Monk
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General Description
Monks and their Monasteries
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List of Monk Monastery Locations
Less Known Trait.
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Monk Sub Class
Arcane Hand
Source:
Guide to Drakenhime, Pg 161
(3rd Party)
Monks who practice the Way of the Arcane Hand have trained their bodies and souls to be attuned to the weave of arcane magic. They can harness those cosmic energies and use them to fuel their martial practices. Monks of this tradition, although not mageborn, have gained control over the rawest and most natural forms of power.
Astral Self
Source:
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Pg 50
(Supplement)
A monk who follows the Way of the Astral Self believes their body is an illusion. They see their ki as a representation of their true form, an astral self. This astral self has the capacity to be a force of order or disorder, with some monasteries training students to use their power to protect the weak and other instructing aspirants in how to manifest their true selves in service to the mighty
Ascendant Dragon
Source:
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
(Supplement)
The fundamental teaching of this tradition holds that by emulating dragons, a monk becomes a more integrated part of the world and its magic. By altering their spirit to resonate with draconic might, monks who follow this tradition augment their prowess in battle, bolster their allies, and can even soar through the air on draconic wings. But all this power is in service of a greater goal: achieving a spiritual unity with the essence of the Material Plane.
Drunken Master
Source:
Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Pg 33
(Supplement)
The Way of the Drunken Master teaches its students to move with the jerky, unpredictable movements of a drunkard. A drunken master sways, tottering on unsteady feet, to present what seems like an incompetent combatant who proves frustrating to engage. The drunken master’s erratic stumbles conceal a carefully executed dance of blocks, parries, advances, attacks, and retreats.
A drunken master often enjoys playing the fool to bring gladness to the despondent or to demonstrate humility to the arrogant, but when battle is joined, the drunken master can be a maddening, masterful foe.
Dying Light
Source:
Grim Hollow Valika, Pg 101
(3rd Party)
Monks who follow this tradition understand that strength is weakness, and self-sacrifice is the surest path to victory. The Way of the Dying Light believes that mortal flesh is intrinsically impure, and only true death can ultimately purge one’s everlasting soul of sin. Their gruesome practices and strict punishments are considered barbaric by many but have made them a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Monks who follow the Way of the Dying Light are taught to welcome death, to rejoice in suffering, and to strike at evil when least expected; the moment in which all seems lost. Monks within the sect of the Dying Light take stringent vows when they are initiated into a monastery. These vows gradually teach them to embrace the sensationless void of death, through vows of silence, vows of sightlessness, extreme fasting, and isolation. Some even swear off touch by daily consuming a tincture that numbs their sense of touch. One of the Seven Heroes’ companions, a being known as the Dying Light, was said to have taken vows that allowed her to remove herself from all mortal sensation, and travel between the realms of life and death. Some legends even say she saved Kentigern from death, knowing that it was not yet his time. No monk since has successfully followed in her footsteps. All who deaden their senses have simply died—an event that is nevertheless celebrated by their peers
Four Elements
Source:
Player's Handbook, Pg 80
(Core)
You follow a monastic tradition that teaches you to harness the elements. When you focus your ki, you can align yourself with the forces of creation and bend the four elements to your will, using them as an extension of your body. Some members of this tradition dedicate themselves to a single element, but others weave the elements together.
Many monks of this tradition tattoo their bodies with representations of their ki powers, commonly imagined as coiling dragons, but also as phoenixes, fish, plants, mountains, and cresting waves.
D&D 5th 2024 Version Available
Kensei
Source:
Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Pg 34
(Supplement)
Monks of the Way of the Kensei train relentlessly with their weapons, to the point that the weapon becomes like an extension of the body. Founded on a mastery of sword fighting, the tradition has expanded to include many different weapons.
A kensei sees a weapon much in the same way a calligrapher or a painter regards a pen or brush. Whatever the weapon, the kensei views it as a tool used to express the beauty and precision of the martial arts. That such mastery makes a kensei a peerless warrior is but a side effect of intense devotion, practice, and study.
Leaden Crown
Source:
Grim Hollow, Pg 54
(3rd Party)
In contrast to the esoteric ideals of other monastic traditions, monks of the Way of the Leaden Crown have practical aims: the self-governance of humanoid peoples. These monks see the history of the world as a series of clashes between groups of powerful beings, where humanoids were at best collateral damage and at worst disposable pawns.
To break this cycle of dependence and destruction, monks of the Way of the Leaden Crown master mental powers to fight back against the otherworldly powers of the multiverse and protect humanoid sovereignty. One component of this plan involves training to do battle with powerful outsiders. The other equally important component is ensuring that humanoid societies are prepared to overthrow those powerful outsiders already dominating them. To that end, these monks seek political positions that place them in or near decision-making roles where they can influence humanoids to fight back against arch seraphs, arch daemons, and primordials
Long Death
Source:
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
(Setting)
Monks of the Way of the Long Death are obsessed with the meaning and mechanics of dying. They capture creatures and prepare elaborate experiments to capture, record, and understand the moments of their demise. They then use this knowledge to guide their understanding of martial arts, yielding a deadly fighting style.
Mercy
Source:
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Pg 49
(Supplement)
Monks of the Way of Mercy learn to manipulate the life force of others to bring aid to those in need. They are wandering physicians to the poor and hurt. However, to those beyond their help, they bring a swift end as an act of mercy.
Those who follow the Way of Mercy might be members of a religious order, administering to the needy and making grim choices rooted in reality rather than idealism. Some might be gentle-voiced healers, beloved by their communities, while others might be masked bringers of macabre mercies.
The walkers of this way usually don robes with deep cowls, and they often conceal their faces with masks, presenting themselves as the faceless bringers of life and death.
D&D 5th 2024 Version Available
Open Hand
Source:
Player's Handbook, Pg 79
(Core)
Monks of the Way of the Open Hand are the ultimate masters of martial arts combat, whether armed or unarmed. They learn techniques to push and trip their opponents, manipulate ki to heal damage to their bodies, and practice advanced meditation that can protect them from harm.
D&D 5th 2024 Version Available
Pride
Source:
Grim Hollow, Pg 55
(3rd Party)
Monks of the Way of Pride value themselves above all others. These monks focus on mastering their form, ego, and destructive power. They use their monastic traditions publicly, with the intention of gaining the respect and admiration of “lesser beings.” The prideful traditions of this order include adorning oneself with jewelry, hiding their scars from prying eyes, and commanding respect from those that would oppose them.
Serpent
Source:
Guide to Drakenhime, Pg 163
(3rd Party)
Master of the spear, this nimble warrior uses polearms not only as a weapon, but as an extension of themselves, using their weapon to amplify mobility, manoeuvrability, and combat. Like a snake in the grass, the Way of the Serpent hones one’s ability to predict oncoming attacks, deflect from a distance, and strike with deadly precision.
Shadow
Source:
Player's Handbook, Pg 80
(Core)
Monks of the Way of Shadow follow a tradition that values stealth and subterfuge. These monks might be called ninjas or shadowdancers, and they serve as spies and assassins. Sometimes the members of a ninja monastery are family members, forming a clan sworn to secrecy about their arts and missions. Other monasteries are more like thieves' guilds, hiring out their services to nobles, rich merchants, or anyone else who can pay their fees. Regardless of their methods, the heads of these monasteries expect the unquestioning obedience of their students.
D&D 5th 2024 Version Available
Spectre
Source:
Hexbound, Pg 24
(3rd Party)
Witches of the Way of the Specter go through a harrowing ceremony with their mentor in which the pupils experience death itself. The disciples effectively die, sent to the plane where spirits lie for a short moment, before being brought back to life by witch healers. Many witches in training do not survive this ceremony — or, at least, not entirely. They come back as empty husks, devoid of emotion and personality, part of their soul forever lost among the spirits. Those who do take this ultimate risk and make it back gain the key to this specific art of witchcraft: they can use their body itself to channel spirits. Their expertise lies in weakening their foes with attacks charged with spiritual energy, summoning spirits with each blow and driving them into the body of their target to siphon the target’s life energy.
Sun Soul
Source:
Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Pg 35
(Supplement)
Monks of the Way of the Sun Soul learn to channel their own life energy into searing bolts of light. They teach that meditation can unlock the ability to unleash the indomitable light shed by the soul of every living creature.
