Questions tagged [monk]
In RPGs, a monk is often a fantasy martial artist that specializes in unarmed combat. The monk is often a playable character class.
649
questions
8
votes
1
answer
915
views
Does a Way of the Astral Self Monk HAVE to do force damage with Arms of the Astral Self from 10' away, or can it be bludgeoning?
Arms of the Astral Self says:
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 ...
- 8,669
4
votes
1
answer
355
views
Astral self monk simic hybrid grapple with its extra appendages
The question is pretty straight forward. Could a simic hybrid with the grappling arms make a long distance unarmed strike with the astral arms, and then bonus action grapple them and hold them in ...
- 41
9
votes
1
answer
251
views
Does Wall of Ice still deal damage after being affected by a Wot4E Monk's Shape the Flowing River?
Consider the spell wall of ice (PHB, p. 285), specifically these sections (emphasis mine):
You create a wall of ice on a solid surface within range. You can form it into a hemispherical dome or a ...
- 79.7k
0
votes
0
answers
47
views
does an insignia of claws stack with wraps of unarmed prowess? [duplicate]
Insignia of Claws: While wearing the insignia you gain a +1 bonus to the attack rolls and the damage rolls you make with unarmed strikes and natural weapons. Such attacks are considered to be magical.
...
- 8,669
11
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does Shadow Step work in concert with Find Familiar?
Shadow Step, the Way of Shadows Monk's 6th level feature, reads:
At 6th level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you ...
- 1,207
2
votes
0
answers
43
views
Do Shadow Monks count as spell casters? [duplicate]
Shadow Arts gives you some spells you can cast with Ki, but not the spellcaster class feature or spell slots. However it does give you Minor Illusion as a cantrip, and I believe that races who get ...
1
vote
1
answer
276
views
Are these Homebrew "Blackfrost Gauntlets" too strong for a monk?
I have a group of level 15 (soon level 16) characters. One of them is an Ascendant Dragon Monk.
I have homebrewed an item for my group and am certain that the monk is the only one who would use it.
...
- 457
2
votes
1
answer
335
views
Is increasing the Martial Arts die necessary for Monks to keep up with other classes?
The Monk's Martial Arts die starts at d4 and goes up to d10 over 20 levels. In the One D&D Player's Handbook Playtest 6, the designers altered this to start at d6 (one die size larger) and ...
- 6,823
5
votes
2
answers
241
views
Does the poison damage from a Naga Monk's bite scale?
I'm building a naga monk (using the statistics from Plane Shift: Amonkhet), and the bite attack states that:
Natural Weapons. Your fanged maw and constricting serpentine body are natural weapons, ...
- 3,829
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Flurry of Blows has to be done after the action. Why?
Monk's Ki feature Flurry of Blows is defined like this (PHB, page 78):
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus ...
- 969
5
votes
2
answers
846
views
Can I spend additional ki points to make additional attacks with my Flurry of Blows bonus action?
I just re-read the rules about monks and I wonder how to interpret this from the PHB:
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes ...
- 1,030
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Does an opportunity attack allow a monk to use their unarmed bonus attack if they still have it and it’s still their turn?
I’m theorycrafting a new character with a buddy. We’re debating the following.
Say we have a monk with access to the dissonant whispers spell from something like the Fey Touched feat. When they cast ...
6
votes
2
answers
711
views
Can unarmed strikes be used with Dread Ambusher?
I’m currently playing an unarmed monk. The build is to run as many attacks as I can without going too far into multi-classing fighter (I’ll go two levels in to pick up action surge). I’m considering ...
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How does the Way of Mercy monk's ability Physician's Touch work exactly?
On the 3rd level Way of Mercy monks receive the Hand of Healing ability:
Your mystical touch can mend wounds. As an action, you can spend 1 ki
point to touch a creature and restore a number of hit ...
- 2,230
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Epic Holy Strike and its applicability to Unarmed Strikes
Under the Unarmed Strike subsection of the Monk class it states:
A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that ...
- 1,574
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is Fighter a better option for unarmed fighting compare with Monk?
This is under the case of single classing only.
I see in a optimising site saying that Fighter is a better option than Monk even if you are building a dedicated bare hand warrior. I wonder how does ...
- 4,713
14
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Can you take the dodge action multiple times on the same turn?
The reason I ask this is that I'm doing a build focused on the Dwarven Fortitude feat.
Whenever you take the Dodge action in combat, you can spend one Hit Die to heal yourself. Roll the die, add your ...
- 830
8
votes
1
answer
643
views
How to create a Homebrew Monk Ki feature using DnD Beyond?
I am trying to create a Homebrew, Ki fueled feature for a Monk. I would like to use DnD Beyond to create the feature and store it for my campaign. However, I can only see templates which lead me ...
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can I do a Performance during combat? Does it cost an action?
I am playing a Drunken Master monk and trying to come up with creative and fun ways to use their abilities.
One of the features every guide says is useless is the proficiency in Performance, so I have ...
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
If a monk increases their dexterity or wisdom modifier, does their AC increase as well?
I'm DM-ing an adventure, and my players are about to hit level 4, where the first ability score increase happens. If my monk chooses to increase their dexterity or wisdom, will their AC increase as ...
user81725
17
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Can I knock myself prone? Do I have to spend any movement to do so?
I am building a Drunken Master monk, and came across this subclass feature:
Leap to Your Feet. When you're prone, you can stand up by spending 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
Since ...
14
votes
2
answers
823
views
Can a monk disarm the target with a Flurry of Blows?
A monk uses his Flurry of Blows feature and tries to snatch a wand from an enemy caster.
We model this using the Disarm rules (DMG, p. 271):
A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or ...
- 90.5k
3
votes
1
answer
624
views
Would absorb elements once per short rest be balanced vs psychic damage vulnerability for a monk?
I plan to make my character an astral self monk and plan to later on take rogue and possibly fighter for the psionic subclasses. For roleplay/backstory purposes I asked the DM if I could have ...
- 39
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Homebrew Monk "Way of the Dog" Review request
Way of the Dog
(Monk Sublcass)
Certain monastaries in the forgotten parts of the world train in an obscure form of martial arts. Each monk is gifted a puppy of a highly specialized dog breed and the ...
- 107
8
votes
4
answers
946
views
Would the Disarm optional rule let a monk use Stunning Strike with it?
I'm playing a monk in a Tomb of Annihilation campaign. My game plan has been to keep our party alive as much as possible through debuffs, body-blocking opponents, and the like.
I recently saw the ...
17
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Can a rogue/Kensei monk use Sneak Attack with a Kensei weapon?
The 3rd-level feature of the UA Kensei Monk subclass, Path of the Kensei, reads as follows:
You gain proficiency with three martial weapons of your choice. A martial weapon is considered a kensei ...
- 549
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Monk Way of the Iron Body, Homebrewed Subclass Reworked version, please give me some feedback!
This is the follow up from the Homebrew I posted last month, after reading the feedback I received not only here, but also on D&D Beyond, I made some changes to the subclass. Once Again I hope to ...
- 335
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why are all monasteries human?
In "Hero builders guidebook" a recurring theme is that all monasteries are in human lands only, with the book not even mentioning the idea of other races founding them. This makes it ...
- 3,481
12
votes
2
answers
578
views
Monk Way of The Iron Body, feedback on the balance of this subclass I made
Preamble: Monks have a contradictory design (in my opinion). Their features and flavor make you want to jump into the frontline of combat and masterfully face off against foes like in Kung Fu movies ...
- 335
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
When targeted by a Nightwalker, can a Monk get rid of Finger of Doom effect by using Stillness of Mind?
The effect of Nightwalker's Finger of Doom skill is:
The nightwalker points at one creature it can see within 300 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or take 6d12 ...
- 103
2
votes
1
answer
339
views
Is it a viable tactic to use a flurry of blows monk to mass grapple a single target?
Can anyone help illustrate or explain the statistical advantages or disadvantages in using flurry of blows to make multiple grapple attempts against a target in the hopes of overwhelming them and &...
- 5,096
4
votes
3
answers
671
views
Readying Empty Body as an action in response to an attack
Empty Body states that as an action you can spend 4 ki points to become invisible. I understand this puts the monk under the invisible condition which means the monk is heavily obscured, resistant to ...
- 143
2
votes
1
answer
280
views
Is there a way to get Dragon's Breath as a Qinggong Monk at level 8?
Qinggong Monk is notorious for having a "8th level" Ki power category but only have the opportunity to take a ki power at 7 or 11. I would like to know if there is a world where you can be a ...
- 751
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Can I switch the monk's astral projection spell in the Empty Body feature with something more convenient, like plane shift?
The Monk's 18th level feature Empty Body allows the monk to cast Astral Projection on themselves only:
Additionally, you can spend 8 ki points to cast the astral projection spell, without needing ...
- 201
15
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why would a Monk use a Knuckle Duster?
A Knuckle Duster seems to be strictly worse1 than Powerful Fist, still it is a Monk weapon.
Why would a Monk use it?
I am insterested only in mechanical answers, as you can explain any mechanically ...
- 65.3k
3
votes
1
answer
128
views
Monk + bear warrior armed or unarmed damage?
Can a monk + bear warrior do a flurry of blows?
If the unarmed damage of the monk was 2d10 (e.g. the monk was at level 20) would the damage be the same (unarmed) when becoming a bear and "...
- 2,263
4
votes
1
answer
276
views
Do Symbiotic Entity + Hand of Harm stack damage?
I am working on a multiclass starting with a few levels of way of mercy monk dipping into circle of spores druid to get that kind of cycle of life and death flair. Before I commit I wanted to make ...
11
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What would be the impact if I let Hand of Harm be used more than once, like Hand of Healing?
In Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the Way of Mercy Monastic Tradition grants both Hand of Healing and Hand of Harm at 3rd level. Hand of Healing/Harm describe their effects as using 1 ki point to ...
- 487
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Tavern Brawler + Arms of the Astral Self + Grappler = 10' Grapples/Pins?
Am I correct that specific beats general in this use-case, or is there an interaction/exclusion I'm overlooking that prevents this scene from playing as described? If I'm correct, what rules ...
- 4,443
11
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Does the speed bonus from the monk feature Unarmored Movement stack with the bonus from the barbarian feature Fast Movement?
At level 5, barbarians get a bonus of +10 feet to their speed while not wearing heavy armor from Fast Movement.
At level 2 and increasing as they level, monks get a bonus to their speed when not ...
- 177
3
votes
0
answers
37
views
DND 3.5e: Does offhand unarmed attack have full STR Adj? [duplicate]
Unarmed Strike
At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk ...
- 4,713
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What abilities, spells, or items can inflict the Drained condition?
I’m looking for ways to debuff enemies Fortitude saves, to improve the effectiveness of my Monk’s Whirling Throw. The drained condition does this, but I can’t figure out how to search on AoN for ...
- 4,071
4
votes
2
answers
286
views
Can draconic Strike be used to damage objects?
Under Monk of the Way of the Ascendant Dragon, the Draconic Strike ability says:
When you damage a target with an unarmed strike, you can change the damage type to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or ...
- 8,669
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Can a Dragonborn monk with Way of the Ascendant Dragon and extra attack use more than one breath weapon per turn?
The Dragonborn breath weapons for the variant Dragonborns from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons vary a little between the subraces, but they all begin with the same section:
When you take the Attack ...
- 8,669
7
votes
4
answers
5k
views
How to play as a dual-wielding monk?
I have read quite a few questions that have skirted around the idea I was considering, such as tri-wielding, unarmed dual-wielding, and dual wielding with single staff, but none that really spoke to ...
- 7,408
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What are all the ways a monk can benefit from Ki-Fueled Attacks?
The Ki-Fueled Attack optional class feature for monks states (TCoE, p. 48):
If you spend 1 ki point or more as part of your action on your turn, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or a ...
- 13.7k
1
vote
3
answers
720
views
The GOD SLAP - Balancing for 5th edition
Question about balancing for 5th edition combat.
I have this idea for a new attack. I call it the God Slap, a technique unique to monks that must be learned from studying at the feet of a master. The ...
- 863
9
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Can a monk use Stunning Strike on a creature that has already failed a save against their Stunning Strike in the previous round?
If a monk hits a creature and stuns it with Stunning Strike—thus stunning it until the end of the monk's next turn—can the monk then use another Stunning Strike on the same creature the next turn, ...
- 8,669
2
votes
0
answers
77
views
When are the monk's Slow Fall feature and similar features applied if I use the optional rule for falling onto another creature? [duplicate]
The monk's Slow Fall feature description states:
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to
reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times
your monk level....
- 37
8
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can Monks Use Dex to grapple and shove under the One D&D Character Origins UA?
The Character Origins UA makes Grapple and Shove an Unarmed Strike, which makes sense:
UNARMED STRIKE
An Unarmed Strike is a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage,...
- 40.5k