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Way of the Cobalt Soul monk
For folks asking, this is the update to the Way of the Cobalt Soul monk currently instituted for Beau, and others who wish to use it! You are welcome to use older versions, but this update is crafted based on our own discussions & player feedback: https://t.co/mvm4dM0D1Z
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) March 12, 2019
Over these past years, I’ve learned quite a bit about design, both in general & within D&D 5e. My first foray was reactive, and I’ve had many lessons since that have helped me improve in my more proactive ideas and how to implement them. However…
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Those first tries, and requests for feedback, also threw a LOT of angry cries of “broken!” & “worst design ever” from the internet that left me feeling skittish. True or not, they informed some of my following designs to become more conservative at times.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
One of these cases is the Way of the Cobalt Soul monk. My initial design was carefully made to be an unorthodox Monk path that didn’t trigger those same shouts. Many whom I asked agreed the design seemed fair. However, feedback and actual play have shown it slightly lackluster.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
For folks asking, this is the update to the Way of the Cobalt Soul monk currently instituted for Beau, and others who wish to use it! You are welcome to use older versions, but this update is crafted based on our own discussions & player feedback: https://t.co/mvm4dM0D1Z
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) March 12, 2019
Suggestion; the 17th level ability could neutralise resistance/make immunity resistance. Basically makes the enemy 1 step weaker against the chosen damage type? I considered that, but the Vulnerability is already a LARGELY powerful feature, so it needed some form of situational tempering.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Spending a 17th level ability & 3 Ki points to potentially come away with *nothing*? I think feels just as bad as a failed save. THAT is where the Extract Aspects ability comes into the play. 😉 You are rewarded for a little homework.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Great design changes all in all – my only thought from a quick read is that Extort Truth still seems spendy for essentially Zone of Truth. Maybe have it be one question, has to be answered, answer must be truthful? Combined with attacks, would be tough to metagame It’s a Zone of Truth + Advantage to Charisma checks to extract/force the information, so as to avoid the “free truth” button that removes a clever challenge. 😉
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
I do have one question, and this is something I find intriguing, with these updates did Marisha change to these already for your game or is it planned to do so? I am always unsure how to “install updates” in current games. I am implementing them right into the game. If a feature change radically alters how a character is played, I may wait until a rest period/milestone.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
For Mystical Erudition, what if you already have those skills? For example, I have a Half-Elf Sage Monk who already have all the skills except Nature. That means at lvl 11 & 17 I get only half the benefit from the feature. Just updated it to essentially allow Expertise if you do at later levels. 🙂
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Is there a particular reason the extra reactions in Mind of Mercury are based on the player’s INT mod instead of WIS? Both to emphasize the Intellect element of the subclass, and to limit it somewhat (since Monks have a higher Wisdom, being able to drop 4-5 additional reactions a round with ease can seem rather… nuts)
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Would the language part of Mystical Erudition become redundant at level 13 with tongue of the Sun & Moon? “Spoken” and “Written” language is the difference. You can understand a being speaking to you, but not be able to decipher a tome of their language.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Based on feedback, I’ve decided to remove the Ki cost of the Extract Aspects feature to remain a useful addition to your toolbox (as intended) but without competing with the apparent need of every Monk to only spam Stunning Strike. 😉
In all seriousness, thanks for all feedback! https://t.co/eJb3LUqlmo
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Based on the specific wording of “Preternatural Counter”, the attack it awards as a reaction is NOT an attack of opportunity. Meaning that it does not interact with the Sentinel feat. Was this on purpose? Or is it intended for the Counter to convert the target’s speed to 0? This is correct. It would not trigger the Sentinel feat in this case, as it is not an AoO.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018
Based on the specific wording of “Preternatural Counter”, the attack it awards as a reaction is NOT an attack of opportunity. Meaning that it does not interact with the Sentinel feat. Was this on purpose? Or is it intended for the Counter to convert the target’s speed to 0? This is correct. It would not trigger the Sentinel feat in this case, as it is not an AoO.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) July 9, 2018