I am curious about damage a Monks unarmed strike inflicts, I’ve read the players guide but am still struggling. One of the players in our group is a level 2 Monk, he rolled an 18 for dexterity when making his character sheet and his modifier is +4.
Alignment: Any lawful.
Hit Die: d8.
The monk’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana/religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table: The Monk
Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus | Unarmed Damage1 | AC Bonus | Unarmored Speed Bonus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Bonus feat, flurry of blows unarmed strike | –2/–2 | 1d6 | +0 | +0 ft. |
2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Bonus feat, evasion | –1/–1 | 1d6 | +0 | +0 ft. |
3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Still mind | +0/+0 | 1d6 | +0 | +10 ft. |
4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Ki strike (magic), slow fall 20 ft. | +1/+1 | 1d8 | +0 | +10 ft. |
5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Purity of body | +2/+2 | 1d8 | +1 | +10 ft. |
6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Bonus feat, slow fall 30 ft. | +3/+3 | 1d8 | +1 | +20 ft. |
7th | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Wholeness of body | +4/+4 | 1d8 | +1 | +20 ft. |
8th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Slow fall 40 ft. | +5/+5/+0 | 1d10 | +1 | +20 ft. |
9th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Improved evasion | +6/+6/+1 | 1d10 | +1 | +30 ft. |
10th | +7/+2 | +7 | +7 | +7 | Ki strike, (lawful) slow fall 50 ft. | +7/+7/+2 | 1d10 | +2 | +30 ft. |
11th | +8/+3 | +7 | +7 | +7 | Diamond body, greater flurry | +8/+8/+8/+3 | 1d10 | +2 | +30 ft. |
12th | +9/+4 | +8 | +8 | +8 | Abundant step, slow fall 60 ft. | +9/+9/+9/+4 | 2d6 | +2 | +40 ft. |
13th | +9/+4 | +8 | +8 | +8 | Diamond soul | +9/+9/+9/+4 | 2d6 | +2 | +40 ft. |
14th | +10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +9 | Slow fall 70 ft. | +10/+10/+10/+5 | 2d6 | +2 | +40 ft. |
15th | +11/+6/+1 | +9 | +9 | +9 | Quivering palm | +11/+11/+11/+6/+1 | 2d6 | +3 | +50 ft. |
16th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +10 | Ki strike (adamantine), slow fall 80 ft. | +12/+12/+12/+7/+2 | 2d8 | +3 | +50 ft. |
17th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +10 | Timeless body, tongue of the sun and moon | +12/+12/+12/+7/+2 | 2d8 | +3 | +50 ft. |
18th | +13/+8/+3 | +11 | +11 | +11 | Slow fall 90 ft. | +13/+13/+13/+8/+3 | 2d8 | +3 | +60 ft. |
19th | +14/+9/+4 | +11 | +11 | +11 | Empty body | +14/+14/+14/+9/+4 | 2d8 | +3 | +60 ft. |
20th | +15/+10/+5 | +12 | +12 | +12 | Perfect self, slow fall any distance | +15/+15/+15/+10/+5 | 2d10 | +4 | +60 ft. |
1 The value shown is for Medium monks. See Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage for Small or Large monks. |
All of the following are class features of the monk.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, and sling. Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields. When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.
AC Bonus (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five monk levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): When unarmored, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. The resulting modified base attack bonuses are shown in the Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus column on Table: The Monk. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to –1, and at 9th level it disappears. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.
When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). She may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies her Strength bonus (not Str bonus x 1-1/2 or x 1/2) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether she wields a weapon in one or both hands. The monk can’t use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.
In the case of the quarterstaff, each end counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using the flurry of blows ability. Even though the quarterstaff requires two hands to use, a monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes with quarterstaff strikes, assuming that she has enough attacks in her flurry of blows routine to do so.
When a monk reaches 11th level, her flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack she gets from flurry of blows, she gets a second extra attack at her full base attack bonus.
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.
Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.
A monk also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table: The Monk. The unarmed damage on Table: The Monk is for Medium monks. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large monk deals more damage; see Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage.
Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage
Level | Damage (Small Monk) | Damage (Large Monk) |
---|---|---|
1st–3rd | 1d4 | 1d8 |
4th–7th | 1d6 | 2d6 |
8th–11th | 1d8 | 2d8 |
12th–15th | 1d10 | 3d6 |
16th–19th | 2d6 | 3d8 |
20th | 2d8 | 4d8 |
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, a monk may select either Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist as a bonus feat. At 2nd level, she may select either Combat Reflexes or Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat. At 6th level, she may select either Improved Disarm or Improved Trip as a bonus feat. A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher if a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Monk. A monk in armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.
Still Mind (Ex): A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a monk’s unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character’s monk level. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.
Slow Fall (Ex): At 4th level or higher, a monk within arm’s reach of a wall can use it to slow her descent. When first using this ability, she takes damage as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. The monk’s ability to slow her fall (that is, to reduce the effective distance of the fall when next to a wall) improves with her monk level until at 20th level she can use a nearby wall to slow her descent and fall any distance without harm.
Purity of Body (Ex): At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.
Wholeness of Body (Su): At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds. She can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to twice her current monk level each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a monk’s evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Diamond Body (Su): At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.
Abundant Step (Su): At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, once per day. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down).
Diamond Soul (Ex): At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance equal to her current monk level + 10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance.
Quivering Palm (Su): Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. She can use this quivering palm attack once a week, and she must announce her intent before making her attack roll. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter the monk can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to her monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the monk’s level + the monk’s Wis modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time.
Timeless Body (Ex): Upon attaining 17th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to her ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that she has already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when her time is up.
Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex): A monk of 17th level or higher can speak with any living creature.
Empty Body (Su): At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 round per monk level per day, as though using the spell etherealness. She may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day, as long as the total number of rounds spent in an ethereal state does not exceed her monk level.
Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. She is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monk’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/magic, which allows her to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonmagical weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if she were a member of her previous creature type.
A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retains all monk abilities.
Like a member of any other class, a monk may be a multiclass character, but multiclass monks face a special restriction. A monk who gains a new class or (if already multiclass) raises another class by a level may never again raise her monk level, though she retains all her monk abilities.
Feat Name | Action Contents |
---|---|
Unarmored Defense | Beginning at 1st level, while {name} is wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, their AC equals {10 + DexMod +WisMod}. |
Martial Arts | At 1st level, {name}’s practice of martial arts gives them mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two- handed or heavy property. They gain the following benefits while they are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and they aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield: _ They can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of their unarmed strikes and monk weapons. _ They can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of their unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes as they gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of Table: The Monk. * When they use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on their turn, they can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if they take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, they can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming they haven’t already taken a bonus action this turn. Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons. For example, they might use a club that is two lengths of wood connected by a short chain (called a nunchaku) or a sickle with a shorter, straighter blade (called a kama). Whatever name they use for a monk weapon, they can use the game statistics provided for the weapon. |
Ki | Starting at 2nd level, {name}’s training allows them to harness the mystic energy of ki. Their access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. Their monk level determines the number of points they have, as shown in the Ki Points column of Table: The Monk. They can spend these points to fuel various ki features. They start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. They learn more ki features as they gain levels in this class. When they spend a ki point, it is unavailable until they finish a short or long rest, at the end of which they draw all of their expended ki back into themselves. They must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain their ki points. Some of their ki features require their target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: Ki save DC = {8 + Prof + WisMod} |
Flurry of Blows | Immediately after {name} takes the Attack action on their turn, they can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action. |
Patient Defense | {name} can spend 1 ki point to take the Dodge action as a bonus action on their turn. |
Step of the Wind | {name} can spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on their turn, and their jump distance is doubled for the turn. |
Unarmored Movement | Starting at 2nd level, {name}’s speed increases by {'10 feet'} while they are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when they reach certain monk levels, as shown in Table: The Monk.At 9th level, they gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on their turn without falling during the move. |
Monastic Tradition | When {name} reaches 3rd level, they commit themselves to a monastic tradition. The tradition they choose grants them features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level. |
Deflect Missiles | Starting at 3rd level, {name} can use their reaction to deflect or catch the missile when they are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When they do so, the damage they take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + their Dexterity modifier ({DexMod}) + their monk level. If they reduce the damage to {0}, they can catch the missile if it is small enough for them to hold in one hand and they have at least one hand free. If they catch a missile in this way, they can spend {1} ki point to make a ranged attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition they just caught, as part of the same reaction. They make this attack with proficiency, regardless of their weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack, which has a normal range of {'20 feet'} and a long range of {'60 feet'} . |
Slow Fall | Beginning at 4th level, {name} can use their reaction when they fall to reduce any falling damage they take by an amount equal to five times their monk level. |
Extra Attack | Beginning at 5th level, {name} can attack twice, instead of once, whenever they take the Attack action on their turn. |
Stunning Strike | Starting at 5th level, {name} can interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent’s body. When they hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, they can spend 1 ki point to attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of {name}’s next turn. |
Ki-Empowered Strikes | Starting at 6th level, {name}’s unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. |
Evasion | At 7th level, {name}’s instinctive agility lets them dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When they are subjected to an effect that allows them to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, they instead take no damage if they succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if they fail. |
Stillness of Mind | Starting at 7th level, {name} can use their action to end one effect on themselves that is causing them to be charmed or frightened. |
Purity of Body | At 10th level, {name}’s mastery of the ki flowing through them makes them immune to disease and poison. |
Tongue of the Sun and Moon | Starting at 13th level, {name} learns to touch the ki of other minds so that {name} understands all spoken languages. Moreover, any creature that can understand a language can understand what they say. |
Diamond Soul | Beginning at 14th level, {name}’s mastery of ki grants them proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, whenever they make a saving throw and fail, they can spend 1 ki point to reroll it and take the second result. |
Timeless Body | At 15th level, {name}’s ki sustains them so that they suffer none of the frailty of old age, and they can’t be aged magically. They can still die of old age, however. In addition, they no longer need food or water. |
Empty Body | Beginning at 18th level, {name} can use their action to spend 4 ki points to become invisible for 1 minute. During that time, they also have resistance to all damage but force damage. Additionally, they can spend 8 ki points to cast the astral projection spell, without needing material components. When they do so, they can’t take any other creatures with them. |
Perfect Self | At 20th level, when {name} rolls for initiative and has no ki points remaining, they regain {4} ki points. |
Feat Name | Action Contents |
---|---|
Open Hand Technique | Starting when {name} chooses this tradition at 3rd level, they can manipulate their enemy’s ki when they harness their own. Whenever they hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by their Flurry of Blows, they 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, they can push it up to {'15 feet'} away from themselves.- It can’t take reactions until the end of their next turn. |
Wholeness of Body | At 6th level, {name} gains the ability to heal themselves. As an action, they can regain hit points equal to three times their monk level ({3*Lvl}). They must finish a long rest before they can use this feature again. |
Tranquility | Beginning at 11th level, {name} can enter a special meditation that surrounds them with an aura of peace. At the end of a long rest, they gain the effect of a sanctuary spell that lasts until the start of their next long rest (the spell can end early as normal). The saving throw DC for the spell equals {8 + WisMod + Prof}. |
Quivering Palm | At 17th level, {name} gains the ability to set up lethal vibrations in someone’s body. When they hit a creature with an unarmed strike, they can spend 3 ki points to start these imperceptible vibrations, which last for a number of days equal to their monk level ({Lvl}). The vibrations are harmless unless they use their action to end them. To do so, they and the target must be on the same plane of existence. When they use this action, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw DC {8 + Lvl + WisMod}). If it fails, it is reduced to {'0 hit points'} . If it succeeds, it takes !(10d10) necrotic damage.They can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a time. They can choose to end the vibrations harmlessly without using an action. |