honestly, DMs just cheese it and kill it off anyway. or at least the last 3 GROUPS (all different DMs) for whatever reason, everything always made the save. Always. Well, there was one DM, that where the very first time I used it, it worked. I tell him my following attack and everyone else gets advantage (which he was taken aback, he didn't realize that would happen), which promptly killed said orc, then suddenly it just never worked again. The thing that kills me is...I just like monks. I am not trying to min max or break a system, I just really like them, and DMs don't get, that stun is basically to save our butts. Our AC is good, but its not that good and just a few hits generally can kill us, plus the idea is not to try and dominate the combat, but to assist the others. But make an ability never work and constantly getting punished makes the game just zero fun to play. (please DMs, just be honest and tell a player if you don't want that kind of role or mechanic. Don't just "allow" it and then turn around and make it useless and even worse, use it as a reason to punish the player.)
I don't think there are firearms in D&D? But you can catch arrows and spears and etc. Damn good to be a monk!! I play a Monk The Way of the Ascending Dragon.
Favorite things I have done as a monk: -stunning strike a troll - jump out a two story window after an assassin, land on my feet, book it down the street and land a killing blow on the dude -start a food fight MONKS
As a 5th level monk I managed to jump out of a crashing airship (80ft) drop and survive taking minimal fall damage, stun a wind elemental, and essentially solo some Warforged pirates with my bare hands, before stealing one of their crossbows and returning fire..
I mean, it's the only class that lets you catch bullets with your bare hands aND THEN YEET THEM BACK. Why wouldn't anyone loooove playing one? Monks are, without a doubt, the most badass class of the game. They even stop experiencing the physical effects of aging after some point.
@Doobdoob3 IIRC, Archdruids experience all effects of aging normally, but they age at a much slower rate, which means they live longer. Monks age at a normal rate and live the normal amount of time, but their STR/DEX/CON stats don't go lower as they age (while WIS/INT/CHA stats increase as normal).
The way I've heard some of the monastic traditions being described as such: Way of the Open Hand turns you into Bruce Lee Way of the Drunken Fist turns you into Jackie Chan Way of the Sun Soul turns you into Goku Way of the Four Elements turns you into the Avatar Way of the Shadow turns you into Batman
yeah, you can reduce the damage of that thing. 1-> step of the wind, to jump to the flung boulder 2-> deflect that shit and take the remaining damage 3-> save the city/Ship/whatever
@Follow the howl Boulders thrown by giants are ranged weapons: " Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target . Hit: 30 (4d10 + 8) bludgeoning damage." - MM page 154 Cloud Giant But you are correct on the first part, a monk can't catch it because it's too big.
@@1timemelody1 Short answer: Ask your DM. Slightly longer answer: Somwhere on the internet I've seen a calculation concluding a hill giant's boulder is about the size of a basketball, maybe a litttle bigger. So I would say it's in the realm of possible.
Fun tip: Play a monk from a race with a tail (Lizardfolk, Tiefling, Tabaxi, et al) and you can have hours of fun pretending to unarmed strike people with your extra limb :P
@@tonywilson5708 Monks aren't even that good, lmao. Meh DPR, MAD, and Stunning Strike is their one really good feature, but most monsters have really good CON. You're mathematically incorrect.
@@TheRealDerohneNick I looked at the Kensei Monk and the features themselves don't seem all that inspiring. compared to other monastic traditions. I just saw a high potential for lots of damage. I could probably have a lot of fun with the concept itself, but the class features wouldn't really be what aided me in that regard. Am I missing something?
Anyone else want a basic character choice handbooker helper? That gives tips to new players on how to chose between the basic classes? I love the quick builds but I wish there was a quick explanation of each of the class types in one video. Like a remix of the 1st couple of sentences of each of the quick builds. Just to give a new player some direction on what they may want to play as.
Lauren Strohl yep and it’s great. Just want a more curated visual version of it. So I can easily share it with new players and they don’t get overwhelmed. Then once they choose direct them toward the quick build video of their choice 👍
Ricardo Saltos maybe one video for races and then one video for classes. I feel like subclasses per class will eventually be their own video later on. Like “Leveling up a Druid. . . Rogue. . . Monk. . .etc”
@@CitizensTea Check out "What class should you play" and "Which race should you play" by XP to Level 3. These videos aren't perfect, but give a pretty good overlook of all the options.
The monk in my group used stunning strike on a medusa with his straw hat pulled down over his eyes, twice. Then after she'd taken a few arrows to the chest from the rest of the group who was outside her range for being turned to stone, he stepped behind her and cut her head off with his katana. He then picked it up and chased off her cronies with it. Fucking monks man. She was my big bad, and he made a chump out of her. With his eyes closed.
My monk once used his LAST ki point to unleash his FoB on the Bugbear leader of a group of goblins. Rolled 3 d20s at once. Critted on ALL THREE. Basically, reached into his chest, and pulled out and showed him his still beating heart. The goblins pissed themselves and ran.
I once played a Drunken Master monk. They are basically the rogues of the monk class and they are very fun to use. Tipsy Sway is awesome for redirecting melee attacks if you're tanking multiple foes.
Truly a great video. That bit at the end was just hilarious. People should keep in mind that monks don't have to be ninjas or come from a monastery or temple for their background. You could even call yourself a pugilist or street fighter or spy and reskin Ki as willpower or grit for something different without having to make all new features. Strength based Monks are also viable.
marisha, if you read this, i just wanted to say thank you for all you do for the pen&paper community. You are really appreciated, greetings from germany :)
Oh, and of course, one small addendum: Unarmored Movement. You got bonuses to your speed when not wearing armor. Starts at +10 at level 2, and increases by 5 at certain levels until it caps off with +30. And at 9th level, you'll be able to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during your move.
Adam Schwartze [TiamatZX] Which is super fun at high levels, plus even a single level in rogue, because the ability to move across the entire map as a melee character is wonderful
That'd depend on what disciplines you pick. Plenty of them don't need your wisdom at all. Also, ki is limited and the disciplines are usually expensive so can't be used often. Dex is still probably going to be more important overall.
@@wedlock94 reread his post he basically already said the discipline. Way of the Four Elements. I'm playing an Aarakorca Monk WotFE with a 22 WIS and a 20 DEX and would much rather have that as I want my save DC as high as possible for my elemental attacks and ki abilities.
@@McBabe12329 I mean the elemental disciplines, the abilities the four elements give you. Not the archetype. Dex is still generally more important as you're going to be punching things a lot more than you're going to cast spells that use wisdom.
@@FulcanMal Their current version is actually pretty good. It adds so much more and makes it able to play with the rest of the big bois img.4plebs.org/boards/tg/image/1493/78/1493789345926.pdf
Lol to the catch bullets portion. It's true you can yeah. Can even deflect a boulder thrown by a giant. Might not be able to catch it to throw back but if the giant's boulder/rock throw whatever the name of the attack is again rolls low damage, you have a chance to negate the damage completely. But while that might be a cool and impressive feat the first time, you not going to do that the second time with the next rock coming your way. At least if you are one of the core monks anyway since one reaction only vs what the Cobalt Souls get.
I needed this video so bad! I was just about to create a monk and had no idea where to start. When I went to look yesterday there wasn’t a quick build yet. I guess they heard me... Thanks so much!
I had my DM sighing whenever I used Divine Smite. " That's... 9 slashing and 18 radiant damage, for a total of 27. Now for my second attack... Oh! Natural 20!"
I wanted to say my biggest thank you to this video and CR in general. Because of this video I finally got the motivation and spirit to play a monk for my first ever game! I’m so excited and crazy nervous but I couldn’t have done it without this video, CR and Marissa Ray specifically. Beau really had an impact on me
Appreciate the help! Just started my first campaign, as a Homebrew Slimefolk Monk, already having a great time! I punched three raptors to death without taking a single hit because Monks are just so broken. I love it.
Not going to lie, I started playing a monk just so I could get to level 17 and use the Quivering Palm technique. Still have a bit to go, but so far it's been a blast!
Great vid, I've actually got a monk rolled up for D&D Adventure League next season. Way of the Drunken Master is a fun way to be an effective alcoholic.
I'm a drunken master who never drinks. I tend to make my character lie a lot and I once used the excuse that I was drunk to explain away being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Matheus Liuti "Only in concealing one's identity, can one truly be known." "The four elements, like man alone, are weak. But together they form the strong fifth element: boron." "He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who... sticks out in darkness... is... fluorescent!"
the leveling d4 also works for monk weapons! i went a bit outside the box for my monastic tradition, and went way of tranquility. it's AMAZING! you get 10x your monk level for healing hands, which is dope AF. so my monk is a semi-pacifist who will try to de escalate with words before kicking someone's ass (literally).
I watched this before playing my Monk last weekend, and it reminded me that Step of the Wind doubles your jump distance. In the session, I took a run up and jumped over our bear druid, the rust monster that he was fighting and landed behind it. I then proceeded to beat the living crap out of the monster with 3 punches with advantage. It was an awesome moment for me.
Love this video so much! You are brilliant Marisha! Everybody who plays a monk should do themselves a favor and remember to pick up a shortbow and some arrows. There will be times when you can't close the distance to any enemy or it is just unwise to do that. Having the ranged option is always nice.
thank you sooo much. Just being let loose ( by my son whos been coaching me.... im 66 and missed so much fun) back to point. Son is leaving things for me to research and find who and what i want to be. Im already playing D&D on line with a DM in Switsaland. We are in Hereford england. But my son sits by me and givs the nod or " I wonder who could cast a spell to clean the oil from the key" then nudges me... no one can see. we are voice only. Everyone knows im dislexic and have so much patience with me. just so much fun. But this new venture will be face to face around a table. In Hereford. I play a quiet charahter at the moment so chosen the Monk. wish me luck.
I have been waiting for this one!!! I love my monk Shadi. Fire genasi way of shadow. Was able to negotiate with my DM to let me hit with a flaming strike once per round, cause the produce flame cantrip is a natural ability of the fire variety of genasi. If i can use ki points to cast silence, darkness, or teleport via shadows, why can't i use my training to punch and kick with fire muawhahahaha!
Quick clarification/correction: You can use Dexterity for your attack rolls only if you're wielding a monk weapon You can do pretty much absolutely zero Cool Monk Stuff if you're wearing armour.
Yep, which is exactly the only way to play them, it’s the whole point. I feel like if it doesn’t give you proficiency in any armors, and all of the weapons you could ever need, it’s pretty clear, but maybe some super noobs wouldn’t realize that they can’t be a heavily armored monk
@@nephdrummond3168 I just wanted to make it clear that, in case your AC is better while wearing a breastplate or something (maybe you multiclassed to Fighter for the proficency), you can't use most ki abilities or Martial Arts.
Oh man, I play a monk in my campaign, and one of my favorite times I've used the deflect missiles ability, (little note, my DM has a table rule where if you fight against another player and it's a 1v1 fight, the fight is merely whomever rolls higher to do an action. So basically the two players roll a d20 and whomever rolls higher gets to attack first. If you roll a nat 20, you get to attack twice.) I threw a dagger at one of our player's dragonborn paladin, it rolled natural 20, but a rule my DM allows is the other person can roll a d20 to deflect, but it has to equal/exceed the initial roll, and he rolled a nat 20, so the dagger deflected off his shield and bounced back at my monk, so i used my ki point to grab the dagger out of the air, and throw it right back at him. Still one of my absolute favorite parts of our campaign.
Currently playing a roller disco master with a big Afro and shiny disco jumper. He calls ki “jive” and I flavored his increased speed to be part of his roller blading skills. His backstory involved him getting run out of his hometown for sleeping with somebodies wife, and going to a monastery with his friends that taught the “spider warrior way.” He was the only person who actually understood ki enough to graduate and for doing so he was marked with a huge back tattoo of a spider.
1:54 The d4 is also for monk weapons, not just unarmed attacks. Which means your monk weapon, such as a quarterstaff, can scale with your martial arts die too.
Yep, even just the attack+unarmed bonus gets you 2d10 at high levels. That’s pretty good. Add some fighter and the duelist style from level 2 fighter, and you have 3d10+2. With max str, and barb rage, you can do 3d10+23 or something. Obviously this isn’t the most damage you can do, but if you don’t realize that the damage scales, or that it applies to weapons, it’s a whole lot. Personally, I’d go for the drunken master level 17 effect with 2 levels of fighter for a total of 7d10+37.
Marisha really has a great speaking voice, and even though the script requires you to be a little bit more animated, I still feel it being honest coming from her (hard to do.) Kudos to Marisha, one of the best.
This episode was so fun to watch and easy to follow! The editing was amazing, I could almost hear the editor chuckling as they added the animation and funny details (4:07 and 4:50) . One thing tho: the letters appearing as a dark grey and then shifting to black was a bit weird and noticeable, even after reading the text it would change color and catch my attention again. Love what this channel is doing and being able to watch it grow is amazing.
Playing the video at 1.5 speed really makes Marisha radiate that awesome restless-monk energy. Damn does she want to be on a battlefield slapping faces and punching guts!
I am playing a Goliath Monk right now, and it is so much damn fun. I had a really tough time choosing my style (Daredevil/Batman, Avatar, drunken master, IP man etc.) but in the end settled for shaolin monk style, but kind of clumsy and heavy handed due to being a young goliath.
My first character was a halfling monk that used an ancient, soul sucking mist to heal people, and was generally the most wholesome being in all the land. It was truly glorious
Few of my favorite things about being a monk, A) You are never, EVER unarmed with any/every part of your body capable of using your unarmed strike (not just your fists woot), and B) Ki isn't negated by anti-magic spells/abilities! Finally C) Nunchucks. What more need be said?
Love Marisha so much! And she brings such a perfect energy to this video that I find myself tempted to play a monk... which is the one class I swore I would never stoop to playing because of how broken they are.
Playing a Monk atm and ended up with our dead paladins Boots of Striding and Springing: tldr is major mobility. Combine that with step of the wind and a creative DM and I've been able to enjoy a 70+ft/turn speed jump-turned-dropkick w/ attack roll if I aim my jump towards an enemy, thanks to all the modifiers to jump distance. Drop a stunning strike and the heat really turns up, so yeah monks can be alot of fun even with just rules as written possibilities. With additional DM creativity you can have a blast and a half in combat, so go get weird with it
I absolutely ADORE my 5e monk. Way of the Open Hand is such a classic feeling class to play, and really pulls together the idea that your character is the most powerful weapon you have. Super liberating now that I think about it. 🤔
So proud. I remember when Marisha had unlocked stunning strike, but hadn't really tried it. I'm screaming for her to use it! And then... she gives it a shot... and she quickly learned the monk motto: ALWAYS BE STUNNING!!!
Monks are OP and I love them! Especially if you make a Tabaxi monk because they have a climbing speed, which goes up as you level up (Because Monk) and they can double their speed for a round because cat. So, at level 4 you can go 80 feet straight up a cliff with just your movement. It's great.
When you said stunning strike i could hear matt sigh
Tbh you could hear any DM that has a monk in the party sigh
I know right.
@@McBabe12329 Seriously.
honestly, DMs just cheese it and kill it off anyway. or at least the last 3 GROUPS (all different DMs) for whatever reason, everything always made the save. Always. Well, there was one DM, that where the very first time I used it, it worked. I tell him my following attack and everyone else gets advantage (which he was taken aback, he didn't realize that would happen), which promptly killed said orc, then suddenly it just never worked again. The thing that kills me is...I just like monks. I am not trying to min max or break a system, I just really like them, and DMs don't get, that stun is basically to save our butts. Our AC is good, but its not that good and just a few hits generally can kill us, plus the idea is not to try and dominate the combat, but to assist the others. But make an ability never work and constantly getting punished makes the game just zero fun to play. (please DMs, just be honest and tell a player if you don't want that kind of role or mechanic. Don't just "allow" it and then turn around and make it useless and even worse, use it as a reason to punish the player.)
@@Ravenleaf182 I think you've just had some really shitty DM's.
Like bullets. You can catch bullets. And sometimes throw bullets back at people.
...
Monks.
Would that make your character a...bulletproof monk?
Catches bullets... with his teeth?!? Nigga please.
Catches bullets in his teeth... catches bullets in his teeth?!
When Monks have apparently seen too much anime.
@rkp0718 Ah yeah, that's true. Then again, if XP to Level 3 is anything to go by, so are Barbarians.
The day my DM realized my monk could catch bullets he died a little inside.
As a baby DM, it hurts me to think about it. I am simple creature, I liek me trap, I am the dumb, I no good at new trapies making.
If you use stunning strike and throw it at him he will be dead inside. Literally.
Small Canon balls. Nods
I don't think there are firearms in D&D? But you can catch arrows and spears and etc.
Damn good to be a monk!! I play a Monk The Way of the Ascending Dragon.
@@jamesrichardson3322 there is... and you can. Big smile
I appreciate that Avatar Shirt.
Especially since Keyleith was basically Ang.
I want that shirt!
Well they are a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors
@@patricklyons794 And Beau is basically Korra especially later in the series.
4:19 what does that shirt say?
Also who got a notification about my comment?
"You can count"
Bold of you to assume...
"im not so hot on the numbers"
*gets an Int of 6*
Me and Grog are best buds...and this pint of ale.
Unless you're Grog.
I was promised their would be no math.
Did she just assume my education level?
Favorite things I have done as a monk:
-stunning strike a troll
- jump out a two story window after an assassin, land on my feet, book it down the street and land a killing blow on the dude
-start a food fight
MONKS
Follow the howl NICE
The way you put it makes it so it sounds like everything happened one thing after the other, and I love it
As a 5th level monk I managed to jump out of a crashing airship (80ft) drop and survive taking minimal fall damage, stun a wind elemental, and essentially solo some Warforged pirates with my bare hands, before stealing one of their crossbows and returning fire..
One of the better videos in the Handbooker Helper series. You can tell Marisha looooves playing a Monk.
I mean, it's the only class that lets you catch bullets with your bare hands aND THEN YEET THEM BACK. Why wouldn't anyone loooove playing one? Monks are, without a doubt, the most badass class of the game. They even stop experiencing the physical effects of aging after some point.
@Doobdoob3 IIRC, Archdruids experience all effects of aging normally, but they age at a much slower rate, which means they live longer. Monks age at a normal rate and live the normal amount of time, but their STR/DEX/CON stats don't go lower as they age (while WIS/INT/CHA stats increase as normal).
@@dogucan97 I think you may be confusing the editions :D Those things you claim happened in 3rd edition! - but did not carry over to 5th
Monks are frickin amazing
@Colin Deal Aging is caused by cell death. A form of disease. And monks ARE immune to disease after a certain level.
The way I've heard some of the monastic traditions being described as such:
Way of the Open Hand turns you into Bruce Lee
Way of the Drunken Fist turns you into Jackie Chan
Way of the Sun Soul turns you into Goku
Way of the Four Elements turns you into the Avatar
Way of the Shadow turns you into Batman
And way of the astral self turns you into Jotaro
Nah Way of the Shadow turns you into Naruto
Gotta be something cooler than Batman or Naruto for Shadow.
Astral Self gives you a Susanno from Naruto.
"I love Jojo guys but come on!"
@@brucematheny7554 Nah Astral self turns you into a Sasuke.
“Sweet Jesus, did you instakill the Archer?”
“Yeah, I threw the arrow back at him”
Monks, man
Not the implication but it’s plausible
owatahfuhlyem Well he did walk on water lol
owatahfuhlyem *_Technically he is a monk because dude’s flexible as fuck and somehow doesnt age_*
Fun fact: Every time a monk says "Stunning Strike", A DM gets a headache.
can confirm
They actually take 4d6 "God damn it" damage.
Idk what game ya'll are playing but I never had any issues with monks
me, as a player: monk is so cool
me, as a dm: i hate monks so much
Fun fact: boulders are projectiles.
Mattia Salvetti holy shit
That's fucking amazing. You could punch back a god damn boulder as a monk
yeah, you can reduce the damage of that thing.
1-> step of the wind, to jump to the flung boulder
2-> deflect that shit and take the remaining damage
3-> save the city/Ship/whatever
@Follow the howl
Boulders thrown by giants are ranged weapons:
" Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one
target . Hit: 30 (4d10 + 8) bludgeoning damage."
- MM page 154 Cloud Giant
But you are correct on the first part, a monk can't catch it because it's too big.
@@deamon6681 what about under the effect of enlarge? is that enough of a size bolster to catch a boulder?
@@1timemelody1
Short answer:
Ask your DM.
Slightly longer answer:
Somwhere on the internet I've seen a calculation concluding a hill giant's boulder is about the size of a basketball, maybe a litttle bigger. So I would say it's in the realm of possible.
There's a typo. It's not flurry of blows it's flurry of Beau's.
Smart
All I could imagine after reading this is a Shadow Clone Jutsu but with Beau.
@@gagemusic6728 Maybe Beau could learn that in Xorhas.
God dammit, Barb.
She aint no slow-regard. :D
Fun tip:
Play a monk from a race with a tail (Lizardfolk, Tiefling, Tabaxi, et al) and you can have hours of fun pretending to unarmed strike people with your extra limb :P
You're brilliant
Loxodons can use their trunk for unarmed attacks.
Don't forget Dragonborn ;P
@@GrassPokeKing Dragonborns don't have tails, unfortunately. Lizardfolk do, however.
@@AguionStryke real ones do
1. Roll a monk
2. Stunning Strike
3. ???
4. Break the Game
Yep, monks boring and OP
@Tony Wilson I've played a Kensei Monk, so many possibility. One of the most interesting classes to play.
@@TheRealDerohneNick I disagree. Monks are too OP and game breaking.
@@tonywilson5708 Monks aren't even that good, lmao. Meh DPR, MAD, and Stunning Strike is their one really good feature, but most monsters have really good CON. You're mathematically incorrect.
@@TheRealDerohneNick I looked at the Kensei Monk and the features themselves don't seem all that inspiring. compared to other monastic traditions. I just saw a high potential for lots of damage. I could probably have a lot of fun with the concept itself, but the class features wouldn't really be what aided me in that regard.
Am I missing something?
I know I'm not the only one that appreciated the "Pop pop!"
Step 1: Make a Monk in a WWII or so scenario
Step 2: Be attacked by a bazooka projectile
Step 3: ??????
Step 4: Profit
Deflected a cannonball fired from an airship, its ANY nonmagical projectile. So, im saying you can deflect bullets by the way its worded.
It doesn't actually specify non-magical... Just a ranged weapon attack
Monk quickbuild
Wears Avatar shirt
Best show
Marisha the Last Airbender
I love that tank top
* Keyleth the Last Airbender xD
I'll let myself out...
She’d be such a good avatar
They missed such a valuable pun...
"There's probably a monk build amonkst these for you."
This natural makeup style on her REALLY looks great!! And I really like how Keyleth and Beau are both legitimately 'benders.
Beau isn't a Four Elements monk, though... she's the one from Matt's campaign setting, Cobalt Soul.
@@Linerunner99 r/Whooosh
Noverian I don't get it.
Keyleth is Aang, Beau is Suki
We're gonna need a meme of Marisha going "MONKS" like the "ALIENS" History Channel guy one
The NPC needed to progress the story mysteriously dies.
*MONKS*
Anyone else want a basic character choice handbooker helper? That gives tips to new players on how to chose between the basic classes? I love the quick builds but I wish there was a quick explanation of each of the class types in one video. Like a remix of the 1st couple of sentences of each of the quick builds. Just to give a new player some direction on what they may want to play as.
Like with each class or each subclass?
On the CritRole podcast, Campagin 1, Ep 12, Matt briefly goes over all of the classes and how to choose between them for new players!
Lauren Strohl yep and it’s great. Just want a more curated visual version of it. So I can easily share it with new players and they don’t get overwhelmed. Then once they choose direct them toward the quick build video of their choice 👍
Ricardo Saltos maybe one video for races and then one video for classes. I feel like subclasses per class will eventually be their own video later on. Like “Leveling up a Druid. . . Rogue. . . Monk. . .etc”
@@CitizensTea Check out "What class should you play" and "Which race should you play" by XP to Level 3. These videos aren't perfect, but give a pretty good overlook of all the options.
I love the energy she puts into this
The monk in my group booted a goblin into a wall so hard its head exploded.
The monk in my group used stunning strike on a medusa with his straw hat pulled down over his eyes, twice. Then after she'd taken a few arrows to the chest from the rest of the group who was outside her range for being turned to stone, he stepped behind her and cut her head off with his katana. He then picked it up and chased off her cronies with it. Fucking monks man. She was my big bad, and he made a chump out of her. With his eyes closed.
Your monk player sounds like he just made Luffy with a sword.
The monk in my group kept punching Baba yaga and succeeding in Stunning strikes until she was pulp!
My monk once used his LAST ki point to unleash his FoB on the Bugbear leader of a group of goblins. Rolled 3 d20s at once. Critted on ALL THREE. Basically, reached into his chest, and pulled out and showed him his still beating heart. The goblins pissed themselves and ran.
My monk once caught a huge ballista bolt and broke a couple of walls with it.
Uses a Ki Point: Uses Flurry of Comments
boi
boi
I once played a Drunken Master monk. They are basically the rogues of the monk class and they are very fun to use. Tipsy Sway is awesome for redirecting melee attacks if you're tanking multiple foes.
I just can't. That step of the wind at the end killed me. That was fantastic.
Truly a great video. That bit at the end was just hilarious. People should keep in mind that monks don't have to be ninjas or come from a monastery or temple for their background. You could even call yourself a pugilist or street fighter or spy and reskin Ki as willpower or grit for something different without having to make all new features. Strength based Monks are also viable.
marisha, if you read this, i just wanted to say thank you for all you do for the pen&paper community. You are really appreciated, greetings from germany :)
After watching her play a monk I was inspired to make my own and now I have completely fallen in love with the monk class
Oh, and of course, one small addendum: Unarmored Movement. You got bonuses to your speed when not wearing armor. Starts at +10 at level 2, and increases by 5 at certain levels until it caps off with +30. And at 9th level, you'll be able to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during your move.
OH SHIT i didn't know it kept improving! i need to update my monk's speed! she's level 9 now.
Adam Schwartze [TiamatZX] Which is super fun at high levels, plus even a single level in rogue, because the ability to move across the entire map as a melee character is wonderful
Oh man I love Marisha's charisma, such an awesome human. :D
Agreed.
"You can catch bullets. And sometimes throw bullets back at people. .. monks."
Btw if you want to go into avatar (4 elements) monk: go for wis for your highest stat instead of dex
That'd depend on what disciplines you pick. Plenty of them don't need your wisdom at all.
Also, ki is limited and the disciplines are usually expensive so can't be used often. Dex is still probably going to be more important overall.
@@wedlock94 reread his post he basically already said the discipline. Way of the Four Elements. I'm playing an Aarakorca Monk WotFE with a 22 WIS and a 20 DEX and would much rather have that as I want my save DC as high as possible for my elemental attacks and ki abilities.
@@McBabe12329 I mean the elemental disciplines, the abilities the four elements give you. Not the archetype. Dex is still generally more important as you're going to be punching things a lot more than you're going to cast spells that use wisdom.
Well if you go 4 elements don't go RAW... I asked my dm if I could play a reworked version of 4 elements and it was amazing!!
@@xristospallas1649 yeah, this too. Read it a long time a go so can't remember the balance but it looked much better than the phb version.
Now we need one for artificer and have sam do it
If only the Unearthed Arcana Artificer wasn't so lackluster. It could use some serious improvement.
@@FulcanMal Their current version is actually pretty good. It adds so much more and makes it able to play with the rest of the big bois img.4plebs.org/boards/tg/image/1493/78/1493789345926.pdf
you mean have Doty do it?
I'm so glad I rolled a monk for my first game in a few weeks. Deflect Missiles is going to be great
Have fun! :D
Lol to the catch bullets portion. It's true you can yeah. Can even deflect a boulder thrown by a giant. Might not be able to catch it to throw back but if the giant's boulder/rock throw whatever the name of the attack is again rolls low damage, you have a chance to negate the damage completely. But while that might be a cool and impressive feat the first time, you not going to do that the second time with the next rock coming your way.
At least if you are one of the core monks anyway since one reaction only vs what the Cobalt Souls get.
Yeeeeeee so glad we finally got to Monk. For anyone considering it I highly recommend. Definitely my favorite class.
I needed this video so bad! I was just about to create a monk and had no idea where to start. When I went to look yesterday there wasn’t a quick build yet. I guess they heard me... Thanks so much!
1. So glad Marisha's here for this, and 2. That Avatar top for the Monk video 👌
I now have the sudden urge to say, "Step of the wind," each time I leave a room. XD
I know it isn't in the handbook, but can we get the Bloodhunter quick build?
Yes please! Gunslinger too! Love those classes.
@@quinnwilder6990 Gunslinger is a Fighter archetype though. So just roll with a Dex based Fighter till you can choose the archetype at LVL3.
Which makes more sense than as a artificer.
YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES.
Yes! Blood hunter with Matt!!!
Thanks to you, I started as a Halfling monk at my new adventure this week.
I had my DM sighing whenever I used Divine Smite.
" That's... 9 slashing and 18 radiant damage, for a total of 27. Now for my second attack... Oh! Natural 20!"
I wanted to say my biggest thank you to this video and CR in general. Because of this video I finally got the motivation and spirit to play a monk for my first ever game! I’m so excited and crazy nervous but I couldn’t have done it without this video, CR and Marissa Ray specifically. Beau really had an impact on me
Appreciate the help!
Just started my first campaign, as a Homebrew Slimefolk Monk, already having a great time!
I punched three raptors to death without taking a single hit because Monks are just so broken. I love it.
recently rewatched season 1 when grog fought earthbreaker groon, marisha's reaction towards a sick monk in action was priceless.
My new battle cry Steppo DeWind!!!
you should make a monk called Steppo DeWind
@@CJVale Do eet
Not going to lie, I started playing a monk just so I could get to level 17 and use the Quivering Palm technique. Still have a bit to go, but so far it's been a blast!
BEAN Same with my warforged monk, I am only level 3 so far but I can‘t wait to just delete anything that fails its CON save.
I think I’ve cut 2-3 encounters rather short with stunning strike. My DM usually growls when it hits. 😂
Great vid, I've actually got a monk rolled up for D&D Adventure League next season. Way of the Drunken Master is a fun way to be an effective alcoholic.
I'm a drunken master who never drinks. I tend to make my character lie a lot and I once used the excuse that I was drunk to explain away being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"The Tiniest Stone Can Shiny The Greatest Of The Fish"
Matheus Liuti "Only in concealing one's identity, can one truly be known."
"The four elements, like man alone, are weak. But together they form the strong fifth element: boron."
"He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who... sticks out in darkness... is... fluorescent!"
Bold move of you to assume I can count past 3
She has points in physical appearance & in nerdiness ... nice build Marisha.. points well spent 👍
the leveling d4 also works for monk weapons! i went a bit outside the box for my monastic tradition, and went way of tranquility. it's AMAZING! you get 10x your monk level for healing hands, which is dope AF. so my monk is a semi-pacifist who will try to de escalate with words before kicking someone's ass (literally).
I watched this before playing my Monk last weekend, and it reminded me that Step of the Wind doubles your jump distance. In the session, I took a run up and jumped over our bear druid, the rust monster that he was fighting and landed behind it. I then proceeded to beat the living crap out of the monster with 3 punches with advantage. It was an awesome moment for me.
That's the first time I've heard anyone talk about the four elements Monk without pointing out its flaws.
Way of the Astral Self, for all the JoJo fans who have read Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.
By far the best class video. The others should be as detailed as this one. It actually explains how to use the class.
Random criminal: shoots a level 3 monk with a gun.
Level 3 monk: *NO U*
Love this video so much! You are brilliant Marisha! Everybody who plays a monk should do themselves a favor and remember to pick up a shortbow and some arrows. There will be times when you can't close the distance to any enemy or it is just unwise to do that. Having the ranged option is always nice.
thank you sooo much. Just being let loose ( by my son whos been coaching me.... im 66 and missed so much fun) back to point. Son is leaving things for me to research and find who and what i want to be. Im already playing D&D on line with a DM in Switsaland. We are in Hereford england. But my son sits by me and givs the nod or " I wonder who could cast a spell to clean the oil from the key" then nudges me... no one can see. we are voice only. Everyone knows im dislexic and have so much patience with me. just so much fun. But this new venture will be face to face around a table. In Hereford. I play a quiet charahter at the moment so chosen the Monk. wish me luck.
I have been waiting for this one!!! I love my monk Shadi. Fire genasi way of shadow. Was able to negotiate with my DM to let me hit with a flaming strike once per round, cause the produce flame cantrip is a natural ability of the fire variety of genasi. If i can use ki points to cast silence, darkness, or teleport via shadows, why can't i use my training to punch and kick with fire muawhahahaha!
Quick clarification/correction:
You can use Dexterity for your attack rolls only if you're wielding a monk weapon
You can do pretty much absolutely zero Cool Monk Stuff if you're wearing armour.
Monk weapons are MOST simple weapons.
Yep, which is exactly the only way to play them, it’s the whole point. I feel like if it doesn’t give you proficiency in any armors, and all of the weapons you could ever need, it’s pretty clear, but maybe some super noobs wouldn’t realize that they can’t be a heavily armored monk
take the tavern brawler feat, and be proficient in improvised weapons.
(talk to the dm, he might raise the dmg die early for the feat)
@@nephdrummond3168 I just wanted to make it clear that, in case your AC is better while wearing a breastplate or something (maybe you multiclassed to Fighter for the proficency), you can't use most ki abilities or Martial Arts.
monk weapon OR unarmed! Honestly you don't need a weapon as a monk! ^_^
My very first character back in 3e and still my favorite class.
Oh man, I play a monk in my campaign, and one of my favorite times I've used the deflect missiles ability, (little note, my DM has a table rule where if you fight against another player and it's a 1v1 fight, the fight is merely whomever rolls higher to do an action. So basically the two players roll a d20 and whomever rolls higher gets to attack first. If you roll a nat 20, you get to attack twice.) I threw a dagger at one of our player's dragonborn paladin, it rolled natural 20, but a rule my DM allows is the other person can roll a d20 to deflect, but it has to equal/exceed the initial roll, and he rolled a nat 20, so the dagger deflected off his shield and bounced back at my monk, so i used my ki point to grab the dagger out of the air, and throw it right back at him. Still one of my absolute favorite parts of our campaign.
Currently playing a roller disco master with a big Afro and shiny disco jumper. He calls ki “jive” and I flavored his increased speed to be part of his roller blading skills. His backstory involved him getting run out of his hometown for sleeping with somebodies wife, and going to a monastery with his friends that taught the “spider warrior way.” He was the only person who actually understood ki enough to graduate and for doing so he was marked with a huge back tattoo of a spider.
1:54 The d4 is also for monk weapons, not just unarmed attacks. Which means your monk weapon, such as a quarterstaff, can scale with your martial arts die too.
Yep, even just the attack+unarmed bonus gets you 2d10 at high levels. That’s pretty good. Add some fighter and the duelist style from level 2 fighter, and you have 3d10+2. With max str, and barb rage, you can do 3d10+23 or something. Obviously this isn’t the most damage you can do, but if you don’t realize that the damage scales, or that it applies to weapons, it’s a whole lot.
Personally, I’d go for the drunken master level 17 effect with 2 levels of fighter for a total of 7d10+37.
Marisha really has a great speaking voice, and even though the script requires you to be a little bit more animated, I still feel it being honest coming from her (hard to do.) Kudos to Marisha, one of the best.
That moment when you realize boulders that giants throw are projectiles.
MONKS
Creating a Sun Soul monk for the game this week.
This helps a lot!
This episode was so fun to watch and easy to follow! The editing was amazing, I could almost hear the editor chuckling as they added the animation and funny details (4:07 and 4:50) . One thing tho: the letters appearing as a dark grey and then shifting to black was a bit weird and noticeable, even after reading the text it would change color and catch my attention again. Love what this channel is doing and being able to watch it grow is amazing.
The Avatar shirt is amazing, the fact that the elements are not in order is a bit of a pain though
About to play dnd for the first time as a Monk so this is super helpful! Thank you so much! Wish me luck
How is it fair that Marisha is the master of both natural and martial arts? She needs a nerf!!!
Can call it the goldfish nerf
my favorite class hands down!
Playing the video at 1.5 speed really makes Marisha radiate that awesome restless-monk energy. Damn does she want to be on a battlefield slapping faces and punching guts!
I am playing a Goliath Monk right now, and it is so much damn fun. I had a really tough time choosing my style (Daredevil/Batman, Avatar, drunken master, IP man etc.) but in the end settled for shaolin monk style, but kind of clumsy and heavy handed due to being a young goliath.
Y'all gettin' some views! Congrats CritRole, love you guys!
Did she go into an "Avatar State" in the beginning? Lol
Way of the long death. Make your DM weep tears of blood.
My first character was a halfling monk that used an ancient, soul sucking mist to heal people, and was generally the most wholesome being in all the land. It was truly glorious
Okay this makes me even more stoked for our campaign. I chose to play a monk ^_^
Bards are my favorite, but one has to concede nothing rivals the monk in "Cool".
Few of my favorite things about being a monk, A) You are never, EVER unarmed with any/every part of your body capable of using your unarmed strike (not just your fists woot), and B) Ki isn't negated by anti-magic spells/abilities! Finally C) Nunchucks. What more need be said?
Love Marisha so much! And she brings such a perfect energy to this video that I find myself tempted to play a monk... which is the one class I swore I would never stoop to playing because of how broken they are.
They got nothing on clerics. Spiritual Weapon + Spirit Guardians + 1 spell per turn far outmatches the melee Class that only has 1d8 hit dice.
Druid has everything else outpaced by a mile.
@@FulcanMal
High level Moon Druids (especially at lvl. 20) I would agree.
Other subclasses not so much.
Playing a Monk atm and ended up with our dead paladins Boots of Striding and Springing: tldr is major mobility. Combine that with step of the wind and a creative DM and I've been able to enjoy a 70+ft/turn speed jump-turned-dropkick w/ attack roll if I aim my jump towards an enemy, thanks to all the modifiers to jump distance. Drop a stunning strike and the heat really turns up, so yeah monks can be alot of fun even with just rules as written possibilities. With additional DM creativity you can have a blast and a half in combat, so go get weird with it
"You can count". . . No, if work today was any indication, no I cannot. XD
Nice Marisha! Loved your step of the wind!!
Marisha: Monks are kinda OP
Enemy moves more than five feet away
Monk: Sorry guys I'm done
Yeah, she's got 45ft of movement and can dash as a bonus for a ki point. Enemies being out of range aren't often going to be a problem.
Sure, if you think that being able to move up to 120 feet and still having an attack left means you’re done when an enemy moves five feet.
By far my favorite episode
I absolutely ADORE my 5e monk. Way of the Open Hand is such a classic feeling class to play, and really pulls together the idea that your character is the most powerful weapon you have. Super liberating now that I think about it. 🤔
15 levels shadow Monk + 2 levels Warlock + 3 levels assassin Rogue = 1 BADASS Ninja.
I feel the cheese. Never change CR ;)
Holy Avatar Roku I Am In Love With Your Shirt!
So proud. I remember when Marisha had unlocked stunning strike, but hadn't really tried it. I'm screaming for her to use it! And then... she gives it a shot... and she quickly learned the monk motto: ALWAYS BE STUNNING!!!
Monks are OP and I love them! Especially if you make a Tabaxi monk because they have a climbing speed, which goes up as you level up (Because Monk) and they can double their speed for a round because cat. So, at level 4 you can go 80 feet straight up a cliff with just your movement. It's great.
I was inspired by Marisha to play a monk, and I'm having a blast!!
Same, they're so fun!
THANKS. I AM STARTING A NEW CAMPAIGN IN 4 days AND I'M PLAYING MONK and this is helpppppfullll
Marisha is such a delight :)
So ki is basically Hamon
Basically, yeah. The Monk as a class was originally released back during the 80s martial arts craze.
Once I played as a lawful good Human monk who's fate was to the defeat is adoptive brother who turned himself into a vampire
Hamon, Chakra, Chi, Ki.