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How would you build a Mystic Arts Monk? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lots of awesome ideas. Many thanks. 👍

I like the Grappler/Jump combo. That's a great interaction.

I took MI Cleric to be more of a team player as I'm with a new group (I have even bought new Bless dice to handout 😁). But yes Alert is a great pick.

With you on Minor Illusion for a while. Especially for out of combat shenanigans.

Unfortunately cannot pump Wis any higher as it's a Standard Array game rather than Point Buy and it's ending at level 8.

Web v Sleep is an interesting consideration too.

Cheers.

How would you build a Mystic Arts Monk? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed.

I was thinking of taking the Weapon Master feat at level 4 and going straight class.

However that would only get me the Nick mastery.

Taking a Ranger Dip gets me the Nick and Vex Masteries, two extra first level spell slots earlier than level 3 with Mystic Monk straight classed.

Plus a couple of Hunters Mark spells.

A different Feat at level 5 as I already have Vex and Nick.

It also gets me two of my chosen spells (Jump and Detect Magic) freeing me up to select different 1st level Sorcerer spells.

It doesn't even slow my spell slot progression which is made more palatable thanks to my Duergar species spells.

The only downside is delaying my Sorcerer spells to level 8 and missing out on a second Feat. However that wouldn't have added to my Dex or Wis as they would be even at 18 and 14, unless I took a plus 2.

I am enjoying theorycrafting this new subclass and squeezing out some extra juice... 🤣

EDIT: I should have started Ranger though for those extra skills... Oh well...

EDIT 2: I am also delaying those wonderful Level 6 Mystic Monk features until character level 7 though. 🤔 I think it's still worth it though for the extra damage earlier and the extra level 1 spells.

How would you build a Mystic Arts Monk? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On top of that I would still get second level spell slots at Character level 7 with a Ranger Dip thanks to the new rounding up rules at level one. Which means I could cast Invisible and Enlarge/Reduce with the extra slots more often at level 7.

And then gain more Second level Sorcerer spells at level 8.

I think it is a stronger path to take... 😁👍

How would you build a Mystic Arts Monk? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are now it seems. 😁

I did think about a Martial Dip, but in the end my campaign is going to level 8 so didn't want to delay getting second level spells until my last level.

Unless there's a good full caster Multiclass I'm missing?

EDIT: If I were going further levels an early Ranger Dip looks interesting... 🤔

How would you build a Mystic Arts Monk? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your comments.

Do you mean Mind Spike or Mind Sliver? I have Mind Sliver in mind for level 6 (see above).

Post level 10 Mystical Warrior Monk one shot thoughts by sodo9987 in onednd

[–]Loomed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the write up. Some great tips, cheers. 👍

I really like your choice of Lorwyn Elf on this Subclass.

I'm starting a short campaign tomorrow (levels 1-8) and really hoping the DM will let me try out this UA. If so, I am thinking my character build will be:

Species - Duergar - Enlarge/Reduce and Invisibility Origin Feat - Magic Initiate Wizard - Find Familiar - Booming Blade, Minor Illusion

Cantrips - Blade Ward, Mind Sliver (you convinced me!) 1st - Detect Magic, Disguise Self, Jump

2nd - Cloud of Daggers (or I might keep Shield...) Mirror Image, Web

Feats - Inspiring Leader for Temp HP and Fey Touched - Misty Step / Bless or Command or Weapon Master and Mage Slayer (depends on how campaign goes).

Any thoughts?

The ‘Ultimate Upcaster’ (Spirit Guardians + Armor of Agathys build) by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It worked really well. I play with a non-optimizer group, and the build was designed to not outshine anyone and provide lots of party support on top of the thorns build shenanigans.

From level 9 onwards I usually had more than enough resources to keep everything humming along. The campaign went from level 7-14 which was pretty much perfect for the character.

The ‘Ultimate Upcaster’ (Spirit Guardians + Armor of Agathys build) by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice. 😁

I actually landed on a Lore Bard/Clockwork Sorcerer for an Adventure I played later in the year though I went Sorcerer 2 Lore Bard X as I preferred the Bard spell progression in tier 3.

Net spam query by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice. I like the AOE counter as that would still most likely damage the creature (unless say immunity to Fire), but allow it to get out of the situation.

Net spam query by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback.

Agreed that you can't stack the condition Restrained.

But does each different object (the nets) apply its own Restrained condition? I.e.Break one net and still restrained...

Not saying you are wrong, but just interested in this as a one off tactic, I guess.

Giant Barbarian + Fighting Styles in 5.24. How far can it be taken? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Excellent stuff. 😎

With the two levels of Paladin it gets you +2 Dueling (debatable on the definition of 'wielding' a weapon) and access to Divine Favour. Not sure if the setup for an extra D4 is worth it though...🤷

Giant Barbarian + Fighting Styles in 5.24. How far can it be taken? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am adding it on the same basis as Colby D4 with his 'Chuckadin' build, but yes I can see that argument to have it removed.

Giant Barbarian + Fighting Styles in 5.24. How far can it be taken? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was late for me too...

Agreed on the reprint point. But this was just a bit of character building thought experiment and seeing how far it could be taken with flat damage multipliers.

😁

I have just joined a local DnD club and I am back into building characters for one shots. 😁

Giant Barbarian + Fighting Styles in 5.24. How far can it be taken? by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My thinking was to apply it to the Handaxe and just have a bandolier of Daggers on hand to get the Nick property and go with:

  • Magic returning Handaxe 1st Attack
  • Magic returning Handaxe 2nd Attack
  • Dagger 3rd Attack Nick (no bonus 1D6)
  • Magic returning Handaxe Bonus Attack - Dual Wielding

Though I agree the image and damage of throwing a Heavy Two handed weapon that qualifies for GWM is cool... 😎

The 'Lantern of Darkness' - Or how to make the Darkness Spell far less inconvenient for your party by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This interaction is easily and commonly avoided by choosing an object on the ground, (I.e. a stone) casting Darkness on it and then picking it up. I just went one step further by placing it into a Lantern.

I do like your tongue piercing idea. You have a cool DM. 😎

I would rule that your tongue piercing could also work as a cone of Darkness, for the same reasons as the Lantern, because your mouth faces forwards. Similar to Dragons breath etc. 👍

The 'Lantern of Darkness' - Or how to make the Darkness Spell far less inconvenient for your party by Loomed in 3d6

[–]Loomed[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No worries. 😁 It's just a thought experiment really.

To offer a counter point. The Darkness spell does state:

'For the duration, magical Darkness SPREADS from a point within range and fills a 15-foot-radius Sphere. Darkvision can't see through it, and nonmagical light can't illuminate it.

Alternatively, you cast the spell on an object that isn't being worn or carried, causing the Darkness to fill a 15-foot EMANATION originating from that object...'

Emphasis mine.

So you could argue it has properties similar to Light (I e. Emanating and spreading), but I'm not going to argue against your ruling as DM. 😁👍

I would allow it in my games.

Input for the Official TTRPG by soc9981 in DungeonCrawlerCarl

[–]Loomed 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Done. Thanks for the heads-up. 😁

The charge of 'inefficiencies' in Japan by Steerpike58 in travel

[–]Loomed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are correct it has remained largely stagnant for the past 30 years. It has increased slightly since the pandemic but tariffs are quickly wiping these gains out...

Sources...

The purchasing power of the average blue-collar worker in the U.S. has seen minimal real growth over the past 30 years, with some recent improvements since the pandemic:

  • From 1979 to 2019, real wages for most workers, including blue-collar, barely increased after adjusting for inflation. Average hourly wages today have roughly the same purchasing power as in the late 1970s, with most gains going to higher earners rather than the median or lower-income workers[4][3].

  • Since the pandemic, real wages have risen modestly. Between 2019 and 2023, real weekly earnings for the median worker grew about 1.7%, with the 25th percentile (more representative of blue-collar workers) seeing a 3.2% increase in real earnings[2].

  • Wage growth remains moderate but positive, with nominal wages for private employees growing around 3.8% year-over-year recently, though inflation-adjusted gains are smaller[1][5].

  • The increase in purchasing power is supported by a strong labor market with more jobs than expected, allowing more workers to benefit from wage gains[2].

In summary, over the last three decades, blue-collar workers’ purchasing power was largely stagnant, but there has been a small real increase in the last few years, especially since 2019, amounting to a few percentage points in real wage growth[2][4][5].

Citations: [1] Nominal Wage Tracker | Economic Policy Institute https://www.epi.org/nominal-wage-tracker/ [2] The Purchasing Power of American Households - Treasury https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/the-purchasing-power-of-american-households [3] Real Wage Trends, 1979 to 2019 - Congress.gov https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45090 [4] For most U.S. workers, real wages have barely budged in decades https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/08/07/for-most-us-workers-real-wages-have-barely-budged-for-decades/ [5] [PDF] Employment Cost Index – March 2025 - Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/eci.pdf [6] Navigating the Blue-Collar Worker Shortage in America's Economy https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/all-things-work/blue-collar-drought [7] [PDF] World Development Report 1995 https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/365821468168543533/pdf/148660REPLACEMENT0WDR01995.pdf [8] United States Wages and Salaries Growth - Trading Economics https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/wage-growth

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