D&D 5E Why do Monks only have d8 HP instead of d10 HP?

[BrokenTwin]

I really wish magical didn't automatically mean spellcaster in D&D-land.

 

[Undrave]

I really wish magical didn't automatically mean spellcaster in D&D-land.

Especially with spell slots... augh.

 

[Garthanos]

I really wish magical didn't automatically mean spellcaster in D&D-land.

Especially with spell slots... augh.

I seem to recall something more nebulous used to be,

"Chi powers are not magic in the traditional sense, although some chi powers stand well beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals"

or something like that.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I seem to recall something more nebulous used to be,

"Chi powers are not magic in the traditional sense, although some chi powers stand well beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals"

or something like that.

they are internal energy everything has it not everything knows how to use it.

 

[Weiley31]

The Monk is seen more as a Skirmisher. Especially in 5E itself. A D8 for HP is reflective of that. A D10 represents a class that can be seen more as going toe to toe with anybody up close. A class with a higher Hit Die can take a blow more due to stuff like more protective(and restrictive) armor. The Monk only has its skills and speed to rely upon, dodging and weaving through foes and like Parkouring/Wall Running, Assassins Creed Style, across the environment and then either striking at the target they see. And if they do happen to find themselves having to go toe to toe up close, then they have some options to use to leverage the situation in their favor. Even their weapons, Pre/Post Tasha's, reflect this idea since you won't see a Monk wielding a heavy hitting weapon, like a Great Sword, the way a Fighter or Barbarian does.

 

[Mind of tempest]

The Monk is seen more as a Skirmisher. Especially in 5E itself. A D8 for HP is reflective of that. A D10 represents a class that can be seen more as going toe to toe with anybody up close. A class with a higher Hit Die can take a blow more due to stuff like more protective(and restrictive) armor. The Monk only has its skills and speed to rely upon, dodging and weaving through foes and like Parkouring/Wall Running, Assassins Creed Style, across the environment and then either striking at the target they see. And if they do happen to find themselves having to go toe to toe up close, then they have some options to use to leverage the situation in their favor. Even their weapons, Pre/Post Tasha's, reflect this idea since you won't see a Monk wielding a heavy hitting weapon, like a Great Sword, the way a Fighter or Barbarian does.

the problem is it is a terrible skirmisher.

 

[BrokenTwin]

Yeah, it's a skirmisher who can either hit hard OR move, unlike the rogue who can hit hard AND move. And is a skill monkey to boot.

 

[Minigiant]

The Monk is seen more as a Skirmisher. Especially in 5E itself. A D8 for HP is reflective of that. A D10 represents a class that can be seen more as going toe to toe with anybody up close. A class with a higher Hit Die can take a blow more due to stuff like more protective(and restrictive) armor. The Monk only has its skills and speed to rely upon, dodging and weaving through foes and like Parkouring/Wall Running, Assassins Creed Style, across the environment and then either striking at the target they see. And if they do happen to find themselves having to go toe to toe up close, then they have some options to use to leverage the situation in their favor. Even their weapons, Pre/Post Tasha's, reflect this idea since you won't see a Monk wielding a heavy hitting weapon, like a Great Sword, the way a Fighter or Barbarian does.

the problem is it is a terrible skirmisher.

The other problem is that in media from 1990 and onward, monks and martial artists are straight up tanks and/or Frontline DPS/DPS.

And from 2005 onwards, monks and martial artists have access to crowd control via zoning kicks, area weapon sweeps, and mystical ki, mind, spirit, or elemental attacks.

The d8 HD is an aspect of a, for lack of a better word, outdated trope. A trope where monks are better warriors than nonwarriors but worse warriors than actually warriors. So they are given a rogue skeleton and told to run away.

But in modern media, the monk can stand toe to toe with knights, samurai, monstrosities, and other frontliners. Their weakness being Crippling Overspecialization.

 

[Undrave]

So they are given a rogue skeleton a told to run away.

Pretty much. Not at all the fiction people want out of a modern monk. I don't know why it's so hard?

 

[Minigiant]

Pretty much. Not at all the fiction people want out of a modern monk. I don't know why it's so hard?

Because humans don't like to admit they are old. It's a natural human reaction.

Modern monks and martial artists are more likely to be seen as tanks in modern media. They stand still and parry/Dodge blows. Their "damage" is low because they use fists or weak weapons. This is why the "final fight" takes so long.