Average day in the life of a Monk

[Waffleinsanity]

So, I am jumping into a campaign where the characters are level 4. I am running a VERY unorthadox character, a Lizardfolk Shadow Monk with Magic Initiate... But that is besides the point. I have NEVER played a martial class in my life and I gifured this would be a fun experience after doing some research, so here I am.

The purpose of this post.... what do I do? I don't know what the typical day to day as a monk would consist of, the stats say "act like a rogue" but without sneak attack it doesnt look the same... I guess all I would like some help with is just a simple run down from those who have played Monk in the past. How do your turns go? what do you attack first? How do you interact outside of combat? What interesting feats of... dexterity??? can a monk do? (Aside from my dream of running up a wall, grappling an enemy archer off the wall then RKO'ing them off the edge while I slowfall down.)

For some context, my character is based off a Jester assassin, born in the cycle of Olidammara and cursed with a curled maw. Unusual for Lizardfolk, he went off to make his own. Enslaved by a king, and trained to hide his race from the royalty he served in the palace. His face hidden, his tail used as a "belt," he staved off many attampts on the kings life before paying his debt. Now he works as a body guard for the royals, but no one knows what is under his mask.

Magic initiate for the tricksies, since Shadow monk already gets Minor Illusion cantrip, I selected Prestidigitation and Toll the Bells (thematically) and Hex as my Level 1 spell (not just for the damage, but for reducing an enemies chosen stats, like strength or dex when I want to grapple them.)
It was either that or get Presti, Vicious Mockery, and Dissonany Whispers, obviously for themes.... But I like the thought of a spear being hurled from the shadows as you feel weaker, the chime of bells and a pearl mask appearing over your shoulder as fangs sink into your flesh....

But yea... how does one Monk properly?

[Unoriginal]

A Monk is different from a Rogue.

As a Monk, you can hit a lot, and you can move a lot. Typically, you can run toward the squishy enemies who stay in the back like archers or casters, punish them for that, and then back down (not necessarily on the same turn). You can do the same with the big meaty enemies, but it's then advised to not stand next to them, although your AC would generally be high enough to let you survive the experience.

Monks aren't tanks, but they can move next to the tank to help them.

As a Monk, you have to ration your ki points, as well as the use of your bonus actions. A Monk without ki point is still a great brawler, but the special options given by ki is what make them stand above. So you have to decide if you want more striking power, more mobility, more defensive capacity, etc for this given round.

If you want to do more damage, I'd advise you to use a quarterstaff two-handed (and then unarmed attacks for the flurry of blow, it's authorized) until your unarmed strikes reach 1d8.

[Specter]

The crucial aspect of Monking is rationing ki.

One point of ki lets you attack up to four times, or dodge, or stun, or cast spells (in your case). So in terms of resources you're not very far from casters.

If you feel you're going to run low, short rest and you won't be a bad Fighter/Rogue hybrid.

[Mr_Fixler]

I've found monks to be a great "buddy" class.

You have decent stealth so a rogue doesn't have to go alone. Your increased movement and abilities to avoid attacks of opportunity help you set up flanking or advantage for melee types if your table uses those rules. You can pummel casters and force multiple concentration checks per round. With high mobility and high dex, you can easily be where you need to on the combat map to make the group most effective. You will probably never be a high damage dealer, but you will be invaluable at making the party as a whole flow.

Out of combat I would imagine your character as an anatomy expert. Hours of bodyguard work allows the mind to wonder. Something along the lines of, "Humans have a one inch gap in their lowest ribcage. If I can even jab a single finger/claw into their liver, they will be putty in my hands for a follow up strike due to internal bleeding."

[KorvinStarmast]

'd advise you to use a quarterstaff two-handed (and then unarmed attacks for the flurry of blow, it's authorized) until your unarmed strikes reach 1d8. This is very good advice.

[Waffleinsanity]

Thank you all for your input! It's been helpful so far!

[DnDegenerates]

I've played around 200hrs of monk this year in different games/ran around 200hrs as dm, and one of the strongest things you can do is pay attention to positioning and line of sight.

You aren't a bruiser like a paladin/barbarian/etc. Even if you can take a hit or Dodge a spell.

If you take the mobile feat and use it to cause foes to follow/reposition or move to a different target, you're doing your part. Same with monk abilities that temporarily hinder or lock down foes.

Line of sight is your friend. Enemies will get frustrated not just by you running away, but because they can't hit you with spell attacks/ranged attacks if you duck behind objects or corners. Essentially you have opportunity to get attacks off each round without fear of repercussions.

Also, don't get trapped by feats. You have so many strong class abilities that boosting Dex then wisdom are most of what you need. Learning how to creatively use your class abilities will make you a near unkillable and frustrating good of the battlemat.

When in a pinch, consider difficult terrain your ally. You have ways to ignore it. Most of them don't. Get clever with it.

Itemize. My most used item in the game is a steel bucket. Not because it is mechanically powerful, but because it's so ingrained in my roleplay that it comes in handy for way more things than you could think of if your mind stayed in the box. It does bucket things, it does the job of other items, it is amazing for bait and distractions. It's a bucket.

[Waffleinsanity]

That right there is some Grade A information! Thank you!