How are open hand monks?

[Rfkannen]

I have heard a lot of people saying that 4 elements monks are terrible, that mercy monks are the best, but I don't really hear much about way of the open hand. How are way of the open hand monks? Are they fun? How do they compare to other monks? How do they compare to other characters? Are they viable or are they dead weight?

[Willie the Duck]

Four Elements did get a nice boost out of Tasha's as now they don't have either be a element-bender or be a monk in a given round.

Regardless, Way of the Open Hand are something of a extreme example of the monk class (or maybe 'the monkiest monk that ever monked') -- they highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the class, without the side distraction of off-brand or side-brand abilities. They get additional riders they can impose on those they hit with their flurries, pushing them around, or knocking them down or stopping them from taking reactions -- all of which are great, provided you happen to have a plan for what to do with that. And that's monks in a nutshell -- they are mostly non-casting characters who don't stand up in a toe-to-toe fight like a fighter or paladin, but have a number of other benefits that are really helpful to a clever player with cooperative allies who can plan and coordinate to turn those things into solid benefits. If you don't have those, then a monk (and a WoOH in particular) will be a moderately powerful combatant with some extra durability in some places and some basic vulnerability (mostly mid-level AC and HP) elsewhere. For the artchetype in particular, I still like the riders (no reaction in particular), but the 6th level benefit (heal 3xlevel hp 1/LR) looks pretty pretty sparse now that mercy monks can do about half as much just by spending a ki slot (both take an action, however, which might matter).

[J-H]

I plan to build one for one of my next play opportunities. They can hand out more crowd control without spells than anyone else. Disarm, attack, attack with rider, attack with rider, all for one ki point; add possible stuns to each attack if desired, and add a no-save 5' shove to one if you take the crusher feat, plus granting advantage on crits. If all enemies fail their saves, you can hamper four different enemies on a single turn.

One of the big advantages I see in play with a monk (not OH) in my game is the ability to move long distances and still act, and to run straight up or across vertical surfaces (my battles rarely take place on flat open terrain). Wallrunning is a great way to get past barriers.

In white room optimization, they don't do so well due to lower AC and DPS, but in play, the versatility means the monk always has something interesting and useful to do.