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Are Way of the Four Elements monks' Elemental Disciplines magical?

Specifically, Water Whip deals 3d10 bludgeoning damage (+1d10 per additional ki point spent) on a failed Dex save. Is this damage magical?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I feel neither of the listed questions answer my specific question. Ki is "background magic" apparently. I can't tell if Magic Resistance is relevant for Stunning Strike Con Saves. I can't tell if Water Whip's damage is inherently Magical Bludgeoning or Non-Magical Bludgeoning, and neither of those questions is answered in the listed "duplicates". \$\endgroup\$
    – Payden K. Pringle
    Jul 7, 2021 at 1:34
  • \$\begingroup\$ "I can't tell if Magic Resistance is relevant for Stunning Strike Con Saves" -- why not? the WotC-provided checklist described in both duplicates seems to answer that clearly. And the monk-specific duplicate specifically includes an answer about Stunning Strike, explaining it's not magical. Similar logic can be followed to understand Water Whip's effects, i.e. it fails all of the checklist points, so it's not magical. \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Duniho
    Jul 14, 2021 at 7:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ Exactly my point. How many layers of abstraction are applicable? For example, Ki is called "The Magic of Ki" in the PHB, but Stunning Strike, a Ki-fueled ability, isn't Magical. On page 80 of the PHB, under Disciple of the Elements, it says: "When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, 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." Based on that, I'd presume all of the Disciplines are magical in nature. Or as the bullet point asks it: "Does its description say it’s magical?" \$\endgroup\$
    – Payden K. Pringle
    Jul 14, 2021 at 16:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ I agree that the provided interpretations appear at times contradictory. On the one hand, there's the general claim that 5e rules are all rules, no flavor. On the other hand, feedback from the game designers (see duplicate) make clear that in spite of high-altitude view of the world using the word "magic", only certain Ki-based abilities are "magical", and you can tell by reading the specific description of each ability. I don't see how you can expect to get a better and/or different answer from what's already been given in the duplicates. \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Duniho
    Jul 14, 2021 at 17:00

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