Editing Monk (section)

===[[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]]===
[[File:Monk 5e.png|right|300px]]
The 5e Monk is a different sort of beast altogether, although it definitely borrows from the lessons learned in 4th edition. As in 4e, [[MAD]] is no longer an issue as their Martial Arts class feature means they can substitute Dexterity for Strength when making attack & damage rolls with unarmed strikes and "monk weapons" - it also bumps up their unarmed strike (and their "monk weapons", a line that seems to be frequently missed despite its many potential benefits; like multiclassing into an assassin rogue and mixing it with daggers) damage from 1 to level-dependent (D4 at first, then D6 at 5th level, D8 at 11th level and D10 at 17th level) and lets them spend their bonus action after making an attack with an unarmed strike or monk weapon to make another such attack. However, unlike 4e, their unarmed strikes don't count as a weapon in their own right, which prevents them from applying buffs like, say, silvering their fists.

Pretty much all of the iconic monk features are back; flurry of blows, deflect missiles, unarmored movement, slow fall, stunning strike, ki-empowered strike (unarmed strikes count as magical), evasion, stillness of mind, purity of body, tongue of the sun and moon (talk all languages), diamond soul, timeless body... However, like all 5th edition classes, monks have to choose a subclass, called a Way, at third level, which determines assorted unique abilities and powers you get.

Monks in this edition use a [[mana]] system called a ki pool, where they have access to a reserve of "ki points" that they can spend to use or buff up various features. Some of these are universal, like Flurry of Blows, being able to throw back a caught missile, or using Empty Body (spend 4 ki to go invisible for 1 minute). Others depend on the Way that you're following.

The first batch of Ways - Open Palm, Four Elements, and Shadow - appeared in the PHB. The Way of the Sun Soul appeared in the [[Forgotten Realms|Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide]], alongside the Way of the Long Death, and was then reposted in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Xanathar's Guide also contained the official versions of the Way of the Kensei and the Way of the Drunken Master.

The Way of the Open Palm is the iconic 3.x Monk brought back to life; its powers are the Open Hand Technique (Flurry of Blows can push, knock prone or immobilize foes), Wholeness of Body (heal yourself 3 time per long), Tranquility (apply a Sanctuary spell to yourself 1/long rest) and the iconic save-or-die killing blow technique, the Quivering Palm.

The Way of the Four Elements is an "[[element]]al" monk, using ki to manipulate the elements in various ways - as a result, it's got the largest amount of unique traits in the form of its selectable Elemental Disciplines, which include both an assortment of spell-like abilities and more unique traits, like creating a Water Whip or hammering someone with blasts of compressed air or fire by punching at them from a distance. It sounds cool, as it's essentially letting you play the titular characters from [[Avatar: The Last Airbender]], but it's infamous as one of the weakest subclasses, mostly due to the complaint that the various Disciplines cost far too much ki to use given how small the monk's ki pool is until higher levels and the fact you need to take a short rest to regain it.

The Way of Shadow is... Well, let's not beat about the bush here; it's a [[ninja]]. Rather than try and claim that ninjas are somehow different to [[rogue]]/monk [[multiclassing]], 5e just makes it a straight-up style of monk, although you can always go for the Rogue ([[Assassin]]) multiclass if you really want to boost the theme. It mostly absorbs the [[Shadowdancer]] as well, in that its various powers revolve around manipulating darkness; a 5e ninja gets the Minor Illusion cantrip and can cast Darkness, Darkvision, Pass Without Trace and Silence by spending ki points. It can teleport from shadow to shadow via its Shadow Step, become invisible at will by using Cloak of Shadows when in areas of dim or no light, and its Opportunist power lets it get a free attack in on somebody who gets hurt by someone else.

The Way of the Long Death hails from the SCAG, and is essentially a mixture of a monkish assassin (so an alternate ninja) and a [[necromancer]], justified by very poorly-defined fluff; Touch of Death lets you get temporary hitpoints when somebody drops dead near you, Hour of Reaping lets you spook fools within 60ft for a turn, Mastery of Death lets you spend a ki point to avoid being killed by an attack, and Touch of the Long Death lets you spend ki points to touch a sap and inflict necrotic damage, in a sort of poor-man's Quivering Palm.

The Way of the Sun Soul, also from the SCAG, is sort of a ''Dragonball Z''-type Monk, though grumpy purists will point out it actually predates ''DBZ''. They can make ranged Radiant-inflicting unarmed strikes at will, spend ki to cast Burning Hands, spend ki to throw around what is essentially a Radiant-inflicting Fireball spell, and produce a brilliant aura that burns anybody stupid enough to strike you whilst it's active. Whether this is awesome or just plain stupid is [[skub|up for heated debate]]. This one was later reprinted in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. However if you fluff it to be the use of [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|Hamon]], then it is [[Awesome|awesome]].

The Way of the Drunken Master is an homage to the Drunken Boxing style made famous by kung fu movies. Unlike its [[Pathfinder]] equivalent, it doesn't actually require you to get liquored up; as with IRL ''zuì quán'', you're emulating a drunk, not actually being one. Coming with bonus proficiencies in Performance and Brewing Supplies, its first feature is Drunken Technique at level 3 (Flurry of Blows lets you Disengage and boosts your speed by +10 feet until the end of the current turn). Level 6 grants you Tipsy Sway, which means you can stand up when prone for only 5 feet of movement and, when a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend 1 ki point to redirect that attack to another visible enemy within 5 feet. Your level 11 feature, Drunkard's Luck, lets you spend 2 ki points to burn off Disadvantage on an attack roll, ability check or saving throw. Finally, Intoxicated Frenzy means that when your Flurry of Blows gains +3 attacks, but only if you use it to attack multiple targets in the same turn.

The Way of the Kensei is the typical warrior-monk, trading the typical expertise with unarmed attacks for greater proficiency with weaponry; in this, they emulate the unarmored [[samurai]] weapon-masters beloved of [[Wuxia]] films. It predominantly revolves around its level 3 feature; Path of the Kensei. This lets you nominate two weapons (one melee, one ranged) as "kensei weapons"; such weapons must lack the heavy quality and the special quality (though longbow is also acceptable). You gain proficiency with the selected weapons, treat them as Monk Weapons, and gain the traits Agile Parry (an unarmed strike whilst holding a kensei weapon grants you +2 AC until the start of your next turn, so long as you're holding the weapon and not incapacitated) and Kensei's Shot (as a bonus action, grant a ranged kensei weapon +1d4 bonus damage until the end of the current turn). You gain an additional kensei weapon proficiency at levels 6, 11 and 17. Also, Path of the Kensei gives you a bonus proficiency with either calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies, your choice. At level 6, you gain the feature "One With The Blade", which A: makes your kensei weapons count as magical for overcoming damage resistance/immunity, and B: lets you spend 1 ki point when you hit with a kensei weapon to do bonus damage equal to your Martial Arts die, which you can do once per turn. Level 11's feature, Sharpen the Blade, lets you spend up to 3 ki points as a bonus action to gain a bonus to your attack rolls & damage rolls with a kensei weapon equal to the ki points spent - this bonus lasts for 1 minute (or until you use it again) and has no effect on magic weapons that already grant attack & damage roll bonuses. Finally, level 17 gives you the Unerring Accuracy trait, which lets you reroll a missed attack with a monk weapon once per turn.

[[Unearthed Arcana]] for August 2019 introduced '''The Way of the Astral Self''', which has evoked immediate comparisons to [[Jojo's Bizarre Adventure]], but could be inspired by the Siren class from [[Borderlands]] 3, or any other anime character who summons parts of their soul to beat people to a pulp with. Its whole gimmick revolves around summoning its "astral self" partially into the mortal world; at 3rd level they can summon just the arms for 2 ki points, which provide bonus attacks (+1 at 3rd level, +2 at 11th level, +3 at 17th level) of necrotic/radiant damage with extended reach, whilst at 6th level they gain the ability to summon the "Visage" as a mask to gain Advantage on Insight and Intimidation as well as 120 feet of magical darkness-piercing darkvision - this costs 1 ki point. At level 11, they gain the feature ''Awakening of the Astral Self'', which gives them a pretty extensive power-up if they have both the Arms and the Visage summoned simultaneously: they can partially deflect Acid/Cold/Fire/Lightning/Force Damage, do bonus damage with their Astral Arms bonus attacks once per round, and freely communicate telepathically with one ally within 30 feet or everybody within 600 feet. Finally, at level 17, they can spend 10 ki points to summon the Complete Astral Self; this provides the bonuses of having Arms & Visage out as described previously, as well as giving the monk +2 AC and letting them regain Ki points equal to their Wisdom modifier whenever a creature within 10 feet drops to 0 HP.