The monk's distinctive feature is unarmed combat and unarmored defenses. It says so right in the class description. That is what the monk should be doing. Aside from the Beast barbarian, every other martial uses weapons and armor.
D&D (2024) (+) Hopes for The Monk
The monk's distinctive feature is unarmed combat and unarmored defenses. It says so right in the class description. That is what the monk should be doing. Aside from the Beast barbarian, every other martial uses weapons and armor.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
And yet it can use weapons and even has a whole subclass dedicated to them, and fighters and anyone else with fighting styles can take the unarmed fighting style.
Leaning that hard into unarmed and Unarmored combat as the class ID in 2014 was a mistake that has actively limited the monk and very one else in foolish, unnecessary, ways.
Also let's not forget the Barbarian also has unarmored defenses.
Every class can use simple weapons. The monk occupies the specific fantasy niche of unarmed and unarmored combat. If a player wants a martial that uses weapons and armor, well, there are the fighter, barbarian, ranger, paladin, and rogue classes.
I don't see the point of criticizing a class for not handling something its not intended to do. Like, is it a monk problem that it can't wild shape into an animal and fight?
I don't see the point of criticizing a class for not handling something its not intended to do. Like, is it a monk problem that it can't wild shape into an animal and fight?
Incenjucar
Legend
Monks are defined as being able to use unarmed or simple weapons enhanced with ki powers to make them as effective as a fully armed and armored warrior. Barbarians are defined as using rage to the same effect. Being unarmed is one of their options, but its not their core.
The thing is, you can't even keep up with weapon users as an unarmed monk. If you don't pick up a magic weapon at some point, you're actually worse off than a monk without one. So it doesn't feel like the Monk's niche is well supported to begin with.
Heck, Tasha's has an Unarmed Fighting Style that lets you do more damage than a 1st level Monk, so it's not even like that's a unique niche anyways.
Heck, Tasha's has an Unarmed Fighting Style that lets you do more damage than a 1st level Monk, so it's not even like that's a unique niche anyways.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
working on my mystic based on ideas here.
I took Unarmored defense and rewrote it and renamed it. (Paraphrased from memory)
Patient Defense
You can use Dex or Str for AC, + wisdom if Unarmored, and you can use a shield regardless.
As a bonus action on your turn, you can take the Dodge Action. You can spend 1 focus die when you do so, to gain temporary hit points equal to your focus die result plus your wisdom modifier.
(I had changed the class to a d10 HD, but with this and another change I might change it back)
Next, I took martial arts and rewrote it.
[Mostly the normal stuff, minus any “no armor” requirements, the MA die becomes your focus die, which starts at 1d6 (d8 if fighting totally unarmed) and upgrades at all the same levels. I stole the unarmed strike rules from the UA playtest, and gave the monk the ability to use two functions of the unarmed strike with one attack, once per turn.
The description makes clear that your unarmed strike can be truly unarmed, or it can be a pommel strike, hit with the flat of a blade, part of a 1-2 combo with a weapon, or whatever other quick, light, precise, strike you can think of.
Flurry of Blows. As a bonus action on your turn, when you use the attack action or use an action to spend focus dice, you can make a single unarmed strike as a bonus action, or spend 1 ki to gain 1 extra unarmed strike per turn until the end of your next turn, including as part of the same bonus action used to activate this ability.
Then I added to level 1 Focused Breath
You gain a number of focus dice equal to your mystic level plus your wisdom modifier. You regain these when you complete a long rest, or when you spend ten minutes in meditation, which can be done as part of any rest.
You learn 4 Focus Techniques of your choice from the list at the end of the class description, and gain an additional technique at every new mystic level. You can also learn new techniques during your adventures, which can include techniques from other classes, so long as you meet the requirements and can find someone to teach you or a manual of techniques to study. You must prepare techniques by spending part of your long rest moving through the training forms of that discipline, and you may prepare a number equal to half your mystic level plus your wisdom modifier.
Then at level 2, you gain Slow fall, Focus Regimens, and Deflect Attacks. 3 is subclass, 4 is feat,
5 is extra attack, one of two special meditations (stunning strikes and powerful strikes, medituations being techniques you do outside of combat that give you an ability for an hour to several hours), and the “magical attacks” feature.
Level 6 is Deflect Magic, upgrading Delfect attacks to include spell attacks.
I took Unarmored defense and rewrote it and renamed it. (Paraphrased from memory)
Patient Defense
You can use Dex or Str for AC, + wisdom if Unarmored, and you can use a shield regardless.
As a bonus action on your turn, you can take the Dodge Action. You can spend 1 focus die when you do so, to gain temporary hit points equal to your focus die result plus your wisdom modifier.
(I had changed the class to a d10 HD, but with this and another change I might change it back)
Next, I took martial arts and rewrote it.
[Mostly the normal stuff, minus any “no armor” requirements, the MA die becomes your focus die, which starts at 1d6 (d8 if fighting totally unarmed) and upgrades at all the same levels. I stole the unarmed strike rules from the UA playtest, and gave the monk the ability to use two functions of the unarmed strike with one attack, once per turn.
The description makes clear that your unarmed strike can be truly unarmed, or it can be a pommel strike, hit with the flat of a blade, part of a 1-2 combo with a weapon, or whatever other quick, light, precise, strike you can think of.
Flurry of Blows. As a bonus action on your turn, when you use the attack action or use an action to spend focus dice, you can make a single unarmed strike as a bonus action, or spend 1 ki to gain 1 extra unarmed strike per turn until the end of your next turn, including as part of the same bonus action used to activate this ability.
Then I added to level 1 Focused Breath
You gain a number of focus dice equal to your mystic level plus your wisdom modifier. You regain these when you complete a long rest, or when you spend ten minutes in meditation, which can be done as part of any rest.
You learn 4 Focus Techniques of your choice from the list at the end of the class description, and gain an additional technique at every new mystic level. You can also learn new techniques during your adventures, which can include techniques from other classes, so long as you meet the requirements and can find someone to teach you or a manual of techniques to study. You must prepare techniques by spending part of your long rest moving through the training forms of that discipline, and you may prepare a number equal to half your mystic level plus your wisdom modifier.
Then at level 2, you gain Slow fall, Focus Regimens, and Deflect Attacks. 3 is subclass, 4 is feat,
5 is extra attack, one of two special meditations (stunning strikes and powerful strikes, medituations being techniques you do outside of combat that give you an ability for an hour to several hours), and the “magical attacks” feature.
Level 6 is Deflect Magic, upgrading Delfect attacks to include spell attacks.
Gorck
Prince of Dorkness
In my head canon, Monks primarily use quick strikes with their fists (and other body parts), and therefore are focused on DEX-based Unarmed Strikes. Although I personally am not interested in it, I wouldn't mind seeing a Barbarian subclass the primarily focuses on STR-based Unarmed Strikes to pound and smash enemies into a bloody pulp. Maybe a modification of the Path of the Battlerager from SCAG (minus the Dwarf requirement and spiked armor) or the Path of the Juggernaut from TCSR.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Yeah tbh my version of the monk, the mystic (which is about as bad a name as monk on a “what is this class” level but with less baggage), currently can use strength or Dex for AC, but I’ll probably go back to Dex focus. Str to AC is just weird.
But a brawler Barbarian sounds very fun. As it is right now you could make a good one with a fighter/Barbarian build, but pushing extra attack back on a purely martial build is painful. Still, totem Barbarian BM fighter with tavern brawler would be insanely fun to play.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
What might actually be interesting would be to choose between step of the wind (and Unarmored movement), and a strength based “feats of might” utility ability.
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