D&D Monk 5e Guide
In this post, we will be examining the monk’s class features and how you can optimize your monk through choosing your race, background, ability scores, subclass, and feats.

Soulfire Grand Master - Wizards of the Coast - Johannes Voss
Monk 5e Guide Rating Scheme
This guide is a deep dive into the DnD 5e Monk. For a quick overview of other classes, check out our Guide to DnD Classes.
The color code below helps you quickly identify how good an option is for your Monk. These ratings are guidelines, and sub-optimal choices can still be fun and viable.
- Red: Weak, unlikely to contribute to your build
- Orange: Situationally good, but below average
- Green: A solid choice
- Blue: A great option worth considering
- Sky Blue: One of the best choices for optimization
D&D 5e Monk Overview
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Martial Arts | Ki Points | Unarmored Movement | Features |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | +2 | 1d4 | — | — | Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts |
2nd | +2 | 1d4 | 2 | +10 ft. | Ki, Unarmored Movement |
3rd | +2 | 1d4 | 3 | +10 ft. | Monastic Tradition, Deflect Missiles |
4th | +2 | 1d4 | 4 | +10 ft. | Ability Score Improvement, Slow Fall |
5th | +3 | 1d6 | 5 | +10 ft. | Extra Attack, Stunning Strike |
6th | +3 | 1d6 | 6 | +15 ft. | Ki-Empowered Strikes, Monastic Tradition feature |
7th | +3 | 1d6 | 7 | +15 ft. | Evasion, Stillness of Mind |
8th | +3 | 1d6 | 8 | +15 ft. | Ability Score Improvement |
9th | +4 | 1d6 | 9 | +15 ft. | Unarmored Movement improvement |
10th | +4 | 1d6 | 10 | +20 ft. | Purity of Body |
11th | +4 | 1d8 | 11 | +20 ft. | Monastic Tradition feature |
12th | +4 | 1d8 | 12 | +20 ft. | Ability Score Improvement |
13th | +5 | 1d8 | 13 | +20 ft. | Tongue of the Sun and Moon |
14th | +5 | 1d8 | 14 | +25 ft. | Diamond Soul |
15th | +5 | 1d8 | 15 | +25 ft. | Timeless Body |
16th | +5 | 1d8 | 16 | +25 ft. | Ability Score Improvement |
17th | +6 | 1d10 | 17 | +25 ft. | Monastic Tradition feature |
18th | +6 | 1d10 | 18 | +30 ft. | Empty Body |
19th | +6 | 1d10 | 19 | +30 ft. | Ability Score Improvement |
20th | +6 | 1d10 | 20 | +30 ft. | Perfect Self |
Playstyle
Monks are a very unique and fun class to play. Some say they are underpowered, but it’s hard to deny that playing a ninja is awesome.
Monks are great support characters as they have the ability to move through combat with relative ease, going where the fighting is thickest or getting out of difficult situations. They also have some really cool out-of-combat features that make them great candidates to be the stealthy infiltrator of the party.
Overall, a monk isn’t going to be the class you choose if you are planning on being the strongest character in the party. They do, however, offer a very unique playstyle and can be an indispensable asset to the party if played correctly.
Strengths
Monks are a DEX-based class, which makes it easy to ensure your monk is good at what they are supposed to be good at. By focusing primarily on DEX, you can ensure your character:
- Is hard to hit
- Does a fair amount of damage
- Can sneak around like a ninja
Despite being a martial class, they also tend to have fun, varied gameplay because of their Ki features. One Ki feature, Stunning Strike, is particularly potent as it allows you to apply the Stunned condition to opponents, making monk’s one of the more dangerous classes in one-on-one combat.
Weaknesses
Monks are a marital class that doesn’t have a lot of hit points or a particularly high AC. This makes them susceptible to getting knocked out when in close quarters combat (which is where they will likely be). They also deal an underwhelming amount of damage compared to other melee characters like fighters, barbarians, and paladins.
Monks have class features that really come in handy at a distance as it allows them to catch projectiles and avoid anything requiring a DEX save quite easily. But in order to be effective in combat, most monks need to get up close.
There are monk archetypes that allow the class to become more deadly at range, but they still won’t be as effective as a ranger or rogue with projectiles.
Best Races for Monks
Selecting a race that complements the Monk’s Dexterity and Wisdom is key to crafting an effective character because they’re so multi-ability dependent (MAD). For a detailed breakdown of the best race options, take a look at our Guide to Monk Races.
If you’re looking for a quick pick while playing with the Basic Rules or Player’s Handbook, Wood Elves are an excellent choice. With a +2 bonus to Dexterity and +1 to Wisdom, they enhance the Monk’s core attributes. Additionally, their increased movement speed and stealth abilities align monk’s focus.
Ability Scores
Ability Score Increases (ASI) at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level.
Monks rely on multiple abilities, meaning you need to dump some stats. The best thing to do is to focus on DEX, WIS, and then CON, in that order.
STR: Take some STR if you’d like to shove or grapple enemies, both of which can be quite good for monks.
DEX: Monks use DEX for everything. Attack rolls and damage rolls are calculated using DEX, and monks also want decent AC due to their average hit points. Deflect Missiles is also affected by DEX and helps to keep you alive.
CON: Don’t ignore CON. Letting your hit points fall behind as you level up because of a low CON score is a surefire way to be very vulnerable at higher levels.
INT: You probably need to dump INT to ensure a decent amount of DEX, WIS, and CON.
WIS: Unarmored Defense lets WIS contribute more to AC. Some of your ki abilities also rely on WIS.
CHA: You probably need to dump CHA to ensure a decent amount of DEX, WIS, and CON.
Monk Class Progression
1st Level
Hit Points: A d8 hit dice is pretty deadly considering that monks engage in melee combat. Luckily they sport a sizeable AC due to Unarmored Defense.
Saves: DEX saves happen all the time and monks will be great at succeeding at those. STR saves are typically less important but do come up more often than something like an INT save.
Weapon/Armour Proficiencies: Monks don’t get any options for armor or shields, but they don’t really want them anyway due to Unarmored Defense. Many of the monk weapons aren’t great either but being able to use DEX instead of STR bonuses should help some.
Skills: Only two skills and the list to choose from is pretty subpar.
- Acrobatics (DEX): Sadly Acrobatics is quite an underutilized skill. Many situations use Athletics instead or there is already a rule in place such as for jumping distance. Some DMs like to be more lenient and let you use Acrobatics for skill checks if you ask.
- Athletics (STR): Good for grapples and moving around difficult environments, especially if you don’t completely neglect STR.
- History (INT): Can be nice if you enjoy lore and roleplaying, but you will make your DM work extra hard! Unfortunately your INT score won’t be high enough to take advantage of this skill.
- Insight (WIS): Monks typically have a good WIS score to take advantage of Insight. It’s a pity that this isn’t Perception though, since Perception is just better most of the time.
- Religion (INT): Same as History but sometimes more useful if your campaign includes gods. Unfortunately your INT score won’t be high enough to take advantage of this skill.
- Stealth (DEX): Since Monks have high DEX and don’t wear any noisy heavy armor they are a great option for sneaking around or scouting. Although if you have a Rogue in the party your usefulness in that regard becomes next to zero.
Unarmored Defense: Once you hit 20 in both DEX and WIS you’ll manage to get 20 AC. Not too shabby for a character without armor but that won’t be until level 19 if you don’t take any feats.
Martial Arts: This is the key feature that makes the monk actually work as a class. It gives you an unarmed strike as a bonus action as long as you use your action to attack with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, which will be the case most often. Most importantly, STR can be dumped in favor of DEX and an extra attack as a bonus action helps keep damage more consistent with other classes.
2nd Level
Ki: Ki features some fantastic options for combat that can use your bonus action to maximize action economy.
- Flurry of Blows: You can either do Flurry of Blows for a total of three attacks or the extra attack from Martial Arts for two, not both. Still, Flurry of Blows is a solid way to get in more damage.
- Patient Defense: The Dodge action is a great way to avoid taking damage.
- Step of the Wind: Step of the Wind grants some good in-combat mobility options.
Unarmored Movement: Increased speed is another reason to leave armor for your party members. Walking on water and vertical surfaces is also situationally useful.
Dedicated Weapon: Unfortunately, this doesn’t offer monks a very large boost. Yes, you can choose from a wider array of weapons and yes some ranged weapons can work, but at the end of the day the change will be small. For example, you can now wield a greatclub at do 1d8 damage, instead of the typical 1d6 you’d get from other monk-appropriate weapons. You can also use a shortbow, but it won’t matter much because you have to be up close to use Flurry of Blows and Stunning Strike.
3rd Level
Deflect Missles: Super cool if you manage to catch the missile and hurl it back at your foe. Obviously Deflect Missiles won’t work with spells, so its usefulness is limited.
Ki Fueled Attack: The monk’s basic class features allow you to use Ki Fueled Attack off of a Stunning Strike, which will net a ton of extra bonus action attacks over the course of even a single adventuring day. Subclasses like Four Elements, Shadow, Sun Soul, Kensei, and Mercy can also activate this ability off of their features.
Monastic Tradition: At 3rd level, monks get to choose their Monastic Tradition. For a more in-depth look at each of these options, check out our Monk 5e Subclass Guide.
- Way of Mercy : Way of Mercy monks gain access to healing features as well as the ability to channel necromantic forces against their enemies.
- Way of Shadow : As the name implies, Way of Shadow allows the monk to assume more of a stealth role. In that respect, this subclass is a ton of fun. Unfortunately, rogues can do most of it better.
- Way of the Ascendant Dragon : Channel the awesome power of dragons into your ki and monk abilities!
- Way of the Astral Self : Augment with your body with your astral self, a spiritual force that transcends planes
- Way of the Drunken Master : Surprisingly, Way of the Drunken Master excels at mobility and is a great option if you like to move around the battlefield.
- Way of the Four Elements : Perhaps the most versatile and unique Monastic Tradition, allowing you to cast spells. Unfortunately using the elemental disciplines is quite expensive in terms of ki points, meaning more often than not you'll still end up using Flurry of Blows.
- Way of the Kensei : Way of the Kensei offers an interesting take on the 5e monk class, but access to more weapons doesn't make the subclass particularly good. It's cool, but your fists will do just fine.
- Way of the Long Death : Way of the Long Death assumes a more robust role for the monk. Take this Monastic Tradition if you want to be similar to a tank character.
- Way of the Open Hand : Way of the Open Hand is what would be considered the classic approach to the monk class. It allows for the typical playstyle of the class but can't really do anything special.
- Way of the Sun Soul : Way of the Sun Soul is relatively unexciting, and the damage largely depends on how much ki you are willing to part with. If you're willing to live with these downsides, the Way of the Sun Soul monk is viable as a hybrid melee and ranged character.
4th Level
Slow Fall: This isn’t useful that often, but you’ll be happy to have it when it does.
Quickened Healing: This is strictly worse than cure wounds until 11th level but can work with Ki-Fueled Attack so you can at least get an attack off in the same turn you heal. It’s better than nothing, but won’t be super impactful.
5th Level
Extra Attack: At 5th level you’ll become a punching machine! Your choice of Martial Arts (three attacks) or Flurry of Blows (four attacks).
Stunning Strike: Only one ki point to attempt to stun your opponent is a bargain. This is by far the monk’s most powerful ability.
Focused Aim: Bit of a gamble if you haven’t already figured out your enemy’s AC, but for the most part, turning a miss into a hit is the best use of ki points. Not only can you do your attack damage, but you also have the opportunity to use Stunning Strike .
6th Level
Ki-Empowered Strikes: Resistance to nonmagical attacks and damage is an annoying problem when you want to rely on your fists. Ki-Empowered Strikes solves this problem.
7th Level
Evasion: Absolutely amazing ability that can drastically improve survivability when things like fireball and Breath Weapons are being thrown around.
Stillness of Mind: Getting out of a debilitating condition can be crucial to your party’s success.
10th Level
Purity of Body: Depending on your campaign, Disease and Poison can be a constant threat.
13th Level
Tongue of the Sun and Moon: While this may be good for raw communication, any speech-based ability check will be tough since your CHA is likely very low.
14th Level
Diamond Soul: Saving throws no longer scare you. Proficiency and the ability to reroll in ALL saving throws is insane.
15th Level
Timeless Body: Timeless Body is impossible to give a rank to. Depending on your campaign it’s either the most important class feature or a waste of space.
18th Level
Empty Body: Greater invisibility, without concentration, for one minute at the cost of 4 ki points. This is amazing by itself, but granting resistance to all damage except force is simply stunning. This ability will be used every combat when able. Also, the ability to cast astral projection for 8 ki points is an interesting benefit. It may not come up all that much, but it’s a nice-to-have bonus of this already amazing ability.
20th Level
Perfect Self: Makes using up your ki points without knowing what is coming next way less of a gamble.
Best Feats for Monks
Check out our Guide to Monk Feats.
Sources Used in This Guide
- : 2014 Player's Handbook
- 2024 PHB: 2024 Player's Handbook
- BR: Basic Rules
- GotG: Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
- SotDQ: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
- ERLW: Eberron: Rising from the Last War
- EEPC: Elemental Evil Player’s Companion
- EGtW: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
- FToD: Fizban's Treasury of Dragon
- GGtR: Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
- MotM: Monsters of the Multiverse
- MToF: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
- MOoT: Mythic Odyessys of Theros
- PAitM: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
- PHB: Player's Handbook
- SAiS: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
- SCoC: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
- SCAG: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
- TCoE: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
- TTP: The Tortle Package
- WBtW: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
- : Unearthed Arcana
- VRGtR: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
- VGtM: Volo's Guide to Monsters
- XGtE: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything