The new Warrior of Intoxication Monk playtest revisits the idea of the Drunken Master Monk with a whole new spin on the subclass.
In the latest Unearthed Arcana, it seems as though many of the more melee-focused classes are getting revamps to their subclasses. We saw Barbarians get two updated subclass playtests, and the Fighter had the Cavalier. All of these classes came from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything originally. It feels like the WotC team is looking back at old rules in need of a refresh. Case in point, the Warrior of Intoxication Monk playtest. This used to be the Way of the Drunken Master Monk, but has been renamed to fit with the “Warrior of” naming scheme WotC is using in 5.5E.
But it’s not just the name of the class that’s been changed. The core mechanics have been tweaked as well. Now, instead of just moving and swaying “like a drunkard” as they weave in and out of a group of enemies, making them hit each other while landing a seemingly impossible number of blows, a Warrior of Intoxication will actually brew up their own magical concoctions, which they then drink for benefits. Let’s take a look.
Warrior of Intoxication Playtest
This is an interesting one. Because, on the one hand, the Warrior of Intoxication has a lot of similarities with how the class used to play. But on the other hand, a lot of the interesting features of the subclass have kind of been integrated into the core of the Monk.
As an example, one of the chief complaints of the 5E Monk was that it needed a special resource to do what a Rogue could do all day. You had to spend a Ki point to Dodge as a Bonus Action or Disengage as a Bonus Action. And the Drunken Master made you more efficient. You could Disengage and get a faster movement speed off of a Flurry of Blows. But now both of the core Monk features around Dodging and Disengaging are much more powerful and have optional Focus point expenditures for even more of a boost.
I mention this, because it feels like some of the changes they’ve made to the Warrior of Intoxication feel like they were made to compensate for the subclass not needing to provide those features anymore. But some of the old stuff is still unchanged. Including stuff that should, theoretically, make this Monk feel distinct. Core stuff, like the level 3 feature, which for most Monks gives them their subclass identity in the form of new mechanics and options that expand what they can do.
The Level 3 feature Drunken Technique feels a little light in comparison. It lets you inrease your speed by 10 and makes your movement not provoke attacks of opportunity whenever you use your Flurry of Blows. That said, it is a good tool for a Monk to have. It increases your offensive mobility. But that’s largely all you get, plus a single Bonus Proficiency in the Performance skill and the Brewer’s Supplies tool proficiency.
Brewing up New Mechanics
It isn’t until level 6 that the Drunken Master really starts to cook. But then you get two features that help the subclass stand out from its other Monk subclass peers. The first is Tipsy Sway, which gives you even more mobility and defensive options. You can stand up from Prone for only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed. And if someone misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend a Focus Point to make that attack hit another creature within 5 feet of yourself. Though sadly, you can’t reflect it back at the attacker.
But the real joy of 6th level is Mystic Brew. This is a new feature for the Warrior of Intoxication Monk playtest. As the name suggests, you can start brewing things. Whenever you finish a Short or Long Rest, you produce a cask of magical booze.
There are some weirdly specific rules about drinking the magical beverage. Mostly it’s that have to spend a whole minute to drink a pint of it. So this isn’t a “do in combat” maneuver. But it doesn’t say how many pints are in the cask, or if you can share it with your friends, or what. Either way, you can gain one of three benefits at level 6. You gain them for an hour, or you can spend a Focus point to have them for 8 hours.
With the Cinnamon Dragon brew, you gain a magical breath weapon that scales with your Martial Arts die, starting at 4d8 and going up to 4d12 as you level up. It takes a Magic action to use it, so you won’t always be doing this, but it’s nice to have. Heavenly Spirit on the other hand, gives you Resistance to Psychic and Radiant damage. And Refreshing Dip lets you regain an extra Martial Arts die (so 1d8 on up) whenever you regain hit points.
High Levels Of Intoxication
At higher levels, the Warrior of Intoxication Monk, in the playtest at least, gains more magical brew options. Master Brewer, the level 11 feature, gives you two new options: Blue Lighting, which lets you make an Unarmed Strike whenever you take a Reaction that isn’t making an Opportunity Attack or casting a spell. And Drunkard’s Luck, which gives you Heroic Inspiration, and refreshes your Inspiration whenever you roll initiative without it.
The whole subclass caps off with Intoxicated Frenzy at level 17. This lets you make up to three additional Unarmed Strikes whenever you us Flurry of Blows, for a total of six Unarmed Strikes) but only if each strike can target a different creature this turn. So, it’s not bad but it’s not game changing, either.
And I think that about sums up the Warrior of Intoxication Monk playtest. It’s not bad. But it’s not game changing the way some of the other subclasses for the core Monk are. Hopefully WotC can take another pass – and you can help shape that, by filling out the feedback survey, linked below!
All this talk of magical brew is making me thirsty!
