DnD 2024 Monk class guide

The DnD 2024 Monk is drastically different from its previous version in fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons. Wizards of the Coast knew this class needed help, so the Monk was picked up, shaken out, and given a bunch of new toys that make it much more appealing to play. This guide explains the DnD Monk 2024 rules, shows the changes made, and throws some character build tips into the mix.

If you want to compare this new character option with the Monk 5e rules, our guide can show you the original 2014 version. We can also tell you how DnD classes and DnD races have changed in the new Player’s Handbook.

Here’s everything you need to know about the DnD 2024 Monk:

• What’s different about the DnD 2024 Monk?
• DnD 2024 Monk features
• DnD 2024 Monk subclasses

What’s different about the DnD 2024 Monk?

We’ll get into the new rules for the Monk shortly, but first here’s a summary of the major changes between 2014 and 2024:

Level one

Martial Arts

• Applies to your new weapon proficiencies, which are simple melee weapons and Light martial weapons (rather than shortswords and simple melee weapons that aren’t Two-Handed or Heavy).
  Starting die for unarmed strikes and monk weapon attacks is 1d6 rather than 1d4.
• You can now use your Dexterity modifier for grapple or shove rolls.
• You can now make an additional unarmed strike as a bonus action, even if you didn’t use your action to make an attack.

Unarmored Defense

• No change

Level two

Monk’s Focus

• ‘Ki’ has been renamed, and Ki Points are now Focus Points.
• Flurry of Blows no longer requires you to make an attack.
• Patient Defense lets you Disengage as a bonus action without spending a Focus Point. You can choose to spend a Focus Point to Disengage and Dodge instead.
• Step of the Wind lets you Dash as a bonus action without spending a Focus Point, and spending one lets you Dash and Disengage as a bonus action.

Uncanny Metabolism

• An entirely new feature – see the DnD Monk 2024 features section for more details.

Unarmored Movement

• No change

Level three

Deflect Attacks

• Renamed from Deflect Missiles.
• You can block any attack roll that would deal you bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
• If you spend a Focus Point to deal the damage back to the attacker, the target must pass a Dexterity save or take damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts Die plus your Dexterity modifier.

Monk Subclasses

Warrior of Mercy:

• Flurry of Healing and Harm has been nerfed – you’re now limited to using it a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, regaining uses after a long rest.

Warrior of Shadow:

• At level three, you no longer gain the spells Pass Without Trace, Silence, and Darkvision, but gain 60 feet Darkvision as an inherent feature, rather than needing to drain two Focus Points on it.
• Casting Darkness costs one Focus Point instead of two, and you can see through the magical darkness you create. You can also move the Darkness around at the start of your turns.
• At Level 11, you gain Improved Shadow Step instead of Cloak of Shadows.
• At Level 17 you gain Cloak of Shadows instead of Opportunist. It costs three Focus Points to activate, and you gain invisibility that doesn’t disappear when you attack. You can walk through occupied spaces as if they were difficult terrain, and you can use Flurry of Blows without spending Focus Points.

Warrior of the Open Hand:

• Wholeness of Body is now a bonus action instead of an action. It restores less than before, but you get more uses.
• At Level 11, Fleet Step replaces Tranquility.
• The Level 17 ability Quivering Palm now costs four Focus Points instead of three, and it’s no longer an instant kill if they fail their Constitution save. Instead, your target now takes 10d12 Force damage on a failed save or half as much if they succeed.

Warrior of the Elements:

• A completely redesigned class – see the DnD 2024 Monk subclasses section for more information.

Level four

Slow Fall

• No change

Level five

Extra Attack

• No change

Stunning Strike

• Can be triggered off unarmed strikes now instead of just melee weapon attacks, so you can use it with your bonus action attacks and flurry of blows. You can now only use this feature once per turn.
• Targets that pass their Constitution save have their speed halved until the start of your next turn, and the next attack against them has advantage.

Level six

Empowered Strikes

• Instead of turning unarmed strikes into magical attacks, this lets you deal force damage with your unarmed attacks.

Level seven

Evasion

• No change

Level nine

Acrobatic Movement

• Renamed Unarmored Movement Improvement, but no mechanical difference.

Level 10

Heightened Focus

• An entirely new feature – see the DnD 2024 Monk features section for more info.

Self Restoration

• A tweaked version of Stillness of the Mind that lets you remove a charmed, frightened, or poisoned condition at the end of each turn.
• You also don’t gain Exhaustion from not eating and drinking.

Level 13

Deflect Energy

• An entirely new feature – see the DnD 2024 Monk features section for more info.

Level 14

Disciplined Survivor

• Renamed Diamond Soul, but no mechanical difference.

Level 15

Perfect Focus

• An entirely new feature – see the DnD 2024 Monk features section for more info.

Level 18

Superior Defense

• An entirely new feature – see the DnD 2024 Monk features section for more info.

Level 19

Epic Boon

• An entirely new feature – see the DnD 2024 Monk features section for more info.

Level 20

Body and Mind

• An entirely new feature – see the DnD 2024 Monk features section for more info.

DnD 2024 Monk features

The basic stats and skills of the 2024 Monk are very similar, though you’ll notice they now get proficiency with all weapons that have the Light trait, not just simple weapons and shortswords. The extra martial weapons this gives you are the scimitar and hand crossbow. These also count as Monk weapons for your Martial Arts feature.

You also get slightly different starting equipment, choosing between 50 GP to spend as you like or a Spear, five daggers, the tool or musical instrument you’ve got proficiency in, an Explorer’s Pack, and 11 GP.

So far, not much to write home about, but stay tuned: things are about to get interesting.

Martial Arts

Level: One (improves at five, 11, 17)

This is the main feature through which butt-kickings are dispensed, at least at level one. Your unarmed strikes and Monk weapons that you’re proficient in can deal 1d6 damage instead of their regular damage. The die changes size as you level up.

As before, Martial Arts lets you use your Dexterity instead of Strength to modify your attack and damage rolls. New in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, when someone makes an Unarmed Strike they have the option to Grapple or Shove instead. The Monk’s Martial Arts ability lets you use your Dex modifier (rather than Dex or Strength) to determine the save for these actions.

Martial Arts also lets you make an additional unarmed strike as a bonus action. Previously, you could only do this while you made an attack action, but it’s no longer restricted in this way. This means you could use a regular attack on one foe, then move and wallop another with your bonus action. It also means you get to make at least one unarmed strike, even if you use your main action for something else.

Unarmored Defense

Level: One

If you’re not wearing armor or carrying a shield your AC is 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Monk’s Focus

Level: Two

You have a steadily growing number of Focus Points, which help to power your other class and subclass features. You can gain these back after taking a short or long rest.

The restrictive nature of Ki Points was a big weakness of the 5e Monk. While the numbers haven’t changed much here, the class as a whole is less dependent on Focus, and there are more ways to gain it back. The table above shows how many Focus Points you have at each level.

Alongside this feature, you gain three abilities:

• Flurry of Blows – You can spend one Focus Point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.
• Patient Defense – You can disengage as a bonus action, without spending Focus Point. But if you expend a Focus Point, you can both disengage and dodge as a bonus action.
• Step of the Wind – You can dash as a bonus action without spending a Focus Point. But if you do spend a Focus point, you get to both disengage and dash in your bonus action, and your jump distance is doubled for a turn.

Uncanny Metabolism

Level: Two

Once per long rest, when you roll initiative, you can gain all your Focus Points back again. You also get HP back equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die plus your Monk level. This feature means you require fewer short rests over the course of a day, and will almost never be caught in a combat where you can’t properly participate.

Unarmored Movement

Level: Two (improves at six, 10, 14, 18)

The Monk gains extra speed when not wearing armor or using shields.

Deflect Attacks

Level: Three

If you’re hit by an attack roll that deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you can spend a reaction to reduce the damage. You roll 1d10, add your Dexterity modifier and Monk level, and you subtract this sum from the incoming damage.

If you completely negate the damage, you can spend a Focus Point to send that damage back to your attackers. If the attack was melee, choose a target you can see within five feet; otherwise, choose a target you can see within 60 feet that isn’t behind total cover. They must succeed on a Dexterity save or take damage equaling two rolls of your Martial Arts die, plus your Dexterity modifier. The damage is the same as the original attack.

Monk Subclass

Level: Three (new abilities gained at six, 11, 17)

As with all the other classes, there are four Monk subclasses in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. See the DnD 2024 Monk subclasses section for more information about the Warrior of Mercy, Warrior of Shadow, Warrior of the Elements, and Warrior of the Open Hand.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: Four, eight, 12, 16

When you gain this feature you have the choice of gaining +1 to two DnD stats, +2 to one stat, or a feat that you qualify for (see our DnD 2024 feats guide).

Slow Fall

Level: Four

You can use a reaction when falling to reduce damage taken by five times your Monk level.

Extra Attack

Level: Five

You get to make an additional attack when you make the attack action.

Stunning Strike

Level: Five

Once per turn, when you hit with a Monk weapon or unarmed strike, you can spend a focus point to use Stunning Strike. Your target makes a Constitution save, becoming Stunned until the start of your next turn on a failure. On a success, their speed is halved until the start of your next turn, and the next attack roll made against them has advantage.

Empowered Strikes

Level: Six

When you deal damage with an unarmed strike, you can deal its normal damage type or force damage.

Evasion

Level: Seven

When you’re told to make a Dex save to take half damage from an effect, you instead take no damage on a successful save and half damage on a failed save.

Acrobatic Movement

Level: Nine

When not wearing armor or using a shield, you can now run across vertical surfaces like you’re in Mirror’s Edge or across liquids like you’re Jesus.

Heightened Focus

Level: 10

Your Monk’s Focus features improve:

• Flurry of Blows – You can spend one Focus Point to make three Unarmed Strikes with Flurry of Blows instead of two.
• Patient Defense – If you spend a Focus Point on Patient Defense, you gain temporary HP equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die.
• Step of the Wind – When you spend a Focus Point on Step of the Wind, you can move a willing creature within five feet that’s Large or smaller. You move together until the end of your turn, and the creature doesn’t trigger DnD opportunity attacks.

Self-Restoration

Level: 10

You can automatically remove (one of) the charmed, frightened, or poisoned conditions at the end of each of your turns. You also don’t gain exhaustion from not eating and drinking.

Deflect Energy

Level: 13

A simple but badass upgrade, at Level 13 your Deflect Attacks feature can now reduce (and shoot back) attacks of any DnD damage type.

Disciplined Survivor

Level: 14

This gives you proficiency in all saving throws, and lets you spend a Focus Point for one attempt at a reroll. (There’s no burning multiple to keep trying).

Perfect Focus

Level: 15

Perfect Focus ensures you always have at least a few Focus Points at the start of every battle. When you roll initiative, if you have fewer than three Focus Points, you go back up to four.

Superior Defense

Level: 18

When your turn starts, you can spend three Focus Points to give yourself resistance to all damage (except force damage). This lasts for one minute or until you become incapacitated.

Epic Boon

Level: 19

At level 19, like the other classes, you get to pick an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice. (See our DnD 2024 feats guide to see the options available).

Body and Mind

Level: 20

Your Dexterity and Wisdom stats both go up by four (to a maximum of 25). It’s not flashy, but it is dramatically powerful – boosting everything from your attack rolls and damage to your AC.

DnD 2024 Monk subclasses

Warrior of Mercy

Formerly the Way of Mercy, the DnD Warrior of Mercy now has the following features:

Hand of Harm

Level: Three

Once per turn, when you deal damage to a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend one Focus Point to deal extra necrotic damage. This damage equals one roll of your Martial Arts die plus your Wisdom modifier.

Implements of Mercy

Level: Three

You’re now proficient in two extra DnD skills, Insight and Medicine. You’re also proficient with the Herbalism Kit.

Physician’s Touch

Level: Six

Hand of Harm now gives the affected creature the poisoned condition until the end of your next turn. Additionally, Hand of Healing can end one of the following conditions when you heal a creature: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned.

Flurry of Healing and Harm

Level: 11

When you use Flurry of Blows, you can replace any number of unarmed strikes with Hand of Healing or Hand of Harm. Doing so doesn’t require you to spend Focus Points on the healing or the extra damage. Importantly, Hand of Harm can still only be used once per turn.

This ability can be used a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier before you need a long rest.

Hand of Ultimate Mercy

Level: 17

As a magic action, you can touch a creature that died in the past 24 hours and spend five Focus Points to resurrect it. The creature comes back with HP equaling 4d10 plus your Wisdom modifier. If it was blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned when it died, the creature has those conditions removed. You can use Hand of Ultimate Mercy once before you need a long rest.

Warrior of Shadow

The Way of Shadow is now the DnD Warrior of Shadow. Here’s what the subclass looks like:

Shadow Arts

Level: Three

You can spend a Focus Point to cast Darkness without components. You can see in the magical darkness, and you can move it to a space within 60 feet of you at the start of each of your turns.

Shadow Arts also gives you 60 feet of Darkvision (or 60 more if you already have it). Finally, you can cast Minor Illusion with Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.

Shadow Step

Level: Six

When in dim light or darkness, you can spend a bonus action to teleport 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. This space must also be in dim light or darkness. After you’ve teleported, you get advantage on the next melee attack you make – but you must make it before your current turn ends.

Improved Shadow Step

Level: 11

When you use Shadow Step, you can spend a Focus Point and remove the need to land in dim light or darkness. This same bonus action also lets you make an unarmed strike right after you teleport.

Cloak of Shadows

Level: 17

When you’re in dim light or darkness, you can spend a magic action and three Focus Points to give yourself the invisible condition. While using this feature (which lasts for one minute or until you’re incapacitated), you can move through occupied spaces as if they were difficult terrain. You can also use Flurry of Blows without spending focus points.

Warrior of the Elements

The Way of Four Elements was completely reworked, and its new version is known as the DnD Warrior of Elements. Here’s what’s new:

Elemental Attunement

Level: Three

At the beginning of your turn, you can spend one Focus Point to gain the following effects:

When you make unarmed strikes, your reach is increased by 10 feet.
When you hit with an unarmed strike, you can choose to deal acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage instead of its regular type. You can also force the target to make a Strength save, pushing them 10 feet toward or away from you on a failure.

These effects last for 10 minutes or until you become incapacitated.

Manipulate Elements

Level: Three

You know the brand-new Elementalism spell, and you use Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.

Elemental Burst

Level: Six

You can spend a magic action and two Focus Points to create a 20-foot radius sphere of elemental energy, centered on a point within 120 of you. Creatures in the sphere make a Dexterity save, taking damage equal to three rolls of your Martial Arts die on a failure. You choose whether that damage is acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. Plus, they still take half damage on a successful save.

Stride of the Elements

Level: 11

When Elemental Attunement is active, you also have a fly and swim speed equal to your regular speed.

Elemental Epitome

Level: 17

While Elemental Attunement is active, you become resistant to one damage type (acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder). You can change the damage types at the start of each turn.

Additionally, when you use Step of the Wind in this same period, your speed increases by 20 feet until the end of your turn. Creatures of your choice take damage equal to one Martial Arts die when you come within five feet of them (but only once per turn). Choose whether that damage type is acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.

Warrior of the Open Hand

The Way of the Open Hand is now the DnD Warrior of the Open Hand. Their new subclass features are:

Open Hand Technique

Level: Three

If you hit a creature with a Flurry of Blows attack, you can give them one of the following extra effects:

• They can’t make opportunity attacks until the start of their next turn.
• They must pass a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you.
• They must pass a Dexterity saving throw or become prone.

Wholeness of Body

Level: Six

You can spend a bonus action and roll a Martial Arts die to regain HP. The regained health equals that roll plus your Wisdom modifier, and you can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier. Long resting restores those uses.

Fleet Step

Level: 11

When you use a bonus action that isn’t Step of the Wind, you can use Step of the Wind immediately after that bonus action.

Quivering Palm

Level: 17

If you hit a creature with your unarmed strike, you can spend four Focus Points to make them vibrate for several days. The days equal your Monk level, and the vibrations are harmless until you spend an action to end them (if you make an attack action, you can also give up one of the attacks to end this condition).

When the vibrations end, the target must pass a Constitution saving throw or take 10d12 force damage. They take half damage on a success, and they ignore the save entirely if they’re on another DnD plane.

For even more rules changes from the Player’s Handbook, check out our guides to the DnD 2024 Sorcerer and DnD 2024 Druid. Or, for a last, poignant look back at the classic fifth edition rules, here are the DnD classes and DnD races you already know.