D&D 5E Are monks very samey?

[Minigiant]

The question sounds weird which all their class features and options. But members of the class look very similar throughout most of play from the outside. They heavily nudge to the same ability scores and combat styles. There is little encouragement for weapon or armor so you can't differentiate that way without a hit. And although the subclasses grant options, at low to mid levels you lack the ki to do them often. Then with the way the monk's martial arts and ki abilities are written, fewer feats work wit it.

Although it is understandable. You don't want to go too far from tradition in the PHB and balancing to one style is easier. But after the latest survey results article and the Modifying Classes article, you can see a slight desire for other options.


So what's your opinion? Are monks samey? Would you have preferred more combat options (at the cost of being less focused). If yes, would type of monk combat style would you want? A weapon monk? Power strikes? Ki blasts? Suplexes and piledrivers? Submission holds? Flaming uppercuts?

Would you have liked more ability freedom? Or am I wrong and there are some other ability score options available?

 

[the Jester]

I think that the monk is a solid class, and once you get to the subclass branch point, they get fairly different. Shadow monks become more rogue-like, open hand monks become more fightery, and elemental monks become almost akin to a minor sorcerer.

 

[Minigiant]

I think that the monk is a solid class, and once you get to the subclass branch point, they get fairly different. Shadow monks become more rogue-like, open hand monks become more fightery, and elemental monks become almost akin to a minor sorcerer.

But like I mention, most of that costs your precious Ki.

So monks all spend most of the time being DEX/WIS skrimishers doing 3 unarmed strikes 60%-90% of the time in combat with no feats.

You heavily rely on backgrounds for differentiations as you get virtually locked on everything else.

 

[the Jester]

But like I mention, most of that costs your precious Ki.

So monks all spend most of the time being DEX/WIS skrimishers doing 3 unarmed strikes 60%-90% of the time in combat with no feats.

You heavily rely on backgrounds for differentiations as you get virtually locked on everything else.

To be clear, my experience with monks in my 5e game so far has included four different low-level pc monks, and they weren't very samey even before 3rd level. So that's what I'm basing my experience on. Yes, in combat, they are likely to have similar shticks, but even so, it's only similar, not the same. The halfling monk prefers a "keep away from the bad guys and use ranged attack" approach, the open hand monk goes up front with shortsword, the tiefling monk prefers to sneak about and use open hand attacks, fighting very strategically, and the elf monk is prone to lurk around the edges using the Dodge action and trying to draw enemies into tactically unsound locations.

I see what you're saying, but IME those ki points are the icing on top of the way the different players play their characters, as far as differentiating them in combat.

 

[Celtavian]

You hit stuff with some cool defensive and utility abilities. I'm having fun playing a monk.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Not the Twerking Monks of Myth Drannor. They're unique. See discussion about minotaurs elsewhere.

 

[bganon]

It's a more focused class than some, but IMO it's no more "samey" than Barbarians which are pretty locked into Str/Con, or Paladins who are heavily Str/Cha where much of the differentiation is in consumable resources (spells or Channel Divinity).

Dex/Wis is heavily favored, but Str/Wis is sorta OK at low levels, and the Shadow Monk can do OK without as much Wis as other builds.

 

[Zaran]

I think almost all the classes can be samey. It's part of the simplified character creation.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Your job as a player is to make the character you play unique. Mechanical gizmos don't and shouldn't do that for you.

At the end of the day, any combination of mechanical whatnots can be chosen by another player. The ONLY thing unique about your character must come from you.

 

[Minigiant]

It's a more focused class than some, but IMO it's no more "samey" than Barbarians which are pretty locked into Str/Con, or Paladins who are heavily Str/Cha where much of the differentiation is in consumable resources (spells or Channel Divinity).

Dex/Wis is heavily favored, but Str/Wis is sorta OK at low levels, and the Shadow Monk can do OK without as much Wis as other builds.

But barbarians and paladin can choose different weapons, armor, and weapon styles.

Once a monk is out of ki, it's punch x3 over and over. Sure at low level you might get to pick weapon as your unarmed strike is weak. But you lose a lot of the incentives as you level and the class drops off in power if you don't follow conventional styles.

Your job as a player is to make the character you play unique. Mechanical gizmos don't and shouldn't do that for you.

At the end of the day, any combination of mechanical whatnots can be chosen by another player. The ONLY thing unique about your character must come from you.

Oh I can roleplay unique characters very well. I am a wacky PC guy and some DM have asked me to be more traditional.

But I'm nontraditional in build too. And a lot of the monk seems to allow variation very early and coalesce into one style due to no support for any thing else and heavy reliance on FoB and Martial Art unarmed strikes.