How Monk Martial Arts Works in 5e
Martial Arts is the Monk's level 1 feature. While unarmed or holding only Monk weapons, and wearing no armor or Shield, a Monk gets three things: an Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action, a Martial Arts die (1d6 at level 1, rising to 1d12) in place of a punch's normal damage, and Dexterity instead of Strength for those attacks. Anyone else's punch deals 1 plus their Strength modifier. A level 1 Monk with Dexterity 16 hits a Goblin Warrior 55% of the time for 1d6 + 3, twice a turn. Below: the rules quoted, the die by level, and what Flurry of Blows, Stunning Strike and Deflect Attacks add.
The rule
The Unarmed Strike everyone has:
Instead of using a weapon to make a melee attack, you can use a punch, kick, headbutt, or similar forceful blow. In game terms, this is an Unarmed Strike—a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or shove a target within 5 feet of you.
Its damage option: "On a hit, the target takes Bludgeoning damage equal to 1 plus your Strength modifier." A Strength 10 Wizard punching a Goblin Warrior averages 0.4 damage a swing.
Martial Arts changes that. The Monk gets it "while you are unarmed or wielding only Monk weapons and you aren't wearing armor or wielding a Shield":
Bonus Unarmed Strike. You can make an Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action.
Martial Arts Die. You can roll 1d6 in place of the normal damage of your Unarmed Strike or Monk weapons.
Dexterous Attacks. You can use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls of your Unarmed Strikes and Monk weapons.
Monk weapons are every Simple Melee weapon and every Martial Melee weapon with the Light property. A Spear or Shortsword works; a Longsword, a Shortbow or a Shield turns Martial Arts off. Dexterous Attacks also covers Grapple and Shove: the Monk can set the save DC with Dexterity. Grappling and Shoving covers those options.
Unarmored Defense comes with it at level 1: "your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers." Dexterity 16 and Wisdom 14 give AC 15.
The die by level
| Monk level | Martial Arts die | Focus Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 1d6 | 0 at 1, then 2–4 |
| 5–10 | 1d8 | 5–10 |
| 11–16 | 1d10 | 11–16 |
| 17–20 | 1d12 | 17–20 |
The die replaces a weapon's own damage when it is bigger: a Spear (1d6) gains nothing at level 1 and deals 1d8 at level 5.
Level 1, against goblins
A Monk with Dexterity 16 attacks at +5 for 1d6 + 3. The SRD Goblin Warrior has AC 15 and 10 Hit Points.
| Turn | Damage | Goblin drops |
|---|---|---|
| One attack | 3.75 | 2.9% |
| Attack + Bonus Action strike | 7.50 | 30.8% |
| Flurry of Blows (level 2) | 11.25 | 56.4% |
One punch almost never drops a goblin: 1d6 + 3 tops out at 9, so it takes a Critical Hit. The Bonus Action strike is what turns the Monk into a damage dealer.
Level 2: Focus Points
At level 2 the Monk gets Focus Points equal to their Monk level, back on a Short or Long Rest. The DC for features that force a save is "8 plus your Wisdom modifier and Proficiency Bonus." Three features spend them:
Flurry of Blows. You can expend 1 Focus Point to make two Unarmed Strikes as a Bonus Action.
Patient Defense. You can take the Disengage action as a Bonus Action. Alternatively, you can expend 1 Focus Point to take both the Disengage and the Dodge actions as a Bonus Action.
Step of the Wind. You can take the Dash action as a Bonus Action. Alternatively, you can expend 1 Focus Point to take both the Disengage and Dash actions as a Bonus Action, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.
Patient Defense and Step of the Wind have a free version: Disengage or Dash costs no point. Dodge, Dash or Disengage works out what those actions are worth.
Uncanny Metabolism refills the pool once per Long Rest: "When you roll Initiative, you can regain all expended Focus Points. When you do so, roll your Martial Arts die, and regain a number of Hit Points equal to your Monk level plus the number rolled." At level 2 that heals 5.5 on average, and a Monk who spent both points in one fight starts the next with both back.
Level 3: Deflect Attacks
When an attack roll hits you and its damage includes Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage, you can take a Reaction to reduce the attack's total damage against you. The reduction equals 1d10 plus your Dexterity modifier and Monk level.
At level 3 with Dexterity 16 that is 1d10 + 6. A Goblin Warrior's Scimitar hit (1d6 + 2) drops to 0 98.3% of the time, and a Critical Hit 77.2%. If the damage hits 0, one Focus Point throws it back: the Monk picks a creature within 5 feet (60 for a ranged attack), which makes a Dexterity save or takes two rolls of the Martial Arts die plus Dexterity.
At level 5 against an Ogre's Greatclub (2d8 + 4, average 13), 1d10 + 8 zeroes the blow 58.6% of the time and leaves 1.5 damage on average.
Level 5: Extra Attack and Stunning Strike
At level 5 the die becomes 1d8, the Proficiency Bonus +3, and the Monk attacks twice with the Attack action. Extra Attack covers that rule. Against an Ogre (AC 11, 68 Hit Points), at +6 for 1d8 + 3:
| Turn | Attacks | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Attack action + Bonus Action strike | 3 | 18.68 |
| Attack action + Flurry of Blows | 4 | 24.90 |
Level 5 also brings Stunning Strike:
Once per turn when you hit a creature with a Monk weapon or an Unarmed Strike, you can expend 1 Focus Point to attempt a stunning strike. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target has the Stunned condition until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the target's Speed is halved until the start of your next turn, and the next attack roll made against the target before then has Advantage.
With Wisdom 14 the DC is 13. The Ogre's Constitution +3 fails on a 9 or lower: 45%. A Goblin Warrior, Constitution +0, fails 60% of the time. Stunned means Incapacitated, so the Ogre loses its turn, and attack rolls against it have Advantage: each of the Monk's strikes then hits 96% of the time for 7.64 on average.
Once per turn means one attempt per turn, not one per hit. Even a saved stun is not wasted: the next attack has Advantage and the target moves at half Speed.
Where the points go
Five points at level 5 buy five of these between rests, plus one Uncanny Metabolism refill a day:
- Flurry of Blows: one extra strike, about 6 damage against an Ogre.
- Stunning Strike: a 45–60% chance to take a whole turn off one enemy.
- Patient Defense: Disengage and Dodge together when surrounded.
- Deflect Attacks redirect: only after a zeroed hit.
Against one big enemy, Stunning Strike does more than Flurry: an Ogre turn costs the Monk 13 Hit Points on a hit. Against many small ones, Flurry drops more of them.
Every number here comes from the d20 and the Martial Arts die. The Book of Dice covers both in Part I, The Object. The odds here are computed exactly from the dice above.
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 ("SRD 5.2.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
