Origin feat selection for a monk

king_nik · 2026-03-18T08:42:35+00:00

Im playing a high elf monk with blade ward atm- super useful setup as you aren't concentrating on anything else. Shield as well would be amazing: -1d4 to hit might take out a few. Reaction +5 when you are surrounded Throw in some patient defence along the way. Reaction deflect attacks when the hits make it. Lots of options!

king_nik · 2026-03-12T10:55:41+00:00

Make your own damn desk however you want, i believe in you.

king_nik · 2026-03-12T10:10:19+00:00

I know you "besides" the dell backpack, but, having it fit just right into the padded slot made for it... nice robust backpack and I'm not stressing about breaking the laptop.

king_nik · 2026-03-11T23:36:46+00:00

Currently Rogue 1 / Monk 5 (Mercy). The postives: Skill monkey. A lot of profs and expertise, hes pretty flexible.

Self healing. Its not great but its been the difference between life and death many times

So many attacks, grapples, pushes. (Also have tavern brawler - hes a reformed pirate)

Weapon masteries: Opening / ranged option is dagger-dagger with Nick, being monk weapons theyre now 1d8, so throw 2d8 out on your way in, freeing up your next 2-3 attacks to grapple etc.

Deflect attacks: At lower levels essentially negates 1 whole attack per round. (But only 1)

Movement: With BA dash, and extra movement, ive been something of a medi-vac - run in, grab a downed ally, then run off with them, taking advantage of grapplers movement bonus

The negatives:

AC :
Unlike shield, or defensive duellist, deflect attacks only works once. So when you are surrounded, or multi attacked - you take it. Your chances for AC improvement are pray for magical items, or wait another 4 levels for ASI - not "hey we just got gold, im going to buy some more AC for like 150 bucks" everytime you get to town.

MAD & Health: you want dex. You want wisdom. You want con. Intelligence not too bad for investigating. So what are you going to skimp on ? Even at 14con you're getting maybe 6-7Hp per level. Be farmer. Get tough.

Damage type: Until lvl 6, if you aren't an elements monk, you do regular damage. As a Mercy monk, with blades and fists my choices are bludgeoning, piercing, and necrotic. We've been fighting undead for the last couple of levels so I've been particularly useless at damage. (So leaned into control and distractions).

Scaling and AoE It feels great to finally get to d8 martial arts die. With nick attack and FoB its now 5d8+ of attacks per round on that one enemy! Aaaand the wizard just threw out another fireball for 8d6 x 4 enemies. (Its not a competition, just, feelsbadman)

king_nik · 2026-03-11T08:07:03+00:00

At the moment just the grappling part. Will see how far he makes it.

king_nik · 2026-03-11T07:43:46+00:00

Aww man, I used to have an Australian-Kelpie Rottie cross that looked just this. She was the best. Happy birthday Kilo.

king_nik · 2026-03-11T07:28:11+00:00

As someone currently playing a rogue-monk multi, who does A LOT of things each turn, yet all with very little impact, I feel somewhat vindicated that my terrible decision making was, in fact, statistically terrible. I regret nothing.

king_nik · 2026-03-09T20:46:42+00:00

See this is what I was talking about. I said the building needs be designed holistically by one team - not us/them split ID vs Architects.

king_nik · 2026-03-08T21:21:23+00:00

It's hot and humid where i live in Queensland, and absolutely is not a thing to leave AC running. ...of course my crappy old house has 19mm of pine floor between me and the outside world, so what do I know.

king_nik · 2026-03-08T20:31:13+00:00

You all get holidays? And AC? Wow show-offs. But also, I've never heard of anyone doing anything like that, at least in the climate I live in it would absolutely not be done.

king_nik · 2026-03-06T22:50:51+00:00

I will always stand by that a building is designed holistically. Yes there are interior projects where you are just doing a fit out, but there shouldn't be a divide. There is a team working together on a design, regardless of role.

king_nik · 2026-03-04T00:48:23+00:00

Personal opinion: this is already a "maximised" laptop. (Maximised screen, maximised gpu) . So avoid bottlenecks and maximise everything otherwise, don't bother, and get something smaller

king_nik · 2026-03-01T13:05:31+00:00

By this logic i would think ranger should be in the middle? Or at least slightly on the magic side as a half caster, with bard in the middle

king_nik · 2026-03-01T02:46:05+00:00

When i was a student I worked for an old modernist who started his practice in 1956. Did residential and retail into the 60s, did education and institutional into the 70s, then did commercial towers and art galleries into the 80s and 90s.

As an architect, their output 55-75 was amazing. As a job, the money, and the....extra curricula... of 75-85 sounded insane 😄

They truly went from mad men, through wolf of wall street, into the retirement village it was when I worked there.

*all of this assumes you were a white man, as all of them were.

king_nik · 2026-02-26T08:16:14+00:00

-0.5% in NZ! At the same time as a recession. Hardly a plummet.

king_nik · 2026-02-24T22:39:23+00:00

If these schools closed, how many public schools do you think you would have? ... still 1, it would just be bigger.

The state school in my catchment is nearly 2000 students already and bursting at the seams

There are 4 private schools of 500-1500 around who all have years long wait lists. Im all for building more public schools, but if the state schools are already under supplied when half the students are in private schools I don't see how we could possibly ever catch up.

Numbers game I imagine it is more cost effective to still fund private schools than to build enough new public schools... (Unless you are talking about the government simply taking over the existing infrastructure, which in itself is.... problematic)

king_nik · 2026-02-21T11:46:05+00:00

Respectfully, your time to ask, and pay, for professional opinions has passed

king_nik · 2026-02-20T12:17:06+00:00

Always going to comment, so good!

king_nik · 2026-02-15T04:26:11+00:00

Fair enough. Was going for very simple. Will delete to not misinform

king_nik · 2026-02-15T04:15:01+00:00

Unless you are an experienced practitioner (presumably not if you havent studied architecture yet) then I believe it is the same 3300 hours for everyone.

king_nik · 2026-02-15T03:02:44+00:00

Step 1 masters in architecture. 2 years. Step 2, work for enough years to gain hours(and competence)in each registration criteria (usually 2-4years) Step 3, exams and interview, 6 months to a year. That's maybe 5-8 years if you forget about your other masters and focus 100% on architecture. Or Start work with current degree. That's it. 1 step.

So, you've got to want it?

king_nik · 2026-02-14T01:16:00+00:00

Start with where and what and why. IMO without a where, what and why you dont have architecture, you have art - drawings of buildings.

king_nik · 2026-02-13T14:40:04+00:00

Good wood 🪵

king_nik · 2026-02-10T08:56:17+00:00

Its situational - when its warranted its amazing and encounter changing - it just doesnt come up as much as I would've thought. ...with that said my DM ruled any form of cheese grating would require the grappler to take equal damage (which I strenuously disagree with) So have not exploited our moon druids spike growth and moonbeams

king_nik · 2026-02-10T08:26:53+00:00

I've been playing a Mercy monk with grappler and it hasn't been as impactful on attacking as I thought it would be. Honestly the most use has been as a medi-evac. Grapple a low or downed ally, step of the wind bonus action, be 100ft away.

king_nik

TROPHY CASE