Are 5E monks as dull as in BG and neverwinter nights?

[sick duck]

When I think of Monk I think of Bruce Lee. Bruce wasn't dull at all, he was an expert martial artist who held nothing back. It wasn't all just fists and hands to slap and punch people, he would elbow, tackle, hop around, he would grapple, throw, slam, kick, and knee, and he would use weapons too, like his iconic nun-chucks or staves. You could really make a decent portion of an RPG style system based just on Bruce Lees techniques.

[Carnasid]

So the way DnD works, all those flourishes you are complaining about Monks not having are all up to you, the player, to describe to the table when you make an unarmed attack.

As Mercer says: How do you want to do this?

[Hades]

Originally posted by Joseph:

When I think of Monk I think of Bruce Lee. Bruce wasn't dull at all, he was an expert martial artist who held nothing back. It wasn't all just fists and hands to slap and punch people, he would elbow, tackle, hop around, he would grapple, throw, slam, kick, and knee, and he would use weapons too, like his iconic nun-chucks or staves. You could really make a decent portion of an RPG style system based just on Bruce Lees techniques.

All 3 of those are D&D games that follow D&D rules . Personally i like the monk from 3.5e rules set of NWN but did not liked the early Monk of BG1 . Haven't play with a 5e Monk but i see some good stuff and the new 5e monk subclass's are a big plus .

[ULTRA]

As of 5E monks seem kinda like a battle master (fighter archetype) that attacks faster instead of having larger damage rolls and relies on AC and saves more than HP. Ultimately the way you "roleplay" a monk in 5E is mostly about crowd control and moving around too fast to be meleed.

[Dr.Gloom]

Pure Monks in NWN are so and so, not bad, but compared to Fighter, they are not on the same level. Multiclass Monk, on the other hand, is a monster.

[Hades]

Originally posted by Mountain Man:

As of 5E monks seem kinda like a battle master (fighter archetype) that attacks faster instead of having larger damage rolls and relies on AC and saves more than HP. Ultimately the way you "roleplay" a monk in 5E is mostly about crowd control and moving around too fast to be meleed.

Haven't try yet a monk on 5e .But of the monk subclass i agree some of those look like a fighter archetype , but one subclass is like an assassin/rogue archetype and one like a elementalist/mage archetype .

Way of the Drunken Master XGtE

Despite the name, Way of the Drunken Master has no mechanics related to drinking. If you want your character to pantomime drinking while being totally sober, that is within the rules. Beyond that minor weirdness, the subclass is fantastic. It caters well to hit-and-run tactics which help to keep the monk alive and out of range of direct attacks. However, the only directly offensive option it offers is Intoxicating Frenzy at 17th level. If you think you'll do enough damage based solely on core Monk features, but are worried about staying alive, the Drunken Master is an excellent option.

Way of the Four Elements PHB

Highly customizable, and many of the options are absolutely fantastic. Monks have issues with flight, crowds, and enemies resistant to weapon damage, and way of the Four Elements fixes all of those problems. However, there are only a handful of good options at any given tier, which negates much of the customizability aspect, and the abilities consume your Ki very quickly, competing with core monk options like Flurry of Blows. Also, because some of the abilities allow you to cast a spell you're vulnerable to counterspelling and issues like resistance or immunity to spells.

Way of the Long Death SCAG

Exceptionally tanky, Way of the Long Death makes the Monk very difficult to kill, but lacks useful offensive or utility options.

Way of the Open HandPHB

The "vanilla" option for the Monk. Open Hand offers some excellent, well-rounded options that really help to squeeze the most utility out of the Monk's core abilities.

Way of the Kensei XGtE

The biggest draw of the Kensei is that it opens up some martial weapons to the Kensei. While that offers a minor damage boost and access to reach via whips, the wording of Agile Parry (maybe accidentally) invalidates the Kensei's most notable feature. A smart Kensei will typically forgo one weapon attack in order to benefit from Agile Parry's AC bonus. That means that your weapon is most meaningful from levels 6 through 10, but even then it's average boost of 1 damage per round over what a spear would offer. At higher levels where your AC will generally be better after several Ability Score Increases, the damage difference between your martial weapons and the normal Monk damage die isn't enough to matter, so the AC from Agile Parry is typically more useful. If you use magic items in your game, the Kensei may be salvageable if you can find a sufficiently appealing magic weapon, but that may be a big assumption to make in many campaigns.

Way of Shadow PHB

Way of Shadow takes the Monk, a Fighter-equivalent, and makes them into a Rogue-equivalent. While the flavor is a lot of fun, and some of the mechanics are glashy and exciting, the Monk lacks built-in abilities to capitalize on stealth and surprise, so you may often feel like you are emerging from the shadows to gently tickle an opponent where a Rogue would be emerging to deal a massive pile of Sneak Attack damage.

Way of the Sun Sou lSCAG

The Sun Soul Monk tries to bridge the gap between the Monk's melee capacity and the ranged capacity of a blaster of some sort. The abilities are very sustainable since most of them don't require Ki to use, but without spending Ki their damage is pitiful, so you will frequently find yourself burning through your Ki pool early, then resorting to punching things. I think Way of the Four Elements (possibly with Magic Initiate to pick up a ranged cantrip) does essentially the same thing to much greater effect.

from ( https://rpgbot.net/dnd5/characters/classes/monk/subclasses.html )

I hope monk will have all subclass not just PHB

[Dragon Master]

I like the Ki Points monks have in 5E. Able to increase their movement speed like a rogue, give an enemy disadvantage on their attacks because the Monk has prepared a defensive stance, or do extra attacks like a fighter.