D&D (2024) What do you expect/hope to see in future playtest packets? (+)

[tetrasodium]

A lot better. Tried to play it. a d4 at 1st in melee only is less than having proficiency with a dagger. Stunning strike DC depends on a stat that is not usually your top one and it's save or suck. The rogue can dash or disengage as a bonus action without spending Ki Points. The Open Hand is the strongest sub class in the PHB and everything it can due at early levels a Fighter with feats can do sooner except stunning strike. Everything the Shadow Monk can do, a rogue with feats can do sooner with the same exception, Everything the 4 elements monk can do same thing. An unarmed style fighter who goes Eldritch Knight is going to be a stronger fighter and a stronger caster.

except it's not just 1d4. At level 1 monk it's It's 1d4+[STR mod or DEX mod] + bonus action:{1d4+[STR mod or DEX mod]}. Then at 5th there is a second attack.

 

[Emberashh]

I called it that they were going to give Wizard buffs, so I expect the Monk to have even more ribbon abilities, a nerfed Stunning Strike, and an even more severe Ki shortage.

 

[shadowoflameth]

except it's not just 1d4. At level 1 monk it's It's 1d4+[STR mod or DEX mod] + bonus action:{1d4+[STR mod or DEX mod]}. Then at 5th there is a second attack.

Yes, but the same monk could do that by just wielding two daggers. The Martial arts ability doesn't add much. If he spends a Ki point, he can do another strike, but the rogue can do a second 1d4 attack as well just by dual wielding and potentially sneak attack with one of them.

 

[shadowoflameth]

and the dagger wielder can throw it. With one feat, you take your unarmed strike to 1d6 or 1d8 and that's as high as the 5e monk gets through half the level progression and it's still only as good as light melee weapons.

 

[shadowoflameth]

Pair that with a not great AC and not great HP. and the unarmed style fighter can compare very well.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I called it that they were going to give Wizard buffs, so I expect the Monk to have even more ribbon abilities, a nerfed Stunning Strike, and an even more severe Ki shortage.

what they need is just 5 times the ki it would be powerful but at least useful.

 

[tetrasodium]

Yes, but the same monk could do that by just wielding two daggers. The Martial arts ability doesn't add much. If he spends a Ki point, he can do another strike, but the rogue can do a second 1d4 attack as well just by dual wielding and potentially sneak attack with one of them.

dual daggers only adds an attribute mod to one of the attacks, a level one monk adds it to both attacks they make & no Ki is needed for that.

Spoiler

When you use the Attack action with an unarmed
strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make
one unarm ed strike as a bonus action. For example, if
you take the Attack action and attack with a quarter-
staff, you can also make an unarm ed strike as a bonus
action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus
action this turn.

Unlike when dual wielding the monk gets to add attribute mod to both attacks till level 5 when they add it to all three attacks they make each round.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I am interested into future PC species.

And I suggest "subclass backgrounds", designed to be used with certain subclasses. Like this you can feel your PC is different from first level.

 

[shadowoflameth]

dual daggers only adds an attribute mod to one of the attacks, a level one monk adds it to both attacks they make & no Ki is needed for that.

Spoiler

When you use the Attack action with an unarmed
strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make
one unarm ed strike as a bonus action. For example, if
you take the Attack action and attack with a quarter-
staff, you can also make an unarm ed strike as a bonus
action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus
action this turn.

Unlike when dual wielding the monk gets to add attribute mod to both attacks till level 5 when they add it to all three attacks they make each round.

True, and that helps, but still d4s. The monk makes the Quarterstaff a better choice at low levels. Still doesn't measure up to the damage of the rogue of the same level with one sneak attack/turn even if the monk makes an extra attack.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

. The other thing I strongly hope for is a good fix for the Monk. Give them a fighting style at 1st. The Unarmed Fighting Style could fix the damage for unarmed strikes. If they do this, remove needless Ki point restrictions on abilities like Step of the Wind, that don't deserve that requirement, and if they FINALLY, stop making USELESS sub-classes, the monk will feel like he measures up in play. Over and over, WoTC has published sub-classes that are empirically weaker than what the monk already has without using his subclass. ALL of the official subclasses are very weak and most make the monk worse not better to play. They assume that Stunning Strike is so strong that it justifies this, but it doesn't Stunning Strike is not that strong and even if it was, that doesn't make penalizing the rest of the class progression a good answer. So, give them actually strong sub-classes that do justice to the themes, or at least ones that compliment the monks strong points. Then make Unarmed Strikes a weapon type that can have mastery properties. Everything I've seen so far says that those are very popular in play-testing so maybe that at least will happen. (End of Rant).

There is maybe one monk subclass that is a trap to use.

Drunken Master makes FoB also disengage and gives a solid reaction ability.

Open Hand gives secondary effects to FoB for no extra cost, and a solid late level ability.

Sun Soul gives increased range, ant-will radiant damage, and some spells at a good ki cost. Even if you never throw a radiant fireball, the level 3 makes it an improvement on not having a subclass.

Astral whatever and dragon guy I don’t care about enough to even reread for a review.

Mercy is just good. Occasional ability that costs more than it should, or does less than it should, mostly on the healing side, but action economy is solid and it’s very fun, and the subclass adds a lot to the character.

Shadow needs better action economy, and bring the teleport at level 3, adding the advantage clause at level 6, but overall it’s still solid.