After Ranger, the Monk is one the least liked 5e classes. It's in an odd position - on one hand it starts off strong, and gains the incredibly powerful Stunning Strike. However at later levels it's damage drops off considerably, and outside of certain tradiations (Open Palm), its options in combat become quite limited, and are often relegated to stun spam. These changes aim to make Monks more attractive with more alternatives

These changes broadly include:

• Stunning Strike is triggered on multiple attacks against the same target with a number of free uses per short rest, but ki can't be used for it.

  • This reduces both the number of times you can use it per turn & incentivises other uses of Ki
• Flurry of Blows increases to 3 attacks at level 11, giving Monks a much needed damage boost, but still not outclassing Fighter Extra Attack.
• A number of features have been moved into 'Ki Techniques' with a whole lot of additional options.
• Added Wis bonus to Deception/Persuasion to Tongue of Sun and Moon.
• Changed Perfect Self to give ki and a stunning strike usage back when you roll initiative.
• Each subclass now has an new way of spending ki to improve their relevant skills at level 3.

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Class Features

As a monk, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per monk level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per monk level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: None
• Weapons: Simple weapons, shortswords
• Tools: Choose one type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument
• Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
• Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a shortsword or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• 10 darts

Unarmored Defense

Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Martial Arts

At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you 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.

You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:

• You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
• You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
• When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven’t already taken a bonus action this turn.

Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons. For example, you 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 you use for a monk weapon, you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon.

Ki

Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy of ki. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. Your monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Monk table.

You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start knowing three foundational techniques: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind.

When you gain certain monk levels, you gain additional techniques of your choice, as shown in the Techniques Known column of the Monk table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the techniques you know and replace it with another technique that you could learn at that level.

When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your ki points.

Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Ki Techniques

At level 2, you learn three foundation techniques, and when you gain certain monk levels, you can chose from a number of different techniques, which are described on the Ki Techniques page.

Dedicated Weapon

Also at 2nd level, you train yourself to use a variety of weapons as monk weapons, not just simple melee weapons and shortswords. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can touch one weapon, focus your ki on it, and then count that weapon as a monk weapon until you use this feature again. The chosen weapons must each meet the following criteria:

• The weapon must be a simple or martial weapon.
• You must be proficient with the weapon.
• It must lack the heavy and special properties.

Unarmored Movement

Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels, as shown in the Monk table.

At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.

Monastic Tradition

When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition. In addition to the published options, you can choose from:

• Way of the Open Hand
• Way of the Four Elements
• Way of Shadow
• Way of the Long Death
• Way of the Sun Soul
• Way of the Drunken Master
• Way of the Kensei

Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Ki-Fueled Strike

When you reach 3rd level, if you spend 1 ki or more as part of your action on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action before the end of the turn.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Stunning Strike

Starting at 5th Level, when you target the same creature with two melee attacks in one round, your precision strikes begin to interfere with the flow of ki in your opponent's body. If either attack hits and deals damage, you can force the target to make a Constitution saving throw. On failure, they are stunned until the end of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Ki-Empowered Strikes

Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose 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 area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. 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 only half damage if you fail.

Stillness of Mind

Starting at 7th level, you can use your action to end one effect on 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

Starting at 13th level, you learn to touch the ki of other minds so that you understand all spoken languages. Moreover, any creature that can understand a language can understand what you say.

Additionally, whenever you make a Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Diamond Soul

Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in all saving throws.

Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 ki point to reroll it and take the second result.

Timeless Body

At 15th level, your ki sustains you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can’t be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, you no longer need food or water.

Perfect Self

At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have less than 5 ki points remaining, you regain 5 ki points and if you have less than two remaining uses of stunning strike, you regain an additional use.