 from the reaction (if you end turn next to an enemy they either can move away and get hit or stand there and you can use your bardic reaction to hit them), and all that while still using actions to cast leveled spells!
• You get later also evasion which you can even share. (And because of the grabing / dancing) you want to stand next to an ally normally anyway.

Of course some of this only applies if a GM makes interesting encounters where movement is useful.