Monk Preview

[Nahat Anoj]

Does it bug anyone else a little bit that Psionics were always powers of the mind and now they call it Psionic Magic (with magic being wielded through powers of the mind) yet the PRIMARY is a physical skill with DEX and one of the two builds SECONDARY is also a physical trait with STR? I have a hard time imagining a psionic character with mental dump stats.

No. It's a little like battle clerics or avenging paladins. For both builds the primary ability is Str, but the divine source is all about channelling the power of the gods. Sure, both battle clerics and avenging paladins have to have at least one mental stat (Wis or Cha) be pretty good, but it seems to me that if their powers come from faith then that would be better represented by using Wis or Cha.(1)

The source describes how they get their powers. So monks intensely train their bodies and their minds to unlock the power within.(2) I think it's this training that matters most. How they actually express that power in combat relies on Dex.

(1) I actually am working on Cha-based paladins and Wis-based clerics, but I'm still not opposed to the idea of a traditionally "mental" source not relying on a mental stat.

(2) As an aside, I'd say that all the physical training monks do is just one way to unlock the power of their mind. It's a way to practice discipline and focus - the l33t kung fu is just a side benefit.

 

[jdcash]

I initially was not really excited about this playtest, but am very intrigued now.

It seems to me that there is an opportunity to expand the concept of tattoos from the AV2 excerpt to aid in the enchantment of monk unarmed strike. It also allows an easy way to tell the story of the enchantment.

A monk multiclass feat HAS to be on the way before release of PHB3.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

While I didn't dislike the pseudo science psionics, I perfered the style of inner manifested power coming from either pure inner mental capabilities or meditation techniques. I mean, they're called manifesting levels, after all ;p.

Now, I can't see the mechanics, but a few people have mentioned enchanting the monk's body itself, and I'm wondering how this could play with multiclassing. Maybe the unarmed katana guy isn't his own class, but instead a fighter/monk multiclasser or hybrid class?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Yay! I'm glad Ki is dead. It screamed a bit "ASIAN STEREOTYPE" to me. I'm cool with it as psionics -- monks and psi have had some pretty big overlap in the past, flavor-wise: meditation, a little "wise men on mountaintops," etc. This also means that the "soulknife" can just be a monk build!

Which might mean...

Samurai = Martial
Ninja = Shadow (AKA: Assassin)
Sohei = Martial
Shugenja = Elemental or Divine
Wu Jen = Eleental or Arcane
Shamans already covered as Primal

Yeah, I can dig that.

The class looks solid, too. I'm glad he's a bouncing bunny rabbit of punching glee, and the "flurry of blows" finally works like it probably should've, and I'm still happy to see they're masters of the saving throws.

And I can finally make a RAW-legal monk/barbarian who rips enemies apart with his BARE EFFING HANDS.

That'll be fun to play as a hybrid or possibly as a multiclass.

 

[Nymrohd]

Sohei could easily be an avenger built to be honest. Wis/Str built? Shugenja and Wu Jen are Elemental/Divine and Elemental/Primal in flavor imo.

 

[RefinedBean]

and I'm still happy to see they're masters of the saving throws.

Surely you mean defenses.

 

[Cadfan]

Samurai = Martial
Ninja = Shadow (AKA: Assassin)
Sohei = Martial
Shugenja = Elemental or Divine
Wu Jen = Eleental or Arcane
Shamans already covered as Primal

More realistically, most of those will cease to exist as independent classes.

 

[Nymrohd]

Yeah monks are likely to have great NADs.

 

[cdrcjsn]

Maybe the monk's "treasure wishlist" item will be, "Enough raw residuum to give me +1 flaming fists"...

Giving out raw residuum actually would ease this problem, as long as the party doesn't squabble over it.

Sounds like a quest!

The party needs to hunt down and capture a rust monster so they can feed it unneeded magic items so they can harvest the pure residuum at full value...

 

[I'm A Banana]

Surely you mean defenses.

Those too! Some of those playtest powers are all: "You get to make a save!"

More realistically, most of those will cease to exist as independent classes.

Possibly, but monsters and classes move paper, and a lot of these concepts have enough unique hooks that you can make plenty of space in the design for them. I can't say I'll be shocked if we don't get sohei or whatever, but WotC is not looking to make the number of classes small, so if they have a reason, a solid hook, and a book to fit in, it'll see publication somewhere. Most of these are just waiting for the reason.

Sohei could easily be an avenger built to be honest. Wis/Str built? Shugenja and Wu Jen are Elemental/Divine and Elemental/Primal in flavor imo.

Sohei are, flavor-wise, defenders, though. I think they'd be closer to paladins, but mobile, nimble defenders, something like the monk's mobility with the paladin's divine-smite flavor and maybe an altered state of rage-like ability for the marking or somesuch.

Shugenja are, flavor-wise, divine/elemental, and their spell list in 3e tended to be striker-y. Wu Jen were arcane/elemenental, and likewise, their spell list was about dealing damage.

I have a little pet theory that the elemental classes will fall along role lines (at least a little), however.

Earth = Defender
Water = Leader
Air = Controller
Fire = Striker