What can be done with the monk that will make the class more versatile?

[EarthsShadow]

I am looking at the monk class, and to me, it more than any other class needs help in versatility. I have played in three seperate campaigns, and even though you can pick whatever feat you want, to me the monk is always always the same. No variation at all it seems. At least with the cleric you can pick different domains, despite the fact that the cleric is always a mobile hospital.

what can be done about the monk?

 

[estevans_lackey]

very simple. Allow multi-classing. Very easy to explain in a campaign like Planescape.

 

[DreamChaser]

it is very easy to explain in any campaign. Different schools of training incorporate different features:

A kensai type school of fighter/monks
A ninja type school of rogue/monks
A sohei type school of cleric/monks
A school of wizard or sorcerer/monks who focus on touch attack spells.
A school of egoist/monks who use their psionics to enhance their training.
An exotic school of bard/monks whose dances and staccato songs add flair and danger to their unarmed combat.

Developing new feats to allow the powers to blend more fully (such as an arcane adaptation of the Psionic feat that allows touch powers to be manifested simultaneously with a unarmed attack) would make for a number of exciting character concepts.

DC.

 

[trentonjoe]

I have played in three seperate campaigns, and even though you can pick whatever feat you want, to me the monk is always always the same.

I am not real sure what you mean.
Do the monks pick the same feats?
or do they just do the same thing?

 

[EarthsShadow]

One was a half-orc, one was a elf, one was a human. Played by three different people, all picked different feats...to me, its just that they seem to be the same...

boring...but maybe its just me...but by the time they were each fifth level, we knew what they were going to do, no matter how they were played, and we all (my group) agree that the monk is a pretty boring class as it stands now...

so, I am trying to figure out what can be done to spice what I think could be the coolest class in the game.

 

[Spectrum Rider]

In my campaign, each monk must be the follower of some (lawful) deity. Then we tweak the monk somewhat to match that deity's aspects. Whenever the monk would acquire a class ability, the player can ask the DM to substitute a more appropriate one. For example, a monk of Varan (the god of True Seeing), instead of getting Still Mind, could take Clear Vision: +2 on all saving throws vs. illusions.

This requires a certain amount of negotiation and good will (rather than compulsive power gaming) on the part of both player and DM, but it's worked out pretty well.

In addition, we give the monk what amounts to one clerical domain (with spell save DCs based on Con rather than Wis, because of the monk's uniting of body and mind - or, really, just for variety), in exchange for - and I know this will make some people howl! - dropping their Hit Dice down to d6.

The Spectrum Rider

 

[hong]

Oriental Adventures has some ways to loosen up the rather rigid ability progression of the monk:

- allow free multiclassing
- more martial arts feats
- monks can swop unarmed strike, stunning attack, improved trip and deflect arrows for any other martial arts feat

There are also a number of alt.monks (or "martial artists") around. Chainmail Bikini (www.chainmailbikini.com) have one as a pdf. Mongoose is coming out with the Quintessential Monk in the next few weeks, I think. And finally, I have one on my web page, which (with a few revisions) should hopefully appear in the next Asgard issue.

http://www.zipworld.com.au/~hong/dnd/martialartist.htm
http://www.zipworld.com.au/~hong/dnd/ma_feats.htm

 

[Witness]

I suggest allowing them to trade out some of their other class abilities besides their bonus feats. For instance;

Allowing them to choose any three one-handed melee weapon with which they can use their Monk BAB

Instead of Immunity to Poisons/Diseases, Leap of the Clouds, Quivering Palm, etc, allow them to choose from a number of supernatural abilities.

 

[Witness]

dropping their Hit Dice down to d6.

Rider, how does this improve their versatility?

 

[Spectrum Rider]

***
quote:
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dropping their Hit Dice down to d6.
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Rider, how does this improve their versatility?
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The reason we dropped the Hit Dice down to d6 was because we felt we needed to do something to (de-)compensate for giving them the extra power of a clerical domain.

The Spectrum Rider