D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook reveal: "New Monk"

Monk article! https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1758-2024-monk-vs-2014-monk-whats-new

Video Breakdown

Base Monk Class Notes

• Knew monk was going to get a lot of attention - both satisfaction scores and actual play numbers have historically tended to be a bit low
• Similar to ranger, monk is largely a "new class"
• Martial Arts feature at 1st level
  • Monk weapons have been broadened to all simple melee weapons and martial melee weapons with light property
  • Can make an unarmed strike as bonus action
  • Can choose to use Dex to set DCs for unarmed strike grapple and shove options (see general notes below)
  • Martial Arts die - starts at d6 at level 1, scales to d12 at level 17
• Monk's Focus feature at 2nd level
  • Ki/Discipline Points are now Focus Points
  • Patient Defense - can Disengage as bonus action for free
    • Spending 1 Focus Point lets you both Disengage and Dodge at the same time
  • Step of the Wind - can Dash as bonus action for free
    • Spending 1 Focus Point lets you both Dash and Disengage at the same time, and additionally your Jump distance is doubled for the rest of your turn
  • Flurry of Blows - Spend 1 Focus Point to make two unarmed strikes as bonus action
• Uncanny Metabolism feature at 2nd level ("I didn't hear no bell.")
  • When rolling initiative, can regain all expended Focus Points and restore a number of hit points (1/long rest)
• Redesigned Deflect Attacks feature at 3rd level
  • Roll d10 + Dex + Monk level to reduce damage from any attack that deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage
  • If damage is reduced to zero, can spend Focus Point to redirect force of attack to someone else - target makes a saving throw and on failure suffers an amount of Force damage based on your Martial Arts die
  • Upgrades to Deflect Energy at 13th level - can deflect any damage type
• Self Restoration feature at 10th level
  • Can end Charmed, Frightened, or Poisoned condition on self at end of monk's turn for free
• Heightened Focus feature at 10th level - further enhancements to Patient Defense, Step of the Wind, and Flurry of Blows (not detailed)
• Superior Defense feature at 18th level - mentioned as example of ways they've increased monk survivability, but not detailed
• Disciplined Survivor feature (level not mentioned) - mentioned as example of ways they've increased monk survivability, allows monk to reroll saving throws
• Stunning Strike feature
  • Can only be used once per turn, but always does something
  • If target fails saving throw, they are stunned
  • If target succeeds on saving throw, their speed is halved and the next attack roll against them has advantage
• Epic Boon at 19th level - no example specified

Subclass Notes

• Warrior of Mercy
  • Largely the same, save for tweaks to better integrate subclass with new version of the base monk class
• Warrior of the Elements
  • Completely replaces Way of the Four Elements
  • Elemental Attunement - not always active, costs Focus Points to "turn on"
    • Can increase reach of unarmed strikes using elemental power ("Not a Mr. Fantastic or One Piece style stretchy punch" )
    • Can change damage type to one of elemental themed options (not specified, but generally guessable)
    • Can force target to make a saving throw and move them around battlefield on a failure
  • Gain Elementalism cantrip
  • At 6th level, can take Magic action and expend some Focus Points to cause elemental explosion in 20-foot radius sphere up to 120 feet away, dealing damage based on Martial Arts Die
  • Themed around tapping into Elemental Chaos as a whole, rather than just one of the Elemental Planes
  • At 11th level, gain fly and swim speed when Elemental Attunement is active
  • Elemental Epitome at 17th level
    • Further improves Elemental Attunement
    • Gain elemental damage resistance (can be changed at start of every turn)
    • When using Step of the Wind, speed is increased and you can cause damage to enemies you pass
    • Additional option to deal bonus elemental damage once per turn (not elaborated)
• Warrior of Shadow
  • Can cast Darkness spell as before, but can now see through that darkness
  • Improved Shadowstep at 11th level
    • Can expend Focus Point to remove requirement to start/end teleportation in dim light or darkness, and can make an unarmed strike as part Shadowstep bonus action
  • Cloak of Shadows at 17th level
    • Turn invisible and partially incorporeal (can pass through occupied spaces as difficult terrain), and Flurry of Blows does not cost Focus Points while Cloak of Shadows is active
  • Kendrick: "Would love to see the Archfey Warlock and Shadow Monk teleporting around the battlefield fighting each other."
    • Crawford: "Not a PvP game."
• Warrior of the Open Hand
  • Wholeness of Body feature at 6th level
    • Now a bonus action and can be used multiple times per day
  • Fleet Step feature (level not specified)
    • Whenever you take a bonus action to do anything other than Step of the Wind, you can also use Step of the Wind immediately after that bonus action
  • Revised Quivering Palm
    • Deals a "truckload" of damage on failed save and a "smaller truckload" of damage on a successful one, but can no longer instantly drop creatures down to 0 hp

General Notes

• Baseline (gold?) dragonborn monk iconic art has a tail.
• Unarmed strike redesigned, intended to grant similar tactical versatility to that offered by weapon mastery - now includes three options:
  • Deal damage
  • Attempt to start a grapple
  • Attempt to shove target

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Yeah, the only two clear changes from UA I noticed were the Stunning Strike save change and the rename to Focus Points.

I guess that's better than "Discipline", too funny if it's DP for people who watch a lot of porn.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Any guesses on what the Mummy Warrior of Mercy is supposed to be?

 

[g00se99994]

One of the characters in my classless 5e game gained that ability (using Deflect Arrows on melee attacks). After about a dozen sessions seeing it in action, I would absolutely agree it's extremely strong.

And I get it, you can always get around it with more mobs and more attacks. I just hate being overt with my balancing. Every fight the monk is getting more multi attacks or mobs because otherwise its almost impossible to do damage with medium difficulty scraps. level 5 he's regularly ignoring the first 10 points of damage every single round.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I think they tooned that up to much. I've already seen it in my games and I generally like to keep my encounters balanced to a party and not gang up on a single class. Anyway, its very strong.

I think 5e already leans heavily towards everything getting multiattack, and there should always be multiple minions, so working around Deflect doesn't have to be overt. I think it's just a little questionable towards newbie GMs, as they might not be aware that a single-hitter that'd otherwise be threatening is reduced to nothing if there's a Monk.

So, I would've liked to keep Deflect's numbers lower to start with, yeah. A lv2 monk doesn't need that much reduction. But, at the same time, Monk's problem was that their AC and hitpoints are still worse than any other melee warrior's, so negating one hit helps in a more interesting way than just upping their AC or HP, as they could've done.

 

[mellored]

It's better in a way (you have reach for the fight by spending 1 Ki!), but worse at being interesting (it really just offers the reach).

Reach and forced movement.

And given multi-attack and flurry of blows, that can be a lot of forced movement. So get a spike growth druid buddy.

Element Monk's lv6 blast is likely still the same as it was in the playtest (as Crawford just said 'scales with your unarmed damage die'). Which in the playtest meant 3 x unarmed damage die of damage (save for half), so if you need to do 8 points of damage to a wide area, Element Monk's your rat exterminator, but that's about it.

It's 13.5 damage at level 6. A bigger Shatter.

Scales to 19.5, which yea, isn't much.
120' range is nice though, so it will see some use.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

It's 13.5 damage at level 6. A bigger Shatter.

...and then they save for half is the thing.

 

[Kurotowa]

One of the characters in my classless 5e game gained that ability (using Deflect Arrows on melee attacks). After about a dozen sessions seeing it in action, I would absolutely agree it's extremely strong.

It's definitely a strong class feature. Is it too strong? That depends on context. Specifically, how it operates with the Monk's other defensive traits and overall strength.

Monks previously got cast as Rogue-like skirmishers, because they simply didn't have the durability to survive on the front line. But let's assume that's not the intended playstyle, and compare them to the other front line classes. They don't have the AC of a Fighter or Paladin with heavy armor and a shield. They don't have the effective HP pool of a Barbarian with Damage Resistance and a d12 hit die. So how do you get the Monk to stand in the thick of things and not crumple? You give them something like Deflect Attacks.

I think people are getting sticker shock the same way new DMs can freak out over Sneak Attack. But really, in context and comparison to what other front line classes get, I don't think it's out of line. Well, on paper. We'll see how things play out in actual play.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I think 5e already leans heavily towards everything getting multiattack, and there should always be multiple minions, so working around Deflect doesn't have to be overt. I think it's just a little questionable towards newbie GMs, as they might not be aware that a single-hitter that'd otherwise be threatening is reduced to nothing if there's a Monk.

So, I would've liked to keep Deflect's numbers lower to start with, yeah. A lv2 monk doesn't need that much reduction. But, at the same time, Monk's problem was that their AC and hitpoints are still worse than any other melee warrior's, so negating one hit helps in a more interesting way than just upping their AC or HP, as they could've done.

One thing that is important: for the first 10 levels it is just bludgeoning, piercing or slashing. That alone will be a big limiting factor. Other monks at level 6, or a 4element monk pierces eight through it.

Rogue's uncanny dodge works against any attack. So it is not straight better.

I still would have liled it being toned down a bit. Martials arts die + level, or even 2 martial arts die + level would not have been bad.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Any guesses on what the Mummy Warrior of Mercy is supposed to be?

Drow elf, maybe?

 

[g00se99994]

It's definitely a strong class feature. Is it too strong? That depends on context. Specifically, how it operates with the Monk's other defensive traits and overall strength.

Monks previously got cast as Rogue-like skirmishers, because they simply didn't have the durability to survive on the front line. But let's assume that's not the intended playstyle, and compare them to the other front line classes. They don't have the AC of a Fighter or Paladin with heavy armor and a shield. They don't have the effective HP pool of a Barbarian with Damage Resistance and a d12 hit die. So how do you get the Monk to stand in the thick of things and not crumple? You give them something like Deflect Attacks.

I think people are getting sticker shock the same way new DMs can freak out over Sneak Attack. But really, in context and comparison to what other front line classes get, I don't think it's out of line. Well, on paper. We'll see how things play out in actual play.

If you skirmish with deflect attacks then you are insanely strong.