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Message: <blockquote data-quote="77IM" data-source="post: 6514851" data-attributes="member: 12377">Well they are not as flimsy as mages or even rogues, but yeah, at low levels they squish nicely. - A starting monk has an AC of 16 or 15 if they max Dex and Wis, while someone with chainmail+shield gets an 18 regardless of any stats. And it's not too hard for the warrior to buy splint mail and eventually plate for another +2, and if they want, Defense fighting style for another +1; while the monk has to wait for an ability increase to get a +1. So at low levels the monk will be getting hit about 10-20% more often than a warrior-type. - Not only is their hit die smaller, it's common for monks to put Con in third place behind Dex and Wis. Depending on race, they could wind up with only a +1 Con mod. The warrior types, fighter and barbarian in particular, often put Con in second place and wind up with a +2 Con mod. Those points add up fast; a monk with +1 Con has about 3/4 the HP of a fighter with +2 Con of the same level. That can make a difference in 5e's swingy damage system.Are monks totally defenseless? Heck no. Once the ki points and fast movement kick in, they have some very nice options. But they work better as skirmishers who avoid attacks than as tanks who withstand them.</blockquote>