Monk Table

Class Features

As a monk, you gain the following class features.

HitPoints

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per monk level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per monk level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: None
• Weapons: Simple weapons, shortswords
• Tools: Choose one type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument
• Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
• Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• a shortsword or (b) any simple weapon
• a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• 10 darts

Any Monk weapon must be converted to a monk weapon.

Unarmored Defense

Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Martial Arts

At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property. You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren’t wearing armorer wielding a shield:

You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.

You can roll a d4 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 table.

When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarter- staff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn.

Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons. For example, you might use a club that is two lengths of wood connected by a short chain (called a nunchaku) or a sickle with a shorter, straighter blade (called a kama). Whatever name you use for a monk weapon, you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon in chapter 5.

Ki

Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy of ki. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. Your monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Monk table.

You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. You learn more ki features as you gain levels in this class. 

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. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your 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

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 spend 1 ki point to take the Dodge action as a bonus action on your turn.

Step of the Wind

You can spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on your turn, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.

Unarmored Movement

Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels, as shown in the Monk table.

At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.

Monastic Tradition

When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition: the Way of the Open Hand, the Way of Shadow, or the Way of the Four Elements, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Monastic Traditions for Monks of Ryloth: Way of the Bolt, Way of Dakhor, Way of the Falling Star, Way of the Shield, Way of Undeath, and Zen Archery.

Monastic Traditions for Monks not of Ryloth: Way of Avoidance, Way of the Beast, Way of the Beggar, Way of Chan Kong-Sang, Way of the Drunken Master, Way of the Fist, Way of the Fleet Foot, Way of the Hand, Way of Iron, Way of the Yin and Yang, and Zen Archery.

Deflect Missiles

Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th 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.

Slow Fall

Beginning at 4th level, 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.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Stunning Strike

Starting at 5th level, you can interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent’s body. When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Ki-Empowered Strikes

Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Evasion

At 7th level, 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. Wheny ou 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.

Stillness of Mind

Starting at 7th level, you can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.

Purity of Body

At 10th level, your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to disease and poison.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon

Starting at 13th level, you learn to touch the ki of other minds so that you understand all spoken languages. Moreover, any creature that can understand a language can understand what you say.

Diamond Soul

Beginning at 14th level, 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.

Timeless Body

At 15th level, 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.

Empty Body

Beginning at 18th level, you can use your action to spend 4 ki points to become invisible for 1 minute. During that time, you also have resistance to all damage but force damage.

Additionally, you can spend 8 ki points to cast the astral projection spell, without needing material components. When you do so, you can’t take any other creatures with you.

Perfect Self

At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points.

The Song of Stone

Strike Through Earth

You have learned to channel your energy to bring down anything your enemy hides behind. At 3rd level, you deal double damage to objects with your unarmed strikes. You may spend 1 ki point as a bonus action to gain one of the following effects, which last for 1 minute:

• iron resist: you gain resistance to piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage
• iron defense: add 2 AC
• iron Strength: when you use this Ability, you're considered one size larger when calculating how much weight you are able to push, drag, or lift. Also, you gain advantage on grapple checks

Mountain Stance

You harness your energy to become as sturdy as a mountain. At 6th level, you pay 2 ki Points as a bonus action to enter the Mountain Stance. You may choose one of the following effects, which lasts for one minute:

• Mountain Building Thick: you gain +3 AC and gain temporary HP equal to your Monk level.
• Mountain Standing Firm: You are unable to be moved by any creature 1 sizes larger than your current size or smaller.
• Mountain Piercing Earth: Your unarmed strikes are more powerful. Apply +3 on top of your damage modifier.
• Mountain Facing Storm: You Become Immune to Fear, Charm, Confusion, And Madness effects.
• This effect increases to 5 minutes at 9th level, 10 minutes at 12th level, 15 minutes at 15th level, and 20 minutes at 18th level.

Iron Pierces Swiftly

You channel your ki into a short period of activity. At 11 level, lasting for 1 minute, as a bonus action you may spend 3 ki points to (choose one) :

• You have advantage on all Strength/dexterity saving throws
• You have advantage on all wisdom/constitution saving throws

Mithril Body

You have learned to Channel stone and metal into your physical ability. At 17th level, you gain the following abilities:

• When using Mountain Stance, in the same bonus action, you may select any number of abilities for 1 ki each after the first one to also activate.
• The ki cost for Iron Pierces Swiftly now costs 2 ki and there is no ki cost for Strike Through Earth.

OR

• Become resistant to all damage while under the effects of Mountain Stance and become immune to all nonmagical weapons.
• During Iron Pierces Swiftly, all creatures are considered objects for the use of your Strike Through Earth.

Way of Chan Kong-Sang

Martial Maneuvers

Starting at 3rd level, you have learned how to manipulate the environment to defeat your enemies. You learn 2 Martial Maneuvers. You learn another at levels 6, 11, and 17 each. A list of Martial Maneuvers is located at the end of this page.

Some Martial Maneuvers involve saving throws. Your Martial Maneuver save DC is 8 + Your Dexterity modifier + your Proficiency bonus.

Versatile Training

Starting at 3rd level, you are proficient with improvised weapons. Also, improvised weapons count as monk weapons for you.

Freerunner

Starting at 6th level, climbing no longer costs you extra movement, your jump distance increases by your Dexterity Modifier, and you become proficient in Athletics. If you already were, you can choose a different proficiency from the Monk list.

Ki Aura

Starting at 11th level, you can make Intelligence and Charisma checks as Wisdom checks instead.

Deceptive

Starting at 17th level, when you take damage from an enemy, they have disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the start of your turn.

Martial Maneuvers

• Reversal: When an enemy moves 15 feet or more in a straight line towards you and then makes a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction and 1 Ki point to ignore the damage and throw them, prone, 5 feet away, dealing damage equal to your Martial Arts damage.
• Leaping Strikes: Your unarmed strikes and monk weapon attacks have the Reach property.
• Clothlock: As an action, when you hit an enemy with an unarmed strike or monk weapon attack, you can expend 1 Ki point and a bonus action to tie them up in some cloth (You must have some cloth at hand) if you would be able to grapple them normally. They are grappled by the cloth and must make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check against your Manuever Save DC to escape. You can move as normal, because they are being grappled by the cloth.
• Flash Powder: A a bonus action you can throw flash power, if you have some, up to 30 feet. It affects all creature within a 10 circle. They must make a constitution save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.
• Wind Aura: When you use Step of the Wind, your AC increases by 2 until the end of your next turn.
• Bounce Leap: As an action, you can spend a Ki point to leap off a nearby object that is Small or larger. You leap a distance equal to 10 + Your Unarmored Movement bonus. Enemies have disadvantage on opportunity attacks against you while you do this.
• Walnut Grip: As an action when you are grappling an enemy, you can choose to crush them with your grip. They must make a Constitution saving throw. They take damage equal to your Martial Arts damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. For the purposes of the Extra Attack feature, this counts as an attack.
• Trick of the Light:
• Impatient Defense: When you use the Patient Defense ability, you can take the Dash action as part of that ability.
• Whole Mind: The number of Ki points you have increases by 1.
• Deflection Redirection: As a when you catch a projectile with Deflect Missiles, you can attack an enemy within 5 feet of you with it without expending a Ki point. It counts as an Improvised weapon, and therefore a monk weapon for you.
• Flipkick: When you are knocked prone, you can expend 1 Ki point as your reaction to flip back up. Also, as part of this reaction, you can make an Unarmed Strike attack against an enemy within 5 feet of you.
• Sweeping Kick: When you make an unarmed strike against an enemy, you can expend 1 Ki point to knock them prone unless they succeed on a Dexterity save against your Martial Maneuver DC.
• Flying Kick: Once a turn when you make an unarmed strike against an enemy, you can choose to take a -5 to the attack roll, but if you hit you get a +10 to damage.