Relevant Universal Character Changes

Changes for all classes

Martial General Changes

Class Changes

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 1d8
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 1d8 (or 6 5) + your Constitution modifier per Monk level after 1st

Skills (from starting in this class) 

Choose three two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth.

Body as a Weapon

1st-level Monk feature

• For the purposes of using maneuvers, your unarmed strikes count as “weapon attacks”.

Ki (Step of the Wind)

2nd-level Monk feature

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, So long as you have 1 ki point remaining.

Ki (Like Water)

2nd-level Monk feature

You can spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage action as a bonus action on your turn, and you can move through a hostile creature’s space this turn even if it is not at least two sizes larger than you, provided you do not end your movement in its space. Until the end of your turn, moving through the space of another creature is not difficult terrain for you.

Dedicated Weapon

2nd-level Monk feature

You train yourself to use a variety of weapons as monk weapons, not just simple melee weapons and shortswords. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can touch one weapon, focus your ki on it, and then count that weapon as a monk weapon until you use this feature again.

The chosen weapon must meet these criteria:

• The weapon must be a simple, improvised, or martial weapon.
• You must be proficient with it.
• It must lack the heavy and special properties.

Unarmored Movement

2nd-level Monk feature

Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by 10 feet and you may now make jumping and climbing checks using Dexterity(Acrobatics) 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.

Disciplined Training (3rd level)

3rd-level Monk feature

When you reach 3rd level and again at 10th level, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Meditative Focus

4th-level Monk feature

Before you make a skill check, you can spend 1 ki point to add a +2 bonus to your result. Starting at 9th level, you can spend an additional ki point to increase the bonus to +4.

Stunning Strike

5th-level Monk feature

Starting at 5th level, you can interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent’s body. Once per turn when 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. You cannot use this feature on a target who is already being affected by the stunned condition.

Improved Combat Superiority (d6)

10th-level Monk feature

At 10th level, your superiority dice turn into d6s, unless they already are a larger size than this.

Disciplined Training (10th level)

10th-level Monk feature

When you reach 3rd level and again at 10th level, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Perfect Self

20th-level Monk feature

At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have less than half of your no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points equal to the difference.

Monk Subclass Changes

Monk – Way of the Ascendant Dragon:

• Breath of the Dragon
• 3rd-level Way of the Ascendant Dragon feature
  • At 3rd level you can channel destructive waves of energy, like those created by the dragons you emulate. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace any of your one of the attacks with an exhalation of draconic energy in either a 20-foot cone or a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide (your choice). Choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC, taking damage of the chosen type equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  • You must spend a ki point if you replace more than one attack with this feature in the same attack action.
  • At 11th level, the damage of this feature increases to three rolls of your Martial Arts die.
  • You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. While you have no uses available, you can spend 1 2 ki points to use this feature again.

• Wings Unfurled

• 6th-level Way of the Ascendant Dragon feature
  • At 6th level when you use your Step of the Wind, you can unfurl spectral draconic wings from your back that vanish at the end of your turn. While the wings exist, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed.
  • You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. While you have no uses available, you can spend 1 additional ki point when you activate Step of the Wind to use this feature again.
• Ascendant Aspect
• 17th-level Way of the Ascendant Dragon feature
  • At 17th level, your draconic spirit reaches its peak. You gain the following benefits:
    • Augment Breath. When you use your Breath of the Dragon, you can spend 1 ki point to augment its shape and power until the end of your turn. The exhalation of draconic energy becomes either a 60-foot cone or a 90-foot line that is 5 feet wide (your choice), and each creature in that area takes damage equal to four rolls of your Martial Arts die on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
    • Blindsight. You gain blindsight out to 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
  • Explosive Fury. When you activate your Aspect of the Wyrm, draconic fury explodes from you. Choose any number of creatures you can see in your aura. Each of those creatures must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC or take 4 3d10 acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage (your choice).

Monk – Way of the Astral Self

• Arms of the Astral Self
• 3rd-level Way of the Astral Self feature
  • Your mastery of your ki allows you to summon a portion of your astral self. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to summon the arms of your astral self. When you do so, each creature of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take force damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die, or half on success. On subsequent turns that your spectral arms are present, you can use your bonus action to repeat this damaging effect against nearby creatures.
  • For 10 minutes, these spectral arms hover near your shoulders or surround your arms (your choice). You determine the arms’ appearance, and they vanish early if you are incapacitated or die.
  • While the spectral arms are present, you gain the following benefits:
    • You can use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Strength modifier when making Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
    • You can use the spectral arms to make unarmed strikes.
    • When you make an unarmed strike with the arms on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.
    • The unarmed strikes you make with the arms can use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls, and their damage type is force.

Monk – Way of the Drunken Master

• Drunken Technique
• 3rd-level Way of the Drunken Master feature
  • At 3rd level, you learn how to twist and turn quickly as part of your Flurry of Blows. Whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you gain your choice of either the benefit of the Disengage action, or an increase to and your walking speed increases by 10 feet equal to half your walking speed until the end of the current turn. You may spend an additional ki point when using Flurry of Blows to gain both benefits.
• Stumbling Precision
• 3rd-level Way of the Drunken Master feature
  • Starting at level 3, your ability to navigate a cramped brawl has become unmatched, giving the following benefits. 
    • All improvised weapons are monk weapons for you.
    • For each enemy, the first melee weapon attack you hit them with on each of your turns has a bonus to its damage roll equal to half your monk level, rounded up.
• Inebriated Clarity
• 6th-level Way of the Drunken Master feature
  • You have mastered one of the greatest secrets of your monastery: how to fight at full capacity while actually wasted, rather than simply pretending to be intoxicated. When poisoned, you can choose to ignore the disadvantage on attack rolls whenever you make an attack.
• Tipsy Sway
• 6th-level Way of the Drunken Master feature
  • Starting at 6th level, you can move in sudden, swaying ways. You gain the following benefits.
    • Leap to Your Feet. When you’re prone, you can stand up by spending 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
    • Redirect Attack. When a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend 1 ki point as a reaction to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.
    • Erratic Swipe. Your reach when taking the whirlwind attack action increases by 5 feet.
• Selective Purification
• 11th-level Way of the Drunken Master feature
  • After a period of terrifying sobriety, you have found a way to overcome your immunity to poisons in order to become intentionally inebriated again. Starting at 11th level, you may willingly become Poisoned when subjected to an effect or substance that would apply the condition to you.
• Drunkard’s Luck
• 11th-level Way of the Drunken Master feature
  • Starting at 11th level, you always seem to get a lucky bounce at the right moment. When you make an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw and have disadvantage on the roll, you can spend 1 2 ki points to cancel the disadvantage for that roll, and instead have advantage.

Monk – Way of the Four Elements

• Disciple of the Elements
• 3rd-level Way of the Four Elements feature
  • You learn magical disciplines that harness the power of the four elements. A discipline requires you to spend ki points each time you use it.
  • You can prepare two elemental disciplines of your choice that are available for you to use, choosing from the list of Elemental Disciplines. You also know the Elemental Attunement discipline and it does not count against the number of elemental disciplines you can prepare. one other elemental discipline of your choice. You learn to prepare two one additional elemental disciplines of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
  • Whenever you finish a field or long rest learn a new elemental discipline, you can also replace the one elemental disciplines that you already know with a different disciplines.
• Elemental Disciplines
• Way of the Four Elements feature
  • The elemental disciplines are presented in alphabetical order. If a discipline requires a level, you must be the level in this class to learn the discipline.
    • Breath of Winter (17th Level Required). You can spend 5 6 ki points to cast cone of cold.
    • Clench of the North Wind (6th Level Required). You can spend 2 3 ki points to cast hold person.
    • Eternal Mountain Defense (17th Level Required). You can spend 4 5 ki points to cast stoneskin, targeting yourself.
    • Fangs of the Fire Snake. When you use the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to cause tendrils of flame to stretch out from your fists and feet. Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases by 10 feet for that action, lasting until the beginning of your next turn as well as the rest of the turn. A hit with such an attack deals fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage, and once per turn if you spend 1 ki point when the attack hits, it also deals an extra 1d10 fire damage.
    • Fist of Four Thunders. You can spend 1 2 ki points to cast thunderwave.
    • Flames of the Phoenix (11th Level Required). You can spend 3 4 ki points to cast fireball.
    • Gong of the Summit (6th Level Required). You can spend 2 3 ki points to cast shatter.
    • Mist Stance (11th Level Required). You can spend 3 4 ki points to cast gaseous form, targeting yourself.
    • Ride the Wind (11th Level Required). You can spend 3 4 ki points to cast fly, targeting yourself.
    • River of Hungry Flame (17th Level Required). You can spend 4 5 ki points to cast wall of fire.
    • Rush of the Gale Spirits. You can spend 1 2 ki points to cast gust of wind.
    • Sweeping Cinder Strike. You can spend 1 2 ki points to cast burning hands.
    • Fist of Unbroken Air. You can create a blast of compressed air that strikes like a mighty fist. As an action, you can spend 1 2 ki points and choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 bludgeoning damage for each additional ki point you spend, and you can push the creature up to 20 feet away from you and knock it prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don’t push it or knock it prone.
    • Water Whip. You can spend 1 2 ki points as an action to create a whip of water that shoves and pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature that you can see that is within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 bludgeoning damage for each additional ki point you spend, and you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 25 feet closer to you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don’t pull it or knock it prone.
    • Wave of Rolling Earth (17th Level Required). You can spend 5 6 ki points to cast wall of stone.

Monk – Way of the Kensei

• Agile Parry
• 3rd-level Way of the Kensei feature
  • If you make an unarmed strike as part of the Attack action on your turn and are holding a kensei weapon, you can use it to defend yourself if it is a melee weapon. You gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, while the weapon is in your hand and you aren’t incapacitated.
• Single Strike technique
• 3rd-level Way of the Kensei feature
  • On your turn you can use your bonus action to prepare and empower a single precise strike that allows you to stagger your opponent. After using your bonus action this way, your next melee weapon attack this turn deals additional damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die. If you hit this attack, then the hit creature has disadvantage on its attack rolls until the end of its next turn.
  • Beginning at 5th level, you can forgo your extra attack during the attack action to empower this single strike further, dealing damage equal to two more rolls of your Martial Arts die, and granting you the benefits of half cover against the target’s attack rolls until the end of its next turn.
• One With the Blade
• 6th-level Way of the Kensei feature
  • At 6th level, you extend your ki into your kensei weapons, granting you the following benefits.
    • Magic Kensei Weapons. Your attacks with your kensei weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
    • Deft Strike. When you hit a target with a kensei weapon, you can spend 1 ki point to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target equal to your Martial Arts die. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.
• Sharpen the Blade
• 11th-level Way of the Kensei feature
  • At 11th level, you gain the ability to augment your weapons further with your ki. As a bonus action, you can expend up to 3 ki points to grant one kensei weapon you touch a bonus to attack and damage rolls when you attack with it. The bonus equals the number of ki points you spent. This bonus lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. This feature cannot increase a weapon’s bonus to attack and damage rolls above +3 has no effect on a magic weapon that already has a bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Monk – Way of the Long Death

• Touch of Death
• 3rd-level Way of Long Death feature
  • Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your study of death allows you to extract vitality from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a hostile creature within 5 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point). As a reaction, you can gain these temporary hit points when a hostile creature within 30 feet is reduced to 0 hit points instead. You can gain these temporary hit points a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and recover all uses of this feature when you finish a long rest.
• Sacrificial Arts
• 3rd-level Way of Long Death feature
  • Ritual and sacrifice is interwoven in your martial arts. As a bonus action, you can expend a hit dice to damage yourself an amount equal to your level to regain ki points equal to half of your proficiency bonus (rounded up). This damage can not be reduced in any way, and you cannot use this feature when this damage would reduce your hp to 0.
• Hour of Reaping
• 6th-level Way of Long Death feature
  • At 6th level, you gain the ability to unsettle or terrify those around you as an action, for your soul has been touched by the shadow of death. When you take this action, you expend 1 ki point and each creature in a within 30 feet cone of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. Creatures which fail this saving throw take necrotic damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die, and take half damage on successful save. At 11th level, you can expend an additional 2 ki points when taking this action to increase the damage to four rolls of your Martial Arts die. At 17th level, you can expend another 2 ki points when taking this action to increase the damage to six rolls of your Martial Arts die. A creature that fails this saving throw cannot be frightened in this way again for one minute.

Monk – Way of Mercy

• Physician’s Touch
• 6th-level Way of Mercy feature
  • Starting at 6th level, you can administer even greater cures with a touch, and if you feel it’s necessary, you can use your knowledge to cause harm.
  • When you use Hands of Healing on a creature, you can also end one disease or one of the following conditions affecting the creature: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned.
  • When you use Hands of Harm on a creature, you can force subject that creature to make a constitution saving throw or become the poisoned condition until the end of your next turn.

Monk – Way of the Open Hand

• Wholeness of Body
• 6th-level Way of the Open Hand feature
  • You gain the ability to heal yourself. As an action, you can regain hit points equal to five three times your monk level. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.
• Tranquility
• 11th-level Way of the Open Hand feature
  • Beginning at 11th level, you can enter a special meditation that surrounds you with an aura of peace. At the end of a short or long rest, you gain the effect of a sanctuary spell that lasts until the start of your next short or long rest (the spell can end early as normal). The saving throw DC for the spell equals 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Monk – Way of the Shadow

• Shadow Arts Improvement
• 11th-level Way of the Shadow feature
  • Your mastery of the shadow arts has allowed you to produce stronger effects by pouring more ki into your spells. When you cast a spell through the shadow arts feature, you can spend an additional ki point to empower the spell in the following ways.
    • When empowering Darkness, you and other creatures of your choice can see through the magical darkness created by the spell until the end of your next turn.
    • When empowering Silence, up to three creatures of your choice within the area of the spell when it is cast must make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
    • When empowering Darkvision, the target of your spell can see invisible creatures, and has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks for the next ten minutes.
    • When empowering Pass Without Trace, creatures of your choosing within the area of the spell when it is cast become invisible for the next minute or until they attack or cast a spell.

Monk – Way of the Sun Soul

• Searing Arc Strike
• 6th-level Way of the Sun Soul feature
  • At 6th level, you gain the ability to channel your ki into searing waves of energy. Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 2 ki points to cast the Burning Hands spell as a bonus action.
  • You can spend additional ki points to cast Burning Hands as a higher level spell. Each additional ki point you spend increases the spell’s level by 1, to a maximum of 9th level. The maximum number of ki points (1 2 plus any additional points) that you can spend on the spell equals half your monk level (rounded down).
• Searing Sunburst
• 11th-level Way of the Sun Soul feature
  • At 11th level, you gain the ability to create an orb of light that erupts into a devastating explosion. As an action, you magically create an orb and hurl it at a point you choose within 150 feet, or create a line 100 feet long that blasts out of you, where it erupts into an area sphere of radiant light for a brief but deadly instant. 
  • Each creature in that 20-foot-radius sphere, or 1oo by 5 foot line, must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage or half on success. A creature doesn’t need to make the save if the creature is behind total cover that is opaque.
  • You can increase the area’s sphere’s damage by spending ki points. Each point you spend, to a maximum of 3, increases the damage by 3d6 2d6. Starting at 17th level, the maximum ki you can spend on this action increases to 4.
• Sun Shield
• 17th-level Way of the Sun Soul feature
  • At 17th level, you become wreathed in a luminous, magical aura. You shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can extinguish or restore the light as a bonus action.
  • If a creature hits you with a melee attack while this light shines, you can use your reaction to deal radiant damage to the creature. The radiant damage equals 5 + your Wisdom modifier.
• Searing Sun Soul
• 17th-level Way of the Sun Soul feature
  • At 17th level, you can power up to your final form. As a bonus action you can enter your Searing Sun Soul form for 1 minute, gaining a fly speed equal to your walking speed, producing bright light in a 5-foot radius, and dim light for an additional 5 feet. In addition, while in Searing Sun Soul form your melee weapon attacks and Radiant Sun Bolts are empowered, dealing extra damage equal to your martial arts die when they hit. Also while in this form you can use your Searing Arc Strike and Searing Sunburst features at their highest level without expending ki.
  • You can end this transformation early by using your bonus action.
  • Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
  • When recovering this feature during a field rest, it costs an additional two Recovery Points to do so.

New Class-Unique Maneuvers

• Martial Level 3:
  • Encircle

• Martial Level 8:
  • Phoenix Tempo Stance
  • Stance of the Black Turtle
  • Tiger’s Pounce Stance

• Martial Level 11:
  • Stance of Dragon’s Fury