I made a strength based half orc monk with a level in barbarian and the mage slayer feat. They thought magic was for the weak. He only ever used brass knuckles, and wore a giant maul slung across his back called the "the diplomat" but when ever the party would say "hey it might be time to pull out the big guns" while fighting a dragon or something, he would say, "nah, that's for real emergencies" I basically played him like Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China.
We had a monk in our party once named Terrick. He was a dragonborn Way of the Astral Self and was very similar to your disease concept. Essentially his astral form was a sort of Astral parasite that used the monastery Terrick grew up in as a sort of breeding ground, the monks believing that the form was simply a part of their monastic teachings, a result of their efforts in self-perfection. Terrick himself was a pretty reckless man, launching himself into dangerous situations, knowing/unknowing that his form/parasite would keep him alive. By the end of that campaign he lost one arm and an eye, both replaced by the artificer in the party after their losses. It took a trip to the astral plane to figure out what was really going on with Terrick, who was rather shocked to find a very disgruntled parasite attached to his soul. The parasite, who called himself Chuck, spent most of the introduction yelling at Terrick for his reckless action, stating that it was very hard to keep such a suicidal host alive.
My favorite monk was built as a master tavern brawler, using anything and everything as a weapon. Went Kensei and picked “improvised weapons”; nothing like killing a dragon with a taxidermy poodle for a memorable character (helped he had a very low int to make him a lovable himbo)
Made a goblin fighter that was similar. He was a cook in a tavern before leaving to find someonethat appreciated his cooking. With the tavern brawler feat and thrown weapon fighting style he would throw utensils, pots and pans at his enemies. (Or people that insulted his culinary abilities). His name was Spat'Chula
On my shortlist of characters to play next is a Way of the Drunken Master monk reflavored as "Way of the Rolling Sea." A scrappy sailor with really good sea legs.
I went to a very personal place for my monk focusing on my autism/adhd as the theming and flavor of his powers. Hyperfocus, impulsivity, the need to be active, contrasted with the absolute need for routine and meditation to manage anxiety and stimuli. Gameplay wise I additionally went for a reflavoring/reskin of the Astral Path, figuring that as he gets more in touch with his neurodivergence and understanding the difference between him and a neurotypical he becomes more consciously aware of the astral plane and bridging the gap between it and the material plane, allowing his true self to unmask and present itself in the material world. His Astral form is not just a representation of his ki, it is how he actually sees himself and the physical body that everyone interacts with has always been an imperfect approximation. His path of study and progression to enlightenment is to reconcile the fact that he is not a child of the material plane and whether he wants to try and remain in the material plane or ultimately return to his home plane. A struggle I off and on think on and discuss with a psychologist, whether it is worth masking and trying to be accepted in neurotypical society or to remain unmasked, true to myself, and likely very alone.
I had an idea for what I call the Monster Soul Monk, they transform their bodies into aspects of monsters briefly to attack, for example a stunning strike they might turn their arm in a giant ogre arm or grow a muscular reptilian tail, flurry of blows might be a burst of quills or growing multiple scythe limbs to pummel an enemy, grow a pair of wings or gliding membranes to slow fall, growing tentacles or scales or turning oozelike to deflect missiles, turning ethereal for evasion, etc.
I always like the idea that a monk is the perfect monster hunter as they can end charm and frighten, have evasion, don't rely on gear, move fast, have prof in all saves, reflect projectiles, survive large falls, and can lock down foes. They basically hard counter anything even the most esoteric of monsters can throw at them.
I think few of my favorite concepts have been a Warforged Long Death Monk reflavored as an undead and a mad scientist 4 elements Monk whose disciplines are reflavored as volatile potions.
@@TheClericCorner While most medications are a mystery to most audiences, there are a few whose native source is more familiar. Willow bark as a precursor to aspirin, or bread mold as that of penicillin, are the usual examples; others, such as poppy extract for a sedative or foxglove extract for heart trouble, are more obscure, but still recognizable to viewers who take an interest Therefore, in order to show that a primitive healer, herbalist, or apothecary is genuinely skilled, not ignorant or a fraud, they're shown administering one of these (very) few recognizable Real Life proto-drugs to patients in need. Never mind that a historical physician of the era may not know about the medicine in question, or be capable of extracting the active substance from its raw state in the proper dosage (foxglove is helpful in small amounts for heart trouble; in large amounts it causes heart failure), or that another little-known remedy from the period might be safer and more effective: it's always the treatment audiences will recognize that gets used. Can be an example of Viewers Are Geniuses, for the more obscure remedies. Subversion of Artistic License - Pharmacology. Does not apply to fictional medications or recreational stimulants, as use of such drugs does not demonstrate legitimate medical know-how. Use of an unspecified or fictitious cure-all herb falls under Healing Herb.
I'm currently playing a drunken master dancer monk that uses a staff with rings/bells, which he swings and stomps on the ground marking crazy and random-like rhytmic patterns. He draws his ki from a Goddess of Destruction and Chaos and manifest it during the fight through chaotic and unpredictable dancing steps, using the flavour of drunken master. It has been a really fun character to play with!
One of my favourite, yet unplayed, characters is a religious Way of Shadow monk, who believed every living being is in fact formed from the dead body of the Shadow God coating a sliver of the light of creation. by ritualistic sacrifice, he could free the light of creation, and use his will to keep the Shadow God trapped inside him
I love your idea for the Enhanced Monk. I thought of something similar when they revealed the Ascended Dragon Monk. My idea was an Ascended Dragon Monk in the Izzet Guild on Ravnica, whose abilities came from an enhanced jumpsuit - their mobility came from some minor boots of speed, their bursts of energy from a blaster or gauntlets like Yang from RWBY, etc.
I like the idea of an evil monk. Street urchin that has fast hands. When eventually caught by the mob of a sprawling city, he got an offer he couldn't refuse. 10 years later he's the top enforcer of a crime syndicate, or a bodyguard that's very unassuming until its time to throw hands
Honestly, both my monks have been somewhat atypical. Yari was a Scourge Aasimar Sun Soul Monk Pirate I played in a birthday oneshot for my brother where all the PCs were long lost half siblings (and by extension, half human) brought together by their Bard father to discuss who would take over his inn in Waterdeep. She manifested her class features as a way to control her inner radiance, a la Radiant Consumption. I even had her eyes and mouth glow at varying intensities depending on her mood, only to have them blacken after using her Radiant Consumption for the day, along with some scorch mark "freckles" as an result of her self damage. Adulese on the other hand, is a Lizardfolk Kensei Monk Guild Merchant, trying to learn how to make magic arms and armor from creatures. The big twist is he fights with a sword and shield. While not mechanically optimal, between the natural armor, shield, and Agile Parry, I tend to be the party tank with 19 AC. Rather than being part of a monastic order, he's more of a tribal warrior using guerilla tactics to either run in, chomp, and back off, or to snipe with homemade blowgun needles dipped in poison he harvested himself (yay Poisoner feat). He even paints camo on his leather tower shield with his Way of the Brush proficiency. Thanks to the bonus feat the DM gave us at Lv1, I was allowed to take the UA Shield Training feat for shield proficiency and the ability to doff or don my shield as my free Interact with Object on my turn, enabling a faster attack mode and a slower but more durable defense mode that I can change up round to round.
talking about dancing fighting styles look up Cappadocia. The history for this fighting style is something about a country outlawing fighting so they learned to fight while dancing. I could be wrong but thats what I remember.
AH! i just found out how to work with the stripper kick boxer. she can have a bunch of quarter staves that are sharpened on one end. basically, she stakes them into the ground in various parts of the battlefield and uses them for leverage to strengthen her strikes and maneuver quickly
I have some ideas. Some of these are slight re-flavorings and some of these are way out of left field. The Banshee: This is not so much a monk but a terrifying force of nature. Terrifying screeching being who shouts so loud that they deal bludgeoning damage. The martial arts, punching, stunning strike, slow fall, step of the wind etc are all flavoured as screaming really, really LOUD! Any monk subclass can work, though open hand and drunken master flavored as screaming could be fun. The Divine: This is a religious acolyte who has answered a calling from a higher power. This power grants them spell Divine energy that fuels various miraculous feats. Any subclass can fit. If you worship a Nature Deity then 4 Elements. If you worship a war deity then Kensai. If you worship a God of mercy then Way of Mercy. If you worship an evil deity then maybe Long Death or Shadow. The Gregorian: This Monk is the ultimate minimalist. Humble, charitable, kind, self-sufficient, and calm. They only carry essentials in regards to possessions. They will only take what they need and will share any extras with those less fortunate than them. All of the Monk Ki abilities would be renamed with Western-inspired names (basically translated into Latin). The Way of the Open Hand could fit this one. The Psion: This is a powerful magic user, but instead of using Arcane or Divine magic, the Psion taps into a mysterious lesser-known set of powers. Grabbing Telekinetic and Telepathy feats work well. Subclasses that work well are 4 Elements for the Wind Disciplines and Shadow Monk for some creepy spells. The Revenant: You are a spirit that has possessed a corpse. Your spiritual energy grants you various supernatural powers that fuel your fighting. The Way of The Long Death could fit this kind of macabre and disturbing build. The Weightless: This concept will require some discussion with the game master. You are someone who can magically alter yourself to become as light as a feather. This allows you to glide through the air with great ease. You can move effortlessly. I recommend getting the Mobile Feat to ignore difficult terrain. Any subclass fits though only one gives you wind powers. Way of the 4 Elements has some features that could help.
The extractor monk you described basically encapsulates the idea I came up with tonight for a Variant Human with Eldritch Adept: Devil’s Sight as a Way of Shadow. He would be part of a cultish-temple that is, in fact, led by a devil that has lived on the material plane for several generations of this cult, thanks to deals made by the original cultists. All the members either have some sort of demonic influence like this variant human character, who’s eyes are Blood Red because of having the devil’s blood dripped in his eyes after birth, or are demonic in heritage (aka, Tieflings). The cult is kinda a Dark Brotherhood themed situation, mainly spies and assassins who practice various martial arts or magics (so Gloomstalker rangers, shadow sorcerers, fiend/hexblade warlocks, shadow and mercy monks, assassin/soul knife/phantom rogues, etc). I like to imagine the cult has a “calling card” of sorts with either black roses, or black moths being left at the site of their work.
Rune Crafted Monk. Magic imbued into the monk to increase their abilities. If you have ever played RIFTS think the Atlantean Tattooed Warrior, that has magical tattoos on their body that they can activate, such as a flaming sword tattoo that when activated becomes a flaming sword in their hands.
Some of the coolest monks can be created by choosing non-monk races. A forest gnome monk would be adorable, but I also like the idea of a shifter monk or goliath monk. Also, because so much of the monk archetype is drawn from Eastern culture, I think it’s fun to lean into that. I’m workshopping a goliath mercy monk who wears a demon mask when he patrols at night, calling himself Oniyoru, the demon of the night.
Lol I have a monk who's an alcoholic tabaxi from the circus, who did acrobatic performances (I had watched Madagascar 3 for that idea lol). He is way of the drunken master, he swigs whisky from his flask for Ki. xD But after watching this, I love the sumo idea, a big fella that bludgeons with his belly as well as his fist haha.
I'm sorry if this sounds rude but when you finish the series could you do 10 more ideas per class I love this series I also have the idea of a monk who learned to be a monk through MMA before this video came out and was hoping it would be in here and behold the boxing monk
Not rude at all! 😊 I appreciate feedback because it's the only way I know what you like! I've actually thought about going through them again and have more ideas too. So if more people comment about it, I'd love to! And I'm happy you related to the boxer monk!
Great video! I have played an Aarakocra astral self monk who grew spectral wings. He had a cloak of a thousand eyes (or whatever that perception one is that let’s you see in all directions) and served the All Seeing Eye. The other one was an elemental monk, an air genasi. Pretty standard fare. And you already know I’m going to ask for the blood Hunter being next!
Amazing! There's not nearly enough content on reskinning and reflavouring. I hope you do this for races too. Especially monstrous races, so I can throw them at my players and watch them try to deduce which statblock I'm using xD
Making a 4 elements monk ( I’m revising the subclass to make it better ) character inspired by the avatar ( i know, how original ), but I’m adding a whole element system with a lot more variety of elements, for example: Ying Yang, Chaos, Order, Time, Tech, Metal, Ooze, Nature, Chi, Spirit, Dream, etc. as well as the main elements and more. The character is a female Water Genasi that mastered the main elements but is on a journey to master all of these extra elements to gain enlightenment. She has to visit temples across the land dedicated to a specific element and meditate. While doing this she enters a mental dungeon based on said elements and has to conquer this space to gain the ability to use the elements. At the end of these mental dungeons is a boss elemental of the temple elements.
Here's a couple things I did with the monk: one was making a character that was as close to a displacer beast as I could get, with an astral self wildhunt shifter, reflavoring the arms of the astral self as the tendrils of the displacer beast, and the shifting feature being really similar to the displacer beast's displacement feature and avoidance just being the monk's evasion without the restriction to dex saves. Another was making a conduit a la Cole from Infamous with a sun soul monk 16/shadow sorcerer 4 character, the shadow sorcerer primarily being for the strength of the grave feature which works well with conduits being difficult to kill in the Infamous lore (plus, spellcasting and meta magic is good). There's also my tabaxi monk that started as me just making a literal cat, that, in actually playing her, turned out to be a literal cat *burglar* with stoner vibes. Only got to play one game with her that ended with a poor transition to virtual, but it was fun while it lasted.
I designed an astral self hobgoblin who is missing both his arms. He reaches into the astral plane to pull his soul into a physical manifestation of what his body should be and uses pure will power to do damage (wis) instead of strength or dexterity
I had four ideas for Monks that I loved and wanted to share: The Twins, one is a Way of the Four Elements Monk that is just a chef who got a little overzealous when tenderizing meat and they seek out rare and new ingredients by force with their sibling being a Way of Mercy Monk who is a healer that runs a pharmacy. If their chef sibling's cooking makes someone I'll, they come to heal them. And if the customer gets on their nerves, they become a "Harmacist", breaking bones and charging excess fees to heal them. One is a sort of "Warlock" who's power comes from the bar they own. The connection to their patrons grants them great power through the strange magic within the air. Typically, they could have a past as a criminal like being former Yakuza and chose to be more peaceful, while still taking guff from nobody. My personal favorite is a "martial sorcerer" who was an urchin that grew up on the streets and their wisdom, understanding, perception and insight is enhanced by their connection to an urban environment. I love the idea of a Cobalt Soul Monk urchin who learned how to read people and their environment in a similar fashion while shirking what could have been great arcane power in favor of more visceral beat downs or using their speed more to help smuggle items because no one else can really catch them. Bonus: An evil Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk that's a rich benefactor to the party, joining them to study and learn about the potential greatest threats to their goals. They have a hit list and aren't afraid to steal or kill, trying their best to hide their deeds from the party with gifts and loot until one of them starts looking a bit...too closely into their actions. The facade drops and a one on one chat is had about ignorance being bliss and how the monk know,s all too well how they sleep, where they sleep, the exact times their specific bodily functions happen...they know everything about their party and they're not afraid to use that against them. They then go back to their usual selves and keep up appearances.
The T1000 Monk has my imagination. Could also be Venom in a way. Some sort of living substance beneath the monk's skin that bursts out in a sinewy mass that takes the shape of hammers or spears attached to the monk's arms. Makes for a pretty disgusting but rad Astral Self Monk.
Nice ideas - Ancestor Patron Warlock, Open Hand Monk. This Afliction Monk that chooses who gets sick? That's pretty sick! Monks in the new version... do they get fighting styles? I think I just confused what you said with the term used for Fighters/Rangers.
Besides Ranger, Monk has been one of those character classes that got swathes of revisioned homebrews and even ones that does what monk was doing but better (case in point Benjamin Huffman's Pugilist). I've yet to play monk but i feel intimidated due to its bad rep especially post Tasha's and post Fizban's.
I am going to be making a bartitsu style monk for a Victorian era dnd 5e game coming soon. Any suggestions for subclass that would fit best? Thank you so much!
i love how open minded you are about these. druggie old man? hell yeah. stripper kick boxer? hell yeah. here's one: mental/political assassin. astral monk. reads peoples' ki to determine how best to approach them without alerting them to malicious intent, can whisper things to distant allies (things like signals and such), they can make subtle kicks under the table at people too far for a normal person to reach (which results in false accusations), and they can see in magical darkness which helps them do things where most creatures can't see
My first character is going to be an Enhanced Monk who happens to be a Goliath. Who is going to follow the "Sword Hand and Shield Arm" Path(I'm going to try to homebrew it).
My idea:make a monk of tharizdun living in a monastery on one of the largest mountains in ur world and said mountain was left ravaged permanently in a war of the gods that tharizdun lost but this monastery awaits a chosen paladin you will be assigned to search for and their job will be to release tharizdun onto the earth to bring upon true destruction
@@TheClericCorner Nah, it's alright. I just found it kinda funny when you used it as an example picture. Aside from that, I did get a few ideas to better flavor my next monk. Though looking back, the one symbiote character I have been able to put down on (digital) paper was a rogue-barian mix that would be mostly split down the middle if they ever reach level 20. And thanks to the plasmoid race from the Monsters of the Multiverse unearthed arcana, I can better play the character.
Clerics corner huh?? You want a better monk take at least a one level dip or more two of the channel divinity is good or just gels that well with your monk subclass. Think Gem dragon With twilight channel divinity and shadows monk. Or upcasting a burning hands from light domain with a spell slot + however many ki points you can spare on a short rest. ☝️ You may even be able to use wildfire druid for that 💩. Either way get booming blade cantrip and crusher preferably sentinel and find familiar as well.
I made a strength based half orc monk with a level in barbarian and the mage slayer feat.
They thought magic was for the weak.
He only ever used brass knuckles, and wore a giant maul slung across his back called the "the diplomat" but when ever the party would say "hey it might be time to pull out the big guns" while fighting a dragon or something, he would say, "nah, that's for real emergencies"
I basically played him like Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China.
That sounds so fun! 😂 Honestly think barbarians would be so cool with magic cancellation
We had a monk in our party once named Terrick. He was a dragonborn Way of the Astral Self and was very similar to your disease concept. Essentially his astral form was a sort of Astral parasite that used the monastery Terrick grew up in as a sort of breeding ground, the monks believing that the form was simply a part of their monastic teachings, a result of their efforts in self-perfection.
Terrick himself was a pretty reckless man, launching himself into dangerous situations, knowing/unknowing that his form/parasite would keep him alive. By the end of that campaign he lost one arm and an eye, both replaced by the artificer in the party after their losses.
It took a trip to the astral plane to figure out what was really going on with Terrick, who was rather shocked to find a very disgruntled parasite attached to his soul. The parasite, who called himself Chuck, spent most of the introduction yelling at Terrick for his reckless action, stating that it was very hard to keep such a suicidal host alive.
Wow I love this!! A soul parasite is such a fun narrative!
My favorite monk was built as a master tavern brawler, using anything and everything as a weapon. Went Kensei and picked “improvised weapons”; nothing like killing a dragon with a taxidermy poodle for a memorable character (helped he had a very low int to make him a lovable himbo)
Oh nooooo 🐩😂 I love it
Made a goblin fighter that was similar. He was a cook in a tavern before leaving to find someonethat appreciated his cooking. With the tavern brawler feat and thrown weapon fighting style he would throw utensils, pots and pans at his enemies. (Or people that insulted his culinary abilities). His name was Spat'Chula
On my shortlist of characters to play next is a Way of the Drunken Master monk reflavored as "Way of the Rolling Sea." A scrappy sailor with really good sea legs.
Ooh, love the reflavor!!
I went to a very personal place for my monk focusing on my autism/adhd as the theming and flavor of his powers. Hyperfocus, impulsivity, the need to be active, contrasted with the absolute need for routine and meditation to manage anxiety and stimuli. Gameplay wise I additionally went for a reflavoring/reskin of the Astral Path, figuring that as he gets more in touch with his neurodivergence and understanding the difference between him and a neurotypical he becomes more consciously aware of the astral plane and bridging the gap between it and the material plane, allowing his true self to unmask and present itself in the material world. His Astral form is not just a representation of his ki, it is how he actually sees himself and the physical body that everyone interacts with has always been an imperfect approximation. His path of study and progression to enlightenment is to reconcile the fact that he is not a child of the material plane and whether he wants to try and remain in the material plane or ultimately return to his home plane. A struggle I off and on think on and discuss with a psychologist, whether it is worth masking and trying to be accepted in neurotypical society or to remain unmasked, true to myself, and likely very alone.
I had an idea for what I call the Monster Soul Monk, they transform their bodies into aspects of monsters briefly to attack, for example a stunning strike they might turn their arm in a giant ogre arm or grow a muscular reptilian tail, flurry of blows might be a burst of quills or growing multiple scythe limbs to pummel an enemy, grow a pair of wings or gliding membranes to slow fall, growing tentacles or scales or turning oozelike to deflect missiles, turning ethereal for evasion, etc.
The diseased monk sounds like a Deadpool variant and I am all for this.
Lol I can live with that!
I always like the idea that a monk is the perfect monster hunter as they can end charm and frighten, have evasion, don't rely on gear, move fast, have prof in all saves, reflect projectiles, survive large falls, and can lock down foes. They basically hard counter anything even the most esoteric of monsters can throw at them.
I think few of my favorite concepts have been a Warforged Long Death Monk reflavored as an undead and a mad scientist 4 elements Monk whose disciplines are reflavored as volatile potions.
Both of those sound so fun!!!
@@TheClericCorner While most medications are a mystery to most audiences, there are a few whose native source is more familiar. Willow bark as a precursor to aspirin, or bread mold as that of penicillin, are the usual examples; others, such as poppy extract for a sedative or foxglove extract for heart trouble, are more obscure, but still recognizable to viewers who take an interest Therefore, in order to show that a primitive healer, herbalist, or apothecary is genuinely skilled, not ignorant or a fraud, they're shown administering one of these (very) few recognizable Real Life proto-drugs to patients in need. Never mind that a historical physician of the era may not know about the medicine in question, or be capable of extracting the active substance from its raw state in the proper dosage (foxglove is helpful in small amounts for heart trouble; in large amounts it causes heart failure), or that another little-known remedy from the period might be safer and more effective: it's always the treatment audiences will recognize that gets used.
Can be an example of Viewers Are Geniuses, for the more obscure remedies. Subversion of Artistic License - Pharmacology. Does not apply to fictional medications or recreational stimulants, as use of such drugs does not demonstrate legitimate medical know-how. Use of an unspecified or fictitious cure-all herb falls under Healing Herb.
I'm currently playing a drunken master dancer monk that uses a staff with rings/bells, which he swings and stomps on the ground marking crazy and random-like rhytmic patterns. He draws his ki from a Goddess of Destruction and Chaos and manifest it during the fight through chaotic and unpredictable dancing steps, using the flavour of drunken master. It has been a really fun character to play with!
I had a monk that was a brawler, a strength based monk and ki came from her will to fight
Love that! I could even see that going green lantern-style
@@TheClericCorner she was a drunken master but if I used sun soul maybe
@@Empressofnight Oh no, thats perfect! I was just referencing will-type magic
@@Empressofnight this! is! for! my! family! (flurry of blows go brrrr)
I did a similar thing. I called my ki points; “Gritt”
One of my favourite, yet unplayed, characters is a religious Way of Shadow monk, who believed every living being is in fact formed from the dead body of the Shadow God coating a sliver of the light of creation. by ritualistic sacrifice, he could free the light of creation, and use his will to keep the Shadow God trapped inside him
Oooohh 😮
I love your idea for the Enhanced Monk. I thought of something similar when they revealed the Ascended Dragon Monk. My idea was an Ascended Dragon Monk in the Izzet Guild on Ravnica, whose abilities came from an enhanced jumpsuit - their mobility came from some minor boots of speed, their bursts of energy from a blaster or gauntlets like Yang from RWBY, etc.
Absolutely!! And ive heard great things about that show!
I like the idea of an evil monk. Street urchin that has fast hands. When eventually caught by the mob of a sprawling city, he got an offer he couldn't refuse. 10 years later he's the top enforcer of a crime syndicate, or a bodyguard that's very unassuming until its time to throw hands
Honestly, both my monks have been somewhat atypical. Yari was a Scourge Aasimar Sun Soul Monk Pirate I played in a birthday oneshot for my brother where all the PCs were long lost half siblings (and by extension, half human) brought together by their Bard father to discuss who would take over his inn in Waterdeep. She manifested her class features as a way to control her inner radiance, a la Radiant Consumption. I even had her eyes and mouth glow at varying intensities depending on her mood, only to have them blacken after using her Radiant Consumption for the day, along with some scorch mark "freckles" as an result of her self damage.
Adulese on the other hand, is a Lizardfolk Kensei Monk Guild Merchant, trying to learn how to make magic arms and armor from creatures. The big twist is he fights with a sword and shield. While not mechanically optimal, between the natural armor, shield, and Agile Parry, I tend to be the party tank with 19 AC. Rather than being part of a monastic order, he's more of a tribal warrior using guerilla tactics to either run in, chomp, and back off, or to snipe with homemade blowgun needles dipped in poison he harvested himself (yay Poisoner feat). He even paints camo on his leather tower shield with his Way of the Brush proficiency. Thanks to the bonus feat the DM gave us at Lv1, I was allowed to take the UA Shield Training feat for shield proficiency and the ability to doff or don my shield as my free Interact with Object on my turn, enabling a faster attack mode and a slower but more durable defense mode that I can change up round to round.
Both of those sound incredibly fun!! Giving off both willy wonka, and monster hunter vibes, respectively 😂
talking about dancing fighting styles look up Cappadocia. The history for this fighting style is something about a country outlawing fighting so they learned to fight while dancing. I could be wrong but thats what I remember.
AH! i just found out how to work with the stripper kick boxer. she can have a bunch of quarter staves that are sharpened on one end. basically, she stakes them into the ground in various parts of the battlefield and uses them for leverage to strengthen her strikes and maneuver quickly
Beautiful! And can't forget those sharpened stilettos! 😁
I have some ideas. Some of these are slight re-flavorings and some of these are way out of left field.
The Banshee: This is not so much a monk but a terrifying force of nature. Terrifying screeching being who shouts so loud that they deal bludgeoning damage. The martial arts, punching, stunning strike, slow fall, step of the wind etc are all flavoured as screaming really, really LOUD! Any monk subclass can work, though open hand and drunken master flavored as screaming could be fun.
The Divine: This is a religious acolyte who has answered a calling from a higher power. This power grants them spell Divine energy that fuels various miraculous feats. Any subclass can fit. If you worship a Nature Deity then 4 Elements. If you worship a war deity then Kensai. If you worship a God of mercy then Way of Mercy. If you worship an evil deity then maybe Long Death or Shadow.
The Gregorian: This Monk is the ultimate minimalist. Humble, charitable, kind, self-sufficient, and calm. They only carry essentials in regards to possessions. They will only take what they need and will share any extras with those less fortunate than them. All of the Monk Ki abilities would be renamed with Western-inspired names (basically translated into Latin). The Way of the Open Hand could fit this one.
The Psion: This is a powerful magic user, but instead of using Arcane or Divine magic, the Psion taps into a mysterious lesser-known set of powers. Grabbing Telekinetic and Telepathy feats work well. Subclasses that work well are 4 Elements for the Wind Disciplines and Shadow Monk for some creepy spells.
The Revenant: You are a spirit that has possessed a corpse. Your spiritual energy grants you various supernatural powers that fuel your fighting. The Way of The Long Death could fit this kind of macabre and disturbing build.
The Weightless: This concept will require some discussion with the game master. You are someone who can magically alter yourself to become as light as a feather. This allows you to glide through the air with great ease. You can move effortlessly. I recommend getting the Mobile Feat to ignore difficult terrain. Any subclass fits though only one gives you wind powers. Way of the 4 Elements has some features that could help.
The extractor monk you described basically encapsulates the idea I came up with tonight for a Variant Human with Eldritch Adept: Devil’s Sight as a Way of Shadow. He would be part of a cultish-temple that is, in fact, led by a devil that has lived on the material plane for several generations of this cult, thanks to deals made by the original cultists. All the members either have some sort of demonic influence like this variant human character, who’s eyes are Blood Red because of having the devil’s blood dripped in his eyes after birth, or are demonic in heritage (aka, Tieflings). The cult is kinda a Dark Brotherhood themed situation, mainly spies and assassins who practice various martial arts or magics (so Gloomstalker rangers, shadow sorcerers, fiend/hexblade warlocks, shadow and mercy monks, assassin/soul knife/phantom rogues, etc). I like to imagine the cult has a “calling card” of sorts with either black roses, or black moths being left at the site of their work.
The Wildhunt monk reminds me of the character Kevin from Trials of Mana!
I'm not too familiar, but it absolutely could work!!
Rune Crafted Monk. Magic imbued into the monk to increase their abilities. If you have ever played RIFTS think the Atlantean Tattooed Warrior, that has magical tattoos on their body that they can activate, such as a flaming sword tattoo that when activated becomes a flaming sword in their hands.
Yeah absolutely!!
Some of the coolest monks can be created by choosing non-monk races. A forest gnome monk would be adorable, but I also like the idea of a shifter monk or goliath monk.
Also, because so much of the monk archetype is drawn from Eastern culture, I think it’s fun to lean into that. I’m workshopping a goliath mercy monk who wears a demon mask when he patrols at night, calling himself Oniyoru, the demon of the night.
Lol I have a monk who's an alcoholic tabaxi from the circus, who did acrobatic performances (I had watched Madagascar 3 for that idea lol). He is way of the drunken master, he swigs whisky from his flask for Ki. xD But after watching this, I love the sumo idea, a big fella that bludgeons with his belly as well as his fist haha.
That spirit guide monk is a good idea
I'm sorry if this sounds rude but when you finish the series could you do 10 more ideas per class I love this series
I also have the idea of a monk who learned to be a monk through MMA before this video came out and was hoping it would be in here and behold the boxing monk
Not rude at all! 😊 I appreciate feedback because it's the only way I know what you like! I've actually thought about going through them again and have more ideas too. So if more people comment about it, I'd love to! And I'm happy you related to the boxer monk!
Great video! I have played an Aarakocra astral self monk who grew spectral wings. He had a cloak of a thousand eyes (or whatever that perception one is that let’s you see in all directions) and served the All Seeing Eye. The other one was an elemental monk, an air genasi. Pretty standard fare. And you already know I’m going to ask for the blood Hunter being next!
Haha I've been hearing a few people ask about the blood hunter! Might have to make one! For now, my blood magic video should tie people over 😂
Amazing! There's not nearly enough content on reskinning and reflavouring. I hope you do this for races too. Especially monstrous races, so I can throw them at my players and watch them try to deduce which statblock I'm using xD
YES! Honestly thats a huge reason why it is so fun! I really want to start doing races too! We will see if its just as popular! lol
A lot of great ideas in this video! I'm developing my first monk character and you've given me a lot to think about. Thanks!
Making a 4 elements monk ( I’m revising the subclass to make it better ) character inspired by the avatar ( i know, how original ), but I’m adding a whole element system with a lot more variety of elements, for example: Ying Yang, Chaos, Order, Time, Tech, Metal, Ooze, Nature, Chi, Spirit, Dream, etc. as well as the main elements and more. The character is a female Water Genasi that mastered the main elements but is on a journey to master all of these extra elements to gain enlightenment. She has to visit temples across the land dedicated to a specific element and meditate. While doing this she enters a mental dungeon based on said elements and has to conquer this space to gain the ability to use the elements. At the end of these mental dungeons is a boss elemental of the temple elements.
Here's a couple things I did with the monk: one was making a character that was as close to a displacer beast as I could get, with an astral self wildhunt shifter, reflavoring the arms of the astral self as the tendrils of the displacer beast, and the shifting feature being really similar to the displacer beast's displacement feature and avoidance just being the monk's evasion without the restriction to dex saves. Another was making a conduit a la Cole from Infamous with a sun soul monk 16/shadow sorcerer 4 character, the shadow sorcerer primarily being for the strength of the grave feature which works well with conduits being difficult to kill in the Infamous lore (plus, spellcasting and meta magic is good). There's also my tabaxi monk that started as me just making a literal cat, that, in actually playing her, turned out to be a literal cat *burglar* with stoner vibes. Only got to play one game with her that ended with a poor transition to virtual, but it was fun while it lasted.
I LOVE the displacer beasts! That's so cool!
damn pretty nice video here!! congrats
Oh i can imagine! Great combo!
i cant wait for ranger and bloodhunter if you get around to it
Ranger absolutely!! If I get more hype around the blood hunter, I'd love to do that too!
@@TheClericCorner i cant wait
A hip-hop dancer monk is going to be my next character!!
YES!
I designed an astral self hobgoblin who is missing both his arms. He reaches into the astral plane to pull his soul into a physical manifestation of what his body should be and uses pure will power to do damage (wis) instead of strength or dexterity
Dude, that intro was hilarious
I had four ideas for Monks that I loved and wanted to share:
The Twins, one is a Way of the Four Elements Monk that is just a chef who got a little overzealous when tenderizing meat and they seek out rare and new ingredients by force with their sibling being a Way of Mercy Monk who is a healer that runs a pharmacy. If their chef sibling's cooking makes someone I'll, they come to heal them.
And if the customer gets on their nerves, they become a "Harmacist", breaking bones and charging excess fees to heal them.
One is a sort of "Warlock" who's power comes from the bar they own. The connection to their patrons grants them great power through the strange magic within the air. Typically, they could have a past as a criminal like being former Yakuza and chose to be more peaceful, while still taking guff from nobody.
My personal favorite is a "martial sorcerer" who was an urchin that grew up on the streets and their wisdom, understanding, perception and insight is enhanced by their connection to an urban environment. I love the idea of a Cobalt Soul Monk urchin who learned how to read people and their environment in a similar fashion while shirking what could have been great arcane power in favor of more visceral beat downs or using their speed more to help smuggle items because no one else can really catch them.
Bonus: An evil Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk that's a rich benefactor to the party, joining them to study and learn about the potential greatest threats to their goals. They have a hit list and aren't afraid to steal or kill, trying their best to hide their deeds from the party with gifts and loot until one of them starts looking a bit...too closely into their actions.
The facade drops and a one on one chat is had about ignorance being bliss and how the monk know,s all too well how they sleep, where they sleep, the exact times their specific bodily functions happen...they know everything about their party and they're not afraid to use that against them. They then go back to their usual selves and keep up appearances.
Top class content again mate
Cheers on the video
Thanks man been waiting for some ideas for monk's
Yay! Hope it proved useful!!
The T1000 Monk has my imagination. Could also be Venom in a way. Some sort of living substance beneath the monk's skin that bursts out in a sinewy mass that takes the shape of hammers or spears attached to the monk's arms. Makes for a pretty disgusting but rad Astral Self Monk.
Absolutely! I have a subclass for it up on my website. Maybe it fits your vision!
@@TheClericCorner I'll have to give it a look then.
Missed opportunity to call the Wildhunt monk the Return to Monk(e)
the first 2 would be great with a warforged
Oh heck ya! Or the new autognome coming out lol
LOTS of great ideas in this one!! Love the T-1000 idea, along with the Stoned Monk 🤣 that's a personal favorite concept.
Lol thanks!! T-1000 would have to be my favorite too 😂. Curious what you would do with the stoned monk!
I was thinking a Drunken Master Monk with a Druid dip who grows their own cannabis and uses it as a muscle relaxer to to be more flowy in combat
Those brewers supplies will come in handy for some nice "infused tea" 😂
@@robbinridunk haha we all know what they be using druidcraft for 😂
Dm: you can't do this this is medival fantasy
Artificer: it's steam powered
Mugatu: they're breakdance fighting!
Capoeira!
huh nice!
😎
I want to play a warforged t1000 monk now
Me too!!! Though I'd probably go the blood route
These are some really awesome ideas ngl
Learned to hunt with their Bear hands?
:D
THE DANCER IS MY FAV CUZ KPOP DANCES
The amount of kpop gifs in my discord right now would be a testament to that 😂
@@TheClericCorner as it should be!
Nice ideas - Ancestor Patron Warlock, Open Hand Monk.
This Afliction Monk that chooses who gets sick? That's pretty sick!
Monks in the new version... do they get fighting styles? I think I just confused what you said with the term used for Fighters/Rangers.
Besides Ranger, Monk has been one of those character classes that got swathes of revisioned homebrews and even ones that does what monk was doing but better (case in point Benjamin Huffman's Pugilist).
I've yet to play monk but i feel intimidated due to its bad rep especially post Tasha's and post Fizban's.
Yeah, those opinions can seem daunting with all the bandwagoning. Got a monk in my game right now and it's awesome. Do you!
If your DM hands out short rests frequently and if they set up combat arena where you can do cool things, you'll have fun. It's often DM dependent.
I like the bridge monk but I’m trying to figure out how to use the spells for that
I am going to be making a bartitsu style monk for a Victorian era dnd 5e game coming soon. Any suggestions for subclass that would fit best? Thank you so much!
shadow monk
levistus tiefling
perfect ninja
i love how open minded you are about these. druggie old man? hell yeah. stripper kick boxer? hell yeah.
here's one: mental/political assassin. astral monk. reads peoples' ki to determine how best to approach them without alerting them to malicious intent, can whisper things to distant allies (things like signals and such), they can make subtle kicks under the table at people too far for a normal person to reach (which results in false accusations), and they can see in magical darkness which helps them do things where most creatures can't see
Oh HELL yeah!! I'd even like to see all of these in one party! All monks but SO different!
this t-1000 monk already exist, check "path of living weapon" monk
My first character is going to be an Enhanced Monk who happens to be a Goliath. Who is going to follow the "Sword Hand and Shield Arm" Path(I'm going to try to homebrew it).
Scratch the name, I'll have them as Spells for "Way Of The Mountain God"(going to have techniques that focus around things good for a Goliath).
My idea:make a monk of tharizdun living in a monastery on one of the largest mountains in ur world and said mountain was left ravaged permanently in a war of the gods that tharizdun lost but this monastery awaits a chosen paladin you will be assigned to search for and their job will be to release tharizdun onto the earth to bring upon true destruction
Love your vidoes but WHAT is the movie that the gif is from at 2:57?
Yeee! Quest for Camelot!! One of my favorite childhood movies
buff monk
3:22
>mentions creating weapons from your blood
>uses an image of All-Black, the sword forged from Knull's own shadow as the first symbiote
Hmmm...
Sorry you didn't get more out of the video!
@@TheClericCorner Nah, it's alright. I just found it kinda funny when you used it as an example picture. Aside from that, I did get a few ideas to better flavor my next monk.
Though looking back, the one symbiote character I have been able to put down on (digital) paper was a rogue-barian mix that would be mostly split down the middle if they ever reach level 20. And thanks to the plasmoid race from the Monsters of the Multiverse unearthed arcana, I can better play the character.
@@elizamalaguld9064 yeah, it was just a visual example more than a story one.
I'm excited to play plasmoids as well! Sounds like a fun character!
Clerics corner huh??
You want a better monk take at least a one level dip or more two of the channel divinity is good or just gels that well with your monk subclass.
Think Gem dragon
With twilight channel divinity and shadows monk.
Or upcasting a burning hands from light domain with a spell slot + however many ki points you can spare on a short rest.
☝️ You may even be able to use wildfire druid for that 💩.
Either way get booming blade cantrip and crusher preferably sentinel and find familiar as well.
On I thought I was being a little rediculous.
You lead off with robotic monk
Your consistently creative content has earned my subscription. Nice work!
Thank you so much! Glad to have you!!