Ranged Monks? (Flameweavers) (4th spec idea)

[Alexanderjac]

This is a copy-paste from a thread I started on the official WoW forums. Didn't get really any criticism on the playstyle, so I figured I post it here.

I've been messing around with my monk and realized you can actually do some ranged dps as WW, but what if they had a true ranged spec?

To preface this, my monk's MS is Brewmaster and I've a fair understanding of WW. Not too familiar with MW however... My other toons are also all melee dps.

So Mistweavers are based off Yu'on, Windwalkers are based off Xuen, and Brewmasters are based off Niuzao, so the Flameweavers are based off of Chi'ji who used fire based attacks and summons birds.

The idea is, the Flameweavers focus on weaving fire to damage enemies in steady streams with a large control over energy to eventually build up for a large burst while also managing their "Crane Rush" which summons flocks of Fiery Cranes to divebomb your enemy. (you also gotta keep up tiger power! ;p)

All spells also are modified so that they have a undulating firey wave effect to them. (for style)
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Hope's Reach - Jab, Tiger Palm, Expel Harm, and Blackout Kick all now have a 40 yard range.

Spinning Flame Kick - Spinning Crane Kick will now also deal damage to and around your current target within 40 yards.

Crane Rush - Every time you deal damage, there's a chance to summon a Fiery Crane that will divebomb your current target for X damage. Fiery Cranes can trigger Crane Rush at half the normal rate.

Mastery: Flight of the Cranes - Increases the damage and chance of Crane Rush by X%.

Siphon Fire - Crackling Jade Lightning no longer generates chi, but will now increase energy regeneration by 100% while channeling.

Streaming Fire - Converts your energy directly into a stream of fire that constantly drains energy while channeling an attack that ticks very quickly (making this efficient for triggering many Crane Rushes)

Feathery Brew - For every X energy spent, gain a stack of Feathery Brew up to 10 stacks. Consuming these stacks will make all of your abilities apply a debuff that greatly increases Crane Rush generation. Lasts 1 second for each stack of Feathery Brew consumed. 6 second cooldown.

Firestorm - 3 Chi. Creates a swirling mass of fire that constantly damages all enemies within 10 yards, and will deal extra burst damage when the Firestorm expires. While the Firestorm is active, it will drain your energy until it reaches zero where the Firestorm will then expire. The longer Firestorm is active, the more it will drain your energy, but will have larger burst damage at the end. 30 second cooldown.

Nourishing Kicks - Blackout Kick now causes your next 3 Crane Rush procs to have x% increased damage (going to be a very large amount)

Crashing Fire - 2 Chi. Consumes 50% of your current energy and unleashes a very powerful burst of fire on to your target. 10 second recharge time. Can hold up to 5 charges.

Firefield - Surround yourself in a layer of fire that decreases damage taken by 10% and applies a stacking dot to any enemies that attack you. Lasts 6 seconds. 1.5 minute cooldown.

Stream of Consciousness - Can parry ranged attacks

Lifebinding - For each chi generated, there is a small chance for a Healing Orb to spawn under the current target.

Down Draft - Knocks back and repels all enemies within 8 yards and gives yourself and all allies within 8 yards a 100% move speed buff. Lasts 5 seconds. 60 second cooldown.

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So basically, single target consists of Jab generating Chi, and then spending it on Tiger Palm to keep up the armor bypass buff, and then deciding when to Blackout Kick for the Nourishment buff, and then Crashing Fire for burst. Siphon Fire or Streaming Fire depending on energy level for filler.

For AoE, generate chi with Spinning Crane Kick and then using Firestorm on cooldown while being cautious of triggering the burst of Firestorm in case adds move/die. (You can manage the length of Firestorm by using Siphon Fire) Also have to be mindful of Tiger Power and Blackout Kick's buff. Firefield for AoE is also a minor CD but is mainly intended as a defensive similarly to Touch of Karma.

For both, managing your Crane Rush is key and weighing your chances of getting lucky with the Blackout Kick buff being triggered on your powerful spells such as on Crashing Fire. Feathery Brew is also important for saving up for periods of burst to try to get as many Fiery Cranes as possible. This can go one of two ways: Where you want Fire Crash to have a higher chance of spawning one so you get very strong but few Cranes, or with Streaming Fire to get several weaker Cranes.

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Overall, I think I hit a good balance of complexity, but I may be a little off.

Also to note, for the Cranes, alternatively, they could be pets that last for a very short amount of time instead of just a complicated multistrike-style mechanic where it just deals one hit of damage. However this might create clutter/lag so I'm not sure about this.

What do you guys think of the spec?

EDIT: They'd probably also have int leather since they're ranged, but I'm not sure if agi would be better since they use energy.

[Ezyah]

Why keep blackout kick / rsk / etc ?

[Totaltotemic]

Why keep blackout kick / rsk / etc ?

This is getting into thematic ideas that the OP hasn't expanded upon, but this spec idea (which has been thought of by several different people each with their own twists on it before) involves a sort of psychokinetic theme. I've even seen this suggested with auto-attacks before.

Imagine, if you will, a fighter that uses inner chi manifested as fire to psychically fight with a martial-arts style, but with a crane theme attached as well. I don't know if you've played an Enhancement Shaman this expansion, but it's kind of like if their version of Ascendance was on all the time. You'd see a Monk kick at the air and it manifests as a slash of fire across the target. Think of it as SEF, but instead of a visible spirit it's the Monk's chi inflicting the damage so strongly that it shows up as fire. It makes more sense if you're familiar with the Diablo 3 Monk and the idea of chi as inner energy as a whole.

Basically the important thing is that it's a psychic/spiritual thing embracing the fiery side of Monk ideals.

[Segus1992]

Stream of Consciousness - Can parry ranged attacks

First of all, fourth specs are a tired concept.

Second of all, if you're going to create a ranged spec, why keep melee abilities (Blackout Kick)?

Lastly, as for the quote, you can already parry ranged attacks (unless you mean spells which would be ridiculous).

[Gemini Soul]

Every one wants a 4th spec since druids got one.

Nice idea thou

[Viradiance]

Eh. I was thinking more something like Cranedancer, specializing in using ranged weapons (lorewise the bow/xbow, but guns for game mechanics). Arrows fletched with the tailfeathers of Chi-ji himself and his children and such (which is a confirmed lore 'thing').

A shot that replaces Jab (I actually really like Hope's Reach...) and a few other similar spells. Sorta a hybrid bow user / caster, using Mana instead of Energy ( a throwback for the hunters that preferred mana). Doesn't have the mobile damage of Hunters, but more general mobility (Stuff like roll, but can't cast while moving)

[Segus1992]

Eh. I was thinking more something like Cranedancer, specializing in using ranged weapons (lorewise the bow/xbow, but guns for game mechanics). Arrows fletched with the tailfeathers of Chi-ji himself and his children and such (which is a confirmed lore 'thing').

A shot that replaces Jab (I actually really like Hope's Reach...) and a few other similar spells. Sorta a hybrid bow user / caster, using Mana instead of Energy ( a throwback for the hunters that preferred mana). Doesn't have the mobile damage of Hunters, but more general mobility (Stuff like roll, but can't cast while moving)

Another bow/gun class is obviously not a bad idea, but it'd fit better in a new class that preferably used those items fully (not 1/4 specs).

[Gemini Soul]

Another bow/gun class is obviously not a bad idea, but it'd fit better in a new class that preferably used those items fully (not 1/4 specs).

If they ever decided to add another class, they should make them only use bow/guns. There is already way to much competition for weps.

[Deleted]

Let them fix the already existing 3 specs before we start thinking about a Fourth xD - we already have a healer whos a melee (Crane Stance) I think that's enough

[Trep]

Let them fix the already existing 3 specs before we start thinking about a Fourth xD - we already have a healer whos a melee (Crane Stance) I think that's enough

This. Nough said.

[Infective]

Let them fix the already existing 3 specs before we start thinking about a Fourth xD - we already have a healer whos a melee (Crane Stance) I think that's enough

Channeling in melee doesn't make us melee, Stormieh. Calling Crane stance heals feels like a misnomer.

[Volibear]

Channeling in melee doesn't make us melee, Stormieh. Calling Crane stance heals feels like a misnomer.

We have Monk ranged dps on live at the moment, just overgear the content and spam CJL.

In all honesty though, I like the idea but it's impractical. As has been said before, get our 3 specs working before even considering a fourth (Which Blizzard probably wouldn't do anyway).

[ro9ue]

When I was thinking about 4th specs back when I used to do fan ideas (rise of the legion, etc) I pictured Monk's as a Chi-Ji Fire-based healer, but uses songs and it can be WoW's Bard. Chi-Ji is known for Song of Hope and the Cranes have song stuff. One of the inspirations was the 'Dancer' class from Final Fantasy Tactics and I would imagine it to play like a typical MMO Bard.

[Volibear]

I've always been curious.
Why does every class discussion threat I've seen always lead to Bard/Demon Hunter discussions? It's not gonna happen, please stop.

[Trep]

I aparently did not post correctly on the agreement with Stormieh. Since "This. Nough said." is inappropriate i'll say this. I agree with Stormieh. Atm WW DPS is to weak in my opinion. Mistweaver healing is spotty at best for the fact that they are a niche healing class. They are the most sat healing class that I have seen. Brewmaster is .. well I like Brewmaster.

[Deleted]

Didn't say anything about channeling in melee lol. You're taking that out of your own head. You can currently on live dps in melee as a mw monk. Or you can sooth. If you so wish. Crane stance is "designed" to be that half melee half healer thing which is alright not op or anything okay for normal / hc.

[Tavin]

They cant fix the current broken specs, why do you want more broken specs Oo. Also crackling jade lightning

[Infective]

my point remains, crane stance isn't viable for mythic and serpent isn't melee. Therefore saying we can be "melee healers" is just wrong these days. They killed that. It's gone.

[Gurg]

my point remains, crane stance isn't viable for mythic and serpent isn't melee. Therefore saying we can be "melee healers" is just wrong these days. They killed that. It's gone.

How do you know that Crane wont be viable for mythic if i may ask? Celes tweeted less than a week ago that monks number tuning is just started and its really far from being done, specifically mistweavers and that they are well aware of mistweavers/fistweavers underperformance.
Even before final number tuning, i see no reason not to have an fistweaver in your melee group as he can easily move statue from melee to ranged and heal both groups quite good. Also, take note that ReM has been "dumbed down" and number of jumps went from 3 to 2, so its "stacking" on one less person, add to that casting time to Uplift and i see a lot of trouble for mistweavers too.

Its far to early to say "spec X isn't viable" or "spec X is better than spec Y" as this is STILL beta and theres a lot of time ahead of us till WoD hit the servers.
As a example, just look what they did to fury in last two builds, they reverted back large number of changes that they did to them so far, so... pretty much anything can change over night.

[Jocias]

How do you know that Crane wont be viable for mythic if i may ask? Celes tweeted less than a week ago that monks number tuning is just started and its really far from being done, specifically mistweavers and that they are well aware of mistweavers/fistweavers underperformance.
Even before final number tuning, i see no reason not to have an fistweaver in your melee group as he can easily move statue from melee to ranged and heal both groups quite good. Also, take note that ReM has been "dumbed down" and number of jumps went from 3 to 2, so its "stacking" on one less person, add to that casting time to Uplift and i see a lot of trouble for mistweavers too.

Its far to early to say "spec X isn't viable" or "spec X is better than spec Y" as this is STILL beta and theres a lot of time ahead of us till WoD hit the servers.
As a example, just look what they did to fury in last two builds, they reverted back large number of changes that they did to them so far, so... pretty much anything can change over night.

The issue is that their stated intent for fistweaving is that it does 50% damage (or so) of a DPS and 50% healing (or so) of a healer. It's really niche and not particularly useful for progression. If you need more healing, you bring a dedicated healer or yell at people more to get them to not stand in fire so much. If you're bumping up against the enrage timer, you bring another DPS. On top of the fact that they are not good at either DPSing or healing is that to get back into 100% healing mode (Serpent Stace) can take some time if you aren't using the talent that gives you multiple stacks of ReM.