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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Whistling Fist (Monk Archetype Inspired by EverQuest)



Easy_Lee
2015-06-18, 07:12 PM
This archetype is inspired by the monks of EverQuest from back in 1999. The abilities may seem ecclectic, but it's what monks could do back then. Looking at monks in 5e, they have some notable missing abilities, such as feign death, which I think are iconic to monks and should have been included.

Without further ado:

Way of the Whistling Fist
These monks, rather than training their ki energy, have developed their natural bodies to the highest degree. They are capable of uncanny feats of athleticism and strike their foes with a vigor and speed unimaginable to most.

Weightlessness
Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, as long as you are carrying no more than five times your strength score (see Variant: Encumbrance, PHB176), you gain the following benefits:

Your slow fall distance is doubled
+10 movement speed
Your stealth checks to hide or move silently automatically succeed on targets who are not facing you. (This is how the Sneak skill worked in EQ).

Emptiness
At 6th level, as an action, bonus action, or a reaction to taking damage (taken after the damage is dealt), you may gain the effects of the spell Feign Death. However, you do not become deaf or blind. The effect is nonmagical, and persists until you dismiss it as an action or bonus action.

Virtuosity
By 11th level, your martial abilities are a true artform, a spectacle to behold. When you hit with an unarmed strike, you may spend one ki to double your martial arts die for that attack and cause one of the following Strike effects:

Tiger Strike: Target must make a constitution saving throw or it cannot take reactions until the end of its next turn. During that time, the target must succeed on a constitution saving throw to cast spells with verbal components.
Dragon Punch (Tail Rake if your character has a tail): Target must make a dexterity save or fall prone.
Flying Kick: Target must make a strength save or be pushed 10 feet in a direction of your choice.

Whistling Fist
By 17th level, the Whistling Fist monk has trained to unleash overwhelmingly fast and powerful attacks. When you make an unarmed strike, you may spend three ki to grant yourself advantage on that attack. If the attack hits, quintuple your martial arts die for that attack and produce one of your Strike effects. Creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against the Strike's effect. A Whistling Fist strike is too fast for some to even see. A perception check that meets or exceeds your attack roll is required in order to perceive this attack.

Retaliation (Update: Alternate level 17 feature)
By 17th level, attacking a Whistling Fist monk is a mistake. The monk responds immediately to holes in an opponent's defenses, striking too fast for most to see. Any time a creature misses you with an attack, you may immediately make an unarmed strike against the attacker. The attacker must be within your reach. This does not consume your reaction.

Wartex1
2015-06-18, 08:20 PM
Question: what are the save DCs?

Looks good, except that the capstone is really overpowered. I mean, 5d10+Mods on one out of 4 attacks, with advantage, and one of your Strike effects with no save (from Virtuosity, I assume) for only 3 ki?

DracoKnight
2015-06-18, 08:38 PM
Question: what are the save DCs?

Looks good, except that the capstone is really overpowered. I mean, 5d10+Mods on one out of 4 attacks, with advantage, and one of your Strike effects with no save (from Virtuosity, I assume) for only 3 ki?

It's no more overpowered than Quivering Palm... Which also costs 3 Ki points :P And Quivering Palm allows you to just kill someone.

Page 80 in the PHB:
Quivering Palm
At 17th level, you gain the ability to set up lethal vibrations in someone’s body. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 ki points to start these imperceptible vibrations, which last for a number of days equal to your monk level. The vibrations are harmless unless you use your action to end them. To do so, you and the target must be on the same plane of existence. When you use this action, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, it is reduced to 0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage.
You can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a time. You can choose to end the vibrations harmlessly without using an action.

Wartex1
2015-06-18, 08:55 PM
I never said that Quivering Palm wasn't overpowered either. Comparing an ability to one known to already be ridiculous doesn't really help.

Submortimer
2015-06-18, 09:04 PM
I never said that Quivering Palm wasn't overpowered either. Comparing an ability to one known to already be ridiculous doesn't really help.

Sure it does. A 17th level Open Hand monk can do quivering palm, a 17th level monk of any other sort ought ot be able to pull off a feat of similar power.

Heck, a 14th level warlock can do 10d10 psychic damage once per long rest AND take a guy out of the fight for a round with no save. Just cause it's strong doesn't mean it's OP.

That being said, auto-fail the save? Maybe a bit much. Even Quivering palm has a save.

DracoKnight
2015-06-18, 09:16 PM
Sure it does. A 17th level Open Hand monk can do quivering palm, a 17th level monk of any other sort ought ot be able to pull off a feat of similar power.

Heck, a 14th level warlock can do 10d10 psychic damage once per long rest AND take a guy out of the fight for a round with no save. Just cause it's strong doesn't mean it's OP.

That being said, auto-fail the save? Maybe a bit much. Even Quivering palm has a save.

It really bothers me that the other two official Monastic Traditions don't get something that good. I guess the Shadow Monk makes up for it by having AW Teleport as a bonus action at 6th level.

Making the enemies auto-fail the save is extremely OP. I don't like that :P But I don't think that the rest of the ability is OP.

Easy_Lee
2015-06-19, 12:31 AM
Hmm, auto-fail the save is noted. I'll update that to be disadvantage, which considering the short term effect of the abilities seems reasonable. Thanks for the feedback.

Leuku
2015-06-19, 01:36 AM
I like it!

I don't have any clear issues with anything as it currently stands.

Perhaps compare in terms of balance to my Weapons Master monk (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LQmf0ChghO0io9ipQ5tPrghjQCCFTh6Qpgy_frEPaKE/edit?usp=sharing)

Easy_Lee
2015-06-27, 09:48 PM
Updated due to some people not liking the level 17 feature. I added retaliation instead, another thing EQ monks could do, which encourages the player to use the dodge and ki dodge actions more often. Imagine one of these guys jumping into the center of a bunch of orcs, then just patiently waiting for them to attack.

Wartex1
2015-06-27, 09:56 PM
The new feature looks good, though maybe you should specify melee attacks.