DnD Monk Subclasses 2024
When you choose DnD 2024 Monk subclasses, you commit to a distinct martial discipline that shapes your techniques, philosophy, and progression. Subclasses become available at level 3, and the 2024 Player’s Handbook offers four official traditions to follow. These are: the Warrior of Mercy, the Warrior of Shadow, the Warrior of the Elements, and the Warrior of the Open Hand.
A Monk subclass represents a focused discipline that grants you unique features at specific levels, as outlined in the subclass description.
Each subclass offers a distinct way to experience your Monk. As you level up, you gain specialized abilities that refine your combat style, movement, and spiritual discipline. Choosing a 2024 Monk subclass helps define how your Dungeons & Dragons character fights, channels inner energy, and expresses their chosen monastic tradition. Below, you’ll find each subclass explained in detail, along with the features you unlock as you progress to higher levels.
All D&D 2024 Monk Subclasses
Warrior of Mercy
Manipulate the Forces of Life and Death
Warriors of Mercy channel the life essence that flows through all living beings. These Monks act as traveling healers and protectors, yet they are equally capable of delivering swift, merciful ends to those who threaten others. Many wear masks, emphasizing their role as impartial bringers of healing and judgment.
Level Progression
Level 3: Hand of Harm
Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike and deal damage, you may spend 1 Focus Point to deal extra Necrotic damage equal to:
one roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier.
Level 3: Hand of Healing
As a Magic action, you can touch a creature and spend 1 Focus Point to restore hit points equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier.
When you use Flurry of Blows, you may replace one of its Unarmed Strikes with Hand of Healing without spending a Focus Point or requiring a Magic action.
Level 3: Implements of Mercy
You gain proficiency in:
Insight
Medicine
Herbalism Kit
Level 6: Physician’s Touch
Your healing and harming techniques improve.
Hand of Harm. When you use Hand of Harm, you may also impose the Poisoned condition on the target until the end of your next turn.
Hand of Healing. When you use Hand of Healing, you may also end one of these conditions on the creature you heal:
Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, or Stunned.
Level 11: Flurry of Healing and Harm
Your mastery of ki lets you blend healing and damage seamlessly.
When you use Flurry of Blows, you may replace each Unarmed Strike with Hand of Healing without spending Focus Points.
When you hit with an Unarmed Strike during Flurry of Blows, you may apply Hand of Harm to that strike without spending a Focus Point (still limited to once per turn).
You can still use Hand of Harm only once per turn.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once).
Each time you use this feature, it applies to a single use of Flurry of Blows.
You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Level 17: Hand of Ultimate Mercy
Your mastery of life energy allows you to restore the dead.
As a Magic action, touch the corpse of a creature that died within the last 24 hours and expend 5 Focus Points.
The creature returns to life with hit points equal to 4d10 + your Wisdom modifier.
If the creature died while affected by any of these conditions, they are removed:
Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Stunned.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until after a long rest.
Warrior of Shadow
Warriors of Shadow devote themselves to secrecy and deception, drawing upon the dark energies of the Shadowfell. They move effortlessly through darkness, wrapping themselves in shadow to vanish from sight, slipping between pools of dim light, and transforming into forms that resemble living shadow.
Level Progression
Level 3: Shadow Arts
You learn to channel power from the Shadowfell, gaining the following benefits:
Darkness. You can spend 1 Focus Point to cast Darkness without material components. You can see inside the darkness you create this way. While the spell is active, you can move the area of darkness to an unoccupied space you can see within 60 feet of you at the start of each of your turns.
Darkvision. You gain Darkvision 60 ft. If you already have Darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.
Shadowy Figments. You know the Minor Illusion spell, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.
Level 6: Shadow Step
While you are completely in Dim Light or Darkness, you can use a Bonus Action to teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in Dim Light or Darkness.
After teleporting, you have advantage on your next melee attack before the turn ends.
Level 11: Improved Shadow Step
Your Shadow Step becomes more flexible.
When you use Shadow Step, you may spend 1 Focus Point to ignore the requirement that both your starting and ending locations be in Dim Light or Darkness.
As part of the same Bonus Action, you may make one Unarmed Strike immediately after teleporting.
Level 17: Cloak of Shadows
As a Magic action, while completely in Dim Light or Darkness, you can expend 3 Focus Points to surround yourself with shadows for 1 minute, until you become Incapacitated, or until you end your turn in Bright Light.
While cloaked, you gain the following benefits:
Invisibility. You have the Invisible condition.
Partially Incorporeal. You can move through occupied spaces as though they were Difficult Terrain. If you end your turn in an occupied space, you are forced back to the last unoccupied space you were in.
Shadow Flurry. While this effect lasts, you can use Flurry of Blows without spending Focus Points.
Warrior of the Elements
The Way of the Four Elements is a monastic tradition followed by Monks who channel the raw energies of the Elemental Planes through disciplined martial arts. Some dedicate themselves to mastering a single element—surrounding their strikes with blazing fire, unleashing sudden eruptions of flame, or summoning cutting blasts of frigid wind. Others blend multiple elements, learning diverse techniques that allow them to call upon whichever elemental force best suits the moment.
Level Progression
Level 3: Elemental Attunement
At the start of your turn, you can spend 1 Focus Point to infuse yourself with elemental power. This infusion lasts for 10 minutes, or until you become Incapacitated. For the duration, you gain the following benefits:
Elemental Strikes.
When you hit with an Unarmed Strike, you can choose to deal Acid, Cold, Fire, or Lightning damage instead of the normal type.
Whenever you deal one of these damage types, the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you can move the target up to 10 feet toward or away from you.Reach.
When you make an Unarmed Strike, your reach increases by 10 feet, extended by elemental energy.
Level 3: Manipulate Elements
Your bond with the elements strengthens.
You learn the Elementalism cantrip.
Level 6: Elemental Burst
As a Magic action, spend 2 Focus Points to unleash elemental power in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 120 feet. Choose a damage type: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder.
Each creature in the area makes a Dexterity saving throw.
On a failed save, the creature takes damage equal to three rolls of your Martial Arts die of the chosen type.
On a success, it takes half as much damage.
Level 11: Stride of the Elements
While your Elemental Attunement is active, you gain a Fly Speed and a Swim Speed equal to your Speed.
Level 17: Elemental Epitome
While your Elemental Attunement is active, you gain the following benefits:
Damage Resistance.
You gain resistance to Acid, Cold, Fire, or Lightning (your choice).
You may change the chosen type at the start of each of your turns.Destructive Stride.
When you use Step of the Wind, your Speed increases by 20 feet until the end of the turn.
During this time, creatures you enter within 5 feet of take one Martial Arts die damage.
The damage type is your choice of Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder.
A creature can take this damage only once per turn.Empowered Strikes.
Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you deal extra damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die, of the same type as your resistance.
Warrior of the Open Hand
Warriors of the Open Hand excel in the pure art of unarmed combat. They master techniques that let them shove, topple, and disrupt their foes, while also channeling their inner energy to defend themselves from incoming harm.
Level Progression
Level 3: Open Hand Technique
When you hit a creature with an attack granted by Flurry of Blows, you may apply one of the following effects:
Addle. The target can’t make Opportunity Attacks until the start of its next turn.
Push. The target must make a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 15 feet away from you.
Topple. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or become Prone.
Level 6: Wholeness of Body
You gain the ability to heal yourself.
As a Bonus Action, roll your Martial Arts die and regain hit points equal to the roll + your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1 HP restored).
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once), regaining all uses after a long rest.
Level 11: Fleet Step
When you take a Bonus Action other than Step of the Wind, you can immediately use Step of the Wind afterward.
Level 17: Quivering Palm
You learn to infuse a creature with deadly vibrations.
When you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you may spend 4 Focus Points to begin subtle vibrations within it.
These vibrations last for a number of days equal to your Monk level and do nothing until you end them.
To trigger the effect, you may either:
- Use an Action. or
Take the Attack action, and give up one attack.
You and the target must be on the same plane of existence.
The target makes a Constitution saving throw, taking:
10d12 force damage on a failed save, or
half damage on a success.
You may affect only one creature with these vibrations at a time, and you may end them harmlessly at any time (no action required).