Monk 5e: The Complete Class Guide

The Monk's reputation has shifted. For years, "Monk" meant "class that's fun but falls off at high levels." Recent rules tweaks and player experience have shown the Monk to be far stronger than that reputation suggests, and The Endlessness's SRD implementation handles Monks with the mechanics they deserve.

A Monk is a mobile, melee-focused, dual-stat class who does damage through repeated unarmed strikes and ki-powered techniques. They're fast. They're precise. They can stun bosses. And they can do a lot of things no other class can do, including run up walls.

The Pitch

A Monk's core chassis:

• Martial Arts. Unarmed strikes and monk weapons deal Martial Arts die damage (d4 at level 1, scaling to d10 at level 17). You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage. You also get a bonus action unarmed strike after attacking with a monk weapon or unarmed.
• Unarmored Defense. AC = 10 + Dex mod + Wis mod.
• Ki. A resource pool equal to your Monk level. You spend ki on techniques.
• Flurry of Blows. Spend 1 ki as a bonus action, make two unarmed strikes. Combined with your normal bonus action strike from Martial Arts: no, you don't get both. It replaces the Martial Arts bonus action.
• Patient Defense. Spend 1 ki as a bonus action, Dodge (impose disadvantage on attacks against you, advantage on Dex saves).
• Step of the Wind. Spend 1 ki as a bonus action, Dash or Disengage. Your jump distance doubles.
• Unarmored Movement. +10 ft speed at level 2, scaling up to +30 ft at level 18.
• Stunning Strike at level 5. Spend 1 ki when you hit. Target makes a Con save or is stunned until the end of your next turn. Stun is one of the most powerful conditions in the game.
• Extra Attack at level 5.

Monks are dual-stat (need both Dex and Wis) but the payoff is real.

Stat Priorities

1. Dexterity (primary). Attacks, AC.
2. Wisdom (secondary). AC, ki save DC (for Stunning Strike).
3. Constitution. HP.
4. Strength can be dumped.
5. Intelligence and Charisma can be dumped too.

Classic Monk: STR 8, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 16, CHA 8.

You want both Dex and Wis above 14 ideally. Monks are an MAD class (multiple ability dependent) and suffer when one of their stats is low.

Ki Economy

Ki is your primary combat resource. Monk level = ki points. Short rest restores all of them.

The three basic ki techniques:

• Flurry of Blows: 1 ki, bonus action, +2 unarmed strikes (replacing your Martial Arts bonus action).
• Patient Defense: 1 ki, bonus action, Dodge.
• Step of the Wind: 1 ki, bonus action, Dash or Disengage.

At level 5, Stunning Strike: 1 ki on a hit, target Con saves or is stunned. This is the flagship monk ability. Stunned creatures are incapacitated, fail all Strength and Dex saves, attacks against them have advantage. A stunned creature is a dead creature, basically.

Higher levels add more ki uses (elemental attacks, teleportation, damage ki techniques).

When to Spend Ki

Early levels: Flurry of Blows most rounds. Two extra attacks from 1 ki is a great trade.

From level 5 onward: Stunning Strike is often the better investment. A stunned enemy is out of the fight. But you need to connect the attack first, and you're gambling on the enemy's Con save (high-CR monsters have strong Con).

Reserve at least 2 ki for Patient Defense or Step of the Wind as escape options. Running out of ki in a dangerous fight is how Monks die.

Subclasses

The SRD Monk is Way of the Open Hand.

Way of the Open Hand

Enhances Flurry of Blows: on hit, you can knock the target prone, push them 15 feet, or prevent them from taking reactions. Choose one per target per Flurry.

You also get Wholeness of Body (self-heal), Tranquility (sanctuary-like effect), and Quivering Palm at level 17 (devastating capstone).

Open Hand is a well-rounded melee Monk with good battlefield control through knockdowns and pushes. Strong SRD pick.

Outside the SRD

Shadow Monk: rogue-ish, teleport between shadows. Four Elements: elemental blasts (less effective for the ki cost). Drunken Master: mobile counter-punch style. Long Death: fear and temporary HP. Many more.

For SRD play, Open Hand is your choice and it's a good one.

Stunning Strike: Why Monks Matter

At level 5, Stunning Strike transforms the Monk from "another melee damage dealer" to "the boss fight specialist."

Here's what Stunned does:

• Incapacitated (no actions, no reactions)
• Can't move
• Fails Strength and Dex saves
• Attacks against the target have advantage

For one ki point, on a hit, you roll a Con save for the target and if they fail, they lose their next turn and become a punching bag.

At level 5, a Monk attacks four times per turn (Extra Attack + Flurry of Blows). Each hit can trigger Stunning Strike. Against a boss with a Con save bonus of +5 and a Monk DC of 15, the enemy needs to roll a 10+ on each save. With four attacks, the probability of stunning at least once is roughly 90%.

Boss fights get much easier when you can remove the boss's turn. Monks deliver this consistently from level 5 onward.

Movement and Mobility

Monks are the most mobile class in the game.

Unarmored Movement bonus: +10 ft at level 2, +15 at 6, +20 at 10, +25 at 14, +30 at 18.

By level 14, a monk moves 60 feet per turn (base) without spending any ki. Spending a ki on Step of the Wind doubles that or lets you escape without opportunity attacks.

At level 9, Monks gain Unarmored Movement improvements including moving along vertical surfaces and across liquids without falling. You can run up walls and across water. For a small ki cost, you can functionally fly for short distances.

Mobility is one of the Monk's core advantages. Use it. Get to the squishy caster in the back. Escape when surrounded. Scout ahead and return before your teammates notice you left.

Monk in Solo Play

Monk is A-tier for solo play. Strengths:

1. Stunning Strike as a boss delete button. Monk handles tough single encounters better than most classes.
2. Mobility. In solo, getting out of bad situations is life-saving.
3. Low resource burn. Ki recharges on short rest.
4. Self-healing at higher levels. Open Hand gets Wholeness of Body at level 6: 3x Monk level in HP healing as an action.
5. Lots of attacks. Action economy against mobs matters.

Weaknesses:

• Low HP pool (d8 hit die). Patient Defense helps but one bad turn can drop you.
• MAD. Dex + Wis + Con stretches your stats. Lower overall numbers.
• No ranged attack. You can throw darts (d4 damage) but they're underwhelming. Melee only, realistically.

Solo Monks run a "ki pacing" game. Open with Flurry of Blows to soften, save ki for Stunning Strike on the boss, and use Patient Defense when down to 1/3 HP. Short rest between fights.

For more, see our classes ranked for solo play.

Leveling Path

• Level 1: Martial Arts, Unarmored Defense.
• Level 2: Ki (Flurry, Patient Defense, Step of the Wind), Unarmored Movement.
• Level 3: Subclass, Deflect Missiles.
• Level 4: ASI, Slow Fall.
• Level 5: Extra Attack, Stunning Strike.
• Level 7: Evasion (dex saves), Stillness of Mind.
• Level 9: Unarmored Movement Improvement (vertical/liquid surfaces).
• Level 10: Purity of Body (immune to disease and poison).
• Level 13: Tongue of the Sun and Moon (understand all languages).
• Level 14: Diamond Soul (proficiency in all saves, reroll failed saves with ki).
• Level 15: Timeless Body (no aging, no food or water needed).
• Level 17: Open Hand capstone (Quivering Palm).
• Level 20: Perfect Self (start each encounter with 4 ki if you have 0).

Common Monk Mistakes

Ignoring Stunning Strike. At level 5+, Stunning Strike is the reason to play Monk. Don't forget it.

Using ki on every turn for Flurry. Sometimes just Extra Attack + Martial Arts bonus action is enough. Save ki for when it matters.

Wearing armor. You can wear armor, but you lose Martial Arts bonus action and Unarmored Defense. Don't.

Dumping Wisdom. A Monk with 10 Wisdom has a low Stunning Strike DC and weak AC. Keep Wis at 14+ minimum.

Staying in melee against spell casters. Monks get Diamond Soul at level 14, but before then, you're vulnerable to save-or-suck spells. Close the gap fast and stun the caster.

The Endlessness and the Monk

Our AI Dungeon Master handles ki tracking, Martial Arts bonus action, Stunning Strike DC and saves, Unarmored Movement scaling, and all the fiddly Monk interactions. Stunning Strike resolution (attack roll, then Con save, then condition application, then advantage on attacks against stunned target for the rest of the round) is a lot of cascading rules. The system handles it.

For related reads, see our combat rules guide and conditions explained (stun is covered there).

Final Verdict

Monks are great once you accept what they are: mobile, ki-fueled, melee specialists whose primary tactical contribution is removing boss turns via stun and outrunning problems they can't fight.

They're not the top-tier damage dealers, but they're also not behind in damage. They're mid-pack for sustained DPR and above average for burst-stun value.

Start a Monk on The Endlessness, pick Way of the Open Hand, and stun the first dragon you meet. The look on its face is why you play Monk.