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

[Nefermandias]

Isnt that pretty heavy ki cost?

2 Ki, but that doesn't stop the monk at my table to use it fairly frequently.

 

[Stalker0]

Don't forget that monks have Quickened Healing now.

You mean that total ki sink for garbage healing? Nope didn't forget it at all

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

You mean that total ki sink for garbage healing? Nope didn't forget it at all

its not too bad if you use it during a short rest to burn all your remaining ki before regaining them at the end of the rest. But used actively during exploration or battle? Yeah, its pretty bad.

 

[Nefermandias]

its not too bad if you use it during a short rest to burn all your remaining ki before regaining them at the end of the rest. But used actively during exploration or battle? Yeah, its pretty bad.

Yes, precisely. My group does a lot of overland travel (Storm King's Thunder) and we use gritty Realism, so every camp night in the wilderness is a short rest. Monk gets a lot of mileage from Quickened Healing.

 

[Garthanos]

A feature about fighting (includes healing) that only does reasonably if the intensity of fighting is low enough to have significant left over resources? Doesn't that kind of speak for its general utility? Or lack thereof.

 

[Mind of tempest]

A feature about fighting (includes healing) that only does reasonably if the intensity of fighting is low enough to have significant left over resources? Doesn't that kind of speak for its general utility? Or lack thereof.

yes, logically it does.

monk has a lot of problems of being a grab bag of ideas but has at least a basic definition, mystical martial artist.

 

[Minigiant]

Maybe I'd let Dodge be an action/ BA for 1 Ki, but give the monk an improved feature that replicate Deflect Missile but for melee attack within 5 ft.

This would let you Dodge as an action, and use your Reaction to reduce the damage if you want to and even spend 1 Ki to return the attack against the attacker, Aikido(?) style!

I'd go simpler and let a monk make one unarmed attack as a bonus action if they take the Dodge action. Or get a shield bonus as a bonus action.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

You mean that total ki sink for garbage healing? Nope didn't forget it at all

It is on a short rest basis... so it is more or less free...
if you happen to have ki left after an encounter, just heal up and rest.

The general problem with 5e balance is that most people do not do short rests properly.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

A feature about fighting (includes healing) that only does reasonably if the intensity of fighting is low enough to have significant left over resources? Doesn't that kind of speak for its general utility? Or lack thereof.

No.
It is an added feature you get for free. The monks I have seen and played (up to 9th level) felt useful, even in a game where the dex based eldritch knight fighter had 21 AC and shield available...

The only problem was the frequency of rests. But everything went fine after we changed to more gritty realism.

And that was way beyond tasha.
I am looking forward to how they try to fix the healing system in 5.5. I hope they do a good job.
I however fear that the solution will just be removing recharges on short rests.
That will definitely change the monk class and warlock class the most.

 

[ECMO3]

Yeah if the Rogues' thief cant and auto-expertise in thieves tools would be moved to the Thief archetype, it'd let some space to create some kind of monk there, I think.

Rogues have to give up expertise on a skill to get it in Thieves tools.