Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Draculigula Mar 01, 2015 19:17:03	Hey there. My friends and I are migrating from 4e to 5e, and I was soo keen to create a Half-Orc Monk, however I'm worried that the stat bonuses that come with the Half Orc (+2 STR, +1 CON) won't help it sync well with the requirements for Monk (cause usually the Monk is a DEX and WIS class). Can anyone please help me build a good Half-Orc Monk with what ability scores to invest in and which Way to take at 3rd level? I haven't given up hope that this could make a decent race/class combo.
#2 jaappleton Mar 02, 2015 3:34:13	The easiest solution is to talk to your DM. Half-Orcs did get Dex in 4E. It wouldn't be impossible to think that some members of races aren't necessarily stronger, but ate instead faster or more charismatic. See if he'll let you shift the +2 Str over to Dex.
#3 jaappleton Mar 02, 2015 3:35:16	Aside from that, yes, you can make a Strength Monk. Especially if you make it a Grappler.
#4 Macv12 Mar 02, 2015 6:30:06	Also, 5e is much more fast-and-loose with encounter math than 4e was. Having a 15 in DEX is perfectly viable. You don't "need" to have perfectly optimal stats to be effective.   A DEX bonus for half-orcs never made sense to me anyway. (STR+CON) + (all) = DEX+CON? Wha? But yeah, there's nothing inherently unbalancing about switching racial stat bonuses around.   Trying to optimize a STR monk is a bit tough. Your AC will be subpar if you're not dedicated to boosting DEX and WIS, and some of your monk stuff won't work if you wear armor. Meanwhile you're not gaining much in exchange; grappling is a fairly niche style that doesn't really shine without some significant build investment. Just holding people next to you is not worth much on its own when you're a d8 HP class who neglected AC...
#5 ChrisCarlson Mar 02, 2015 7:08:11	Are you asking if a half-orc can make a playable monk? Or are you asking how to optimize/break a half-orc monk "build"? Those are two entirely different things. And in 5e, I fell you'll much more enjoy the former. Just my humble opinion, of course. But if optimization and builds are your tables playstyle of choice, nevermind me. I'll just say it's a bit of an uphill battle and wish you luck. No harm no foul.   But you don't need all your synergies and bonus to line up perfectly to be playable character in 5e. Heck, I just played a series of adventures as a dwarven bard a few weeks back. Dwarves don't get a CHA bonus, so I only could start with a 15. But know what? Had a blast. The character worked out just fine. Very fun.
#6 BRJN Mar 02, 2015 18:38:20	Ask your DM if your half-orc monk can get a Wristwrap of Unarmed Attacks +1.  This will get him the extra point to his attack rolls for his Flurry of Blows and Martial Arts attacks, so he can equal the synergistic wood elf monk at the next monastery.   In my experience, Martial Arts gives you the equivalent of Double Attack or advantage.  I don't total-whiff very often, but I don't nuke enemies in one round either.  Be thinking in terms of 'sandpapering' the enemy to death.  When you get higher-level you can plaster the enemy under status effects (Stun!) so he mostly just has to watch the action pass him by.   P.S. Monk2/Rogue1 with Flurry of Blows and good attack rolls does more damage than the 2H-weapon Barb next to you.
#7 jaappleton Mar 03, 2015 7:30:27	Don't forget, Stun means an enemy fails Strength and Dex saving throws. Combine that with Open Hand.... If you Stun, you can easily knock the enemy off a cliff, off a bridge, through a window, into a trap, etc.
#8 jozua Mar 03, 2015 18:29:38	Standard array can get you something like the stats below as a half Orc, which is pretty balanced on defenses across the board. AC isn't the best, but you have decent HP to compensate. Using the dodge action when you can't use your speed to get out of a tough spot will help. As others have said, you don't have to rock optimal stats to have a good 5e character.    Str 14 Dex 15
(Reply to #6) MasterNamer	BRJN wrote:
#10 MasterNamer Mar 04, 2015 8:11:56	Are you trying to multi-class, or are you looking to have all monk levels?