Monk, Way of the Kensei

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Class Features

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 DCis 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 Increase

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.   Alternatively, you can choose to gain a single feat of your choice.  

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. 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.

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Starting Equipment

• Choose: a shortsword; or and simple weapon   • Choose: a dungeoneer's pack; or an explorer's pack   • 10 darts

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Subclass Options

Way of the Kensei

Monks of the Way of the Kensei train relentlessly with their weapons, to the point where the weapon becomes 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 in much the same way a calligrapher or 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.  

Path of the Kensei

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your special martial arts training leads you to master the use of certain weapons. This path also includes instruction in the deft strokes of calligraphy or painting. You gain the following benefits.

• Kensei Weapons. Choose two types of weapons to be your kensei weapons: one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. Each of these weapons can be any simple or martial weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties. The longbow is also a valid choice. You gain proficiency with these weapons if you don’t already have it. Weapons of the chosen types are monk weapons for you. Many of this tradition’s features work only with your kensei weapons. When you reach 6th, 11th, and1'7th level in this class. you can choose another type of weapon—either melee or ranged—to be a kensei weapon for you. following the criteria above.
• Agile Parry. If you make an unarmed strike as part of the Attack action on your turn and are holding a kensei weapon, you can use it to defend yourself if it is a melee weapon. You gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, while the weapon is in your hand and you aren't incapacitated.
• Kensei’s Shot. You can use a bonus action on your turn to make your ranged attacks with a kensei weapon more deadly. When you do so, any target you hit with a ranged attack using a kensei weapon takes an extra 1d4 damage of the weapons type. You retain this benefit until the end of the current turn.
• Way of the Brush. You gain proficiency with your choice of calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies.

 

One with the Blade

At 6th level, you extend your ki into your kensei weapons, granting you the following benefits.

• Magic Kensei Weapons. Your attacks with your kensei weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
• Deft Strike. When you hit a target with a kensei weapon, you can spend 1 ki point to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target equal to your Martial Arts die. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.

 

Sharpen the Blade

At 11th level, you gain the ability to augment your weapons further with your ki. As a bonus action, you can expend up to 3 ki points to grant one kensei weapon you touch a bonus to attack and damage rolls when you attack with it. The bonus equals the number of ki points you spent. This bonus lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. This feature has no effect on a magic weapon that already has a bonus to attack and damage rolls.  

Unerring Accuracy

At 17th level, your mastery of weapons grants you extraordinary accuracy. If you miss with an attack roll using a monk weapon on your turn, you can reroll it. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.  

Drunken Master

Bonus Proficiencies

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill if you don’t already have it. Your martial arts technique mixes combat training with the precision of a dancer and the antics of a jester. You also gain proficiency with brewer’s supplies if you don’t already have it.  

Drunken Technique

At 3rd level, you learn how to twist and turn quickly as part of your Flurry of Blows. Whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you gain the benefit of the Disengage action, and your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the current turn.  

Tipsy Sway

Starting at 6th level, you can move in sudden, swaying ways. You gain the following benefits.   Leap to Your Feet. When you’re prone, you can stand up by spending 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.   Redirect Attack. When a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend 1 ki point as a reaction to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.  

Drunkard's Luck

Starting at 11th level, you always seem to get a lucky bounce at the right moment. When you make an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw and have disadvantage on the roll, you can spend 2 ki points to cancel the disadvantage for that roll.  

Intoxicated Frenzy

At 17th level, you gain the ability to make an overwhelming number of attacks against a group of enemies. When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can make up to three additional attacks with it (up to a total of five Flurry of Blows attacks), provided that each Flurry of Blows attack targets a different creature this turn.  

Way of the Open Palm

Open Hand Technique

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate your enemy’s ki when you harness your own. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can impose one of the following effects on that target:   • It must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.   • It must make a Strength saving throw. If it fails, you can push it up to 15 feet away from you.   • It can’t take reactions until the end of your next turn.  

Wholeness of Body

At 6th level, you gain the ability to heal yourself. As an action, you can regain hit points equal to three times your monk level. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.  

Tranquility

Beginning at 11th level, you can enter a special meditation that surrounds you with an aura of peace. At the end of a long rest, you gain the effect of a sanctuary spell that lasts until the start of your next long rest (the spell can end early as normal). The saving throw DC for the spell equals 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.  

Quivering Palm

At 17th level, you gain the ability to set up lethal vibrations in someone’s body. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 ki points to start these imperceptible vibrations, which last for a number of days equal to your monk level. The vibrations are harmless unless you use your action to end them.   To do so, you and the target must be on the same plane of existence. When you use this action, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, it is reduced to 0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage.   You can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a time. You can choose to end the vibrations harmlessly without using an action.  

Way of the Sun Soul

Radiant Sun Bolt

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can hurl searing bolts of magical radiance. You gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is radiant, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.   When you take the Attack action on your turn and use this special attack as part of it, you can spend 1 ki point to make the special attack twice as a bonus action.   When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.  

Searing Arc Strike

At 6th level, you gain the ability to channel your ki into searing waves of energy. Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 2 ki points to cast the burning hands spell as a bonus action.   You can spend additional ki points to cast burning hands as a higher-level spell. Each additional ki point you spend increases the spell’s level by 1. The maximum number of ki points (2 plus any additional points) that you can spend on the spell equals half your monk level.  

Searing Sun Burst

At 11th level, you gain the ability to create an orb of light that erupts into a devastating explosion. As an action, you magically create an orb and hurl it at a point you choose within 150 feet, where it erupts into a sphere of radiant light for a brief but deadly instant. Each creature in that 20-foot-radius sphere must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage. A creature doesn’t need to make the save if the creature is behind total cover that is opaque.   You can increase the sphere’s damage by spending ki points. Each point you spend, to a maximum of 3, increases the damage by 2d6.  

Sun Shield

At 17th level, you become wreathed in a luminous, magical aura. You shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can extinguish or restore the light as a bonus action.   If a creature hits you with a melee attack while this light shines, you can use your reaction to deal radiant damage to the creature. The radiant damage equals 5 + your Wisdom modifier.

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