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I'm rolling fat tabaxi Monk ways of the four elements. He has a double personality representing the Ying Yang and is always arguing with himself hahaha. Tons of fun🤣
Here’s my take on the subclass: I know most people think this subclass is bad or poorly designed, but I think this subclass is designed to fill in the areas that the monk struggles with. Everybody knows the monk is a class that is amazing at single target and stunlocking, and this subclass fixes the problem with encounters with large numbers of enemies by giving you area of effect spells which helps a ton. Next they solve a very common problem with melee classes in multiple ways with the different elements: range. For fire they give you the extended reach and damage, for wind you get a 30 ft ranged attack that can push and knock prone, and water gets either a pull or prone ability and those extra effects are greatly appreciated considering damage and all of those added effects and range are something martial characters don’t get too frequently. Lastly their abilities fill a goal that most parties should strive for: every person concentrating on a spell. Another person being able to concentrate on spells allows for more opportunities to open up to the rest of the party. Lastly, a common concern for this subclass is it destroys ki points, and my counterargument to that is that the subclass has a similar problem to warlocks at most tables: parties very rarely short rest, if the game was played with recommended 2 short rest per day that triples the amount of ki points the monk can use daily.
Assuming level 17 & 2 short rests per day: the monk can cast fireball 9 times at 3rd level and 3 times at 4th level which isn’t great at burst damage, but you certainly are able to fireball in every combat at least twice as opposed to a wizard who can really only meteor swarm once per day
i ruled it differently for the Avatar Monk in my group. he can switch out the spells in the morning similar to wizards, but he can only switch out two and cant switch them around until he took a long rest.
Four Elements spellcasting is very similar to Warlocks where you regain Ki on a short rest. Your incredible mobility helps, but yeah, you own your Disciplines.
Zeter Zero agreed! This class has a very flavorful theme behind it, but we give our ratings based on the abilities. Definitely non-mechanic RP potential for something unique! Thanks for watching :)
I think the class is a great way to make a stylized Taoist monk. I am currently playing a tempest cleric that will slide to monk at level 4 or 5. I stumbled into the tempest cleric who is questioning where power really comes from, no offense Anhur. Huge upside if you give the class time to percolate to power. IMHO
I would actually rate this subclass the exact opposite: 4 in RP, and 1.5 in combat, because the mechanics are really poor compared to the other Monk archetypes (Ways). But for RP, on the other hand, we have TONS of source materials to look up to for creating a deeper lore (Avatar Aang, come on).
dimiaraujo90 when scoring RP we are already assuming people will be RPing their background and spells. We look at the abilities that the subclass gives and rate it Based on how we think those abilities could improve RP. In this case, basically all abilities are combat centered (we mention this toward the end) and the lore is awesome but again we weren’t counting that side. Combat we gave it higher because it adds more utility to the base class. Push/pull abilities are good, gaining aoe spells for a melee class gives more situational benefits, and then there’s fly which can be a game changer for melee classes. We do agree with what you’re saying, but in this case we are scoring on different viewpoints! Hope that clears it up a bit! Thanks for watching!
ok so interrogation method, monk with the water control. place person who is not talking on to a frozen lake and slowly start to melt the ice making it thinner and thinner till they talk or they fall in and another one of the spell casters freezes over the hole.
I hear so many gripes about how much more casting a caster gets. But a Monk is a martial class. Compare it to a Paladin or Ranger, keeping in mind that you get your Ki back on a short rest, and it compares very well. In fact, given the way the Monk can pick and choose his Ki usage, this subclass gets more consistent magic usage than either Paladin or Ranger, and WAY more than EK or AT. As far as rp, I really don't know what you want here. This subclass turns a baseline Monk into the Avatar. There is no other subclass that packs such a cinematic theme.
@@Mystravian did you read? do you understand the words? Not everything with spells is a caster. Hell, Totem Barbarians get spells. Are they casters? As stated, Elements Monks get use of their features at a level that compares very well with other PARTIAL casters like Paladins, Rangers, Eldritch Knights and Arcane Tricksters. None of them get a lot of magic. It is to augment their martial features, not replace them.
@@ChristnThms you're missing the point, its that they gave this monk casting as its main class feature, thats it, thats all they gave it, so as core center to its being, it should begin to stack up to caster's because it is much more equivalent than the other classes youve named.
@@Mystravian well no. That is patently false. First off, no Monk gets the spellcasting feature (which is a specific thing). Second, they do not give up the rest of their class features to become elemental monks, and thus always have the martial features of the rest of the class. Thirdly, there are other classes (already given in examples) which are also martial in nature, and gain (actual) spellcasting, whose usage is comparable to what the elemental monk gets. Your pretense that because they get a couple spell-like features, that they cannot do anything else, and thus must be measured on that single feature is an outright lie. If that had merit, then each of those other example classes would be comparably weak. But, the fact that Paladins are among the most popular, and that EKs and ATs rank highly as well, is proof that the martial/magic hybrids aren't inherently weak. If you want a true casting class, play that. There are even pure casting classes with a bit of martial flavor (Swords Bard and Bladesinger spring to mind). Then you can have your magic attacks every round. Monks are not a terribly powerful class, in any subclass. The fact that people aren't happy with the elemental subclass compounds that, but it is an emotional reaction. It is NOT based on fact. The fact is that using Ki points to cast the spells in an elemental monk gives comparable usage to the magic provided to the other partial casters.
@@ChristnThms They get spells as the main and only feature of their subclass. Don't be obstinate. I never said they can't do anything else, in a literal sense, but their subclass should be good at the thing they are designated to do by the subclass. It's basic game design. Again, other classes with true casting features get more features than, specifically, this monk.
Honestly I think way of the four elements shouldn't be a subclass but a optional feat for a monk specifically called Chi casting and a second feat should double/quadruple the chi points you have
With Correction form Jeremy Crawford. You can use 'Shape The Flowing River' to make walls of ice to trap enemy's so long as they aren't IN the ice. You can also shape the ice however you want when you make it. Meaning you can make houses for 1 ki point that last indefinitely. Or More practically trap people inside a block of ice keeping in mind you also can't target them but have instead trapped them.
Thanks for the clarification. We try to catch these sage advice updates, but sometimes we miss them. It does make the ability more useful, but depending on your DM, the ice cage could be pretty fragile :) Thanks for watching!
@@URGE With the way its worded I think its meant to be used whenever you want but was worded poorly. And I want to clarify that if you put someone in an ice block that the inside has to be hollow.
@3:30 isn't there a limit of ki you can spend per round? Also, I see so many people saying this SubClass is great- but I don't see the math on how much you can do before taking a rest. I have a hard time visualizing most monks making it to 5th level. But even worse, the Constitution saves of most monsters is going to beat your DC a majority of the time. That's the whole reason for this subclass- if you know you can't do a stun (like on an Undead or a construct) but because all the spell effects are so expensive, you really need to be able to put down your opponent THAT ROUND, because you WILL RUN OUT OF KI!
Flavor is pretty huge and customizable in this archetype, so my first suggestion is to use whatever you think fits your character. Even if your spell choices dont work well in some situations, you can still fall back to beating your targets in melee. I personally like starting with Unbroken fist since it gives you range, it gives you another option for fighting (and potentially knocking prone) flying enemies. Water Whip can also work just as well, but it's in my opinion better for if your looking to engage enemies in melee... which you probably will want as a monk lol. Sweeping is gonna help you a lot early on, as it will be your only means of crowd control. I think otherwise every option really is useful, EXCEPT the one that let's you cast Gust of wind. While it's not useless, your ki points are gonna be pretty precious until later levels and you really dont want to just throw them around to just push enemies. Dedicated spell casters can get away with that since they have more spell slots available Hope this helped :)
honestly the problem i don't think is in how many spells it can cast. we don't shit on the warlock for having only 2 spells and the four element monk has more options in how many spells they cast then them. i think the problem is in how many spells they get. lets do a comparison: how many spells do you know, warlock (also regains spells on a short rest), sorcerer (lowest amount of spells for a full caster), ranger (lowest amount of spells for a half caster) and arcane trickster (spell casting subclass): lv 3: warlock: 2 cantrips, 4 spells; sorcerer: 4 cantrips, 4 spells; ranger: 3 spells; arcane trickster: 3 cantrips, 3 spells; monk: 1 cantrip, 1 spell lv 5: W: 3 cantrips, 6 spells; S: 5 cantrips, 6 spells; R: 4 spells; AT: 3 cantrips, 4 spells; M: 1 cantrip. 1 spell lv 8: W: 3 - 9, S: 5 - 9, R: 0 - 5, AT: 3 - 6, M: 1 - 2 or 0 - 3 lv 12: W: 4 - 11, S: 6 - 12, R: 0 - 7, AT: 4 - 8, M: 1 - 3 or 0 - 4 lv 15: W: 4 - 13, S: 6 - 14, R: 0 - 9, AT: 4 - 10, M: 1 - 3 or 0 - 4 lv 20: W: 4 - 15, S: 6 - 15, R: 0 - 11, AT: 4 - 13, M: 1 - 4 or 0 - 5 this is ignoring subclasses and class features (like book of shadows or mystic arcanum). wizards realized quick that the ranger needed more spells and every subclass since the PHB (except the drakewarden which gets a whole new pet to play with) get 5 extra spells over their career, and 5 more if you use primal awareness instead of primeval awareness. same with the new sorcerer subclasses. people want to have options in play, which is exactly what the four elements monk does not have. they don't get the versatility of spells, they just get to pick from features like the hunter ranger picks from features. except that unlike the hunter ranger the four elements monk can't just use their features and they eat through resources at an insane rate. to make this monk subclass fun spells need to either be cheaper instead of using all of them in 2 rounds if you use your subclass, or you need to have way more options so the cost is balanced by being more versatile.
Id prefer it to be kinda a half caster and maybe your remaining ki points can inhance the spells ... so u can have melee combat and not have to worry too much where youre spending
Burning hands gets a dex save and stunned creatures auto-fail dex saves, so i think that one is worth adding to the list for the synergy. I agree that this monk is really poor mechanically.
Hey urge I need your advice. Right now I'm playing a level 5 kensei human monk with these stats. 8 strength, 16 dex, 10 intelligent, 14 constitution, 15 wisdom and 8 charisma. Any advice I think his stats are fine but I still want your input
I think you'll do just fine! As a DM, I always love players that have characters with stats under 10 because it presents some interesting Roleplaying opportunities. For example, your Monk may be weak and bad at talking, but maybe he doesn't think he is. This kind of thing could make for some great moments! One note as a DM is if I am having players roll their stats, if the total of their character's scores is less than 70, I allow them to reroll everything. In your case, you are at 71 total so you should be good to go! Again, just try to make the most of the RP situations!
I'd say it's kinda funny that you guys point out that at level 17 (capstone)... you can get to spend over 1 third of your Ki at one time just to cast 1 cone of cold... 1 level 5 spell that wizards have been casting multple of since level 9 lol. and that's at 17th level... instead of using all of the base monk abilities that are much better... This is such a poorly designed class, and it's been known for a long time. I'd assume you guys haven't played it, just read it, right? I think this class was created as a lark. when they were making they just glossed over it, and literally put no thought into it outside of trying to make a bender. It's common to just use any of the remastered versions, or it just feels like you've decided to play the base monk class while using 1 or 2 of the abilities out of combat, bc at mid to higher levels the base monk abilities far outstrip the sub class abilities
Silver Jaiden the subclass does feel very lackluster indeed. The spellcasting is purely “over priced” but we did like the option to use spells as another tool in your belt. The other good thing is you recharge Ki points on short rest, but again we felt that the best choices are the utility options like increased reach, pushing, pulling, flying, etc. these utility options stack pretty well with some of your base class options, but again the subclass as a whole is somewhat meh thought we think the concept is pretty fun. Thanks for watching!
I'm actualy not bothered at all by this, it's a front line melee dodge tank why do people expect it to cast with a wizard but then not complain that the wizard sucks in front line melee. The wizard gets more casts because that's all he damn well has and once his finite spell slots are up hes gonna get wrecked because he cant cast Fist!
@@fuzzydragon well... I'd say that maybe you misunderstand the point of the archetype, or archetypes in general. Bladesinger wizards actually CAN stand frontline because that's the point of the archetype and that allows them to have a particular playstyle that other wizards don't. There are actually several wizard builds that can frontline... I don't mean to say that MONKS should be casters. I mean that if they are gonna actually create a monk caster ARCHETYPE, then it should be proficient at the job... or there's no point for the archetype. The Way of the 4 Elements, isn't the same as other monks, just like Bladesingers aren't the same as other wizards. They just did a poor job of creating the fantasy, to the extent that the vast majority of the time you play a book version of the Way of the 4 Elements, it's like you are playing the base monk with no archetype at all... which is a severe disadvantage compared to all other monks, and archetypes..
I'd say it is at least on par with AT and EK. Honestly though sometimes mechanics should take a back seat to fun factor though. Personal opinion mind you.
Ugh, no, technically you can't spend 20 KI points of fangs of the fire snake, because there is a general rule setting a maximum limit for spending KI points on one spell.
Limrasson there is a lot of debate around this as this is technically an ability, not a spell. If I was the DM, I would allow it because the book says specifically that Spells have limits not abilities. Also, if a player wants to blow all their point in one attack, go for it. The amount of damage is negligible compared to other level 20 classes anyways and they will cripple themselves utility wise afterwards. That being said, I’m sure some DMs would also lump it into the “spells” pool as well. If you’re wanting to make this kind of character and this type of ability is important to you, make sure you ask your DM how they would handle it. Thanks for watching ;)
The biggest drawback about this subclass is the taxing misuse of ki points casting some of these spells!! You wouldn't be able to use your basic monk abilities(Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, Step of the Wind, STUNNING STRIKE)!!!!! I'll do everything possible to avoid this subclass AT ALL COSTS!!!!!
You're not old enough... I'm only aware of avatar because of the movie. There are plenty of 80s sources to draw upon. Also the word you want is "diversity".
Loved seeing yalls take on a classic subclass, Here is my video on remaking the subclass to give a bit more power and flavor ruclips.net/video/Lvo9E7XZoW4/видео.html
Do u guys know what rp is? So, u just mentioned how to roleplay as the avatar or in that universe and it gets a 1.5 in rp. Second, each subclass gives how many abilities? And how much choice does this have? Third, this is not a caster, you can't compare it to a caster. Compare it to a rogue, a fighter, a paladin or a monk with a different subclass. Smh!
Boss Tripp Boss Tripp you are misunderstanding HOW we score RP. We are already assuming as a player that you will be RPing your character via backstory, spell/ability usage, interacting with the environment, etc. We are saying that this subclass does not add much RP value to the base class. If you are already RPing your spells and abilities, you are getting basically 0 extra RP value from this subclass. Hope that clears it up. Thanks for watching!
Boss Tripp Boss Tripp as for your other points, most other subclasses get multiple upgrades and some choices. Warlock gets lots of choices like this in addition to other abilities at different levels. Same deal for fighters (especially eldritch Knight). We compare it to a caster slightly (more half or 1/4 caster) because basically half of your choices are allowing you to cast spells. Hey it’s the internet. These are just our opinions and we know not everyone will agree! Thank you for watching and giving your input :)
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I'm rolling fat tabaxi Monk ways of the four elements. He has a double personality representing the Ying Yang and is always arguing with himself hahaha. Tons of fun🤣
Here’s my take on the subclass: I know most people think this subclass is bad or poorly designed, but I think this subclass is designed to fill in the areas that the monk struggles with. Everybody knows the monk is a class that is amazing at single target and stunlocking, and this subclass fixes the problem with encounters with large numbers of enemies by giving you area of effect spells which helps a ton. Next they solve a very common problem with melee classes in multiple ways with the different elements: range. For fire they give you the extended reach and damage, for wind you get a 30 ft ranged attack that can push and knock prone, and water gets either a pull or prone ability and those extra effects are greatly appreciated considering damage and all of those added effects and range are something martial characters don’t get too frequently. Lastly their abilities fill a goal that most parties should strive for: every person concentrating on a spell. Another person being able to concentrate on spells allows for more opportunities to open up to the rest of the party. Lastly, a common concern for this subclass is it destroys ki points, and my counterargument to that is that the subclass has a similar problem to warlocks at most tables: parties very rarely short rest, if the game was played with recommended 2 short rest per day that triples the amount of ki points the monk can use daily.
Assuming level 17 & 2 short rests per day: the monk can cast fireball 9 times at 3rd level and 3 times at 4th level which isn’t great at burst damage, but you certainly are able to fireball in every combat at least twice as opposed to a wizard who can really only meteor swarm once per day
I agree with you on this!! Way of the Four Elements are horribly designed!! It should be resigned.
@@jamesrichardson3322 I think you might want to re-read what I wrote.
@@Exisist5151 I was just giving my personal opinion on the Way of the Four Elements, I do really dislike it!! D&D need to fix it.
@@jamesrichardson3322 but like. You said you agreed with me, then proceeded to disagree with me.
Everyone always brings up the Last Airbender when it comes to elemental monks. I picture more the Three Storms from Big Trouble in Little China.
It lets me think about qiyana from LOL XD
i ruled it differently for the Avatar Monk in my group. he can switch out the spells in the morning similar to wizards, but he can only switch out two and cant switch them around until he took a long rest.
Explain?
@@soulessweeb8106 it feels better, makes more sense and encourages/rewards strategic planning.
I’m trying to make an Earth Genasi monk, came around for some tips on playing him
I personally love it :P . Lots of fun with RP. In combat I use it as a croud controlling semi tank thingy.
Four Elements spellcasting is very similar to Warlocks where you regain Ki on a short rest. Your incredible mobility helps, but yeah, you own your Disciplines.
RP can be strong in concept even if it isn't nessecarily in terms of mechanics.
Zeter Zero agreed! This class has a very flavorful theme behind it, but we give our ratings based on the abilities. Definitely non-mechanic RP potential for something unique! Thanks for watching :)
@@URGE Thanks for making the video!
I think the class is a great way to make a stylized Taoist monk. I am currently playing a tempest cleric that will slide to monk at level 4 or 5. I stumbled into the tempest cleric who is questioning where power really comes from, no offense Anhur. Huge upside if you give the class time to percolate to power. IMHO
I would actually rate this subclass the exact opposite: 4 in RP, and 1.5 in combat, because the mechanics are really poor compared to the other Monk archetypes (Ways).
But for RP, on the other hand, we have TONS of source materials to look up to for creating a deeper lore
(Avatar Aang, come on).
dimiaraujo90 when scoring RP we are already assuming people will be RPing their background and spells. We look at the abilities that the subclass gives and rate it Based on how we think those abilities could improve RP. In this case, basically all abilities are combat centered (we mention this toward the end) and the lore is awesome but again we weren’t counting that side. Combat we gave it higher because it adds more utility to the base class. Push/pull abilities are good, gaining aoe spells for a melee class gives more situational benefits, and then there’s fly which can be a game changer for melee classes. We do agree with what you’re saying, but in this case we are scoring on different viewpoints! Hope that clears it up a bit! Thanks for watching!
@@URGE
I was not expecting the exclamation point.
Btw. Can I have magic tattoos with this monk way......with this monk archetype?
ok so interrogation method, monk with the water control. place person who is not talking on to a frozen lake and slowly start to melt the ice making it thinner and thinner till they talk or they fall in and another one of the spell casters freezes over the hole.
I hear so many gripes about how much more casting a caster gets. But a Monk is a martial class. Compare it to a Paladin or Ranger, keeping in mind that you get your Ki back on a short rest, and it compares very well. In fact, given the way the Monk can pick and choose his Ki usage, this subclass gets more consistent magic usage than either Paladin or Ranger, and WAY more than EK or AT.
As far as rp, I really don't know what you want here. This subclass turns a baseline Monk into the Avatar. There is no other subclass that packs such a cinematic theme.
if you're gonna have a martial get spells as a main feature, then its entirely fair to compare it to casters.
@@Mystravian did you read? do you understand the words?
Not everything with spells is a caster. Hell, Totem Barbarians get spells. Are they casters?
As stated, Elements Monks get use of their features at a level that compares very well with other PARTIAL casters like Paladins, Rangers, Eldritch Knights and Arcane Tricksters. None of them get a lot of magic. It is to augment their martial features, not replace them.
@@ChristnThms you're missing the point, its that they gave this monk casting as its main class feature, thats it, thats all they gave it, so as core center to its being, it should begin to stack up to caster's because it is much more equivalent than the other classes youve named.
@@Mystravian well no. That is patently false. First off, no Monk gets the spellcasting feature (which is a specific thing). Second, they do not give up the rest of their class features to become elemental monks, and thus always have the martial features of the rest of the class. Thirdly, there are other classes (already given in examples) which are also martial in nature, and gain (actual) spellcasting, whose usage is comparable to what the elemental monk gets.
Your pretense that because they get a couple spell-like features, that they cannot do anything else, and thus must be measured on that single feature is an outright lie. If that had merit, then each of those other example classes would be comparably weak. But, the fact that Paladins are among the most popular, and that EKs and ATs rank highly as well, is proof that the martial/magic hybrids aren't inherently weak.
If you want a true casting class, play that. There are even pure casting classes with a bit of martial flavor (Swords Bard and Bladesinger spring to mind). Then you can have your magic attacks every round.
Monks are not a terribly powerful class, in any subclass. The fact that people aren't happy with the elemental subclass compounds that, but it is an emotional reaction. It is NOT based on fact.
The fact is that using Ki points to cast the spells in an elemental monk gives comparable usage to the magic provided to the other partial casters.
@@ChristnThms They get spells as the main and only feature of their subclass. Don't be obstinate. I never said they can't do anything else, in a literal sense, but their subclass should be good at the thing they are designated to do by the subclass. It's basic game design.
Again, other classes with true casting features get more features than, specifically, this monk.
Honestly I think way of the four elements shouldn't be a subclass but a optional feat for a monk specifically called Chi casting and a second feat should double/quadruple the chi points you have
With Correction form Jeremy Crawford. You can use 'Shape The Flowing River' to make walls of ice to trap enemy's so long as they aren't IN the ice. You can also shape the ice however you want when you make it. Meaning you can make houses for 1 ki point that last indefinitely. Or More practically trap people inside a block of ice keeping in mind you also can't target them but have instead trapped them.
Thanks for the clarification. We try to catch these sage advice updates, but sometimes we miss them. It does make the ability more useful, but depending on your DM, the ice cage could be pretty fragile :) Thanks for watching!
@@URGE With the way its worded I think its meant to be used whenever you want but was worded poorly. And I want to clarify that if you put someone in an ice block that the inside has to be hollow.
Does the video even say anything about earth other than wall of stone?? Earth is my favourite element...
@@janwarlock Nah Earth is just stoneskin for 5 ki.
@@lockskelington314 as usual...earth getting the short end of the stick while fire is so overpowered...
@3:30 isn't there a limit of ki you can spend per round?
Also, I see so many people saying this SubClass is great- but I don't see the math on how much you can do before taking a rest. I have a hard time visualizing most monks making it to 5th level. But even worse, the Constitution saves of most monsters is going to beat your DC a majority of the time. That's the whole reason for this subclass- if you know you can't do a stun (like on an Undead or a construct) but because all the spell effects are so expensive, you really need to be able to put down your opponent THAT ROUND, because you WILL RUN OUT OF KI!
shape water- place spikes under falling enemy = damage.... shaping it causes no damage but its still causes damage if impaled upon lol
Running this class first time, any tips on what disciplines to get? :D
Flavor is pretty huge and customizable in this archetype, so my first suggestion is to use whatever you think fits your character. Even if your spell choices dont work well in some situations, you can still fall back to beating your targets in melee.
I personally like starting with Unbroken fist since it gives you range, it gives you another option for fighting (and potentially knocking prone) flying enemies. Water Whip can also work just as well, but it's in my opinion better for if your looking to engage enemies in melee... which you probably will want as a monk lol. Sweeping is gonna help you a lot early on, as it will be your only means of crowd control.
I think otherwise every option really is useful, EXCEPT the one that let's you cast Gust of wind. While it's not useless, your ki points are gonna be pretty precious until later levels and you really dont want to just throw them around to just push enemies. Dedicated spell casters can get away with that since they have more spell slots available
Hope this helped :)
honestly the problem i don't think is in how many spells it can cast. we don't shit on the warlock for having only 2 spells and the four element monk has more options in how many spells they cast then them. i think the problem is in how many spells they get. lets do a comparison: how many spells do you know, warlock (also regains spells on a short rest), sorcerer (lowest amount of spells for a full caster), ranger (lowest amount of spells for a half caster) and arcane trickster (spell casting subclass):
lv 3: warlock: 2 cantrips, 4 spells; sorcerer: 4 cantrips, 4 spells; ranger: 3 spells; arcane trickster: 3 cantrips, 3 spells; monk: 1 cantrip, 1 spell
lv 5: W: 3 cantrips, 6 spells; S: 5 cantrips, 6 spells; R: 4 spells; AT: 3 cantrips, 4 spells; M: 1 cantrip. 1 spell
lv 8: W: 3 - 9, S: 5 - 9, R: 0 - 5, AT: 3 - 6, M: 1 - 2 or 0 - 3
lv 12: W: 4 - 11, S: 6 - 12, R: 0 - 7, AT: 4 - 8, M: 1 - 3 or 0 - 4
lv 15: W: 4 - 13, S: 6 - 14, R: 0 - 9, AT: 4 - 10, M: 1 - 3 or 0 - 4
lv 20: W: 4 - 15, S: 6 - 15, R: 0 - 11, AT: 4 - 13, M: 1 - 4 or 0 - 5
this is ignoring subclasses and class features (like book of shadows or mystic arcanum).
wizards realized quick that the ranger needed more spells and every subclass since the PHB (except the drakewarden which gets a whole new pet to play with) get 5 extra spells over their career, and 5 more if you use primal awareness instead of primeval awareness. same with the new sorcerer subclasses. people want to have options in play, which is exactly what the four elements monk does not have. they don't get the versatility of spells, they just get to pick from features like the hunter ranger picks from features. except that unlike the hunter ranger the four elements monk can't just use their features and they eat through resources at an insane rate. to make this monk subclass fun spells need to either be cheaper instead of using all of them in 2 rounds if you use your subclass, or you need to have way more options so the cost is balanced by being more versatile.
Id prefer it to be kinda a half caster and maybe your remaining ki points can inhance the spells ... so u can have melee combat and not have to worry too much where youre spending
Burning hands gets a dex save and stunned creatures auto-fail dex saves, so i think that one is worth adding to the list for the synergy. I agree that this monk is really poor mechanically.
Hey urge I need your advice. Right now I'm playing a level 5 kensei human monk with these stats. 8 strength, 16 dex, 10 intelligent, 14 constitution, 15 wisdom and 8 charisma. Any advice I think his stats are fine but I still want your input
I think you'll do just fine! As a DM, I always love players that have characters with stats under 10 because it presents some interesting Roleplaying opportunities. For example, your Monk may be weak and bad at talking, but maybe he doesn't think he is. This kind of thing could make for some great moments! One note as a DM is if I am having players roll their stats, if the total of their character's scores is less than 70, I allow them to reroll everything. In your case, you are at 71 total so you should be good to go! Again, just try to make the most of the RP situations!
Natsuuuuuuuuuu 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 with elemental adept (fire) and pink hair 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 fire ball a guy in the face as you hold/stun him 🔥🔥🔥
Everyone: *Does nothing*
People: *Still nothing*
Someone random on the internet: hehehe, 6 dislikes will actually matter! 😱😂
I'd say it's kinda funny that you guys point out that at level 17 (capstone)... you can get to spend over 1 third of your Ki at one time just to cast 1 cone of cold... 1 level 5 spell that wizards have been casting multple of since level 9 lol. and that's at 17th level... instead of using all of the base monk abilities that are much better... This is such a poorly designed class, and it's been known for a long time. I'd assume you guys haven't played it, just read it, right? I think this class was created as a lark. when they were making they just glossed over it, and literally put no thought into it outside of trying to make a bender. It's common to just use any of the remastered versions, or it just feels like you've decided to play the base monk class while using 1 or 2 of the abilities out of combat, bc at mid to higher levels the base monk abilities far outstrip the sub class abilities
Silver Jaiden the subclass does feel very lackluster indeed. The spellcasting is purely “over priced” but we did like the option to use spells as another tool in your belt. The other good thing is you recharge Ki points on short rest, but again we felt that the best choices are the utility options like increased reach, pushing, pulling, flying, etc. these utility options stack pretty well with some of your base class options, but again the subclass as a whole is somewhat meh thought we think the concept is pretty fun. Thanks for watching!
I'm actualy not bothered at all by this, it's a front line melee dodge tank why do people expect it to cast with a wizard but then not complain that the wizard sucks in front line melee. The wizard gets more casts because that's all he damn well has and once his finite spell slots are up hes gonna get wrecked because he cant cast Fist!
@@fuzzydragon well... I'd say that maybe you misunderstand the point of the archetype, or archetypes in general. Bladesinger wizards actually CAN stand frontline because that's the point of the archetype and that allows them to have a particular playstyle that other wizards don't. There are actually several wizard builds that can frontline... I don't mean to say that MONKS should be casters. I mean that if they are gonna actually create a monk caster ARCHETYPE, then it should be proficient at the job... or there's no point for the archetype. The Way of the 4 Elements, isn't the same as other monks, just like Bladesingers aren't the same as other wizards. They just did a poor job of creating the fantasy, to the extent that the vast majority of the time you play a book version of the Way of the 4 Elements, it's like you are playing the base monk with no archetype at all... which is a severe disadvantage compared to all other monks, and archetypes..
I'd say it is at least on par with AT and EK. Honestly though sometimes mechanics should take a back seat to fun factor though. Personal opinion mind you.
@@zeterzero4356 they arent at odds and often have a complimentary relationship, rather than the opposite.
Cost too many ki points to use these abilities. Rip off.
Ugh, no, technically you can't spend 20 KI points of fangs of the fire snake, because there is a general rule setting a maximum limit for spending KI points on one spell.
Limrasson there is a lot of debate around this as this is technically an ability, not a spell. If I was the DM, I would allow it because the book says specifically that Spells have limits not abilities. Also, if a player wants to blow all their point in one attack, go for it. The amount of damage is negligible compared to other level 20 classes anyways and they will cripple themselves utility wise afterwards. That being said, I’m sure some DMs would also lump it into the “spells” pool as well. If you’re wanting to make this kind of character and this type of ability is important to you, make sure you ask your DM how they would handle it. Thanks for watching ;)
The biggest drawback about this subclass is the taxing misuse of ki points casting some of these spells!! You wouldn't be able to use your basic monk abilities(Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, Step of the Wind, STUNNING STRIKE)!!!!! I'll do everything possible to avoid this subclass AT ALL COSTS!!!!!
You're not old enough... I'm only aware of avatar because of the movie. There are plenty of 80s sources to draw upon.
Also the word you want is "diversity".
Loved seeing yalls take on a classic subclass, Here is my video on remaking the subclass to give a bit more power and flavor
ruclips.net/video/Lvo9E7XZoW4/видео.html
Do u guys know what rp is? So, u just mentioned how to roleplay as the avatar or in that universe and it gets a 1.5 in rp. Second, each subclass gives how many abilities? And how much choice does this have? Third, this is not a caster, you can't compare it to a caster. Compare it to a rogue, a fighter, a paladin or a monk with a different subclass. Smh!
Boss Tripp Boss Tripp you are misunderstanding HOW we score RP. We are already assuming as a player that you will be RPing your character via backstory, spell/ability usage, interacting with the environment, etc. We are saying that this subclass does not add much RP value to the base class. If you are already RPing your spells and abilities, you are getting basically 0 extra RP value from this subclass. Hope that clears it up. Thanks for watching!
Boss Tripp Boss Tripp as for your other points, most other subclasses get multiple upgrades and some choices. Warlock gets lots of choices like this in addition to other abilities at different levels. Same deal for fighters (especially eldritch Knight). We compare it to a caster slightly (more half or 1/4 caster) because basically half of your choices are allowing you to cast spells. Hey it’s the internet. These are just our opinions and we know not everyone will agree! Thank you for watching and giving your input :)
URGE TV warlock is a caster, monk is not... don’t compare it to casters, because it’s not a caster.
URGE TV so how foes being able to knock people down when you hit them add more than creating a fire wall?
@@BossTripp1 dude, you're being really obstinate. Other monk classes get more things. Other half and third casters still get subclass features.
this is the worst subclass