Help Building a Monk

[Reaver25]

Hey everybody! So I'm planning on building a Monk for one of my group's upcoming games. I know that the composition of the group will be this:

Fighter (Champion)
Cleric (Life)
Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline {Fire})
Paladin (Vengeance)

So, I really wanted to play an Open Hand Monk. My idea was to help with Battlefield Control and essentially stun/knock enemies prone as often as I can so that my compatriots get advantage on their attacks. Anything I can help them with, I want to. So, I wanted help building this character. I am unsure of what race/background to go with and work in a good backstory along with it. I prefer a mix of optimization and thematic, just so y'all know. Also, I do like the Wood Elf, firstly for the bonus to speed and secondly to the bonus to the main stats. Are there any other races that would also it in thematically? And what about backgrounds?


Additionally, are there any other classes you might recommend with the group I am playing? I won't play a Warlock or Sorcerer or do any Warlock dips, just so ya know that one in advance. :P

Thank you in advance, I appreciate the advice!

[Mandragola]

It looks like scouting could be a useful part of the job your character could do for the party. You might consider a background that gives thieves' tools, or potentially starting as a rogue (not really recommended).

Alternatively you might consider shadow instead of open hand, and picking up some rogue levels after level 6. Shadow monks get to stun people just as well as open hand guys, but are sneaker. Either option is good though.

Otherwise I think you're on the right track. Wood elf is the obvious choice for a monk from the core phb.

[Sir cryosin]

This is just my opinion but I would say a shadow monk would be a nice fit into that party group for several reasons first you're going to want to take a back ground that gives you proficiency and stealth and thieves tools now the shadow Monk your party is going to love you because you're fulfilling the role of a rogue with the capabilities of stunning and locking down enemies and what the shadowmen also brings to this is one of my favorite smells that this party of heavy armor wearing group that is going to love is pass without Trace giving them a automatic + 10 to any stealth checks and if there's anybody on your team that don't have dark vision you can also pass Dark Vision on them to help them out but this is all just my opinion and I like the shadow monk because that was my very first character I played and it was very enjoyable especially with the teleporting as a bonus action free of charge a man didn't my DM did not like that especially when he had a bad guy trying to run away

[HeyBJ]

This is just my opinion but I would say a shadow monk would be a nice fit into that party group for several reasons first you're going to want to take a back ground that gives you proficiency and stealth and thieves tools now the shadow Monk your party is going to love you because you're fulfilling the role of a rogue with the capabilities of stunning and locking down enemies and what the shadowmen also brings to this is one of my favorite smells that this party of heavy armor wearing group that is going to love is pass without Trace giving them a automatic + 10 to any stealth checks and if there's anybody on your team that don't have dark vision you can also pass Dark Vision on them to help them out but this is all just my opinion and I like the shadow monk because that was my very first character I played and it was very enjoyable especially with the teleporting as a bonus action free of charge a man didn't my DM did not like that especially when he had a bad guy trying to run away

Ack, some punctuation please! Otherwise, I agree with most of this. Shadow Monk would fill some gaps left by a lack of rogue in your party configuration, so it's not a bad way to go.

But if you're set on Open Hand, you might want to consider V-Human and picking up the Mobile feat so you can more easily stun multiple targets in one round or run in and save a caster that finds themselves cornered in melee.

[Sir cryosin]

Ack, some punctuation please! Otherwise, I agree with most of this. Shadow Monk would fill some gaps left by a lack of rogue in your party configuration, so it's not a bad way to go.

But if you're set on Open Hand, you might want to consider V-Human and picking up the Mobile feat so you can more easily stun multiple targets in one round or run in and save a caster that finds themselves cornered in melee.

Sorry I'm just talking into my phone.

[Sir cryosin]

On if you don't want to take it pass 6 level and Shadow Monk you could always start taking levels in fighter Battlemaster and you can do a whole bunch of more with those maneuvers

[Specter]

1) Go Human with The Mobile feat, to be fastest man alive and to disengage easily (Fighter and Pally will do the tanking);
2) Take Stealrh one way or another;
3) Recommended multis: Rogue 2 (or 3 for Assassinate/spells), Fighter 3 (Battlemaster) and Cleric 1 (War, for Divine Favor)
4) For future feats, consider Alert (or Observant if odd WIS) and Lucky.

[Finlam]

It might be worth it to take a short dip into bard or, better yet, rogue to get expertise in Athletics checks. This way, even when you're out of ki you can still knock foes prone pretty consistently. The extra skills and sneak attack never hurt either, as there's enough overlap between sneak-attackable weapons and monk weapons, and you'll be in a position to get sneak attack damage every single round.

It's also good to note that knocking foes prone via athletics keys off of the attack action (replacing one of your attacks) , allowing you to follow up with your monk abilities i.e. flurry.

[dickerson76]

I like elf for RP with this build. While the monk is not against violence and death him/herself, they cannot bring themselves to directly kill another intelligent being. Grab the Mobile feat at first opportunity. All attacks are non-lethal. I imagine the Open Hand prone to be a quick series of jabs that ends with the enemy positioned on their knees ready for the headsman's axe. Dance back behind the front line after every hit.

Mobile + wood elf + monk = 55' per round normal movement at 4th level. For comparison, Usain Bolt's top speed is around 40ft/sec or 240ft/round. With a double-dash (Standard action Dash plus ki-bonus action Dash), a monk can get there around level 14 without adding in non-ki magic.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

Wood Elf is the best choice simply for the darkvision. It's always a bummer when you construct a variant human or ghostwise halfling monk as a scout just to realize they can't see anything while they are scouting around.

If you are going full monk with no multiclassing, Open Hand monk is still the best monk around. Ignore suggestions to use the mobile feat on him, mobile is a good feat for other monks but totally unnecessary for the Open Hand monk since you can prevent your target from taking reactions on a flurry of blows hit. So if you are not stunning someone you can just flurry of blows the target and walk away from them and they can't do an AoO against you. This remains in effect until the end of your next turn, so you can walk in, hit again without even doing flurry and walk away and still not get an AoO against you. Unlike Stunning Strike, there is no save to prevent this effect from happening. Taking away a target's reactions is great not just for being able to move away from them without getting an AoO against you, put the no reactions effect on a caster and watch them not be able to do counterspell (which is a reaction). Open Hand monks are just tasty.

If you don't see your monk ever getting to 17th level and the awe-inspiring Quivering Hand of the Open Hand monk, I would recommend the Long Death Monk from SCAG. Such a great monk subclass that one, it makes a monk even harder to take down then they already are.

With a monk, keep in mind how MAD they are, you really need to pump up that DEX and WIS as soon as possible. You probably should go DEX and then WIS for your first two ASI's. When you first get stunning strike at 5th level, you're stunning everything, but by 7th level you are seeing a lot of creatures make their Con saves, so you want to get your WIS up to 18 by 8th level.

[Reaver25]

I like all of the ideas posted thus far. And while I like the idea of a Shadow Monk, an Open Hand monk just keeps calling my name. I'll study on both. Utility and scout wise, Shadow Monk could be the best. I'll have to look into both of them.

Now, I know it's only fluff and all of that, but what about backgrounds? I could get Thieve's Tools from the Street Urchin background. Perhaps a Wood Elf who was abandoned at a younger age and had to steal from passersby in the woods. Then a Monk Master walks by and catches him, then takes him in. Idk, just throwing one idea out.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

I like all of the ideas posted thus far. And while I like the idea of a Shadow Monk, an Open Hand monk just keeps calling my name. I'll study on both. Utility and scout wise, Shadow Monk could be the best. I'll have to look into both of them.

Now, I know it's only fluff and all of that, but what about backgrounds? I could get Thieve's Tools from the Street Urchin background. Perhaps a Wood Elf who was abandoned at a younger age and had to steal from passersby in the woods. Then a Monk Master walks by and catches him, then takes him in. Idk, just throwing one idea out.

You know, backgrounds can be whatever you want them to be, just pick something that fits your idea for the character. I know some people pick backgrounds based on the proficiencies that you pick up but consider this bit from the PHB: "If a character would gain the same proficiency from two different sources, he or she can choose a different proficiency of the same kind (skill or tool) instead." This allows you a bit of customization for backgrounds so just pick whatever fits your role-play concept for the character.

Stick with your preference to do the Open Hand Monk, they rock. Quite frankly, I think the Shadow Monk is over-rated. People get all excited about the bonus action teleport but it's kind of a trap ability, to be honest. Monks already have great speed to get to who they want to hit and wasting your bonus action on teleporting when you could be using your bonus action on doing an unarmed strike or flurry of blows is a waste of a bonus action.

Consider a 6th level Shadow Monk. They could use their bonus action to teleport on a guy and get advantage on their first attack. At 5th level, all monks have Extra Attack so your Shadow Monk gets a second attack without advantage. So that's 3 attack rolls (2 from advantage and 1 just normal) for two possible damage rolls.

OR: Your monk could just do his 2 attacks and use his bonus action for his unarmed strike. That's 3 attack rolls for 3 damage rolls. See the difference? 3 attack rolls for 3 damage rolls is better than 3 attack rolls for 2 damage rolls. And that's not even bringing up the fact that you could do flurry of blows as your bonus action and get 4 attack rolls for 4 damage rolls.

[djreynolds]

Agree, dark vision, perception and the longbow. Elf.

A longbow will help you out a lot. I play a monk and will move shoot an arrow, and then move into melee. You have so much movement you can break it up so many different ways.

The mobile feat can wait till 4th, you are the scout for the party and will need dark vision. And you can begin with 16 in dex and wis and AC of 16.

Fighter, rogue, ranger, cleric are all good dips.

Mobile is a good feat, but for 1 KI point as a bonus action you can take patient defense and dodge after attacking.

What you need to be is flexible, You will sometimes have to be the ranged attacker, or dart in for melee strikes. So use a longbow.

3-5 levels of swashbuckler, could be good dip and make mobile not as necessary and earn you 2 skills expertise, uncanny dodge at 5th

3 levels of ranger, hunter's mark, archery style, horde breaker/ colossus slayer

1 level of war cleric for divine favor is sweet

any fighter

For me, I would grab 3 levels of swashbuckler, cunning action, expertise, 2d6 SA, if you have charisma an initiative bonus, and pseudo-disengage

[Mandragola]

A longbow will help you out a lot. I play a monk and will move shoot an arrow, and then move into melee. You have so much movement you can break it up so many different ways.

So one thing to note is that the longbow is not a monk weapon. You can't fire it and then use martial arts to attack with a bonus action on the same turn. But monks are very fast so you can sometimes kite scary enemies with a bow.

It's still a very useful thing to have though. In theory a monk makes quite an effective archer, because they are extremely difficult to shoot back at, with their annoying habit of bouncing arrows back at you.

A couple of points in defence of the shadow monk. It's true that the advantage of an attack after shadow step is not as good as using the bonus attack for a hit. Or at least, it's true most of the time. But there are a bunch of good things about the movement you get from shadow step.

An at-will 60 foot teleport that doesn't use up ki is huge. It can get you out of trouble when scouting like no other ability can. It can also get you into places that would otherwise be difficult, such as across chasms, up castle walls and so on, or next to the wizard who is stood at the back - who you can then stun.

In that situation of course some shadow monks will be multiclassed as rogues, so they'll do a little more damage to the wizard. To be honest that's kind of just gravy - the main point is to stun him.

Lots of the time in combat it actually doesn't much matter what kind of monk you are. You're using your ki and bonus actions for stuff like stunning strikes or dodging, which is common for all monks. Open hand doesn't especially do more damage than shadow - it just has some control bolted onto flurry of blows - unless the shadow monk has already used up all his ki on spells of course.

So basically it comes down to whether you'd like to be a ninja or a kung fu master. There's no wrong answer to that.

[ES Curse]

Synergy note: Stunning strike makes people auto-fail DEX saves, so it can be really good if you coordinate with your Sorcerer.

Mechanically, you want DEX and possibly Wisdom, so the best monks are humans (variant, but standard works surprisingly well as monks are stat-heavy), Wood Elves, Ghostwise halflings, Hill dwarves (+1 WIS, trades DEX for extra health), Forest/Deep Gnomes (+1 DEX, fun tricks), Half-Elves (good way to get that Stealth skill regardless of background), and Feral Tieflings (+2 DEX). If Elemental Evil is relevant, Aarakocra or any Genasi with a DEX or WIS bonus could work.

Of the 5 traditions (last two are SCAG):
-Open Hand has great melee control options
-Shadow is great for stealthy builds
-4 Elements makes Wisdom more important than before, more utility at the expense of ki
-Long Death enhances survivability
-Sun Soul is the best ranged damage dealer, gets some fire/radiant tricks too

So, going down to some recommended builds:
-Aarakocra/Wood Elf Open Hand Monk (Aarakocra can grapple & suplex for fall damage iirc)
-Halfling/Half-Elf/Gnome Shadow Monk (Stealth and trickery based)
-Hill Dwarf Long Death Monk (probably the meatiest monk race/class)

[Lombra]

There's a life cleric, the party is done by himself, you can be anything and it would be ok: open hand monk is really cool and with you knockimg prone and the paladin smiting grounded enemies you all will blast through encounters. Make sure WIS>DEX>CON=STR, you won't need a lot of HP because both the life cleric and the paladin can restore them easily.
I'd recommend the mobile feat, speed is your focus as a monk and 10 extra feet + no OA is priceless.
At least go up until level 5 before dipping, so you won't delay your extra attack.

The cool dips that I can see are barbarian 2 (although you will want to raise STR instead of DEX, causing MADness issue) to be a good grappler and nova hard raging and tanking better than anyone else while doing it; warlock dip is not really appropriate, but everyone likes some magic fluff in its character, but at this point I would consider wizard 2 if your party will go up to level 19: Diviner + Quivering Palm = instakill things without legendary saves.

Or dip fighter for Action surge and Second Wind.

[djreynolds]

Try to look at things 2 and 3 dimensionally. A monk can move all over the battlefield and the bow just increases that movement and distance.

I love it. And mage slayer is sweet for an archer. The second perk of the feat is any damage from you no matter how far suffers disadvantage on their concentration checks.

So you can move, hit, move shoot, really anything.

The only thing a monk lacks is a big nova strikes. But if you can soften the enemy up and drive them your tanks, they can nova for you.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

Some of these suggestions for doing a monk from range are "interesting" I guess but the number one thing the monk brings to the battlefield is those stunning strikes, which can only be done by melee attacks. If you are not out there doing stunning strikes with your monk, you're not exploiting the number one thing that monks can contribute in combat.

[Mandragola]

Some of these suggestions for doing a monk from range are "interesting" I guess but the number one thing the monk brings to the battlefield is those stunning strikes, which can only be done by melee attacks. If you are not out there doing stunning strikes with your monk, you're not exploiting the number one thing that monks can contribute in combat.

That's true of course. I'm not suggesting that using the bow is a primary strategy. It's a useful back up, which wood elves get for basically no cost, since they are capping dex anyway and they come with the proficiency. Sometimes the bad guys aren't easy to reach. Other times they are fire giants, and you don't want them to reach you!

[Grod_The_Giant]

Stick with your preference to do the Open Hand Monk, they rock. Quite frankly, I think the Shadow Monk is over-rated. People get all excited about the bonus action teleport but it's kind of a trap ability, to be honest. Monks already have great speed to get to who they want to hit and wasting your bonus action on teleporting when you could be using your bonus action on doing an unarmed strike or flurry of blows is a waste of a bonus action.
If nothing else in combat, it saves you a Ki point to disengage. Plus all the usual "teleport out of grapples" business. And, as mentioned, it's one of the best utility abilities in the game, especially since you only need line of SIGHT, not line of effect.

[Specter]

Try to look at things 2 and 3 dimensionally. A monk can move all over the battlefield and the bow just increases that movement and distance.

I love it. And mage slayer is sweet for an archer. The second perk of the feat is any damage from you no matter how far suffers disadvantage on their concentration checks.

So you can move, hit, move shoot, really anything.

The only thing a monk lacks is a big nova strikes. But if you can soften the enemy up and drive them your tanks, they can nova for you.

For disrupting mages, stunning strike is king, since they just sit there and die. For nova, a war cleric/warlock dip helps for divine favor/hex.

[R.Shackleford]

Vuman PAM Open Hand Monk gets my vote.

At level 5 you start stunning everyone.

[Reaver25]

There are some pretry good ideas. What about Sentinel and/or Mobile as feats for a Monk? I was thinking of having a Monk with a Spear. Idk, cause a bow would be cool too, I think.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

There are some pretry good ideas. What about Sentinel and/or Mobile as feats for a Monk? I was thinking of having a Monk with a Spear. Idk, cause a bow would be cool too, I think.

Other than Long Death Monk being kind of tanky, Monks are not tanks, so Sentinel is not a feat you want.
Mobile is a good feat for a monk certainly, but if you have an Open Hand Monk, you don't need it.
Spear or Quarterstaff are good because they are versatile and at 1d8 will give you the most damage from a monk weapon. Using a bow is certainly better than using darts, but unless you are a Sun Soul or 4E monk, all of your good stuff happens via melee so don't shirk that.

[Reaver25]

Other than Long Death Monk being kind of tanky, Monks are not tanks, so Sentinel is not a feat you want.
Mobile is a good feat for a monk certainly, but if you have an Open Hand Monk, you don't need it.
Spear or Quarterstaff are good because they are versatile and at 1d8 will give you the most damage from a monk weapon. Using a bow is certainly better than using darts, but unless you are a Sun Soul or 4E monk, all of your good stuff happens via melee so don't shirk that.

Gotcha, so melee works. And would I be able to hit with the spear at 1d8 and still use Martial Arts? I like the idea of a Spear wielding Monk. Chulainn, anyone? ;P

[Fflewddur Fflam]

Gotcha, so melee works. And would I be able to hit with the spear at 1d8 and still use Martial Arts? I like the idea of a Spear wielding Monk. Chulainn, anyone? ;P

Yep, unarmed strikes aren't just your fists, they can be kicks, whatever, so you can use two hands with a Qstaff or spear and follow that up with your unarmed strikes no problem.

[Reaver25]

Yep, unarmed strikes aren't just your fists, they can be kicks, whatever, so you can use two hands with a Qstaff or spear and follow that up with your unarmed strikes no problem.

Oh, okay. Just a bit of confusing language under the Martial Arts feature, since it says we can't use Two Handed, and Versatile means using it in a two handed fashion.

So my Monk is probably going to be an Open Hand Monk, Wood Elf, wielding a Spear and wearing robes/simple clothes of some kind. But I wanted to do something specific with him: he won't carry anything but his Spear. Won't want gold, gems, amulets, anything. He will have lived/be living a very simple life.

I like this idea, and none of the other classes really fit my thoughts on it. Any other ideas, suggestion, or advice?

[djreynolds]

Oh, okay. Just a bit of confusing language under the Martial Arts feature, since it says we can't use Two Handed, and Versatile means using it in a two handed fashion.

So my Monk is probably going to be an Open Hand Monk, Wood Elf, wielding a Spear and wearing robes/simple clothes of some kind. But I wanted to do something specific with him: he won't carry anything but his Spear. Won't want gold, gems, amulets, anything. He will have lived/be living a very simple life.

I like this idea, and none of the other classes really fit my thoughts on it. Any other ideas, suggestion, or advice?

You can use a versatile weapon in one hand. Or two handed for the first strike, then one handed and then FOBs. FOBs isn't just punching, it is kicking also.

A quarterstaff is versatile, as is a spear and as far as I can tell both a monk weapons.

I would look to see what the RAW section says about spears. They are simple, so if throw one does it count for monk damage and can you finesse. I would say yes, and the way I read the rule is two-handed and heavy property, not two-handed or heavy property. Meaning you cannot use a glaive or maul or greatsword, but you can use a simple weapon, if it is versatile bonus.

[Mandragola]

Oh, okay. Just a bit of confusing language under the Martial Arts feature, since it says we can't use Two Handed, and Versatile means using it in a two handed fashion.

It refers to monk weapons, which it defines as "shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don't have the two-handed or heavy property".

These are categories with defined keywords. "Two-handed" is a property and "versatile" is a different property. So a greatclub, which is a two-handed weapon, is not a monk weapon. A rapier wielded by a multiclassed shadow monk/rogue is not a monk weapon, so they cannot use martial arts with it (though they might not care, if they've just used their bonus action to shadowstep).

But a spear or quarterstaff is a simple weapon, without either the heavy or two-handed properties, and therefore it's a monk weapon.

It doesn't matter if you then use the versatile property of those weapons to wield them in two hands. They still don't have the two-handed property. That's for weapons that have to be wielded in two hands, like greatswords and longbows.

[Malifice]

I like all of the ideas posted thus far. And while I like the idea of a Shadow Monk, an Open Hand monk just keeps calling my name. I'll study on both. Utility and scout wise, Shadow Monk could be the best. I'll have to look into both of them.

Now, I know it's only fluff and all of that, but what about backgrounds? I could get Thieve's Tools from the Street Urchin background. Perhaps a Wood Elf who was abandoned at a younger age and had to steal from passersby in the woods. Then a Monk Master walks by and catches him, then takes him in. Idk, just throwing one idea out.

Street Urchin works wonders. Your party is down a trap finder. Shadow Monk/ Assasin could cover that base pretty darn well (A 15/5 split for uncanny dodge works). Bonus points calling yourself a ninja. I also like OHM + Battlemaster fighter (3 levels is enough).

Depends which way you want to take it. No matter what take Monk straight to 5th. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bucks. Stunning fist (and extra attack) are game changers.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Now, I know it's only fluff and all of that, but what about backgrounds? I could get Thieve's Tools from the Street Urchin background. Perhaps a Wood Elf who was abandoned at a younger age and had to steal from passersby in the woods. Then a Monk Master walks by and catches him, then takes him in. Idk, just throwing one idea out.
I'm playing an Urchin Monk at the moment, and just sort of refuse to explain where he learned his skills. I kind of prefer "inexplicably kung-fu," though your mileage may vary. In any case, Urchin is a fantastic choice, as it gives you essentially every important thief skill. You might even go so far as to start with a Rogue level-- Expertise on Athletics is almost necessary for a properly nimble monk, in my opinion, the d6 of sneak attack damage is easy to trigger and a nice early-game boost, and the extra skills are a lovely bonus.

[Reaver25]

I like that idea.

Like I said before, I think I would play a Monk that tried stealing from the Grand Master and got caught. So he was put to better use. :P

I just like the idea of a monk who is disinterested in the wealth of the world. My question to that would be: what is his motivation for fighting/adventuring?

[Specter]

I like that idea.

Like I said before, I think I would play a Monk that tried stealing from the Grand Master and got caught. So he was put to better use. :P

I just like the idea of a monk who is disinterested in the wealth of the world. My question to that would be: what is his motivation for fighting/adventuring?

Mastering his own body and mind. If you're a Bruce Lee fan, he could strive to "be like the water" (it's a great video for inspiration, btw).

[Fflewddur Fflam]

I like that idea.

Like I said before, I think I would play a Monk that tried stealing from the Grand Master and got caught. So he was put to better use. :P

I just like the idea of a monk who is disinterested in the wealth of the world. My question to that would be: what is his motivation for fighting/adventuring?

There are many reasons for a monk (or other character) to fight and adventure besides the accumulation of wealth.

There's the most classic D&D reason of all: you're a good guy and you are out there to fight the good fight and help people.

Other more specific reasons could be: fighting for your faction, fighting for your city or country, testing yourself against the dangers of the world, having a love of combat, wanting to meet creatures and people in exotic lands and kill them, wanting to be the first kid on your block with a confirmed kill :smallwink:, etc.

[Reaver25]

There are many reasons for a monk (or other character) to fight and adventure besides the accumulation of wealth.

There's the most classic D&D reason of all: you're a good guy and you are out there to fight the good fight and help people.

Other more specific reasons could be: fighting for your faction, fighting for your city or country, testing yourself against the dangers of the world, having a love of combat, wanting to meet creatures and people in exotic lands and kill them, wanting to be the first kid on your block with a confirmed kill :smallwink:, etc.

I like all of these reasons! But I also like the good fight idea. My last character was a Chaotic Neutral Rogue, and I just want to play a character that is different from a Thief.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

I like all of these reasons! But I also like the good fight idea. My last character was a Chaotic Neutral Rogue, and I just want to play a character that is different from a Thief.

Play a Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, or Neutral Good monk then. I mean, whether you are playing an AL module, a book campaign, or a an older adventure converted to 5e, the vast majority of adventures have you fighting some evil and trying to save a city/princess/innocent/town/etc. from harm. It's actually really hard to role-play some of those adventures as Chaotic Neutral because you could be asking yourself "why would my character be helping out here?"

[Reaver25]

Yeah, that's very true. I might go with Lawful Good. Monks seem very ordered and non chaotic, and the good would fit. Thanks to everyone for helping me out!

[Citan]

Hey everybody! So I'm planning on building a Monk for one of my group's upcoming games. I know that the composition of the group will be this:

Fighter (Champion)
Cleric (Life)
Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline {Fire})
Paladin (Vengeance)

So, I really wanted to play an Open Hand Monk. My idea was to help with Battlefield Control and essentially stun/knock enemies prone as often as I can so that my compatriots get advantage on their attacks. Anything I can help them with, I want to. So, I wanted help building this character. I am unsure of what race/background to go with and work in a good backstory along with it. I prefer a mix of optimization and thematic, just so y'all know. Also, I do like the Wood Elf, firstly for the bonus to speed and secondly to the bonus to the main stats. Are there any other races that would also it in thematically? And what about backgrounds?


Additionally, are there any other classes you might recommend with the group I am playing? I won't play a Warlock or Sorcerer or do any Warlock dips, just so ya know that one in advance. :P

Thank you in advance, I appreciate the advice!
Hi!
I second nearly everything that has been said by others except on two points.

About maxing DEX first: I'd actually advise you to keep your starting DEX at first and max WIS instead. Why? Because Cleric will certainly Bless you, along with Fighter and Paladin, and you get many attacks early. So you will have a pretty good chance to hit from the start.
However, nobody can help you make your Stunning Strike more difficult to save against... Except yourself. And since Stunning Striking enemies will be your main job (I think this has been stressed enough already XD), it's important you're as good in this job as possible.
Hence: starting with at least 16 in WIS, and maxing it first.


Also...


If you are going full monk with no multiclassing, Open Hand monk is still the best monk around. Ignore suggestions to use the mobile feat on him, mobile is a good feat for other monks but totally unnecessary for the Open Hand monk since you can prevent your target from taking reactions on a flurry of blows hit. So if you are not stunning someone you can just flurry of blows the target and walk away from them and they can't do an AoO against you. This remains in effect until the end of your next turn, so you can walk in, hit again without even doing flurry and walk away and still not get an AoO against you. Unlike Stunning Strike, there is no save to prevent this effect from happening.
While everything you say mechanically is true, I disagree with thie bolded part. First, Stunning Strike requires Ki, and Open Hand feature works only on Flurry. Which has to be taken immediately AFTER the Attack action. So, in a situation where you want to bypass enemies to strike behind, you are forced to either spend ki to try and stun the first line or first attack the first line on a round, then the guy behind on the next.

Same has to be said with Dodge as a bonus action: while it also makes OA less dangerous, it consumes Ki and prevent using a bonus action for additional attack(s) so it's resource-heavy.

With Mobile, you can sacrifice one or two of the attacks of your Attack to move freely, without any resource spent, so you can easily go strike a foe behind with all remaining attacks. And you get 10 additional move feet to better choose how to move and who to strike (either reaching an otherwise unavailable enemy, or using the extra feet to go around a foe thus keeping all attacks).

And you will often want to go strike a dangerous foe behind the front line (such as a caster), or try to stun several enemies that may be spreaded out.

So, Mobile is great for all Monks, even Sun Soul, and obviously even Open Hand.

Final word: if you want to play Open Hand, go play Open Hand. Don't care about what others say and pick first the one you'll have the most fun with. All roles are pretty much covered already anyways, except scouting, but while Shadow Monk can excel in this role, it's not enough to justify the whole change or archetype imo. Also, first thing for scouting is having a good Perception and Stealth, and you can get both whichever archetype you go (and "worst case" you can just dip Rogue 1). So... ;)

[Fflewddur Fflam]

Hi!
While everything you say mechanically is true, I disagree with thie bolded part. First, Stunning Strike requires Ki, and Open Hand feature works only on Flurry. Which has to be taken immediately AFTER the Attack action. So, in a situation where you want to bypass enemies to strike behind, you are forced to either spend ki to try and stun the first line or first attack the first line on a round, then the guy behind on the next.


I'm not really sure what you are talking about. "Bypass enemies to strike behind"? I wasn't talking about that, nor is that something I would consider doing. I agree that as a monk you are usually trying to get to the wizard or whatever behind the front lines that you want to stun, but you can usually get to them with your increased monk speed, you just run around the front line and get to the back line guy, I usually always have enough movement for that without the +10ft speed of Mobile.