Astral Projection is situational, but by this level a safe means to explore the outer planes is very welcome. Tongue of the Sun and Moon : This would be more helpful if Monks were any good at talking to things.Įmpty Body : Invisibility is fantastic. Purity of Body : Disease and Poison can both be debilitating, and become more common as you gain levels. Many enemies have resistance to non-magical weapon attacks.
Ki-Empowered Strikes : Especially important in games with no magic items. Stunning Strike : There's no limits on how many times you can do this, so against particularly tough opponents it's perfectly acceptable to spend ki on each of your attacks until you succeed.
Slow Fall : Situational, but it'll save your life when it comes up. However, when it comes up it's a cool defensive option, and the math is really solid. Unarmored Movement : Some extra speed is nice for a class so strictly bound to melee, and the ability to run across water and up vertical surfaces really adds to the mystical feel of the Monk.ĭeflect Missiles : Situational, as it depends on the attack using a weapon attack, and most ranged effects are typically spells. Patient Defense : When your health is low this is a great fall-back option. Keep in mind that Martial Arts already grants you a single extra attack as a Bonus Action, so you're only getting one attack for your Ki point. Flurry of Blows : At low levels this isn't a great option because you won't have a lot of Ki, but as you grow in level it will become less daunting. Ki : Some basic, but extremely potent uses for your Ki pool which every Monk will rely upon. It removes the need for Strength, and gives you all the benefits of two-weapon fighting without the need for weapons, feats, or combat styles. Martial Arts : Martial Arts is why you play a Monk.
With both, you have 20 AC, which matches the AC of a character in full plate with a shield. Unarmored Defense : 20 Dexterity and 20 Wisdom is an eventual goal for every Monk. Monks get the typical 2 skills, and the Monk skill list includes a lot of mediocre options which depend on Abilities which Monks don't generally need. Essentially you'll be using a 1d6 weapon with versatile until level 10, then you'll use your bare hands from then on. You're expected to use "monk weapons", which are defined under the Martial Arts entry. Proficiencies : No armor, no shields, and not a lot of weapons. Saves : Strength saves aren't terribly common, but Dexterity saves are great for resisting damaging AOE effects.Įventually Monks pick up Diamong Body, giving them proficiency in all saves. Hit Points : d8 hit points is hard for a front-line martial class like the Monk, so be sure to boost your AC and hit points wherever possible. However, the Way of Shadow Monk can instead fill the role of the party's Rogue-equivalent.Īfter reading this handbook, I encourage you to read my Monk Subclasses Breakdown. Monks are excellent Defenders and Strikers, and typically fill a role in party as the Fighter-equivalent. The Monk is the iconic martial-artist, popular among those who prefer to punch things rather than stabbing them or setting them on fire. I also won't cover Unearthed Arcana content because it's not finalized, and I can't guarantee that it will be available to you in your games. I will not include 3rd-party content, including content from DMs Guild, even if it is my own, because I can't assume that your game will allow 3rd-party content or homebrew. I will use the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance.