PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Way of the Wondering Path - New Monk Subclass



Sk8ter274
2018-03-11, 10:39 PM
the following subclass is something my DM & I came up with in order to spice up the monk a bit and give it more a "mixed martial art" feel to it. Plan to play test in the near future, but love some feed back


Description – While wandering monks, while not unheard of, are relatively uncommon in the world. Monks of the Wondering Path are a rarity even among other monks. For these monks do not actually belong to a monastery dedicated to this particular tradition. A monk may be part of one, but eventually leaves in pursuit of long lost, possibly forbidden, techniques. For a monk of the Wondering Path seeks knowledge of techniques lost to time or calamity. As a wizard might delve deep into a long forgotten dungeon in order to find a spellbook that belonged to a famous mage or Arch-
Lich, a monk of the wandering path will do the same and seek out long abandoned or destroyed monasteries in hope to find a scrap of a scroll illustrating long lost techniques.


Forgotten Techniques – Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn Forgotten Techniques that are fueled by special dice called Knowledge dice. You learn three techniques of your choice, which are detailed under “Techniques” below. Many techniques enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one technique per attack. You learn two additional techniques of your choice at 7th, 10th, and 15th level. Each time you learn new techniques, you can also replace one technique you know with a different one.

Saving Throws - Some of your techniques require your target to make a saving throw to resist the technique’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Technique save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + Dexterity modifier

Knowledge Dice - You have 4 Knowledge dice, which are d8s. A Knowledge die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended Knowledge dice when you finish a short or long rest. You gain another superiority die at 7th level and one more at 15th level.


Techniques
1. Roaring Waterfall – When you make a melee attack roll. On hit, roll a Knowledge die & double damage add by result. Crits at 19 -20
2. Wailing Wall Defense - When a creature hits with a melee attack, roll a knowledge die and reduce the damage by the result. You can then, as a reaction, make an unarmed strike in response.
3. Claw of the Raging Bear - Spend a knowledge die to attack with advantage for the round, but all attacks made against you for the round also have advantage.
4. Gather Water Hidden Cloud – Spend a knowledge die and cast Shield spell as a reaction
5. Typhoon Rain – Spend a knowledge die to gain an extra hit. At 7 & 11 level add an extra attack.
6. Grip of the Yuan-ti – Roll a knowledge die and add result to grapple check
7. Dance of the Rabbit – When you move spend knowledge die and add to AC until you stop moving.
8. Ancestor Eye – Spend a Knowledge and gain Truesight for a 10ft radius for 1 minute
9. Thieves Slap - you can expend one Knowledge die to attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it’s holding. You add the Knowledge die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. The object lands at its feet.
10. Undisciplined Folly - When you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend one knowledge die to distract the creature, giving your allies an opening. You add the knowledge die to the attack’s damage roll. The next attack roll against the target by an attacker other than you has advantage if the attack is made before the start of your next turn.
11. Eye of the Beholder - When you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend one knowledge die to attempt to frighten the target. You add the knowledge die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
12. Dragon Tail - When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can expend one knowledge die to attempt to damage another creature with the same attack. Choose another creature within 5 feet of the original target and within your reach. If the original attack roll would hit the second creature, it takes damage equal to the number you roll on your knowledge die. The damage is of the same type dealt by the original attack.
13. Charging Ram - When you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend one knowledge die to attempt to knock the target down. You add the knowledge die to the attack’s damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you knock the target prone.

Harmonic Hobby – you gain proficiency with one type of artisan’s tools of your choice.
Surpassing Limitations – Starting at level 7, If reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, you can spend 3 ki point to roll one of your hit dice to recover hit points, if no hit die available than it cannot be used, If used more than once per day gain a level of exhaustion per use.
Improved Techniques – Starting at level 10, Knowledge die becomes d10 & level 18 a d12
Hidden Technique – Starting at level 15, if roll for initiative with no Knowledge dice, you gain one.

thegreatone5224
2018-03-11, 10:59 PM
Quite an interesting class to look through. I like that there are so many options to choose from. I feel that Typhoon Rage may be a bit too powerful as you could end up with 6 attacks after Flurry of blows.

Other than that, nice post.

Blackbando
2018-03-12, 06:22 AM
For the name, do you mean Way of the Wandering Path? I'm just guessing, since it seems from your description you do.

Forgotten Techniques
I question why the 7th, 10th, and 15th level scaling (same goes for the later features). Monks get features at 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 17th levels.

Roaring Waterfall
Pretty absurdly good. You could eventually get this to effectively be +4d12 damage to an attack, if you get a crit (which is a 10% chance, and you can try to proc on 4 attacks).

Wailing Wall
It's pretty damn strong. Stronger than Battlemaster, which this is emulating, and I'm not sure if I like that.

Raging Bear
Eh. Probably fine.

Gather Water
Sure, probably fine.

Typhoon Water
Yeah, I'm gonna say this is not fine. This also doesn't say when you use it, so I have no idea how many you can get. Is it only once, meaning 7 attacks? That's way too much.

Grip of the Yuan-Ti
Seems fine.

Dance of the Rabbit
Literally just Battlemaster, which is good. This is fine.

Ancestor
Probably fine.

The other techniques are just reskinned battlemaster, so, they're all fine.

Harmonic Hobby
Sure.

Surpassing Limitations
Really weird wording, and I don't really like it that much, honestly. Doesn't fit the feel, IMO.

Improved Techniques
Not technically possible to get d12s, if this were using the proper monk scaling (3 6 11 17)

Hidden Technique
Sure.

My biggest gripe with this subclass is that, to me? It lacks uniqueness. It just feels like battlemaster hastily slapped onto monk.

Sk8ter274
2018-03-12, 03:23 PM
For the name, do you mean Way of the Wandering Path? I'm just guessing, since it seems from your description you do.

Forgotten Techniques
I question why the 7th, 10th, and 15th level scaling (same goes for the later features). Monks get features at 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 17th levels.

Roaring Waterfall
Pretty absurdly good. You could eventually get this to effectively be +4d12 damage to an attack, if you get a crit (which is a 10% chance, and you can try to proc on 4 attacks).

Wailing Wall
It's pretty damn strong. Stronger than Battlemaster, which this is emulating, and I'm not sure if I like that.


Typhoon Water
Yeah, I'm gonna say this is not fine. This also doesn't say when you use it, so I have no idea how many you can get. Is it only once, meaning 7 attacks? That's way too much.


The other techniques are just reskinned battlemaster, so, they're all fine.

Harmonic Hobby
Sure.

Surpassing Limitations
Really weird wording, and I don't really like it that much, honestly. Doesn't fit the feel, IMO.

Improved Techniques
Not technically possible to get d12s, if this were using the proper monk scaling (3 6 11 17)

My biggest gripe with this subclass is that, to me? It lacks uniqueness. It just feels like battlemaster hastily slapped onto monk.

Now that you point it out, I did mean "Wandering Path". Guess you see what you want to see when you're typing. Thanks for pointing that out.

As for the 7th. 10th, &15th scaling, I had the same question but my DM assures me it's to allow meaningful multiclassing since at 17 the time between levels takes a really long time and seems expensive to get low level perks.

With Roaring Waterfall, the most it can add is an extra 24 points of damage and that's at level 18. Even it dose crit, at those levels the monster PC general fight can soak it up without a second thought.

The Wailing Wall is simply reducing the damage by a d8 at early levels and a d12 at end game. Either way, it's not much. Even if you're fighting multiple enemies, it can only be used once per round at even at end game, there are only a grand total of 6 knowledge die and that's at lvl 15. Plus the battlemaster fighter class has the added benefit of being to use stronger armor so it makes sense, to me and my dm, for the monk to get a bit more from it.

I'' admit the wording I need to fix on Typhoon. It should be an extra strike. For example, the monk attack using it's standard attack + it's bonus hit, then he can spend a knowlede die to make another hit for a grand total of three. Even the monk has a second attack, it'll still only be a total of 5 strikes since the Hidden Techniques can only be used per turn. But I do realize if combined with flurry of blows, it can be overpowered. Perhaps adding that restriction would help.

Surpassing Limitations is essentially a pricer version of second wind. It's meant to be a last stand of sorts where both the monk reaches down for that last bit of strength to prevail, but at a price. Think a barbarian's frenzied rage, he get a third attack, but once the fights over he's exhausted.

I won't lie, it borrows a lot from battle master. I had originally planned to have these technique use exclusively ki points, but my DM had a pint that once the monk starts hitting higher levels, this class would break the game seeing as even something as powerful as Quivering Palm only cost 3 ki points. Either way, this is the sort of feedback I've been looking for. So thanks a bunch.

Blackbando
2018-03-13, 10:36 PM
As for the 7th. 10th, &15th scaling, I had the same question but my DM assures me it's to allow meaningful multiclassing since at 17 the time between levels takes a really long time and seems expensive to get low level perks.

Yes, but that's not how the game works. Monks get subclass features at 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 17th. You're giving this a fighter's progression.


With Roaring Waterfall, the most it can add is an extra 24 points of damage and that's at level 18. Even it dose crit, at those levels the monster PC general fight can soak it up without a second thought.

No, it can add 4d12, via critical hits. Twice the damage of the die rolled is already pretty strong, the added crit range just makes it overpoweredly good.


Plus the battlemaster fighter class has the added benefit of being to use stronger armor so it makes sense, to me and my dm, for the monk to get a bit more from it.
Unless you're not building optimized, a monk's AC is pretty comparable to a fighter's (provided he's not using a shield) for a while. Even without optimization, it should still be pretty similar.


Perhaps adding that restriction would help.
I'd honestly just remove the additional scaling. One more attack for the cost of 1 knowledge die can be damn big for a monk (being able to stunning strike more, mainly).


Surpassing Limitations is essentially a pricer version of second wind. It's meant to be a last stand of sorts where both the monk reaches down for that last bit of strength to prevail, but at a price.
While you're always free to take my advice with a grain of salt, to me? It really just does not fit the thematics you seem to be going for, here.


I had originally planned to have these technique use exclusively ki points, but my DM had a pint that once the monk starts hitting higher levels, this class would break the game seeing as even something as powerful as Quivering Palm only cost 3 ki points.
The game, almost by design, breaks at higher levels. I think you'd be fine making it use ki.


Either way, this is the sort of feedback I've been looking for. So thanks a bunch.
You're very welcome! I hope my advice allows this subclass to develop into something worthwhile.