Monk, 2nd Variant (5e Class)
This is a tweaked version of the Monk's original class, changing some aspects that I believed didn't synergize well with the class concept.
Creating a Monk
- Quick Build
You can make a MONK quickly by following these suggestions. First, DEXTERITY should be your highest ability score, followed by WISDOM. Second, choose the ACOLYTE background. Third, choose the Quarterstaff and the explorer's pack.
Class Features
As a Monk you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Monk level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Monk level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: none
Weapons: simple weapons, longswords, shortswords, rapiers, blowguns and longbows
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, and Stealth
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) shortsword or or (b) any simple weapon
- (a) shortsword or (b) rapier or (c) longsword
- (a) 10 darts or (b) blowgun or (c) shortbow
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Martial arts | Ki points | Unarmored movement | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | 1d6 | - | - | Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts |
| 2nd | +2 | 1d6 | 2 | +10ft | Ki, Unarmored Movement |
| 3rd | +2 | 1d6 | 3 | +10ft | Monastic Tradition |
| 4th | +2 | 1d6 | 4 | +10ft | Ability Score Improvement, Slow Fall |
| 5th | +3 | 1d8 | 5 | +10ft | Extra Attack, Ki detection |
| 6th | +3 | 1d8 | 6 | +15ft | Ki-Empowered Strikes, Monastic Tradition Feature |
| 7th | +3 | 1d8 | 7 | +15ft | Evasion, Stillness of Mind |
| 8th | +3 | 1d8 | 8 | +15ft | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | 1d8 | 9 | +15ft | Unarmored Movement Improvement |
| 10th | +4 | 1d8 | 10 | +20ft | Purity of Body |
| 11th | +4 | 1d10 | 11 | +20ft | Monastic Tradition Feature |
| 12th | +4 | 1d10 | 12 | +20ft | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | 1d10 | 13 | +20ft | Tongue of the Sun and Moon |
| 14th | +5 | 1d10 | 14 | +25ft | Diamond Soul |
| 15th | +5 | 1d10 | 15 | +25ft | Timeless Body |
| 16th | +5 | 1d10 | 16 | +25ft | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | 1d12 | 17 | +25ft | Monastic Tradition Feature |
| 18th | +6 | 1d12 | 18 | +30ft | Spiritual Will |
| 19th | +6 | 1d12 | 19 | +30ft | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | 1d12 | 20 | +30ft | Perfect Self |
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 d6 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
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.
Monastic Tradition
At 3rd level, you chose a Monastic Tradition. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th and 17th level.
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.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Ki Detection
Starting at 5th level, you gain the ability to detect other creatures ki. As an action you close your eyes and focus, feeling the presence of a number of creatures equal to your wisdom modifier that are within 120 feet of you. Adittionally, you can sense the ki of a certain indiviual if you have interacted with them or a close possession of them before.
Ki-Empowered Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Evasion
At 7th level, 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
Starting at 7th level, you can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.
Purity of Body
At 10th level, your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to disease and poison.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon
Starting at 13th level, 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
Beginning at 14th level, 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
At 15th level, 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.
Spiritual Will
Beginning at 18th level, you can take a moment to meditate and draw power back into your body. As an action you can regain half your missing ki points (rounded down) by entering a meditative state that lasts for 1 minute. You must complete the meditation for the feature to take effect. Adittionally, you can instead spend 8 ki points while meditating to cast the astral proyection spell on yourself without needing verbal, sometic or material components. You regain this feature after a short or long rest.
Perfect self
At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Monk class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dexterity 13, Wisdom 13
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Monk class, you gain the following proficiencies: Simple weapons, shortsword.
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