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    Halfling in the Playground
     
    MonkGuy

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    Jul 2016

    Default Re: AngryJesusMan Monastic Tradition - Way of the Undulating Dragon

    Quote Originally Posted by zeek0 View Post
    Hm. I what you are going for. You want it to be so that the character can assume a stance, and that if they get hit too hard they must succeed on a concentration check or lose the stance.

    I suppose it depends on what you mean by stance. If it is a mental/mystical thing, then the character would need to concentrate on keeping that frame of mind.

    However, if it is simply a way of holding and moving your body, then I think that concentration isn't warranted, and neither is the use of ki.

    I've looked at the PHB... and I think that the Martial Arts feature already allows for the use of spears and staffs.

    So basically, this feature should just grant the reach quality to spears and quarterstaffs. You can remove the stance entirely.
    The PHB allows spears and quarterstaffs to be used as monk weapons, yes. However, this allows them to be used in lieu of the Unarmed Attacks that Martial Arts usually allows. The bonus action allowed by Martial Arts and Flurry of Blows in the PHB specifies Unarmed Attack. Allowing weapon attacks instead changes this a little by adding the possibility of benefiting from magic weapons bonuses, so I feel like there needs to be a little bit of a trade-off. This is in addition to granting reach to a spear and a quarterstaff.

    From a balance standpoint, that's where the Concentration check comes in. Most melee related concentration spells have pretty decent benefits, so the ability to add magic effects from weapons on your bonus actions and reach to a weapon that doesn't normally have it seems less strong but reasonable. Also, if you're concentrating on this, then you can't pull as many shenanigans by finding a way to load yourself with a concentration spell. I like that give-and -take, so I'd like to keep the stance with the concentration requirement.


    Quote Originally Posted by zeek0 View Post
    I think that the main purpose of Deflect Missiles is to allow Monks to avoid ranged attacks until they get up close. A monk otherwise has very little ability to deal with combat at range - Deflect Missiles is a brute-force method to deal with this.

    I really like how this ability can give the character control of the battlefield. I think that perhaps the attack should be removed, and instead simply allow the character to trip, move, or disarm the enemy in retaliation. This way you don't do more damage, but you do gain advantages over the enemy.
    Fair enough. Maybe, rather than moving the battlefield control to 6th level, the part about the counterattack or redirecting the original strike can be moved? Especially with the other suggestions about the disadvantage being strictly overpowered. This would cut down on doubling that, cut down on the wall of text for level 3, and give me a viable alternative for the higher levels. Thoughts on that?


    Quote Originally Posted by zeek0 View Post
    I think that you can make each condition last for 1 day. This would reduce word count of the feature.

    I think that by copying the format of the Quivering Palm feature you can make it easier to read. That's what I do whenever I homebrew stuff - I look at WotC's wording.

    I think that the purpose of the Quivering Palm feature's 1 extra action is so that enemies can conceivably have at least 1 round to escape to another plane, incapacitate the monk, or otherwise avoid death. Perhaps the same quality is merited here?
    I can get behind all of that. This also addresses Amnoriath's main critique of the feature.

    The problem is that Amnoriath also makes some salient points concerning Open Hand's other abilities being lackluster. Deflecting Strike is quite so powerful, even with the changes. In response, I was thinking maybe expanding the monk's existing Stunning Strike. How about this change:

    Disabling Strike
    At 17th level, you have learned to use your Ki to keep an enemy reeling. If you hit an enemy that is currently stunned from your Stunning Strike with a spear or a quarterstaff, you can spend your reaction and 1 Ki point to extend the duration of the Stunning Strike for an extra round. This can be done up to three times.

    This is a big change from the original, but I think it has some merit. It uses the same action as Deflecting Strike, meaning that you're essentially focusing on the one target and forgoing your defensive bonuses. Also, if you're using your reaction for anything else, this isn't an option. It does the same thing as just hitting it with another Stunning Strike but removes the saving throw. Also, it means you're not stranding an enemy and mopping up all of its buddies, since it requires you to hit the enemy again (meaning that in most cases that you've at least spent a bonus action on it in addition to the reaction). It sticks with the 3 Ki template put forth by the Open Hand ability but brings the power down and spreads it out over three rounds. Sure you and your party gain all of the advantages of having a Stunned enemy for several rounds, but that means that there's a distinct possibility of it coming out of the exchange alive, especially if another enemy starts harrying you and forces you to abandon this tactic. It remains within my intended "very strong against a single opponent, not nearly as stout against multiple enemies" intention. Thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by zeek0 View Post
    I think that we have a good conversation going, thanks for that. I recently made a battledancer base class, and I think that the ideas you have for this subclass would fit there rather well. After we talk this all out I think I may graft it over there if you don't mind.
    My pleasure. I wouldn't mind that at all. If it can enhance someone else's game then I feel like I've accomplished something more than simply empowering my own game. Glad I could help.
    Last edited by AngryJesusMan; 2016-07-03 at 09:16 AM.