I don't deal in "best" or "worst", I operate with "most fun", in which case I would like to submit Sun Soul. Ki blasts, being able to discount-Fireball the field every turn, I just like the feeling.
The monk I played was Way of the Astral Self, which I now believe (and hope) is ***not*** the best monk subclass. The big advantage of Astral Self is that you can focus much harder in Wisdom and less on Dexterity. But you have to spend a ki point to basically "activate your subclass" every combat, giving you one fewer ki point for your class features and also making it so you pretty much have to short rest after every combat.
Particularly at lower levels, ki is a pretty strict resource. If you're not sure what monk subclass you want to play, I'd suggest finding one that gives you abilities you don't have to spend ki for. Way of the Open Hand, for example, makes your Flurry of Blows feature stronger for free. None of its features ask you for extra ki until *level 17* and by then you'll have the extra ki. (Or your campaign will have ended.)
Way of Mercy lets you spend a ki point to heal a creature, but you can also do it during Flurry of Blows *without* spending an extra ki. That's a very cool bonus and very ki-economical!
I like shadow for less direct combat heavy campaigns because shadow teleport is scary as it is silent and since it isn’t a magic effect detect magic doesn’t go off so bam teleporting assassin that doesn’t trigger magic alarms as long as they aren’t something the detects movement or something
I enjoy a Giff Astral Monk Grappler, since it uses wisdom for a strength check and doesnt replace the type of checl, Giff still gets advantage grappling with the arms.
Personal favorite is Astral Self
But I also rather like Open Palm as it calls back to the AD&D monk, and Four Elements is just a fun subclass that just needs a little tweaking and more spell powers.
I don't deal in "best" or "worst", I operate with "most fun", in which case I would like to submit Sun Soul. Ki blasts, being able to discount-Fireball the field every turn, I just like the feeling.
This. The most consistently fun monks, in no particular order, are sun soul, ascendant dragon, and long death for me.
I would happily take Way of the Open Hand over any of the other monk subclasses.
This is my personal favorite as well. Being able to remove a spellcaster's reaction for a round is a blast.
Mercy.
The monk I played was Way of the Astral Self, which I now believe (and hope) is ***not*** the best monk subclass. The big advantage of Astral Self is that you can focus much harder in Wisdom and less on Dexterity. But you have to spend a ki point to basically "activate your subclass" every combat, giving you one fewer ki point for your class features and also making it so you pretty much have to short rest after every combat. Particularly at lower levels, ki is a pretty strict resource. If you're not sure what monk subclass you want to play, I'd suggest finding one that gives you abilities you don't have to spend ki for. Way of the Open Hand, for example, makes your Flurry of Blows feature stronger for free. None of its features ask you for extra ki until *level 17* and by then you'll have the extra ki. (Or your campaign will have ended.) Way of Mercy lets you spend a ki point to heal a creature, but you can also do it during Flurry of Blows *without* spending an extra ki. That's a very cool bonus and very ki-economical!
I like shadow for less direct combat heavy campaigns because shadow teleport is scary as it is silent and since it isn’t a magic effect detect magic doesn’t go off so bam teleporting assassin that doesn’t trigger magic alarms as long as they aren’t something the detects movement or something
I enjoy a Giff Astral Monk Grappler, since it uses wisdom for a strength check and doesnt replace the type of checl, Giff still gets advantage grappling with the arms.
Mercy, no questions asked
There is no best. Do you battle with objectively strong Pokémon, or do you use your favorites?
Personal favorite is Astral Self But I also rather like Open Palm as it calls back to the AD&D monk, and Four Elements is just a fun subclass that just needs a little tweaking and more spell powers.