D&D (2024) My proposed fix for the Monk

[ChameleonX]

 Monk
Hit Points
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + CON score
Hit Points per level: 1d10 (or 5) + CON mod per level
Hit Dice: 1d10 per level

Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Strength
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, History, Insight, Perception, Persuasion, Religion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth
Tools: one of your choice.

Level	Features	Martial Arts Die	Natural Armor	Focus Points	Movement Bonus
1	Martial Arts, Martial Focus, Natural Armor, Weapon Mastery	1d6	13 + DEX	2	---
2	Deflect Missiles, Unarmored Movement	1d6	13 + DEX	4	+10ft
3	Monk Subclass	1d6	13 + DEX	6	+10ft
4	Feat, Slow Fall	1d6	13 + DEX	8	+10ft
5	Extra Attack	1d8	13 + DEX	10	+10ft
6	Vital Strike, Subclass Feature	1d8	13 + DEX	11	+15ft
7	Evasion	1d8	13 + DEX	12	+15ft
8	Feat	1d8	13 + DEX 13 + DEX	13	+15ft
9	Acrobatic Movement	1d8	14 + DEX	14	+15ft
10	Focused Restoration	1d8	14 + DEX	15	+20ft
11	Subclass Feature	1d10	14 + DEX	15	+20ft
12	Feat	1d10	14 + DEX	16	+20ft
13	Soul Speech	1d10	15 + DEX	16	+20ft
14	Diamond Soul	1d10	15 + DEX	17	+25ft
15	Perfect Self	1d10	15 + DEX	17	+25ft
16	Feat	1d10	15 + DEX	18	+25ft
17	Subclass Feature	1d12	16 + DEX	18	+25ft
18	Empty Body	1d12	16 + DEX	19	+30ft
19	Feat	1d12	16 + DEX	19	+30ft
20	Mind Beyond Death	1d12	16 + DEX	20	+30ft

Martial Arts
You have mastered a style of combat using unarmed strikes and simple weapons. Your study of martial arts grants you the following benefits:

- Bonus Unarmed Strike. When you use the Attack action with an Unarmed Strike or weapon that lacks the two-handed or heavy property on your turn, you can make one Unarmed Strike as a bonus action on the same turn.
- Insightful Attacks. You can use Wisdom instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls of Unarmed Strikes and attacks using weapons that lack the two-handed or heavy property.
- Martial Arts Dice. You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your Unarmed Strikes and attacks with Simple Weapons. This die changes as you gain levels, as noted on the table.

Martial Focus
(As Martial Discipline, but with Discipline Points renamed to Focus Points, and with the following paragraph added)

Alternatively, you can take 1 minute to meditate and recover all of your Focus Points. You must then finish a long rest to do so again.

Natural Armor
Your rigorous training has hardened your body to the point that it can resist blows more easily. While you aren't wearing armor, your AC is equal to 13 + your Dexterity modifier. Your natural armor improves as you gain levels in this class, as noted on the table. If you wear armor that leaves you with a lower AC, you can use your natural armor instead. You still gain this benefit while wearing a shield.

Weapon Mastery
(Unchanged from UA)

Deflect Missiles
(As UA, but with Deflect Energy added in.)

Unarmored Movement
(Unchanged from UA)

Slow Fall
(Unchanged from UA)

Extra Attack
(Unchanged)

Vital Strike
(As the UA Stunning Strike and Empowered Strikes features, United into one)

Evasion
(Unchanged)

Acrobatic Movement
While you aren't wearing Medium or Heavy armor, you gain the ability to move across vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the movement.

In addition, when you are hit with an opportunity attack, you can use your reaction to make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check and compare the result to the triggering attack roll. If your result is equal or higher, the attack misses you.

Focused Restoration
(As Self-Restoration, but with the following paragraph added)

In addition, when you meditate to recover Focus Points, you also gain all of the benefits of a Short Rest.

Soul Speech
You can now speak telepathically to any creature you can see that knows at least one language, and you can allow that creature to respond in kind.

Diamond Soul
(As Disciplined Survivor)

Perfect Self
(As Perfect Discipline)

Empty Body
As a Bonus Action, you can spend 3 Focus Points to transform into a being of pure mental energy for 1 minute, or until you gain the Incapacitated condition. You gain the following benefits:

• Incorporeal. You are invisible, and you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 damage if you end your turn inside a solid object.
• Insubstantial. You gain resistance to all damage except for force damage.
• Defy Gravity. You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed, but you move at only half speed (round down) when you are flying upwards.

Mind Beyond Death
You do not fall unconscious when you drop to 0 hit points as long as you have at least 1 Focus Point left.

You can continue to act normally while at 0 hit points for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier, or until you run out of Focus Points, at which point you fall unconscious unless you have at least 1 hit point.

You still must make death saving throws at the end of each of your turns while at 0 hit points, and you can still die as normal.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I like it. I am not sure I want to replace the current monk with it.

 

[ChameleonX]

I like it. I am not sure I want to replace the current monk with it.

Do you mean the 2014 Monk, or the new one? Is there a particular aspect you find problematic?

 

[Clint_L]

Ugh. Get your psionics away from my class, please!

Sorry - I have hated psionics in D&D since 1979. It's not necessarily rational.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Do you mean the 2014 Monk, or the new one? Is there a particular aspect you find problematic?

I mean both.

I. Don't think being a psionic class fits the narrative for everyone.

It would not be a dealbreaker for me.

 

[fuindordm]

I like it, and I think that monk has always been a psionic class since 1st edition. Their powers are almost all psionic-inspired, just granted without a point cost. And if someone can explain to me a meaningful difference between discipine, ki/qi/chi, psionics, and the Force as power sources I'll give them a cookie. Psionic powers are a superset of monking/psychic warrior powers.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I’m with @Clint_L on this one - no psionics please.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I also do not like psionics, as for the monk. I think the subclasses are really good, it is the base class that need a bit. A +1 hit point per level, either from a class feature or from a d10 hit die, and fee attack per turn and you are good.

 

[Horwath]

1. Medium armor is too much, light only fits better. Medium+shields could be for some "brute" subclass.

2. I would add Bonus action unarmed attack and Flurry of blows independent from what Action you take.

3. Wisdom is strong, I would not key it to HPs

4. Not sold on psionics, but if any class in PHB has to be it, monk is best candidate.

5. Still need bonus ki points as wis bonus.

 

[ChameleonX]

Okay, I've updated the first post with a few suggestions:

• Medium Armor Training has been removed.
• Bonus Unarmed Strike now works with any one-handed weapon.
• WIS to HP has been removed.

My goal was to reduce the MAD of the base class while boosting it up to the baseline of the other warriors classes.

Using Wisdom for attacks and HP would reduce the need to boost CON, so you can focus entirely on DEX and WIS. However, I can understand if this is a bridge too far for some.

As for Psionics, I maintain that there's no appreciable difference between the flavor of the Monk and the flavor of a Psionic Warrior if you remove all the Kung Fu movie stereotypes. It's essentially a warrior that uses mental discipline and rigorous training to unlock a magical power that comes from within.

But if it bothers you, you can just mentally replace the word "Psionic" with "Focus" or "Discipline," or whatever.