D&D Monks are GOOD, Actually
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- čas přidán 17. 06. 2024
- Monks in D&D sure do get a bad rap, but I'm here to talk about why they're good, or rather, they are fine.
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Check out the Monk Way of the Flesh HERE!
docs.google.com/document/d/e/...
Video Editing by the amazing Bia: / bnazf
Writing, Illustration, and Narration by me: / antodemico
Additional sketches by the amazing Fey: / feymilde - Zábava
I'm sure this comment section will be very peaceful and serene 😊 no fighting 😇 no arguments 🥰 good vibes only 😘
Ofc mr Pointy Hat
We would never!
I think there is something wrong the Google Doc link, it takes me to Oath of Love Paladin that you did.
Nu uh they started it!
I don’t want peace, I want problems always
It's so weird to me that monks don't get like a shit ton of free stats. They are all over the place so they benefit greatly from spreaded stats AND their fantasy is all about self-improvement, body and mind.
Yeah, i think the fantasy of monk could be achieved better by replacing some of the most situational monk abilities with an increase in stats more frequently, maybe some levels give a bonus on dexterity, wisdom or even constitution in exchange of....as the video says "being naked".
They used to get 20 in every stat in the beta of dnd 5e
Yeah, it's strange that rogues get an additional asi but monks do not.
@@saparapatepete Maybe extra hp each level instead of a flat con buff (I mean they should also have a d10 hit die but that's a whole other issue)? It might fit the fantasy of these honed martial artists just wailing on each other and getting back up.
@@jettlucashayes8508 That should be the capstone. Perfect Self = Perfect stats.
Monks are particularly fun with a permissive DM that lets the player lean way into the whole "you can just run up walls and generally be a ninja" shtick. The monk player in my current Strahd campaign gets into all kinds of shit because she plays the character like an incredibly nimble, kleptomaniac Leeroy Jenkins, it's really funny.
This is what I have noticed a lot. The monks are great in campaigns that have dynamic combat or exploration.
That's not so much permissive as just letting the class do what it should be able to do.
And that's what the class is kinda built for. It irks me when some people adamantly claim a monk is a frontline class, but then go on listing all the reasons why it isn't, and get upset about it. Like, pick a lane, people.
The monk is at their weakest when forced to stay locked in melee. A huge chunk of their suite is dedicated to getting out of melee, or to do things you wouldn't do in melee, like reducing damage from ranged weapons. What the monk player should do, tactically speaking, is run around the edges of the battle map, taking advantage of things like elevation, take out enemy ranged support, and generally get to places where an unspent action is needed - all of which monks can do even without magic or equipment.
@@Dunybrook I meant more that it's always possible for the DM to nitpick the exact wording of the monk's movement rules in order to limit them, but my current DM is smart enough not to do that. He actually lets the monk get away with some stuff that she's technically not even supposed to be able to do going by RAW, but no one cares because the results are too much fun.
Ooooo I can see how a monk would be really useful in Curse of Strahd
I love the idea of a Monk with maybe 2 Barbarian levels that uses unarmed strikes and is kind of flavoured like Godfrey phase 2 from Elden Ring
You can skip monk and take the unarmed fighting style
Made a character exactly like that and it was rough... Unarmed fighting style dropped like a month after the campaign started 😒
Or The Hulk, you know with rage and everything
Thts how i made karlach in bg3!!!She is super fun being played that way
rage monk with tavern brawler punch hard
The biggest flex I ever did was telling everyone I was going to play a monk, but instead of a Naruto running weeb, I made a monk from a European medieval monastery. Bookish, religious, very preachy, and adverse to fighting.
I always think of monks as jesuits. That or the bloke who has brawled in half the pubs of Manchester.
Some of my friends play at renaissance fairs and similar events and have a song about exactly this juxtaposition XD
The funny thing is, classic European monks during the dark ages actually *weren't bad at fighting*. That's actually what the "big walking stick" was for. They were traditionally staff fighters. Granted, it was only for self-defense, but the implication in Robin Hood when Robin Hood fights little John when they meet was that Friar Tuck taught Robin staff fighting.
@@NoAIStudios When you need to walk long distances and walking is normal, you need a staff. A lot of people have a small blade as a common tool.
I read the bartitsu manuals, written much later on, where they suggest using things you got handy when out for a stroll in victorian London. An umbrella. A bicycle. A cloak.
"Kamehameha or whatever ungodly name your local translator gave the ball of energy Goku and pals shoot at people" master Pointy that sentence had such vitality to it
Agreed, but frankly if you understand Japanese it's not much better. Kamehameha is roughly turtle destruction wave. Turtle because master Roshi was from the turtle clan.
We don't accept Schockwelle der alten Ahnen slander in this house!
@@Lilith_Harbingerthere was a Hawaiian Royal Family named Kamehameha after it’s founder, Kamehameha
There's just something so fun about watching a pointy hat emote with a single eye and get placed on top of the heads of countless meme-able people.
"Monks are good, actually" proceeds to explain in detail why monks are not good
Loved the video btw
Loved the “If the Monks sucks ass why doesn’t the Warlock suck too 😎?”
Spells, they have spells, and let me tell you that 1 Hypnotic Pattern per every encounter is much better than 2-3 stun attempts lmao.
Nevermind that Warlocks have good features that USUALLY don’t feed off their spells, and those that do suck ass anyways lol.
@@cattiston374they also have actually good features that dont over-rely on finite resources
I mean...
Fly + eldritch blast = Win
With all the ways you can increase the range of E.B, you can be outside the range of actually Ballista.
Example; You can fly directly towards any encounter and always have both the range and high ground advantage.
@@crystallxix1493 i hear this argument alot even tho most of the argument is still the damage output even tho i feel people just don't know how to manage points because people think they always need to stun strike even tho no you don't and some of the subclasses who do use ki don't use much but people treat it like its the end of the world
@@dudejoe24 I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, there’s no commas or a clear line of thought xD. Could you rewrite that?
The Bene Gesserit sisterhood is kinda monk like too, with all their abilities coming from a mastery of their minds and bodies. They can use the voice to influence people, store diseases within their own bodies they can infect others with at will (which is why duke Harkonnen is like that), slow thier own aging although it is forbidden, access genetic memories, move at almost superhuman speed, predict enemy movements based on barely perceptible muscle twitches. Monks don't have to be wushu coded. They can be a network of manipulative witch nuns too.
Link to the build goes to the love paladin as a heads up
Have you found way of the flesh anywhere else?
I refreshed the page and it's fixed now.
Talk about way of the "flesh" lol
Is the link to the fear monster still broken?
@@thehonestcompany867 way of (re)fresh :P
For every shonen, you can find a new monk subclass. This should be the lesson we take home after this video.
Freaking... Hunter x Hunter Zoldyck subclass 😂
I agree but the Way of The Shadow incorporates the Ninja theme for monks and I’m kinda disappointed you didn’t mention them. But I’m happy you reminded us of their niche abilities and gave monks a good shine. ✨
Kensei monks remind me a lot of samurais tbh
@@TheDapperSaint honestly, both feel like they are trying to bring over some of the old eastern setting with the less than well aged name that abbreviats to OA, which had samurai, ninja and martial arts. which makes sense as there was kind of the forgotten realms version with kara-tur and the 3rd edition OA, but now its kind of baked in.
This, absolutely.
I used Way of Shadow monk/Assassin rogue multiclass as an NPC assassin against my players years ago. Oh, she was so powerful. In the end, they wound up letting her kill them before letting a contingency spell they'd set up revive them. They just couldn't pass the perception checks against her stealth abilities.
@TheEnder515 I did too. And she is a Tabaxi. She is great at either sneak killing them or annoying them to no end. Or both.
I actually leaned into the supposed "monks being weak in combat" thing and homebrewed a subclass focusing solely on supporting allies. I called it the Way of the Guru. It gives players the aesthetic of a wizened teacher guiding others on the path to greatness. Mechanics-wise, it mostly involves use of the Help action at earlier levels, and at higher levels gaining the ability to grant other creatures additional buffs through consistent training sessions.
Just wanted to say I've added like half your Google docs to my bookmarks bar. I use this stuff RELIGIOUSLY for some of my campaigns. Amestris has never been weirder or more terrifying, and I'm very happy about it! My players, maybe not, but they're still around, so good enough!
Amestris???? 😳
@@carythacker8049 The world that I built for the players. Its got everything from an entire nation of Death worshipping necromancers who use the dead as militia, steampunk enthusiasts with a love for explosions and politics to the Dread Myre filled with eldritch aberrations and the pirate adventures of the Thousand Illes.
a campaign set in Amestris, full of Pointy Hat’s shenanigans sounds like an incredibly fun time!
Since you have play tested many of pointy hat's creations, can I ask how they feel on balance? I am pretty new to dnd. One of his class ideas I read sounded pretty overpowered but I imagine I wouldn't know unless I tried them. What do you think?
@@DerrickBarrows So, for reference, I've only gone through a few in session. In no particular order, one of my players uses the Phantasm Race (and no one knows yet, somehow, which we both find hilarious). The Sorceror Lich (Hierarch) is one of the BBEGs (there are several), the Blight is set up as a fallen nation on the border that no one wants to admit to, government secret style, the Restless is hunting one of the party members, and Hellish Adepts are working for the one of the BBEGs. On average, it all works, at least overall. Remember, I use lots of Homebrew to balance out the crazy, so take that with a dump truck of salt. In detail, the Hellish Adepts can be awkward if the party isn't RP savvy enough to unravel the weaknesses and strengths of the Adept they're fighting. The Phantasm is a little awkward RP-wise since it's hard to firmly say, 'This is against my goal,' so my player using it has to hash stuff out with me on that. The Blight run isn't for a while yet, but the Restless is GREAT for building tension and is currently driving our sorcerer up the wall trying to figure out why his exhaustion levels won't stop rising. The Hierarch can require some in-game tweaking to ensure they aren't too broken, like if the number of family members under him/her doesn't just steamroll the party. Overall though, this stuff is awesome.
minor note on the damage die: your monk weapon can start at d8 in any subclass. spear and quarterstaff qualify as monk weapons, and nothing about using them with two hands prevents you from also using unarmed strikes like kicks, headbutts, etc
My favorite way to use this is to dual weild a quarterstaff and be a lizardfolk- the unarmored defence thing is good if you get bad stat rolls, and you get excellent damage at low levels- when using Flurry of Blows at lvl 2, for example, assuming 16 dexterity, you would be able to do 2d6+1d8+9 dmg in a turn.
one niche benefit of monks that i kind of appreciate is the viability of low damage weapons like whips and darts because the monk weapon damage can be replaced with your martial arts die
You forget: whips are martial weapons. Before the optional features (which, to remind, are STILL OPTIONAL) you couldn't get it without sacrificing an ASI or multiclassing.
Also, monks martial arts die and low damage weapons: any archer build with sharpshooter, do the math. 2 unoptimized fighter archers with sharpshooter if they roll high on ini can kill Vecna before he acts. Give me the math for 2 monks (straight class unoptimized) and cry me a river.
@@momqabt that must have been one optimized sharpshooter archer build to manage to get that stick so far up your ass.
@@momqabt Local man misses point of comment and also entire point of video. More at 9
@@momqabt "unoptimized" "sharpshooter" Lol. That translates to your problem with monks is "can't use Sharpshooter." That barely has anything to do with the class.
@@momqabt *laughs in variant human and elven*
but real talk bro the dude was just trying to be positive and you just came in like a piss baby for no reason and then talk about an unrelated topic
Monk: walks up to BBEG and uses quivering palm.
BBEG: dies
They saved and take 55 damage than kill the monk next round since they have bad armor and health.
@@TieberiusVoidWalkerI rolled high so my monk has a 19 ac lol
@@sidneyrobinson18 Thats an anecdote, rolling for stats doesn't prove anything but luck. If you used point buy your AC would suffer a lot more. Doesn't really change the fact that monks have bad AC.
@@TieberiusVoidWalker even with point buy you can get ~16 ac at the start
@@sidneyrobinson18 16 AC is pretty bad. I would never enter melee with 16 AC. At about level 3 you're just gonna suffer unless the DM is being nice. Second of all your AC isn't going to improve all that much because even if you use all your ASIs into Wis and Dex (which isn't even worth it) you're ac will grow so slowly and monster's to hit will be so high that youre incredibly squishy
Is it literally impossible for Antonio to not make the most compelling, interesting and fun characters in his D&D with a twist videos? I literally want to see an entire series just about Uriel.
A whole party made from his twist characters would be really cool
Though a lot of them seem to be running from their family XD
@@CadanL yeah its kind of a theme isn’t it?
@@cherechesalexdaniel811makes me wonder if there’s something Pointy doesn’t want to talk about?
@@noahlovato7331 its not our place to tell. It could as well just be that he consumed a lot of media with this idea in it as it is a pretty prevelant trope. Things like this (even if they are true) are between him and anyone he personally wants to tell.
Oh god I adore this.
There's a few more monk subclasses, like you said:
- Way of the Long Death (for people who wanted the Quivering Palm feature to be an entire subclass)
- Way of Mercy (for the plague doctors and spiritual healers)
- Way of the Kensei (for the guys who want to use better weapons)
- Way of the Drunken Fist (for the Jackie Chan fans)
Also way of Shadow. The "please multiclass me to Rogue" subclass.
@@crowbar_the_rogue Ah, yes, Batman
@MMPJ Cari You mean, Take two levels of Warlock so you can see jn your own darkness.
Way of the Long Death - a One Punch Man subclass?
I cannot believe you would call me with that Drunken Fist take!
It's completely true and accurate, but still
Saying the problem people have with monk is just damage is very reductive. They have poor hit dice compared to other martials, poor ac, and poor utility and synergy with the party. I love monk and I want to see it buffed and it really doesn’t take a lot. I really like the way of the flesh because it proves that you can make a monk who’s priority isnt damage but please don’t act like people just say their issue is damage
4:15 Slight correction, the highest damage die you can get is a d8 by two-handing a quarterstaff. Its honestly surprising how often this gets overlooked, given its very on theme for monks.
If you take an elf, you will gain proficiency with a long sword, which is can deal d10 damage. But yes, everything is bad at the monk’s base.
@@user-ubludok That's an optional class feature, so I decided to not go by that cuz there may be stingy DM's out there. But I disagree that the monk at base is bad. In the early levels the monk is fine, but it drops off the farther you go
Not just that, a greatclub is a monk weapon, and it has a base of a d8. It's just silly how a lil ghostwise halfling can swing a greatclub with dexterity
@@mihajloselmic476 Uhhh....a greatclub is not a monk weapon sir. It has the two-handed property, disqualifying it
@@ARC--5973 That's completely wrong. A weapon being two-handed does not in any way, shape or form disqualify it from being a monk weapon. Same goes for the Light Crossbow and Shortbow. I'm not sure where you got your info, but it's utterly incorrect
A home rule you can implement is people can exchange health points for ki. People pushing their bodies so far that it *hurts* . They *need* to help their friends. They *need* to win. So much so that they are willing to give all that they *are* to this cause.
That definitely seems to help with the whole sustain vs. burst dichotomy between monks and rogues. I'd give the monks d10 Hit Die for that, too.
Lol, a melee monk with HP to spare? That's a good one!
as if the class needed to be more anime, Nande bayo
I just made all of their abilities free and removed ki points. They still don't even come close to the power of a mediocre full caster.
@@mrosskne valid
I love how every character has parents with high expectations
Asian culture is drilled into the monk class 💀
@@choking1668 i mean every character created by pointy hat
He must be writing from experience
They wouldn't have been adventurers otherwise.
Sometimes we write what we know. Pointy hat... i understand
It’s crazy how Larian made monk (specifically Way of the Open Hand) a really powerful class by reworking the Tavern Brawler feat to add your strength modifier TWICE to your attacks making you do insane damage with either an elixir of hill giant strength or cloud giant strength.
I play open hand without that and still do a shit ton of damage because of some really cool magic items you can get in the *admittedly later* game. Like the one you get for saving Hope, which allows you to add 1d6 force damage to unarmed strikes and either heal or do attacks at advantage. This works best because flurry of blows doubles this with 1 measly ki point. My monk currently does comparable damage to Karlach, both of whom are using the best weapon/equipment for them that I could find (not done with my playthrough). And is more effective DPS wise than my other teammates (although then again I'm using Wyll and Shadowheart, tho I did try Gale and other stuff at some point, like Jaheira. But in terms of steady DPS, Karlach and my monk are better)
@@tatsumiuchiha5559 yeahh you can typically find the ingredients for the elixir or the elixir itself by level 4 instead of needing to wait hours in. i made karlach my monk and she does the highest damage in my party turn after turn.
I loved the idea of the way of the flesh monk, and I was thinking- "Oh maybe I could flavor one as double from skullgirls..." And you proceed to show her on screen!! 10/10 would totally make a monk like that now ;3
SPOILERS!! Marci in the DOTA anime on Netflix is one of the best ideas I've seen for the use of a monk in a non traditional setting. If you're not familiar with her character she is the mute handmaiden of a princess and since she is a small woman who carries no weapons she's never seen as a threat. One episode they are taken prisoner suddenly and you get to see the hidden secret that she's been carrying with her, just the fact that she's a trained monk. A fantastic reveal and a great way to incorporate the class into a different existence in your world something akin to a secret service bodyguard. Super cool.
So a ninja.
The double negation tripped me up, she carries only weapons she *has* seen as a threat?
@@Emma-Maze I don't think it's a double negation, but it could do with an extra comma for clarity:
"since she is a small woman who carries no weapons, she's never seen as a threat."
@@stJules no, ninjas carry weapons
@@stJules the whole deal of fantasy ninja is they carry way more weapons than you can ever expect, not the opposite
I never played him, but crafted a character who was basically The Modern Prometheus (Frankenstein's Monster) and he was an Ascendant Dragon monk but reflavoured to have all his abilities because of the process of being rebuilt. Like acid breath being stomach acid, lightning punches from his mechanical heart, wings as a grotesque add-on by his creator, etc. He was a fun concept
This and the subclass in the video feel a lot like things that Simic Hybrid should have.
I'm gonna be honest, this video is entirely what made me realize my swordswoman character could totally have been a rogue/monks rather than a rogue/fighter
I honestly just assumed "monk weapons" implied you're either using your fists or a staff or something
Yeah. The PHB is not clear enough on that. I had to use an external site to find out that any simple weapon qualified.
15:27 - Thank you *SO MUCH* for this! I have forgotten about this absolute *GEM* of a video. Went back to watch it and cried tears of joy.
I would really like to see a monk subclass actually utilizing grappling to its full potential.
Also other inspirations for a monk:
Sumo fighter
Luchador
Capoira
Grappling generally requires Strength unfortunately. Fun DM’s let you use Acrobatics or Dex-Athletics though.
Matador?
So basically you want to make different fighters from Street Fighter. Maybe the DM would let you use str/con or str/wis for your AC.
@@sidecharacter7165 astral self lets you grapple with wisdom.
@@godsamongmen8003 Wasn't even thinking of Street Fighter, but that is a great idea. Maybe give the monk some fun combos they can do with unique weapons, like the meteor hammer (works as chain), so you can grab an enemy and drag them to you Scorpion style.
I remember my first and only monk character, a Lizardfolk that fights by biting people!
Bite as unarmed strike, longdeath to gain hpt after each prey, speed to hunt fleeing foes...
It was not a very hard campaign, so my power level was actually on par with the party, and it was great fun!
Reminds me of a character I played who was a lizard folk kensai monk/ranger having hunters mark really helped bring the damage up to where I was in tow with the fighter while delivering stunning strikes
Just about to finish up my first play through. Chose monk since my buddy told me it’s a beginner friendly class, and have been absolutely loving it. I recently found your videos and have been loving them. Keep up the great work!
Dude, i love your videos. Theyre informative, clever, super creative, and just plain fun.
Bravo. Much love. Keep doing what youre doing.
As a big wuxia fan, this is honestly amazing. There’re so many messed up clans and cults that focus on mutilating themselves in some way to gain power and this shines a great light on this part of wuxia. Great video!
Edit: the link is wrong 😢
What link?
Monks are weird because their goal is to achieve immortality by absorbing qi from the environment..certain paths were extreme and involved stuff like eating poop
I actually used Quivering Palm as a plot point during a samurai-themed campaign. There was this minor villain who'd learned the technique before his mentor would've given him permission, proceded to kill his master and then started hitting EVERYONE in the town with it, effectively holding them all hostage and giving him free reign over the town.
Fuck, I love this. It even adds to the fantasy of a "forbidden technique" in a way that the level-gated default doesn't.
But quivering palm can only affect one creature at a time. If you use it on somebody else, the effect ends on the first creature
@@miguelangelus959 Maybe this villain learned a diffent version of Quivering Palm or perhaps perfected the technique. As a NPC he can get away with doing stuff the players can't and there are many ways to explain it.
This is such a good idea for a villain. Maybe even an assassin guild master. Thank you master. I'm stealing this now.
🙏🫳🫴🖐️
The ability learned by the villan was actually the ancient, forbidden, "superprototype" version WITHOUT the "safety valve" that automatically releases the previous "cursed" target [so, it allows unlimited simultaneous "hostages"].
-> On the Endgame, he has managed to "curse" about half of the population of [country party cares about]; hence big Thanos Snap.
26:12 - Yeah, that's amazing! You are very criative and come up with incredible ideas. I'm starting to like this channel so very much!
I like the subclasses you make for these videos, but THIS IS THE BEST ONE YET! I want to play it. I've already thought of several prospective stories, but my favorite is the idea of a performer who went too far and their wish, nay, their insane drive for superhuman ability warped every part of them. I love it, I love it, I love it.
The reason why warlocks are not considered weak due to the short rest thing, is that warlocks have spells, which are always comparatively more high impact than whatever a martial can do. The other reason is eldritch blast with the agonizing invocations keeps warlocks at such an okay damage level, people use it as a baseline. Not to mention eldritch blast is free and keeps up with a monk damage rating through Ki.
"okay damage level" Without action surge, a Warlock's default Eldritch Blast is stronger then a ranged fighter while also getting its multi-attack faster
@@ianaldridge7136
So, they do extremely good damage level. Strengthening my argument that it is a poor comparison to monks.
@@ODDnanref Yeah, I'm in agreement with you
Eh, I've seen people complain about Warlock being weak as well, but from a lot of the complaints I've seen it's more an issue with not giving a sufficient amount of short rests and/or giving too many long rests.
@@VestedUTuber This is so true. A lot of campaigns revolve around the day by day with a long rest between each day and usually only one short rest during the day. That essentially means short rest reliant classes like Warlock and Sorcerer can feel like just nerfed wizards since their known spells are smaller due to being balanced around being able to use them more often using short rests.
Thank you for the body horror inspiration!
I wanted to create an Aarakocra monk whose wings are clipped for the sake of "grounding oneself in humility" or something like that. In any case he can't fly anymore, and he's on a sort of pilgrimage.
I've never actually played dnd before, but I hope to one of these days. I tend to stick very closely to the handbook and forget that you're supposed to use your imagination for this game...not sure I want my precious bird to break his hollow bones every fight, but I’ll take ideas like this into consideration 😁
The way of the Flesh sounds so awsome!! Thanks for your discretion, I will be working on a monk build in BG3!!
21:17 body horror has always terrified me, but I also love the concept. Jojo's has those vampire people who like use their bodies in weird ways, like the guy who has extremely hot blood and such. That type of thing I imagine this class would do, right?
The Pillar Men
The pillar man YES!
I’d love to play as one in D&D
@@arthurmarcelino9838 How do you want to do this?
I want to climb into his body, puppet him for a bit, then explode out.
...Okay,
AAAAYYAAAAYYAAAAYYAAAA!!!
MEZAMATAMAE!
WAGA ARUJITACHI YO!
Hey Antonio! I just wanted to let you know that I DM'd the Pleasentries one shot for a group of my friends and we all had an amazing time! They actually managed to get a 3rd secret ending where they negotiated for just Sofia and left all the other sleepers behind. Very cool solution to that scenario I feel. We had a blast with it and I'll certainly be running any more modules you decide to make in the future.
I just DMed it today as well. We played it at level 11 so I scaled it up a lot. They still thwarted everything in like 2 seconds (high level characters are really good at avoiding sleep and fear). At the end, they took half of the sleepers so that the pleasentries could survive, and struck a deal with them that they would bring new sleepers periodically. Then they went and established themselves mayor of Alacarn and turned the town into a sort of "country getaway retreat" for people from the big city who were stressed about their lives to "get away and clear your mind of the traumas of the everyday" (become sleepers). In return, the Pleasantry Queen granted the town a sort of calming aura, as well as a few other neato sleep boons to one of the players who was particularly antagonistic to her. I ran it as a one shot for my group who can't play Strahd whilst a player is on holiday but now they want to revisit it as an ongoing series of oneshots.
Amazingly helpful video for working on my own homebrew chapter. Thank you!
I love to see the cross-pollination between you, CR, and Matt Colvillen. The online D&D community continues to grow, and it warms my heart. 🙂
I love monks, I’m gonna be honest. Way of the Four Elements lets me live my ATLA dreams
same
My first character may have been an air genasi monk named Gnaa... 😬
Naw gotta stick to my drunken monk style, hilarious for RP sessions
It’s honestly better to just go Storm Sorcerer because they learn every spell there and for less of a cost. Four Elements Monk is just a suboptimal choice
@@zach415 shhhhh, monk are fun
Honestly, the "Boxer" on DND wiki does a great job of exactly what you spoke about here. It makes the aesthetic more of a prize fighting champion who train tirelessly as the main point of the character. It also has some pretty decent abilities to back it up
This is so good! That way of flesh is amazing. U gotta do something together with dungeon dudes, it fits soooo well into the Drakkenheim setting!
Ooooh man, I'm been binging all your videos and the idea of an Augmented Way of the Flesh Monk is just... SUCH A COOL IDEA TO ME!!
I've gotta say, while your free content is amazing, your storytelling abilities are underappreciated. I don't even want to play Way of the Flesh that much, but I would love to have a party member with character like Uriel! So much drama, so many opportunities for roleplay!
A Vampire Hunter Monk using the power of the Sun can be pretty cool, if possible you could mix western and eastern monks and make a pugilist padre that fights the undead with silver-knuckles
Thats literaly JoJo part one and two
@@lugusss Ah yeah, the Hamon. I forgot about that.
Even better, the padre could be drawn in the JoJo style then.
I have a boss I'm designing for my campaign, and this subclass actually fills the gap I was missing for phase 1 of the fight. Awesome stuff.
Omg pointy thank you so much. I've been trying to make a fleshy-melee fighter character for so long now, and I've tried everything! But this... is GENIUS!
The link in the description seems to go to a Paladin subclass rather than the Way Of Flesh?
But also, this is awesome. I absolutely agree that monks have some of the best theming, and while I wasn't sure where you'd go with the twist aside from another Kensei, I instantly got ideas as soon as you mentioned the body-twisting. Props to you for coming up with it, it's so cool.
yup, seems to be the wrong link
It is going to the right document now.
@@Heroltz998 Cool
I made a "Kiryu Kazuma" monk by taking the open hand subclass. Probably not what it was intended for, but the ability to attack 3 times and then finish it by attacking a 4th time and dropping their ass on the ground reminded me of hit combos from Yakuza.
Also, that character made me realise what monks are supposed to do.
They're supposed to use their increased speed, 3-4 attacks per turn and additional effects from each attack (Such as stun or drop prone) to go from one enemy to another and disrupt all of them.
And out of combat, you're good at perception, stealth, survival etc
I made Goro Majima using the Drunken Master subclass and it worked great! Knife for a monk weapon, using the whole 'making foes underestimate you by weaving around drunkenly' to represent his fluid fighting style and general personality and the stealth and perception options are perfect for doing a 'Majima Everywhere' thing!
I kinda want to pair them with a barbarian 'Taiga Saejima' partner and have Majima draw agro and be all dodgy and annoying while Taiga smashes, I think that would be super fun and flavorful.
Yep. The larger problem with Monks is that the stuff that they are supposed to be good at just wasn't thought out well in the system overall. Standing in one place is heavily encouraged during a fight as a melee fighter, and martial classes in general suffer from poor scaling, and specifically their martial arts die feels very similar to to piss poor barb rage scaling
3-4 attacks if you don't use your Disengage tool. So you better hope you land those Stunning Strikes, otherwise your fragile ass is gonna be eating some attacks of opportunity that you really can't afford.
@@CJWproductionsnah, many monks have a ton of ways to deal with that.
Astral Self has enought reach to stay out of Opportunity Attack range of most enemies, and Open Hand monk can straight up disable reactions on hit.
@@starhalv2427 Most monks have to choose something like that over getting a different benefit though, which ends up punishing them regardless for it
You’re so incredible for going through all this effort | thanks dude 😎
Pointy Hat is single handedly my favorite dnd channel! keep it up!
I would truly love to see more subclasses for monk that expand it beyond the eastern aesthetic and flip the script. Keep up the great work, Pointy.
Building on what they said about the monk being able to have supernatural abilities from their own body. Imagine a subclass that sort of works like robocop, you are part machine and can use your robotic enhancements like a piston fist/or say you can create/attach to yourself any weapon that you then become proficient with (with the cost of having to make it attachable somehow/stuff for balance). Coming from that baseline of using your body to do incredible things gives a lot of potential ideas.
There are some monk prestige classes in 3.5 that would be cool as subclasses, like the tatooed monk(monk with tatoos that grants them unique abilities), reaping mauler(grappling specialist), enlightened fist(monk with arcane casting with some touch attack synergies),sacred fist (monk with divine casting which gives lots of buffs)
Give me a Boxer Monk, or something grappling focused. As much As IT does Not Look Like IT, 90 perfekt of Martial arts around the world are Wrestling focused, and even King of is a Lot of Wrestling, that got lost in Pop culture tho. So why dont expand on the Most Common Martial art that can BE found in almost any culture
Yeah, there's a lot of potential there.
Maybe you could have a different kind of drunken master subclass that utilizes different brews as a resource onto themselves in combat to gain special, almost supernatural, effects.
Maybe you could have a worshiper of some deity, so devoted, they forsake everything aside from their own body and spirituality, in turn gaining incredible deific abilities, almost like an avatar of their will (maybe even literally).
How about a researcher who augmented their body through technological enhancements, installing different upgrades with level progression and maybe also juggling some form of "overheating" resource instead.
Perhaps some manner of spirit or other supernatual entity posessed a person and it lends them their power in combat through some manner of shifting and body enhancement, sorta Parasyte or Venom style.
Tons of stuff to consider.
As a DM married to a game designer I've been picking his brain to build my campaigns, dungeons, and homebrew subclasses for years. Very cool of Antonio to do it for everyone for free!
Absolutely love Uriel. Seriously, who can hate the pure soul who can retain their wholesomeness in the face of unadulterated body horror?
I was feeling really depressed today, Pointy. By the time you mentioned the subclass you made, I'd already nearly spit my water out about 5 times laughing. Your subclass literally made all the hair on my arms stand straight up! It's so cool! Thank you for making such amazing content and just being so funny and kind. I feel much better now. ❤❤
The quivering palm thing has so much potential for a sick ass scene where you spend 15 ki points over 5 rounds and then just snap and all 5 of the opponents you we’re fighting just collapse but since that’s a 17th level feature odds are your party has cleaned up by then since they’re also level 17
If I remember right can only be used one one opponent at a time
I remember reading from a post that a dungeon master had the party fight a large dragon or something. When the wizard had cast meteor shower, the dungeon master had allowed the monk to use the meteors as platforms, jumping from meteor to meteor in order to reach the dragon and to personally deliver some whooping. I’m surprised that this isn’t allowed in base, cool things like this should happen more often
This would actually be incredible.
Also immediately made me think of Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda.
I mean I can see why it’s not in base. The way they’d have to write it all down in numbers and the specific situations it would have to be described as in order to be accessible would just be too difficult to not just leave it up to DM knowing when to “rule of cool” something.
@@Greenweeper1387I would write it as ‘Getting Advantage on Rolls when on difficult terrain’ or something
Cool idea
As a DM, I allowed my Four Elments monk to create ice platforms and run across them between ships in a multiple ship combat. The rules would have said hard no, but what a great cinematic and bad ass idea.
I’m a big audio guy. Usually listening as i drive. This dude put’s so much into his video’s when i can watch. Nothing but respect for his entertainment
People complain about Warlocks' lack of spell slots all the time. The differences are that a) warlocks have access to a 9th level spell per day, which is stronger than anything monks can do, and b) when a warlock runs out of spell slots, they can still eldritch blast all day. Monks don't have anything like that.
My personal main problem with monks is the same as my general problem with 5e martials: your only viable options in combat being "I make an attack". I think options like grappling, disarming, throwing, shoving, etc etc, should be more pronounced in fighting, and I think monks should be the ones to excel at it.
(Also I always thought of monks not as a rogue counterpart, but as a Warlock equivalent for martials.)
Look at all the shenanigans they get up to in manhwa with “cultivation” if you want good ideas. Some swordsman can part mountains and seas with single swings of their sword.
@@sidecharacter7165 yeah. If we take abit more from general Cultivation genre than just Martial films and some anime. All martial artists are basically Magicians(wizards) who learned magic with their bodies. Some use it enhance their physical bodies and others use it to basically cast spells. Monks if they wanted to embrace the Wuxia fantasy should be half casters or more access to magical abilities.
My martial characters dont just attack, they grapple, drag, dodge, shove, search, take cover, interact with objects, and all kinds of other stuff. And I dont just do them for the heck of it, they are tactical choices that can really pay off. People say oh there is nothing to do but attack, i think that is more of a self imposed limitation than a true statement about the game.
I also cant help but notice how many popular builds are based around spamming the same cantrip or spell over and over. If there really is a problem with repetitive action it is not apparently limited to martials
@@drsnugglesfan Grapple and Shove are attacks. Realistically speaking, if you are doing anything but attacking unless there are specific scenarios in battle, you are misplaying it. People have done the math, besides, everything you just said can be done too with non martials.
it's not the repetitiveness that hurts martial, is that they are only allowed to attack, nothing else, that's why things like battlemaster are so good. Yeah, Warlocks spam Eldritch Blast, but they have access to Hypnotic Pattern, Darkness, Invisibility, Command, Find Familiar etc.
Even if they only had the spells I mentioned, they are instantly so much better than what any martial can do.
@@YolkieYolk i gave examples of actions that aren't attacking which are valid. Everything in the game is made of "specific scenarios." So tell me what's the real criticism? You do have options beside attacking, but often the best move in a fight is an attack. So what? If you're a spellcaster the best move might usually be the same old "cast a spell."
I came for the DnD content… I stayed for the killer edits
I really like the Way of the Flesh concept you got, I'm actually planning on using it for my next D&D character.
The Concepts I'm going with, is the idea of a once powerful and well trained monk, but "Something" happened, while they where meditating, and where assumed dead.
nearly 100 years later, through the slow and drain of the Monk's Chi pool, the Monk awakens in a mummified state, now as a "DARAKHUL" (Kobold Press's playable sentient undead lineage ). Their body now atrophied for so many years of unuse, as well has retaining no memory of their former life, other then the bare basics. What ever their training before, they are now a blank slate, and with their new body they are discovering new ways of fighting.
So that what I'm going to go with, a undead Kung Fu Mummy. Sounds fun right.
Running our first game soon and one of us is running monk thabk you for providing a full guide for way of the flesh, I'm going to add it to his subclass options. I'm a bit worried that he may get bored as he not a very big hands on game person. Even card games make him zone out alot when playing but I'm hoping this will be a perfect brew of fun and brutality for him ❤
It feels like "way of the flesh" should get access to alter self somehow. Also, a quarterstaff in 2 hands is a d8, and still counts as a monk weapon, and allows for your extra unarmed strikes. It helps the damage a little, but makes your martial arts die feel even worse.
On the other hand, a Way of the Kensai monk with a hand crossbow and a whip as monk weapons can feel pretty rootin' tootin'.
"Perfect Self" was much more impressive in 3.5 and Pathfinder 1e, where it made you an Outsider, and gave you DR/10 (Chaotic). And unlike other Outsiders, you could still get resurrected if killed.
DR/10 (Chaotic) means "Takes less damage unless it's from a Chaos Weapon"?
@@llewelynshingler2173exactly. All damage was reduced by a flat 10 damage unless the weapon was a chaotic weapon OR the natural weapon of an enemy who had the same type of resistance.
1e Monk is so nice to play because the subclasses are actually good for once, who doesn´t wanna be a drunken master or a sensei?
@@WizoIstGott 3.5 was excellent as well. Flurry of blows was an always on ability that gave up to 3 additional attacks at maximum BAB, you got spell resistance (which in 3e meant the caster had to beat your resistance DC with a check or spells just didn't work on you at all), your AC could get to ludicrous levels and you could deal up to like 40d12 damage per hit if built correctly. I had a monk in 3.5 that was SO good and could make theoretically infinite attacks per round with panther style feats.
i remember when i first played dnd 5e a power gamer said monks really sucked. i just got done dming 3.5, pathfinder to where monks had a million punches. so i didn't believe him. then i built one and realized they really nerfed the poor class d8 class. even when multiclassing to maximixe a monk, 2 levels warlock cantrip will scale just as hard with no uber class planing. monks gotta spend a ki just to match match a free warlock cantrip.
they should of given monk 3 attack actions and 3 furry of blows hits. at the higher levels. since it has less hp and ac then all the other front row martial classes. basically they can get extra hits but they absorb less damage before dropping. 3rd furry of blows strike at 11th and extra attack (2) around 17-20th level. so monks would always one punch/hit more then everyone else except for when fighter action surges.
The Way of Flesh is Baraka from the revamped "Mortal Kombat" short they did a few years ago: experimentation on the body, surgically implanting blades into his arms, etc
3:53 i wonder if Pointy Hat realizes how cool he sounds saying that
The entire premise of just punching things is just genius in multiple directions
Something’s I did for our monk player:
-d10 hit die
-unarmored AC = dex+wis
-ki points = level + wis
- give them higher unarmored strike die earlier
-open hand flurry of blows stuff is just a part of the monk class
Just a little bit of extra stuff to make them hit harder, have more options, and really helps early game play
Isn't that how unarmored defense works by default?
@@pistaalkohol No, its 10+dex+wis
@@pistaalkohol no, because what the mod does is allow the monks to wear armor on top of having extra defence. Which works in campaigns with no magical items because then the max AC would be 26
@@pistaalkohol yeah idk what OP thinks they're changing with dex+wis unless if the base number is higher than 10
I slightly over-justified, but I went with:
Allow Martial Arts features in light/medium armor;
Martial Arts die is d6@3rd, d8@6th, d10@11th, and d12@17th level;
Step of the Wind is a 0-ki bonus-action Dash and, only if you're not wearing armor, 1 ki to Disengage and double your jump dist;
Slow Fall is only 4x monk level but works as long as you're not incapacitated;
Stunning Strike costs 2 ki *but* shares a free usage pool, prof. bonus/any rest, along with Focused Aim;
Timeless Body gets the previous Perfect Self feature;
Perfect Self is just 2 +2 ASI's into any two ability scores you want.
And some tiny tweaks not worth mentioning, but there's more QoL you can add
Love the video and the new twist you put into the subclass idea.
I'm currently playing a wood elf way of mercy monk. Story wise made him into a mix of a European plague doctor and native american medicine man.
My dm has been so cool working with me since I'm the only martial of the group. He came up with "martial art stances that I have to choose at the end of a shor/long rest or spend ki points to switch into at any of time.
His orginal three was tiger, serpent, and badger stance.
Tiger: Made flurry of blows do 2 extra unarmed strikes, made the dash action cost 0 ki points, but made patient defense cost 2 ki points
Serpent: Made my hand of harm do max damage without having to roll a d6 and it posions enemies. Made flurry of blows cost 2 ki points
Badger: Reworked patient defense to give me 6+monk level pts of extra health points and reslieance against all damage as long as I have those extra health points.
There's more to each, but that's all I can remember off the top of my head.
Dude the Way of the Flesh idea is actually so cool gave me an idea for another monk character for my current campaign, where im playign a way of the ascendant dragon with a Githzerai. Im going to try to talk to my Dm about using this homebrew subclass
Solid hit on this one! The concept of 'self-improvement through intense X' is such fertile ground for development. Monk could be such a hugely flavorful class once you step away from its roots. Body horror, Cybernetics, Divine Guidance, Genetic Tinkering, Mutations, Psychic Powers, Soul Devouring, almost anything could be the source of such power if presented the right way. I mean you can nab numerous 'enhanced' type character backstories wholesale.
Holy shit. You're a genius. Now I need to make cybernetic monks!
As a matter of fact, I'll try outlining a vague character idea for each premise you described.
Body Horror: Person with an aberrant bloodline learns to find power by leaning into their inhuman nature.
Cybernetics: Literally every cyborg ninja. Surpass human limitations by adding stronger hardware. The flesh is weak.
Divine Guidance: This one is kinda tricky, but I imagine that rigidly sticking to a path of righteous observance could grant a person boons which make them far more capable and resilient than the average person. There's a Force User parallel here, maybe.
Genetic Tinkering: See Cybernetics. But this gives a lot of rooms for unique flavor. (e.g., Quivering Palm becomes a sting of long-acting poison released from a talon on your pinky finger)
Mutations: See Genetic Tinkering. You'd just have to make all the features feel less deliberate and more fucked up. (e.g., Quivering Palm is a touch of the character's blood, which is radioactive enough to kill when used appropriately)
Psychic Powers: I think this has a lot of overlap with the Jedi/Force Users from Star Wars. Use your psychic powers to perfect your physical form and enhance your abilities beyond normal limits.
Soul Devouring: Your once-feeble form has grown strong by feeding on a healthy stream of fresh souls. The souls impart their strength to you, and now you are stronger, lighter, faster, and tougher than you ever were in your past life. You could even learn new abilities by consuming the souls of powerful adversaries! (Like the Dragonborn in Skyrim.) But the hunger still grows...
Exactly, kinda peeved that when I planned to make a Batman or Spider-Man in DnD, monk fits them aesthetically but mechanically other class can do them better. Monk concept should be loosened to "Using your body" instead of just ascetic martial artist
That’s basically Street Fighter, lol.
Cyber monks sounds like depriving yourself of earthly needs, like food or water, air.. and certainly no pp cause you're the opposite of Bard.
The Way of the Flesh is the coolest and craziest twist you’ve come up with. You’re a genius man! 😊
8:50 - Yeah!!! I absolutely *ADORE* abilities that add to the lore and aesthetic!
I really love your new way of the flesh! I would love to play it for myself :)
This is awesome! My friends and I played in a zombie apocalypse campaign and one of the characters named Norman is literally THIS. He was a kid who woke up not realizing they were infected and they became a punk-inspired Kensei monk who uses gun-axes and undead fury to fuel their ki points. It’s awesome and his story was insanely well-crafted because we took it away from the stereotypical Asian-inspired monk to make something that fit the setting. Ignoring the monk stereotype is honestly the best way to play monk, and our group got an insanely memorable character thanks to this
agreed, I saw someone make Gambit from X-Men a kensei monk using the cards as a monk weapon which I thought was pretty inspired
Had an idea while listening to this: The way of Madness. Rasputin inspired monk, heavily emphasizing the damage tanking aspect of the monk, combined with the ability to cast healing abilities. I’m sure there’s more that should be there, but that’s all I could think of in the couple seconds the thought passed through my head.
That sounds fantastic
A catholic monk inspired monk!
@@coolgreenbug7551 that’s a Paladin 😂
@@coolgreenbug7551 I was thinking orthodox (cause Rasputin was orthodox), but that could be really cool too! I realize maybe a different t name for the way might be good... I was just thinking because they called him “The Mad Monk”
@@plasmawolf7960 I'll be honest I'm not up to date on my monk history, I just like the idea of fury of blows coming from someone who looks like friar tuck
This sounds amazing! And a great fit for my war forged monk concept. After "the war," they were discharged, and over the centuries they found the rarest flowers and opened a flower shop in some town. All their powers were "forgotten" over the years (to start at level 1). This will make rediscovery horrifying for their party. So exciting! 😃
26:26 Uriel is EXTREMELY cool. Loving the content. You said 2k upon creation. Ha!
Before you even mentioned the mad scientist flavour, I was already thinking how this could make for a good "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" character. Looking forward to the 200K subscriber special when you inevitably get there (:
I think monks can be flavoured in many cool ways. I'm playing a Warforged way of the sunsoul monk that shoots energy blasts from an arm canon. And I'm planning on playing a second monk, but this time a dampyr way of the long death monk. Their unarmed strikes are scratches and bites, like a vampire. 😁
I made a background faction for a home-brew campaign I was running. The faction had 4 branches & each sent an NPC as a representative/observer during the campaign. One of my favorites was a primarily fire Way of the Dragon Monk & I LOVE him.
The Way of All Flesh by Gojira is one of my absolute favorite albums. So you had me instantly intrigued with the name. Then I heard what it did with the monk and I was sold. Great job. 🤘
This has become like the only DnD channel I even still frequent. Best content.
Your references, pertinence to recent irl conversations, huge amounts of funny info….loves it bbz. This is excellent as usual
Dude I've been dying to play a monk in a 5E campaign since I finished making a BUSTED one in BG3.
This is such a cool subclass and story you made for Uriel. It gives the DM so much to work with and the player so many opportunities. I'm totally gonna play him.
they way of flesh sounds really cool! I like this take on what a monk is and has filled me with inspiration
I loved playing as a Monk in my last Dnd campaign. What I ended up doing, as a new player, was fighting as a Monk while being themed as a pirate, with it being worked into the character's backstory that he was trained by a former Monk as a child onwards. It was a blast to play as him!
Ive been playing a monk in a long running dnd campaign for the past 6 years. The amoUnt of shenanigans and absolutely badass shit ive done is INSANE. Having a cool DM that understand the badass kungfu power fantasy and allows you to do shit out of Kung Fu Hustle has been some of the most fun ive ever had.
that doesn't mean they are not mechanically weaker.
Holy shit, six years?! Not bad.
Still mechanically the weakest class by far
@@louiesatterwhite3885I mean really? Most campaigns end at early levels where they are still useful.
Everyone I have played with or talked to has a lot of uses for their monks in and out of combat f
Every cool thing you did was in spite of the rules, not because of them. D&D is a shit system.
Probably my favorite subclass yet. I also hate how constricting the monk class is in terms of what kind of character can be made. Maybe I'll give monk a try now. Love the character design you did for Urial
Voldo as an example of body horror made me laugh out loud. Nicely done.
Pointy Hat: "[Monks] were designed as counterparts to the Rogue."
WotC: "Monks have to spend Ki points to do everything Rogues get for free. oh, & unarmed Fighters ditch out more damage than Monks."
Unarmed fighters do not do more damage than monks. That's straight up wrong (except maybe at level 1). They do have higher survivability though since they can wear heavy armor and invest in Con instead of Wis.
The comparison to rogue is on point though. The monk abilities are a joke, rogue also get evasion and don't stop being useful in the middle of the encounter because they are out of ki points.
@@Lilith_Harbingerunarmed fighting style let’s fighters have a d6 for unarmed strike from lvl1
@@user-uv6qu3wb5d And monks get a bonus action unarmed attack at level 2, for 1d4+mod. Plus monks can also use this fighting style, if they are V.human or the DM gives feat, or just pick a race with natural weapons with d6.
That's why i said unarmed fighters don't do more damage at any level other than maybe 1.
@@Lilith_Harbinger
*Fighting Style:*
[...]
*Unarmed Fighting.* Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren't wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.
At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you.
@@Lilith_Harbinger *if* they are Variant Human of *if* the DM giver a feat.
both of which give an extra feat for the Fighter, & both of which can give this Feat to anyone who fulfils the prerequisite: "Proficiency with a martial weapon".
I love the idea of the monk. I personally had thought about making this sort of skill set being part of some sort of "shapeshifter" theme, since body "manipulation" goes with that easier, but still very interesting idea. Also, 2 things: 1. thank you very much for the Fae video! Through your editing I found the movie "Fern Gully" which I watched as a child once and never had the slightest chance of finding again, but through that video, I finally found it and could rewatch it :DDDD 2. Could you make a video on making "Skeleton" as playable race? I love skeletons and I would like to see what you would come up with :D Love your vids and cant wait for the next one :D
I love the monk so much in terms of thematics and character identity, and all they need is just a slight damage increase on their martial die or a couple more attacks so they can keep up with Jimmy the unarmed fighting style fighter who is arguably just better statswise
Living weapon from ebberron does a pretty fun thing with the monk. Different damage typed and pretty similar flavor to the way of flesh in the vid