Post 2: Class Features
We'll be evaluating features under the assumption that you start as a Monk, then immediately take two levels in Druid. So don't be surprised if Martial Arts or Unarmored Defense is mentioned in the Druid features evaluation.
Ratings are only used when there's something to compare, and go as such:
Sky Blue: This feature is one of the best of it's grouping, noticeably standing out.
Blue: This is an optimal choice, being better than the baseline.
Purple: This is an okay choice. It's not great, but you're not actively hurting yourself by picking it.
Red: Consider very carefully whether you want to choose this. In the majority of cases, this is going to be a subpar choice.
Brown: This is an outright trap. There is no reason to pick this and I wouldn't mention it if it weren't a valid option.
The Druid
Druidic: Druidic is pretty much a ribbon feature. It's useful when interacting secretly with other druids, but... only if you want the secrecy.
Spellcasting: You're a full caster as a Druid, but you're mostly going to be using this to boost your beast's combat capabilities. We'll mostly want the remainder of our prepared spells to be utility in nature.
Wild Shape: This is why we're here. As a Moon Druid, the max CR restrictions is a little different for us, but the speed restrictions still apply. As such, we can't take a form with a swim speed until our 4th level of Druid, and can't access flying forms until we reach Druid 8. We can stay in beast form for a number of hours equal to half our Druid level, so you can heal up your beast form during a short rest too. If you are uninjured, I recommend wildshaping before taking a short rest.
Primal Strike: Our beast form attacks overcome resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. This doesn't come up very often, but is helpful when it does.
Elemental Wild Shape: For us, these aren't very good. The only elemental that might be of interest is the Fire Elemental, but that's not worth both our Wildshape charges.
Thousand Forms: Alter Self at-will is alright.
Timeless Body: We only age at 1/10th of the normal speed. Unimpressive for 18th level.
Beast Spells: This, however, is a game changer. We can now cast spells while in beast form.
The Monk:
Unarmored Defense: This is amazing for us. As long as we keep our Wisdom high, this is a major improvement in AC, both in human and most beast forms.
Martial Arts: A whole bunch of benefits here, but we're not going to use much of them:
- Firstly we can use Dexterity in place of Strength for unarmed strikes, which isn't going to apply much, but might be useful for a rare few beast forms.
- Secondly, we can switch our unarmed strike damage for a d4. This is basically never going to be used.
- Finally, when we use the Attack action with an unarmed strike (so... every beast attack) we can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action. What this means for us is that we want to choose beast forms with single, high damage attacks, as this doesn't work with the Multiattack action, and competes with the Pounce and Trampling Charge features. (but not Charge!)
Ki: Ki is used for a lot of things beyond just what's available in this feature, so I will only be rating the features it provides you to spend it on here:
- Flurry of Blows: This gives you an extra attack with your bonus action over just using Martial Arts. Obviously the better an attack you can make, the better this is.
- Patient Defense: Dodge as a bonus action is decent if you're finding yourself getting hit more often than you're comfortable with.
- Step of the Wind: Disengage or Dash as a bonus action, and double your jump distance. This is amazing for positioning, allowing you to quickly get to where the opponent is weakest (or to retreat if you need to). That said, once you're in position, you're probably not going to need it.
Unarmored Movement: A speed increase has some unusual consequences for us. If we take a form that only has a swim speed, our walking speed still increases. Although at low Monk levels slowly flopping towards an enemy isn't the most fun (once the humour of the imagery wears off).
Monastic Tradition: We'll be going over these separately below.
Deflect Missiles: This is going to be one of those features that depends on having something with which to grab and throw a projectile.
Slow Fall: This can be very useful for us, both if we fall unexpectedly, or get reduced to 0 HP while flying in beast form.
Extra Attack: This increases our damage output by a full 50%, what's not to like?
Stunning Strike: While a Constitution save is one of the most likely to succeed on beefy targets, we only need them to fail once to stun them until the end of our next turn. For those who don't know, Stunned is an amazing condition to inflict on someone.
Ki-Empowered Strikes: Like with beast forms at Druid 6, our unarmed strikes count as magical. This actually makes that feature redundant, not that we can opt out of taking it (or that there'd be a benefit if we did).
Evasion: This helps a lot with staying in beast form, as our beast HP won't be the best.
Stillness of Mind: Being unable to act sucks. This allows you to only be unable to act once per source, rather than round after round.
Purity of Body: Diseases seem to rarely come up, but poison as a condition can be devastating. Flat out immunity is great.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon: We're probably not going this deep into Monk, but if do, it's not for this.
Diamond Soul: Proficiency in all saves, and
the option to spend Ki to reroll is fantastic.
Timeless Body: You don't age magically, don't suffer the effects of age (except death), and don't need food or water. Not a lot in this one.
Empty Body: Invisibility is great for both defense and offense, and this doesn't break when you attack. Plus you get resistance to all but force damage? If it weren't for being stuck with CR 1 beast forms, I'd say this was a no-brainer.
Monk Subclasses:
Way of the Drunken Master:
This subclass has some decent features. Nothing stands out as exceptional, but nothings
bad either.
[sblock]Bonus Proficiencies: Performance and brewer's supplies. Nice to have.
Drunken Technique: Whenever you Flurry of Blows you
also get to Disengage
and get a speed boost? Yes.
Tipsy Sway: Leap to Your Feet is basically one half of the Athlete feat. Redirect Attack can be good depending on the attacker.
Drunkard's Luck: 2 ki points to cancel disadvantage. Note that it says cancel, so check with your DM whether this means you can gain advantage on the roll.
Intoxicated Frenzy: Spread your attacks around a lot of creatures. Unfortunately you're not going to be doing that much damage in your beast form at this level.[/sblock]
Way of the Four Elements:
I really don't want to go over this. I really don't. So I won't. There's several fixes out there, and if you can convince your DM to use one of them then it might be worth taking, but not like this. Not like this.
Way of the Kensei:
You can't use weapons in beast form (most of the time, at least) so all of these features are meaningless to you.
Way of the Long Death:
This subclass is packed full of goodies that help your survival. But not just that, they all work in beast form, helping you stay in beast form longer.
[sblock]
Touch of Death: Whenever you drop an adjacent creature, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier and your monk level (min 1). This is amazing for your ability to take damage in beast form, especially when HP starts to increase more slowly.
Hour of Reaping: Frightened is a good condition to inflict. The only thing stopping this
mass frighten from being sky blue is how it affects your allies too.
Mastery of Death: Now you can spend 1 ki point to
not drop out of beast form when you don't want to.
Touch of the Long Death: You should be capable of doing the equivalent of 3 or 4 ki points of damage each round, this just isn't worth it for you.[/sblock]
Way of the Open Hand:
Most of these don't have ki costs, so you're not losing out by using these features, you're just not gaining that much.
[sblock]
Open Hand Technique: Whenever you flurry, you can either have the target make a Dexterity save or be knocked prone, a Strength save of be pushed up to 15 feet, or just deny them their reactions. The last one is what makes this more than purple, as it allows you to walk away without triggering opportunity attacks from the creature.
Wholeness of Body: Healing three times your monk level is good, but it's an action and once per day. This is good when you need it, but to get the most use of it, you also have to be close to dying/reverting.
Tranquility: This has applications, but mostly for scouting. But only if you do it before any combat.
Quivering Palm: For the low price of 3 ki, you either reduce something to 0 HP or deal 10d10 damage. This is also useful for out of combat applications, as the effect can be triggered days after the hit.[/sblock]
Way of Shadow:
Some good things here, some not so good for you. But enough to be worth considering.
[sblock]
Shadow Arts: The only thing stopping this from being Red is the ability to cast Pass Without Trace. You can't do it in beast form, but it's still good utility to have.
Shadow Step: This is great, if conditional, mobility, and it gives you advantage on your first melee attack.
Cloak of Shadows: The action to use, and attacking breaking it, makes this quite combersome in combat. Where it does best is in scouting.
Opportunist: This would be sky blue if it weren't so far into the Monk class. Still, getting a reliable way to attack with your reaction is good.[/sblock]
Way of the Sun Soul:
The flier's delight. A lot of ranged options here, which combines well with anything high mobility. Unfortunately, it's not very friendly with multiclassing.
[sblock]
Radiant Sun Bolt: A decent ranged option, although not as powerful as your regular attacks due to your multiclassing.
Searing Arc Strike: This is actually a really good feature, and the increased spell level is really cheap. Unfortunately, we can't cast spells in beast form.
Searing Sunburst: The range, the radius! The lack of cost! The... lack of damage. This is good for clearing out hordes, or aerial bombardment. Unfortunately it targets Constitution and does no damage on a successful save.
Sun Shield: This... is a capstone? You can spend your reaction to deal up to 10 radiant damage? The best bit about this is turning yourself into a torch.[/sblock]
