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Desert Monks

hit dice: 1d8
hit points at 1st level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
hit points at higher levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per desert monk level after 1st
armor proficiencies: None
weapon proficiencies: Quarterstaff, unarmed strike, dart, hand crossbow, tiger fork
tools:
saving throws: Strength, Dexterity
skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand and Stealth
starting equipment:
spellcasting:

None.

class features:

Level 1

Unarmoured Defence

While you are wearing no armour and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

 

Martial Arts

You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren't wearing armour 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 quarter-staff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn.
 

Level 2

Ki

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 Desert Monk table.

You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defence, 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 Constitution modifier

Ki attack modifier:

your proficiency bonus + your Constitution 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 Defence

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.

 

Unarmoured Movement

Your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armour or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels, as shown in the Desert Monk table.

 

Level 4

Ability Score Improvement

You can increase on 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. You can choose instead to select a feat for your character. You gain this feature again when you reach 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level.

subclass options:

Level 3

You have 2 class points.

You can spend class points on any features that you have unlocked and have not already selected. You must spend class points when you gain them, and cannot save them for future levels.

 

Optional Abilities

Danger Sense

You gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger.

You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

 

Improved Critical

Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

 

Deflect Missiles

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 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.

 

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.
 

Weapon Bond

You learn a ritual that creates a magical bond between yourself and one weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond.

Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can’t be disarmed of that weapon unless you are incapacitated. If it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand.

You can have up to two bonded weapons, but can summon only one at a time with your bonus action. If you attempt to bond with a third weapon, you must break the bond with one of the other two.

 

Horde Breaker

Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon.

 

Explosion of Power

Your strikes release your raw power, crushing nearby foes. As an Action, you can make a single unarmed attack against a target. If it hits, every creature except you within 5 feet of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or take the same amount of damage the target took, as force damage, or half damage on a success.

You may use this feature an amount of times equal to your Strength modifier (minimum once), regaining all uses after a long rest.

 

Martial Jumps

You can make attacks that require you to jump at opponents within 5 feet without disadvantage.

In addition, your standing jumps don't have their distance reduced and your jump distance doubles when you make attacks as part of it.

 

Level 5

You gain 2 class points.

 

Optional Abilities

Slow Fall

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.

 

Stunning Strike

You can interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent's body. When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, 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.

 

Extra Attack

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

 

Uncanny Dodge

When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.

 

Studied Strike

You can dedicate time to study a single opponent. Choose a creature within 30 feet of you to study. As a bonus action, make a Wisdom (Perception) check against the target's AC. On a success, you gain a bonus to your attacks and damage rolls with unarmed strikes equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down).

This bonus lasts for 1 minute, until you are no longer concentrating (as if you were concentrating on a spell), when you attack another creature or when you use this feature again.

 

Level 6

You gain 2 class points.

 

Optional Abilities

Ki Reflection

As a reaction after taking damage equal to half or greater than your remaining hit points, you can choose to rebuke this damage. You can use the ki absorbed from their blows to execute any ability that would usually cost a ki point.

You must choose this ability upon taking said damage and must use it at the earliest point possible. For example, Flurry of Blows requires you to take the Attack action. Therefore, if you have chosen to use Flurry of Blows, you gain the benefits of this ability the first time that you take the Attack action after taking your reaction.

 

Unstoppable Force

You spend 3 ki points to rush forward in a mighty charge. As an action, you can move 30 feet, without provoking opportunity attacks, and you can move through spaces occupied by hostile creatures (but not end your movement on them).

You can make one attack against each creature of your choice in your path.

 

Level 7

You gain 2 class points.

 

Optional Abilities

Evasion

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.

 

Deadly Leap

If you jump at least 15 feet as part of your movement, you can then spend 3 ki points to land on your feet in a space that contains one or more creatures. Each of those creatures must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and take 3d6 + 4 bludgeoning damage. On a successful save, the creature takes only half the damage, isn't knocked prone, and is pushed 5 feet out of your space into an unoccupied space of your choice. If no unoccupied space is within range, the creature instead falls prone in your space.

 

Level 9

You gain 2 class points.

 

Optional Abilities

Unarmoured Movement

You gain the ability to run along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move, while you are not wearing armour or wielding a shield.

 

Otherworldly Leap

You can cast jump on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.

 

Level 10

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

Purity of Body

Your mastery of ki flowing through you makes you immune to diseases and poison.

 

Unnatural Reactions

Your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls. Additionally, you can not be surprised.

 

Level 11

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

Momentum

You hurl yourself into combat. Every 15 feet you move you gain one additional damage die on your next attack. These dice last until the next attack you make and are wasted on both a hit or miss. These dice are not doubled on a critical hit.

 

Flying Staff

As an action, you release your quarterstaff to hover magically in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. If you can see the quarterstaff, you can mentally command it as a bonus action to fly up to 50 feet and either make one attack against a target or return to your hands. If the hovering quarterstaff is targeted by any effect, you are considered to be holding it. This effect lasts for one minute or until you choose to end it.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all uses of this feature after a short or long rest.

 

Level 13

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

Defensive Stance

You can use your bonus action become an immovable stone in the face of combat. Until your next turn, you cannot be pushed any distance. You also have resistance to all nonmagical attacks.

 

Level 14

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

Diamond Soul

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.

 

Retaliation

When you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.

 

Level 15

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

Stand Against The Tide

When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack against another creature (other than itself) of your choice.

 

Level 17

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

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.

 

Level 18

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

Ruination

As an action, you can slam your fist on the floor and create a wave of unbridled destruction in a 60-foot radius centred on yourself. Any creature, object, or structure within the radius other than yourself and creatures of your choice must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or suffer 10d10 force damage, halved on a successful save. Anything that is reduced to 0 hit points by this feature is removed from existence and cannot be resurrected by anything weaker than a wish or true resurrection spell.

You can use this feature once, regaining use upon finishing a long rest.

 

Level 20

You gain 1 class point.

 

Optional Abilities

Perfect Self

When you roll for initiative and have no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points.

 

Desert Monk Table

LevelClass PointsAbilitiesOptional AbilitiesMartial Arts DieKi PointsUnarmoured Movement
10Unarmoured Defence, Martial Arts---1d4------
20Ki, Flurry of Blows, Patient Defence, Step of the Wind, Unarmoured Movement---1d42+10ft
32---Danger Sense, Improved Critical, Deflect Missiles, Open Hand Technique, Weapon Bond, Horde Breaker, Explosion of Power, Martial Jumps1d43+10ft
42Ability Score Improvement---1d44+10ft
54---Slow Fall, Stunning Strike, Extra Attack, Uncanny Dodge, Studied Strike1d65+10ft
66---Ki Reflection, Unstoppable Force1d66+15ft
78---Evasion, Deadly Leap1d67+15ft
88Ability Score Improvement---1d68+15ft
99---Unarmoured Movement Improvement, Otherworldly Leap1d69+15ft
1010---Purity of Body1d610+20ft
1111---Momentum, Flying Staff1d811+20ft
1211Ability Score Improvement---1d812+20ft
1312---Defensive Stance1d813+20ft
1413---Diamond Soul, Retaliation1d814+25ft
1514---Stand Against The Tide1d815+25ft
1614Ability Score Improvement---1d816+25ft
1715---Quivering Palm1d1017+25ft
1816---Ruination1d1018+30ft
1916Ability Score Improvement---1d1019+30ft
2017---Perfect Self1d1020+30ft

Created by

Namiridite.

Statblock Type

Class Features

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