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So you're saying that a monk must always use their fist to be an unarmed combatant and even the faintest touch of a ranged weapons eviscerates its identity? Can a wizard not use a crossbow just because he's the funny "magic man?" We're talking about level 1 & 2. By level 3, the monk has...

Maybe the problem is the intended fantasy and not the features that define the playstyle? And I still disagree that it isn't the intended fantasy, I just think that it not being that "unarmed combatant" fantasy doesn't mean you can't pull out a crossbow at least once in a while. You still make...

You still primarily fight in-melee but you do need to understand the context of the fight and adjust accordingly. Regardless of the fantasy you want to buy into the monk, or even the intended fantasy, the truth is that their features funnel you into a playstyle where you're quick to engage...

I understand they aren't "designed" for ranged attacks. But they're still available to them and when I play monks, I'm more than willing to use whatever's at my disposal, like how I imagine martial artists. And there's still compatibility. Dex focus, first and foremost, makes ranged weapons...

Can you do so about the 2014 rogue? In fact, ranged weapons are now also monk weapons in the new UA. But y'know what? It doesn't matter. If you're so averse to the class fantasy of a monk having a ranged weapon because of your idea that "he has unarmed strikes therefore he must always fight...

An unarmed combatant like...using a quarterstaff? Or nunchuks? Or kunai and ninja stars? Monks can be an effective unarmed combatant, but they don't have to be all the time. Same as how a fighter can be an effective melee fighter, but can pull out a longbow when fighting a flying dragon. Its...

I dunno. If I've watched any kung fu movies, the protagonist seems to always be tactically intelligent and resourceful. Besides, monk doesn't mean anything anymore in terms of fantasy, really. Since now they're just "elusive skirmisher" rather than "eastern-movie inpired action hero." I...

I'm going to ignore the fact that common sense would say that the monk would kite the orcs with a light crossbow and use the slow mastery to prevent them from coming closer. (Orc's BA move would only give them 40ft and monks can move 40ft naturally). If I was the monk, I'd use the mace's...

Though, the Paladin only has 10 of their resources and the Monk has 11 in a single fight and 22 within a day with no short rests. Each Ki point grants an additional 9.5 damage. Meanwhile, each casting of paladin's smite does either 9, 13.5, or 18 extra damage. If we actually tally up how...

Well, that's why I advocate for monks getting something defensive that isn't just an HP boost. Though, let's be fair, a monk and rogue will have pretty similar defenses at level 1. When things ween off at around level 3, the rogues and monk both have free defensive options, but with...

Typically, the role of damage sponge is to be hit and take damage, having enough hitpoints that doing so won't result in them going down before their routine heal. Fighters can be very effective damage sponges. Rangers as well depending on their build. Sure, monks know they will get hit...

In my opinion, not really. That's why they emphasize evasion, because they're not particularly hardy or tough like the fighter or barbarian. A monk nevers plans on taking hits, so they wouldn't train themselves to be any better than other classes that don't plan on being hit either.

I'm sure I'm in the minority when I say that I'm not a fan of increasing their HP. When I think of monks, I don't think of someone that's taking damage when constantly when they're in a fight. I think more about them being evasive and elusive. I won't get into the weeds of HP = meat but I do...

I mean, I feel like Wisdom is a higher priority for the open hand monk than any other, so you really should be bolstering it, at least after your dex. And the range is typically higher. Like you said, its now 23.5 where it was 18. And if we increase wisdom to max at level 20, we get 75hp...

I will say this: Having unarmored defense at low levels means that when the party engages in stealth, you're not negatively impacting that for them. Even when you use group stealth checks, disadvantage can be brutal especially if you didn't pick up the skill and already dumped dex as your...

Its to be expected. The monk has the heavy burden to fulfill so many playstyles at once, often contradicting. They have to be the boxer but also the weapon master. They have to be the tank, dpr, control, and skirmisher. They have to have all the passive combat prowess of a martial and all the...

Some things that some people might have missed while skimming monk: They do not use their martial arts die with simple weapons. They can only use the increased die size for their unarmed strikes. It kinda forces the monk to rely solely on their fists, which I'm not a big fan of. I liked how...

I do think there are people that get into the bad habit of determining whether something is weak in context of each other rather than in context of the content. I get monk's have the lowest defenses and AC for a martial, so they'll be going down more often than a fighter. But if in the context...

Monks look decent at a glance. I know stunning strike mains are going to consider the class dead now, but for someone that likes to invoke other strategies, the monk has gotten pretty good. The 4-elemonk is much less ki-starved, which is cool, but at the cost of their utility and customization...

Off the top of my head, Hallow is permanent immediately when its cast (though its probably the most expensive spell on the list and requires a full day of casting). Guards and Wards is also a 6th-level spell that requires a casting of every day for a year to become permanent. It isn't much of...