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 on the Weapons page.

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. 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.

Hailstorm of Blows

By 11th level, when you use your Flurry of Blows, you can make three unarmed strikes as a bonus action instead of two.

Stillness of Mind

Starting at 13th level, you are immune to being charmed or frightened.

Heightened Senses

Starting at 14th level, you have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Diamond Soul

Beginning at 15th 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.

Empty Body

Beginning at 18th level, 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.

Timeless Body

Also at 18th 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.

Perfect Self

Starting at 20th level, you don't need to sleep and you can’t be forced to sleep by any means. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you must spend at least 4 hours doing light activity, such as meditating and keeping watch.

In addition, as an action, you can enter a special meditation that allows you to tap to your inner reserves. You instantly gain the benefit of a short rest and regain all of your expended ki points. Once you complete a short rest with this feature, it becomes unavailable until you finish a long rest.

Open Hand Technique

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate your enemy's ki when you harness your own. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can impose one of the following effects on that target:

• It must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
• It must make a Strength saving throw. If it fails, you can push it up to 15 feet away from you.
• It can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.

Stunning Strike

Starting at 6th level, you can interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent's body. When you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, 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.

The effect of Stunning Strike applies before you impose one of the effects of Open Hand Technique.

Ki Block

At 11th level, your ability to disrupt the ki flow of other creatures has become more effective. A creature that succeeds on its Constitution saving throw against your Stunning Strike has disadvantage on the saving throw it makes against your Open Hand Technique.

Quivering Palm

At 17th level, you gain the ability to set up lethal vibrations in someone's body. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 ki points to start these imperceptible vibrations, which last for a number of days equal to your monk level. The vibrations are harmless unless you use your action to end them. To do so, you and the target must be on the same plane of existence. When you use this action, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, it is reduced to 0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage.

You can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a time. You can choose to end the vibrations harmlessly without using an action.

Radiant Sun Bolt

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can hurl searing bolts of magical radiance.

You gain a new attack option that you can use in place of your unarmed strikes. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Wisdom modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is radiant, and its damage die is a d6. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.

Searing Strike

Also at 3rd level, when a creature takes radiant damage from you, you can spend 1 ki point to sear the target. At the start of its next turn, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take fire damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Solar Wind

At 6th level, you gain the ability to channel your ki into searing waves of energy. Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 2 ki points to cast the Burning Hands spell as a bonus action.

You can spend additional ki points to cast Burning Hands as a higher level spell. Each additional ki point you spend increases the spell's level by 1. The maximum number of ki points (2 plus any additional points) that you can spend on the spell equals your proficiency bonus.

Burning Radiance

At 11th level, your inner light has become as bright as sunlight itself. When you deal fire damage to a creature, you can change that damage type to radiant.

Solar Flare

Starting at 17th level, you gain the ability to gather the power of the sun within you into one, devastating explosion. You can cast the Flame Strike spell, requiring no components, and your spellcasting ability for the spell is Wisdom.

Once you cast the spell with this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend 7 ki points to cast it again.

Arms of the Astral Self

At 3rd level, your mastery of your ki allows you to summon a portion of your astral self. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to summon the arms of your astral self. When you do so, each creature of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take force damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die.

For 10 minutes, these spectral arms hover near your shoulders or surround your arms (your choice). You determine the arms' appearance, and they vanish early if you are incapacitated or die.

While the spectral arms are present, you gain the following benefits:

• You can use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Strength modifier when making Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• You can use the spectral arms to make unarmed strikes.
• When you make an unarmed strike with the arms on your turn, you can target any creature that you can see within 10 feet of you instead of using your reach.
• The unarmed strikes you make with the arms can use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls, and their damage type is force.

Visage of the Astral Self

When you reach 6th level, you can summon the visage of your astral self. As a bonus action, or as part of the bonus action you take to activate Arms of the Astral Self, you can spend 1 ki point to summon this visage for 10 minutes. It vanishes early if you are incapacitated or die.

The spectral visage covers your face like a helmet or mask. You determine its appearance.

While the spectral visage is present, you gain the following benefits.

Astral Sight. You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.

Wisdom of the Spirit. You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Intimidation) checks.

Word of the Spirit. When you speak, you can amplify your voice so that all creatures within 600 feet can hear you.

Body of the Astral Self

Starting at 11th level, when you have both your astral arms and visage summoned, you can cause the body of your astral self to appear (no action required). This spectral body covers your physical form like a suit of armor, connecting with the arms and visage. You determine its appearance.

While the spectral body is present, you gain the following benefits.

Armor of the Spirit. You gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class.

Empowered Arms. Once on each of your turns when you hit a target with the Arms of the Astral Self, you can deal extra damage to the target equal to your Martial Arts die.

Awakened Astral Self

Starting at 17th level, your connection to your astral self is complete, allowing you to unleash its full potential. As a bonus action, you can spend 5 ki points to summon the arms, visage, and body of your astral self and awaken it for 10 minutes. This awakening ends early if you are incapacitated or die.

While your astral self is awakened, you gain the following benefits.

Astral Barrage. Whenever you use the Extra Attack feature to attack twice, you can instead attack three times if all the attacks are made with your astral arms.

Ki-Powered Assault. Whenever you use your Flurry of Blows ki feature, you can spend 1 ki point to make one additional unarmed strike with your astral arms.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with brewer's supplies if you don't already have it.

Tipsy Sway

At 3rd level, you can move in sudden, swaying ways. Whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you gain the benefit of the Disengage action.

Leap to Your Feet

Also at 3rd level, when you're prone, you can stand up by spending 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.

Drunken Technique

Your erratic movements make you an infuriating opponent to deal with. Starting at 6th level, you can use your Deflect Attack feature when a creature hits or misses you with a melee attack roll. In addition, when you redirect that attack onto another target, the attacker doesn't make a new attack roll against the creature you chose - instead, it immediately hits its target.

Drunkard's Luck

Starting at 11th level, you always seem to get a lucky bounce at the right moment. When you make an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw and have disadvantage, you can spend 1 ki point to cancel the disadvantage for that roll.

Intoxicated Frenzy

At 17th level, you gain the ability to make an overwhelming number of attacks against a group of enemies. When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can make up to three additional attacks with it (up to a total of six Flurry of Blows attacks), provided that each Flurry of Blows attack targets a different creature this turn.

Way of Shadow Spellcasting

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells.

Cantrips

You know Minor Illusion and one cantrip of your choice from the Way of Shadow spell list. You learn additional Way of Shadow cantrip at 10th level.

Spell Slots

The Way of Shadow Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Jump and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Jump using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

At 1st level, you know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the Way of Shadow spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Way of Shadow table shows when you learn more Way of Shadow spells of your choice of 1st level or higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what's shown in the table's Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 13th level, for example, you learn a new Way of Shadow spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Way of Shadow spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Way of Shadow spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Way of Shadow spells, so you use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Way of Shadow spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Once you cast the spell with this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend 7 ki points to cast it again.

Way of Shadow Spell List

Below are the spells available to Way of Shadow monks, organized by spell level. They are from the Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

Cantrips

acid splash
dancing lights
green-flame blade
mage hand
message
poison spray
sword burst
true strike

1st level

alarm
color spray
detect magic
detect poison or disease
disguise self
faerie fire
feather fall
fog cloud
grease
jump
longstrider
silent image
sleep
snare
zephyr strike

2nd level

alter self
blindness/deafness
blur
darkness
darkvision
invisibility
find traps
mirror image
misty step
pass without trace
see invisibility
shadow blade
silence
spider climb

3rd level

blink
hypnotic pattern
major image
nondetection
sending
stinking cloud

4th level

confusion
greater invisibility
freedom of movement
locate creature
shadow of moil