Monk

Her fists a blur as they deflect an incoming hail of arrows, a half-elf springs over a barricade and throws herself into the massed ranks of hobgoblins on the other side. She whirls among them, knocking their blows aside and sending them reeling, until at last she stands alone.

Taking a deep breath, a human covered in tattoos settles into a battle stance. As the first charging orcs reach him, he exhales and a blast of fire roars from his mouth, engulfing his foes.

Moving with the silence of the night, a black-clad halfling steps into a shadow beneath an arch and emerges from another inky shadow on a balcony a stone’s throw away. She slides her blade free of its cloth-wrapped scabbard and peers through the open window at the tyrant prince, so vulnerable in the grip of sleep.

Whatever their discipline, monks are united in their ability to magically harness the energy that flows in their bodies. Whether channeled as a striking display of combat prowess or a subtler focus of defensive ability and speed, this energy infuses all that a monk does.

Hit Points

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

Arms of the Astral Self

3rd-level Way of the Astral Self feature

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, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.
• 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

6th-level Way of the Astral Self feature

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 direct your words to a creature of your choice that you can see within 60 feet of you, making it so only that creature can hear you. Alternatively, you can amplify your voice so that all creatures within 600 feet can hear you.

Echolocation

Starting at 3rd level you perform a special ritual, burn yourself in the Cursed Flame and become blinded permanently. In return, the ritual grants you 60 ft blindsight and resistance to Thunder damage. Your blindsight depends on sound so while your are Deafened it does not function.

The range of your blindsight increases to 80 ft at 7th level, 100 ft at 11th level and 120 ft at 17th level.

Sonic Wave

Starting at 3rd level you learn to use sound waves to find your enemies. On your turn when you take the Attack action you can replace one of your attacks with a sonic boom. Make a ranged attack roll using Dexterity against a target you can sense within your Blindsight. On a hit you can immediately teleport to the target and make an unarmed attack against them as a part of the same action.

Starting at 11th level, you can replace any number of your attacks with the sonic boom

Safeguard

At 6th level you learn to protect others from harm using your Ki. When an ally you can sense within the range of your blindsight would take damage you can expend 1 Ki as a Reaction and teleport next to that ally. You both then gain temporary hitpoints equal to half your Monk level (rounded up) which last until the start of your next turn.

Gift of the Blind God

At 11th level, you become immune to the Deafened condition, making it possible for you to hear sounds that are outside of zones silenced by magic even when you are in their area of effect. You also become immune to Thunder Damage.

Fury of the Dragon

At 17th level you learn to manifest the fury of your god, becoming able to blow back even colossal creatures. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can force the creature to make a Constitution Saving Throw. On a failure you can expend up to 10 Ki points. For every Ki point spent the target takes extra 2d6 damage and is blown 20 ft in a direction of your choice (Max 20d6, 200 ft). If the creature would collide with other creatures on the way, make a Ranged attack roll for each creature. On a hit the other creatures also take the damage.

Mystical Erudition

Upon choosing this tradition at 3rd level, you've undergone extensive training with the Cobalt Soul, teaching you extensively in history or lore from the monastery's collected volumes. You learn one language of your choice, and you choose one skill from the following list to gain proficiency in: Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion.

You gain an additional language and an additional skill proficiency from the above list at 11th and 17th level. If you already have proficiency in one of the listed skills at 11th or 17th level, you can instead choose to double your proficiency bonus for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency.

Extract Aspects

Beginning at 3rd level when choosing this tradition, you can strike pressure points to extract crucial information about your foe. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can learn the following attributes about the target: Damage Vulnerabilities, Damage Resistances, Damage Immunities, and Condition Immunities

Extort Truth

At 6th level, you can hit a series of hidden nerves on a creature with precision, temporarily causing them to be unable to mask their true thoughts and intent. If you manage to hit a single creature with two or more attacks in one round, you can spend 1 ki point to force them to make a Charisma saving throw. You can choose to have these attacks deal no damage. On a failed save, the creature is unable to speak a deliberate lie for 1 minute and all Charisma checks directed at the creature are made with advantage for the duration. You know if they succeeded or failed on their saving throw.

An affected creature is aware of the effect and can thus avoid answering questions to which it would normally respond with a lie. Such a creature can be evasive in its answers as long as the effect lasts.

Preternatural Counter

Beginning at 6th level, your quick mind and study of your foe allows you to use their failure to your advantage. If a creature misses you with an attack, you can immediately use your reaction to make an unarmed melee attack against that creature.

Mind of Mercury

Starting at 11th level, you've honed your awareness and reflexes through mental aptitude and pattern recognition. Once per turn, if you've already taken your reaction, you may spend 1 ki point to take an additional reaction. You can only use one reaction per trigger.

Debilitating Barrage

Upon reaching 17th level, you've gained the knowledge to temporarily lower a creature's fortitude by striking a series of pressure points. Whenever you hit a single creature with three or more attacks in one round, you can spend 3 ki points to cause the creature to suffer a vulnerability to a damage type of your choice for 1 minute, or until after they take any damage of that type.

Creatures with resistance or immunity to the chosen damage type do not suffer vulnerability. Instead, their resistance to the chosen damage type is lost for the duration, or their immunity is reduced to resistance for the duration.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill if you don't already have it. Your martial arts technique mixes combat training with the precision of a dancer and the antics of a jester. You also gain proficiency with brewer's supplies if you don't already have it.

Drunken Technique

At 3rd level, you learn how to twist and turn quickly as part of your Flurry of Blows. Whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you gain the benefit of the Disengage action, and your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the current turn.

Tipsy Sway

Starting at 6th level, you can move in sudden, swaying ways. You gain the following benefits.

Leap to Your Feet. When you're prone, you can stand up by spending 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.

Redirect Attack. When a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend 1 ki point as a reaction to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.

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 on the roll, you can spend 2 ki points 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 five Flurry of Blows attacks), provided that each Flurry of Blows attack targets a different creature this turn.

Disciple of the Elements

You learn magical disciplines that harness the power of the four elements. A discipline requires you to spend ki points each time you use it.

You know the Elemental Attunement discipline and two other elemental disciplines of your choice. You learn two additional elemental disciplines of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Whenever you learn a new elemental discipline, you can also replace one elemental discipline that you already know with a different discipline.

Elemental Disciplines

The elemental disciplines are presented in alphabetical order, sorted by level. If a discipline requires a level, you must be the level in this class to learn the discipline.

Elemental Attunement.

You can use your action to briefly control elemental forces within 30 feet of you, causing one of the following effects of your choice:

• Create a harmless, instantaneous sensory effect related to air, earth, fire, or water, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, a spray of light mist, or a gentle rumbling of stone.
• Instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.
• Chill or warm up to 1 pound of nonliving material for up to 1 hour.
• Cause earth, fire, water, or mist that can fit within a 1-foot cube to shape itself into a crude form you designate for 1 minute.

Fangs of the Fire Snake. When you use the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to cause tendrils of flame to stretch out from your fists and feet. Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases by 10 feet for that action, as well as the rest of the turn. A hit with such an attack deals fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage, and if you spend 1 ki point when the attack hits, it also deals an extra 1d10 fire damage.

Fist of Four Thunders. You can spend 1 ki points to cast thunderwave.

Rush of the Gale Spirits. You can spend 1 ki points to cast gust of wind.

Shape the Flowing River. As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to choose an area of ice or water no larger than 30 feet on a side within 120 feet of you. You can change water to ice within the area and vice versa, and you can reshape ice in the area in any manner you choose. You can raise or lower the ice's elevation, create or fill in a trench, erect or flatten a wall, or form a pillar. The extent of any such changes can't exceed half the area's largest dimension. For example, if you affect a 30-foot square, you can create a pillar up to 15 feet high. raise or lower the square's elevation by up to 15 feet, dig a trench up to 15 feet deep, and so on. You can't shape the ice to trap or injure a creature in the area.

Sweeping Cinder Strike. You can spend 1 ki points to cast burning hands.

Unbroken Air. You can create a blast of compressed air that strikes like a mighty fist. As an action, you can spend 2 ki points and choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 bludgeoning damage for each additional ki point you spend, and you can push the creature up to 20 feet away from you and knock it prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don't push it or knock it prone.

Fighting Style

At At 3rd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Defense. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Tunnel Fighter. You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

Close Quarters Shooter. When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks.

Mariner. As long as you are not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, you have a swimming speed and a climbing speed equal to your normal speed.

Weighted Shell

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in medium and heavy armor. Even when you wear both medium and heavy armor, you are able to use your Martial Arts but you lose the benefits of Unarmored Movements and Unarmored Defense as long as you wear armor.

Rhino Tackle

At 6th level, you have grown use to armor weighing you down and can make a powerful charge with it. When you use Step of the Wind as a Bonus Action and move at least 10ft in a straight line, you can spend 1 additional Ki point to double the damage of one of your attacks for that turn.

Unmoving Wall

At 11th level, you are difficult to move aside and can always stand your ground. Whenever you make a Strength check or a Strength saving throw, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10 as long as you wear armor.

Enduring Fortress

At 17th level you have learned to let ki flow into your armor, making your defenses the strongest it has ever been. You gain +2 to AC and for 2 ki points, you gain resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for 1 minute. You must wear armor for this effect to apply.

Path of the Kensei

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your special martial arts training leads you to master the use of certain weapons. This path also includes instruction in the deft strokes of calligraphy or painting. You gain the following benefits.

Kensei Weapons. Choose two types of weapons to be your kensei weapons: one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. Each of these weapons can be any simple or martial weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties. The longbow is also a valid choice. You gain proficiency with these weapons if you don't already have it. Weapons of the chosen types are monk weapons for you. Many of this tradition's features work only with your kensei weapons. When you reach 6th, 11th, and 17th level in this class, you can choose another type of weapon—either melee or ranged—to be a kensei weapon for you, following the criteria above.

Agile Parry. If you make an unarmed strike as part of the Attack action on your turn and are holding a kensei weapon, you can use it to defend yourself if it is a melee weapon. You gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, while the weapon is in your hand and you aren't incapacitated.

Kensei's Shot. You can use a bonus action on your turn to make your ranged attacks with a kensei weapon more deadly. When you do so, any target you hit with a ranged attack using a kensei weapon takes an extra 1d4 damage of the weapon's type. You retain this benefit until the end of the current turn.

Way of the Brush.

You gain proficiency with your choice of calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies.

One with the Blade

At 6th level, you extend your ki into your kensei weapons, granting you the following benefits.

Magic Kensei Weapons. Your attacks with your kensei weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Deft Strike. When you hit a target with a kensei weapon, you can spend 1 ki point to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target equal to your Martial Arts die. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.

Sharpen the Blade

At 11th level, you gain the ability to augment your weapons further with your ki. As a bonus action, you can expend up to 3 ki points to grant one kensei weapon you touch a bonus to attack and damage rolls when you attack with it. The bonus equals the number of ki points you spent. This bonus lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. This feature has no effect on a magic weapon that already has a bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Unerring Accuracy

At 17th level, your mastery of weapons grants you extraordinary accuracy. If you miss with an attack roll using a monk weapon on your turn, you can reroll it. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.

Touch of Death

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your study of death allows you to extract vitality from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).

Hour of Reaping

At 6th level, you gain the ability to unsettle or terrify those around you as an action, for your soul has been touched by the shadow of death. When you take this action, each creature within 30 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Mastery of Death

Beginning at 11th level, you use your familiarity with death to escape its grasp. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can expend 1 ki point (no action required) to have 1 hit point instead.

Touch of the Long Death

Starting at 17th level, your touch can channel the energy of death into a creature. As an action, you touch one creature within 5 feet of you, and you expend 1 to 10 ki points. The target must make a Constitution saving throw, and it takes 2d10 necrotic damage per ki point spent on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Implements of Mercy

3rd-level Way of Mercy feature

You gain proficiency in the Insight and Medicine skills, and you gain proficiency with the herbalism kit.

You also gain a special mask, which you often wear when using the features of this subclass. You determine its appearance, or generate it randomly by rolling on the Merciful Mask table.

Hand of Healing

3rd-level Way of Mercy feature

Your mystical touch can mend wounds. As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to touch a creature and restore a number of hit points equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier.

When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can replace one of the unarmed strikes with a use of this feature without spending a ki point for the healing.

Hand of Harm

3rd-level Way of Mercy feature

You use your ki to inflict wounds. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 ki point to deal extra necrotic damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier. You can use this feature only once per turn.

Physician's Touch

6th-level Way of Mercy feature

You can administer even greater cures with a touch, and if you feel it's necessary, you can use your knowledge to cause harm.

When you use Hand of Healing on a creature, you can also end one disease or one of the following conditions affecting the creature: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned.

When you use Hand of Harm on a creature, you can subject that creature to the poisoned condition until the end of your next turn.

Flurry of Healing and Harm

11th-level Way of Mercy feature

You can now mete out a flurry of comfort and hurt. When you use Flurry of Blows, you can now replace each of the unarmed strikes with a use of your Hand of Healing, without spending ki points for the healing.

In addition, when you make an unarmed strike with Flurry of Blows, you can use Hand of Harm with that strike without spending the ki point for Hand of Harm. You can still use Hand of Harm only once per turn.

Hand of Ultimate Mercy

17th-level Way of Mercy feature

Your mastery of life energy opens the door to the ultimate mercy. As an action, you can touch the corpse of a creature that died within the past 24 hours and expend 5 ki points. The creature then returns to life, regaining a number of hit points equal to 4d10 + your Wisdom modifier. If the creature died while subject to any of the following conditions, it revives with them removed: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, and stunned.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Open Hand Technique

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.

Wholeness of Body

You gain the ability to heal yourself. As an action, you can regain hit points equal to three times your monk level. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Tranquility

Beginning at 11th level, you can enter a special meditation that surrounds you with an aura of peace. At the end of a long rest, you gain the effect of a sanctuary spell that lasts until the start of your next long rest (the spell can end early as normal). The saving throw DC for the spell equals 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Sanctuary gives this effect: You ward a creature within range against attack. Until the spell ends, any creature who targets the warded creature with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell. This spell doesn't protect the warded creature from area effects, such as the explosion of a fireball.

If the warded creature makes an attack or casts a spell that affects an enemy creature, this spell ends.

Quivering Palm

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.

Shadow Arts

You can use your ki to duplicate the effects of certain spells. As an action, you can spend 2 ki points to cast darkness, darkvision, pass without trace, or silence, without providing material components. Additionally, you gain the minor illusion cantrip if you don't already know it.

Shadow Step

You gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn.

Cloak of Shadows

By 11th level, you have learned to become one with the shadows. When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible. You remain invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or are in an area of bright light.

Opportunist

At 17th level, you can exploit a creature's momentary distraction when it is hit by an attack. Whenever a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack made by a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against that creature.

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 with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity or Wisdom modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is radiant, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.

When you take the Attack action on your turn and use this special attack as part of it, you can spend 1 ki point to make the special attack twice as a bonus action.

When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.

Searing Arc Strike

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 half your monk level.

Searing Sunburst

At 11th level, you gain the ability to create an orb of light that erupts into a devastating explosion. As an action, you magically create an orb and hurl it at a point you choose within 150 feet, where it erupts into a sphere of radiant light for a brief but deadly instant.

Each creature in that 20-foot-radius sphere must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage. A creature doesn't need to make the save if the creature is behind total cover that is opaque.

You can increase the sphere's damage by spending ki points. Each point you spend, to a maximum of 3, increases the damage by 2d6.

Sun Shield

At 17th level, you become wreathed in a luminous, magical aura. You shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can extinguish or restore the light as a bonus action.

If a creature hits you with a melee attack while this light shines it takes radiant damage equal to 5 + your Wisdom modifier.

Straining Power

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, as a bonus action, you spend 1 ki to gain a boost in power at the cost of stamina for 1 minute. When you hit while in this state, you add your Wisdom modifier to the attack's damage. When this state ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion (as described in appendix A).

Rising Mobility

At 6th level, you feel a surge of energy lifting you into the air when you are on the move. When you use your ki point to use Step of the Wind, you can fly up to your bonus unarmored speed until the end of your turn. If you end your turn in the air, you fall.

Reckless Swinging

Beginning at 11th, while under the effects of Straining Power, you sacrifice precision for raw power. Before making a melee attack with your martial arts, you can choose to take a penalty to attack roll equal to your attack modifier (not including your proficiency bonus). If the attack hits, you double your damage modifiers to the attack's damage.

Going All Out

Starting at 17th level, when using Straining Power you can spend 4 ki points to go into an even stronger state instead, but it'll also tear your body from overusing. While in this stronger state, your melee attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 and you can you can roll one additional damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack. Any attack on you scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 against you and deals an additional 1d10 of damage. You still you suffer one level of exhaustion when the state ends.