How should Monk's Slow Fall class feature be narrated?

Question

Visualization of feats, effects, spells and abilities in D&D is generally somewhat straightforward:

• Paladin's Smite Evil - your weapon glows with holy energy and is unleashed when you hit Evil™ in the face,

• Rogue's Sneak Attack - you stab them in the soft parts,

• Monk's Flurry of Blows - this minus the heals.

But I could never understood how Monk's Slow Fall feat should be visualized. The text, quoting d20srd, says:

At 4th level or higher, a monk within arm’s reach of a wall can use it to slow her descent.

Does Monk, like, slams their fist into that wall? Runs up against it? Catches it with teeth? Uses air updrafts?

So - what is the intended visualization behind it?

Answer 1

There are several ways that this could be done:

• They might just dig their fingers/claw/dagger into the wall, coming down in a dust cloud.
• They might grab for something protruding and make a flip around, rinse and repeat
• They might run DOWN the wall, slowing down at the end and jump off it to do a roll before landing...

But in the end: Let the player narrate his cool monk ability how he would like. It's a monk, this ability is from Kung-Fu- and Ninja-Movies, so... be inspired by them?

Answer 2

Unlike earlier D&D editions 5th ed doesn't mention the need for a monk to be close to a wall or something to slow their fall. This opens up the game to characters having "mystical chi" slowing their falls like in movies.

In our game we visualize a monk's Slow Fall the same as martial arts movies depict falling characters: Their clothes flap with the sound of moving wind then they land smoothly like fallen cats. Picture Crouching Fighter Hidden Dragon or Kung Fu Panda: The characters are using their Ki (without spending Ki points) rather than scraping at nearby supports.