Monk FAQ
What are the main Monk class features?
The 2014 Monk's main features are Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts, ki, Unarmored Movement, a Monastic Tradition, Deflect Missiles, Slow Fall, Extra Attack, Stunning Strike, Ki-Empowered Strikes, Evasion, Stillness of Mind, Purity of Body, Diamond Soul, Empty Body, and Perfect Self. Together they create a fast martial class that spends ki on offense, defense, movement, and control.
The Monk's 2014 progression steadily turns a lightly equipped martial artist into an exceptionally mobile and resilient supernatural combatant. The class begins with basic unarmed combat and gradually adds ki, speed, control, defensive reactions, and broad saving-throw protection.
1st level: Unarmored Defense
While not wearing armor and not wielding a shield, the Monk calculates Armor Class as:
10 + Dexterity modifier + Wisdom modifier
This makes Dexterity and Wisdom the two core abilities.
1st level: Martial Arts
Martial Arts supports unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
It allows Dexterity to replace Strength for qualifying attacks, provides a scaling damage die, and grants a bonus-action unarmed strike after a qualifying Attack action.
The Martial Arts die progresses from d4 to d10 over the 2014 Monk's level progression.
2nd level: Ki
Ki points fuel several Monk abilities.
The Monk has ki points equal to Monk level.
The initial ki features are:
- Flurry of Blows;
- Patient Defense;
- Step of the Wind.
Ki normally returns after a short or long rest when the feature's meditation requirement is met.
The Monk's ki save DC is based on Wisdom.
2nd level: Unarmored Movement
The Monk gains additional speed while unarmored and not using a shield.
The speed bonus increases at later Monk levels.
At 9th level, the feature also enables movement along vertical surfaces and across liquids during the turn without falling during the movement.
3rd level: Monastic Tradition
The Monk chooses a Monastic Tradition at 3rd level.
Subclass features arrive at:
3rd 6th 11th 17th
The Tradition can heavily change how the Monk spends ki and what role it performs.
3rd level: Deflect Missiles
Deflect Missiles uses the Monk's reaction to reduce damage from a ranged weapon attack.
If the damage is reduced to 0 and the projectile can be caught, the Monk may be able to spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with the caught projectile.
The feature makes the Monk unusually resistant to individual ranged weapon attacks.
4th level: Slow Fall
Slow Fall uses the Monk's reaction to reduce falling damage by:
5 × Monk level
This combines naturally with the class's movement-focused identity.
5th level: Extra Attack
At 5th level, the Monk can attack twice whenever taking the Attack action.
This works alongside Martial Arts or Flurry of Blows to produce several attacks in one turn.
5th level: Stunning Strike
After hitting with a melee weapon attack, the Monk can spend 1 ki point to force a Constitution saving throw.
On a failed save, the target is stunned until the end of the Monk's next turn.
The feature creates powerful control but competes heavily for ki.
6th level: Ki-Empowered Strikes
Unarmed strikes count as magical for overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
This keeps unarmed combat relevant against creatures that resist ordinary physical attacks.
7th level: Evasion
When an effect allows a Dexterity saving throw for half damage, Evasion changes the result.
A successful save deals no damage.
A failed save deals half damage.
This is especially valuable against many area effects.
7th level: Stillness of Mind
The Monk can use an action to end one effect on themselves that is causing the charmed or frightened condition.
The feature is useful but still requires the Monk to have the ability to take the necessary action.
10th level: Purity of Body
Purity of Body grants immunity to disease and poison.
This is a substantial defensive improvement against both environmental and creature-based threats.
13th level: Tongue of the Sun and Moon
The Monk gains the ability to understand spoken languages and be understood by creatures that understand a language, according to the feature.
This expands the class's social and exploration utility without relying on spellcasting.
14th level: Diamond Soul
Diamond Soul grants proficiency in all saving throws.
The Monk can also spend ki to reroll a failed saving throw.
This is one of the class's most important high-level defensive features.
18th level: Empty Body
Empty Body allows the Monk to spend ki to become invisible for a limited duration and gain broad damage resistance, with the exact exceptions specified by the feature.
It also provides access to an astral projection effect at a much higher ki cost.
This is one of the class's strongest high-level ki expenditures.
20th level: Perfect Self
Perfect Self restores a small amount of ki when the Monk rolls initiative with none remaining.
It is a resource-recovery capstone rather than an unlimited-ki feature.
How the features work together
Martial Arts provides the basic attack chassis.
Ki provides tactical choices.
Unarmored Movement creates positional freedom.
Stunning Strike adds control.
Deflect Missiles, Evasion, Stillness of Mind, Purity of Body, and Diamond Soul increase resilience.
The Monastic Tradition adds the character's specialist identity.
The Monk's overall strength comes from using these systems together rather than measuring only raw damage per attack.