Well, in part to quiet some brain weasels regarding what I talked about in the previous post and also just because I like doing these, I thought I'd turn my attention to another subclass review. In most RPGs, I'm not really that interested in Monks or other unarmed fighters. But when I first read through the Player's Handbook and actually saw the stuff that this class gets, I had to try them. My second character, and the first one that I got up to a higher level (level 12 in adventurer's league) is a Wood Elf Drunken Master Monk, and yeah, this class is actually insanely cool.
Monks get so many features practically every level, so what do the subclasses bring? The base class is pretty powerful. So let's take a look.
Also, given that I'm almost certain to finish this series before Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, I'll be reviewing the Unearthed Arcana version of the Way of the Ascendant Dragon, under the presumption that what we wind up getting in the book is at least similar to what we see there.
First up, we have Way of the Four Elements. The fantasy here is very obvious if you've ever watched Avatar: the Last Airbender (which I highly recommend - I'm not one to usually watch children's shows, but give it a couple episodes and you'll see that it's doing something very special.) Mixed with your martial arts, you can weave in various kinds of elemental magic.
At 3rd level, you get Disciple of the Elements. You can learn a number of "disciplines" that work a bit like spells, only you spend ki points to use them. First, you learn the Elemental Attunement discipline, which is a bit of a multi-function cantrip like prestidigitation, and then you learn one additional discipline of your choice, learning additional ones at levels 6, 11, and 17. Some of the disciplines require a certain level, usually cost ki points to use. Some replicate spells like Burning Hands or Cone of Cold, while others are unique effects.
At level 5 (this is still part of the 3rd level feature,) you can "up-cast" your disciplines by spending additional ki. Your level determines the maximum number of ki you can spend on a discipline, with a max of 6 at level 17. As with most subclasses with a bunch of options, I'm going to summarize here - there are 14 elemental disciplines (including the free one,) so you'll need to carefully choose which ones you take. It looks like the ones that cast a spell cost the spell's level plus one in terms of ki points, but there are also a couple options that do unique things, like "Water Whip," if you want to basically be Katara from ATLA.
At level 6, you learn an additional elemental discipline. Also, when you learn another, you can replace one you already know with a different one.
Same thing at level 11, and same thing at level 17.
Boy. So, this subclass basically comes up with a totally different type of spellcasting system (a bit like "Spell Points" from the DMG. Honestly, I think this is pretty cool, and I'm kind of surprised I don't see more of these. With spells like Cone of Cold and Wall of Stone, you have the effective spellcaster-i-ness of a half-caster like a Paladin, Ranger, or Artificer, but you can recharge your Ki points on a short rest.
Oh, and you don't need material components. So you, a naked monk, can run around dropping fireballs on people? Seriously, what's the downside? (I guess that you only learn four spells. But you're a Monk on top of all that!)
Moving on.
The Way of the Open Hand is, like many subclasses in the PHB, what I think of as the "standard" subclass. Open Hand Monks are flavored as skilled martial artists - which, you know, all monks are (at least in D&D. I'm not saying Saint Francis was the kind of person to throw hands). But if you want to play a total classic monk, this is a pretty good fit.
At level 3, you get Open Hand Technique. When you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by Flurry of Blows, you can choose one of the following effects: the creature makes a Dex save or is knocked prone, they make a Strength save or they get knocked back 15 feet, or they can't take reactions until the end of your next turn. Getting some free effects on a Flurry of Blows is always nice (and a common thing for monk subclasses,) and especially getting three options like this is very cool. If you're up against a very dexterous and strong enemy, you can always take the third option and get away from them safely with your high monk speed.
At level 6, you get Wholeness of Body. As an action, you can heal yourself for a number of hit points equal to three times your Monk level, which you can do once per long rest. This is a pretty nice, big heal, though the fact that it takes your full action means it's either an out-of-combat ability or you're sacrificing a lot to get that heal (hopefully also using Step of the Wind to get some place safe so that the monster doesn't just smack you again and undo the healing.)
At level 11, you get Tranquility. When you finish a long rest, you gain the effect of the sanctuary spell, which lasts until your next long rest (or until it ends as normal.) This can allow for some interesting strategy at the beginning of a fight, and potentially let you get away from bad guys who sneak up on you, but will probably not last long if you actually want to defeat your foes.
Finally, at 17, you get Quivering Palm. If you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 ki points to set up "lethal vibrations" in someone's body. These last for a number of days equal to your monk level. They're harmless... until 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 makes a Constitution saving throw. If they fail, they drop to 0 hit points. If they succeed, they take 10d10 necrotic damage. You can only have one creature under this effect at a time, and you can also end the vibrations harmlessly as an action. So... that's insane. Practically speaking, if you have a flighty enemy, landing this at the start of the fight could let you knock that dragon out of the air if they try to run away. 55 (on average) damage on a successful save is pretty amazing.
Last out of the PHB is the Way of Shadow. Is this a Ninja? Or would that be a Rogue (of various subclasses?) This is the obvious "dark" monk option, though not necessarily villainous.
At 3 you get Shadow Arts. You can, as an action, cast darkness, darkvision, pass without trace, or silence for 2 ki points, and you don't need material components for them. You also learn the minor illusion cantrip if you don't already. Naturally, this is a great infiltrator's toolkit. Pick up Stealth when you create your character and you've got a pretty good scout character.
At level 6, you get Shadow Step. When you're in dim light or darkness, you can teleport up to 60 feet as a bonus action to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then get advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn. Obviously, mobility is great, and the advantage makes for a great chance to ambush foes.
At level 11, you get Cloak of Shadows. When you're in dim light or darkness, you can use an action to become invisible. You remain invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or are in an area of bright light. This can be very useful as long as you're not dealing with any bright light. So, I hope the rest of your party has darkvision.
At level 17, you get Opportunist. When a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack made by a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against that creature. This lets you get in another attack per round, which is pretty nice, and obviously gives another chance for a stunning strike, but I'll admit this isn't the bonkers thing you want for a capstone for the subclass.
Moving on, we get to the Way of Long Death, which was released in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. This one did not see a reprint in Xanathar's or Tasha's, which suggests to me it might be a little underpowered or weird. Flavor-wise, this is the "yeah, probably evil" monk subclass, where way of Shadows was only dark. It's basically a monastic order based around the mechanics and meaning of dying, with a weird, callous torture vibe that's super creepy.
At 3rd level, you get Touch of Death. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your Monk level (minimum of 1.) A bit of extra temp HP is nice, but this only works if you get the killing blow.
At 6, you get Hour of Reaping. As an action, you can make everyone within 30 feet of you that can see you make a Wisdom save, becoming frightened of you until the end of your next turn on a failure. On one hand, this can help you survive when surrounded, but it takes your full action.
At level 11, you get Mastery of Death. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can spend 1 ki point (no action required) to drop to 1 hit point instead. This, is, actually, pretty dang insane. It doesn't even take your reaction. So, if you bank your ki, you can be extraordinarily hard to kill. I see that "Long Death" refers to yourself. This is downright Rasputinian.
Finally, at level 17, you get Touch of the Long Death. As an action, you touch one creature within 5 feet of you and expend 1 to 10 ki points. The target must make a Con save, taking 2d10 necrotic damage per ki point expended on a failure, or half on a success. The ability to potentially do 110 necrotic damage in a single action is pretty cool, though you're spending a hell of a lot of ki to do so.
Way of the Long Death is all over the place. The level 11 ability is probably too powerful, but I think the level 3 and 6 ones are kind of nothing. I think if you want to go for that spooky flavor, you're probably better off going Way of Mercy, which we'll touch on later.
BUT WAIT! There is a SCAG subclass that made it into Xanathar's. The Way of the Sun Soul. However, given that this post already has four subclasses, I'm gong to save that for the Xanathar one to balance things a bit better.
No comments:
Post a Comment