A plea from a MNK to SQX

[LilLemay]

This would actually be a fairly significant nerf

wait how would that be a nerf?

[ColdestHeaven]

I think the meditation playstyle is ok as it is - it keeps MNK basic in terms of rotation while prioritizing downtime management (like Form Shift). I would be interested in seeing more built upon this though - such as special skills that increase chakra build-up aside from meditation itself, or some other skills that rely on those stacks. Like the AOE equivalent for Forbidden Chakra, or a "timer freeze"/refresh for Greased Lightning (even with a high CD).

[Claymore022]

, or a "timer freeze"/refresh for Greased Lightning (even with a high CD).

No reason to break the job

[Exiled_Tonberry]

Ew please no.
Dropping most of our positionals would just make us ninjas.

[Exiled_Tonberry]

This would actually be a fairly significant nerf

I'm sure you meant buff?
Getting extra meditation stacks through skills can only be a good thing

[Emeke]

A lot mch skills that share CD could be combined as one.

[SublimeIbanez]

wait how would that be a nerf?

If you're going a whole fight without stacking chakra, you're not using MNK to its fullest. I would probably gain about as many stacks in 2.5 minutes as you would with touch of death. But you lose your initial Forbidden Chakra and each opportunity you have to build a full stack due to mechanics.

[ColdestHeaven]

No reason to break the job

It wouldn't be broken though - not in the way I imagined it, at least. Form shift didn't break the job after all, it made it more about managing downtime and reduce how much it would hurt your dps. When I say "timer freeze", I mean something still relatively small. As of right now, most bosses have a certain timing to their jumps that would allow you to keep greased lightning IF you refreshed GL at the very last moment - I think this is everyone's knowledge - but what if we had a skill such as this, something that would allow us to have more time on our hands? Or stuff that would, at least every once in a while, make us avoid losing stacks in regular jumps (looking at you spider boss in Weeping).

[Shurrikhan]

Haymaker is for gaze attacks of course!

If and only if you need a GCD filled AND need more TP, though.

I'm with the OP completely in my fears that Monk might get dumbed down, but if not for Perfect Balance, we'd be wasting 6 button slots at any given moment due to our stance system (still better than what Dragoon loses to combos), our Tornado Kick and Meditation are barely situationally useful during uptime (where small adjustments could allow them and increase the skill ceiling for the job), our Fists are slow to activate, have longish animation locks, and have little effect or gameplay variety, and Haymaker is... Haymaker — better for ranged in Thordan than for Monks.

[Shurrikhan]

I'm sure you meant buff?
Getting extra meditation stacks through skills can only be a good thing

Depends on the balance necessary to compensate for it. Tying things together means less control, a potential buff when wanting both paths simultaneously, and a likely nerf when you don't.