Fighter, Monk Class Get Groundbreaking Changes in 2024 D&D Update

WoTC is on a roll with the revamp of D&D’s most iconic classes. A no class is more iconic than the two classes more juxtaposed in difficulty to play: Fighter and Monk. Objectively very similar in many aspects, it's not unsurprising that there will be (and is) quite a bit of controversy surrounding any changes to their core mechanics -both for the good and the bad. To alleviate those concerns, the new details coming out of the 2024 Update to the Player’s Handbook seem to run more into the positive, rather than the negative.

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Fighters

Often the butt of the joke in D&D, Fighters are seen as one of the most basic classes in the game. Sometimes castigated in derogatory terms, solely based on the simplicity of the class’s lack of difficulty to play, the hate that the Fighter class receives is objectively unjustified. Their role in D&D, as an introductory class, is -in fact- more vital than most realize; being a class that is easy to play for even the most inexperienced players out there.

The major changes to Fighter revolve around how weapons work, overall. Fighters will start with three Weapon Mastery abilities (player’s choice,) and will gain more as their character levels up. In the 2014 version, there were no significant differences between those masteries and a new weapon skill picked up during the campaign -aside from damage type. Now, in the 2024 updated version, every weapon will have an ability tacked on. Conditions applied from melee attacks can span aspects such as applying Slow on a creature, dealing damage against creatures even if you miss (Graze,) and even applying a debuff giving creatures a disadvantage on their next attack (Sap.)

Second Wind, an ability often invoked to heal the fighter during combat, has also seen some changes. While the healing aspect remains, players can now cast Second Wind to increase their character's movement speed to close the distance between them and an opponent -without provoking an attack of opportunity. Players may also utilize Second Wind to re-roll abilities checks, if they fail, and use Action Surge to cast spells.

Massive changes are coming for the fighter’s subclasses. Battle Masters get a new skill on top of their two proficiencies. Relentless no longer burns through Superiority Dice. Champions can now go toe-to-toe with Battle Masters, by getting an advantage on every first attack on every turn. And Eldritch Knights can now utilize any school of magic.

Monk

The Monk class has also seen quite a lot of changes in the new update. On the surface, the most interesting part of the revamp is the additional elements including to give the class more flavor. No more is the Monk Wuxia-coded. WoTC has removed the baked-in East-Asian aesthetics of monks -going on record to say that the class needed a broader scope, rather than being pigeon-holed into one core aesthetic. Saying further that the new changes were inspired by the additional tweaks previously contributed by Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

Because of this, D&D's Monk class is now very different from its previous iterations. Abilities have changed the most. Focus Points, the new stand-in for Ki Points, allows a character to do the same as before -but in a much better way and with more variety of choices. Patient Defense gives players the option to disengage as a bonus action rather than an action. However, if a Focus Point is burned during said action, the character will also be able to dodge at the same time.

Flurry of Blows, at level ten, will unleash three attacks, and pairing Step of the Wind in the same action will add extra movement speed -making Monks even faster pace than before. Focus Points will also reset on a short rest as well as the availability of regaining those same points on initiative rolls -exactly like Barbarians and their Superiority Die.

Deflect Missiles has been replaced with Deflect Attacks, making monks more versatile and giving them the parry mechanic. At higher levels, the class will also pick up Deflect Energy, making monks one of the few classes that can deflect any attack. The capstone for the class adds a +4 to their Dexterity and Wisdom stats, extending the cap to 25 (a +7 to ability checks and saving throws.)

Subclasses

Delineations for the Monk’s subclasses have also seen a revamp. Once referred to as the “Way of…,” subclasses now invoke a more warrior aesthetic first utilized in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Warrior of Mercy remains relatively unchanged, whereas Warrior of Shadow has now been inextricably tied to the realm of the Shadowfell and has lost both Pass Without a Trace and Silence.

Opportunist has been replaced by a new core mechanic, Cloak of Shadows, that now enhances a monk’s Invisibility mechanic. Warrior of the Elements has been completely reworked, fine-tuning the casting ability of the subclass and how their elemental damage works. And Warrior of the Open Hand has lost Quivering Palm – an ability once granting the character a way to knock an opponent's hit points to zero in a single blow.

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This article was written by Nicole Lent.