Monk feat choices

[sabayn]

I am currently playing a level 3 Shadow Monk. I am trying to figure out a feat to chose. I am playing a Wood Elf. I am looking at several. Alert, Athlete, Charger, Mobile, Magic Initiate (Druid: Cantrips, Shillelagh, Thorn Whip, Spell Undecided), Savage Attacker.

My stats are:
10
17
13
10
15
10

Also currently I only have one hand because the other one is cursed by a Evil god, it is a weapon by it's own right, but it can not use weapons. I am not giving anything up by getting the feat as it was a reward.

I am looking for advice and any suggestions about things I might have missed, not thought about.

[Hytheter]

Charger isn't very good for you, since you can already dash as a bonus action. Savage Attacker isn't very good for anyone. So I'd rule those out.

Also what's the point in Shillelagh if you can't use any weapons?

[Tenmujiin]

With those stats I'd just go with an ASI and get +1 dex and +1 wis or con. Increasing your mod on two different stats is going to have way more power than a feat (though feats are admittedly more fun). Let me put it this way, feats are balanced to be mechanically slightly weaker than +2 to your primary stat (or at least attempted to be balanced as such). This is the same as increasing the modifier for that stat by 1, monks care about wisdom almost as much as they do dex and so getting what is similar in power to two feats is likely going to be mechanically better than a single feat. Any argument against this is most likely going to be from a flavour standpoint and without telling us what your going for in your monk we can't really compare on that basis.

If you really want a feat I would go with Athlete for the +1 dex and follow it up with an ASI at lv8 for +1 wis, +1 con. I hate feeling like I need to take ASIs, I'd much rather take feats but for that many odd class stats (all three of your important stats are odd) an ASI or a half feat (both once you hit lv8) are just going to be so much stronger than a full feat (or two at 8)

To compare the feats,

I would avoid:


Magic Initiate, you will have d8 damage with your monk weapons soon anyway and using your wis to attack and damage for a staff would actually be worse than dex so shillelagh is just bad on you, none of the other cantrips really let you do anything you need and the lv1 druid spells aren't much use 1/day for a lv4+ monk. This one has some flavor potential but I would just go for a short 1-4 level dip into ranger or druid for that (and you are already a wood elf so you don't really need it to be a hippy), magic initiate just isn't great in general IMO.

Charger, Doesn't really do anything at all for you, your better off saving the feat and using a bonus action to dash so that you can get a real attack action in instead (as Hytheter said).

Savage Attacker is just bad for everyone (again, as Hytheter said), especially on the class with the most attacks per turn, pre lv20 (fighters catch up at 11 but don't get ahead until 20 and you can still get more for 1 Ki while he needs to spend an action surge)


The other feats:


Alert, This feat is good, like crazy good. Still not going to be as good on you as an ASI but probably on par with Athlete (so a good choice for lv 8 after you've gotten an ASI at 4)

Athlete, Solid feat. Not the best mechanical effects but it conveys the character concept it represents well and only costs you 1/2 your ASI, if you really want some new tricks this is probably your safest bet.

Mobile, again not a bad feat but somewhat redundant on a monk you already move fast enough with +5 from wood elf as well as your class features <insert racist comment about Kenyans here> the other two effects are nice but opportunity attacks don't come up that often (unless you're using house ruled 3.x style ones) and haven't actually come up once in any sessions I've been to.



So to summarise I would rank your options like this (ignoring any flavour choices):


ASI (Dex/Wis)
ASI (Dex/Con)
ASI(Wis, Con) if you are planning on grabbing athlete at lv8
Athlete
Alert
Mobile
ASI (Wis, Con) if you plan to get a feat that doesn't give dex at lv8
Any other ASI.
.
.
.
.
The other three feats, all are equally bad in terms of power or redundant on a monk.


The three good feats are all of similar power so depending on the campaign or your charcter concept they may rank differently, ASIs (for dex, wis and con) are still going to be significantly better still.

Disclaimer: Advise is invalid if you receive a magic item that set your dex, con or wis to 19.


Also what's the point in Shillelagh if you can't use any weapons?
The way I understood his post, he can't two hand or dual wield but he can wield a weapon 1 handed.

[sabayn]

The feat is free, it was a reward from quest. So I am not giving up anything to take it.

[Perseus]

Martial Adept "Menacing Strike" (only real reason I would take the feat) would be a great flavor and mechanical way to represent your character.

Punching someone with an evil hand and having it "taint" them with fear could be fantastic.

See if the DM will allow the DC to be Dex based due to martial arts or something for a big win...

If not then I would go with something like Ritual Caster (fun, depending on group... Get power from the hand), Duel Wielder (fun, AC bonus, and not super strong but not weak... You can stow or draw both of your hands!), or Mage Slayer (again fun, that darn hand has a mind of its own!).

With this you have a ton of options that can be fun as hell :)

[Tenmujiin]

The feat is free, it was a reward from quest. So I am not giving up anything to take it.

Oh, in that case I would say go with whatever fits your character concept best.

If this was my character I'd go with Skulker (shadow monk, bonuses in shadows, nuff said although that one has quite a bit of redundancy with wood elf so maybe not) , Ritual Caster (if the party lacks a wizard, cleric or tome lock and I wanted some magical flavour, I.E. instead of magic initiate) or mage slayer (monks, particularly shadow monks, are antimages to begin with so its a really nice feat on them). Those are my personal preferences though, just pick what seems nice.

The only hard advice I have for you (as opposed to my opinion in the last paragraph) is that Athlete is probably still your best mechanically thanks to your odd dex (that +1 dex modifier is a BIG deal in 5e) or Lucky ('cause that's what you are to get a free feat). Alert is still probably the best feat in the game when not taking specific builds into account tied with lucky. Also stay away from savage attacker on every single character you make (in fact I recommend crossing it out in your book just so you remember how bad it is:annoyed:) as well as charger and magic initiate for this character (they are both quite situational feats, I actually can't think of a class that has use for either off the top of my head but they aren't terrible like savage attacker is).

Edit: Perseus makes a good point with martial adept, assuming it suits your character, dual-wielder on the other hand (no pun intended) is completely useless since you can't hold anything in your, well, other hand.

[Perseus]

The hand itself seems to be a weapon is how I looked at it for TWF.

Fluff it that the hand blocks attacks without the PC really directing it or knowing the attacks are coming... Could be fun.

[Ghost Nappa]

The feat is free, it was a reward from quest. So I am not giving up anything to take it.

Alert, Mage Slayer, Lucky, or Athlete are your best bets.

I really don't want to recommend Athlete because it's not really providing a lot of abilities you're killing to have on a Wood Elf Shadow Monk, but it's the only feat that gives +1 to DEX that isn't one of the ARMOR PROFICIENCY feats (which are by extension strictly worse than Athlete on a Monk).

Alert, Mage Slayer, and Lucky don't actually add to your stats, but all make you better at your roles.

If you don't really like any of them, I have written and re-written some feats intended for Monks and Grapplers (and Monk Grapplers). Pass them by your DM and see what happens. (I had to dig to re-find them and that thread. It's not strictly thread necromancy but it was close.) They might decide that it needs to be changed but I would have something already confirmed in the book as a ready Plan B.



Tavern Brawler v1.1:

Increase your Strength or Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
You are proficient with improvised weapons and unarmed strikes.
Your unarmed strike increases by 1 die size.* This is applied after any change from "Martial Arts" (even retroactively).
When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or an improvised weapon on your turn, you can use a bonus action to grapple the target.

1 -> 1d4 -> 1d6 -> 1d8 -> 1d10 -> 1d12 -> 1d20 -> 1d%

*snip*

You have learned the vulnerabilities of the bodies of a number of creatures and can interfere with the pressure points of a creature in close-quarters.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with Unarmed Strikes, Dexterity 13 or higher

Increase your Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Increase your Unarmed Strike die by 1 size. This is applied after any change from "Martial Arts" (even retroactively) or the "Tavern Brawler" feat.
When you hit a creature with an Unarmed strike on your turn, you can use a bonus action to grapple, blind, or paralyze the target.
You gain 2 Ki Points as per the Monk Class Feature (PHB p. 78). You may expend 1 Ki Point to use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of an unarmed strike. Expended Ki regenerates after a short rest.




Prerequisite: Strength 13 or higher

You have advantages on attack rolls against a creature you are grappling.
You can use your action to try and pin a creature grappled by you. To do so, make another grapple check. If you succeed, the other creature is restrained.
You can use your bonus action to release a creature from your grapple to shove it prone.
You may grapple creatures that are larger in size than you. You cannot drag or carry a creature that is larger in size than you unless that creature is incapacitated.

[sabayn]

My right hand is actually a giant wererat arm that I was tricked into accepting. In session I tryed to get the ranger in the group to cut it off, but it grew back. It has caused me grief because some a commoner that ran up to me was killed by it. In combat, I can control it, however I don't fully trust the arm. And also I can't control it well enough to hold any weapons. Otherwise I would be using a Kusari-Gama (Homeruled weapon with 1D4S, Monk, 2H, and Reach)

[Perseus]

My right hand is actually a giant wererat arm that I was tricked into accepting. In session I tryed to get the ranger in the group to cut it off, but it grew back. It has caused me grief because some a commoner that ran up to me was killed by it. In combat, I can control it, however I don't fully trust the arm. And also I can't control it well enough to hold any weapons. Otherwise I would be using a Kusari-Gama (Homeruled weapon with 1D4S, Monk, 2H, and Reach)

DM houseruled a monk weapon then made it where you can't use it? What the hell?

Anyways, you can't hold weapons but if the wererat arm is usable to kill then twf should work. But just go with Lucky for the poetic fun lol

[Ziegander]

In my game, having seen one in action, a Monk with the Mobile feat has proven to be completely untouchable. In four sessions, I don't think the Monk has taken a single hit. In fact, negating Opportunity Attacks is what synergizes so well with the Monk's inherent speed bonus, and of course, getting a further +10ft bonus to your speed is nothing to sneeze at.

[Vogonjeltz]

Sorry what is an ASI? It's a non obvious acronym

[MaxWilson]

In my game, having seen one in action, a Monk with the Mobile feat has proven to be completely untouchable. In four sessions, I don't think the Monk has taken a single hit. In fact, negating Opportunity Attacks is what synergizes so well with the Monk's inherent speed bonus, and of course, getting a further +10ft bonus to your speed is nothing to sneeze at.

Mobile is also fantastic on eldritch knights and wizards due to Longstrider + Expeditious Retreat. 50' movement + Bonus Action Dash + immune to opportunity attacks if you make a melee attack is awesome.

[Ghost Nappa]

Sorry what is an ASI? It's a non obvious acronym

Ability Score Increase.

[Hytheter]

Dual Wielding is terrible for a monk unless you're desperate for 1 AC. The Monk's Martial arts bonus action is already better than any TWFing you might do.


Sorry what is an ASI? It's a non obvious acronym

Ability Score Increase

[Yagyujubei]

In my game, having seen one in action, a Monk with the Mobile feat has proven to be completely untouchable. In four sessions, I don't think the Monk has taken a single hit. In fact, negating Opportunity Attacks is what synergizes so well with the Monk's inherent speed bonus, and of course, getting a further +10ft bonus to your speed is nothing to sneeze at.

Just wanted to chime in as a shadow monk with this feat to say that it truly is incredible. as the poster stated, it's VERY difficult to get damage on a monk with mobile and it gives you the mobility needed to really bring the pain with stunning fist or other CC options without any worry of recourse.

[sabayn]

DM houseruled a monk weapon then made it where you can't use it? What the hell?

Anyways, you can't hold weapons but if the wererat arm is usable to kill then twf should work. But just go with Lucky for the poetic fun lol

It should be only temp that I can't. I think the DM would kill me if I didn't ever use them.


In my game, having seen one in action, a Monk with the Mobile feat has proven to be completely untouchable. In four sessions, I don't think the Monk has taken a single hit. In fact, negating Opportunity Attacks is what synergizes so well with the Monk's inherent speed bonus, and of course, getting a further +10ft bonus to your speed is nothing to sneeze at.

How does the character play that makes it near untouchable?

[Tenmujiin]

How does the character play that makes it near untouchable?

Run in, hit them, run far enough away they can't hit you back, deflect their ranged attack or spell with your other monk features. Personally i don't feel that type of combat really fits into theater of the mind and non-metagaming groups since the numbers are so arbitary which is why I didn't recomend it. If you are using a combat grid then yea, its friggin awesome.

[Hytheter]

Run in, hit them, run far enough away they can't hit you back, deflect their ranged attack or spell with your other monk features.

Deflect Missiles only works on weapon attacks, not spells. Unless you're referring to something else.

[Tenmujiin]

Deflect Missiles only works on weapon attacks, not spells. Unless you're referring to something else.

I am, Diamond Soul gives proficiency with all saves at lv14. Its a ways off but it is a monk feature.

[Hytheter]

I am, Diamond Soul gives proficiency with all saves at lv14. Its a ways off but it is a monk feature.

Oh right. That doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to ignore those effects though, and you can still be hit by attack roll spells eg Fire Bolt.

[Tenmujiin]

Oh right. That doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to ignore those effects though, and you can still be hit by attack roll spells eg Fire Bolt.

I never said Successfully deflect all their attacks now did I? I was exaggerating for emphasis.

[Perseus]

I never said Successfully deflect all their attacks now did I? I was exaggerating for emphasis.

How dare you!

(Hint: :p)

[Ziegander]

How does the character play that makes it near untouchable?

Stick and move, my friend; float like a butterfly, sting like a Manticore! He runs up, swings, even if he misses he runs off, behind the Paladin, and doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. Even if he can't move so far away that the monster couldn't possibly match his movement, he's always been able to put another PC in between him and the enemy. It's made him the most consistent source of high damage in the party, and I can't recall the last time he was dealt damage (we're currently only 3rd level, though, the challenges are mostly yet to come).

[Tenmujiin]

Stick and move, my friend; float like a butterfly, sting like a Manticore! He runs up, swings, even if he misses he runs off, behind the Paladin, and doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. Even if he can't move so far away that the monster couldn't possibly match his movement, he's always been able to put another PC in between him and the enemy. It's made him the most consistent source of high damage in the party, and I can't recall the last time he was dealt damage (we're currently only 3rd level, though, the challenges are mostly yet to come).
Of course the problem with this build is that he is effectively subtracted his hp from the party's pool since instead of absorbing thr occasional attack himself the paladin has to take the hit

[sabayn]

Also if I were to play like that, the DM would have the foes adjust their tacitics to delay attack then grapple when I come near.

[Easy_Lee]

Personally, the only feats I would consider on a monk are things like Sentinel and Mage Slayer. They make the monk better at what he's already good at (battlefield control and killing casters). But it's honestly hard to justify feats on a monk when you depend so much on both wisdom and dexterity.

My suspicion is that you'll get more mileage out of maxing dexterity and wisdom (in that order) than any feat that isn't completely core to the character.

[Tenmujiin]

Personally, the only feats I would consider on a monk are things like Sentinel and Mage Slayer. They make the monk better at what he's already good at (battlefield control and killing casters). But it's honestly hard to justify feats on a monk when you depend so much on both wisdom and dexterity.

My suspicion is that you'll get more mileage out of maxing dexterity and wisdom (in that order) than any feat that isn't completely core to the character.

As the OP already stated, this is a free feat (story reward at lv3) not a ASI being used for a feat. You are correct that those feats are mechanically strong on the monk but optimisation isn't the only consideration when making a character (particularly considering how generous his DM is being). Since he is getting a feat and doesn't have the option of an ASI Athlete is also very strong for him thanks to the bonus to dex. In other words, from a purely optimisation standpoint, those three feats (Mage Slayer, Athlete and Sentinel) are his best options but since he isn't giving anything up for the feat he is served just fine by going with whatever choice suits his character (assuming its not freaking savage attacker, expletive that feat).

[Krymoar]

Run in, hit them, run far enough away they can't hit you back, deflect their ranged attack or spell with your other monk features. Personally i don't feel that type of combat really fits into theater of the mind and non-metagaming groups since the numbers are so arbitary which is why I didn't recomend it. If you are using a combat grid then yea, its friggin awesome.





A Way of Open Hand monk without mobile can apply the effect of not letting them take reactions if they hit with a Flurry of Blows attack.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

IIRC, you can't use that for mobility because Flurry of Blows can only be used with an attack action.

[Ziegander]

Of course the problem with this build is that he is effectively subtracted his hp from the party's pool since instead of absorbing thr occasional attack himself the paladin has to take the hit

You suffer no debilitating penalties to your actions for being at less than maximum hit points or even hit points approaching 0, so, like the en-Kor have taught us MtG players, spreading damage around throughout the party is better than one guy taking all the damage, since two characters at half health are far more effective than one at full and the other at 0.

Furthermore, the Monk's AC is only 16, while the Paladin's is 19, making it mathematically less likely that an attack aimed at the Paladin will hit, than one aimed at the Monk. I'm the Monk's DM, and while I think his tactics are purely utilitarian and sometimes outright shady, his character is a shady individual, and I can't deny these tactics' effectiveness.


Also if I were to play like that, the DM would have the foes adjust their tacitics to delay attack then grapple when I come near.

I could see that if you are fighting intelligent creatures and either you do it two or three times in a row, or you have become infamous across the countryside for this tactic, but if you're fighting beasts and other low-intelligence creatures (as we have mostly been), then I feel pulling such a move on the Monk is punishing the character unfairly for playing to his strengths.

EDIT: He did almost get into trouble when he hid around a corner in the dark, hoping to come back out for yet another surprise strike when the party riled up a caged Winter Wolf, but he was saved by another party member. The wolf both heard and smelled him, so I decided it knew exactly where he was, and it was within move and strike range, but there was no way the Monk could have known that. He was in for some serious hurt, if that wolf hadn't been put down by Hideous Laughter.

[Yagyujubei]

A Way of Open Hand monk without mobile can apply the effect of not letting them take reactions if they hit with a Flurry of Blows attack.

by spending ki; a limited resource

[Tenmujiin]

A Way of Open Hand monk without mobile can apply the effect of not letting them take reactions if they hit with a Flurry of Blows attack.


by spending ki; a limited resource

The OP already stated he is playing a shadow monk.



IIRC, you can't use that for mobility because Flurry of Blows can only be used with an attack action.

If this was 3rd ed you would be correct but in this edition movement can be before, after or during an action (including between the attacks of an attack action). Some people argue that RAW you have to make your bonus action attacks with the attack you used to trigger them, RAI is almost certainly that you can spread them out.

[Regulas]

For a brewed monk feat, what about just a feat that gave additional Ki points? Albiet not sure how much would be appropriate, and not certanly not as needed on a Shadow as an Elemental one.

[Perseus]

For a brewed monk feat, what about just a feat that gave additional Ki points? Albiet not sure how much would be appropriate, and not certanly not as needed on a Shadow as an Elemental one.

They seem to be staying away from feats like that thus far.

Macro feats not micro feats.

[Yagyujubei]

They seem to be staying away from feats like that thus far.

Macro feats not micro feats.

ok so brainstorm, what would this 5e format feat entail?

Ki Mastery:
-Your reservoir of Ki energy has increase though continued use. You gain an additional ki point for every three levels of monk that you take.
-Your mastery of Ki allows you to use it to greater effect. (how would this work mechanically i dont know)

[JoeJ]

ok so brainstorm, what would this 5e format feat entail?

Ki Mastery:
-Your reservoir of Ki energy has increase though continued use. You gain an additional ki point for every three levels of monk that you take.
-Your mastery of Ki allows you to use it to greater effect. (how would this work mechanically i dont know)

What if a character doesn't have monk levels? If you're going to have a feat that increases ki, it should also give some ki points and some way to use them to characters who don't already have that feature. Look at martial adept for comparison.

[Perseus]

ok so brainstorm, what would this 5e format feat entail?

Ki Mastery:
-Your reservoir of Ki energy has increase though continued use. You gain an additional ki point for every three levels of monk that you take.
-Your mastery of Ki allows you to use it to greater effect. (how would this work mechanically i dont know)

You gain 1 kill point that refreshes like the monk.
You may choose one monk ability that uses ki, you may use that ability.
Special: If you are already a monk this may allow you to take another subclass's ability.

[Yagyujubei]

What if a character doesn't have monk levels? If you're going to have a feat that increases ki, it should also give some ki points and some way to use them to characters who don't already have that feature. Look at martial adept for comparison.

that doesn't make any sense in this instance though, since how could you possibly be a master of the use of Ki, when you dont even have it from taking a level in Monk?

EDIT: and at perseus: if the feat did that monk would become entirely useless because anyone could take the feat to grab stunning strike which is like 70% of monk right there. I guess if they only got 1 Ki point its not so bad, but I still dont think other classes should have access to it without taking monk levels

[Perseus]

that doesn't make any sense in this instance though, since how could you possibly be a master of the use of Ki, when you dont even have it from taking a level in Monk?

EDIT: and at perseus: if the feat did that monk would become entirely useless because anyone could take the feat to grab stunning strike which is like 70% of monk right there. I guess if they only got 1 Ki point its not so bad, but I still dont think other classes should have access to it without taking monk levels

That's like saying the battle master is negated by the Martial Adept feat. There is more to the mono than being able to stun 1/short or long rest.

Wait do you get ki back at the end of a short rest? I'm a away from book right now.

[Yagyujubei]

That's like saying the battle master is negated by the Martial Adept feat. There is more to the mono than being able to stun 1/short or long rest.

Wait do you get ki back at the end of a short rest? I'm a away from book right now.

also afb so i dunno. my group has been doin it by short rest because even using Ki to do extra stuff I still do less dmg than most of the group, and I edited it when I realized they would only be getting 1 Ki point.

maybe it could be something like 1/3 of all monk levels OR 1/6 of your total PC level, meaning a pure monk with this would get an additional 6 Ki points, while any class could take this to get 3 Ki points total at lvl 20

and then for the second bit, maybe it could be that a non-monk taking this could get access to 1 ki ability, whereas a monk taking it could use a Ki ability without paying the Ki cost (in the case of an element monk you can only do the base version of any of the ki moves) once per short or long rest

[Perseus]

also afb so i dunno. my group has been doin it by short rest because even using Ki to do extra stuff I still do less dmg than most of the group, and I edited it when I realized they would only be getting 1 Ki point.

maybe it could be something like 1/3 of all monk levels OR 1/6 of your total PC level, meaning a pure monk with this would get an additional 6 Ki points, while any class could take this to get 3 Ki points total at lvl 20

and then for the second bit, maybe it could be that a non-monk taking this could get access to 1 ki ability, whereas a monk taking it could use a Ki ability without paying the Ki cost (in the case of an element monk you can only do the base version of any of the ki moves) once per short or long rest

It is short or long rest.

But allowing a stun attack 1/short or long rest is a great ability but it hardly takes away from the monk.

Adding everything else to it just over complicates everything and isn't needed.

[Yagyujubei]

It is short or long rest.

But allowing a stun attack 1/short or long rest is a great ability but it hardly takes away from the monk.

Adding everything else to it just over complicates everything and isn't needed.

if you don't add the other stuff then it doesn't help monks at all...

[Regulas]

It would be too weird making a macro feat, really I was mostly just wondering, for a monk, what would be an equivalent amount of ki points that would be = in power to 2 ASI or a feat.

Technically it doesn't have to be a "feat" per say as it could be viewed in the same category as increasing stats.

[Yagyujubei]

It would be too weird making a macro feat, really I was mostly just wondering, for a monk, what would be an equivalent amount of ki points that would be = in power to 2 ASI or a feat.

Technically it doesn't have to be a "feat" per say as it could be viewed in the same category as increasing stats.

if thats all you're wondering. I think it would be most balanced to just forgo your ASI for 2 or 3 additional Ki points if it was something that could be done more than once, and maybe 3 or 4 additional Ki if it was something that could only be done one time.

however I would only allow this at level 10 or above, because 4 more Ki at level 4 would be pretty huge.

[Hytheter]

if thats all you're wondering. I think it would be most balanced to just forgo your ASI for 2 or 3 additional Ki points if it was something that could be done more than once, and maybe 3 or 4 additional Ki if it was something that could only be done one time.

however I would only allow this at level 10 or above, because 4 more Ki at level 4 would be pretty huge.

You could make it scale. Say, 1 for every 5 levels or half proficiency bonus or something like that.

[JoeJ]

that doesn't make any sense in this instance though, since how could you possibly be a master of the use of Ki, when you dont even have it from taking a level in Monk?

EDIT: and at perseus: if the feat did that monk would become entirely useless because anyone could take the feat to grab stunning strike which is like 70% of monk right there. I guess if they only got 1 Ki point its not so bad, but I still dont think other classes should have access to it without taking monk levels

In that case, it's not really appropriate for a feat. Feats in this edition are designed to be applicable to a wide variety of characters. Things that only benefit one class are class features.

[Perseus]

if you don't add the other stuff then it doesn't help monks at all...

+1 Ki point helps the monk about the same as +1 Superiority Die helps the battle master or am extra cantrip or 1st level spell helps a caster.

You don't need all that other stuff, actually +1 ki point for the monk is more powerful than the battle master gaining +1 superiority die.

[Yagyujubei]

+1 Ki point helps the monk about the same as +1 Superiority Die helps the battle master or am extra cantrip or 1st level spell helps a caster.

You don't need all that other stuff, actually +1 ki point for the monk is more powerful than the battle master gaining +1 superiority die.

I disagree on that point, and that feat gives the extra die and additional maneuvers as well. this is just my assumption, but I would be willing to be that 0% of monks would opt to take 1 Ki point instead of an ASI

[Perseus]

I disagree on that point, and that feat gives the extra die and additional maneuvers as well. this is just my assumption, but I would be willing to be that 0% of monks would opt to take 1 Ki point instead of an ASI

My original point was to give a Monk maneuver of their choice too.

So a shadow monk could take a elemental monk maneuver ki ability thingie

[Yagyujubei]

My original point was to give a Monk maneuver of their choice too.

So a shadow monk could take a elemental monk maneuver ki ability thingie

ah, that would totally be worth it, but would be incredibly overpowered because anyone could grab quivering palm lol.

I would totally take a feat to grab that on my shadow monk

EDIT: I realize it would be worthless to grab quivering palm as anything but a monk using the feat, but as for monks, it would be super fricken good.

[Perseus]

ah, that would totally be worth it, but would be incredibly overpowered because anyone could grab quivering palm lol.

I would totally take a feat to grab that on my shadow monk

EDIT: I realize it would be worthless to grab quivering palm as anything but a monk using the feat, but as for monks, it would be super fricken good.

How about this since the monk is a bit weird...

Monastic Training

You gain 1 Ki and one of the following choices depending on if you are a Monk when you take this feat.

No Monk levels

Flurry of Blows
Patient Defense
Step of the Wind

Monk levels
1 Open Hand Technique
1 Shadow Art or Minor Illusion
1 Elemental Discipline that doesn't have a level requirement

[SliceandDiceKid]

Yagyu makes several good points.

If I understand correctly, you get a feat, not the option between a feat and ASI. If this is the case, you should take alert or defensive dualist. The ability to avoid getting hit is priceless.

When you hit level 4, you'd be foolish not to grab the +1 to hit and damage and +2 ac from boosting dex and wis.