If I multiclass my unarmed monk into rogue, which archetype is best suited for unarmed combat? [closed]












2














Goal: Battlefield controller able to zip around stunning casters and offering help to Assassin/fighter and Barbarian/fighter melee.



The strategy I plan on using is having my Monk run to the back and stun the biggest threat caster, so ranged can take them out easier. Next, help the Melee dps with help/proning/grappling/stunning. All the while I hope to avoid damage with superior movement and denying opportunity attacks.



I'm level 4 Genasi (earth) Monk currently and feel like I messed up by taking an ASI instead of the Mobile feat. My group plans to play to 20 and beyond, but I'm not optimizing for damage just utility and mobility. My plan is to go either 17 Monk/3 Rogue, or 20 Monk.



My question is mostly:
If I do dip into rogue, what would be the best archetype for an unarmed monk?



The one that interested me the most is Scout as I really think the Skirmisher feature is good for what I want to do as well as the free expertise.



The only restriction on my character is an RP one: No weapons, armor, or magic, but can use enchanted items.





Group: We're all level 4 currently using DnD Beyond so all material are available, and only the Gunslinger has any experience.



Healer: Cleric (Life Domain)



Ranged DPS: Ranger/Fighter/Gloom Stalker & Fighter/Gunslinger



Melee DPS: Barbarian/Fighter(Path of the Totem[Bear]) & Fighter/Rogue(Assassin)



Caster: Wizard (School of Divination)










share|improve this question









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Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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closed as primarily opinion-based by MivaScott, kviiri, Ruse, Rubiksmoose, V2Blast Dec 29 '18 at 21:09


Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.















  • I think this question has too much leeway for opinion based answers. People could list the pros and cons of each, but that's not answering the question, that's listing the pros and cons.
    – L0neGamer
    Dec 29 '18 at 18:38






  • 1




    How do you "assist" the Rogue and the Barbarian?
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:22






  • 1




    @KorvinStarmast level doesn't really matter here, a Rogue without Sneak Attack is a subpar, regardless race, class or level
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:18






  • 2




    You may want to refer to this Q&A to see what kind of information we need to be able to answer an optimization question here. Please look it over and add all the required info into your question.
    – Rubiksmoose
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:02










  • I edited it, I believe, in the preferred manner.
    – Martez
    Dec 30 '18 at 6:52
















2














Goal: Battlefield controller able to zip around stunning casters and offering help to Assassin/fighter and Barbarian/fighter melee.



The strategy I plan on using is having my Monk run to the back and stun the biggest threat caster, so ranged can take them out easier. Next, help the Melee dps with help/proning/grappling/stunning. All the while I hope to avoid damage with superior movement and denying opportunity attacks.



I'm level 4 Genasi (earth) Monk currently and feel like I messed up by taking an ASI instead of the Mobile feat. My group plans to play to 20 and beyond, but I'm not optimizing for damage just utility and mobility. My plan is to go either 17 Monk/3 Rogue, or 20 Monk.



My question is mostly:
If I do dip into rogue, what would be the best archetype for an unarmed monk?



The one that interested me the most is Scout as I really think the Skirmisher feature is good for what I want to do as well as the free expertise.



The only restriction on my character is an RP one: No weapons, armor, or magic, but can use enchanted items.





Group: We're all level 4 currently using DnD Beyond so all material are available, and only the Gunslinger has any experience.



Healer: Cleric (Life Domain)



Ranged DPS: Ranger/Fighter/Gloom Stalker & Fighter/Gunslinger



Melee DPS: Barbarian/Fighter(Path of the Totem[Bear]) & Fighter/Rogue(Assassin)



Caster: Wizard (School of Divination)










share|improve this question









New contributor




Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











closed as primarily opinion-based by MivaScott, kviiri, Ruse, Rubiksmoose, V2Blast Dec 29 '18 at 21:09


Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.















  • I think this question has too much leeway for opinion based answers. People could list the pros and cons of each, but that's not answering the question, that's listing the pros and cons.
    – L0neGamer
    Dec 29 '18 at 18:38






  • 1




    How do you "assist" the Rogue and the Barbarian?
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:22






  • 1




    @KorvinStarmast level doesn't really matter here, a Rogue without Sneak Attack is a subpar, regardless race, class or level
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:18






  • 2




    You may want to refer to this Q&A to see what kind of information we need to be able to answer an optimization question here. Please look it over and add all the required info into your question.
    – Rubiksmoose
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:02










  • I edited it, I believe, in the preferred manner.
    – Martez
    Dec 30 '18 at 6:52














2












2








2







Goal: Battlefield controller able to zip around stunning casters and offering help to Assassin/fighter and Barbarian/fighter melee.



The strategy I plan on using is having my Monk run to the back and stun the biggest threat caster, so ranged can take them out easier. Next, help the Melee dps with help/proning/grappling/stunning. All the while I hope to avoid damage with superior movement and denying opportunity attacks.



I'm level 4 Genasi (earth) Monk currently and feel like I messed up by taking an ASI instead of the Mobile feat. My group plans to play to 20 and beyond, but I'm not optimizing for damage just utility and mobility. My plan is to go either 17 Monk/3 Rogue, or 20 Monk.



My question is mostly:
If I do dip into rogue, what would be the best archetype for an unarmed monk?



The one that interested me the most is Scout as I really think the Skirmisher feature is good for what I want to do as well as the free expertise.



The only restriction on my character is an RP one: No weapons, armor, or magic, but can use enchanted items.





Group: We're all level 4 currently using DnD Beyond so all material are available, and only the Gunslinger has any experience.



Healer: Cleric (Life Domain)



Ranged DPS: Ranger/Fighter/Gloom Stalker & Fighter/Gunslinger



Melee DPS: Barbarian/Fighter(Path of the Totem[Bear]) & Fighter/Rogue(Assassin)



Caster: Wizard (School of Divination)










share|improve this question









New contributor




Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











Goal: Battlefield controller able to zip around stunning casters and offering help to Assassin/fighter and Barbarian/fighter melee.



The strategy I plan on using is having my Monk run to the back and stun the biggest threat caster, so ranged can take them out easier. Next, help the Melee dps with help/proning/grappling/stunning. All the while I hope to avoid damage with superior movement and denying opportunity attacks.



I'm level 4 Genasi (earth) Monk currently and feel like I messed up by taking an ASI instead of the Mobile feat. My group plans to play to 20 and beyond, but I'm not optimizing for damage just utility and mobility. My plan is to go either 17 Monk/3 Rogue, or 20 Monk.



My question is mostly:
If I do dip into rogue, what would be the best archetype for an unarmed monk?



The one that interested me the most is Scout as I really think the Skirmisher feature is good for what I want to do as well as the free expertise.



The only restriction on my character is an RP one: No weapons, armor, or magic, but can use enchanted items.





Group: We're all level 4 currently using DnD Beyond so all material are available, and only the Gunslinger has any experience.



Healer: Cleric (Life Domain)



Ranged DPS: Ranger/Fighter/Gloom Stalker & Fighter/Gunslinger



Melee DPS: Barbarian/Fighter(Path of the Totem[Bear]) & Fighter/Rogue(Assassin)



Caster: Wizard (School of Divination)







dnd-5e monk multi-classing rogue unarmed-combat






share|improve this question









New contributor




Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









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Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Dec 31 '18 at 5:09









V2Blast

19.7k356121




19.7k356121






New contributor




Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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asked Dec 29 '18 at 18:20









Martez

112




112




New contributor




Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Martez is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.




closed as primarily opinion-based by MivaScott, kviiri, Ruse, Rubiksmoose, V2Blast Dec 29 '18 at 21:09


Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.






closed as primarily opinion-based by MivaScott, kviiri, Ruse, Rubiksmoose, V2Blast Dec 29 '18 at 21:09


Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.














  • I think this question has too much leeway for opinion based answers. People could list the pros and cons of each, but that's not answering the question, that's listing the pros and cons.
    – L0neGamer
    Dec 29 '18 at 18:38






  • 1




    How do you "assist" the Rogue and the Barbarian?
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:22






  • 1




    @KorvinStarmast level doesn't really matter here, a Rogue without Sneak Attack is a subpar, regardless race, class or level
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:18






  • 2




    You may want to refer to this Q&A to see what kind of information we need to be able to answer an optimization question here. Please look it over and add all the required info into your question.
    – Rubiksmoose
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:02










  • I edited it, I believe, in the preferred manner.
    – Martez
    Dec 30 '18 at 6:52


















  • I think this question has too much leeway for opinion based answers. People could list the pros and cons of each, but that's not answering the question, that's listing the pros and cons.
    – L0neGamer
    Dec 29 '18 at 18:38






  • 1




    How do you "assist" the Rogue and the Barbarian?
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:22






  • 1




    @KorvinStarmast level doesn't really matter here, a Rogue without Sneak Attack is a subpar, regardless race, class or level
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:18






  • 2




    You may want to refer to this Q&A to see what kind of information we need to be able to answer an optimization question here. Please look it over and add all the required info into your question.
    – Rubiksmoose
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:02










  • I edited it, I believe, in the preferred manner.
    – Martez
    Dec 30 '18 at 6:52
















I think this question has too much leeway for opinion based answers. People could list the pros and cons of each, but that's not answering the question, that's listing the pros and cons.
– L0neGamer
Dec 29 '18 at 18:38




I think this question has too much leeway for opinion based answers. People could list the pros and cons of each, but that's not answering the question, that's listing the pros and cons.
– L0neGamer
Dec 29 '18 at 18:38




1




1




How do you "assist" the Rogue and the Barbarian?
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 19:22




How do you "assist" the Rogue and the Barbarian?
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 19:22




1




1




@KorvinStarmast level doesn't really matter here, a Rogue without Sneak Attack is a subpar, regardless race, class or level
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 20:18




@KorvinStarmast level doesn't really matter here, a Rogue without Sneak Attack is a subpar, regardless race, class or level
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 20:18




2




2




You may want to refer to this Q&A to see what kind of information we need to be able to answer an optimization question here. Please look it over and add all the required info into your question.
– Rubiksmoose
Dec 29 '18 at 21:02




You may want to refer to this Q&A to see what kind of information we need to be able to answer an optimization question here. Please look it over and add all the required info into your question.
– Rubiksmoose
Dec 29 '18 at 21:02












I edited it, I believe, in the preferred manner.
– Martez
Dec 30 '18 at 6:52




I edited it, I believe, in the preferred manner.
– Martez
Dec 30 '18 at 6:52










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















3














Don't go Rogue if you don't use Sneak Attack



Most of the other features can be replicated with Ki points.



Fights are usually not longer than 3 rounds, so it is 3 Ki points per fight for disengage. This is exactly as many as you lose by spending (wasting) 3 levels on Swashbuckler.

This of course depends on the number of encounters your DM usually uses.



The main reason for a Monk to multiclass to Rogue is Sneak Arrack.



Don't take the Mobile feat either



You (and your party) should focus your fire, one dead and one alive Ogre deals half as much damage as two wounded ones.



The only good reason to run around on the battlefield is to stun as many opponents as possible.

If Stunning Strike works, the Mobile feat is not needed to avoid opportunity attacks, if not, you should stay and keep trying. The best assistance you can provide to the Rogue (besides stunning) is staying next to his target to trigger his Sneak Attack.



Scout's Skirmisher



DnD is a team sport; if the enemy can't get to you, they will just beat up your friends instead. The net outcome for your party does not change, unless your AC is significantly lower than the other's.

That should not be the case, if you did point buy.






share|improve this answer























  • Mobile might still be useful for other things like darting up to an enemy, hitting them, and then darting back out of melee range before they can counterattack, but I agree that using it to distribute attacks across multiple enemies is not a good idea. (And for my suggested use case, using patient defense is probably a better choice.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:25





















2














The rogue multiclass is mostly redundant for an unarmed monk with the the Mobile feat



You seem to mainly be interested in the rogue multiclass for the class's abilities to dash and disengage. However, the Mobile feat already gives you most of what you want, without requiring a multiclass which would slow down your monk class progression. With the feat, you can "disengage" from a single enemy for the cost of one attack, which is cheap for a monk. The combination of the speed increase from the feat and the monk's Unarmored Movement ability means that by 10th level, your speed is increased by a total of 30 extra feet, which means you are effectively "dashing" every turn automatically, since you are now twice as fast as the average humanoid. And on the rare occasions that you need more than that, you can spend a ki point to dash and move another 60 feet as a bonus action.



Given all this, the rogue's Cunning Action ability and the Scout rogue's Skirmish feature are mostly redundant. Being able to dash or disengage as a bonus action at will would definitely make it easier to plan your turns, but as long as you don't mind thinking through all the mechanics, you can still accomplish most of the same things with only monk class features and the Mobile feat, and still have your bonus action available for an additional attack or flurry most of the time. And as you say, with unarmed strikes, you won't be able to take advantage of the rogue's sneak attack feature, which means that your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat. Hence, those 2 or 3 rogue levels would probably be much better spent getting you to a higher monk level instead.






share|improve this answer





















  • Mobile is mostly redundant on a Monk with Stunning Fist, too
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:36












  • @András I agree. I tried to answer the question assuming they had already decided on the feat and were considering the rogue multiclass in addition to that, but it also makes sense to question the decision to take the feat, as your answer does.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:39










  • "your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat" - it will decrease DPR by delaying the Martial Arts damage progression
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:57










  • @András DPR won't actually decrease in absolute terms, but yes, compared to either the same number of monk levels or other characters of the same level, relative DPR will fall behind. This is what I meany by saying those levels would better be spent on increasing monk level.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:01










  • not taking any levels is hardly an option, so only relative DPR matters. I agree that those would be better spent on monk levels, but you make rogue sound only slightly worse.
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:05


















2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









3














Don't go Rogue if you don't use Sneak Attack



Most of the other features can be replicated with Ki points.



Fights are usually not longer than 3 rounds, so it is 3 Ki points per fight for disengage. This is exactly as many as you lose by spending (wasting) 3 levels on Swashbuckler.

This of course depends on the number of encounters your DM usually uses.



The main reason for a Monk to multiclass to Rogue is Sneak Arrack.



Don't take the Mobile feat either



You (and your party) should focus your fire, one dead and one alive Ogre deals half as much damage as two wounded ones.



The only good reason to run around on the battlefield is to stun as many opponents as possible.

If Stunning Strike works, the Mobile feat is not needed to avoid opportunity attacks, if not, you should stay and keep trying. The best assistance you can provide to the Rogue (besides stunning) is staying next to his target to trigger his Sneak Attack.



Scout's Skirmisher



DnD is a team sport; if the enemy can't get to you, they will just beat up your friends instead. The net outcome for your party does not change, unless your AC is significantly lower than the other's.

That should not be the case, if you did point buy.






share|improve this answer























  • Mobile might still be useful for other things like darting up to an enemy, hitting them, and then darting back out of melee range before they can counterattack, but I agree that using it to distribute attacks across multiple enemies is not a good idea. (And for my suggested use case, using patient defense is probably a better choice.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:25


















3














Don't go Rogue if you don't use Sneak Attack



Most of the other features can be replicated with Ki points.



Fights are usually not longer than 3 rounds, so it is 3 Ki points per fight for disengage. This is exactly as many as you lose by spending (wasting) 3 levels on Swashbuckler.

This of course depends on the number of encounters your DM usually uses.



The main reason for a Monk to multiclass to Rogue is Sneak Arrack.



Don't take the Mobile feat either



You (and your party) should focus your fire, one dead and one alive Ogre deals half as much damage as two wounded ones.



The only good reason to run around on the battlefield is to stun as many opponents as possible.

If Stunning Strike works, the Mobile feat is not needed to avoid opportunity attacks, if not, you should stay and keep trying. The best assistance you can provide to the Rogue (besides stunning) is staying next to his target to trigger his Sneak Attack.



Scout's Skirmisher



DnD is a team sport; if the enemy can't get to you, they will just beat up your friends instead. The net outcome for your party does not change, unless your AC is significantly lower than the other's.

That should not be the case, if you did point buy.






share|improve this answer























  • Mobile might still be useful for other things like darting up to an enemy, hitting them, and then darting back out of melee range before they can counterattack, but I agree that using it to distribute attacks across multiple enemies is not a good idea. (And for my suggested use case, using patient defense is probably a better choice.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:25
















3












3








3






Don't go Rogue if you don't use Sneak Attack



Most of the other features can be replicated with Ki points.



Fights are usually not longer than 3 rounds, so it is 3 Ki points per fight for disengage. This is exactly as many as you lose by spending (wasting) 3 levels on Swashbuckler.

This of course depends on the number of encounters your DM usually uses.



The main reason for a Monk to multiclass to Rogue is Sneak Arrack.



Don't take the Mobile feat either



You (and your party) should focus your fire, one dead and one alive Ogre deals half as much damage as two wounded ones.



The only good reason to run around on the battlefield is to stun as many opponents as possible.

If Stunning Strike works, the Mobile feat is not needed to avoid opportunity attacks, if not, you should stay and keep trying. The best assistance you can provide to the Rogue (besides stunning) is staying next to his target to trigger his Sneak Attack.



Scout's Skirmisher



DnD is a team sport; if the enemy can't get to you, they will just beat up your friends instead. The net outcome for your party does not change, unless your AC is significantly lower than the other's.

That should not be the case, if you did point buy.






share|improve this answer














Don't go Rogue if you don't use Sneak Attack



Most of the other features can be replicated with Ki points.



Fights are usually not longer than 3 rounds, so it is 3 Ki points per fight for disengage. This is exactly as many as you lose by spending (wasting) 3 levels on Swashbuckler.

This of course depends on the number of encounters your DM usually uses.



The main reason for a Monk to multiclass to Rogue is Sneak Arrack.



Don't take the Mobile feat either



You (and your party) should focus your fire, one dead and one alive Ogre deals half as much damage as two wounded ones.



The only good reason to run around on the battlefield is to stun as many opponents as possible.

If Stunning Strike works, the Mobile feat is not needed to avoid opportunity attacks, if not, you should stay and keep trying. The best assistance you can provide to the Rogue (besides stunning) is staying next to his target to trigger his Sneak Attack.



Scout's Skirmisher



DnD is a team sport; if the enemy can't get to you, they will just beat up your friends instead. The net outcome for your party does not change, unless your AC is significantly lower than the other's.

That should not be the case, if you did point buy.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Dec 30 '18 at 19:12









V2Blast

19.7k356121




19.7k356121










answered Dec 29 '18 at 19:07









András

26.6k1195186




26.6k1195186












  • Mobile might still be useful for other things like darting up to an enemy, hitting them, and then darting back out of melee range before they can counterattack, but I agree that using it to distribute attacks across multiple enemies is not a good idea. (And for my suggested use case, using patient defense is probably a better choice.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:25




















  • Mobile might still be useful for other things like darting up to an enemy, hitting them, and then darting back out of melee range before they can counterattack, but I agree that using it to distribute attacks across multiple enemies is not a good idea. (And for my suggested use case, using patient defense is probably a better choice.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 19:25


















Mobile might still be useful for other things like darting up to an enemy, hitting them, and then darting back out of melee range before they can counterattack, but I agree that using it to distribute attacks across multiple enemies is not a good idea. (And for my suggested use case, using patient defense is probably a better choice.)
– Ryan Thompson
Dec 29 '18 at 19:25






Mobile might still be useful for other things like darting up to an enemy, hitting them, and then darting back out of melee range before they can counterattack, but I agree that using it to distribute attacks across multiple enemies is not a good idea. (And for my suggested use case, using patient defense is probably a better choice.)
– Ryan Thompson
Dec 29 '18 at 19:25















2














The rogue multiclass is mostly redundant for an unarmed monk with the the Mobile feat



You seem to mainly be interested in the rogue multiclass for the class's abilities to dash and disengage. However, the Mobile feat already gives you most of what you want, without requiring a multiclass which would slow down your monk class progression. With the feat, you can "disengage" from a single enemy for the cost of one attack, which is cheap for a monk. The combination of the speed increase from the feat and the monk's Unarmored Movement ability means that by 10th level, your speed is increased by a total of 30 extra feet, which means you are effectively "dashing" every turn automatically, since you are now twice as fast as the average humanoid. And on the rare occasions that you need more than that, you can spend a ki point to dash and move another 60 feet as a bonus action.



Given all this, the rogue's Cunning Action ability and the Scout rogue's Skirmish feature are mostly redundant. Being able to dash or disengage as a bonus action at will would definitely make it easier to plan your turns, but as long as you don't mind thinking through all the mechanics, you can still accomplish most of the same things with only monk class features and the Mobile feat, and still have your bonus action available for an additional attack or flurry most of the time. And as you say, with unarmed strikes, you won't be able to take advantage of the rogue's sneak attack feature, which means that your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat. Hence, those 2 or 3 rogue levels would probably be much better spent getting you to a higher monk level instead.






share|improve this answer





















  • Mobile is mostly redundant on a Monk with Stunning Fist, too
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:36












  • @András I agree. I tried to answer the question assuming they had already decided on the feat and were considering the rogue multiclass in addition to that, but it also makes sense to question the decision to take the feat, as your answer does.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:39










  • "your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat" - it will decrease DPR by delaying the Martial Arts damage progression
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:57










  • @András DPR won't actually decrease in absolute terms, but yes, compared to either the same number of monk levels or other characters of the same level, relative DPR will fall behind. This is what I meany by saying those levels would better be spent on increasing monk level.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:01










  • not taking any levels is hardly an option, so only relative DPR matters. I agree that those would be better spent on monk levels, but you make rogue sound only slightly worse.
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:05
















2














The rogue multiclass is mostly redundant for an unarmed monk with the the Mobile feat



You seem to mainly be interested in the rogue multiclass for the class's abilities to dash and disengage. However, the Mobile feat already gives you most of what you want, without requiring a multiclass which would slow down your monk class progression. With the feat, you can "disengage" from a single enemy for the cost of one attack, which is cheap for a monk. The combination of the speed increase from the feat and the monk's Unarmored Movement ability means that by 10th level, your speed is increased by a total of 30 extra feet, which means you are effectively "dashing" every turn automatically, since you are now twice as fast as the average humanoid. And on the rare occasions that you need more than that, you can spend a ki point to dash and move another 60 feet as a bonus action.



Given all this, the rogue's Cunning Action ability and the Scout rogue's Skirmish feature are mostly redundant. Being able to dash or disengage as a bonus action at will would definitely make it easier to plan your turns, but as long as you don't mind thinking through all the mechanics, you can still accomplish most of the same things with only monk class features and the Mobile feat, and still have your bonus action available for an additional attack or flurry most of the time. And as you say, with unarmed strikes, you won't be able to take advantage of the rogue's sneak attack feature, which means that your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat. Hence, those 2 or 3 rogue levels would probably be much better spent getting you to a higher monk level instead.






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  • Mobile is mostly redundant on a Monk with Stunning Fist, too
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:36












  • @András I agree. I tried to answer the question assuming they had already decided on the feat and were considering the rogue multiclass in addition to that, but it also makes sense to question the decision to take the feat, as your answer does.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:39










  • "your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat" - it will decrease DPR by delaying the Martial Arts damage progression
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:57










  • @András DPR won't actually decrease in absolute terms, but yes, compared to either the same number of monk levels or other characters of the same level, relative DPR will fall behind. This is what I meany by saying those levels would better be spent on increasing monk level.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:01










  • not taking any levels is hardly an option, so only relative DPR matters. I agree that those would be better spent on monk levels, but you make rogue sound only slightly worse.
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:05














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The rogue multiclass is mostly redundant for an unarmed monk with the the Mobile feat



You seem to mainly be interested in the rogue multiclass for the class's abilities to dash and disengage. However, the Mobile feat already gives you most of what you want, without requiring a multiclass which would slow down your monk class progression. With the feat, you can "disengage" from a single enemy for the cost of one attack, which is cheap for a monk. The combination of the speed increase from the feat and the monk's Unarmored Movement ability means that by 10th level, your speed is increased by a total of 30 extra feet, which means you are effectively "dashing" every turn automatically, since you are now twice as fast as the average humanoid. And on the rare occasions that you need more than that, you can spend a ki point to dash and move another 60 feet as a bonus action.



Given all this, the rogue's Cunning Action ability and the Scout rogue's Skirmish feature are mostly redundant. Being able to dash or disengage as a bonus action at will would definitely make it easier to plan your turns, but as long as you don't mind thinking through all the mechanics, you can still accomplish most of the same things with only monk class features and the Mobile feat, and still have your bonus action available for an additional attack or flurry most of the time. And as you say, with unarmed strikes, you won't be able to take advantage of the rogue's sneak attack feature, which means that your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat. Hence, those 2 or 3 rogue levels would probably be much better spent getting you to a higher monk level instead.






share|improve this answer












The rogue multiclass is mostly redundant for an unarmed monk with the the Mobile feat



You seem to mainly be interested in the rogue multiclass for the class's abilities to dash and disengage. However, the Mobile feat already gives you most of what you want, without requiring a multiclass which would slow down your monk class progression. With the feat, you can "disengage" from a single enemy for the cost of one attack, which is cheap for a monk. The combination of the speed increase from the feat and the monk's Unarmored Movement ability means that by 10th level, your speed is increased by a total of 30 extra feet, which means you are effectively "dashing" every turn automatically, since you are now twice as fast as the average humanoid. And on the rare occasions that you need more than that, you can spend a ki point to dash and move another 60 feet as a bonus action.



Given all this, the rogue's Cunning Action ability and the Scout rogue's Skirmish feature are mostly redundant. Being able to dash or disengage as a bonus action at will would definitely make it easier to plan your turns, but as long as you don't mind thinking through all the mechanics, you can still accomplish most of the same things with only monk class features and the Mobile feat, and still have your bonus action available for an additional attack or flurry most of the time. And as you say, with unarmed strikes, you won't be able to take advantage of the rogue's sneak attack feature, which means that your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat. Hence, those 2 or 3 rogue levels would probably be much better spent getting you to a higher monk level instead.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Dec 29 '18 at 19:16









Ryan Thompson

5,92612155




5,92612155












  • Mobile is mostly redundant on a Monk with Stunning Fist, too
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:36












  • @András I agree. I tried to answer the question assuming they had already decided on the feat and were considering the rogue multiclass in addition to that, but it also makes sense to question the decision to take the feat, as your answer does.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:39










  • "your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat" - it will decrease DPR by delaying the Martial Arts damage progression
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:57










  • @András DPR won't actually decrease in absolute terms, but yes, compared to either the same number of monk levels or other characters of the same level, relative DPR will fall behind. This is what I meany by saying those levels would better be spent on increasing monk level.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:01










  • not taking any levels is hardly an option, so only relative DPR matters. I agree that those would be better spent on monk levels, but you make rogue sound only slightly worse.
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:05


















  • Mobile is mostly redundant on a Monk with Stunning Fist, too
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:36












  • @András I agree. I tried to answer the question assuming they had already decided on the feat and were considering the rogue multiclass in addition to that, but it also makes sense to question the decision to take the feat, as your answer does.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:39










  • "your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat" - it will decrease DPR by delaying the Martial Arts damage progression
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 20:57










  • @András DPR won't actually decrease in absolute terms, but yes, compared to either the same number of monk levels or other characters of the same level, relative DPR will fall behind. This is what I meany by saying those levels would better be spent on increasing monk level.
    – Ryan Thompson
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:01










  • not taking any levels is hardly an option, so only relative DPR matters. I agree that those would be better spent on monk levels, but you make rogue sound only slightly worse.
    – András
    Dec 29 '18 at 21:05
















Mobile is mostly redundant on a Monk with Stunning Fist, too
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 20:36






Mobile is mostly redundant on a Monk with Stunning Fist, too
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 20:36














@András I agree. I tried to answer the question assuming they had already decided on the feat and were considering the rogue multiclass in addition to that, but it also makes sense to question the decision to take the feat, as your answer does.
– Ryan Thompson
Dec 29 '18 at 20:39




@András I agree. I tried to answer the question assuming they had already decided on the feat and were considering the rogue multiclass in addition to that, but it also makes sense to question the decision to take the feat, as your answer does.
– Ryan Thompson
Dec 29 '18 at 20:39












"your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat" - it will decrease DPR by delaying the Martial Arts damage progression
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 20:57




"your 2 or 3 levels of rogue will do almost nothing to increase your damage output in combat" - it will decrease DPR by delaying the Martial Arts damage progression
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 20:57












@András DPR won't actually decrease in absolute terms, but yes, compared to either the same number of monk levels or other characters of the same level, relative DPR will fall behind. This is what I meany by saying those levels would better be spent on increasing monk level.
– Ryan Thompson
Dec 29 '18 at 21:01




@András DPR won't actually decrease in absolute terms, but yes, compared to either the same number of monk levels or other characters of the same level, relative DPR will fall behind. This is what I meany by saying those levels would better be spent on increasing monk level.
– Ryan Thompson
Dec 29 '18 at 21:01












not taking any levels is hardly an option, so only relative DPR matters. I agree that those would be better spent on monk levels, but you make rogue sound only slightly worse.
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 21:05




not taking any levels is hardly an option, so only relative DPR matters. I agree that those would be better spent on monk levels, but you make rogue sound only slightly worse.
– András
Dec 29 '18 at 21:05



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