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The MonkinDungeons & Dragonsis a disciplined martial artist who harnesses the power of ki to perform extraordinary physical and mystical feats. Unfortunately, Monks tend to be viewed with skepticism for their heavy Multi-Attribute Dependency (MAD). Relying on Dexterity for damage, Wisdom for saving-throw DCs, and Constitutionfor their low hit dice, they can struggle to match the frontline prowess of other martial classes.
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“But I wanted to drop-kick someone through a wall!” Don’t worry, we hear you! This guide will help you harness one of the Monk’s strongest subclasses to build an optimized powerhouse that not only deals remarkable damage, but also excels at crowd-controlling enemies and providing support to your party.
Subclass Overview
Way of the Astral Self Monks are capable of manifesting their true spiritual self, and they can also summon various spectral body parts.This manifestation lasts forten minutesand provides the Monk with offensive, defensive, and utility capabilities while active.
Way of the Astral Self Features
3
“Arms of the Astral Self” lets you spend 1 ki point to create spectral arms, which can be used to deal therarely-resisted Force damage. While active, you can use yourWisdom modifier instead of Strength or Dexteritywhen making unarmed attacks, as well asin place of Strength-based checks and saving-throws.
6
“Visage of the Astral Self” lets you spend 1 ki point to create a spectral mask. While active, yousee in magical and non-magical darkness, gain an edge inInsight and Intimidationchecks, and cancommunicate telepathically or broadcast your voice.
11
“Body of the Astral Self” can be used for free while you have the arms and mask activated. It creates a spectral body that candeflect elemental damageandboost your arm’s attacks.
17
“Awakened Astral Self” can be used for 5 ki points to activate the arms, mask, and body all at once. This grants you a massive defensive boost of+2AC, and lets youattack one more timewith your arms.
The impressive visual flavor of the subclass aside, you’ll notice thatAstral Self Monks are able to using their Wisdom modifier in place of Strength for checks and Dexterity for attacks. Because of this unique capability, Astral Self Monks are less dependent on Dexteritythan the average Monk, allowing you the flexibility of putting your points intoWisdom instead of Dexteritywithout suffering a huge damage loss.
Though you can use Wisdom modifiers in place of Strength checks and saving throws,this does not necessarily turn the Strength check into a Wisdom check!Check with your DM to see how they interpret the rule.
Grappler Build
Because of this, Astral Self Monks are capable of being good grapplers. Even without investing intoStrength, you’ll have a good chance of keeping one enemy prone on the ground successfully, by replacing both of your attacks with theShove and Grapple actions—and using your already-high Wisdom modifier in place of the Athletics check.
After this, you canattack again at advantagewithFlurry of Blowsdue to the enemy’s now-prone status, or simplykeep the enemy locked downso that the other martials in your party can have at it—again, at advantage.
Bear in mind that holding an enemy in a prone position could make it more difficult for your ranged and spellcaster characters to hit, as it forces them to makeranged attacks at a disadvantage!
Ability Scores
As mentioned before, Monks are one of the mostMulti-Attribute Dependentclasses of the game. The ability scores that they are most dependent on are:
Dexterity
Used tocalculate your attacks and damage rolls, as well as yourACthrough the Unarmored Defense feature.
Wisdom
Uniquely used by the Astral Self Monk forattack and damage rolls, as well asACthrough the Unarmored Defense feature. Also used forsaving throw DCsfor features such asStunning Strike. Astral Self Monks canfocus on Wisdom instead of Dexteritydue to their Arms of the Astral Self feature.
Constitution
Generally great for a frontline class such as the Monk, especially as they have one of thelowest hit-diceof the martial classes. Astral Self Monks will also find themselves in the middle of the fray because of theirself-centered AOE damage.
On the other hand, ability scores that won’t do much for a monk are:
Strength
Not necessary at all, especially because the Way of the Astral Self subclass offers a way touse your Wisdom modifier in place of Strength!
Intelligence
Likewise, Intelligence doesvery littlefor the Monk. More likely than not, you’ll be wise, not smart!
Charisma
Many other classes are better-suited to be the face of the party. You’ll probably want toleave the diplomacy to them—though note that Visage of the Astral Self does give youan edge on Intimidation checks!
This section outlines an optimal approach to building a Monk’s ability scores for peak performance, but remember, it’s just a guide! Feel free to diverge from it.Designing a character with imperfections or unique quirkscan often be more fun and rewarding.
Species
If your Dungeon Master doesn’t useCustom Lineages(fromTasha’s Cauldron of Everything) at your table (which allows you to choose your own ability scores), consider a Species that boosts both yourWisdomandDexterity:
Boosts bothWisdomandDexterity. Addsbonus to speed, synergizing with Monk’s mobility.
Shifter (Wildhunt)
Boosts bothWisdomandDexterity. Remember to discuss with your DM whetherArms of the Astral Selfand theWildhunt Shifting Featureare compatible!
BoostsDexterity. ‘Pack Tactics’ feature allowsadvantage on attackswith allies nearby.
Human (Variant)
Versatile Ability Score Increases, and theadditional starting Featis always fantastic to have.
However, if your Dungeon Master allows forCustom Lineage, a whole lot of other options become much more viable:
Benefit
Duergar
Resistance to poison, a common damage type. Duergar Magic (Enlarge/Reduce) extends the range of Arms of the Astral Self.
Enhanced durability and survivability throughincreased AC, health, temporary health, etc.
Providesmagic resistance, a valuable asset against spellcasters.
Tiefling / Dwarf / Yuan-Ti / Reborn
Resistance to common damage typeslike poison or fire, increasing overall durability.
Feats
Here are some suitable feats for the Way of the Astral Self Monk that encompass a diverse range of character themes:
Fighting Initiate: Unarmed Fighting
Providesextra damageon unarmed strikes, which Monks use liberally, and even more damage on a grappled target.
Aligns with thespiritual / spectral flavorof the Monk.Great utilityin general.
Resilient
Boosts an ability scoreand improves saving throws in that ability. Especially useful as Monks don’t get proficiency in the all-too-commonWisdom saving throw.
Observant
IncreasesWisdom and Passive Perception scores, both of which should already be quite high for an Astral Self Monk.
Provides abonus to initiative, allowing for better positioning in combat.
Mobile
Increases movement speedeven more. Lets you avoid opportunity attacks while navigating the battlefield.
Sentinel
Takes advantage of theextra reachfrom Arms of the Astral Self, allowing for bettercontrol of enemy movement.
Fey Touched
Adds toWisdom, provides the spellMisty Step for increased mobility in combat.
To summarize:the Way of the Astral Self Monkoffers a ton of flair and flexibility! It’srich in flavor,versatile in design,powerful in combat, and gives youleeway in ability score distributionto mitigate theMulti-Attribute Dependency challengesfaced by other Monks. By making wise choices in race selection, feat acquisition, and ability score investment, this subclass can quickly become your team’s backbone on the battlefield.
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