I am thinking about playing a monk sometime soon, and I would love to hear from anyone who has some actual play experience with a monk. What type of monk are you playing? What do you like or dislike about it? What works well and what doesn't work well? What feats have you taken, if any? What sort of tactics do you normally employ? Are you using weapons, and if so, which ones? What are your biggest complaints about the monk? Feel free to share any interesting anecdotes about cool things that your monk has done.
If you're not actually playing a monk, but have seen a monk in action within your party, feel free to chime in.
Thanks in Advance,
Leugren
Yunru wrote:
Yunru wrote:
cowleymen wrote:
Leugren wrote:
Ashrym wrote:
Yunru wrote:
I am playing a shadow/ninja monk, Chen Chien. I took the mobility feat and it is awesome with a monk. It really lends itself very well to roleplay and also has fun mechanics. Still level 3, but it has been my second most memorable character so far. The playstyle is very hit and run. Hide in the shadows, strike hard a few times and reposition. There isn't anything about him I don't enjoy yet. I also use a quarterstaff and switch between hitting with it and kicks, knees, punches, elbows, and head butts as I see fit. I'm also prone to flipping around and off of things...
DM_HEEGZ wrote:
I do a partial move, attack, then withdraw, yes. I use the staff two handed as well. The plan is to update to a spear, but I haven't had need or occasion to just yet. Pretty much every battle I am playing as a flank attacker, and ambusher. I resorted to throwing shuriken (reflavored darts) on a few occasions, but my mobility is so high I usually don't bother. Ki gets spent to get an extra melee attack with flurry. I'm still low level, but he should ramp up rather nicely as he progresses. You were right about the variant human. I wasn't sure how well I would enjoy the monk so I took the feat at level 1 to motivate me, and it definitely played off. For non humans you could definitely put off the feat until later if you needed to. It just really helps at low levels and humans make sense for monks for me.
Thanks for the tool. It is great 
I'm currently playing a tiefling way of shadow monk. He has a spy background, he's an ex-military spy who runs around with a dragonborn paladin.. they work to maintain the peace in waterdeep and its surrounding area. I do enjoy the character despite not being min/maxed. 5E is designed to not require an optimized character. Optimization just makes the game too easy. Anyway, specifically regarding the monk:
Our DM required a point buy so I have only above average stats: +2 from dex, +2 from wisdom. Obviously, rolling stats, or choosing a race other than tiefling can make a much better monk.
I use a spear or quarterstaff, which are both versatile, and I use them 2-handed to do the extra damage (1d8).
For ranged attacks I go with shurikens (renamed darts) and I also carry a shortbow and a quiver of arrows in case a target it far off.
Despite the lower AC (14), it actually works in my favor being hit since I'm a tiefling. When hit, I can do hellish rebuke for added damage output. If I really don't want to get hit, I either use dodge as my action, or burn a Ki point to dodge as a bonus action. Or if I want to do hit and run I can disengage and outrun everything pretty much.
Their abilities are top notch if you can level them up... comprehension of every spoken language, proficiency with every saving throw, immunity to all disease and poison, reduced falling damage, the ability to catch thrown weapons... this class is a fantastic utility character. And stunning strike... why worry about dodging an enemy when it can't even attack? oh yes. The added utility from way of shadow, namely, the ability to spend Ki to cast darkness, silence, and pass without trace, is just awesome. I can't tell you how often I've keep our group from being discovered by casting silence. The sound of combat can't travel through the area so monsters in nearby areas don't get tipped off that we're eliminating their cohorts. I can also give my dragonborn ally darkvision so we don't need to use a torch... no torch and the ability to cast darkness and silence if needed definitely helps get the drop on most enemies. I'm a rogue assassin's best friend.
Currently I'm 5th lvl... I look forward to 6th when I'll be able to teleport from one shadow to another. It will definitely make getting around easier.
At 4th level I opted to not increase my stats and took a feat instead: Alert. I gained +5 to initiative rolls and I can't be surprised as long as I'm awake. It is an AMAZING feat. Right after getting it we went into some caves and I think we had to fight lurkers or darkmantles or something, and thanks to my feat, not only do I go first a lot with my +7 to initiative, the stupid surprise attack tactics that lurkers try by dropping from the ceiling above onto unsuspecting PCs couldn't work on me. Given my less than optimal stats, I'll likely use every ASI to boost dex to max then boost wis and not be able to get another feat.
It seems playing a monk is highly dependent on whether or not the group you're with will take short rests. Your ki pool is very limited, but it comes back after each short rest so as long as you can talk your group into frequent short rests, you should be a very memorable character.
DM_HEEGZ wrote:
Bloodscythe wrote:
Bloodscythe wrote:
Yunru wrote:
Leugren wrote:
Yunru wrote:
Yunru wrote:
Danny_Montanny wrote:
Yunru wrote:
In reading the monk, what jumped out at me was the thought that this guy would excel at using hit-and-run tactics, even more so when you throw in the Mobile feat. He can dart in, unload a barrage of attacks on an enemy, and still have plenty of movement left over to dart back to safety. Mobile let's him do this without expending a ki point. He's definitely a bit squishy compared to other frontliners, so standing toe-to-toe seems awfully risky. Other than DM_HEEGZ, how often are the rest of you using hit-and-run tactics? If not, why not, or what types of circumstances are preventing you from doing so? Party composition will obviously play a key role in this. Do you prefer to go toe-to-toe instead?
Monk's are alright...they're neither the best at offense nor defense, but they aren't bad at either while gaining numerous snazzy abilities, but the abilities can admittedly be somewhat situational.
I rarely see players choose a monk, and I think it may be this lack of specialization, coupled with an overall thematic dissonance to a western style game that puts folks off the class. Every so often a player is interested in playing a character that is from the east, or travelled there, or is some western parable to the eastern fighting stereotype, but that's not too common.
Yunru wrote:
Leugren wrote:
Macv12 wrote:
Of course, it's perfectly viable to ignore Reckless Attack and the bonus damage when raging and make a Dex-based Tankbarian.
Bloodscythe wrote:
Huntsman57 wrote:
Leugren wrote:
BRJN wrote:
Leugren wrote:
I'm not currently playing a Monk. But I will say that I was surprised at the effectiveness of a low level Way of Shadow Monk. I completely underestimated and misunderstood their Shadow Arts feature. All I have to say is Pass Without Traits for a measly two Ki points is no joke.
ShinQuickMan wrote:
Leugren wrote:
Bloodscythe wrote:
Ashrym wrote:
ShinQuickMan wrote:
Leugren wrote:
1eejit wrote:
Hi, I have started my monk only 1 session ago and I really enjoyed it. We rolled our chars and I got 18 Dex and 17 Wis already which is AC 17 so far.
I also took the mobile feat as human variant.
But I don't use it for hit and run (I am kind of the tank in our party) but to get from one target to the next without OA.
Most memorable moment: Starterbox fight against 1 Bugbear and his guard dog.
Hit the dog and broke his legs then moved around the back of the bugbear and attacked with BA with Adv. Stupid bugbear thought he could hit me but didn't the next round I got a natural 20 and downed hin, after that I jumped over him using my staff and finished the dog eith a neckbreaker. The rest of the party didn't even enter the room
I have to mention the bugbear slipped on the ballbearings of the rogue and was prone...
But I really felt like a badass kung-fu monk then.
I am looking forward to running up walls and over liquids that should be fun and unexpected for most enemies.
And of course I do a lot summersaulting and stuff like that, just for fluff.
I don't care about min/max my chars I took him because I like the class and train kung-fu myself, and he's much better than I am
Bogus73 wrote:
In the v3 one-shot session I mentioned earlier, I DM'ed a group of 5th-graders in a Testament scenario: beat up Goliath's brother.
Goliath was an L4 Fighter; the Israelite characters (the kids) were all L1. I explained to each player what his character was supposed to do.
So the monk...
The Psalmist was less than impressed with the fact that he was supposed to stay in back. But when he cast Bless and everybody else got a hit because of the +to-hit modifier, he thought better about it.
The barbarian shot arrows and felt himself effective when he got hits (despite dice troubles), so never Raged nor closed into melee range, despite having the best war-equipped character and best AC.
The Spy could throw 2 darts per turn and usually hit with one of them; he was happy to sandpaper away Goliath's HP from a safe distance while the melee guys kept him preoccupied.
The boy playing the monk realized that he had no meaningful ranged attacks (oops again) so he went up and in effect challenged Goliath to a duel. He would take his two whacks then back off to where Goliath could just get him with a reach weapon (XL spear) if he paid no attention to anybody else. I had Goliath feint at the barbarian (who had rolled a 1 and dropped his bow) then tried to chase down the monk. Speed 20 vs speed 30! Goliath managed to get one solid Reach hit in on the Monk leaving him with about 3 HP. Together the group got Goliath down to 1 HP. Somehow I positioned Goliath where he and the Monk were toe-to-toe, and commented that whoever got a hit next would win. I unloaded a haymaker ... and missed - too much DodgeAC ! He swung and just barely got a hit vs AC20 after the Bless bonus was factored in..
Down Goliath went - at the hands of a guy who had no weapons and no armor worthy of the name. Truly the hand of the Lord was with the Children of Israel that day!
I'm rather looking forward to doing this unto somebody else.
BRJN wrote:
Leugren wrote:
So... if one were to play a monk, and *if* they wanted to multiclass.... at what level would folks advise switching over. Or rather, how many levels should one take before even considering switching over?
For character development reasons, I'm going to go Monk1, Rogue1, Monk2+. (This is to get Expertise(Perception) - he's a scout.)
From a character optimization perspective, you probably should not m/c anything until after L5 or L6.
Level 1 a Monk beats even the druid for attack potential, only beaten by variant humans iirc.
Level 2 a Monk beats every non-druid, non-variant human.
Level 3 a Monk beats every non-druid, non-variant human, non-rouge.
Level 4 a Monk beats every non-druid, non-rogue that doesn't have a feat to grant a BAA.
Level 5 a Monk has Stunning Strike.
The biggest problem I see is that there isn't very much to increase DPR after level 5. In terms of raw damage output, it seems to me the straight-class monk will be outstripped at higher levels by fighters, paladins, rogues, etc.
EDIT: I am merely speculating here, since I don't have enough experience with high-level play yet to speak from experience.
Leugren wrote:
jaappleton wrote:
Leugren wrote:
Yunru wrote:
jaappleton wrote:
mellored wrote:
Leugren wrote:
jaappleton wrote:
jaappleton wrote:
I'm not a mathematician, but what?
Just... What?
jaappleton wrote:
lol...monk just killed a frog, an owl, a raven, and a scorpion. Which was the only thing I could find in the MM that had an 11 AC and a 8 CON. Nothing I could find has a 7 CON. But I just looked really quick.
All jokiing aside, a 20 Monk is amazing.
mellored wrote:
Level 20 rogue
+11 to hit, one attack, 1D8+5+10d6 SA (am I missing anything?)
Level 20 Monk
+11 to hit, 4 attack (FoB), 1D10+5, (am I missing anything?
+11 to hit, 3 attacks (SS), 1D10+5, DC18(?), so lets say 50% the target fails the Con save
AC 15
Rogue 38.1
MonkFoB 36.8
MonkSS 30.0
FoB SS 40.0
AC 19
Rogue 29.2
MonkFoB 28.4
MonkSS 25.8
FoB SS 33.7
AC 23
Rogue 20.3
MonkFoB 20.0
MonkSS 19.29
FOB SS 25.72
I would think enemies would fail more than 50% of the time against a DC of 18 or 19 (not sure of Wis bonus), in which case the SS would to a bit better than this.
mellored wrote:
Coredump00 wrote:
Turn 1: 4d10+20, stunned and prone.
Turn 2: Invoke Quivering Palm. Dead or 10d10.
Repeat.
Yunru wrote:
Yunru wrote:
I've been playing a monk in 5e for only a short time. Levels 1 and 2 I was mainly a frontliner, having to interpose myself between the enemies and my allies and get in the thick of it to get the most potential hits in. Now that I am level 3 and Open Palm, I find myself denying reactions and tripping opponents so that I can leap away and gang up with other party members on monsters. Allows us to be more focused on targets, instead of spreading out.
supreme_slayer wrote:
I have a monk in my game. She choose to go the down the path of Way of the Four Elements. One of the challenges she has is a lack of good ranged attacks. Her go to ranged attack is Fist of Four Thunders, which has such a short range that it's difficult for her to feel good at range. The dart throwing can be lack luster, but I do my best to make is seem exciting to the player when she hits for 8 damage. One of the challenges I have as a DM with the monk is how to choose which magic items to gift the party with that the monk would find beneficial. This monk is using the Gauntlets of Ogre Power and Staff of Defense from Lost Mines of Phandelver. Beyond these two items, I'm not sure what would benefit the monk. With regards to monk defense the Staff of Defense works well. The Shield spell has saved her butt a few times when she is in over her head.
Cooperjera wrote:
How about giving your Monk a Basket of Everlasting Provisions? OK, so it's useless in a fight (except as an improvised weapon 
) but if you need to take a cross-country trek it can work out handy.
The Insignia of Claws also drew my attention for my monk to pick up. So did the "golden longbow"; he's an elf and therefore proficient with it.
4e but ... Most fun Story Award I ever got was one that allowed me to set my hand on fire without getting hurt (illumination like a torch). Most practical Award said I was loosely affiliated with a merchant coster (investment opportunities, anyone?). Both turned into oft-used roleplaying hooks. There are doubtless non-combat magic items that can serve the same purpose.
jaappleton wrote:
BRJN wrote:
Bloodscythe wrote:
Yunru wrote:
I played monks in 3.5 and 4e. (levels 1-12 and 1-19 respectively.)
Loved them. (Especially 4e, with the attack and movement components of their AEDU powers you could use together or seperately.)
I haven't tried one in 5e yet, as I'm the sole DM right now. Although, I did make a shadow monk NPC villain....We'll see how that works out.
If a PC wants to play one (none do, ATM) I'd definitely create a few items for them. +1 or +2 to unarmed strike items, and ki recharge/ki storage items. A monk shouldn't have to rely on a +1 short sword, staff, etc. when all other PC's can (and will) get a magic version of their favorite weapon, item, etc. eventually.
When I played monks, magical tattoos were something my DM and I came up with. They usually weren't quite as powerful as some 'real' items, but they could never be lost or taken. I really got into that idea; that of a monk who's magic items are his tats.
Honestly, I miss the 4e monk. If someone else DM's 5e for me, I'm all about rolling up a wizard or druid right now...
Yunru wrote:
jaappleton wrote:
Bloodscythe wrote:
jaappleton wrote: