IRONMAN Monk, which tradition would be best?

[Master O'Laughs]

So, I recently joined a west marches style campaign and I decided for my first character to take their Ironman option which makes everything random and 3d6 attributes in order... This is what I got:

Aasimar
Monk
Noble/Knight

STR 13 -> 19 (rolled for item and got ogre gauntlets)
DEX 6 -> 8 (anything below 9 becomes 8)
CON 11 -> 12 (I picked scourge aasimar)
INT 8
WIS 10
CHA 15 -> 17 (Aasimar)

Which monk tradition would fit best? It seems anything involving save DCs would be bad since my DC is 10.

Thoughts? I expect this character to die shortly but with my luck he will be touched by grace and live a long life.

[Bloodcloud]

So like, coudnt choose paladin with those stats?

Without either dex or wis... kensai? Multiclass as pali ASAP?

[Aett_Thorn]

So like, coudnt choose paladin with those stats?

Without either dex or wis... kensai? Multiclass as pali ASAP?

Won't be able to multiclass out of monk with those stats. Need at least 13 in Dex and Wis to multiclass out. But yeah, those are some horrible stats for a monk. I'd say maybe Sun Soul tradition, so that at least you can stay out of melee range with your AC of 10.

[Theodoxus]

why you do dis?

Anyway, you're going to be suboptimal as a monk. No AC (9, that's a -1 on the Dex) so you don't want to go into melee... No Dex for ranged attacks, so you're stuck throwing axes and hammers... which practically puts you in melee combat...

Best bet, you're the party pack mule who tells good stories and hope you can trade said work and stories for protection while you right the wrongs in the world - all the while secretly hopeful that you'll meet a swift end and the torture of the Ironman grants you reincarnation into something more useful.

[Lombra]

Shadow monk is the one that forces the least amount of saves... you would even suck at stunning strike. Are skills random too? With that charisma you could at least get out of trouble with diplomacy.

[Master O'Laughs]

So how it worked:

roll 3d6 in order for stats
roll 1d6 to determine racial tier (common, uncommon, rare)
Roll appropriate die for racial tier, I had uncommon so d12

then roll 1d12 for class

roll 1d30 for background

then roll 1d20 for random magical item for your class (1 thing I got lucky on)

roll 1d12 for starting experience, I rolled a 3 so I got 300, enough for level 2!

Racial variant, sub class, and skills I get to choose. I got history and persuasion from noble so I complemented it with insight and athletics from Monk.

I will look closer at Sun soul monk, and see if they are using UA material to allow Kensai.

[Master O'Laughs]

So like, coudnt choose paladin with those stats?

Without either dex or wis... kensai? Multiclass as pali ASAP?

I wish! When I saw the intial roll I was like.. okay hopefully I get a charisma caster!

[Master O'Laughs]

why you do dis?

Anyway, you're going to be suboptimal as a monk. No AC (9, that's a -1 on the Dex) so you don't want to go into melee... No Dex for ranged attacks, so you're stuck throwing axes and hammers... which practically puts you in melee combat...

Best bet, you're the party pack mule who tells good stories and hope you can trade said work and stories for protection while you right the wrongs in the world - all the while secretly hopeful that you'll meet a swift end and the torture of the Ironman grants you reincarnation into something more useful.

Because I thought it would be fun! I am trying to find humor in the whole thing and laugh my way to the grave.

[Desteplo]

If you can diplomacy your way through, since you aren't well stated for monk. You can try way of tranquility, it's the UA option other than Kensai (they rewrote Kensai so you have less weapon options) You have a good charisma and you can try your best bet to AVOID combat at all times.

[Bloodcloud]

Damn, forgot that part of multiclass rule... Yeah, your only chance is to diplomacy the crap out of every encounter. Dodge as a bonus action is your only friend. Good luck, you'll need it.

[Maxilian]

Won't be able to multiclass out of monk with those stats. Need at least 13 in Dex and Wis to multiclass out. But yeah, those are some horrible stats for a monk. I'd say maybe Sun Soul tradition, so that at least you can stay out of melee range with your AC of 10.

Sun Soul attack requires DEX, so that's a big no for him.

IMHO go with the UA Monk Tranquility
https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/M_2016_UAMonk1_12_12WKWT.pdf

The first lvl ability (the Sanctuary not that helpfull cause your DC is bad) but the third lvl ability let you heal quite nicely and having in mind you have a good CHA, you can take advantage of the emisary of peace ability.

Kensai is not a bad choice, but it would normally require you to go melee (and your AC begs otherwise), though the revised Kensai give you the option to go range (STR based range) so you could go with that (still think you can get way more out of tranquility monk)

http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-RevisedSubclasses.pdf

For your first feat, i think the Menancing feat or Silver-tongue feat would help a lot (Both give you a +1 to CHA, pulling you to 18), and both give you something else to do with your attacks (that's based around your CHA)

http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-SkillFeats.pdf

Take withever its more thematic for you (depending how you want to RP the character)

Note: The Diplomat feat is nice, but IMHO would not be better over Menancing or Silver Tongue for this character (still quite useful out of combat).

[Joe the Rat]

Tranquility would definitely capitalize on the charisma, and makes you a solid healer.
Kensei would give you a better AC option, not to mention slightly better weapon choices.
Shadow has some advantages. Silence to make up for a lack of stealth. Darkness to hide.
Heck, 4elements might work for you. grab only no-save effects. fangs of the fire snake will give you reach.

In terms of fighting, I like javelins. Better range than a handaxe. Take advantage of cover. Carry a 5' square table everywhere so you can set it down and hide behind it.
With your Athletics, you should be able to leap and climb away for safety if needed.
When things do get into melee range... trip 'em. You have high strength and Athletics proficiency, so you should be pretty good at pushing people around and knocking them down. This gives you advantage (to stomp them) and them disadvantage (unless they get up). You can also do grab-and-drop maneuvers: Grapple, use your high move to drag them somewhere dangerous, and drop them in/on/through whatever it is.

[Maxilian]

Kensei would give you a better AC option, not to mention slightly better weapon choices.

Not much of a difference (+2 AC, i believe he will have 12 or 13, less than mage armor), so unless he plan on using range weapons with this, i don't think is that useful).



Shadow has some advantages. Silence to make up for a lack of stealth. Darkness to hide.


I agree here, shadow in general ignore the lack of good save, so its always a good option.

Shadow may do the trick.



Heck, 4elements might work for you. grab only no-save effects. fangs of the fire snake will give you reach.
Sadly most of those that don't require saves are high lvl


You only have 3 options till lvl 11 before that do not require a save



In terms of fighting, I like javelins. Better range than a handaxe. Take advantage of cover. Carry a 5' square table everywhere so you can set it down and hide behind it.

I agree with the Javelin (also is pretty cool thematically), the table thing is actually quite useful mostly cause your AC would be quite bad, so you want to stay at range, and this make it harder for range attacks to hit you (helping you out with the lack of AC a little bit)



With your Athletics, you should be able to leap and climb away for safety if needed.
When things do get into melee range... trip 'em. You have high strength and Athletics proficiency, so you should be pretty good at pushing people around and knocking them down. This gives you advantage (to stomp them) and them disadvantage (unless they get up). You can also do grab-and-drop maneuvers: Grapple, use your high move to drag them somewhere dangerous, and drop them in/on/through whatever it is.

In most cases, as you won't want to stay in melee range, you could trip them and run away (that will provoke OA but with disadvantage, and they will have to spend half their movement to stand up, so its really unlikely that they will reach you in their turn)

[Garret Dorigan]

Wow. Ok, you can do something with this, but that is not an ideal spread.

I echo grabbing javelins until third, continuing to chuck them for all of that level from the shadows after picking Way of the Shadow.

At 4, choose Magic Initiate as your feat, choosing a Cha casting class and plucking an attack cantrip from them... obvious choice being Warlock and Eldritch Blast, which opens Minor Illusion and a couple good one-shot first level spells in Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Expeditious Retreat (Somewhat invalidated by Shadow Monk), Hex, and dare I say even Witch Bolt... which this is about the only time I'd recommend that spell, using it as a "boss fight" spell.

After that, you're pretty set to actually add to combat. You can set yourself up with a couple feats to round yourself out, such as Blade Mastery or Spear Mastery to leverage your Strength, Martial Adept to trip/push/maneuver around some people if they get into your face, or War Caster for it's various bonuses. Otherwise, be a Monklock with a 20 Cha.

[JackOfAllBuilds]

Seppuku and roll again

[Master O'Laughs]

Seppuku and roll again

I have considered this... lol

[ruy343]

I'm always a fan of 4-elements monks, and it might work out well for you here, as long as you choose elemental disciplines that don't require saving throws. Shadow is your other good option, because it lalows you to hit and run.

When you get the chance, get the mobile feat - that'll allow you to avoid a lot of attacks, and the ranged ones that do get to you can be deflected.

[Mandragola]

So honestly, I think you should just make a new character with point buy – if your DM allows. I don’t think you’ll have a lot of fun, and you could also end up as a drain for the rest of the party. Why should you get a share of xp if you can’t contribute to fights?

If the best outcome you can have is that your character dies as soon as possible, the best option is to reroll straight away.

Personally I’m dead against rolling stats. On these boards you see two types of rolled stats: 90% people have rolled 3 18s and want to know how to make the best use of their numbers; 10% of people are in your situation and can’t do anything.

Randomising class makes no sense even with ironman stats. People would tend to go into the career that they were actually suited to, and their training would tend to make them better at the things they did. Reality simply is not that random – you don’t get weak people competing as Olympic weightlifters, stupid rocket scientists or opera singers who can’t sing. And if you did people wouldn’t employ them.

27 point buy avoids all this nonsense. Generating characters by rolling may be more fun, but actually playing dnd with points buy is better.

[Maxilian]

I still think that Shadow monk is nice, but not that good, mainly cause you will be limited in things you can do (Yes, you got darkness and teleport, but you don't have that good of an DEX, so you won't be the most secret agent, would still be useful), the Four Elements, is barely worthy it (you have like 2 or 3 options -one of those that is basically a cantrip- till you hit lvl 11).

The Tranquility let you actually be helpful (you become the healer of the party -a full healer), get to help with your CHA checks in combat (and give you other things than the common, i go and attack), though i think @Garret Dorigan idea is good, but i don't agree with Magic Initiate with EB (you already got your ranged with the javelin, and it won't add more to you), maybe get the Find Familiar (to help you save more ki points) by giving you something to do with your bonus action in combat that do not require ki also give you more things to do out of combat.

Note: I don't agree with Mandragola, the character does not have to be bad, you could do as much or even more than some party members, but i think it depends a lot on your subclass (reason why i insist in Tranquility -Giving you the love of your party by being their healer also let you be the face of the group -making you really good at RP situations)

[Mandragola]

I'm aware that it can seem like I'm telling the OP he's having the "wrong fun". Obviously, if that's what he wants to do, and all the other players and DM are ok with it, then cool.

It looks like the tranquility monk could do some useful healing, as that doesn't rely on stats at all. It's still not all that effective really, but at least it's something.

[Maxilian]

I'm aware that it can seem like I'm telling the OP he's having the "wrong fun". Obviously, if that's what he wants to do, and all the other players and DM are ok with it, then cool.

It looks like the tranquility monk could do some useful healing, as that doesn't rely on stats at all. It's still not all that effective really, but at least it's something.

Well the heal of the tranquility monk is quite good, and he got a really nice CHA to take advantage of the other monks abilities, its not going to be the character with the best DPR, but will be useful inside and outside of combat and will also give the PC a new way to act in combat (making it feel quite different)