D&D (2024) Asians Represent: "Has WotC Fixed the D&D Monk?"

[FitzTheRuke]

I'd prefer if the asian-coded trope wasnt reserved to only to only one class. Monks should not be '' Asians: the Class''. Just like martial arts (unarmed or not) should be split across the board: brawler barbarian, euro-monk paladin, elemental bender sorcerer etc

We already have a Samurai fighter, give us a Ninja rogue, Geomancer Wizard, Animist Warlock, Iron Rider Barbarian, Cavalry Archer Ranger, Exorcist Cleric etc

Yeah, also I'd like a greco-roman wrestler Monk and a Pugilist one, for that matter.

 

[MGibster]

And make it more inspired by history rather than the 80s nonsensical stereotypes (Don't get me wrong, I loved ninja in the 80s, but now?....just no... )

It's true. Most of those movies weren't so much good as they're so-bad-they-are-good.

 

[Emberashh]

It's true. Most of those movies weren't so much good as they're so-bad-they-are-good.

Idk whos the better grandpa between Pat Morita and Victor Wong.

 

[tetrasodium]

Its not odd, it's what their primary audience expects when they hear the phrase "martial arts". No reason for WotC to try to change their fan base.

There is a very good reason actually. Here it is... Can you positively identify the monk in this tweet of the iconic party from wotc jp?

Spoiler

I had trouble finding the tweet and had to scroll from present back to when it was originally posted and despite seeing a huge number of images tweeted there didn't seem to be any of them that screamed "monk". Even the ones that were "hmm... Maybe... Were using weapons or were more likely to be unarmored casters.

 

[Azzy]

I'd prefer if the asian-coded trope wasnt reserved to only to only one class. Monks should not be '' Asians: the Class''. Just like martial arts (unarmed or not) should be split across the board: brawler barbarian, euro-monk paladin, elemental bender sorcerer etc

IMO, ideally, all the classes should be broadly applicable to many cultures rather than being hyperspecific.

We already have a Samurai fighter, give us a Ninja rogue, Geomancer Wizard, Animist Warlock, Iron Rider Barbarian, Cavalry Archer Ranger, Exorcist Cleric etc

We have a ninja in the form of the Shadow Monk, and multiple Rogue subclasses also work for that. Heck, "ninja" in fiction are so varied that several classes could be used. I'd peg an Animist as a Druid subclass, personally, because they're mostly there. Definitely need a Cavalry Archer Ranger. I don't know what you mean by an Iron Rider. I'd like to see a Taoist mystic/Onmyōjialso.

 

[nevin]

If they hadn't done away with specialty priests in 3rd ed we could have just applied that type of thing to Monks and had specialty monks based on function and beliefs. I really do miss specialty priests. It added so much meat to religous orders.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Clearly the solution is to bring D&D back to B/X. Just plain fighter covers all cultural archetypes and call it a day.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Just because some people ignore the magical aspect of D&D in their own campaign settings, doesn't mean it's not built in. Just because the DM can choose to send only nonmagical humanoids against a group of PCs consisting of non-magical fighters and rogues, and never giving those PCs magic items, doesn't mean that magic is inherently part of every published world ever.

That is merely a DM campaign choice. I'm not wrong, and you know it.

D&D isn't a generic universal role-playing system that is designed to mirror any campaign style. It does one thing well. D&D. It has dungeons. It has dragons. It has magic. Anything else is a variant that the DM makes up rules for, or adopts 3rd party rules for.

It is reasonable for a low level party to fight a squad of goblins, however, or a pack of wolves, or a bear. No magic there (most of the time).

 

[Micah Sweet]

And make it more inspired by history rather than the 80s nonsensical stereotypes (Don't get me wrong, I loved ninja in the 80s, but now?....just no... )

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Except the class was based on nonsensical stereotypes. You want something different, perhaps you should make a different class (with a different name).

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

It is reasonable for a low level party to fight a squad of goblins, however, or a pack of wolves, or a bear. No magic there (most of the time).

But we're not talking about encounters. We're talking about campaigns themselves, and how the Player Character classes fit into the fabric of the world and story, and how it might therefore inform their design. Well, at least I am.