Monk

Identity

The disciplined body. Training is the weapon. Rift Energy flows through perfected form. Monks of the Prime Plane come from a wide spread of traditions: a mountain-monastery hermit on a frontier moon, a Halcyion Federation pacification specialist trained to subdue without lethal force, an Aurelion court-dancer whose forms double as combat kata, a Drownside fixer who has never owned a gun in their life and has never needed one. The names of the disciplines differ. The body, asked enough of, always answers in the same language.

Proficiencies

Level Progression

• L1
  Unarmored Defense

  While you wear no armor and carry no shield, your AC equals 10 + your DEX modifier + your WIS modifier. This applies whether you are unarmed or holding a weapon.

  Martial Arts

  Your training in disciplined unarmed and monk-weapon combat grants you the following while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons (simple melee weapons that lack the heavy or two-handed property, plus any weapon explicitly tagged as a monk weapon in equipment): (a) you may use DEX in place of STR for attack and damage rolls; (b) you may roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon (this die increases to d6 at Monk level 5, d8 at 11, and d10 at 17); (c) when you take the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one additional unarmed strike as a bonus action. You cannot benefit from Martial Arts in the same turn that you wield a weapon other than a monk weapon.

• L2
  Ki

  You channel Rift Energy through trained body and breath. Your Ki pool equals your Monk level, refreshed on a short or long rest. You may spend Ki on the following Ki features (this list expands as you level): **Flurry of Blows** (1 Ki — immediately after you take the Attack action, make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action), **Patient Defense** (1 Ki — bonus action; take the Dodge action), **Step of the Wind** (1 Ki — bonus action; take the Disengage or Dash action, and your jump distance doubles for the turn). Save DC for Ki effects = 8 + proficiency bonus + WIS modifier.

  Unarmored Movement

  Your speed increases by 10 ft while you wear no armor and carry no shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain Monk levels, as shown: +15 ft at 6th level, +20 ft at 10th level, +25 ft at 14th level, +30 ft at 18th level.

• L3 Subclass feature
  Monastic Tradition

  You commit to a tradition that shapes your discipline: Way of the Eclipse, Way of the Open Fist, Way of the Voidwalker, or Way of the Mantra. Your Tradition grants features now and at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.

  Deflect Missiles

  When you are hit by a ranged weapon attack — including ballistic and energy firearms — you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the projectile. The damage you take is reduced by 1d10 + your DEX modifier + your Monk level. If the damage is reduced to 0 and the projectile is a thrown weapon or other graspable munition, you may catch it and, by spending 1 Ki, immediately make a ranged attack with it (or hurl it back), treating it as a monk weapon for the throw. Returned projectile range is Close. Plasma and beam-energy weapons cannot be physically caught but can still have their damage reduced.

• L4 ASI / Feat
  Slow Fall

  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.

• L5
  Extra Attack

  You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

  Stunning Strike

  When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you may spend 1 Ki to attempt to stun it. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your Ki save DC or be Stunned until the end of your next turn.

• L6
  Ki-Empowered Strikes

  Your unarmed strikes and monk-weapon strikes count as Rift-channeled for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Subclass features may further modify your strike damage type.

• L7 Subclass feature
  Evasion

  Your reflexes outrun the strike. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a DEX saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage on a success and half damage on a failure.

  Stillness of Mind

  As an action, you can end one Charmed or Frightened effect on yourself.

• L8 ASI / Feat
• L9
  Unarmored Movement (Improved)

  You can move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move, provided you end your turn on a stable surface (or you fall normally at turn end).

• L10
  Purity of Body Capstone

  Sustained Ki cultivation insulates you from common biological hazards. You are immune to disease and to non-magical poison damage and the Poisoned condition. You have advantage on Constitution saving throws against magical poisons and Rift-induced toxins.

• L11 Subclass feature
• L12 ASI / Feat
• L13
  Tongue of Sun and Moon

  Your trained attention to cadence, breath, and intent allows you to understand any spoken language you hear, and any creature that can understand a language can understand the meaning of your speech. This is not telepathy; it is preternatural comprehension of communicative intent. It does not pierce magical or technological language-encryption.

• L14
  Diamond Soul

  Your discipline hardens against every form of test. You gain proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, when you fail a saving throw, you may spend 1 Ki to reroll it and take the second result.

• L15 Subclass feature
  Timeless Body Capstone

  Your Ki cultivation slows your aging dramatically. You no longer need food or water in normal quantities (a token amount per week is sufficient), and you suffer none of the frailty of advanced age. You can still be killed by violence; you simply will not wither.

• L16 ASI / Feat
• L18 Subclass feature
  Empty Body

  As an action, you can spend 4 Ki to become invisible and gain resistance to all damage except force damage for 1 minute. The effect ends early if you are reduced to 0 HP. Additionally, you may spend 8 Ki to project your consciousness astrally for up to 1 hour, leaving your body in a quiescent meditative state (treated as Unconscious but stable); during the projection, you can perceive and move on the Astral as the GM rules, and you return to your body at any time as a free action.

• L19 ASI / Feat
• L20
  Perfect Self Capstone

  Your body is the channel. When you roll initiative and have no Ki points remaining, you immediately regain 4 Ki. Additionally, your maximum Ki pool increases by your WIS modifier (minimum +1), recalculated whenever your WIS changes.

Subclasses (4)

• Way Of The Eclipse
• Way Of The Open Fist
• Way Of The Voidwalker
• Way Of The Mantra