Diskmasters 5e Monk Guide

IfanyonehasplayedmonkfromapreviousversionofDnD,theyknowthedifficultiesofbeing
incrediblyoutscaledbytheirentireparty.OrofbeingoneofthemostMAD(multipleability
dependent)classesinthegame.Inoldereditions,therewassadlyalmostnoreasontoplaya
monkwheneveryotherclassdideverythingbetter.In5ehowever,monksarenotonlyaviable
classchoice,butanpowerfulonetoboot!HereIllhelpyoudecidewhatkindofmonkyoudlike
toplay,howtoplaythem,andtoultimatelymakeyourdreammonkcharacteraneffectiveand
interestingpartymember!
Thisguidefollowsthetraditionalcolorcodingmethodusedbymostotherguides.
SkyBlue:Optimalchoice,coreonallbuildsminusafringebuildortwo.
Blue:Solidpick,notexactlyoptimalbutstillaverygoodchoice.
Black:Notbad,notgreat,therearebetterbutyourenothinderingyourcharacterpickingthis.
Purple:Badchoice,maybesomeawkwardsituationsyoullgetuseoutofthis,butotherwise
yourewastingvaluablecharactergrowth.
Red:Nope.Justnope.Thereseithersomethingstrictlybetteroritsadownrightawfulpick.
WhenusingabbreviationslikeSTR,DEX,CON,INT,WIS,andCHA,assumeIamusingthe
MODIFIERforthosescores.Forexample,ifIsayAddyourSTRtodamageandyourstrength
scoreis18,youdonotadd18todamage,youaddthemodifierfor18whichis+4,andsoon
andsoforth.

Table

of

Contents

Section1:RacesandAbilityScores
Dwarf
Elf
Halfling
Human
Dragonborn
Gnome
HalfElf
HalfOrc
Tiefling
Section2:BackgroundandProficiencies
Section3:CoreMonkFeatures
Section4:MonkSubclasses
WayoftheOpenHand
WayoftheShadow
WayoftheFourElements
Section5:Multiclassing
Section6:Feats,Tips,Tricks,andStrategies

Section 1: Races and Ability Scores

Asofnow,thebestviablemonkbuildinmyopinionisahighDEXbuild.DEXisyourmain
damage/tohitstat,yougettohitpeopleinmeleeANDrangedusingthesamestat,givesyou
AC,initiative,DEXsave,andvarioususefulskillslikeacrobaticsandstealth.CONandWIS
shouldbefollowingasyournexthigheststats,CONduetoyourd8hitdie(notexactlyoptimal
forameleeclass)andWISforyourmonkabilities.STRshouldbeabouta10,becauseeven
thoughyourenotusingittohitanything,youdontwantitnegativeforsavesandskills.INTand
CHAareyourdumpstats,unlessyouhavearoleplayingreasontohavethesehigherthan10,
youreallyshouldnt.Yourstatorderforyouraveragemonkshouldbe
DEX>CON=WIS>STR>INT=CHA
SomeabilityscoresworkouttowhereyouhavetohaveeitherCONorWISatahighermodifier
thantheother.Ifthatisthecase,IpersonallywouldletmyWISbehigher,asthatismorebang
foryourbuckwithAC,saves,andmonkabilitiesasopposedtojustHPandasave.

Uponseeingthepriorityofthesestats,anyracesthatgiveyouDEXCONorWISaretobe
focusedon,butdontletoptimizationstandinthewayofthecharacteryouhaveinyourhead!
Youcanuseanyraceandyourmonkwillstillbegreat,thisisjustforpurestatefficiency.

Dwarf

MountainDwarfThebonustoCONisnice,buttheSTRbonusissomewhatuseless,
asistheweaponandarmorproficiency.Themovementspeedpenaltyisnotagiant
setback,butcanbeahindranceattimes.Darkvisionisadecentboonhoweverandsois
theresistancetopoison.

HillDwarfNowthisiswhatweretalkingabout!AWISboostisgreatalongwiththe
CON,andtheextraHPperlevelisafantasticboost.Againthesamemovementspeed
penaltyexistsbutitslessnoticeablenowthatyouhavethingstomakeupforit.

HighElfYouthinkthiswouldberatedhigherduetotheirbonustoDEX,butwiththe
otherbonusgoingintoalmostuselessINT,combinedwithacantripyourenotgoingto
beusingmuchandanextralanguage,therearejustbetteroptions.

WoodElfAboosttoDEXandWIS?Fantastic.Weaponproficiency?Theshortbowisnt
actuallytheworstrangedweaponforamonktohave,asitsgotfarmorerangethana
shuriken.Increasedspeed?Supermobilemonkisadamngoodmonk.Theabilityto
hideinnaturalelements?Nichebutincrediblyusefulattimes.Thesecombinedwiththe
othercoreelftraitslikeimmunetocharmandsleep,darkvision,andPerception
proficiency,makesforonesolidmonk.

DrowYougottheDEXbonus,butotherwiseitsawastedracepick.BonustoCHA,a
dumpstat.Totaldarkvisionisnice,butitcomesatthesonotworthitexpenseofsunlight
sensitivity.Theweaponproficienciesarentbadjustmeh.Drowmagicisalsomeh.Itsa
subracebuilttobeundergroundreally,inagamewheremorecommonly,youreabove
it.

Elf

Halfling

LightfootThebonustoDEXisgood,andalthoughtheCHAbonusissomewhat
useless,thenaturallystealthyfeatureisabsolutelyamazingforamonkbasedaround
stealth.Mostcreaturesintheworldarebiggerthanyousoyoullbeinnoshortageof
cover.Thatcombinedwiththeluckyfeature,brave,andhalflingnimblenessmakesa
ratherwellbalancedmonk.

StoutWithabonustoDEXandCON,itsaprettysolidchoiceforamonk.Resistance
topoisonandadvantageagainstpoisonisalwayswelcome,andalltogetheryouhavea
roundedmonkreadytoziparoundthebattlefield.

Human

Human+1inallyourabilitiesisneverbad,amonkcanmakemoreuseofitthanmost
otherclassesastheydependon3statsinsteadof1or2.Otherwiseasomewhatbland
choicethatmanyplayersdefaultto.

VariantHumanDnDwouldntbethesameiftherewasntawaytomakehumansan
incrediblybustedraceeverytime.+1toany2statsisdecentandproficiencyinaskillis
alwaysgoodtohave,butthefreefeatiswhatpushesitovertheedge.Thefactthat
featsareactuallyahardchoiceover+2toanabilityscoreevery4levels(lessifyourea
fighterbutstill)in5emakesthissuchajuicyracechoice.

Dragonborn

DragonbornBonustoSTRandCHA?Thatsa0/3outofstatswerelookingfor.BUT!
Thebreathweaponandresistanceareprettygreatfeaturestohave.Ifyoujustthinkthis
raceisthebeesknees,theresnothingthatshouldstopyoufromplayingit!

Gnome

ForestGnomeBonustoINT?Notreallywhatwerelookingfor.BonustoDEX?Thats
prettygood!Darkvision?Awesome!Afreecantrip?Nottheworstthing.Talkingtosmall
beasts?Surewhynot.AdvantageonallINT,WIS,andCHAsavingthrowsagainst
magic?...Imsorrywhat?Thatsbrokenright?Thisracialalonemakesgnomesplayable
byanyclassandstillkickass.

RockGnomeSwapouttheDEXbonusforaCONbonus,thetalkingtoanimalsfora
bonusonHistorychecks,andthecantripforatinkertoy,andyouvegotprettymuchthe
sameasaForestGnome.Itstheadvantageonthosesavingthrowsthatmakegnomes
sogood,anditscoretobothsubracessoyourpickbetweenthemismostlyflavor.

Half Elf

HalfElfWithanearuseless+2bonustoCHA,theotherfeaturesdontreallymakeup
foranunimpressivearrayforamonk.2bonusskills,darkvision,andimmunitytosleep
andcharm,itspracticallyadowngradedversionofWoodElfforourpurposes.

Half Orc

HalfOrcForaDEXbasedmonk,halforcisjustnotwhatwerelookingfor.+2toSTR
and+1toCON,thatsonlya+1bonustoarelevantability.Proficiencyinintimidationis
practicallyuseless.RelentlessEnduranceisgood,nodoubtaboutit,buttheextracrit
damagedieisalargelylostonusbecausemonkshavelowdamagediethefirst10
levelsorso.Forabarbarian,halforcisperfect.Monk,notsomuch.

Tiefling

TieflingBonustoINTandCHA?Notwhatwereherefor.Darkvision?Itsonenough
racestowherewecaneasilypickabetterone.Resistancetofiredamage?Wellitisthe
mostusedelementbybaddies.Afewfreespells?NotbadbuttheycastoffofCHAso
theireffectivenessislimited.Youcouldfindamuchbetterracethantiefling,literallyany
otherrace.

Section 2: Background and Proficiencies

Nowthatweveestablishedwhatourcorestatsare,weneedtoflushoutwhatskillsarebestfor
ourmonk.Keepinmindthesearenotsetinstone,asskillselectionshouldbeapartyeffort.

Yourchoicesmaybeaffectedbywhatyourgroupcanandcannotdo,sodontfeellikethisisa
rigidinflexibleguideastowhatyoumustpickyourproficienciesin.

AcrobaticsYouareamonk,youareusuallywearingnoarmor,andthushavenothing
toweighyoudownsignificantly.YouhaveanalreadyhighDEX,oneofyourcoremonk
kiskillsletsyoujumptwiceyourdistance,andsometimesyourroguebuddyneedssome
backupinsomehardtoreachplaces.Oneofthebestskillsforamonkinmybook.

AnimalHandlingNotbadtohave,notgreattohave,itsdecidedlyaverage.Ifyouhave
arangeronyourteamIwouldknockthisdowntopurple,butifnotandyouaretheonly
highWIScharacter,itsnottheworstskilltopick.

ArcanaThisisaskillyoureallywantyourwizard/roguetobetaking,notyou.

AthleticsEvenifyourenotmaxingoutstrength,Ithinkthisisafineskilltobeproficient
in.Everynowandthenyouneedtomakeafeatofmanlytoughness,oryouneedtofight
agrapple.Itsanallaroundgoodskill.

DeceptionAskillforyourpartyface,oratleastforsomeonewithhigherCHAthanyou.

HistoryAlsoaskillforyourrogue/wizard,butitstillisnttheworstskilltohave.

InsightTheabilitytoseethroughpeopleandtheirCHAchecksusually.Alsoitcanget
youhiddeninformationthataperceptionorinvestigationcheckcant.Beingahumanlie
detectorisnice,youcanbelikeToph!

IntimidationAgain,betterleftforthepartyface.Alsoyoureamonk,youreabove
cheaptrickslikeintimidation,arentyou?

InvestigationTheabilitytosearchforspecificthingsinanareaorsearchingfor
somethinghidden.Agenerallyusefulskill,justthatitscalesoffofINTisourmain
argumentagainstit.

MedicineMonkshavealongtraditioninthehistoryofhealingandmedicine,thisfits
bothflavorwiseandinusefulness!

NatureAdecentskillthatscalesoffofINT,butjustnotasgenerallyusefulas
investigation.

PerceptionThisgodlyskillhaslostnoneofitspowerorreputationfromearliereditions
ofDnD.Noonelikesbeingsurprised,andtheirareusuallylotsofsurprisesindungeons.
Amongthemostusedskillsinthegame,itsgenerallyagoodideatotryandbe
proficientinit.Inanyclass.

PerformanceYouareamonknotamonkey,performingisbeneathyou.Leaveittothe
bardandsaveyourselfaskill.

PersuasionSlightlybetterthantherestoftheCHAskills,andmoregenerally
applicable.Butstillnotsomethingwedwanttoinvestinwithasorcerer/bard/warlockon
theteam.

ReligionIfyoureamonkfollowingacertainreligion,youmightnotgetawaywithbeing
nonproficientinthis.Butotherwiseitsnotgreat,betteroffonanotherskillmonkey
character.

SleightofHandWithyourDEX,youllbecapableofmanyshenanigans.Anddontbe
misleadbythename,thisskillisntjustforpickpocketingrogues!Anythingthatissmall
andrequirestrickyhandmanipulationusesthisskill.

StealthAhthericepaperwalk.SeeingasyouhavegreatDEX,noarmor,andusually
nobulkyweaponstocarryaround,thisskillisamazingforyou.Scaredofsendingthe
loneroguetoscoutahead,worriedastowhatmighthappenifsheiscaught?Youcan
providebackup!Nowshesnotsoaloneanymore,andyourteamssurvivalrate
increases.Norogueintheparty?Yourethesecondaryrogue!Thisskillisanabsolute
necessityifyoupicktheWayofShadowatlevel3.

SurvivalHowtoliveoutinthewild,personallyIpreferthisontheranger,butitworks
justaswellonyou!Asolidskilltohave.

Sowehaveourskillprioritylinedup,nowallweneedtodoispickupabackgroundthatcan
helpgiveustheseskills!Remember,yourproficienciesthatyoucanpick2fromasamonkare
thefollowing:Acrobatics,Athletics,History,Insight,Religion,andStealth.Sowhatwerereally
tryingtogunforisthePerceptionskill.Ifyouchosearacethatallowsyouafreeskill
proficiency,thesebackgroundsholdmuchlessweight,asyoucanchooseperceptionandenjoy

whateverskillsyourbackgroundgivesyou.Also,talktoyourGMaboutacustombackground
foryourcharacter!Youneverknowwhatyoutwocancomeupwith.

AcolyteIfyouareamonkfromareligiousorder,thenthisistheperfectflavorpickfor
you.Ifyourenot,youstillget2freelanguagesandthatsnotabadpickeither.Were
stilllackingonthatperceptionskillthough,whichmighthurtus.

CharlatanIfyoureaneviltrickymonk,youfoundyourbackgroundrighthere.Though
bettersuitedforrogues,youdogetthesleightofhandskillwhichisawesome,though
onlyatthecostofthenearuselessdeceptionskill.

CriminalYourproficienciesaredeceptionandstealth,oneofthoseisuselessandthe
otheryougetfrombeingamonk.Yougetproficiencyinagamingset,whichisalittle
disappointing.Butthievestools,thoseareagreatthingtobehandywith,andisthesole
saviorforthischoicebeingred.

Entertainer/GladiatorAcrobaticsandperformance?Yeahwedontreallyneedthose
fromourbackground,whatelsecanyougiveus?Proficientinadisguisekitanda
musicalinstrument?Ummmmyeah,werejustgonnaseewhatelseisgoingonfor
backgrounds

FolkHeroAnimalhandlingandsurvival,okaywecoulddoworse.Artisanstools,not
awful.Vehicle(land)?Dontknowwhentheuseforthiswillevercomeup,butsurewhy
not!Theabilitytogainsympathyfromcommonfolk,andhavethemhideyoufromthe
law/anyonehostilelookingforyou?Ohwowthatsactuallyreallygood.Itsanaverage
choice,notthebestbutnotwastinganythingeither.

GuildArtisan/MerchantInsightandpersuasion,ehnotthebest.Proficiencyinan
artisanstoolandafreelanguage,notbadnotbad.Guildmembership?Dependingon
thesettingofyourcampaign,thiscanrangefromamazingtouseless,soitverymuch
dependsoneachsettingindividuallyhowgoodthisbackgroundis.

HermitMedicineandreligionforskills,couldbeworsebutheynoteveryonecanget
everything.Herbalismkit,youcanmakemedicine.Outofplants.Withthatnowproficient
medicineskillyouhave.Believeitornotthatsactuallygreat!Plusafreelanguage?This
backgroundissolidvalueplustheflavorisgreat.

NobleHistoryandpersuasionarewastedskillsonyou,andtheonlyotherthingyouget
isproficiencyinagamingsetandalanguage.Theonlyotherthingisthepositionof
privilege,wherenobleswillmeetyouandcommonerstrytopleaseyou.Plusyourea
monk,howareyouanoble?

OutlanderAlthoughmoresuitedforthebarbarian/ranger,thisbackgroundstillworks
wonderfullyonyou.Withproficiencyinathleticsandsurvival,afreelanguage,anda

musicalinstrument,combinedwiththewandererfeaturethatallowsyoutobypasssome
skillcheckstorememberwhereyouareinadungeon/outside,itsaprettystrong
backgroundtohave!

SageHistory,arcana,andacoupleoflanguages.Plustheabilitytoresearchthings
youdontknowthedirectanswerto.Notwhatwerelookingforhere.

Sailor/PirateAthleticsand,GASP!Coulditbe?Thefabledskillwevebeenlookingfor?
Perception!Gettingthatskillalonemakesthisbackgroundamazing,butreallytheicing
onthecakeisthevariantsailor,pirate.Peopleareafraidofyou,andyoucangetaway
withminorcrimes.Doyouknowhowoftenadventurershavetocommitminorcrimesto
completetheirquests?Letmetellyou,alot.Nowyoucandoallthesmalltimecrimes
youneedto,withoutthetownguardchasingyoueverytime!

SoldierAthleticsandintimidationarentbad,butbeingproficientinlandvehiclesanda
gamingsetisnighuseless.Themilitaryrankfeatureallowsyoutoexertyourrankover
themoreexpendablepeonsofyournation,andgrantsyouaccesstomostfriendly
militaryfortresses.Notthebestbutitcouldhonestlybeworse.

UrchinWithyourproficientskillsbeingsleightofhandandstealth,thatsalreadypretty
good.Itfreesupaskilltopickfromyourmonklistlikeathleticsorinsight.Youget
disguisekitandthievestoolproficiencies,whicharegreattohave!Youalsogetapet
mouse.LikeifthatisntthecutestthingeverIdontknowwhatis.

Section 3: Core Monk Features

Nowthatwevegoneoversomeofthechoicesyouhavebeforemakingyourmonk,letssee
someofthethingsthataresetinstoneforyouifyoutakethemonkspath!
HitDice1d8
Proficiencies:
ArmorNone
WeaponsSimpleweaponsandshortswords
ToolsAnartisanstoolormusicalinstrument
SavingThrowsStrengthandDexterity
SkillsChoosetwofromAcrobatics,Athletics,History,Insight,Religion,Stealth
Ourhitdieisntthebestforamelee,buttherearewayswecanshoreupourdefensesand
healthtomakesurewedontconstantlydie.Wedontgetarmorproficiencybutthatisntabig
dealbecausewegetourACfromDEXandWIS.Oursavingthrowsareprettystandard,with
DEXbeingthemostusedoneinDnDsowereluckyinthatregard.Nowforthefeaturesyouget
whenyouactuallystartplayingyourmonk!
Level1UnarmoredDefense:ThisamazingfeatureletsyouforsakearmortoaddyourWIS
bonusalongwithyourDEXbonustoyourAC,makingyourACformulaAC=10+DEX+WIS
aslongasyouarewearingnoarmororashield.
MartialArts:Aslongasyouarenotwearingarmororashield,andusingonlyshortswords,
unarmedstrikes,orasimpleweaponthatdoesnothavethetwohandedorheavyproperty
(quicknote:versatiledoesnotcounttowardstheserestrictions),youbenefitfromthefollowing:
YoumayuseDEXinsteadofSTRforattackanddamagerolls
Youmayrollad4inplaceofyourweaponsnormaldamagedie.Thisdiechangeswith
monklevel,turningintoad6atlvl5,ad8atlvl11,andad10atlvl17.
Whenyouusetheattackaction,youcanmakeoneunarmedstrikeasabonusaction.

Thiseffectivelygiveyoufreetwoweaponfightingwithoutthepenaltyofnotbeingabletoadd
yourDEXtodamageontheoffhandhit,essentiallyDOUBLINGYOURDAMAGEOUTPUT!
Youalsogetascalingreplacementdamagedieforyourweapons!Whatthatmeans,isifyou
happentopickupa+2shortsword,andyourmonkdamagedieisad10,guesshowmuch
damageyourshortswordisgonnado!Thatsright,1d10+2+DEX,becauseanymonkweapon
youreproficientingetsreplacedwithyourdamagedie.
Level2Ki:Thefuelsourceformanyofyourspecialabilities,youobtainmaximumKipoints
equaltoyourmonklevel.SomeofyourKiabilitiesrequireyourtargettomakeasavingthrow,
andtheformulaforthosesavesare8+yourproficiencybonus+WISmodifier.Youmayspend
1Kipointtodothefollowing:

FlurryofBlows:Immediatelyafteryoutaketheattackactiononyourturn,youmay
make2unarmedstrikesasabonusaction.
PatientDefense:YoumaytaketheDodgeactionasabonusactiononyourturn.
StepoftheWind:YoumaytaketheDisengageorDashactionasabonusaction,and
yourjumpdistanceisdoubledfortheturn.
YouobtainotherusesforKilateron,frombothyourcoremonkprogressionandthemonkpath
youchoose.
UnarmoredMovement:Free10movementspeedthatonlygoesupwithlevel,plusatlevel9
yougettheabilitytorunverticallyandacrosswater.Havingthiseasilymakesupforchoosinga
racewith25speed,andmakesaracewith35speedevenbetter.Goodskill,butnottotally
classdefining/gamebreaking.
Level3MonasticTradition:YouchoosewhethertogobyWayoftheOpenHand(youhit
thingswellandhealyourself),WayofShadow(sneakysneakyninja)orWayoftheFour
Elements(IAMTHEAVATAR).Illbegoingovertheminthenextsection.
DeflectMissiles:Youmayuseyourreaction(whichhonestlyyoudontusemuchanyway)to
reducethedamageofamissilethatstrikesyouby1d10+DEX+monklevel.Ifyoureducethe
damageoftheprojectileto0,youmayspendaKipointtomakearangedattackwiththe
projectile.Thisprojectilecountsasamonkweaponandyouareproficientwithit.NOTE:youdo
notneedtothrowitbackatthepersonwhofireditatyou,anyavailabletargetisfairgame.
Level4AbilityScoreImprovement:Everyclassgetsthisatlevel4,andyoumayadd+2to
oneabilityscore,+1totwoabilityscores,oryoupickafeatfromthelist(Iwillbegoingover
featsinalatersection).IsuggestDEX,thenWIS,thenCONifyouneedit.
SlowFall:Youmayuseyourreactiontoreducetheamountoffallingdamageyouwouldtake
by5xyourmonklevel.Althoughthismayseemlikeasmallability,itssurprisinglyhelpfulina
tonofplaces.ThereareplentyoftimesIhavebeenhappytohavethisfeaturewhenjumping
outofaburningbuildingoroffofthebigbadbadguy.
Level5ExtraAttack:Yougetanextraattackwhenyoumaketheattackaction.Thatsit!
Moredamage!Freedamage!Wedontcomplainaboutthat.
StunningFist:Whenyouhitanothercreaturewithameleeweaponattack,youcanspend1ki
pointtostunyourtarget,iftheyfailaCONsavetheyarestunneduntiltheendofyournextturn.
Notbadatall,usedagainstanenemycasterorsomeonewithalowsaveitsagreatwayto
removethemfromthefight.Againstmostbeastsandmonstersthough,theymightbeatad
tougherduetoahigherCON.
Level6KiEmpoweredStrikes:Yourunarmedstrikescountasmagicalforthepurposesof
overcomingresistanceandimmunitytononmagicalattacksanddamage.I.E.Youwannapunch

theragingbeartotembarbarianintheface,buthehasresistancetoeverythingthatisnt
psychicdamage?Andthatmagicstaffyoujustgotisbeingpolishedatthearmory?Punchthat
jerkintheface,youlldofulldamage.
Level7Evasion:WhenyoumakeaDEXsavingthrowthatallowsyoutotakehalfdamage,
youinsteadtakenodamageonasuccessfulsave,andhalfdamageonafailure.Literallybetter
thanadvantageonyoursavingthrow,itsaverybustedability.
StillnessofMind:Youmayuseyouractiontoendoneeffectonyourselfthatiscausingyouto
becharmedorfrightened.Nosaverequired,youjustconcentratereallyhardandwhateverwas
scaring/enthrallingyouisover!
Level10PurityofBody:Youreimmunetodiseaseandpoison.Freeimmunityyay!
Level13TongueoftheSunandMoon:Imeansomeonecanusuallycastcomprehend
languagesbynow,itsnotabigdealtogetthis.
Level14DiamondSoul:Youareproficientinallsavingthrows.Sweetsassymolassythats
amazing!Youcanalsospend1Kipointtorerollanysavingthrowyoufail.Justasamazing!
Level15TimelessBody:Youcantbeagedmagically,youdontgetanyweakerfromgetting
old,andyoudontneedfoodorwater.Honestly,notthatgreat.Oruseful.Just,eh.Couldbe
better.
Level18EmptyBody:Youmayspend4Kipointsandyouractiontobecomeinvisiblefor1
minute.Duringthistimeyouhaveresistancetoalldamagebutforcedamage.Thisinvisibility
doesnotenduponattackingortakinganotheraction.Additionally,youmayspend8Kipointsto
castAstralProjection.Whenyoudoso,youcannottakeanyothercreatureswithyou.Having
neverhadaneedtocastthisspell,itsusefulnesswillvarybetweenpartiesandcampaigns.
Usuallythewizardistheonecastingthis,and8Kipointsisasteepcost,butitsgoodtohavein
apinchifyoueverneedit.
Level20PerfectSelf:WhenyourollforinitiativeandhavenoKipointsinyourKipool,you
regain4Kipoints.Honestly,thisisadisappointingfinalfeatureformonks.Barbariansgetan
awesomeSTRandCONbuff,bardsgotshaftedthesamewaywedid,Clericseitherget
somethingamazinglikemaxheals,orjustaflyspeed.Druidsgetunlimitedwildshapes!
Fightersget4attackswhentheymaketheattackaction,Paladinscaneitherbecomea
fearsomecreatureorgetautilitydamagingcloud.RangersgettheirWISaddedtooneattackor
damagerollperturn,RoguesgettoSUCCEEDATANYROLLTHEYWANTpershortrest.
Sorcerersget4sorcerypointsbackwhenevertheytakeashortrest.Itdoesntevenhavetobe
emptylikewithmonks,justwhenevertheyshortrest.Warlockscanjustgettheirpactmagic
spellslotsback,andwizardsgetatwofreelevel3spellseveryshortrest.Comparedbothto
otherclassesandjusttoitself,monksgotanincrediblyweakabilityforlevel20.

Section 4: Monk Subclasses

Atlevel3,youpickwhichmonkpathyouwishtofollow,WayoftheOpenHand,Wayof
Shadow,orWayoftheFourElements.Eachofthesepathsspecializein1areaofbeinga
monk,whilestillperformingagoodjobinotherareas.AsIdonotbelievethatacertainpathis
betterthananotherorthebest,justdifferentwaystoplayamonk,soIamratingtheirabilities
individually,notthepathasawhole.

Way of the Open Hand

WayoftheOpenHandisfocusedonbeingbyyourself,crowdcontrollingenemiesbyimposing
effectswithyourflurryofblows,andbeingapseudotank.
Level3OpenHandTechnique:Wheneveryouhitacreaturewithoneoftheattacksgranted
byyourflurryofblows,youcanimposeoneofthefollowingeffectsonthetarget

ItmustsucceedonaDEXsavingthroworbeknockedprone.
ItmustsucceedonaSTRsavingthroworbepushedupto15feetawayfromyou.

Itcannottakereactionsuntiltheendofyournextturn.

Level6WholenessofBody:Asanaction,youmayhealyourselfequalto3timesyourmonk
levelonceeverylongrest.Atlowlevelsthismayseemlikeamehability,butonceyourealize
howlittlehealingthereactuallyisin5eyoullloveit,andwhenyourehigherupinlevelsit
becomesfantastic.Thiscanhealupto60hpatlevel20,effectivelygivingyou60extrahp.
Level11Tranquility:Afteralongrest,yougaintheeffectofasanctuaryspellthatlastsuntil
yournextlongrest(thespellcanendearlyasnormal).Thesavingthrowforthisspellis8+
proficiencybonus+WIS.Thefactthatyouregettingastraightuplevel1spellatlevel11iskind
ofawaste,alsoaddinginthefactthattheeffectsendonceyouattackoraffectanenemy.
Level17QuiveringPalm:Yougaintheabilitytosetuplethalvibrationsinsomeonesbody.
Whenyouhitsomeonewithanunarmedstrike,youcanspend3Kipointstostartthese
imperceptiblevibrations,whichlastforanumberofdaysequaltoyourmonklevel.Aslongas
youandyourtargetareonthesameplaneofexistence,youmayuseyouractiontoendthose
vibrationsforcefully.Onasuccessfulsave,thetargettakes10d10necroticdamage.Ifitfails,it
isreducedto0hp.Onlyonecreaturemaybevibratingatatime,andyoumayendthese
vibrationsharmlesslywithoutusinganaction.Instakillor10d10damage,notabaddealatall.

Way of the Shadow

MonkswhofollowtheWayofShadowvaluestealthandcunningoverbruteforce.They
specializeinworkingfromthedark,avoidingdetection,andhavingsuperiorpositioningover
theirenemies.
Level3ShadowArts:Youmayspend2Kipointstocastdarkness,darkvision,passwithout
trace,orsilencewithoutmaterialcomponents.Youalsogaintheminorillusioncantripifyou
dontalreadyknowit.Goodstealthyutilityspellsthatyourprimaryspellcastercansavetheir
slotson.
Level6ShadowStep:Whenyouareindimlightordarkness,asabonusactionyoucan
teleportupto60feettoanunoccupiedspaceyoucanseethatisalsoindimlightordarkness.
Youhaveadvantageonthefirstmeleeattackyoumakebeforetheendoftheturn.NoKipoints
used,justpureshadowteleportation.IfthatisntthemostballerabilityeverIdontknowwhatis.
Level11CloakofShadows:Whenyouareinanareaofdimlightordarkness,youcanuse
youractiontobecomeinvisible.Youremaininvisibleuntilyoumakeanattack,castaspell,or
areinanareaofbrightlight.FreeinvisibilityfornoKiisagreatboon,andaslongasyoustayin
thedarkitsconstant.Combiningthiswithshadowstepmakesforanalmostuncatchableninja
monk.
Level17Opportunist:Wheneveracreaturewithin5feetofyouishitbyanattackbya
creatureotherthanyou,youmayuseyourreactiontomakeameleeattackagainstthat
creature.Thisabilityrequiresyourmonktobeinthemiddleofcombat,oratleastcoordinating
withanotherpartymemberaswithwhotohit.Asingleattackfromamonkisnotalargesource
ofdamage,asmostmonksget45hitsinduringtheirturn,theirdamagecomesfromthese
multipleattacks.Abarbarianorpaladinwouldfindmuchmoreusefromthis,beingableto
producemuchmoredamagefromasinglehitthanamonk.Itdoeshoweveruseareaction,
whichmostmonkswillonlyusefortheoccasionalattackofopportunityordeflectmissile.Its
freedamage,butatasomewhatdangerousrisk.

Way of the Four Elements

TheWayoftheFourElementsismuchmoreKifocusedthantheother2subclasses,usingitto
powertheirabilitiesthatareeitheruniquetothepathortoimitateaselectfewspells.Becausea
goodchunkoftheirfeaturesuseasavingthrow,WISisslightlymoreimportantonthispathof
monkthanontheothers.Insteadofdesignatedabilitiesatlevels3,6,11,and17,thesemonks
choosefromalistofabilities,someofwhicharerestrictedbylevel.Anyabilitiesthatrequiresa

savingthroworimitatesaspellthatrequiresasavingthrowfollowstheformulaofDC=8+
proficiencybonus+WIS.Atlevel5,whenusinganelementaldisciplinethatimitatesaspell,you
mayspendadditionalKipointstoincreasethelevelofthatspell,1levelforeachadditionalKi
pointspent.Fromlevels58,youthemaximumKipointsyoumayusetocastaspell(including
thebaseKicostandalladditionalpointsspent)is3,from912youmayspend4,from1316
youmayspend5,andfromlevels1720youmayspendupto6Kionanyspell.Elemental
disciplinesthatyoumayspendadditionalKipointson,butdonotimitatespells,havenocap.
Forexample,ifyouhave13Kipointsandarelevel13,youmayspendatotalof5Kipointsto
castthunderwaveasa4thlevelspell.Butifyouusewaterwhip,youmayspend13Kipointsto
do15d10bludgeoningdamageifyouwish.Youlearnelementalattunementautomaticallyat
level3.Wheneveryoulearnanewelementaldiscipline,youmayreplaceonedisciplineyou
alreadyknowwithadifferentdiscipline.
BreathofWinter(17thlevelrequired):Youmayspend6Kipointstocastconeofcold.A5th
levelspellisntsomethingtosneezeat,evenatlevel17.IfyourpartylacksAoEeffectsora
purecaster,thisisntabadpickupatall.
ClenchoftheNorthWind(6thlevelrequired):Youcanspend3Kipointstocastholdperson.If
thetargetdidntgetasaveeveryturnIdconsiderthismore,butitsjustnotenoughbangfor
yourbuck.
ElementalAttunement:Youcanuseyouractiontobrieflycontrolelementalforcesnearby,
causingoneofthefollowingeffects
Createaharmlesssensoryeffectrelatedtoearth,air,waterorfire,suchasashowerof
sparks,apuffofwind,asprayoflightmist,oragentlerumblingofstone.
Instantaneouslylightorsnuffacandle,torch,smallcampfire,orlantern.
Chillorwarmupto1poundofnonlivingmaterialforupto1hour.
Causeearth,water,fire,ormistthatcanfitwithina1footcubetoshapeitselfintoacrude
formyoudesignatefor1minute.
Theusefulnessofthisdisciplineislimitedtoyourimagination.Ifyoucantthinkofinteresting
andusefulwaystomildlymanipulateelementsthenitserveslittlepurpose.Buttosomeonewho
hasagreatimagination,thisisfantasticutility.
EternalMountainDefense(11thlevelrequired):Youcanspend5Kipointstocaststoneskin,
targetingyourself.Resistancetoslashingpiercingandbludgeoningdamageisnice,especially
becauseitlastsanhour.Howeverdependingonthemagicalitemsyourenemieshave,this
spellmayfinditselflessusefulthanyouwant.Chooseaccordingly.NOTE:TheRAW
designatesthatthemaximumKipointsabletobespentonaspellis4atlevel11,and5atlevel
13.YoushouldtalktoyourDMaboutthisdiscrepancy,astechnicallyyouareunabletocastthis
atthelevelyouobtainit.OnceIgetadefinitiveanswerforthisIwillupdatethissection.
FangsoftheFireSnake:Whenyouusetheattackactiononyourturn,youcanspend1Ki
pointtocausetendrilsofflametostretchoutfromyourfistsandfeet.Yourreachwithunarmed

strikesincreasesby10feetforthataction,aswellastherestoftheturn.Theseattacksdofire
damageinsteadofbludgeoningdamage,andyoumayspend1Kipointwhensuchanattack
hitstodealanextra1d10firedamage.Thisismyfavoritediscipline,Iwouldhonestlytakethis
atlevel3or6becauseitssuchahugedamagespike,andtheKiyouhavetosinkintoityou
getbackeveryshortrest.
FistofFourThunders:Youcanspend2Kipointstocastthunderwave.Notawfultohave,but
IwouldtakethisonlywithadistinctlackofAoEinyourparty.Unlikeapurecaster,youremuch
morelikelytobeinthemiddleofthefight,andcanbeinbetterpositiontousethis.Swapthis
outatlevel11forsomethingwithbetterscalingthough.
FistofUnbrokenAir:Asanaction,youcanspend2Kipointstochooseacreaturewithin30
feetofyou,thatcreaturemakesaSTRsavingthrow.Ifthecreaturefails,ittakes3d10
bludgeoningdamage,plusanextra1d10foreachadditionalKipointyouspend,andispushed
backupto20feetawayfromyouanditisknockedprone.Onasuccessfulsavethecreature
onlytakeshalfdamageandisnotpushedorproned.Iwouldratethisbetter,ifwaterwhip
wasntalmoststrictlybetterthanit.Thefactthatthistakesanactionwherewaterwhiptakesa
bonusactionisalreadyahugeargumentagainstit,nottomentionittargetsSTR,whichis
usuallybaddiesstatofchoice.
FlamesofthePhoenix(11thlevelrequired):Youmayspend4Kipointstocastfireball.Atlevel
11,a3rdlevelspellissomewhatunderwhelming.8d6withanextra1d6foreveryextraKipointis
simplytoomuchaninvestmentwithnotenoughreturns.
GongoftheSummit(6thlevelrequired):Youmayspend3Kipointstocastshatter.3Kipoints
foraweak,purelydamagingspellisnotwhatwerelookingforhere,wehavebetterusesforour
Kiandactions.
MistStance(11thlevelrequired):Youcanspend4Kipointstocastgaseousform,targeting
yourself.Notbadutilityatall,goodforslippingthroughcracksinwallsandbeingstealthyin
dungeons.Lastsfor1hour,whichisgreatvalueforaspelllikethis.
RidetheWind(11thlevelrequired):Youmayspend4Kipointstocastfly,targetingyourself.In
5eyoucantcountonyourwizard/sorcerertobuffthepartyconstantly,soitsperfectlyviablefor
asecondaryspellcasterlikeyourselftohaveacoupleutilityspellsuptheirsleeves,bothtogive
theprimarycasteralittlebreathingroomwiththeirspells,andtobeslightlymoreselfreliant.
Spellslikethisfitgreatwithamagicmonksthemeandrole,primaryattackersandsecondary
spellcasters.
RiveofHungryFlame(17thlevelrequired):Youcanspend5Kipointstocastwalloffire.Not
bad,butitsahugeKiinvestmentforalevel4spell.Thinkingofcreativeusesforthisspellis
key,

RushoftheGaleSpirits:Youcanspend2Kipointstocastgustofwind.Againan
underwhelmingspelltoimitate,ifforwhateverreasonyoudotakeitdropitbylevel6or11.
ShapetheFlowingRiver:Asanaction,youmayspend1Kipointtochooseanareaoficeor
waternolargerthan30feetonaside(meaningthatthelengthorwidthcannotbeindividually
over30feet,butmayeachbeupto30feet,soyoumayselectanareaof18squares,6long
and6wide,onanormal5footgrid)within120feetofyou.Youcanchangewatertoiceand
viceversa,andmayreshapeiceinanymanneryouchoose.Youmayraiseorlowerthe
elevationoftheicebyasmuchashalfthelargestdimension.Forexample,ifyouhavea30foot
square,youmayraiseorloweritbyupto15feet.Youcannotshapetheicetotraporinjurea
creatureinthearea.Thisabilityisentirelydependentonhowmuchwateryouwillbearound.
Pirateorsailorcampaign?Perfect!Desertcampaign?Lessthanperfect!TalktoyourDMabout
theusefulnessofthisabilitybeforetakingit.
SweepingCinderStrike:Youmayspend2Kipointstocastburninghands.Ifyouarereally
lackinginanoffensivecasterandAoE,Iwouldstilltakefistoffourthundersoverthis,itscales
betterandhassomeknockbackeffectstackedwithit.
WaterWhip:YoucanSpend2Kipointsasabonusactiontochooseacreaturewithin30feet
ofyoutomakeaDEXsavingthrow.Onafailedsavethatcreaturetakes3d10bludgeoning
damageplusanextra1d10foreachadditionalKipointspent.Thatcreatureiseitherknocked
proneorpulled25feetclosertoyou.Onasuccessfulsavethecreatureonlytakeshalfdamage
andisnotpulledorknockedprone.Ifindthistobebetterthanfistofunbrokenairsimply
becauseittargetsDEXandnotSTR,andbecauseitisusedasabonusactioninsteadofa
normalaction.Soyoumaywhipsomeone,pullthemnexttoyou,andthenproceedtopunch
themacoupleoftimes.Itmakesbetteruseofyouractioneconomy,whichis5eiseverything.
WaveofRollingEarth(17thlevelrequired):Youcanspend6Kipointstocastwallofstone.
Again,creativeuseofthisspelliskey,otherwiseyourejustmakingaboringoldwall.

Section 5: Multiclassing

Asmonksareaclassthatscaledirectlywithhowmanylevelsyouhaveinit,multiclassingisan
optionInormallychoosetoforsake.Ipersonallyfindusingmonkasasoloclassisthemost
effective,buttherearesomeclassesthatmonkssynergizewithverywell,andmightbewortha
fewleveldip.

Barbarian:MonksareahighDEXclass,barbariansareahighSTRclass,thereforeyouare
alreadyspreadingyourselfoutthinstatwise.Unarmoreddefensedoesntstackwitheachother,
meaningyoucouldnothaveyourAC=10+DEX+WIS+CON,youcouldonlyaddeitherWIS

orCON.Barbariansingeneraldonotefficientlyworkasamulticlassformonks,andany
benefitsyouwouldgainwouldbenotworththesacrificemadetoobtainthem.

Bard:Imalreadyhesitantaboutsplittingupspellcasterlevels,butusuallydippingintoclasses
thatrequireacompletelydifferentstatisariskydecision.AsmonksfocusonDEXCONand
WIS,addingCHAintothemixisgoingtomakeourotherscoressuffer.Yourcastingasabard
wouldsuffer,andsowouldanymonkabilitiesthatfocusonCHA.

Cleric:ThisspellcastingclassusesWIStocastitsspells,makingthisabetterchoicethanbard
orsorcererorwizard.Fromamaximumefficiencystandpoint,youstilllosebothKipointsand
spellcastinglevelsthough.Whenpickingamartialdomain,youonlygettoapplydivinestriketo
1ofyourattacks,wheremonksgetmostoftheirdamagefromattacking45timesaturn.When
pickingaspellcastingdomain,thepotentspellcastingissomewhatuselessasyougainmore
damagefromattackingnormally.Thedomainsareknowledge,life,light,nature,tempest,
trickery,war.
Druid:Wildshape.Letmetalkaboutwildshape.Whileyouaretransformedintoabeatsofyour
choosing,youmayattackanenemywithyournaturalweapons,suchasclawsorbitesor
hoovesetc.Theseattacksfallunderthecategoryofunarmedstrikes,soyoumaymakeoneof
thesenaturalattacks,andthenmakeanotheronefromyourmartialartsskill.Thatsright!You
asabeastygettomakemultiplestrongattacks!Now,whileinbeastform,youalsogetnatural
armor.Thisnaturalarmorstackswithunarmoreddefense,sowhileinwildshapeform,yourac
is10+naturalarmor+DEX+WIS.Withthemonstermanualout,thereareplentyofbeasts
whocantakeadvantageofthismulticlassingcombo.
Fighter:Takethedueling(orgreatweaponfightingifyouregonna2handastaffalot)fighting
style,getactionsurge,????,profit!FighterisnowthemostdippableclassIMOduetoitsso
easytoapplyallofitsabilitiestootherclasses,andmonkisnoexception.
Paladin:TheCHAasanothercorestatreallykillsitformulticlassing,plusthescalingofabilities
thatrequiremonk/paladinlevelslowersyouroverallpoweraswell.
Ranger:BothoftheseclassesuseDEXandWISandCONastheirmainstats.Thatswhere
thereasonstomulticlassend.Therearentanysynergies,youhavetogotoodeepintoboth
classestoenjoyanyrealbenefit,andeventhenyourejustbetteroffgoingsingletonintoeither
class.
Rogue:Ifyouaregoingintothewayofshadowforafewlevels,rogueisanaturalpickupfor
you.Themanykindsoffreestealthyougetcombinedwithsneakattack,expertise,andthe
manyotheramazingfeaturesroguesget(theygetalot),makesyouagreatassassinwhowill
makeeverystealthcheck.
Sorcerer:Again,splittingupyourpointsinto4statsisastrainonyourcharacter,plusyouwill
bebehindonspellcastinglevels,withfew(ifany)relevantclasssynergies.

Warlock:Sameasabove.
Wizard:Sameasabove,butwithmoreaccessibleutilityfromthedivinationspecialty.

Section 6: Feats, Tips, Tricks, and Strategies

TherearevariouswaysyoucanoptimizeyourmonkinDnD5e,herearesomeoftheless
obviousinteractionsandadviceIveseenandputintoactionthatwouldntfitinanothersection.

Forthewayoftheopenhand,sinceyoumaymovebetweenyourattacks,youmayhit
someonewithanattack,useyourflurryofblows,hitthemonce,pushthatpersonback
15feet,move15feettowardsthem,hitthemwithyoursecondflurryofblows,andpush
themanother15feet,foratotalof30feetdisplacement.

Thelevel1featuremartialartssaysthatyouonlygainthebenefitsofthisfeaturewhile
usingashortswordorsimpleweaponthatdoesnothavethetwohandedorheavy
property.However,aquarterstaffisasimpleweaponthatdoesnothaveeitherofthose
properties,buthastheversatileproperty,meaningyoucanuseitwitheitheronehand
(d6damagedie)ortwohands(d8damagedie).Youareallowedtowieldaquarterstaff
withtwohandsforyournormalattacks,andthenmakeanunarmedstrikefromyour

bonusattack.Thisisagooddamageboostforearlierlevelswhenyourmonkdamage
dieisad4.

Throughlevels13,youshouldhaveanACof1516,47itshouldbeabout1718,811
itshouldbefrom1819,1215around1920,andhigherthanlevel16itshouldbeno
lessthan20.Thisiswithoutanymagicalitemsorbuffs.

Goodmagicitemsformonks:GauntletsofOgreStrength,StaffofProtection,Spider
Staff,RingofProtection
ThegeneralconsensusisthatifyouandyourDMisunsureofwhethersomethingcan
bedone,askCanamagicBruceLeefeasiblydothis?andthatisyouranswer.