Monk

Wise recluses, honed athletes, or the magically awakened. Monks are able to harness magic in the air around them to perform fantastical attacks, move with lightning speed, and strike with powerful martial arts.

The following is a revision of the 5e monk class, meant to increase unarmed damage, move monk resources off its short rest recovery system, and prevent stunning strike spamming at high levels. There are also more useful abilities at higher levels. Existing 5e subclasses will all work mechanically with this form of the monk class. Click here for a summary of changes.

Navigation:

Progression Table

Ability Scores

Multiclassing

Class Features by Level*

1: Fighting Style, Martial Arts and Unarmored Defense

2: Ki and Empowered Movement

3: Deflect Missiles, Monastic Tradition and Meditation

4: Slow Fall, Ability Score Improvement and Feat

5: Extra Attack and Stunning Strike

6: Ki-Empowered Strikes and Monastic Tradition Feature

7: Evasion and Stillness of Mind

9: Effortless Step and Monk's Resilience

10: Monastic Tradition Feature

13: Resilience in Motion

14: Monastic Tradition Feature

Level 1 Monks

When you create a level 1 monk, follow these steps to add the following to your character:

Ability Scores

You can take one of these recommended ability score arrays, or you can roll or assign them yourself. You can switch any two ability scores, but you do not add any further bonuses (they're already included).

Strength: 8 Dexterity:16 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 16 Charisma: 10

Strength: 8 Dexterity:16 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 12

Feat

You gain a level 1 feat of your choice. You can choose from the feats available to all classes or choose a level 1 class-specific feat, if there is one available.

Hit Points

At First Level: 10 + Constitution Modifier

At Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution Modifier

Hit Dice: 1d10 per monk level

Proficiencies

Armor: none

Weapons: Simple Weapons, Scimitars, and Shortswords

Tools: two types of Artist's Tools

Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity

Skill Proficiencies: two of: Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Medicine, Perception, Religion, and Stealth

Items

a scimitar -OR- shortsword -OR- any Simple Weapon
10 darts
two sets of Artist's Tools, which you gained proficiency with as part of the monk class
a dungeoneer's pack -OR- an explorer's pack

Multiclass Characters

Instead of leveling up in your original class, you can take a monk level when you level up. When you do, you gain only a portion of what first level monks gain.

Class Features

Class features here are sorted by level. When you reach a level as indicated by the icons on the left, you gain all feature or feature improvements listed between the red lines. For example, at first level monks gain the Unarmored Defense and Martial Arts features.

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Click here for more information on our changes.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged and thrown weapons.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.

Protection

Reaction - 1 Ally (5 ft.)

When a creature hits one of your allies with an attack and that ally is within 5 ft. of you, you can force the attacker to reroll the attack, targeting you instead. You must be holding a shield or melee weapon to use this ability.

Single Weapon Fighting

When you are wielding a single one or two-handed melee weapon and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you make an attack with an off-hand weapon, you do not suffer disadvantage on the attack roll. As normal, your off-hand weapon must be Light .

Martial Arts

Your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes in addition to weapons.

You gain the following benefits while you aren't wearing armor or wielding a shield:

You roll a d6 in place of the normal damage dice of your unarmed strike. This die increases to 1d8 at level 5, 1d10 at level 11, and 1d12 at level 17, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table. These increases are also listed later on this page.
You can choose to wield a weapon as a monk weapon. You must be proficient with the weapon, and it can't have the heavy property. Your can use your Martial Arts die for damage rolls with monk weapons instead of the weapon's normal damage dice.
On a turn where you take the Attack action using an unarmed strike or a monk weapon, and you have an empty second hand, you can make an unarmed strike as if your empty hand were an off-hand weapon, without the normal penalties for off-hand weapons.
You can use dexterity instead of strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
You can use acrobatics instead of athletics to grapple or push creatures.
For the purpose of other abilities, your unarmed strikes count as having the finesse and light properties. As normal, whether you are a monk or not, your unarmed attacks count as attacks with a melee weapon.

More Context

Regarding Monk Weapons: If you take the Attack action and attack with a spear, you can use your dexterity for the attack roll. The spear would deal (1d6+dex) in damage if wielded one-handed and (1d8+dex) in damage if wielded two handed. However, a spear wielded by a level 20 monk would deal (1d12+dex) damage, because the monk's unarmed die is a d12, which is higher than the weapon's normal damage die.

If the monk was wielding the spear with one hand, the monk can also make an unarmed strike as part of the attack action. This is in line with our general changes to dual wielding. Unlike dual wielding with weapons, a monk does not need to have the Two-Weapon Fighting Style to fight effectively in this way. A monk is trained in making many attacks in a short time.

Unarmored Defense

While you are not wearing any armor, you can choose to calculate your armor class as 10 + your dexterity modifier + your wisdom modifier if it isn't already higher. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

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Ki

Your training allows you to harness the magic in the air around you. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. You gain a number of ki points equal to twice your monk level up to level 10, and then one ki point per level from levels 11-20. Reference the Monk Progression Table to see your ki total for your level.

You can spend these points to fuel various ki features, which will have their ki point cost listed at the top of the ability description. At the end of a long rest, you regain all expended ki points.

Some of your 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

Your ki abilities count as magical, but are not spells unless otherwise indicated.

You gain the following ki abilities.

Flurry of Blows

Bonus Action - 1 Creature (5 ft.) - 1 Ki Point - Magical

When you reach level 11 as a monk, you can make two unarmed strikes with this ability.

More Context

Regarding Flurry of Blows: if your character is holding a two-handed weapon or has an object in both hands, they can still use flurry of blows. This might be described as temporarily removing one hand from a two-handed weapon, attacking with the hilt of a weapon, or kicking the target. Note that while a monk can use Flurry of Blows while both hands are holding a weapon, the monk cannot make the normal additional unarmed strike afforded by Martial Arts.

Normally, a level 1 monk makes one attack using their action, or two attacks if the monk has an empty hand. Flurry of Blows costs 1 ki point to give you one more attack with your bonus action, bringing the total number of attacks to three, or four if you have Extra Attack.

You can move between these extra attacks, as normal.

Patient Defense

Bonus Action - Self - 1 Ki Point - Magical

You take the Dodge action.

Step of the Wind

Bonus Action - Self - 1 Ki Point - Magical

You take both the Dash and Disengage action. When you do this, your jump distance is doubled for the turn.

Empowered Movement

Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. Any speed you have that is equal to your walking speed also increases by 10 ft. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels, as shown in the Monk Table. These increases are also listed later on this page.

Meditation

During a Short Rest - Self - 1/Long Rest - Magical

By meditating, you can draw more energy from your surroundings to restore your abilities. When you finish a short rest, you regain a number of ki points equal to half your monk level (rounded down).

Deflect Attack

Reaction - 1 Ki Point - Magical

Trigger: You are hit by an attack (anything that requires an attack roll, including some spells).

Roll your Martial Arts damage die and add your monk level.
You reduce the incoming damage by the amount of damage you rolled.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can redirect the attack:
- If the attack was a melee attack, make an unarmed attack (again) against a creature within 5 ft. of you.
- If the attack was a ranged attack, this attack has a 60 ft. range.
- Either way, your redirected attack is the same damage type as the original attack you deflected.

Monastic Tradition

You commit yourself to a monastic tradition. Your choice of monastic tradition represents a school of thought that your monk follows to harness ki. Your tradition grants you features at this level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level, also listed below.

Monastic Traditions published elsewhere are compatible with this version of the monk class. However, due to balance changes to the monk, any subclass feature that allows you to make two attacks as a bonus action should instead only allow you to make one attack as a bonus action. This is because we redesigned the monk to get an additional attack without using their bonus action.

ElementalistOpen HandShadowdancerOther

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Feat

At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice.

Slow Fall

Reaction - Self - Magical

When you fall, you can reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level.

Martial Arts Improvement

Your martial arts damage die increases to 1d8.

Extra Attack

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. If you are dual-wielding or have an empty off-hand for an unarmed strike, your off-hand attack brings you to a total of three attacks.

Stunning Strike

You interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent's body.

Once Per Turn - 1 Creature - 1 Round - 3/Long Rest - Magical

When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you attempt a stunning strike.

Strength Save

Failure: Target is stunned.
Success: No effect.

You can use this ability three times. You gain another use at level 11 and level 17 (also listed below). You regain all uses of this ability when you complete a long rest.

Empowered Movement Improvement

Your movement bonus increased by 5 ft. to a total of 15 ft.

Ki-Empowered Strikes

Your martial arts attacks count as magical, adamantine, cold iron, and silver for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage.

Monastic Tradition Feature

Your chosen Monastic Tradition grants you a new feature.

ElementalistOpen HandShadowdancerOther

Evasion

Your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon's lightning breath or a fireball spell. 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. This ability does not function if you are incapacitated.

Stillness of Mind

Action - Self - 1 Ki Point - Magical

At the beginning of your turn, you can one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed , confused, frightened, or goaded. If you are charmed and under the control of another creature, you can use this ability to end the charmed effect even if the charmer tries to order you to do something else. If a successful save would make you immune to any charm or frighten effects from a given creature, using this ability also makes you immune.