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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 9058513" data-attributes="member: 7035894">Weapon mastery is a fun feature that benefits monk least of any martial class, because it doesn't benefit their unarmed attacks, and now they can only use their martial arts die for unarmed attacks. So at best half your attacks don't get mastery. If you prefer playing a monk without weapons (a classic archetype), then none of your attacks get mastery. If, at high levels, you want to take full advantage of your martial arts die by using it for all attacks...no mastery.Plus, this warps monks so that at low levels if you do want to get probably the optimal build to take advantage of weapon mastery, you should probably fight with a hand axe and dagger offhand. You know, just like you always pictured a monk.Weapon mastery is a de facto nerf for monks. WotC actually addresses this, claiming that +1 damage to the martial arts die is intended to balance for it not getting weapon mastery. It does not! That tiny damage increase has been needed for years just to help monks keep up, before weapon mastery was ever a thing. Give monks weapon mastery on their unarmed strikes!The main problem with monks has been clear since 5e launched, and I am really surprised that WotC did basically nothing to address it, especially at the lower levels were almost all games are played: monks without resources are terrible, with low damage and survivability, and even with resources they can be good at one OR the other, not both at the same time, unlike other martial classes. They did have one thing going for them: previously, if you got the monk to level 5 you had a clear niche: you could spam all your resources if necessary to fairly reliably shut a key opponent down for a turn, or force them to burn through legendary resistances. Now your niche is...?My main takeaway from the base class is that its one defining, really good ability, stunning strike, is nerfed to the ground, with not a lot to make up for it.</blockquote>

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