Monk

Monks use rigorous combat training and mental discipline to align themselves with the multiverse and focus their internal reservoirs of power. Different Monks conceptualize this power in various ways: as breath, energy, life force, essence, or self, for example. Whether channeled as a striking display of martial prowess or as a subtler manifestation of defense and speed, this power infuses all that a Monk does.

Monks focus their internal power to create extraordinary, even supernatural, effects. They channel uncanny speed and strength into their attacks, with or without the use of weapons. In a Monk’s hands, even the most basic weapons can become sophisticated implements of combat mastery.

Many Monks find that a structured life of ascetic withdrawal helps them cultivate the physical and mental focus they need to harness their power. Other Monks believe that immersing themselves in the vibrant confusion of life helps to fuel their determination and discipline.

Monks generally view adventures as tests of their physical and mental development. They are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater mission than merely slaying monsters and plundering treasure; they strive to turn themselves into living weapons.

This version of the Monk keeps the class focused on mobility, unarmed combat, and Ki while improving several areas that previously made it difficult to sustain through longer adventuring days. A d10 Hit Die, Robust Body, and the expanded Deflect Attacks and Deflect Energy features give the Monk more durability, while Dedicated Weapon is available from Level 1 to support a wider range of martial builds.

Ki has also been adjusted to reduce how quickly basic class features drain the resource. Core movement options no longer require Ki, while Uncanny Metabolism and Perfect Focus provide additional ways to recover it when needed.

Offensively, Stunning Strike has been revised to make it more reliable without allowing it to dominate every encounter. Empowered Strikes also works with Infused Ki, allowing unarmed attacks to benefit from the enhancement bonus of a carried Dedicated Weapon.

At higher levels, Ki Master removes the Ki cost from several fundamental techniques, allowing the Monk to use its core abilities more freely.

The goal was to keep Ki as an important resource without making the class feel restricted by it. The Monk remains highly mobile and technique-driven, but now has stronger defenses, better resource recovery, and more consistent access to the features that define its combat style.

Becoming a Monk...

As a Level 1 Monk

• Gain all the traits in the Core Monk Traits table.
• Gain the Monk’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Monk Features table.

As a Multiclass Monk

• Gain the Hit Point Die trait from the Core Monk Traits table.
• Gain the Monk’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Monk Features table.

As a Monk, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified Monk levels. These features are listed in the Monk Features table.

Level 1: Martial Arts

Your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use your Unarmed Strike and certain weapons you can use as Monk Weapons.

The weapons that qualify as Monk Weapons for you are:

• Any Simple melee weapon you are proficient with that doesn’t have the two-handed or heavy property

• Any Martial melee weapon you are proficient with that has the Light property

• Your currently chosen Dedicated Weapon (see below)

You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only Monk Weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a Shield:

• Dexterous Attacks: You can use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls of your Unarmed Strikes and Monk Weapons. In addition, when you make a Strength (Athletics) check, or use the Grapple or Shove special attacks as part of the Attack action, you can use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier.

• Martial Arts Die: You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your Unarmed Strike or Monk Weapon. This die changes as you gain Monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk Features table. If your Monk Weapon has a damage die smaller than your Martial Arts die, you may use your Martial Arts die instead of the weapon's die.

• Bonus Action Unarmed Strike: When you use the Attack action with an Unarmed Strike or Monk Weapon on your turn, you can make one Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action.

Level 1: Unarmored Defense

While you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a Shield, your base Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Level 1: Dedicated Weapon

You train yourself to use a variety of weapons as monk weapons. At the end of a Long Rest, you can touch one weapon you are proficient with that lacks the Heavy and Special properties. That weapon counts as a Monk Weapon for you until you finish your next Long Rest. You can only have one Dedicated Weapon at a time.

Level 2: Ki

Your focus and martial training allow you to harness a well of extraordinary energy within yourself. This energy is represented by Ki Points. Your Monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Monk Features table.

You can expend these points to fuel various Ki features. You start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind, each of which is detailed below. You learn more Ki features as you gain levels in this class, often through your Monastic Tradition.

When you spend a Ki Point, it is unavailable until you finish a Short or Long Rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended Ki back into yourself.

Some Ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Ki save DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Wisdom modifier

• Flurry of Blows: Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 Ki Point to make two Unarmed Strikes as a Bonus Action.

• Patient Defense: You can take the Disengage action as a Bonus Action. Alternatively, you can spend 1 Ki Point to take both the Disengage and the Dodge actions as a Bonus Action.

• Step of the Wind: You can take the Dash action as a Bonus Action. Alternatively, you can spend 1 Ki Point to take both the Disengage and Dash actions as a Bonus Action, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.

Level 2: Unarmored Movement

Your speed increases by the amount shown in the Unarmored Movement column of the Monk Features table while you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a Shield.

Level 2: Uncanny Metabolism

When you roll Initiative, you can use your reaction to regain all expended Ki Points. When you do so, roll your Martial Arts die, and regain a number of Hit Points equal to your Monk level plus the number rolled. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Level 3: Deflect Attacks

When you are hit by a melee or ranged weapon attack, you can use your Reaction to reduce the damage you take from the attack by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Monk level.

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can spend 1 Ki Point to make a counter attack as part of the same Reaction:

• Melee Counter: If the triggering attack was a melee attack, the attacker must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC = your Ki Save DC) or take bludgeoning damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die + your Dexterity modifier.

• Ranged Counter: If the triggering attack was a ranged weapon attack, and the missile is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have a hand free, you catch the missile. You can then make a ranged attack (range 20/60) with the caught missile. You make this attack with proficiency, it uses your Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls, its damage die is your Martial Arts die, and it counts as a Monk Weapon for the attack.

Level 3: Monk Subclass

You choose a Monastic Tradition that shapes your practice of ki. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Level 3: Robust Body

Your ki fortifies your body against ailments. You are immune to disease, you have advantage on saving throws against being Poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.

Level 4: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Monk levels 8, 12, and 16.

Level 4: Slow Fall

You can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your Monk level.

Level 5: Extra Attack

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Level 5: Stunning Strike

Once on each of your turns, when you hit another creature with a melee attack using a Monk Weapon or an Unarmed Strike, you can spend 1 Ki Point to attempt a stunning strike.

The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = your Ki Save DC). On a failed save, the target is Stunned until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, the target’s Speed is halved until the start of your next turn, and the next attack roll made against the target before then has Advantage.

Level 6: Empowered Strikes

Your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. You gain the following additional benefits:

• Force Strikes: When you hit with an Unarmed Strike, you can choose to deal Force damage instead of bludgeoning damage.

• Infused Ki: If you have designated a magic weapon as your Dedicated Weapon and you are carrying it on your person, and that weapon grants a bonus to attack and damage rolls (such as a +1, +2, or +3 weapon), your Unarmed Strikes gain that same bonus to their attack and damage rolls. This bonus does not stack with other features that grant a bonus to the attack or damage rolls of your unarmed strikes (like the Insignia of Claws or similar items).

Level 7: Evasion

Your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. You don’t benefit from this feature if you are Incapacitated.

Level 9: Acrobatic Movement

You gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the movement, provided you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield.

Level 10: Purity of Body

Your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to poison damage and the Poisoned condition. 

Level 10: Self-Restoration

Through sheer force of will, you can end one effect on yourself causing you to be Charmed, Frightened, or Poisoned at the end of each of your turns.

Level 13: Deflect Energy

You can use your Deflect Attacks feature against any attack that deals damage, not just damage from melee or ranged weapon attacks. When you use Deflect Attacks against an effect that isn't a weapon attack (like a spell attack), you cannot make a counter attack even if you reduce the damage to 0.

Level 14: Disciplined Survivor

Your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 Ki Point to reroll it and take the second result.

Level 15: Perfect Focus

When you roll Initiative and have 3 or fewer Ki Points remaining, you regain Ki Points until you have 4. You cannot benefit from both this feature and Uncanny Metabolism when you roll the same initiative.

Level 15: Timeless Body

Your ki sustains you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, you no longer need food or water to survive.

Level 18: Empty Body

You gain the ability to use ki to manipulate your body's state:

• As a Bonus Action, you can spend 4 Ki Points to become Invisible for 1 minute. During that time, you also have resistance to all damage except Force damage.

• As an Action, you can spend 8 Ki Points to cast the Astral Projection spell, targeting only yourself and without needing material components.

Level 19: Epic Boon

You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

Level 20: Ki Master

Your mastery of ki allows you to perform fundamental techniques effortlessly.

When you use Flurry of Blows, the enhanced version of Patient Defense, or the enhanced version of Step of the Wind, the Ki Point cost is 0.