D&D 5E D&D New Edition Design Looks Soon?

WotC’s Ray Winninger has hinted on Twitter that we may be seeing something of the 2024 next edition of D&D soon — “you’ll get a first look at some of the new design work soon.”.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Very much agree. To me, they should just give the fighter martial arts options. A better fighting style (the current one is lame) and probably a subclass. Let the fighter be your hard core MMA fighter/boxer/martial artist.

Then leave the monk class for your wushu mystic. The super speed, meditative healing, death touch, can run on air, stuff like that. You probably could just go with a spellcasting class, like a warlock chassis could work really well if you had a lot of good monk "invocations"

part of me wants to bring that into my 'split the fighter in 3' suggestion... having subclasses of those 3 be monks (basic, manuver, and mystic) would mean we trade 2 classes for 3. (breaking up wizard wont help this way though)

 

[Minigiant]

The problem is there hasn't been a popular Monk stereotype since the 1970s. It was replaced with Martial Artist in the public consciousness. You might bring in Avatar for the '00s, but Aang is one character among a vast array of supernatural martial artists in that, and probably the least interesting/engaging one (he's almost the "straight-man" for the whole show). D&D only has Monk, not Martial Artist, because of the very peculiar and specific time it was developed

The Monk is merely the chasis for the magical and fantasy spirtual martial artist. There are a bunch of them.

If I were to do monk subclasses by decade

70s: Classic Open Palm Monk
80s: Star Wars Jedi Monk
90s: Street Fighter or Dragonball Monk
00s: Avatar Bender Monk
10s: ????

Add in Shadow Monk and Drunken Fist and you have most of the core concepts of the class in media.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

80s: Star Wars Jedi Monk

deflect/catch arrows is cool for jedi... but i prefer refluffed Barbarian.

reckless attack is your offensive light saber form, non reckless is your more subdued one... rage is your battle meditation, and you are a total combat chassis.

 

[Micah Sweet]

yeah I want an unarmed strike class without the asian or monastary vibe and can't think of one

There's a great, heavily playtested Pugilist class on Drivethru/DMsguild. I use it on my houserule doc.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

There's a great, heavily playtested Pugilist class on Drivethru/DMsguild. I use it on my houserule doc.

if it's the 1st one in the search I down loaded a free sample to check it out

 

[Minigiant]

deflect/catch arrows is cool for jedi... but i prefer refluffed Barbarian.

reckless attack is your offensive light saber form, non reckless is your more subdued one... rage is your battle meditation, and you are a total combat chassis.

But Jedi are AC tanks in D&D terms. Hard to hit but fold in one clean shot and force is always on. Opposite of how D&D does barbarians.

Anyway I am still shocked SHOCKED that with the common age range of D&D designers and their range of media focus that they didn't do a Jedi/Sith subclass for monk. Unless they are waiting for 5.5e to up ki points and formalize proficiency trading to give Jedi monks more force powers and lightsabers.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Anyway I am still shocked SHOCKED that with the common age range of D&D designers and their range of media focus that they didn't do a Jedi/Sith subclass for monk. Unless they are waiting for 5.5e to up ki points and formalize proficiency trading to give Jedi monks more force powers and lightsabers.

the 3e and 3.5 double bladed sword in no way shape of form was a reaction to the prequals... wink

 

[Minigiant]

the 3e and 3.5 double bladed sword in no way shape of form was a reaction to the prequals... wink

Yet we don't have them in 5e for some reason.

So my adventure with the Darth Maul bad guy requires even MORE homebrewing.

 

[Parmandur]

Mystic sounds more like caster to me, and we already have enough of those. If I were to rename it, it would probably be Martial Artist. Then again I don't have an issue with monk and ki as a power source is pretty central to the current theme.

Well, yes, the 5E Monk is a Half-Caster, and Ki abilities are just Spells. Surfacing that by transferring Ki back into Spell slots would be good by de-Orientalizong yhe Class, and making the design more transparent.

 

[Parmandur]

um... do you just like to say everything everyone wants is wrong? I know and even earlier refenced the brawler feat. I do not like champion, not only will I not play one I don't know anyone who does... so not really working for me. The monk class (fast feet fast hands) could make a great boxer

I wasn't talking about the Brawler feat, though that would help too, but the Unarmed Fighting Style in Tasha's that any Fighter, Ranger or Paladin can take.

You should take a closer look at the Champion, it is a very fun Subclass that is one of the most effective I've ever used. Feels like being an unstoppable killing machine.