SRD5:Monk

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D&D 5e (2014) SRD5 OGL CC-BY ʰ 

Monk is a class for 5th ed. and is part of the SRD.

Class Features

As a Monk, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Monk level after first

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, 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) explorer's pack
• 10 darts.

Monk Overview Table

The Monk

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Martial Arts	Ki Points	Unarmored Movement
1st	+2	Unarmed Defense, Martial Arts	1d4	—	—
2nd	+2	Ki, Unarmored Movement	1d4	2	+10 ft.
3rd	+2	Monastic Tradition, Deflect Missiles	1d4	3	+10 ft.
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Slow Fall	1d4	4	+10 ft.
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Stunning Strike	1d6	5	+10 ft.
6th	+3	Ki Empowered Strikes, Monastic Tradition feature	1d6	6	+15 ft.
7th	+3	Evasion, Stillness of Mind	1d6	7	+15 ft.
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	1d6	8	+15 ft.
9th	+4	Unarmored movement improvement	1d6	9	+15 ft.
10th	+4	Purity of Body	1d6	10	+20 ft.
11th	+4	Monastic Tradition feature	1d8	11	+20 ft.
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	1d8	12	+20 ft.
13th	+5	Tongue of the Sun and Moon	1d8	13	+20 ft.
14th	+5	Diamond Soul	1d8	14	+25 ft.
15th	+5	Timeless Body	1d8	15	+25 ft.
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	1d8	16	+25 ft.
17th	+6	Monastic Tradition feature	1d10	17	+25 ft.
18th	+6	Empty Body	1d10	18	+30 ft.
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	1d10	19	+30 ft.
20th	+6	Perfect Self	1d10	20	+30 ft.

Unarmored Defense

1st level monk feature
While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Martial Arts

1st level monk feature
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.

Ki

2nd level monk feature
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

2nd level monk feature
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 Tradition

3rd level monk feature
You commit yourself to a monastic tradition, such as the Way of the Open Hand. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Monastic Tradtions

This section exceeds the text of the SRD

15 subclasses.

Subclass	Summary	Features	Flags	License	Source
Way of the Astral Self	Manifest parts of their spirit body.	Arms of the Astral Self, Visage of the Astral Self, Body of the Astral Self, Awakened Astral Self	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
Way of the Divine Path	These monks follow a religious path	Spellcasting, Destroy the Unholy, Empowered Healing, Banishment	User Creation	CC-BY-SA	Rlyehable
Way of the Ascendant Dragon	This tradition is inspired by dragons	Draconic Disciple, Breath of the Dragon, Wings Unfurled, Aspect of the Wyrm, Ascendant Aspect	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
Way of the Drunken Master	This tradition uses deception and agility to surprise the opponent.	Bonus Proficiencies, Drunken Technique, Tipsy Sway, Drunkard’s Luck, Intoxicated Frenzy	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Way of the Enlightened	These monks are psionically enlightened	Psionic Spellcasting, Limited Telepathy, Remote Sensing, Telepathic Bond, Psychically Hidden	User Creation	CC-BY-SA	Rlyehable
Way of the Four Elements	These monks focus their ki to manifest the four elements.	Disciple of the Elements, Elemental Disciplines	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Player's Handbook (5e)
Way of the Kensei	These monks are one with their weapon.	Path of the Kensei, One with the Blade, Sharpen the Blade, Unerring Accuracy	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Way of the Long Death	These monks focus on the transition from life to death	Touch of Death, Hour of Reaping, Mastery of Death, Touch of the Long Death	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Way of Mercy	This class focuses on aiding others	Implements of Mercy, Hand of Healing, Hand of Harm, Physician's Touch, Flurry of Healing and Harm, Hand of Ultimate Mercy	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
Way of the Nightstalker	Vampire/Witch/Dragon/Ghost Hunter/Exorcist	Enmity, Esoteric Knowledge, Strike of Enmity, Iron Resolve, Turn Creatures of Enmity, Disruptive Strike	User Creation	CC-BY-SA	Rlyehable
Way of the Open Hand	Ultimate masters of martial arts combat, armed or unarmed	Open Hand Technique, Wholeness of Body, Tranquility, Quivering Palm	Canon	OGL	SRD-OGL v5.1
Way of Shadow	Monks of this tradition are ninjas and assassins.	Shadow Arts, Shadow Step, Cloak of Shadows, Opportunist	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Player's Handbook (5e)
Way of the Sun Soul	These monks transform their ki into light	Radiant Sun Bolt, Searing Arc Strike, Searing Sunburst, Sun Shield	Canon, Pointer	Fair Use	Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Way of Tranquility	This subclass focuses on peace.	Path of Tranquility, Healing Hands, Emissary of Peace, Douse the Flames of War, Anger of a Gentle Soul	Pointer, UA	Fair Use	UA Monk
Way of the Chronicle	Monks of this tradition storing knowledge. This knowledge can be used to buff its ki-powered attacks and defense.	Scribe's Tools, Sealing Strike, Informed Defense, Warding Seal, Perfect Knowledge	Pointer	Fair Use	Venture Maidens Campaign Guide

Deflect Missiles

3rd level monk feature
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, which has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.

Ability Score Improvement

4th level monk feature
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

4th level monk feature
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.

Extra Attack

5th level monk feature
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Stunning Strike

5th level monk feature
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.

Ki-Empowered Strikes

6th level monk feature
Your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Evasion

7th level monk feature
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.

Stillness of Mind

7th level monk feature
You can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.

Purity of Body

10th level monk feature
Your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to disease and poison.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon

13th level monk feature
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.

Diamond Soul

14th level monk feature
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.

Timeless Body

15th level monk feature
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.

Empty Body

18th level monk feature
You can use your action to spend 4 ki points to become invisible for 1 minute. During that time, you also have resistance to all damage but force damage.

Additionally, 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.

Perfect Self

20th level monk feature
When you roll for initiative and have no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points.

End of the SRD5 material

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Optional Class Features

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything added the following GM optional class features:

Dedicated Weapon

2nd level monk feature
You can choose an additional weapon to be a Monk Weapon^{(unofficial summation)}

Ki-Fueled Attack

3rd level monk feature
Use ki to make a bonus action to make an additional attack.^{(unofficial summation)}

Quickened Healing

4th level monk feature
Spend ki to regain hit points.^{(unofficial summation)}

Focused Aim

5th level monk feature
When you miss an attack spend ki to increase to-hit roll.^{(unofficial summation)}

Sources and Notes

• Wizards RPG Team. SRD-OGL v5.1 (5e 2014) (2015.05.06). Wizards of the Coast. - 5th edition SRD/OGL document published Jan. 2016 by WotC

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