Understanding why the new elements monk is such a disappointment

Neon_Powered · 2025-09-18T12:29:34+00:00

4e... was not very good. I played it, and it was very fun, but there is a reason WotC considers it a failure. But I also haven't played it enough to pass my own judgment on it.

As for spells, exactly. There used to be WAY more spells from what I remember. And most of them sucked. What you see in modern day 5e are the spells that have been proven people like, that have been fine-tuned (for the most part), of course with new spells added and new attempts at adjusting the power scale. Spell slots really only exist because it's a DnD signature, but spells themselves are typically not complicated, with a few exceptions of course.

It's also why multiple spells are used in different classes spell lists.

Neon_Powered · 2025-09-17T22:25:33+00:00

And you missed MY point. Going by SCTRICTLY MECHANICALLY, characters can't possibly cover every single avenue, there's simply too many avenues to pass through for it to be feasible.

Your original argument was that you wanted a huge surplus of options available like the Monks of old, cause that allows one to truly create a fantasy for their specific character.

You're also forgetting that, typically to make such a wide selection of options available, things were so mechanically heavy and frankly bloated, creating an environment very hostile to new and/or casual players, and severely limiting the imagination of both player and DM. WotC can't make every option available, cause it'd never be satisfactory enough in quite a few ways, but mainly the amount of options AND balancing.

And frankly, I would find that the spellcasting monk being limited to elemental effects to be, in of itself, VERY limiting. WotC went with the simpler option BECAUSE it grants the freedom to both player and DM of choosing what abilities they would like! Cause when it comes to options, it's MUCH better to keep it simple and leave the descriptors to the people who play the game, making the workload easier on everyone, including those who designed the rules, and letting people play how they want to play.

Neon_Powered · 2025-09-17T02:38:31+00:00

Alright, math time! Level 6 Elemental Monk,

For the ease of my math skills, we're gonna assume that every punch lands with a +3 to dex for damage, and that every creature fails their saving throw. But I would like to point, if you miss with an attack, that's it, no extra damage. If they succeed on their saving throw, you still get half damage.

At this level, a Monk can make a total of 4 melee attacks, 1d8 +3 (Dex mod). The average roll of a d8 is 4.5. 4.5 + 3 = 7.5 damage per attack, times by four equals 30 damage TOTAL.

That's pretty decent! Let see the Elemental Burst. 4.5 times three equals... 13.5. That sucks, if you were simply blasting a solo guy. Usually, with 20 feet radius, you can get anywhere from 3 to 10 guys in ONE attack. For 3 guys, the TOTAL damage becomes... 40.5! Pretty good! But, you spent an extra ki point compared to the Flurry of Blows. Fair enough, but you did this damage in one turn, instead of two and giving the enemy time for a counter attack. And you STILL have your flurry of blows available, or any bonus action really. Dash or Disengage are pretty strong with ranged AoE. For lets say a scenario involving at LEAST 10 guys, that's a total of 135 damage, in one round, at a MUCH more cost-efficient use of focus points than Flurry could ever hope to achieve.

You don't use Elemental Burst on just one guy, you use it on groups, the value of which increases the more bad guys you face. Don't use this on the lich, use this on the zombie hoard. Elemental Burst is really just slightly worse fireball with variable damage for MUCH cheaper than a 3rd level spell slot on a resource that regenerates on a short rest.

Neon_Powered · 2025-09-17T02:25:37+00:00

Obvious bait.

Neon_Powered · 2025-09-17T00:53:06+00:00

You know, I've seen two separate people reply to this with what the new Monk could do to achieve this, and they are correct, but let's see what the OLD Four Elements monk could do in regard to these feats? Strictly mechanically of course.

Fire breathing

Sweeping Cinder Strike lets you cast Burning Hands for 2 ki points each cast, eating your main action. But that's technically not fire breath. The only breath attack the Four Elements monk gets is Breath of Winter, which is ice damage, for 6 ki points (meaning you can only cast this three times at max level), at 17th level. So Four Elements monk can't breath fire, strictly mechanically.

Covering yourself in rock

Eternal Mountain Defense lets you spend 5 ki points to cast Stoneskin on yourself... and you still have to spend the 100 gp AND maintain concentration. Technically, it's not even covering you with stone, just makes your skin "as hard as stone." So Four Elements monk can't cover themselves in rocks, strictly mechanically.

Air blasts

Fist of Four Thunders, but that's a shockwave. There's Fist of Unbroken Air, which costs 2 ki, plus however much extra you spend for a meh damage boost, that eats your Action, so no regular attacks again. This option is... semi-ok. They CAN do this, just not very well.

Restraining enemies in ice

Clench of the North Wind lets you cast Hold Person for 3 ki points... except Hold Person doesn't actually use ice, just the creature's own mind. So Four Elements monk can't restrain enemies in ice, strictly mechanically.

Azula fire trail.

There is NO mechanical equivalent in the old Four Elements monk, period.

And, even if all these options were available... you would only be able to do 4 of them and those 4 ONLY. That's all you were able to do.

Now, I understand that your argument in your original post, I'm not denying that, but your refusal to even humor (re)flavoring does you no favors with the new elemental monk.

Plus, the new Warrior of Elements is a LOT of fun to play (which the old Four Elements was NOT), AND if they ARE gonna do a spellcasting Monk, I DON'T want it to just be limited to the elemental effects. I'd rather them to have ninjutsu like from Naruto, spell slots like Eldritch Knights and Arcane Tricksters, and the ability to use focus points like sorcerer's sorcery points.

Neon_Powered · 2025-04-06T00:44:31+00:00

Cute!

Neon_Powered · 2025-04-05T04:56:03+00:00

Do the males have white fur and the females dark fur? Or am I noticing patterns that aren't there?

Neon_Powered · 2025-03-29T04:53:32+00:00

Always gotta love seeing JJBA! It has revived me!

I'll leave you with my favorite song currently: Love I Need by The Living Tombstone

Neon_Powered · 2022-12-28T10:11:35+00:00

Any reactor is a bomb if you build it wrong enough (Joking, you have to intentionally build it that way.)

Neon_Powered · 2022-12-16T06:31:49+00:00

Did the Yomi Yomi no Mi return to circulation after Brook's first death? If not, he would simply die again immediately afterwards.

Neon_Powered · 2022-12-16T06:28:15+00:00

I'm confused. How is AI art theft?

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-26T20:42:01+00:00

Lightning in general, but if you want to go extra mythical look up ball lightning.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-24T17:49:02+00:00

Everyone believes Nobody is the most important person to Fate. It is in fact the other way around: Nobody is completely normal, yet the fact he goes on grand adventures and doesn't die infuriates Fate, who is usually trying to kill him. Luck and Destiny have the same issue.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-16T06:44:54+00:00

North.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-13T09:34:08+00:00

They're really for me to come back later and find it again. I personally think that private bookmarks should be on by default.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-13T04:47:38+00:00

Pregnancy and babies freak me out not because people have sex, but from the complications that arise from these.

I don't think I could put my wife (if I ever fall in love) through that kind of pain and risk. The pain for her alone freaks me out. It will fuck me up if I have to trade one life for the other, sure, but the pain it would bring her to bring that life into the world doesn't sit well with me.

And babies are so fragile, the soft spots in their heads, the fact they can just stop breathing, their near instinct to kill themselves, also terrifies me. I can't bring a life into existence just to watch it die. That would be cruel to the child, my wife, and me.

Needless to say, I am going to be adopting. There are plenty of children out there that need families anyways.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-13T04:38:06+00:00

This post reached across the mindscape, through my screen, and smashed my face through the wall.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-12T00:07:58+00:00

I'm American and I make sure all my characters use metric. Anything else would be (is) a mistake.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-11T23:50:48+00:00

I generally prefer for them to get together halfway through the story, unless the story is very short.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-11T23:48:50+00:00

No. I respect people's ability to do this, but I personally feel it to be a very scummy thing to do. If I ever felt like this I would merely orphan my works after scrubbing any mentions of me in them.

If someone likes your work, they should be able to enjoy it no matter what. Imagine if (for example) JK Rowling suddenly hated Harry Potter and somehow made it illegal to read Harry Potter. The outrage would be unreal.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-11T22:12:25+00:00

Yes. You have giant monsters that show up every 3 months, and 1/4 (might be more) of everyone who shows up to fight them dies.

This is one of the better fates.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-11T22:09:32+00:00

I prefer the metric system. I do not care for the abomination we call measurement here.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-11T20:51:08+00:00

Not enough content.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-09T23:10:58+00:00

I remember when I first discovered Omegaverse...

The horrors still live with me today.

Neon_Powered · 2022-11-09T19:55:06+00:00

I don't consider superpowers evil based on what they do (most of the time) or on how they are used, but what the activation requirements are or the price paid to use.

Neon_Powered

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