D&D 4E Martial Techniques

[AbdulAlhazred]

Well, that is an easy fix . Anyway, I like the idea of 'chi' as a flavor. This is perfect. The Monk falls into the martial power source, but you can have its features and whatnot refer to 'chi' and that can even be some sort of class feature. There could be a 'chi' keyword for instance, perhaps applied to powers so as to tie them into some sort of feature advantage. This could be along the lines of how MP1 has the 'Ruthless Ruffian' rogue feature option that ties into Rattling keyword (yes, I know the RR build never really went too much of anywhere, though it is usable. Frankly in that case I think it just wasn't well enough differentiated from the Brutal Scoundrel conceptually to warrant its existence).
Anyway, that would be the kind of direction I would be tempted to go with a rebuild of the Monk class in 4e. The existing powers could be pretty easily converted.

 

[Garthanos]

Well, that is an easy fix . Anyway, I like the idea of 'chi' as a flavor. This is perfect. The Monk falls into the martial power source, but you can have its features and whatnot refer to 'chi' and that can even be some sort of class feature. There could be a 'chi' keyword for instance, perhaps applied to powers so as to tie them into some sort of feature advantage. This could be along the lines of how MP1 has the 'Ruthless Ruffian' rogue feature option that ties into Rattling keyword (yes, I know the RR build never really went too much of anywhere, though it is usable. Frankly in that case I think it just wasn't well enough differentiated from the Brutal Scoundrel conceptually to warrant its existence).
Anyway, that would be the kind of direction I would be tempted to go with a rebuild of the Monk class in 4e. The existing powers could be pretty easily converted.

Monks tap into the deeper potentials that rests within all of us, turning that energy further inward to fortify their bodies and sharpen their minds. These martial artists are in some sense more aware of martial power as a power and they have names for it chi or life force or similar.

I may end up over verbose at times.

 

[Garthanos]

For the Hybrid: One can translate you can learn monk implements to you can learn monk focus techniques... sounds much better.

 

[Garthanos]

The existing powers could be pretty easily converted.

So far almost swapping out the word psionic for martial in a cut and paste on the powers is pretty close. I am currently ignoring some paragon paths and epic destinies which bend things beyond the norm they are arguably supposed to break it down.

 

[Garthanos]

Could go even more cross cultural and mention prana (indian) or viriya(buddhist) or Ka (egyptian)

I think my identifying Cuh Culaine as being a fairly good representing of the Martial Artist where his story involves travel to learn his techniques from a series of masters and features the multi-opponent fighting style of the monk class also puts a cross cultural style on things.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yeah, you can certainly find a lot of these parallels if you dig around in enough folklore/legend. I was never really a fan of the whole 'ki focus' thing myself. I thought it was basically a hack to work around bugs in the 4e combat/proficiency engine to start with. I guess it also kind of balances things out in the sense that it means Monk also requires the same array of items as other classes in order to get the 'correct' bonuses, even if you go unarmed. I just always thought it should be explicitly a weapon-using class (with unarmed combat somehow brought under that rubrik without the weird ersatz implement).
Again, this is a place where HoML 'just works', as there is no AC to be different from NADs and no glitchy need to patch over differences in attacks against different defenses. Thus a HoML monk is much simpler. The equation of boons and items being the same pool of thing also deals with weirdnesses like "We must force monks to need a magic implement or they will get an unfair advantage."

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, you can certainly find a lot of these parallels if you dig around in enough folklore/legend. I was never really a fan of the whole 'ki focus' thing myself. I thought it was basically a hack to work around bugs in the 4e combat/proficiency engine to start with. I guess it also kind of balances things out in the sense that it means Monk also requires the same array of items as other classes in order to get the 'correct' bonuses, even if you go unarmed.

The martial arts fighting concept is the man is important and techniques are important the equipment is less so. Making Chi Focuses into a Martial Technique really does put the anomaly away in my opinion

To quote Bruce Lee. The more we value things, the less we value ourselves.

 

[Garthanos]

I am not sure the extent that egyptian martial artistry evoked the KA or other things so that would be a reason not to mention them.

 

[Garthanos]

To me the monk could have been should have been THE Martial Artist, the class that put icing on the definition of how extraordinary Martial is and can be. Instead they made it a not really and peripheral member of a source that never has been that great in D&D

On the other had the class seems like it might rock in play LOL

 

[Garthanos]

Again, this is a place where HoML 'just works', as there is no AC to be different from NADs and no glitchy need to patch over differences in attacks against different defenses. Thus a HoML monk is much simpler. The equation of boons and items being the same pool of thing also deals with weirdnesses like "We must force monks to need a magic implement or they will get an unfair advantage."

I am thinking I agree there are columns of advancement that are not actually differentiated for a reason in 4e feats and powers? however it would be nice to have non-combat or skill feats much as we has utility powers.