D&D (2024) Playtest 8 Monk Discussion

[OB1]

Hey, here's a Monk question: what's a good choice for your level 1 feat? I've found myself defaulting to Magic Initiate with a lot of other One D&D builds I've been doing, but I feel like Cantrips don't work well with the Monk's action economy. Can't take any of the Fighting Style feats because of the lack of the class feature. Lucky? Savage Attacker? Tough?

Tough for sure. Turns your likely +1 HP per level into +3 and lets you focus your Feats at later levels on Dex and Wis.

Which, as a side note, I really hope they take away the increase on ability scores to 22 at level 19, and then reduce the Monk and Barb cap to 24 at 20.

 

[Vikingkingq]

Tough for sure. Turns your likely +1 HP per level into +3 and lets you focus your Feats at later levels on Dex and Wis.

Ok, thanks.

 

[ChameleonX]

The only thing I would like to see is Stunning Strike replaced with a more versatile maneuver feature like the Rogue and Barbarian, where you can spend ki to inflict a variety of different conditions, with stun coming online at higher levels where it's more appropriate.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Tough for sure. Turns your likely +1 HP per level into +3 and lets you focus your Feats at later levels on Dex and Wis.

Which, as a side note, I really hope they take away the increase on ability scores to 22 at level 19, and then reduce the Monk and Barb cap to 24 at 20.

Actually I would reduce that feat to 18 max and only 20 at level 19.

 

[Asisreo]

I genuinely cannot wait to playtest this new version of monk. More than any of the concrete-numbers buffs. What I wanted more was ways to buff them that fit their playstyle. And I feel like these buffs preserved the round-to-round, combat-to-combat decision-making that made monks the most interesting of the martials to play, even when their theoretical numbers weren't the highest.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Some thoughts about alternatives to Stunning Strike (should it be renamed Disciplined Strike?) where Stun is just one of the options.
Push: just take that from Open Hand Technique and give them something else
Opening Strike: Similar to the Battlemaster's Commanding Strike, except that it doesn't replace their attack.
Shockwave: Inflict martial arts die damage over an area (dex save to avoid) originating from the target hit.

 

[Vikingkingq]

Some thoughts about alternatives to Stunning Strike (should it be renamed Disciplined Strike?) where Stun is just one of the options.
Push: just take that from Open Hand Technique and give them something else
Opening Strike: Similar to the Battlemaster's Commanding Strike, except that it doesn't replace their attack.
Shockwave: Inflict martial arts die damage over an area (dex save to avoid) originating from the target hit.

That's stepping on a lot of toes.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Some thoughts about alternatives to Stunning Strike (should it be renamed Disciplined Strike?) where Stun is just one of the options.
Push: just take that from Open Hand Technique and give them something else
Opening Strike: Similar to the Battlemaster's Commanding Strike, except that it doesn't replace their attack.
Shockwave: Inflict martial arts die damage over an area (dex save to avoid) originating from the target hit.

"Disciplined Strikes" does seem like an easy name change if the effect expands beyond or away from the stunned condition.

If we are moving beyond or away from the stunned condition, I think we could probably just start from the conditions in the back of the book and deal them out as subclass 'Disciplined Strike' riders, likely at different levels (e.g. paralyzed vs. stunned vs. blinded/deafened vs. silenced, etc.)

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

Some thoughts about alternatives to Stunning Strike (should it be renamed Disciplined Strike?) where Stun is just one of the options.
Push: just take that from Open Hand Technique and give them something else
Opening Strike: Similar to the Battlemaster's Commanding Strike, except that it doesn't replace their attack.
Shockwave: Inflict martial arts die damage over an area (dex save to avoid) originating from the target hit.

I love this idea, but I would personally call it something other than "Discipline Strike." Anytime you load up a class with a bunch of features with the same word at the beginning, some of my players get thrown by the descriptor. Some can't remember the difference between theoretically named "Nature's Gift," "Nature's Strike" and "Nature's Veil" features ... but they seem to do way better if they were called "Terrain Gift," "Primal Strike" and "Nature's Veil" instead. Sometimes WOTC gets so obsessed with threading the needle of class theme, that they forget about accessibility. This sort of thing throws not only my ADHD and dyslexic players, but new neurotypical players as well.

Still, I love the idea with a slightly different name.

 

[Mistwell]

I am excited to see an Open Hand monk striking 5 times in a round. Damn, that guy could grapple, shove prone, attack (with advantage), attack (with advantage), attack (with advantage), and then drag you through some spellcasters damage area like spikes or the new conjure spells or whatever. Oh and now your foe, if they're still alive, can only attack you and with disadvantage from being prone with a zero speed.