Originally Posted by
Sherlockpwns
It’s probably true that elementals are better than what I am about to write but… you already have the CR3 form, and it’s not unthinkable that two giant scorpion shape changes are better than one elemental. So why not consider Monk 6?
I think there are 3 standout possibilities. Open palm, shadow, and drunk.
Obviously with most of the plans above you are already considering the benefits of 5 levels so all that really matters here is what do you get for that level 6?
Well they all get 1 more ki (always nice) and 5 movement speed (who would say no?).
And of course the subclass benefit.
Open palm has arguably the better level 3 ability. A small heal at 6 is icing on that cake. It’s been talked about plenty, you get it.
Shadow and drunk however is kind of the opposite. You really only get to the true power of this combo at level 15.
Shadow will let you teleport in dim light. When shaped you’ll have plenty of bonus actions available and being able to teleport a giant scorpion anytime it’s dim is huge both in RP flavor and power. Plus the crappy to hit of your sting attack will benefit greatly from the advantage it gives. Teleporting scorpion is a 10/10 assassin nobody sees coming.
Drunk on the other hand is a significantly more dangerous brawler than the others; at least when facing multiple opponents. Spending your ki to flurry is fine and all, but you are doing like 1d6+5 twice at best. Being able to redirect up to 6 attacks per rest instead is potentially significantly more dangerous. Now the downside is the AC of your form is going to be pretty bad, but thanks to bounded accuracy you’re still quite likely to see plenty of misses. That final level will really make you a threat for groups of heavy hitters.
Anyway my point is as cool as elements are, I think it’s worth considering the alternative. If it came online sooner the hands down choice for me would be teleporting scorpion. But ymmv