OH MY GOD NEW MONK

Summer is coming! Be prepared with MeUndies. Get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping, at MeUndies.com/f...
Merch, Discord, the Quest-O-Nomicon, and everything else: linktr.ee/XPto...

[@XPtoLevel3]

Summer is coming! Be prepared with MeUndies. Get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping, at MeUndies.com/fireball

[@ObeliskEye]

The sun does radiant damage 🫶

[@uchihajunior5648]

Wierd that in this article they don't mention you can now always bonus action unarmed strike, grapple or shove as long as you don't wear armor like they did in their youtube video.

[@vulcorethegreat1220]

A nit pick with the empowered strike for 2024 monk. It is both weaker and unnecessary change from the 2014 monk. 2014 monks unarmed strikes simply counted as magical for overcoming resistances. Aka monks had magical blugening. Technically the strongest dmg type in the game i think

[@invictus7736]

...coming? Bruh it's August

[@homebrewdungeon5026]

@@invictus7736 respectfully, we've got one more day

[@theithuriel8697]

New level 3 monk ability: why are you hitting yourself

[@tamakona113]

RULES OF NATURE

[@constructionbird]

not gonna shugarcoat it

[@Unmustache1]

@@tamakona113AND THEY RUN WHEN THE SUN COMES UP

[@Local_Phantasm]

@@Unmustache1WITH THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE

[@Unmustache1]

@@Local_Phantasm (ALIVE!)

[@katlicks]

WoTC to Monk: "You, my son, you will have all the figgy pudding" WoTC to Ranger: "Don't you people have spells?"

[@walliam5506]

“You guys literally all have spells”

[@galaxic2332]

You guys have phones, right?

[@LackOfPie]

SAM O NELLA MENTIONED!!!

[@Mr.Brothybear]

Well The Ranger Changes seem Cool I Guess im glad they ditched Primeval Awareness

[@maxspecs]

Ranger gets spells at level 1 now.

[@Jabloop4546b]

“We’re not gonna go on 15 minute tangents about the Ranger” BUT WHAT IF I WANT TO GO ON 15 MINUTE TANGENTS ABOUT THE RANGER 😭😭😭

[@droid-droidsson]

sounds like you're gonna be disappointed, then! not by this video, mind you.

[@thor7af3]

Lets have more 15 minute tangents about paladin as well 😂

[@yourfriendlyinternetmeatshield]

"GET IN THE COMMENTS"

[@varunvijay9293]

Listen here's what u do, u find random unsuspecting people, u help them learn DND and run games for them and then once u them trapped with friendship and DND, u unleash Ur ranger hate on them.

[@juliocesar6795]

In 5e everyone was making fun of the Monk, now in 5.5e everyone points at Ranger and laugh, Wizards sometimes can do really good things, but when they miss it's really terrible

[@Manacra13]

18:16 To answer your question Jacob, before stunning strike could be used with ANY melee weapon attack. So your monk could hit something with a great axe and force the con save. Now since a great axe is not Monk weapon this will not work (unless your a Kensei monk). Successfully applied just means the target fails the save.

[@U.Inferno]

Someone else mentioned it might also apply to non-melee attacks as well like thrown daggers or darts.

[@isaacorwhatever4329]

i'd also assume, based on the comment, that it can be applied on ranged attacks too now. Darts and shortbows are on the table to stun now, which is kinda huge and honestly turns the rework into a solid net buff

[@Manacra13]

@@isaacorwhatever4329 I hadn’t considered range attacks. That’s a huge buff to Kenseis who get a ranged weapon of their choice at level 3 that counts a monk weapon for them. I can hear my DM raging now 😂

[@snowsun538]

Edit: I have been informed the following comment is incorrect because the definition of 'weapon attack' is weird. I think a very important part that everyone is missing is "or an unarmed attack". Monks is D&D are know for their proficiency with unarmed attacks yet previously one of their strongest features only worked with a weapon. Now you could have a powerful monk that truly only uses unarmed attacks.

[@Manacra13]

@@snowsun538 true I just always ruled that an unarmed strike worked for stunning strike cuz martial arts says it counts a melee weapon attack.

[@sofielee4122]

new monk feels like it says "skill issue" every time it lands an attack lol

[@ShiningDarknes]

more like every time someone lands an attack on them and they just swat it right back at the attacker "skill issue."

[@agnuswulf]

New monk got that Royal Guard Rizz

[@MrAkaidu]

New monk class: "lmao get parried scrub"

[@maxboyden5209]

Tiger Drop Negates all Damage

[@Skaxarrat]

@@MrAkaidu "gg git gud"

[@Kaiyuni]

To answer your question at 18:26 about Stunning Strike. It APPEARS that it's being moved to just monk weapons/unarmed strikes instead of all melee attacks so that you can now do it with ranged monk weapons. Whether it be a thrown weapon like a dart, a shortbow, or what have you. This really helps out Kensei monks who get a longbow as they could not stun people without running up to them and punching them.

[@jk2782]

Finally I can play my stun gun Kensei

[@oicmorez4129]

Darts are not monk weapons, not in 2014 nor in 2024.

[@TerrariaGolem]

​@oicmorez4129 they have the light property, no?

[@yanderenejoyer]

@@TerrariaGolem ​ @oicmorez4129 They are not. Monk weapons in 2014 "are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don't have the two-handed or heavy property." But it hardly matters anyway in 2014. If you throw a dart, you're not in melee to attack with the bonus action anyways, and ranged weapons already use Dex. EDIT:I guess its lower damage since it doesn't scale with the martial arts die, but let's be real, you weren't doing much damage as a monk anyways.

[@oicmorez4129]

@@TerrariaGolem Yes, but they are not a melee weapon

[@salamiboy2001]

Biblical revival of Four Elements monk

[@onlymyself1234]

It was never really alive tbh, more like a rebirth

[@CaMags_07]

four elemental monks are biblically accurate now

[@karlkhai51]

And just like that the Avatar was born again.

[@CaMags_07]

@@karlkhai51 like they said in the ancient legends

[@MrAkaidu]

We're so back.

[@sorcam]

Guy who updated Warrior of Shadows monk can neither confirm nor deny whether or not he was playing Aragami while writing it.

[@talkingbirb2808]

yeah, cool game

[@lightfighter4evr]

"Monk is all about positioning" -Missionary

[@kadnhart6661]

Oh this joke's got layers

[@unusedmonkey4435]

Lol

[@GreyfauxxGaming]

Shadow Monks def hit it from behind. Backdoor all day

[@verdurite]

saw a video about dnd character romances and monk characters had the most romances so it checks out

[@fritzthelibrarygoblin]

Reverse Piledriver

[@Cirkusleader]

At this point, the Monk is just the Landlord from Kung Fu Hustle and I am all for it.

[@keeganmackey250]

😂

[@overdrive7349]

s

[@DucksAndCatnip]

@@overdrive7349 no, never cook again

[@overdrive7349]

@@DucksAndCatnip I was adding the s to landlord because it was two and they were both pretty powerful

[@xxzmaster04xx29]

my dumbass thought this was kung fu panda LMFAO

[@gar-feels4438]

I've always loved the Monks, they were the first class I played and the class that I've played the most throughout my time playing dnd. I'm glad they finally started showing some love to Monks after years of neglect :)

[@fateisme]

Monks are THE physical class for me. I love playing monks that are like my one character "Karate Kim" who was a 90s sports mom who had MI-6 training from her father who "just did a little espionage in the war days"

[@nananamamana3591]

@@fateisme "We do a little trolling" - Destabilizer of Governments

[@lucashwo]

I teared up watching this video ngl

[@code8155]

They wernt my first real character… but they were my second. And honestly one of my favorites. But I’m glad they are getting a well deserved buff

[@verdurite]

same, monks are my favorite in any rpg and my first dnd character was a monk

[@stevensmith3523]

Imagine a Halfling Shadow Monk running from NPC shadow to NPC shadow to stay invisible

[@leila13dnd]

Write that down, write that down! 😂

[@stevensmith3523]

@@leila13dnd just like every adventure I write I now have to find the path to get to that scene.

[@aengusdedanann181]

my ass read this as if the shadows were the npcs

[@Nota-Skaven]

Not many people are confronted with a dragon and decide to kick it in the face, monk gets points solely for that anyway Monk is a tank now and that's awesome

[@axis1247]

Monk was always kinda a Tank it was just deisgned wierdly. Like it got 20 AC for putting points in its main stats which are some of the best saving throw stats in the game besides Charisma. They could reflect ranged attacks, stop enemies from doing things outright, could heal themselves, etc etc.

[@TheWorldBelowDnD]

Not really... deflect attacks doesn't do anything to encourage enemies to target the monk over their allies, and not being invisible at 18th level is just a flat nerf, even if it does mean they'll get targeted more often as a result... Edit: I do like uncanny metabolism, though... might take that into my home game, if nothing else!

[@bricknolty5478]

It still only gets a d8 for hit dice 🙃 Weve been house ruling to a d10 for awhile now, like the other martial classes get, and it feels way better

[@brettwood1351]

Well there's the story of Los Tiburion who got on the dragon's back, rolled to pin it's wings, and killed it with fall damage.

[@agnuswulf]

@@bricknolty5478 5e monk should've had AT THE VERY LEAST d10 for hitpoints. Heck, I could see it receiving a d12, like barbarian, because... All they do all day is train their damn bodies and minds. Makes sense. However, with so many cool ways to "actively tank" now, I don't mind a d8 I guess. Will be more "lemme dodge and parry" instead of "I'll tank with my sheer prowess" kinda of gameplay.

[@krelekari]

With the word changing to monk weapon at 18:25 it specifically opens up thrown weapons, and hence ranged stunning strikes 🤘

[@Kahadi]

No it doesn't, that's a misunderstanding. It says it requires a Monk weapon or Unarmed Strike. And going back to what counts as a Monk weapon, it needs to be a melee weapon (a Martial Melee weapon with the Light feature or a Simple Melee weapon). Simply put, the ability itself doesn't say ranged attacks are allowed, and the definition of a Monk Weapon directly says they are not allowed. What the change does is both clarify that yes, Unarmed Strikes work (it previously said "melee weapon attack", which led to people thinking Unarmed Strikes didn't work, but it was clarified elsewhere that Unarmed Strikes counts as a melee weapon attack), and it actually limits the weapons available. Previously it was any melee weapon, even if not a Monk Weapon, allowing you to Stunning Strike with a Greataxe or Greatsword. But now it specifies it must be a Monk Weapon, restricting the weapons that it can be used with

[@deffdefying4803]

@@Kahadi a thrown melee weapon is still a melee weapon, and it doesn't explicitly DISallow thrown weapons.

[@slavicandroid1999]

0:06, as somebody who mainly plays monks, this was exactly my reaction to the changes

[@alittar8062]

I suspect what we're missing for ranger is the spells. Its probably a LOT more spell focused and its only main concentration spell is Hunters Mark.

[@guilha1506]

People always forget that ranger gets some of the best spells from the Druid list on top of doing the work of a martial

[@jacobtrost5048]

@@guilha1506 while that's true, IF any of those great spells are concentration, like any of the conjuring spells are, the new Ranger will not be benefiting from like four of its class features in order to cast those spells. It's just unsatisfactory design

[@guilha1506]

@@jacobtrost5048 It’s indeed quite bad design, but doesn’t mean the class is weak. Bad features don’t make a class bad, lack of good features is what makes a class bad, and ranger has tons of good features

[@eliascabbio7598]

​@@guilha1506ranger was strong even in 2014, still was considered ome of the worst class of the games. Flavor and flexibility is everything, that's what makes a class beloved, even if it's doing bad dpr. That's why they did nothing to fix the ranger, they just bumped up some statistics, but it's still a clanky, undefined class, that requires tons of homebrew adjustments

[@guilha1506]

@@eliascabbio7598 People really underrate how busted spells and archery fighting style are. Ranger stomps any marcial

[@CalebWillden]

Him: *Reads buff* KZbin: *Immediately plays ad with dance music* Me only listening: *Imagines a cut to him dancing with dance club lights, then realizes it's an ad*

[@kilimachevsk623]

My second playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 was an Open Hand Monk, that I then subclassed into a Thief Rogue, so that I could get an extra bonus action. So I was doing 2 normal attacks and 2 flurry of blows, for a total of 6 unarmed attacks per turn, which were dealing 1d6 base, then 1d4 elemental from Ki-Empowered Strikes, then 1d10 force from the gloves that Hope gives you, +6 from dexterity, then +4 from Wisdom, then +4 from Wisdom *again* because of some nice boots... all adding up to 17-34 damage per punch, for a total of a whopping *102-204 damage per turn.* Even just using basic unarmed bonus attacks instead of flurry of blows, that's still 68-136 per turn. ...Imagine my surprise upon learning that actually, Monk is NOT the ridiculous glass cannon I thought it was, and that it's widely regarded as the weakest class in the proper game. So, neat to see that the class is getting some pretty significant buffs! Even if it seems like 'Elements' is getting the elemental damage die for your unarmed strikes instead of Open Hand. Which.... makes sense, but I do think Open Hand should be a bit better at just punching things, instead of having a heal.

[@nananamamana3591]

It's very telling that the *newest* changes to the classes come after the *MASSIVE* success of Baldur's Gate 3 which, quite literally, buffed every single one of them and made them all *not* suck ass -- so all the people who were playing 5e already went "oh thank god" and the people who *havent* played 5e, got the game, then played 5e went "oh god why". Meanwhile, WotC has maintained their design was totally fine and cool and *none* of the classes were underperforming or bad and that it's *YOUR* fault for simply not utilizing them properly.

[@criticaltipper7699]

@@nananamamana3591classic Wotc let’s be honest with ourselves here

[@MisterZimbabwe]

Monk was only ever a mediocre class if played pure. It in particular compared to other classes, has REALLY strong synergies when multiclassing. On tabletop, where the magic item options are much more expansive than BG3, it is hilariously easy to flip the classic "quadratic wizards, linear warriors" D&D equation on it's head and achieve average damage rolls that are so high that nothing in the monster manuals has the HP to survive a single round burst. And that's by level 12 for certain builds and some optimal itemization. Specifically, you could have taken your BG3 build and added at least 3 or more levels of the Brute Fighter subclass (which adds 1d4 damage to ALL attack damage rolls). Add on the amulet that adds 1d6 fire damage to weapon attacks (which fists count as for monks), a second action surge if you take Brute far enough, and slap it all on a Half-Orc for the increased critical damage (which you will be getting many of since you get to roll so many attack dice) and by that level 12 I mentioned before and for a small ki investment you can turn literally everything you meet into a cloud of red mist (or appropriately colored mist if it doesn't have normal blood). You GM might think they can control you by throwing in Bear Totem barbarians to have enemies that can resist all your damage types but it won't matter because every level past 12 only further makes you into more of a blender and even resisting all damage types won't be enough to save any NPC statblock in any of the monster manuals from at MOST a 2 round kill. If they survive more than 2 rounds then you know your GM is using some homebrew bullshit or just straight up lying about the HP numbers.

[@malmasterson3890]

​@@MisterZimbabweEven with multiclassing it still isn't as broken compared to the best builds with any other class. I do love taking levels in Fighter or Cleric though with Monk indeed. The synergies with those two classes in particular make them a lot better and more viable, but that is because those classes are also just better than a Monk is.

[@malmasterson3890]

​@@MisterZimbabweFunny that you mentioned the extra bonus actions from BG3, cause that's the only thing here I feel like they missed out on. Definitely shouldn't be implemented how it was in the video game, but giving all Monk's a limited extra bonus action mid 2nd tier would really help out a lot.

[@kingdestroyah3204]

Jacob, I never get tired of what you have to say. It's so fun to hear your and Spencer's opinions, and the jokes you both make. It always puts a smile on my face :)

[@kennybosefus]

Stunning Strike clarification I'd like to make: 'the next attack made against them is done so with advantage' That means any attack from anyone. It doesn't say YOUR next attack. You can stunning strike, they make the save... they lose half their movement, and any follow-up attack is getting advantage. ;)

[@FBI_Metal_Slime]

Gives a great guarenteed set up for rouge's sneak attack

[@Darkendrain]

Monk looks so much healthier and more fun now. I never thought I'd be excited for monk of all things but here we are.

[@DramakilzU]

I know this is a Monk vid, but it got me thinking about how they could have made Ranger more fun to play that fit its flavor. They could have added a new early feature where the Ranger could choose a creature type once per long rest, and then have some benefit to tracking or fighting that creature type for the whole day. For example, when you hit a creature of that type, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you for a round (cuz rangers are like protectors). And you can sense if there are any of those creatures nearby and which direction they are (similar to Paladin’s Sense Evil/Good). That way you keep the old Ranger flavor while still having some versatility to swap creature types when you need to.

[@Awsomeman328]

If I'm not mistaken, there is also another buff to the Monk via the changes in Unarmed Strikes. Of course all characters can perform an unarmed strike, but b/c the Monk class uses this the most often, the class receives the most benefit from the change. Basically, whenever a character takes an Unarmed Strike as an action, instead of only dealing damage, the Player/DM has the option of one of the following three options for the character to perform: Deal damage like normal/before, attempt to grapple another character, or attempt to shove another character. So, instead of trying to grapple or shove an enemy (or I guess you might want to shove your ally, idk) and that taking up your whole action, if you are able to Unarmed Strike multiple times in a single attack action (or bonus action ala Furry of Blows), then you could attempt to grapple/shove someone(s) up to that many times. Or to put it another way, you can now attempt either of these options more than just once a turn now! Also as a side note, don't underestimate "shoving attacks" people! That's how you could get an enemy away from you so that you don't have to suffer from an attack of opportunity! And don't forget to look out for doing this for your other party members if they don't have a high strength stat or a way to disengage as easily like a Rogue or Monk.

[@snowsun538]

This actually existed before. It was just kinda buried in the book, so most people didn't know about it. The only change is now monks bonus action attack can also be replaced with grapple/shove.

[@Brass319]

Another thing not mentioned is that the monk weapon change is a nerf. Before, you could make any martial melee weapon that wasn't heavy into a monk weapon (including scimitar). Now, it has to be a martial weapon with the light property, which is literally ONLY the scimitar, which, thanks to the martial arts buff, deals the same damage as an unarmed strike. I guess now if you want to spend a bunch of extra GP you could have your monk deal slashing damage??? Which, mind you, you could already do because hand axe exists and is a straight upgrade to the scimitar in literally every way except for the fact it lacks finesse (monk weapons can use dexterity regardless of whether or not they have finesse). This is such a useless change... although, I did not stop to consider the possibility of new weapons in the new book. Still probably a net negative but if they add something nice that you can use I guess it's less bad?

[@FBI_Metal_Slime]

​@@Brass319 *Scimitar and Shortsword are the only martial weapons with the light property, still not much but it's there. They're mostly just there so monk can round out it's physical damage types, having access to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage (between weapons and martial arts). And to be absolutely fair, the Dedicated Weapon feature that gives monk other weapon choices was only added in Tasha's because the rest of the class was so weak. With the new version of monk being buffed so much there wasn't much need to keep Dedicated Weapon around, plus it gives the backwards compatible Kensei monk more indiviuality and purpose now that only it can use other martial weapons. I'm also curious to see if any of the feats might give a character access to weapon mastery, as Monk getting access to the Nick property of scimitar will allow them to get in another attack as part of their attack action when dual wielding. It's also interesting to point out that features like stunning strike now proccs on any unarmed or monk weapon attack, not just melee weapons, so ranged attacks with shortbows, darts or hand axes (or long bows in the case of kensei) can stunning strike now.

[@Brass319]

@@FBI_Metal_Slime 1. monks could already use shortswords (so I didn't count them), and like I said hand axes are a straight upgrade to scimitars for monk with or without the tasha's rule 2. I mean yeah that's fair but let's be real this is a bandaid fix at best compared to reworking kensei to give you actual abilities you can use (assuming that was even the intension), not to mention you lose out on some cool flavor opportunities as well as better magic item compatibility (something monk can famously struggle with at times if the dm isn't careful) 3. Not gonna lie I liked the melee weapon attacks only version of stunning strike best, felt like the least cheesy of the bunch. Ultimately the main limiter _should_ be your ki points, so letting you dump a whole four of them for four attempts to stun was a bit questionable.

[@cliponbowties4799]

I love that the Shadow capstone lets you make a cartoon dust cloud with implied fighting in it.

[@snowboundwhale6860]

New monk looks amazing, most of it's nerfs are mild/ removing ribbons and it's buffs are all great/ flavourful. It's nice how Shadow monk's gotten a stronger focus on darkness in it's capstone, opportunist was a good feature but it didn't seem to have much to do with the subclass's aesthetic, though it is noteworthy that a moderately weaker version of Cloak of Shadows was the 2014 PHB's 11th level subclass feature which they've definitely revised based on player feedback because _that_ one does end the moment you enter bright light and it's just invis. Hadn't realised stunning strike didn't have the unarmed/ monk weapon restriction but I guess it's because those are what you'd be using for melee attacks as a monk anyway when given the choice. It's interesting how they seem to have changed from "your unarmed attacks count as magical for overcoming resistance to nonmagic damage" to "your unarmed attacks deal force damage." It's a simplification and a welcome one but I wonder what part of the old version they didn't like. It's also interesting that they seem to have done away with timeless body and purity of body, and rolled an adjustment of their benefits into stillness of mind; The later was an action to end charm/ fear on yourself, so now it's free at turn's end, and also applies to poison, but you're no longer flat out immune to poison or disease, and instead of "you no longer need food or water" you just have a way to avoid exhaustion incurred from a lack of them (which implies a limit to how long you can last but we'll see).

[@drewthelovable6809]

I know this is the monk video, but I want to comment this before I forgot. So I had an idea for ranger and wanted to run it by everyone; what if Ranger's main thing in combat was getting additional damage and advantages in combat based on the environment or how you fight? Like when you have the high ground you deal additional ranged damaged, when an opponent is on difficult terrain they are knocked prone by your attacks, you crit on more than just a 20 against prone or grappled enemies, things like that. Maybe they could even have something like eldritch invocations, where you choose specific things in the environment that your ranger likes and gets a bonus from (that would make this hypothetical ranger more adaptable if a DM likes to use specific terrain a lot)? So this ranger is a class that loves to take advantage of the terrain. I just had this idea randomly and haven't thought it over too much and I haven't thought how it would interact with subclasses at all so IDK

[@ramiel555]

I, for one, think that sounds freakin awesome, more thinking in 3-D is needed in the game.

[@WhoTookSaltyCabbage]

Late but comparing the article on the Monk changes to the one on the Ranger changes is REALLY funny. It's just funny seeing how succinct all the descriptions of the Monk changes are, compared to every Ranger change being accompanied by "hey, you can still use spellcasting to do this!" or "I really like this change because it's more THEMATIC!" or "trust me guys, this minor improvement is REALLY COOL!" It's like they knew the Ranger changes were garbage and the Monk changes were good enough to speak for themselves.

[@TheFoxfool]

0:56 The sun does Radiant Damage, not Fire Damage...

[@commonviewer2488]

Only if you're a vampire, take this 🧄

[@WillUleimi]

As far as your concern about unarmed attacks not being as versatile as the new weapon masteries, the new "Unarmed Attack" in the 2024 Player's Handbook allows you to do 1 of 3 things on a hit. You can: 1. Simply damage the enemy 2. Grapple the enemy (using Str or Dex for the DC as a Monk) 3. Push the enemy (once again using Str or Dex as the DC for the Monk). So the Monk still gets some options on their turn about what they want to do with their attacks, similar to the weapon masteries.

[@EmilyGamerGirl]

18:21 It went from "Melee Weapon Attack" to "Monk Weapon or Unarmed Strike". "If successfully applied" == "If they fail the saving throw".

[@FBI_Metal_Slime]

Something I did pick up on recently with 2024 Ranger, is that the Hunter's Mark they seem to be using is taken from UA6 (given by how it is confirmed to do force damage now). This means when it's upcast not only does it's duration increase up to 24 hours, but it's damage now increases by upwards of two extra dice at a 5th level slot (total of 3d6 force damage). This makes 2024 Foe Slayer actually somewhat decent at least, as it can get that Hunter's Mark damage up to 3d10 (once per turn, unless changed from UA6/2014) when cast at 5th level, plus the upcast gives it a 24 hour duration with unbreakable concentration on top of having advantage on all attacks against marked targets. That's actually pretty nice damage and usability at least for late game. Also several sources claiming that lot's of Ranger spells are no longer concentration, plus conjure barrage was confirmed to be buffed to 5d8 force damage and choosable targets within the cone, ranger spells might be getting some good buffs all around to help supliment the class (and explain why they focused 2024 Ranger so much around spells). Whether or not putting so much more of it's focus into it's half casting aspect is good game design is debatable, but I'm at least hopeful 2024 Ranger isn't outright weak thanks to it's spells being better.

[@Nimimura]

At the end of Soul Eater manga one of the main characters was able to deflect lasers with bare hands. I can't unsee BlackStar now as every monk in dnd now

[@Jay_Playz2019]

When do y’all think Colby will comment and be like “FINALLY!”

[@Scatteredpast]

Monk has always been one of my favorite classes. Seeing it get some of the treatment it deserves is so great

[@MelvinBisonSA]

"Ki is called Focus Points now." *Laughs in Pathfinder*

[@cheesusabidas77]

it would be totally justified to sue them back lmao

[@snowsun538]

I know. I died when I heard this. Especially since PF2e is releasing a book tomorrow that changes Ki to Qi so they don't get sued by D&D.

[@zyibesixdouze4863]

​​@@snowsun538it's more because the anglicization of "ki" (key) was incorrect anyways, being more pronounced as a "kh" (tchi) or "q" sound

[@meredithhunter7146]

"Your dex and wisdom increase by 4, to a maximum of 25" what you mean is a max level monk can reasonably have an AC of 24 through unarmored defense by that point... that's awesome!

[@bananabanana484]

Ranger didn’t need a buff. It needed a functional central class feature. Just something cool to make them feel unique from the start. I think a feature similar to the Pathfinder Ranger’s “Hunt Prey”. Making rangers the Hunter class who can track any enemy grants them a roleplay and mechanical niche that most other classes don’t have (beyond basic checks and the location spells). I think something that is similar to the chart for the Scry spell would be cool; that way, collecting in game items and info grants you bonuses (these bonuses could apply to checks, but then each subclass can add additional items or knowledge to collect, or allow you to add your bonus to damage or saving throws)

[@roxiwisse7167]

WOTC really said “if DMs aren’t gonna shoot their monks then they can deflect everything now”

[@bamcki991]

My idea of the monk is a slippery fighter who is hard to hit/damage and deals constant damage, but once you get a good hit on them they will go down pretty easily. This new monk perfectly encapsulate it.

[@claudiaborges8406]

“Perfect for when you’re on the 5th or 6th encounter of the day” Ah yes, because we’re all getting to that number of encounters a day

[@ronanhartman8942]

jermy crawfor poem, "his gun the ranger class" inspired me just a bit

[@kittydurgon8740]

As somebody who always plays monk, this makes me REALLY FUCKING HAPPY. MONK GOT A LOT OF LOVE, WOOOOOOO!

[@Asumsauce1796]

The Monk Weapon rework sounds really cool, until you realize the only Martial Melee Weapons with the Light property are the Shortsword and Scimitar

[@targetdreamer257]

Yeah. I’m going to homebrew that it’s light AND finesse martial. But at least the oversight on monks not qualified for 70% of the feats was addressed from like UA 7 or was it 8?

[@Kahadi]

He didn't read it out, but it says "Simple Melee weapons also count as Monk Weapons"

[@MortlachNL]

They mentioned in the video's presenting the changes from a few weeks ago that Shadow Monks will also be able to see inside the Darkness bubble they create. No more need to waste a feat to take Blind Fighting or the Warlock invocation

[@Techno_Guy_KWP]

The big reason they probably changed Quivering Palm was because in the 2014 version it was a very weird case of an ability. Failing the save couldn’t kill a character, it just reduces you to 0 hp. But if you succeed you take a large amount of damage, which can technically one-shot a character with low max hp. It’s just fixing a weird edge case.

[@bastiancole3565]

Just went absolutely ham on those level 1-2 changes. Way of Serpent monk is going to be so cool.

[@maxschwitzer9390]

So on stunning strike: before it could be applied on any melee weapon attack, now it requires specifically a monk weapon/unarmed strike. As for successfully applied, it probably means when the save fails and the target is stunned.

[@jollydino2416]

So basically, for Stunning Strike - you could be a Paladin, multiclass 5 levels into Monk, and use Stunning Strike with your greatsword when you Divine Smite, for example. Now, you're required to use an Unarmed Strike or specifically a Monk weapon to do so.

[@fordsmolko872]

The way I always saw it was Monk is fun but not powerful, and the Fighter is powerful, but not fun. I feel like they fixed both of those issues.

[@harleyjo4875]

15:52 Lmao at Jacob talking shit on whoever wrote the Ranger article but giving props to the Monk author, and yet…LE GASP, ITS THE SAME PERSON

[@sume1random]

So it looks like, from what was read to me by a friend that got a physical copy of the 2024 book from Gen Con, Warrior of the Elements Monk will have a total 15ft reach because the ability reads that it "increases your unarmed strikes by 10ft".

[@KururuFrog]

It's really cool to see him all happy and stuff even though I don't play DnD and don't get much of what's going on.

[@sooiton]

Idea: make Hunter's Mark a non-concentration spell and remove the jumping targets as a bonus action part. Ranger can now focus on his spells and still use his signature spell.

[@PrincessMatrix]

4 Elements Monk was my first DnD class, so to see it get so many cool upgrades brings a massive smile across my face

[@macromondo8026]

I think they clarified that Stunning Strike is done with either a Monk Weapon or Unarmed Strike to not have it trigger with Deflect Attack when you throw a projectile at someone else (if I understood the ruling, deflect attack does not count for stunning strike which makes sense they would clarify since ALOT of Monk features can combo now)

[@asumax8]

Speaking on what Jacob said about the Paladin and Smiting, After hearing the final version, I did a rework for our play group. Its back to being a core class feature, not a spell. Its limited to once per turn and you can cast it at 1st level a number of times equal to your CHR mod after which you have to use a spell slot

[@drew_gon1617]

8:59 Literally what i was thinking for the last few minuets like???? I'm seriously going to rewatch your ranger vid cause NO WAY did they cook with fire for some of these classes, then made THAT RANGER

[@loremech3888]

Monk has always been my favorite class, so I'm glad it got some love. They've always seemed like a not so good dodge tank/engager type that I enjoy. I'm also a tank player in team games, so I'm hype

[@MegaMeister123]

Its so funny to watch these videos as someone who has never played DnD or watched a DnD play session. I just love the reactions and the cool fucking abilities that are in these "patch notes"

[@exxlate574]

My assumption for the new stunning strike language is in the 2014 monk its implied you could pick up a greatsword or halberd and still stunning strike them, it now specifies it needs to be a monk weapon or unarmed strike

[@AJUniverse]

Jacob on medication really doesn't seem much different than Jacob off medication.

[@StealthMarmot_]

New Deflect Blows has that Jackie Chan energy.

[@TheDangerNoodle]

Jacob pls upload that full uncut 3 hour anti-Range VOD you had I really need to see those rants

[@cdYadi]

Okay, Y'all. The Shadow Monk's Cloak of Shadow invisibility thing, straight up reminds me of the Samurai Jack duel where he fights a ninja. IYKYK

[@BetelR]

18:39 its because unarmed strikes technically don't count as melee weapon attacks, since the language used always differentiates them. So before stunning strike required a weapon.

[@Kahadi]

Yes and no. Jeremy Crawford actually clarified years ago that Unarmed Strikes do count as melee weapon attacks. But this rewording does make it more clear that they count. The real change is that previously it was any melee weapon, meaning you could multiclass to Stunning Strike with a whip or greataxe. Now you can't, as it must be a Monk weapon, and those cannot be Monk weapons. Also, with the old wording, the change of Deflect Missile becoming Deflect Attack would have also worked. An enemy swings their greatclub at you, you use Deflect Attack and redirect it back at them, allowing you to theoretically Stunning Strike them. But since it now says it needs to be a Monk weapon, that's not a concern anymore. Though, hypothetically, you could still do it by redirecting an attack from an enemy using a Monk weapon.

[@gabbypie64]

Monks being good has me in tears

[@punk-pangolins]

That thumbnail is EVERYTHING 😭😭😭

[@Orillion123456]

Quivering palm is "fail save = instant-downed, pass save = bunch of damage", new one will be "fail save = bunch of damage, pass save = half of that damage", I think you missed that when reading through. Basically it's a nerf to a "sometimes you get to instantly win" button, which is only fair given that 5e has already destroyed all save or die spells that spellcasters had (poor necromancy spell school, they've all been turned into boring necrotic damage blast spells when 5e hit). Probably would have been best to completely remove that ability and put something else open-hand-y in there instead, though, because just dealing a bunch of damage to a single target (if you hit with an attack and they fail a save) is not particularly exciting as a level 17 ability.

[@ButlerWho]

The one way I see Ranger being better than people expect is if Hunter's Mark itself is drastically upgraded from the last playtest.

[@ryangentry2003]

I say to fix ranger, a big thing you could do is give Hunter's Mark an UPCAST option. Then make your ranger get a free cast of the highest level version every short or long rest (not sure which it currently is)

[@odd-eyes6363]

Coming off of BG3, it feels so weird to hear someone saying Monk can't keep up with the other classes in regards to damage.

[@AzumangaFan13]

Monks are now evasion tanks and I'm here for it

[@allnighter_boy8850]

Love the new Monk, literally going to carry parties with all the resistances and ability scores that they’re going to have

[@phluffi9008]

I think the thing with stunning strike only being able to be applied to "Monk weapons or unarmed strikes" means that it can now only be done with those. Before, it could be done with any melee weapon attack (so you could use a greataxe and still stunning strike) but now they've limited it.

[@vigorouslethargy]

Limited in one way, but expanded in another: Stunning Strike thrown daggers. (Or any thrown light weapons)

[@JackBlack-qn7us]

The monk stunning strike thing, it's cuz a good amount of dms say unarmed strike is not a weapon attack, hence you can't use stunning strike with unarmed attacks. It just clarifies things tbh.

[@anterraboom]

I have a monk/barbarian minotaur who is primarily strength based. The increase to her base damage is going to be absolutely bonkers.

[@DukeAstoreth]

Monk has always been my favorite class.

[@JustAPasserby-e6z]

Monks are rule of cool incarnate but in practical terms fall short of everything they promise in combat or social encounters. A quick and dirty fix would be to give them an ability to intimidate or otherwise influence enemies based on wisdom and dexterity with their feats of prowess rather than strength and charisma so that every time they do something cool like their missile-catching or wall running it passively scares or fascinates enemies making them vulnerable to followup attacks to counter their lowered direct damage potential and handicapped survival since they lose out on magically enhanced weapons and armour leaving them in the dust without those significant bonuses. Well, unless you homebrew some cloth robes and weapons that count as unarmed attacks, at any rate. Likewise allowing wisdom to apply to diplomacy checks or giving other edges in mediating between extreme viewpoints in the good/evil law/chaos axis keeping with their theme of spiritual balance like an explicit advantage to using the help action during diplomacy can add to social encounters to supplement a dedicated face would be extremely appreciated.

[@kuroshinigami9143]

i really love the new monk, my only change would be that since they are still limited to monk weapons/unarmed weapons to give them just a biiiiit more damage. maybe level 9-ish they get to add their wisdom modifier to their unarmed attacks.

[@billyboy4400]

I THINK, hope with all my heart, that Ranger is gonna have a substantial buff to spells

[@Safaridor]

Warrior of Shadow being able to walk around invisible and reveal themselves by stepping into the light? I think there will be a lot more BBEG that happen to be monks.

[@zenith110]

18:18 You can stun with Darts for example as a ranged attack

[@roosterconlon]

@18:30 if all weapons that have the light property are now considered monk weapons, then you can use stunning strike on a ranged attack if you use a weapon like the dagger, hand axe, or light hammer, or the hand crossbow. Atleast that is how I read it. Not just a melle attack, ranged attacks work as well.

[@Kahadi]

That's a misunderstanding. It's not all weapons with the Light property that count as Monk weapons, it's all Martial Melee weapons with the Light property (and all Simple Melee weapons). So you can't Stunning Strike with a light crossbow or a dart. That being said, however, a handaxe is a Simple Melee weapon and thus does work as a Monk weapon, same with a light hammer, javelin, dagger, or spear. So since those are also thrown weapons, RAW does let you use Stunning Strike at range with them. It's just bows and darts that don't work.

[@holy_knight]

Honestly I'm just glad they didn't make monk bad It really brightens my day And it gave me an idea for my TRRPG (no, it's not even close to be finished and it was made only to be played with my friends, MAYBE when I complete it I'll do a Kickstarter) Still I have a lot to complain about ranger, but I'll do the same as you, stay optimistic and let the numbers do the talking (it's sad I have to say this, but probably fun won't talk)

[@Jason-96]

1:20 His neighbors now thinking he's got an Only Fans account...🤣

[@reloadpsi]

I kinda like the changing of ki to focus. Ki locked it into Japanese martial arts despite drunken master being so obviously Chinese.

[@Damakos]

The one thing that wasn't here for shadow monk is that darkness is only one focus point now.

[@MrYoyojuan]

I swear they just intent the Ranger to be an NPC character or guest character to help the rest of the players in a particular quest.

[@glowinthedarkshark9396]

Finally I can resurrect my monk druid concept of a shaman class. Finally.

[@jeremieguichard2467]

as a monk enjoyer who hasn't been playing monk because after a couple of levels, you're always left in the dust, I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THE NEW MONK!

[@krumpits]

IMO i think all subclasses should be level 2. level one is the very basics of the class, learning a couple spells as a wizard, first awakening basic magic as a sorcerer, learning how to hunt and track as a ranger, learning how to swing a sword or shoot a bow, etc. then at level 2 you specialize into that specific thing your character favors

[@amazingmenace6168]

Monk Ranger multiclass. 👌🏾

[@lnorlnor]

BTW Self-Restoration seems to be a nerfed version of Stillness of Mind (end frightened and charmed with an action, available at level 7) and Purity of Body (level 10, immune to disease and poison). Cautiously optimistic for seeing the full subclass but honestly the first character I ever played seriously was a Four Elements Monk and I'm going to be rolling a new level 11 character soon, might be time for her to make a comeback, I was always super fascinated by the higher level options.

[@Invisibleguy-kn7bd]

I've only seen the level 1 changes to Martial Arts and GOD DAMN I love this already. I've been saying for YEARS that Martial Arts should start at a D6, and I've always wanted Dex based, grappling bc like that's a HUGE part of martial arts so it was wild to make it only Strength based before

[@DustTheOtter]

I have never played a Monk before. And now my backup character is a Lizardfolk Way of Mercy Monk who is going to heal with his bites. My DM is also allowing me to use claw and tail whip attacks, so I can heal my teammates by running past that and smacking them in the leg with my tail 😭

[@ImSimmin]

step of the wind being large or smaller means as a monk, you can grab the horse your paladin is riding on and pull it to safety!!! (hope the paladin passes the dex save)

[@leila13dnd]

That is an insane upgrade for the Monk class wow!

[@darkdestiny9106]

I like the changes to Ki/Focus - gives monks more options during fights instead of hoarding points in case of battles ahead, like how spell slots are for spellcasters. Now monks can actually just go out there and monk it up - the extra damage also helps tremendously. I played a monk once and felt so weak playing it because I felt like I didn't have as much options as other classes during a fight, limited to shoving/grappling and trying to slap them around with my (honestly weak) unarmed strikes. The changes definitely helps fulfill the fantasy of a monk a lot better.

[@Zetzteno]

I feel like Monk is gonna be the Fighter of 5e. A class that is complete on its own but will often be multi classed into 2 or 3 levels max for specific OP builds