Monk Way of the Four Elements - D&D 5e Subclass Series 

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Here’s my take on the subclass: I know most people think this subclass is bad or poorly designed, but I think this subclass is designed to fill in the areas that the monk struggles with. Everybody knows the monk is a class that is amazing at single target and stunlocking, and this subclass fixes the problem with encounters with large numbers of enemies by giving you area of effect spells which helps a ton. Next they solve a very common problem with melee classes in multiple ways with the different elements: range. For fire they give you the extended reach and damage, for wind you get a 30 ft ranged attack that can push and knock prone, and water gets either a pull or prone ability and those extra effects are greatly appreciated considering damage and all of those added effects and range are something martial characters don’t get too frequently. Lastly their abilities fill a goal that most parties should strive for: every person concentrating on a spell. Another person being able to concentrate on spells allows for more opportunities to open up to the rest of the party. Lastly, a common concern for this subclass is it destroys ki points, and my counterargument to that is that the subclass has a similar problem to warlocks at most tables: parties very rarely short rest, if the game was played with recommended 2 short rest per day that triples the amount of ki points the monk can use daily.

I'm rolling fat tabaxi Monk ways of the four elements. He has a double personality representing the Ying Yang and is always arguing with himself hahaha. Tons of fun🤣

Everyone always brings up the Last Airbender when it comes to elemental monks. I picture more the Three Storms from Big Trouble in Little China.

i ruled it differently for the Avatar Monk in my group. he can switch out the spells in the morning similar to wizards, but he can only switch out two and cant switch them around until he took a long rest.

I personally love it :P . Lots of fun with RP. In combat I use it as a croud controlling semi tank thingy.

I’m trying to make an Earth Genasi monk, came around for some tips on playing him

RP can be strong in concept even if it isn't nessecarily in terms of mechanics.

Four Elements spellcasting is very similar to Warlocks where you regain Ki on a short rest. Your incredible mobility helps, but yeah, you own your Disciplines.

I would actually rate this subclass the exact opposite: 4 in RP, and 1.5 in combat, because the mechanics are really poor compared to the other Monk archetypes (Ways). But for RP, on the other hand, we have TONS of source materials to look up to for creating a deeper lore (Avatar Aang, come on).

I think the class is a great way to make a stylized Taoist monk. I am currently playing a tempest cleric that will slide to monk at level 4 or 5. I stumbled into the tempest cleric who is questioning where power really comes from, no offense Anhur. Huge upside if you give the class time to percolate to power. IMHO

I hear so many gripes about how much more casting a caster gets. But a Monk is a martial class. Compare it to a Paladin or Ranger, keeping in mind that you get your Ki back on a short rest, and it compares very well. In fact, given the way the Monk can pick and choose his Ki usage, this subclass gets more consistent magic usage than either Paladin or Ranger, and WAY more than EK or AT. As far as rp, I really don't know what you want here. This subclass turns a baseline Monk into the Avatar. There is no other subclass that packs such a cinematic theme.

Honestly I think way of the four elements shouldn't be a subclass but a optional feat for a monk specifically called Chi casting and a second feat should double/quadruple the chi points you have

ok so interrogation method, monk with the water control. place person who is not talking on to a frozen lake and slowly start to melt the ice making it thinner and thinner till they talk or they fall in and another one of the spell casters freezes over the hole.

honestly the problem i don't think is in how many spells it can cast. we don't shit on the warlock for having only 2 spells and the four element monk has more options in how many spells they cast then them. i think the problem is in how many spells they get. lets do a comparison: how many spells do you know, warlock (also regains spells on a short rest), sorcerer (lowest amount of spells for a full caster), ranger (lowest amount of spells for a half caster) and arcane trickster (spell casting subclass): lv 3: warlock: 2 cantrips, 4 spells; sorcerer: 4 cantrips, 4 spells; ranger: 3 spells; arcane trickster: 3 cantrips, 3 spells; monk: 1 cantrip, 1 spell lv 5: W: 3 cantrips, 6 spells; S: 5 cantrips, 6 spells; R: 4 spells; AT: 3 cantrips, 4 spells; M: 1 cantrip. 1 spell lv 8: W: 3 - 9, S: 5 - 9, R: 0 - 5, AT: 3 - 6, M: 1 - 2 or 0 - 3 lv 12: W: 4 - 11, S: 6 - 12, R: 0 - 7, AT: 4 - 8, M: 1 - 3 or 0 - 4 lv 15: W: 4 - 13, S: 6 - 14, R: 0 - 9, AT: 4 - 10, M: 1 - 3 or 0 - 4 lv 20: W: 4 - 15, S: 6 - 15, R: 0 - 11, AT: 4 - 13, M: 1 - 4 or 0 - 5 this is ignoring subclasses and class features (like book of shadows or mystic arcanum). wizards realized quick that the ranger needed more spells and every subclass since the PHB (except the drakewarden which gets a whole new pet to play with) get 5 extra spells over their career, and 5 more if you use primal awareness instead of primeval awareness. same with the new sorcerer subclasses. people want to have options in play, which is exactly what the four elements monk does not have. they don't get the versatility of spells, they just get to pick from features like the hunter ranger picks from features. except that unlike the hunter ranger the four elements monk can't just use their features and they eat through resources at an insane rate. to make this monk subclass fun spells need to either be cheaper instead of using all of them in 2 rounds if you use your subclass, or you need to have way more options so the cost is balanced by being more versatile.

shape water- place spikes under falling enemy = damage.... shaping it causes no damage but its still causes damage if impaled upon lol

With Correction form Jeremy Crawford. You can use 'Shape The Flowing River' to make walls of ice to trap enemy's so long as they aren't IN the ice. You can also shape the ice however you want when you make it. Meaning you can make houses for 1 ki point that last indefinitely. Or More practically trap people inside a block of ice keeping in mind you also can't target them but have instead trapped them.

Id prefer it to be kinda a half caster and maybe your remaining ki points can inhance the spells ... so u can have melee combat and not have to worry too much where youre spending

@3:30 isn't there a limit of ki you can spend per round? Also, I see so many people saying this SubClass is great- but I don't see the math on how much you can do before taking a rest. I have a hard time visualizing most monks making it to 5th level. But even worse, the Constitution saves of most monsters is going to beat your DC a majority of the time. That's the whole reason for this subclass- if you know you can't do a stun (like on an Undead or a construct) but because all the spell effects are so expensive, you really need to be able to put down your opponent THAT ROUND, because you WILL RUN OUT OF KI!

Burning hands gets a dex save and stunned creatures auto-fail dex saves, so i think that one is worth adding to the list for the synergy. I agree that this monk is really poor mechanically.

Running this class first time, any tips on what disciplines to get? :D

Natsuuuuuuuuuu 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 with elemental adept (fire) and pink hair 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 fire ball a guy in the face as you hold/stun him 🔥🔥🔥

Hey urge I need your advice. Right now I'm playing a level 5 kensei human monk with these stats. 8 strength, 16 dex, 10 intelligent, 14 constitution, 15 wisdom and 8 charisma. Any advice I think his stats are fine but I still want your input

I'd say it's kinda funny that you guys point out that at level 17 (capstone)... you can get to spend over 1 third of your Ki at one time just to cast 1 cone of cold... 1 level 5 spell that wizards have been casting multple of since level 9 lol. and that's at 17th level... instead of using all of the base monk abilities that are much better... This is such a poorly designed class, and it's been known for a long time. I'd assume you guys haven't played it, just read it, right? I think this class was created as a lark. when they were making they just glossed over it, and literally put no thought into it outside of trying to make a bender. It's common to just use any of the remastered versions, or it just feels like you've decided to play the base monk class while using 1 or 2 of the abilities out of combat, bc at mid to higher levels the base monk abilities far outstrip the sub class abilities

Ugh, no, technically you can't spend 20 KI points of fangs of the fire snake, because there is a general rule setting a maximum limit for spending KI points on one spell.

Everyone: *Does nothing* People: *Still nothing* Someone random on the internet: hehehe, 6 dislikes will actually matter! 😱😂

The biggest drawback about this subclass is the taxing misuse of ki points casting some of these spells!! You wouldn't be able to use your basic monk abilities(Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, Step of the Wind, STUNNING STRIKE)!!!!! I'll do everything possible to avoid this subclass AT ALL COSTS!!!!!

Cost too many ki points to use these abilities. Rip off.

You're not old enough... I'm only aware of avatar because of the movie. There are plenty of 80s sources to draw upon. Also the word you want is "diversity".

Loved seeing yalls take on a classic subclass, Here is my video on remaking the subclass to give a bit more power and flavor ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Lvo9E7XZoW4.html

Do u guys know what rp is? So, u just mentioned how to roleplay as the avatar or in that universe and it gets a 1.5 in rp. Second, each subclass gives how many abilities? And how much choice does this have? Third, this is not a caster, you can't compare it to a caster. Compare it to a rogue, a fighter, a paladin or a monk with a different subclass. Smh!

this is the worst subclass