Unarmored Defense
Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
Martial Arts
At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don't have the two-handed or heavy property.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren't wearing 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 changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
- When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn.
Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons. For example, you might use a club that is two lengths of wood connected by a short chain (called a nunchaku) or a sickle with a shorter, straighter blade (called a kama). Whatever name you use for a monk weapon, you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon on the Weapons page.
Ki
Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy of ki. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. Your monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Monk table.
You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. You learn more ki features as you gain levels in this class.
When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your ki points.
Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: Ki save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
- Flurry of Blows. Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.
- Patient Defense. You can spend 1 ki point to take the Dodge action as a bonus action on your turn.
- Step of the Wind. You can spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on your turn, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.
Unarmored Movement
Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels, as shown in the Monk table.
At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.
Dedicated Weapon (Optional)
Also at 2nd level, you train yourself to use a variety of weapons as monk weapons, not just simple melee weapons and shortswords. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can touch one weapon, focus your ki on it, and then count that weapon as a monk weapon until you use this feature again.
The chosen weapon must meet these criteria:
- The weapon must be a simple or martial weapon.
- You must be proficient with it.
- It must lack the heavy and special properties.
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.
Deflect Missiles
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with a range of 20/60 using the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack.
Ki-Fueled Attack (Optional)
Also at 3rd level, if you spend 1 ki point or more as part of your action on your turn, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon as a bonus action before the end of the turn.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Slow Fall
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level.
Quickened Healing (Optional)
Also at 4th level, as an action, you can spend 2 ki points and roll a Martial Arts die. You regain a number of hit points equal to the number rolled plus your proficiency bonus.
Monk Feature Table
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Martial Arts Die | Ki Points | Unarmored Movement | Features |
---|
1st | +2 | 1d4 | – | – | Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts |
2nd | +2 | 1d4 | 2 | +10 ft. | Ki, Unarmored Movement, Dedicated Weapon (Optional) |
3rd | +2 | 1d4 | 3 | +10 ft. | Open Hand Technique, Deflect Missiles, Ki-Fueled Attack (Optional) |
4th | +2 | 1d4 | 4 | +10 ft. | Ability Score Improvement/Feat, Slow Fall, Quickened Healing (Optional) |
5th | +3 | 1d6 | 5 | +10 ft. | Extra Attack, Stunning Strike, Focused Aim (Optional) |
6th | +3 | 1d6 | 6 | +15 ft. | Wholeness of the Body. Ki-Empowered Strikes |
7th | +3 | 1d6 | 7 | +15 ft. | Evasion, Stillness of Mind |
8th | +3 | 1d6 | 8 | +15 ft. | Ability Score Improvement/Feat |
9th | +4 | 1d6 | 9 | +15 ft. | Unarmored Movement improvement |
10th | +4 | 1d6 | 10 | +20 ft. | Purity of Body |
11th | +4 | 1d8 | 11 | +20 ft. | Tranquility |
12th | +4 | 1d8 | 12 | +20 ft. | Ability Score Improvement/Feat |
13th | +5 | 1d8 | 13 | +20 ft. | Tongue of the Sun and Moon |
14th | +5 | 1d8 | 14 | +25 ft. | Diamond Soul |
15th | +5 | 1d8 | 15 | +25 ft. | Timeless Body |
16th | +5 | 1d8 | 16 | +25 ft. | Ability Score Improvement |
17th | +6 | 1d10 | 17 | +25 ft. | Quivering Palm |
18th | +6 | 1d10 | 18 | +30 ft. | Empty Body |
19th | +6 | 1d10 | 19 | +30 ft. | Ability Score Improvement/Feat |
20th | +6 | 1d10 | 20 | +30 ft. | Perfect Self |