D&D 5E Counter-Attack Monk Build Ideas?

[Flamestrike]

Id rather not tbh. That’s a big investment just to get a tiny pool of a secondary resource to do small beans manuevers.

That is fun. I’ll definitely consider it.

Not sure id consider 5 superiority dice per short rest (thanks to the FS) plus action surge 'small bean manoeuvres'.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Not sure id consider 5 superiority dice per short rest (thanks to the FS) plus action surge 'small bean manoeuvres'.

Yeah not a lot of dead levels in a 3 level fighter dip. Second wind, unarmed fighting style, action surge and subclass stuff makes for a nice bundle.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Not sure id consider 5 superiority dice per short rest (thanks to the FS) plus action surge 'small bean manoeuvres'.

It’s not a hard sentence to parse, but I’ll try to clarify it anyway.

I didn’t say that what you get from 3 levels of fighter is small beans, I said that the manuevers are small beans. In fact, my wording made it specific that I am referring to each maneuver as small beans.

So, like I said, 3 levels of a class that isn’t especially on-mission just to get a few manuevers that aren’t that interesting or powerful

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yeah not a lot of dead levels in a 3 level fighter dip. Second wind, unarmed fighting style, action surge and subclass stuff makes for a nice bundle.

Sure, for a character that it makes sense for.

 

[Flamestrike]

It’s not a hard sentence to parse, but I’ll try to clarify it anyway.

I didn’t say that what you get from 3 levels of fighter is small beans, I said that the manuevers are small beans. In fact, my wording made it specific that I am referring to each maneuver as small beans.

So, like I said, 3 levels of a class that isn’t especially on-mission just to get a few manuevers that aren’t that interesting or powerful

I'm not sure how you can consider 3 maneuvers (4 with a F/S) and 4 die (5 with the F/S) every single short rest to be 'small beans'?

One of your maneuvers could be riposte (which gives you your counter) plus 3 others (Grappling strike, Trip attack, Disarming strike look good).

Your enemy attacks you and misses, you Riposte, punch them in the face and Stun them (negating all further attacks). It's then your turn (and they're stunned) so you then kick the crap out of them (with advantage) using Action surge, and maybe using another die on Disarming attack (they automatically fail the save thanks to being Stunned) as you do so, plus a flurry (which if you're OHM also automatically knocks them prone) or bonus action MA attack, and maybe stunning them again.

If you're an unarmed monk you can take unarmed F/S for d8 damage punches, and then when your M/A dice catches up, swap it out for an extra manouver and extra dice via the Superior Technique F/S.

I wouldnt want to fight that guy one on one.

 

[Weiley31]

I always thought that Martial Adept+Superior Technique was a nice combo. Especially for Battlemasters and Champions.

I'm not sure how you can consider 3 maneuvers (4 with a F/S) and 4 die (5 with the F/S) every single short rest to be 'small beans'?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I'm not sure how you can consider 3 maneuvers (4 with a F/S) and 4 die (5 with the F/S) every single short rest to be 'small beans'?

I don't know how to make this clearer.

I did not say that the package is small beans. Counting number of dice or maneuvers is wholly irrelevant to what I said.

Even riposte is often just less good for a monk than a ki feature like Tipsy Sway or Deflect Missiles, and it's the best one for him to have, since it does "the thing".

But it's one directly relevant manuever, and a bunch of stuff that doesn't really add to the concept outside of "good at combat", but the monk is also good at combat, so...whatever. The Rogue, meanwhile, gets more skills, ability to dash or disengage as a bonus action which saves on ki often enough in our playstyle (lots of exploration and 3 dimensional combat) that it's worth the drop in total ki from fewer levels of Monk, 2d6 SA damage per round, and inquisitive gets him bonuses to his thematically most important skills. Taking levels of both rogue and fighter isn't viable, and rogue gets me much more of what I need.

One of your maneuvers could be riposte (which gives you your counter) plus 3 others (Grappling strike, Trip attack, Disarming strike look good).

Your enemy attacks you and misses, you Riposte, punch them in the face and Stun them (negating all further attacks). It's then your turn (and they're stunned) so you then kick the crap out of them (with advantage) using Action surge, and maybe using another die on Disarming attack (they automatically fail the save thanks to being Stunned) as you do so, plus a flurry (which if you're OHM also automatically knocks them prone) or bonus action MA attack, and maybe stunning them again.

If you're an unarmed monk you can take unarmed F/S for d8 damage punches, and then when your M/A dice catches up, swap it out for an extra manouver and extra dice via the Superior Technique F/S.

I wouldnt want to fight that guy one on one.

Sure, it's a perfectly good build. It isn't the build I'm asking for input on ITT, however.

 

[Flamestrike]

But it's one directly relevant manuever, and a bunch of stuff that doesn't really add to the concept outside of "good at combat", but the monk is also good at combat, so...whatever.

Sure, it's a perfectly good build. It isn't the build I'm asking for input on ITT, however.

But you did ask for something good at combat, specifically with ''a backstory [that] includes him being lethal in single (especially arena) combat'' and the following abilities:

What I’d love instead of Tipsy Sway is an expansion on Deflect Arrows. Parry as a reaction, spend 1 ki to counter attack.

I’d also like soemthing defensive at level 3, and perhaps something where you study an enemy? What if, when you take the Dodge Action, you can study a specific enemy, and gain a damage bonus next time you hit them before the end of your next turn?

Battlemasters are extremely lethal in one on one combat, get a number of counter attack abilities (Riposte and Brace) plus the ability to study an enemy (Tactical assessment, and Know your Enemy).

It's just a suggestion. You dont like it so I'll move on.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

It sounds like the Drunken Master's Redirect Attack ability is what you're after, just minus the stipulation that the target of the redirect can't be the attacker.
Worth asking your DM if you can give up the other ability of Tipsy Sway and change redirect so it only works on the actual attacker?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

It sounds like the Drunken Master's Redirect Attack ability is what you're after, just minus the stipulation that the target of the redirect can't be the attacker.
Worth asking your DM if you can give up the other ability of Tipsy Sway and change redirect so it only works on the actual attacker?

We actually considered changing it without losing anything. After all, it requiring them to first miss means fishing for it basically requires using Patient Defense, why not at least make it useful even when you’re one on one?