🤼 Monk: Way of the Wild Ensemble 2.0 [Subclass Overhaul]
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Apr 24, 2025 at 08:12:46 AM
Subclass Overhaul: Way of the Wild Ensemble (Monk)

The team and I have been giving our first book a complete ground-up redesign, and the amount of content we're adding to the book is staggering. As a natural course of re-editing it, we're going back through the subclasses, and the Monk subclass, our wrestler monk, the Way of the Wild Ensemble (WWE) was one of the first subclasses we ever wanted to redesign after publication.
I don't want to harp too much on the original version—we were younger designers, and just learning terms like "MAD" and "Primary Gameplay Loop." But, it was always a pain point to look back at that monk subclass and wonder what could have been.
Well, wonder no longer.
The subclass has been completely reworked, giving it a core gameplay feature that revolves around grappling, with the ability to do a lot of very cool classic wrestling moves (including an elbow drop - who doesn't want to give a troll the People's Elbow???). This is a monk subclass that I can REALLY see myself enjoying playing, and I hope you feel the same way.
I hope you enjoy the Way of the Wild Ensemble.
Some monks devote themselves to lives of modesty, taking vows of silence, poverty, or chastity, making themselves an example to those outside their lifestyle that, through self-discipline and rigorous routine, anything is possible. Then, there are those who follow the Way of the Wild Ensemble. It doesn’t matter what their names are; these monks know the unstoppable power of showmanship. They have turned their bodies into monumental temples of muscle, designed to inspire the masses and strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. They are the cream of the crop, destined to rise to the top.
These practitioners attune themselves to the thoughts of the people, the heroes of old, and the stories that live in the hearts thereof. Often accumulating huge swaths of fans, they take their training no less seriously than any other martial artist, because for them, it isn’t just about laying the smackdown—it’s about drive. It’s about power. It’s about achieving and inspiring something far greater than themselves. It’s about being the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
Let us know what you think in the comments! As a reminder, this subclass is a work-in-progress, and we're looking for your feedback and playtesting. If you see any glaring issues, don't be shy about pointing them out!
Also, don't forget to let us know which subclasses, spells, items, or monsters you'd like to see us showcase! We'll be dropping sneak peaks from across all three books as the campaign continues.
Cheers, and thanks for reading!
Jaron R. M. Johnson and the Action Fiction Faction


