The Monk (5E Revized)

# The 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.

Whatever their discipline, monks are united in their ability to magically harness the ki 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.

## Class Features
As a monk, you gain the following class features.

#### 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:** Light armor
* **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, Perception, 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

### 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 heavy armor or 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 increases as you gain monk levels. The progression is shown in the monk table below.
* 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.
* When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target.

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##### The Monk
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Martial Arts| Unarmored Movement | Features | Ki Abilities |
|:---: |:---: |:---: |:---: |:- |:- |
| 1st | +2 | 1d4 | — | Martial Arts, Unarmored Defense | — |
| 2nd | +2 | 1d4 | +10 ft. | Ki, Unarmored Movement | Base Ki Abilities |
| 3rd | +2 | 1d6 | +10 ft. | Monastic Tradition | Ki Shroud |
| 4th | +2 | 1d6 | +10 ft. | Ability Score Improvement, Spiritual Vigor | Focused Aim |
| 5th | +3 | 1d8 | +10 ft. | Extra Attack, Diamond Soul (1st) | Combination Attack (1st) |
| 6th | +3 | 1d8 | +15 ft. | Monastic Tradition Feature, Ki-Empowered Strikes | Tempered Fists |
| 7th | +3 | 1d8 | +15 ft. | Evasion | Indominable Will, Intercepting Fist |
| 8th | +3 | 1d8 | +15 ft. | Ability Score Improvement, Diamond Soul (2nd) | Combination Attack (2nd) |
| 9th | +4 | 1d8 | +15 ft. | Unarmored Movement Improvement | Gleaming Assault |
| 10th | +4 | 1d10 | +20 ft. | Purity of Body | Quickening |
| 11th | +4 | 1d10 | +20 ft. | Monastic Tradition Feature, Diamond Soul (3rd) | Combination Attack (3rd) |
| 12th | +4 | 1d10 | +20 ft. | Ability Score Improvement | Iron Body |
| 13th | +5 | 1d10 | +20 ft. | Tongue of the Sun and Moon | Second Sight |
| 14th | +5 | 1d10 | +25 ft. | Diamond Soul (4th) | Unwavering Form |
| 15th | +5 | 1d12 | +25 ft. | Timeless Body | Circular Breathing |
| 16th | +5 | 1d12 | +25 ft. | Ability Score Improvement | — |
| 17th | +6 | 1d12 | +25 ft. | Monastic Tradition Feature | — |
| 18th | +6 | 1d12 | +30 ft. | Warrior Sage | — |
| 19th | +6 | 1d12 | +30 ft. | Ability Score Improvement | — |
| 20th | +6 | 1d12 | +30 ft. | Transcendence | — |
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### Unarmored Defense
While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
 
### Ki
Ki is a life force that flows through all living beings. As a monk, you learn how to harness this energy to fuel your techniques and enhance your physical prowess.

Ki energy is represented by ki points. You have a maximum amount of ki points equal to twice your proficiency bonus gained from monk levels + your Wisdom modifier. You use these ki points to power several of your monk abilities. The ki cost of an ability is listed next to its name, followed by the monk level at which you gain access to the ability. You have access to all ki abilities that don’t show a required monk level this way.

Some ki abilities imitate spells. These abilities however are manifested through ki and therefore do not require any components, nor can they be dispelled or countered.

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 your expended ki back into yourself.
Alternatively, you can also recover ki through the *Meditate* ability (under Actions).

Several 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

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#### Actions

* **Meditate (0 Ki):** You may enter a state of meditation to attempt to tap into your inner ki reserves. Maintaining Meditation requires your concentration. At the start of your next turn, if you maintained concentration, you may spend one Hit Die to regain ki equal to 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). You can only spend Hit Die gained through monk levels this way.
* **Gleaming Assault (2 Ki, Monk 9):** Until end of turn, your movement doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks, and as you move you may immediately make an unarmed attack against any creature that comes within your melee range. Each creature can only be attacked once this way. 
* **Quickening (3 Ki, Monk 10):** Cast *Haste* on yourself.
* **Second Sight (4 Ki, Monk 13):** Cast *True Seeing* on yourself.
* **Circular Breathing (8 Ki, Monk 15):** You lose 1 level of Exhaustion.
 
#### Bonus Actions
* **Flurry of Blows (1 Ki):** 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. After doing so, you may continue your flurry by spending extra ki. Additional attacks made this way cost 1 additional ki for each unarmed strike made prior to it as part of the Flurry of Blows action. You can add a maximum number of attacks this way equal to your proficiency bonus.
* **Step of the Wind (0+ Ki):** Dash as a bonus action. You may spend 1 ki, to have your jump distance multiplied by your proficiency bonus this turn. You can only use this ability while wearing light or no armor and no shield.
* **Patient Defense (1 Ki):** Dodge as a bonus action.
* **Reversing Tide (1 Ki):** Disengage as a bonus action.
* **Ki Shroud (1 Ki, Monk 3):** By focusing you can shroud yourself in a protective layer of ki. You gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. You may spend additional ki to fortify the shroud. For each additional ki point spent, the temporary hit points gained are increased by the base amount. However, you may only spend a total amount of ki up to your proficiency bonus. Maintaining the shroud requires concentration and it lasts up to 10 minutes.
* **Tempered Fists (1 Ki, Monk 6):** By focusing ki into your fists you greatly enhance your striking power. You gain a +1 bonus to Attack and Damage Rolls with unarmed strikes. This ability requires concentration, and it lasts up to 10 minutes. You may spend additional ki to increase the bonus equally, but you may spend no more ki than half your proficiency bonus rounded down this way.
 
#### Reactions
* **Deflect Missile (0+ Ki):** Negate the damage of one ranged weapon attack against you. You may spend 1 ki to catch the missile. If you do so, you can make a ranged attack with the weapon or ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency. The projectile has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.
* **Slow Fall (0 Ki):** You can use your reaction to reduce falling damage by 5 times your monk level. You can only use this ability while wearing light or no armor and no shield.
* **Intercepting Fist (1 Ki, Monk 7):** Whenever a creature willingly enters or leaves your melee range, you may use your reaction to make an unarmed attack. If you hit, its speed drops to 0 for the rest of the turn.
* **Iron Body (2 Ki, Monk 12):** Until the end of your turn, you gain resistance to all damage types, except force damage. You must declare the use of this ability before damage is rolled but may wait until after attack rolls or saving throws have been made.

#### Combination Attacks
A combination attack can be declared as part of the Flurry of Blows ability. These attacks become progressively more effective the more unarmed attacks you made against the target. You learn a combination attack at 5th level, and again at 8th and 11th level.

* **Crippling Torrent (1 Ki, Monk 5+):** Immediately after resolving Flurry of Blows, the target creature’s movement is reduced by 10 feet per unarmed attack hit you scored against it this turn. If the creature’s movement becomes 0 this way, it must make a Strength saving throw. Upon failure, all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage dealt to the creature is increased by 1d8. The crippling effects of this ability last until the end of your next round.
* **Hollow Palm (1 Ki, Monk 5+):** Immediately after resolving Flurry of Blows, the target creature is pushed back 5 feet per unarmed attack hit you scored against it this turn. If the creature is pushed 15 or more feet this way, it must make a Dexterity saving throw or become knocked prone.
* **Stunning Barrage (1 Ki, Monk 5+):** Immediately after resolving Flurry of Blows, if you hit the target creature with an unarmed attack this turn, it loses its reaction. If you hit it twice, it must make a Constitution saving throw or become stunned until the end of your next turn. If you hit it at least three times, it makes the Constitution saving throw with disadvantage instead.
 
#### Special Actions
* **Focused Aim (1 Ki, Monk 5):** When you miss an attack, you can spend 1 ki point to reroll the Attack roll and take the second result.
* **Unbreakable Will (0 Ki, Monk 7):** At the start of your round, if you are affected by the Charmed or Frightened condition, you may forgo your Action to end one of those conditions.
* **Unwavering Form (1 Ki, Monk 14):** Whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 ki point to reroll it and take the second result.

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### 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 Tradion
When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
 
### Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
 
### Spiritual Vigor
The rush of adrenaline and heightened ki flow cause your wounds to heal at an exceptionally rate. Beginning at 4th level, whenever you regain ki through the *Meditate* ability during combat, you in addition heal that many hit points.
 
### Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
 
### Diamond Soul
Beginning at 5th level, and again at 8th, 11th and 14th, level your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in a saving throw of your choice.
 
### Ki-Empowered Strike
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. 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. You only benefit from the feature only use this feature while wearing light or no armor and no shield.
 
### Purity of Body
At 10th level, your exceptional control over your inner ki flow 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.

In addition, you gain proficiency in Insight checks. If you already have proficiency in Insight, you gain expertise instead.
 
### Timeless Body
At 15th level, your physical body can be sustained through ki alone, you no longer need food or water. Furthermore, you do you age or suffer the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however.

In addition, whenever you finish a long rest, you regain all your Hit Dice, instead of half.
 
### Warrior Sage
From 18th level, you may instead activate the *Meditate* ability by using your Bonus action.

Furthermore, in addition to your Constitution modifier, you may also add your Wisdom modifier to Constitution saving throws made to maintain concentration.
 
### Transcendance
At 20th level, mastery over your body, mind and ki allows you to transcend your physical limitations. All your ability scores increase by 2 to a maximum of 22.