>>96920330
Yeah, this is why you can't really make it a choice. End of the day, combat is a DPS-race.

>>96920288
> Also give monks monastic weaponry for free with the stipulation that they cannot get legendary strikes because of the aforementioned empty handed rule
We know for a fact this doesn't work. Even if it functions completely fine, people hate split proficiencies. It is why Rogue just got full martial scaling and people shit on Drifter Gunslinger so much.
>If you buff general features like FoB or hand out free stances then it's going to primarily strengthen shit people already don't like like captain america monks
At some point, you just gotta say that's a skill issue. This is the only place that complains about shield monks. Monk doesn't need to be the Legendary Unarmed class, there can be other options for such like a returning Brawler or Shifter. Buffing what already is there and providing real momentum to its high defenses is what is needed, especially with Guardian coming into the picture. When I complain about Spirit Warrior eating so much of Monk's appeal, it's because it's such a big boost to both offense AND defense for minimal costs.
>Parry isn't a great solution either because people are still going to carry random shit in their hands with parry, just not shields.
Honestly being able to parry with your hands full is probably an impactful buff in its own right. Would love to do a Juggler Stumbling Stance Clown Monk. When combined with a way to create forward momentum, I feel like any parry bonuses would be good and make Monk's identity more clear cut.