Quick Build (optional)

You can make a monk quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the hermit background.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per level
Hit Points at 1st level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher levels: 1d8 + Constitution modifier per level above 1st.

Proficiencies

Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons, shortswords
Tools: Choose one type of artisan's tools or one musical instrument.
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two: Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, or Stealth

Equipment

Choose: (a) a shortsword; or (b) any simple weapon
Choose: (a) a dungeoneer's pack; or (b) an explorer's pack
10 darts

Quick Build

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Martial Arts	Unarmored Movement
1st	+2	Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts	1d4	—
2nd	+2	Ki, Unarmored Movement	1d4	+10 ft.
3rd	+2	Monastic Tradition, Deflect Missiles	1d4	+10 ft.
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Slow Fall	1d4	+10 ft.
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Stunning Strike	1d6	+15 ft.
6th	+3	Ki Strikes, Monastic Tradition feature	1d6	+15 ft.
7th	+3	Evasion, Stillness of Mind	1d6	+15 ft.
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	1d6	+15 ft.
9th	+4	Unarmored Movement improvement	1d6	+15 ft.
10th	+4	Purity of Body	1d6	+20 ft.
11th	+4	Monastic Tradition feature	1d8	+20 ft.
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	1d8	+20 ft.
13th	+5	Tongue of the Sun and Moon	1d8	+20 ft.
14th	+5	Diamond Soul	1d8	+25 ft.
15th	+5	Timeless Body	1d8	+25 ft.
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	1d8	+25 ft.
17th	+6	Monastic Tradition feature	1d10	+25 ft.
18th	+6	Empty Body	1d10	+30 ft.
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	1d10	+30 ft.
20th	+6	Perfect Self	1d10	+30 ft.

Unarmored Defense

While wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Martial Arts

Your practice of martial arts gives mastery over unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons without the heavy or two-handed property.

You gain the following benefits when unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and not wearing armor or wielding a shield:

Unarmed strikes and monk weapons count as finesse weapons (if they weren't already), allowing you to use either Dexterity or Strength for attack and damage rolls with those weapons.
You can use a d4 in place of the normal weapon damage dice with unarmed strikes or monk weapons. This die increases as you gain monk levels, as shown on the table above.
When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you may make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.

Ki

At 2nd level, your training allows you to channel the mystic energy of ki. Your access to this power is represented by a number of ki points. You have a number of ki points equal to your monk level. When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at which point you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at 30minutes of the rest meditating in order to regain ki.

Some ki powers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Ki save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

You start with the knowledge of these three ki powers:

Flurry of Blows

Immediately after taking the Attack action on your turn, you may spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action

Patient Defense

You can spend 1 ki point to take the Dodge action as a bonus action on your turn.

Step of the Wind

You can spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on your turn. When you do so, your jump distance is doubled for the turn

Unarmored Movement

At 2nd level, your speed increases when you are not wearing armor or using a shield. This bonus is listed on the table above.

At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move. You must end the movement on a solid, upright surface or risk falling or sinking.

Monastic Tradition

At 3rd level, you must commit yourself to one of the monastic traditions below. You tradition gives you features at 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Deflect Missiles

At 3rd level, you may use your reaction when you are kit by a ranged weapon attack to deflect or catch the missile. When you do so, the damage you take is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.

If you reduce the damage to 0 in this way, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have a hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with the weapon or ammunition as part of the same action. You make this attack with proficiency, and treat the missile as a monk weapon for this attack.

Ability Score Improvement

At 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or increase two ability scores by 1 each. As usual, you cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this ability.

Slow Fall

At 4th level, you may use your reaction to reduce any falling damage taken by an amount equal to 5 times your monk level.

Extra Attack

At 5th level, you can attack twice whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Stunning Strike

At 5th level, you can interfere with the flow of ki in another creature's body. When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Ki Strikes

At 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Evasion

At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain attacks, such as a dragon's breath or the fireball. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and half damage if you fail.

Stillness of Mind

At 7th level, you can use your action to end one effect yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.

Purity of Body

At 10th level, your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to disease and poison.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon

At 13th level, you can touch the ki of other minds so that you understand all spoken languages. Moreover, and creature that understands a language can understand what you say.

Diamond Soul

At 14th level, your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail you may spend 1 ki point to reroll it and take the second result.

Timeless Body

At 15th level, your ki sustains so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, you no longer need food or water.

Empty Body

At 18th level, you can use your action to spend 4 ki points to become invisible for 1 minute. During this time, you have resistance to all damage except force damage.

In addition, you may spend 8 ki points to cast astral projection, without needing material components. When you do so, you can't take other creatures with you.

Perfect Self

At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no ki points remaining, you gain 4 ki points.