The Mantis Of Mercy: D&D Ep

[@DnDDeepDive]

Visit everythingdice.com/discount/D4DEEPDIVE and use code D4DEEPDIVE at checkout for 15% off your first order! Also! Errata! The grappler feat lets you both attempt a grapple and deal damage on the attack action only. So we will, in fact, need to make sure that our first attack of our turn against an ungrappled enemy is an unarmed strike made as part of our action.

[@Alex-u6n5l]

12:09 hey I'm back again. Doesn't that mean you can take one level in monk and the rest rogue to make a build that doubles up on sneak attack with 3d6 sneak attack at level six as long you take a species with finesse natural weapons like aracokra?

[@foxfire7]

Also like, I have the Galaxy dice set from these guys, it's a beauty

[@LukeBeeman]

Also, stunned makes targets auto fail STR/DEX saves, not just make them with disadvantage

[@DnDDeepDive]

I'll say it: be careful when you make your Gen Z son your editor, or you'll end up with outtakes like *these* ...

[@bextings7479]

😂😂😂

[@mformewtwo]

😂😂

[@X3n0nLP]

Gonna have to say that was the funniest part, sorry XD

[@chrisg8989]

Gen Z! Their coming for our Jobs! Poor Mr Rodgers... 😢 (Sarcasm 😂)

[@4midble]

Peepee

[@carsonlake3842]

Good sign off message. Anyone who unsubscribes from that, from either side, is someone who you don't need in your community anyway.

[@MeMyselfI-BSG]

If I wasn't subscribed already, I would have subscribed after this message.

[@ekuLpsaaH]

Hey Colby. Just wanted to say I really appreciated hearing your thoughts at the end. As one of the despondent / angry / scared people you mentioned, your words are an important reminder to keep our channels of communication open and not lose faith in humanity. Thank you for being an incredible human being (oh, and the builds are cool, too).

[@spicyboi544]

Best. Outtake. EVER! Gen z editing for life!!!

[@DnDDeepDive]

[@jamesfoster9613]

45:23 I felt that groan, as someone who is scared for our current future and for themselves and their loved ones. Thank you for being amazing Colby. And as a parent, I also felt every moment of that hilarious outtakes section XD

[@kadenkeetch9853]

Never spent a dime on a KZbinr before. The sentiment you shared at the end deserves this and more. Thank you for not staying silent, even though saying something will inevitably cost you viewers. Cheers from a fellow Utahn looking to find the best out of a situation I hoped we would never find ourselves in again. Keep being you Colby, you are inspirational! ❤

[@DnDDeepDive]

Hey thanks man :)

[@Jynirac]

Thanks for that message there at the end.

[@BallyhooParliament]

Second this!

[@francescofurlan4056]

This Is my first comment. I'm an italian guy, but I followed recently elections. I'm really happy to see a youtuber talk a little bit about it and about the current feelings of a lot of people even though it Is not his main topics, and to do It with such love and respect. We need more people like you ❤

[@DnDDeepDive]

Grazie!

[@beastslayer8729]

Couldn't agree more. I was nervous when he brought it up, but I was very impressed by how empathetic and respectful you were to all sides. I feel motivated to do my part to keep the comment section positive and uplifting!

[@francescofurlan4056]

@@DnDDeepDive grazie a te!

[@benkreutzer]

Great build as always! But a special thanks today for your final thoughts. Even though you know it might cost you some viewers, you are trying to use your reach to make this world a better place. It's hard to find the right words sometimes, and I'm sure there are some people who think you should stick to Dnd content rather than speaking out politically, but you get the highest praise from me for having the courage to speak your mind!

[@buckpotter8397]

Thank you, dear Colby, for being as open and honest as possible about our current state in this country. I applaud your tact and diplomacy with your words, along with this fantastic and lovely build you did today. I have done close to 20 of your builds, just for fun, as I typically DM. And your Gen Z son editor can continue the hilarious outtakes! XD

[@keithpowell8611]

Great thoughts at the end, Colby. That attitude is what we really need today, and the current state of social interactions is why I largely abandoned social media. Even when we seriously disagree about how to go about things, I think we're all trying to achieve similar goals. Thanks for putting yourself out there!

[@xexus101]

I appreciate you taking the risk and using your platform to get the word out and saying some very important things. We love you Colby. Great video as usual

[@James-kv3ll]

Good Tip for Mercy: If your party is about to take a short rest blow all of your Focus points on healing everyone so that they can come out of the short rest healthier. You’ll immediately get the Focus back anyway.

[@MHAL]

34:26 - Assuming you have grappler, this now lets you run up walls with a grappled target, let them go, land safely yourself thanks to slowfall and watch them take 6d6 damage and fall prone.

[@GeinerFonseca]

If you have enough speed, you can do the people's elbow after dropping them, then re-grapple.

[@piranhaplantX]

​@@GeinerFonsecaYup, raw you can double dip the fall damage by dropping them just before you complete your move. Then dropping onto them, which procs a DC15 Dex save. If they fail, you take your fall damage and split it between you. But you can reduce that damage to zero with the monk's slow fall. So, by RAW, that just leaves them taking the other half of the damage and you standing by them ready to do it again. You can amplify this by being a tabaxi open hand monk. Which eventually gets the ability to use step of the wind after any other BA you do. So you can feline agility and drop them multiple times, with how much movement you get.

[@Eyro_Elloyn]

Don't even have to let them go, slowfall, RAW, only reduces the damage you take from falling, it doesn't literally change your fall speed.

[@HenriqueSpecht]

Or just use jump magic when dont have walls.

[@Gnarlf]

@@piranhaplantX I've heard that a couple of times now. That makes the build just horrifying. I like it. But can someone please tell me, where that rule actually is? I can't seem to find it right now. Thanks!

[@DangerDurians]

I actually trained in Southern Praying Mantis Kungfu The southern style has a focus on keeping your opponent closer than most people can operate So a grappling mantis build is cool to see

[@RoninXDarknight]

Small error here. Vex doesn't just give you blanket advantage on your next attack. It gives you advantage on your next attack against the target you hit with the Vex weapon (if made before the end of your next turn). Thus if that target dies before the start of your next turn you would not have advantage on your next attack unless it was coming from somewhere else.

[@lucasramey6427]

There's no requirement for the next attack to be with a vex weapon just that the attack needs to be done before the end of your next turn meaning once you hit as long as you keep hitting with a vex weapon you consistently have advantage, this goes well with sentinel so you can reaction attack with a vex weapon and on your next turn you'll have advantage on your first attack or with a monk you can action make an attack with a vex weapon Flurry of blows advantage punch vex weapon advantage punch

[@RoninXDarknight]

@@lucasramey6427 You are correct but you misunderstood my comment. My comment is talking about the target you gain advantage on. In the video Colby indicated that if you hit an enemy with a Vex weapon and they died before your next attack you could then attack a different target at advantage due to Vex. This is not true as the advantage generated by Vex only applies to the target you hit with the Vex weapon initially. If you attack a different target you would not gain advantage from Vex on that hit.

[@SchmittySchmitz]

Your son is my favorite editor ever. Keep him around!

[@brocklewis7624]

The thumbnail looks like you are nominating yourself as the best grappler in all D&D and I am 100% here for it.

[@Ascetronaut]

It may be a melee monk build but I see those guns in the thumbnail 👀

[@krillkilo]

Amen to your soapbox at the end! As also someone who has been frustrated with the demonizing of people who think differently than they do, it is a really good message, and it works. I actually have a very good friend who listens to different news stations, and his views differ in approach. He is still someone I have a great deal of respect for. After talking to him, I realized just how easy was for me to have fallen in an echo chamber. It was uncomfortable to hear something contrary to my view, but it was needed, cause how else are we going to get others to listen if we don’t do the same? Anyway! Good message at a good time! Thanks!

[@trevorgreenough6141]

"CAVEMAN DISCOVERS CAMERA!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. BEST OUTTAKES EVER!

[@samkinney4645]

My guy has done every monk subclass but the one I need a build for

[@woutvanostaden1299]

Which 1 would that be?

[@Hawaii_Foxx-0]

​@@woutvanostaden1299has Colby Done Long Death?

[@woutvanostaden1299]

@@Hawaii_Foxx-0 I believe 1 or 2 I am not sure, but I think he's used it before for a tank/survival build. It should combine nicely with barbarian.

[@H3xx99]

Eldritch knight would give you access to the Jump spell, and combined with grappling, and the Monk's slow fall, you could be doing 30 foot suplexes.

[@andrewmcmillan229]

Great build and great message at the end, and the outtakes were great

[@nikcantsnipe]

Love the build. I just joined a spelljammer campaign! That outtake is great. Love your messaging about the election and unity.

[@rosscotton3250]

Thank you for being genuine and thoughtful. The only way we get through all of this is to be able to talk to each other.

[@Ox9707]

I respect the boldness at the end. It’s risky for you but necessary. Glad you’re my monk-loving brother. The outtakes are hilarious.

[@DungeonCrawlDave]

Colby - your build is top notch as always - and although I imagine I would probably vote the same way as you given the chance, we all need to hear your message at the end - thank you!!

[@jedfromyourlocallibrary]

Here from the Dancer build to give this monk some love! 😊

[@siliconplayer3184]

I for one greatly appreciate how you handled you soap box moment.

[@Gnarlf]

Interesting choice of class/subclass combinations. When I read the title, I immediately had a vision in my head and tried to build it myself, before watching your vid. I ended up with Gloomstalker (3), Open Hand Monk (rest) It takes 1 more level to get the fighting style, but I also decided to take blind fighting instead for fluff reasons. Since it is ultimately 5dmg/round, i'm willing to loose that to have more fun. In my mind this character is the ultimate stalker in the darkness and defender of the hive. What is different, but still the same: (in the long run) We still can heal ourselfs with open hand 6 (it comes later, but we heal for more and more often) We can still heal others with cure wounds (but we loose damage during combat and we do it way less often) We still do additional damage by Hunters Mark and Dreadful Strike (which should turn out to be more dmg overall) We can still push an enemy to the ground, if we do it with flurry of blows (instead of trip attack, so we don't use and extra ressource) With the Gloomstalker + Blindsight combo, we become a monster out of a horror movie. Running to our enmies from the shadows, grabing up to two with flurry of blows, knocking them prone as well, and step of the wind pulling them back into the shadows. (All with one bonus action) Where we then start to go to town on them with our actuall attack action, slicing them up with our rusty sickles. The darker it gets, the more horrific we become, since even darkvision users won't see us coming anymore, while we can still see them coming for a while. And even if someone blinds us or is actually invisible, we still know exactly where they are, when we are in reach to grab them anyway. Also mechanically we get an amazing Initiative bonus, with advantage and expertise on stealth rolls. And we could use disguise self, to not stand out like a sore thumb in social situations. Addendum: And in regards to your soap box. That is a wonderful message of unity, understanding and cooperation. If you actually lost a subscriber because of that, I would be suprised. Thank you for being such a wonderful person.

[@gaidencastro9706]

I like the idea of combining a soft taunt with a non-negligible amount of damage. This build is a decent tank in that regard.

[@Holycrapitschad]

I think monk/rogue will be really good for this kind of single target removal/tanking because of this combo. You can basically round over round force an enemy to either roll against your crazy juiced grapple dc and burn their action or sit there with disadvantage basically entirely ineffective in combat all the while throwing down 4-6 attacks every round on them making it REALLY desirable to break the grapple

[@ynedd]

@d4: D&D Deep Dive - Yo Colby, at 15:40 you said "2 points per monk level", unfortunately it's 2 focus points to start out, at level 2, and then +1 for each successive level (according to the Monk Features table on DND Beyond). You got me all excited that Monk had gotten another update hearing this! Monks struggle HARD in early game for enough focus points... For anyone who goes Rune Knight, picking up the intercepting fighting style is nice. You only lose out on 4-5 damage per round and it allows you to stop a significant amount of damage anytime you're next to other melee fighters, the tanks in your party. It's a wonderful bit of utility. Finally Colby, regarding the message at the end, I totally agree! I just wanna say you bring me a lot of joy (not just happiness) with your build( video)s. Thanks for all you do! I've been dying to see you do another monk grappler build , I didn't realize it'd come to soon!

[@Tletna]

Colby, thanks for your thoughts at the end. I really liked what you had to say. I don't really lean any way all too much. So, since I'm never in 100% agreement with anyone in some camp, I do need to try to approach things the way that you suggest we do. And, that is the best way I think. But, it's easier said than done. But, I agree we're getting too polarized in the world especially the US, and so we're not really listening to one another or putting ourselves in others' shoes and I think that's too bad because it would help make the world a kinder, more understanding, overall better place if we could listen with compassion and try to better understand one another (whether we agree or not).

[@bluesman2050]

DND is a big part of my escapism after the election. This community has been a good one for me to find that empathy. Wishing you good things.

[@ArturPendragonS]

I love grappler builds, they are so fun, makes me feel like a pro wrestiling fighter. but Just a fix: the grappler feat let you grapple with the damage only on the Attack Action, not on flurry of blows. On flurry, you would have to choose between damage or grapple.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Right - we'd need to unarmed strike with our action - not too big a change - we've got 3 attacks with our action after level 5, one of which can be an unarmed strike.

[@georgebompetsis5343]

@@DnDDeepDive as per Level 5: Extra Attack - You can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. That means you can either attack with unarmed strikes or weapon attacks, not both. And even with action surge you could use weapons with the grappler feat only once per short rest. Meaning the entire build doesn't work since you can't grapple someone and attack at the same time with the grapple feat if you use weapons at any of your actions. You are bound to use unarmed strikes only.

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@georgebompetsis5343 there’s nothing that forces us to choose only weapons or unarmed strikes on our action. Not sure where you’re getting that. But even if your DM decided to rule that way, you could always just make unarmed strikes only and you’d be fine. You’d lose one attack per round by losing weapon but it wouldn’t be a massive loss.

[@MThorne151]

Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts.

[@olorin6494]

Conditions remain the same in 5.14 tied grapples. So on a tie for a grapple attempt they are not grappled but when attempting to escape a grapple a tied check is a failed escape attempt

[@VolderothLives]

Wonderful message at the end. Love yah Colby

[@yannlimarodrigues]

Love your channel, love the build and the message at the end. Thank you so much for the energy and love you put out there and cheers from Brazil!

[@NathanT_Performer]

I appreciate the mass effect shirt. Cool build, too!

[@evansmith2832]

Another good option for a dip is rogue. You get sneak attack in place of twf which is slightly worse and much less hp, but in exchange you get sleight of hand expertise to wrap your grappled enemy in a rope, restraining them. Poisoning them with hand of harm will even give them disadvantage on the check to break out of restraint. Now they have 2 things they need to break out of, and you give your entire party advantage on attacks against the target.

[@thescifihero1769]

Hey Colby - thanks for your thoughts at the end - I was quite satisfied with the election results, yet I have a VERY close friend of mine who was less than thrilled - we choose to focus on our similarities instead of our differences - it is true that we both want the best for our country and surprisingly, we often agree on WHAT needs to be changes, yet not always on HOW MUCH it needs to change - still that is where if we can't come to an agreement, we choose to agree to disagree, placing our friendship about anything so petty as politics - keep it up - love your builds and your thoughts - keep being that marvelous person you are - reminding the rest of us of what really matters - Be Blessed

[@Felrohan]

i'm playing a 5.24e Goliath Monk, level 2, in a Kingmaker campaign and I love it so much! I have the Tavern Brawler background and that 5 ft Push has already come in clutch! I had to chase down some guys riding away on horseback and because I'm so fast, I would catch up to them and knock the rider off, while my team cought up and captured them. It's the most fun I've had with DnD in a while. I'm still working on a voice and personality for her but the class is so much fun.

[@thorstenschulz2540]

Danke!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Danke Schoen!

[@CuringBloom]

Your send off this episode was beautiful. I wish there were more people in the world who view the world that way

[@rekcroom]

The wild thing about this build is that I was thinking about making a similar character recently. After watching the Dungeon Dudes Monk video, I was thinking about the dual wielding Monk build. I was specifically thinking about using the Mercy Monk for it. I didn’t know how to build it but not you’ve made that a lot easier!

[@Nikotheos]

In light of the sign off message, just wanted to say I Love You, Brother! ❤😃 Thanks for the build and see you next week!

[@Nikotheos]

Also, outtakes… 😂😂😂😂

[@mykullthecimmerian7183]

Thanks Colby! I also try to connect with everybody regardless of what our politics might be. We can't get anywhere if we don't understand each other just a little. Great build and I appreciate your thoughts at the end.

[@Justagoodguy1000]

Thank you for you're final thoughts Colby. I... needed to hear these words. I hope more people learn to follow your lead on this. It helped me feel... just a little better about our current situation.

[@nathanchortek6730]

You could consider going Way of the Elements monk with this build instead of Mercy! Once you get your fly speed you can hover above an enemy with your extended reach and attempt to pull them closer to you (directly up) on every single attack, leading to an additional 1d6 fall damage every time it works! And with the grappler feat you can still make your attacks from range without the usual disadvantage from the enemy being prone! Or since you have 4 limbs you could even attempt to grapple 4 different creatures and then use your absurd movement to fly as high as you can before dropping all of them at once!

[@nathanchortek6730]

Something like Thri Kreen - Rune Knight - Way of Elements could be really potent

[@Narninian]

Minor Nitpick -- in both written guide and video you mention starting off the turn with a flurry of blows to trigger the grappler feat and later on mention a possible tactic of doing a second (vex) wapon attack instead of your unarmed strike with your attack action if the grapple failed. Unfortunately, the grappler feat requires you to trigger it using the attack action on your turn meaning, you can't do it with flurry blows. Since unarmed strikes from flurry of blows and your main attack are essentially the same, its not a big deal -- but it does mean no 2nd weapon attack as a potential tactic in response to a failed grapple and does require you to time things a little differently (attack -> Flurry rather than vice versa). Without Vex, The chance of of having advantage on your attacks relying solely on grapple is more like 36%, which means the 75% attacks having advantage is a bit inflated - in truth its less than 50%

[@coppas2643]

Was looking for this comment, I immediately realized the exact same thing. One of your main attacks always has to be a punch if you want to make use of grappler.

[@steve-ru9sy]

Thank you for another great build! Also, I really appreciate You man. It's honestly beautiful to see somebody speak so earnestly honestly and thoughtfully on this topic. Stay strong brother.

[@MeMyselfI-BSG]

I am impressed with what you shared at the end of your video.

[@brcoutme]

I'm playing a Goliath Monk grappler build in our first 2024 phb campaign. I dip fighter for weapon masteries, mostly using thrown weapons like hand axes and daggers for free opening up the hand to grapple with. Although I also use the club as a light weapon with an actual interesting weapon mastery of slow, which I combo with frost Goliath to stack slowing effects. I will be going warrior of the open fist to sometimes push or knock prone enemies and free step of the winds later. I think the free step of the wind open fist gets is being very underrated. The push is also good for me since I took Farmer background for the tough origin feat due to being the party's default tank.

[@MacMcNurgle]

Running a TTRPG for 15 Scouts tomorrow. Should be a lot of fun. Aussie here. So not a lot of skin the game of US politics. Having a conversation is key. Thanks. Ps. I bought some cool dice. Sometimes hard being a dice collector.

[@mattdahm4289]

Thanks Colby! ❤

[@peon9584]

I was actually cooking up a grappler similar to this, the Way of the Astral Self subclass lets you summon more arms that can make unarmed strikes while letting my normal hands wield vex/nick. But instead of a fighter dip and a dex stat, mine uses str and a barbarian dip for rage damage/resistances and vex/nick weapon masteries. I was thinking of going human and custom background to grab cleric magic initiate and tough to increase my bulk. The cleric spell I chose was sanctuary since it will last for a minute, doesn't require concentration so rage won't end it, and you are allowed to make grapples and use nets/ropes without ending it. I think my build is just clunkier than yours though, the extra arms only stay for 10 minutes so you need a bonus action to summon them (although you get minor aoe damage on the summon), sanctuary needs a bonus action, and rage also needs a bonus action. Astral self does give +5ft on unarmed strikes though, so RAW that applies to grapples too (but make sure to ask your DM if they're ok with that), my guy was going to hold people at 10ft to throw knives and handaxes at people without disadvantage.

[@BLynn]

The Ultimate Eldritch Blaster: D&D Ep #191 Level 01 (see above) [monk 1, species & background] Level 02 (see above) [fighter 1 weapon properties & fighting-style] Level 03 (@15:36) [monk 2] Level 04 (@16:37) [monk 3 & subclass] Level 05 (@19:37) [monk 4 & feat] Level 06 (@20:22) [monk 5] Level 07 (see above) [monk 6] Level 08 (@27:19) [fighter 2] Level 09 (@28:43) [fighter 3 & subclass] Level 10 (see above) [monk 7] Level 11 (@34:00) [monk 8 & feat] Level 12 (@34:14) [monk 9] Level 13 (@34:29) [monk 10] Level 14 (see above) [monk 11] Level 15 (@37:50) [monk 12 & feat] Level 16 (@38:14) [fighter 4 & feat] Level 17 (@38:26) [monk 13] Talk about alternatives. (@38:33) Back to monk 13 plus. (@39:38)

[@rekcroom]

I really appreciate the words you said about current events. As of late, I’ve been feeling a lot of stress, anger, and outright fear about what’s been happening. We are so divided that sometimes I worry that the country is close to a second civil war. Be that as it may, it’s nice to hear someone say something about keeping the peace. There are some things that I don’t know if I’ll ever understand about people of certain viewpoints. But I do know that I want to spend my life making others smile. If I let myself fall into the trap of making assumptions about people, it will make that a lot harder. Thank you campaigning for kindness, cause it’s really easy to lose sight of that.

[@Dalenthas]

50:09 Colby: Shepard. Me, reflexively: Wrex.

[@greyclaa]

We've been looking forward to this for a while. Thanks for bringing awesome content week after week Colby!

[@Chris_the_Nerd]

I appreciate the final thoughts. I hope we can get there.

[@MalloonTarka]

I admire your belief in the concilatory ability of humanity. But in this case, I do not share it. "Meet me in the middle" says the unjust man. You take a step forward, recognising the need for compromise in politics. The man takes a step back. "Meet me in the middle", he says. Enough studies have shown the narrative of political polarisation in US politics is false. One side has mostly stayed the same, while the other has become ever more radical. I'll leave you the guess of which side is which. The time for dialogue is over. For one because one side has become so radical, the amount they would need to accept they are wrong about for any amount of compromise to be had is enough to block I estimate 99% of them from doing so. People don't like feeling like they did or believe something wrong, after all. The amount of effort it now takes to reach them is similarily inflated. There's a reason more people are going no contact now, rather than tollerate such friends or family. The other reason the time for dialogue is ended is because, barring something unexpected happening between now and January, one side has won. Permanently. Would you call for dialogue in 1934s Germany? And yes, I believe the situation is similarily dire; the coming zeal towards genocide may be lower, but the amount of power had is higher, internally and internationally. We are now past the "events leading to" stage, as future historians will hopefully call it (hopefully, since that means the situation has improved by then). We are on the doorstep to "The X period of the USA". If you have the ability, I sincerely advise making plans to leave the country. Don't do what many victim of the Holocaust did and wait until they no longer could.

[@mason6833]

Who’s planning on committing genocide? Trumps team has people from both sides that want to see America be a better more unifying place. If you’re legally in America you have nothing to worry about. Trump is one of the most central leaning republican candidates in a while and is more in favor of pro choice than you might believe and has always held that belief since he started running in the early 2000s. His primary focus is about wasted government spending and requiring less federal taxes from your pocket. He’s a business man who knows how things should be budgeted and sees the daily American paying too much for groceries and not having enough wages. I can understand it if people don’t see that but your take regarding genocide seems to be the extreme one. The majority of voters now see him as their chance out of this mess. Maybe you could try being more specific and I can answer some of your questions?

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@MalloonTarka and see, I don’t think I’m advocating for compromise so much as simply asking people to listen to one another. And while, sure, trying to sit down and have a compassionate conversation with Hitler probably wouldn’t have done much good, at least, not once he reached a certain point in his ideology, I can’t help but think that perhaps some conversations with some (not all) of those who supported him might have done some good. Not so that we can weigh the merits of fascism, but so we can understand *why* someone might be inclined to be fascist: what has happened in their life that led them to believe that this ideology was the answer to their problems? And that, hopefully, having felt seen and heard instead of judged and condemned, said person might be more willing to consider another perspective and/or not try and place the blame for all of their problems on those who look or believe differently than they do.

[@LeonLJ]

Great video Colby. Great build and a beautiful sign off

[@allielowry6191]

You can really smell the gen Z humor in this editing and I'm living for it

[@TheodoreMinick]

Hey Colby, As one of the people who is NOT upset about the results you spoke about at the end, I, too, appreciated your statement, and agree that we need to communicate more than just shouting at each other. If we all truly shared our opinions without hostility, this world really would be a better place. I came to my views after a long period of exactly that sort of communication. A healthy debate is when the ideas are challenged, and those holding them are not attacked. I hope you and yours, and everyone out there who reads this, has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and when THAT uncle starts spouting off, instead of an argument, it starts a productive and enlightening conversation. Oh, and no, I wouldn't unsubscribe just because of some political BS. I don't believe in echo chambers.

[@letskatedawg]

I actually find it really difficult to MC out of monk which is a WILD thing to say lmao but fr it feels like almost every level monks get something valuable and that capstone is SOOO GOOOOOD

[@ericpaxton117]

I wholeheartedly agree with your message, it is really refreshing.

[@lbpblitz]

Awesome message at the end! More people need to try and understand one another rather than falling back on blanket assumptions.

[@bojangleslive]

I needed this video. Keep up the great work.

[@horbi3683]

Thanks for the thoughtful appeal!

[@realin2gaming680]

Best outtake yet... I am one of those who isn't scared/angry and have been getting a lot of hate for it... It made me feel like my morals are of because of it... So to hear you talk about that in such a objective way is incredible and i agree... We should talk and see eachothers POV even if we dont agree

[@ccoopplay1]

Freaking love you Colby, i look forward to your videos every week. Your message at the end of this video was so nice. Keep being you brother

[@somea2v]

Regarding the playtest Stunning Strike Save effect, the idea of Stunning Strike is a Monk is channeling their Ki into an adversary to accomplish an effect. We use electricity in the human body for muscle therapy and treatments. But when it is applied incorrectly, serious harm can occur. The idea behind Stunning Strike is no different. If they failed the Save, the Ki was correctly directed through the opponent's body and they were Stunned. If they passed the Save, they resisted the process and took damage as Ki flowed through their body improperly. Everyone's confusion over it never made a lick of sense. That said, Stunning Strike having a Save effect at all is a greater Buff than nearly any Nerf that could be levied against the Feature, so it's still a net positive. Edit after seeing the final thoughts message: You shouldn't lose subscribers for pushing communication, which both main sides in American politics desperately need. Thank you for the good message and positive attitude and keep being a role model.

[@elhombredequeso]

15:43 I think it is just slightly misspeaking, but Colby says 2 Focus points per Monk level, and it is 2 Focus points here at Monk 2 because it is 1 per Monk level. Doesn't affect the build.

[@GeminiLibra73]

Shoveling! "I shovel well. I shovel very well!" 😂

[@LightsabreSMGN]

Thank you so much for this sign off, I appreciate it a ton

[@erikwilliams1562]

You're Dance Bard video brought me here!

[@coffeeproblems5780]

I feel like the new monk dash/disengage/dodge would not be too much more powerful if they just said 1 for free, 2 for a focus point, and itd be much simpler. That's how it's gonna work at my table 🤷‍♂️

[@blaydsong]

I'm currently working on a build very similar to this (though never thought to look into grappling). Going Mercy Monk, and Ranger rather than Fighter (not sure how far I'll go with it, yet). Also going with Aasimar, to lean into the healing trope. :)

[@DojoBelok]

I tried a Monk grappler in 5th edition, and it was just so bad. So glad to see it's been improved! Also I really appreciate your comments on the election. The world is going to be a far worse place in 2025, but we need to be allies to those who need it most.

[@DnDDeepDive]

❤

[@mason6833]

Heya fellow Monk enjoyer! Grappling totally rocks but as the DM it is definitely OP sometimes lol. Out of curiosity why do you think the world will be a worse place in 2025? I was hoping our economy could start to see a turn to the right direction but is there something in particular you’re thinking of?

[@lucasramey6427]

​@@mason6833specifically moves in attempt to make trans people's lives worse among other things

[@flamefyr]

I'll say it simply. I needed that messahe Colby. Thank you :)

[@James-kv3ll]

Your DPR numbers are always absolutely nutty Colby

[@alexdu5855]

Hey Colby, love this build! However, I would like to say, deflect attack should not be sleeped upon. With one DP, it does up to 2 martial arts die + dex damage (without advantage), while spending the DP on FOB does one more attack which is only one martial art die+dex, though potentially with advantage. Since for this build, we can drag one melee enermy away and kind of force them to attack us, assuming one or two procs per combat (especially at later levels, where we have excess DP) shoulnd't be too outrageous.

[@jordanbarber6376]

Been waiting for this Grappler build 🔥🔥🔥❤️🦗

[@JGHR777]

Wow! FInally a reason to use Thri-kreen! Love it!

[@craigeubanks2374]

I would personally take just 1 ranger level and the rest monk. A level of Ranger at level 2 instead of fighter gets you Hunter's mark for free a couple of times a day (plus a couple other spells and 2 spell slots), a couple of weapon masteries, and an extra skill from the ranger list. Sure, you don't get a fighting style or second wind, and 'only' 2 weapon masteries instead of 3, but I would argue the ranger has equivalent value, and a bit greater versatility.

[@theshadowcult]

The Simic appendages can also make unarmed strikes and count as natural weapons, allowing you to make grapples with them without using the action.

[@beastslayer8729]

I was DEFINITELY expecting this to be a Cheese Grating Monk when I watched the short. I think I may have some kind of bias toward grated cheese.

[@jchagasla]

I have this image in mind of a Hill Tumble Goliath Grappler feat attack that in one strike is able to grapple, deal damage and make the target prone: and I can't not see a Chokeslam by the Undertaker there. Sure, let's add Menacing Attack as well, seems appropriate.

[@woutvanostaden1299]

With this monk we can add poisoning and stunning strike to the mix too. 😂😮😊😅

[@peon9584]

Defensive Duelist is a great way to increase bulkiness provided you're holding a finesse weapon. Sure, monks already have deflect attacks as a reaction-based damage reduction but that only activates once as opposed to Defensive Duelist applying until your next turn. I haven't actually used it yet though so take that with a grain of salt but it makes sense to me on paper at least.

[@rinkakyuhome951]

Thank you for your content! I wish you great luck!

[@johngleeman8347]

You're a good soul Colby. I wish there were more folks like you urging the partisans to knock it off.

[@darrenromanko2414]

Great video. Love the message on unity.

[@mre16]

THRI-KREEN MONK, THRI-KREEM MONK, THRI-KREEM MONK!!! LETTTSSSSS GOOOO i freaking loved the idea of a thri kreen monk fighter and have been sitting on ideas for a while. So freaking hyped.

[@samfish2550]

Monk has so much potential now I love it. Wheather it's their ability to grapple and push with dex. NOT ONLY THIS. The unarmed fighting style is available on every martial, getting you a bit of catch-up to make the scaling lost at early to mid levels when multi classing. And also some very stupid interactions with other subclasses for comical hyper mobility. The one I want to mess with is champ fighter and way of mercy or open hand depending on what you want for shenanigans. Mercy has hand of harm that gets more valuable on crits and champ as a crit fishing subclass will have lots of fun with action surge into flurry of blows while running grappler for advantage. Alternatively go with Goliath (cloud giant) way of the open hand champion. Teleport into step of the wind plus monk speed plus half speed if you get a crit. B E C O M E S P E E D !

[@letskatedawg]

Excellent editing btw give your editor a raise

[@shixter]

...just shopping through Dice webpage while listening to this video :D