If you’re going to play a monk in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, you probably want to know how to use a monk’s abilities to effectively help your friends and vanquish your foes.That’s what we’re going to discuss in this complete guide to playing a monk in D&D 5E.
To maximize the advantages of being a monk, put your highest ability roll into Dexterity. Most of the weapons you use as a monk will rely on Dex for attack rolls. So Dex will be your most important ability.
Monk’s use ki, the mystical energy that flows through living bodies, to enhance their physical power. But the use of ki often requires Wisdom. So put your second-highest roll into Wis.
Con is also an important stat for any D&D 5E character. It will allow you to gain more hit points as you level, giving you more survivability in combat. And it will help in many situations that require saving throws. Put your third-highest roll into Con.
Charisma, intelligence, and strength are generally not useful to monks. So put your low rolls into these.
Some races possess natural tendencies that make them better at being monks, while others are at a disadvantage. Here are the best races to choose for a monk character.
Elves get +2 Dex, making them ideally suited to be monks. They also get Darkvision, Keen Senses, and Fey Ancestry, all of which are handy features for any character to have. Wood Elves make especially good monks thanks to their +1 Wis and automatic proficiency with shortswords, shortbows, and longbows.
Like elves, halflings get +2 Dex. As long as they have proficiency, they are great at fighting with Sai swords, nunchaku, and other monk weapons. Halflings are also Lucky and Brave, which are useful traits for any class. Stout halflings make especially good monks, since they have +1 Con and resistance to poison.
Dwarves get +2 Con. This is not as good for a monk as +2 Dex. But if you already rolled a high Dex, the extra Con may be just what you need. Hill dwarves get an additional + 1 Wis, making them especially suited to be monks.
Humans get +1 to all ability scores. This may allow you to balance your monk’s stats between Dex, Con, and Wis, producing a stronger character overall.
Monks have many class features that distinguish them from others. But not all of them are really useful. Here are eight monk features that you’ll want to use often.
Martial arts - This gives you a variety of benefits when using monk weapons or your bare hands, including better damage and bonus unarmed strikes
Unarmored Defense - Makes your AC 10 + Dex modifier + Wis modifier if you are not wearing armor. This often completely eliminates the need for armor
Unarmored Movement - Increases your speed by 10 ft. at level 2, and continues to increase it as you gain levels. This is useful in a variety of combat and non-combat situations
Ki - At level 2, this gives you access to Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense and Step of The Wind, along with 2 ki points to power them. As you gain levels, you get more ki points. You can spend 1 ki point to make 2 bonus unarmed strikes, 1 bonus dodge, or 1 bonus disengage or dash. If you choose the disengage or dash option, you can also double your jump distance for the turn
Stunning strike - At level 5, spend 1 ki point to stun an opponent unless he can make a Con saving throw
Extra Attack - Available at level 5. Allows you to...well, the name says it all
Ki-Empowered Strikes - At level 6, makes your unarmed strikes count as magical. If a creature has resistance or immunity to non-magical attacks or damage, you can hit them anyway
Evasion - This is identical to the Rogue skill with this name. If an effect would let you perform a saving throw to take half damage, you instead take half damage automatically. If you make the saving throw, you take no damage. Monks get this at level 7
As a monk, you’ll be able to choose which monastic tradition you follow. Each of these traditions has unique features. Here are the best ones from each.
This is a strong choice for a tradition, and many players believe it is the best. At level 3, Open Hand Technique enhances Flurry of Blows, allowing you to knock a foe prone or move him 15 ft. away from you whenever you use this feature. The victim gets a saving throw against Dex or Str to avoid these effects. You can instead prevent him from taking a reaction until the end of your next turn. In this case, he gets no saving throw against it
This is another strong option for a monastic tradition. At level 3, Shadow Arts gives you a handful of spells to cast using ki, including Pass Without Trace and Minor Illusion. At level 6, Shadow Step allows you to teleport from one dim-light area to another and gain advantage on your next attack roll.
This tradition is considered to be underpowered because it uses up ki to cast spells from a limited spell list. But if you want to play a character with this tradition, here are the best features to use:
Fangs of The Fire Snake - Spend 1 ki point to make tendrils of fire come from your hands or feet, increasing your unarmed reach by 10 ft. Spend another ki point to do an extra 1d10 fire damage
Mist Stance - At level 11, you can turn yourself or another person into a gaseous form. This can be used on a foe during combat to render him harmless. Or it can be used on allies in non-combat situations so they can travel through cracks in the walls, keyholes, etc.
Ride The Wind - At level 11, you can use this feature to fly
No monk guide would be complete without a list of feats to pick. So here they are:
Lucky - Gives you luck points that allow you to sometimes roll an extra d20 and choose which one counts or to cancel the luck of others. This feat is frequently used to get adventurers out of dangerous situations
Mobile - +10 ft. speed. Allows you to Dash through difficult terrain without it costing you extra movement. Prevents you from getting hit with opportunity attacks in response to your melee attacks. A nice feat for any class, but especially for nimble monks
Alert - +5 to initiative, prevents you from being surprised if conscious, negates the advantage hidden opponents have on attack rolls when hiding from you. What’s not to love?
Mage Slayer - Monks are great against melee and even ranged attackers, but spellcasters may give them a problem. This feat gives you bonus attacks against persons attempting to cast spells and advantage on saving throws vs spells. It also gives disadvantage to a victim whose concentration you are trying to break. If you face a lot of spellcasters in your campaign, this a great feat for a monk to have
Resilient - Gives you + 1 to an ability score of your choosing and advantage on saving throws using that ability
We’ve gone over the best ability score builds for a monk, best races, class features, traditions, and feats. Monks are not as popular as many other classes. But with their unique background and unarmed combat prowess, they can be a lot of fun to play. And they are definitely useful members of any adventuring party.
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Last updated: January 27, 2019
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