New Subclass For the Monk

[Name2020]

I am currently making a subclass for my friend who is new to D&D. He is a huge JoJo's fan so I wanted to make him a subclass for the monk based on Stands. I just wanted some ideas on how to best balance and make the class more fun in general for new and old players alike. Here it is, the Way of the Stand Monk. Btw it isn't supposed to be an exact match of the Stands of JoJo's just a little bit similar and it is a WIP.


Manifest Stand:

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain the ability to form a Stand, allowing you to use you soul as a ally in combat. This thing is your bread and butter ability so read thoroughly.

Upon gaining this feature you can use a minimum 2 Ki points to summon your Stand. Your Stand acts as it's own entity. Having an initiative and being able to attack or use abilities during its turn. You cannot have more than one Stand out at a time and the stand fades after 30 minutes. While your stand is manifested you move at half speed.

You can also use more Ki points to give you stand Extra Attacks, more Hit Points, higher AC, and bonuses to Damage and Attack Rolls.

2 Ki Points: It has Hit Points equal to 2d8+Wis Modifier if Melee or 1d8 if Ranged, It has a +0 to hit and a +0 to damage, Can move 10 ft., +0 to AC

5 Ki Points: It has Hit Points equal to 3d8+Wis Modifier if Melee or 3d8 if Ranged, It has a +2 to hit and a +2 to damage, Can move 20 ft., +1 to AC

8 Ki Points: It has HIt Points equal to 5d8+Wis Modifier if Melee or 4d8 if Ranged, It has a +4 to hit and
a +4 to damage, Can move 30 ft., +3 to AC, It has 1 Extra Attack

11 Ki Points: It has Hit Points equal to 7d8+Wis Modifier if Melee or 6d8 if Ranged, It has a +6 to hit
and a +6 to damage, Can move 40 ft., +4 to AC, It has 2 Extra Attacks

14 Ki Points: It has Hit Points equal to 10d8+Wis Modifier if Melee or 9d8 if Ranged, It has a +8 to hit and a +8 to damage, Can move 50 ft., +6 to AC, It has 3 Extra Attacks

In addition your Stand gains additional abilities and features at levels 3, 6, 11, 17.

Stand Type:

Starting when you choose this tradition at level 3, you gain the abiity to manifest your stand as a certain combat type: Ranged or Melee. This choice changes the abilities you can gain later in levels 6, 11, and 17.

Ranged: Attacks from far away with a max range of 60 feet

Melee: Attacks up close with CQC.




Stand Improvement:

At level 6 you gain a Stand Improvement. Stand Improvements are like feats for your Stand. Allowing them to do more in combat. Some are passive abilities but some are active abilities that take a action or bonus action to use. At level 6 your stands damage die goes from a d4 to a d6.

Melee Stand Improvements:
-Your Stand gains a d10 instead of d8 for heath
-Your Stands punches become magical for overcoming resistances
-When you cast a Ki ability your Stand can do the same on its turn

Ranged Stand Improvements:
-Your Stand, when stealthed, gains an extra d10 of damage when it hits someone
-Your Stand can teleport up to 20 ft. 5 times when it is summoned
-Your Stand gains an extra 20 range on its attacks

Stand Improvement:

At level 11 you gain a stand improvement and your damage die goes from a d6 to a d8.

Melee Stand Improvements:
-Your Stand gains a +2 to armor class
-Your Stand adds a d8 of damage from any damage that is not radiant, force, thunder, or necrotic
-When within 20 ft. of your Stand you and your stand gain a plus +3 to attack and damage rolls and you also gain 10 temporary hit points

Ranged Stand Improvements:
-Your Stand, when stealthed, crits on its first attack if it hits
-Your Stand can teleport a creature up to 20 ft away when it gains advantage on an attack and hits the creature
-Your Stand gains advantage when it attacks from its max range






Stand Improvement:

At level 17 you gain a stand improvement and your damage die goes from a d8 to a d10.

Melee Stand Improvements:
-Your Stand can reroll its Hit Points once and has a d12 instead of a d10 if you got the d10 Hit Points Improvement
-Ignores all damage resistances and you get a d12 damage die
-You can combine with your Stand to gain a +5 to AC and get all of its abilities, although it still gets its turn in which it can attack 1 time.

Ranged Stand Improvements:
-Your Stands damage die turns into a d20
-Your Stand can attempt to cast Banish on a target when it crits on a attack using the summoners DC
-Your Stand can redirect an attack that misses, making it hit. It can do this every time it is summoned 5 times

[Citan]

Hi ;)

I hope my tone won't sound too harsh, if it does please accept my apologies.
I don't have enough time right now so I'll be blunt. :)

1. Too complex.
Rest assured, I falled into that trap many times for my own homebrew.
5E is designed around simplicity, especially on the bookkeeping part.

2. Strangely unbalanced both ways.
On one part, the speed halving is a very big deal especially on a class which resilience relies on mobility.
On the other, your stand is simply useless until a fairly high level simply because it is not resilient enough (and since it lasts only 30 mn, it's a huge loss of Ki for little benefit) as currently designed.

-> For HP, use a simple scale like for Beastmaster (with just a higher minimum like 4 times Monk level + WIS mod). I understand you like the scale per ki effect, so you may want to tuck it in back, but there are many things you can affect with Ki already... Like AC ;)
If you want a scaling effect, you may then fall back on your initial idea, but more "linear", like half Monk level +WIS, +1d8 for each ki spent (without limit). Reason for having a "static" base is that for an archetype feature, rolling badly and get useless Stand seems too harsh to me. Especially considering you move at half speed for that time.

-> For AC, I'd suggest 10+WIS with additional AC per Ki (max 5) if you want scalability, otherwise plain 13+WIS. Monk wants high DEX too, especially that one probably, so it's not like that Stand will get high AC early.

-> For speed I'd make it half Monk speed (which further legitimates the fact that Monk can move only at half speed while the Stand is "on"). As an aside, maybe I missed it but you should be able to dismiss Stand without any action (or at worse bonus action) as needed.

-> For attack and damage I'd make it simply proficiency bonus. That way you don't need to track it, it's decent enough throughout levels and will still end as lesser than a PC.
Also, note you forgot to specify proficiencies. Is it same as Monk? For a ranged ally it may fall short.
Could be the chance of one "improvement for ki" though.

-> I'd keep the "Ki for feature" idea and instead expand it to include class features like Extra Attack (not Improved one though, definitely, especially since your Stand can use Ki abilities already so could Flurry), Evasion, Expertise, Parry (from Battlemaster but free) but also feats: Tough (instead of randomness of die, confer previous point), Magic initiate (nice to expand quickly), Skilled, Sentinel, Mage Slayer... I'd just avoid all RP-oriented feats or those that require actual mind like Inspiring Leader or Ritual Caster.
Why go that way? Simple: most people around you will already be familiar with them. And many could make sense as "empowering your mindshaped martial". So you simply reuse things that are known and balanced already.
Only trouble left would be to decide how much ki for each. But since we are talking about something that has a 30mn lifespan anyways, you could probably get away with a flat 3 ki cost for each feature, but only maximum of 2. Or stackable without limit for additional ki (first 3, next 4, next 5 etc). Or leveled-capped stackability (1 at level 6, 2 at level 11, 3 at level 17, 4 at level 20).
You can also certainly keep your original abilities (like Teleport/Banish), the only things I'd remove are simple bumps in AC/HP/damage (because above changes).

Then you can decide if you make two categories (features "reserved" to cast on one side, permanent benefits on other) if you are worried about balance, or simply say on 3, 6 and 11 levels "pick one feature among the list for each kind of Steand, Stand gains it permanently".

I'd just make the "magical attacks" a plain benefit whatever happens at level 6, to stay consistent with other archetypes.

-> Instead of "forcing" you to use a particular ability so that Stand can use the same on next turn (not necessarily practical), I'd suggest Monk use same system as servant: mental command with a bonus action, repeats until task finished or you give new order: forces player to still think a bit because uses up a bonus action but gives him freedom to do different things.
Not sure it's a great idea though, that one ought to be tested in practice. :)

[Rukelnikov]

STANDO!?

Im at the phone right now, so im not going to provide balance advice (can't compare with similar features like BM animal companion and stuff). Will try to check on this later.

However I'd say make HP fixed. Having to roll every time you bring your stand out it's gonna be slow and unreliable. Turn d8s into 5hp, d10 into 6hps and so on.

I like the expenditure of ki to create the stands, its a good mechanic.

[Name2020]

I think I am going to forgo the Ranged subsection entirely to limit the confusion but keep the Stand Improvements for some customization. I will switch out rolled for fixed HP and try to lower damage late game and instead go for viability in all stages of the game.

[Citan]

I think I am going to forgo the Ranged subsection entirely to limit the confusion but keep the Stand Improvements for some customization. I will switch out rolled for fixed HP and try to lower damage late game and instead go for viability in all stages of the game.
Hey, keep us posted when you finished adjustements.
Your base idea is very interesting, and I think many people here would appreciate trying it (me at least ^^).

[Nidgit]

If you're really trying to mimic Stands, you should share your health pool with your Stand. I'd probably have it act on your turn- you can move it however you want for free, but in order to for it to take an action you have to use yours. Giving it improved Extra Attacks is fine so long as it can't use ki for normal Monk maneuvers. I would probably allow the player to count a Stand's Attack as their own Attack fro the purposes of performing BAs themselves, though.

If you're sharing a health pool, I'd probably make summoning your Stand cost 3 ki and every 2 ki you use beyond that adds WIS temporary HP.

I'd give it normal Extra Attack at 3, Extra Attack and a once per turn ability on a hit, Extra Attack plus a ribbon at 11, and a fairly strong ability at 17.

Upping its speed, AC, and damage are fine, but I think your scaling was a bit too high. Leaving it at your characters normal bonuses plus 2-4 damage/AC is probably fine.

[Rukelnikov]

If you're really trying to mimic Stands, you should share your health pool with your Stand. I'd probably have it act on your turn- you can move it however you want for free, but in order to for it to take an action you have to use yours. Giving it improved Extra Attacks is fine so long as it can't use ki for normal Monk maneuvers. I would probably allow the player to count a Stand's Attack as their own Attack fro the purposes of performing BAs themselves, though.

If you're sharing a health pool, I'd probably make summoning your Stand cost 3 ki and every 2 ki you use beyond that adds WIS temporary HP.

I'd give it normal Extra Attack at 3, Extra Attack and a once per turn ability on a hit, Extra Attack plus a ribbon at 11, and a fairly strong ability at 17.

Upping its speed, AC, and damage are fine, but I think your scaling was a bit too high. Leaving it at your characters normal bonuses plus 2-4 damage/AC is probably fine.

I fully back sharing the HP pool. I'd make the temp HP cheaper though.

IMO they should get extra attack at 6, like most subclasses that get it, and a special ability at 3, since those are pretty Stand defining. Getting it at 17 means your stand is not that different from everyone else's until very late in your career.