Monk 101: Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk

Tags Class 101 Monk 101 Subclasses author-michael-galvis fizban's

Legend says that when the dragon god Bahamut first traveled to the Material Plane, he did so in the guise of a young monk. In his journeys, he founded the Way of the Ascendant Dragon so that other monks could better connect with the world and its magic. The subclass was introduced in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons and allows you to dance like a dragon on the winds and to strike with the fury of their breath attacks.

Click below for a review of the Way of the Ascendant Dragon and to see a sample build:

Way of the Ascendant Dragon subclass features

Draconic Disciple

The first of two subclass features you gain at 3rd level is Draconic Disciple, and it's chock-full of goodies that allow you to emulate the dragons you worship.

You learn Draconic or one other language of your choice. You also gain the ability to reroll Charisma (Intimidation) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks — at least until this feature turns a failure into a success, then you'll need to take a long rest before using it again.

More notably, you can change the damage type of your unarmed strikes. When you deal damage to a target, you can choose to deal acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage instead of the normal damage you deal. This feature makes you a big threat to monsters that have vulnerability to one of these damage types. If you want to help out the party's spellcasters, you can test a monster's resistances and immunities by choosing different damage types for each of your unarmed strikes. Then, you can cheerily announce that the mummy is weak to fire before you duck and cover as the blaster wizard throws down a fireball! 

Breath of the Dragon

Nothing says you're channeling the might of dragons like the ability to unleash waves of draconic energy upon your enemies. The 3rd-level feature Breath of the Dragon lets you do just that.

When you take the Attack action, you can replace one of your attacks with a 20-foot cone or 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide of acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage. Enemies that fail a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC take damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die (half on a success). The damage this feature deals increases at 11th level.

As you gain levels, you'll get more uses of Breath of the Dragon. The feature can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. If you're out of uses, you can burn 2 ki points to use it again. Not a bad tradeoff when there's always a chance of zombies.

Increasing your ki save DC

Your ki save DC is calculated using your proficiency bonus and Wisdom modifier. If you want to bump it up, try snagging a dragonhide belt (if your DM permits it). Introduced in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, it increases your ki save DC by +1, +2, or +3. As an added bonus, you also can restore ki points using the belt once per day.

Wings Unfurled

At 6th level, Step of the Wind gets an upgrade. When you use the ki feature, you can conjure draconic wings that grant you a flying speed equal to your walking speed until the end of your turn. You can do so a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Once you're out of uses, you'll need to take a long rest before using them again.

Aspect of the Wyrm

At 11th level, the Way of the Ascendant Dragon monk strikes fear in the hearts of enemies, and they can protect allies from the elements they harness. The Aspect of the Wyrm allows you to create a 10-foot aura that can do one of two things (you choose):

  1. When you first conjure the aura and as a bonus action on your following turns, you can force a target to make a Wisdom saving throw against your ki save DC or be frightened for 1 minute. The target can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns. 
  2. You and allies in your aura have resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage. It's a handy trick to have when you're expecting to face down a fire elemental, black dragon, or something else. 

You can use this feature once per day for free. It costs 3 ki points for each additional use.

Ascendant Aspect

Topping off this monk subclass is Ascendant Aspect, offered at 17th level. It is a multipart feature that augments a couple of your existing features, in addition to granting blindsight out to 10 feet!

When you use Breath of the Dragon, you can spend a ki point to increase the size of the cone or line of the attack and increase its damage by an additional roll of your Martial Arts die. And when you activate your Aspect of the Wyrm aura, you explode with draconic fury, damaging enemies around you that fail a Dexterity saving throw.

Way of the Ascendant Dragon monk artwork from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Pros

The Way of the Ascendant Dragon is packed with flavor and features. Let's take a look at what we love.

Access to different damage types

This monk subclass allows you to emulate dragons of all kinds. Because you can freely change the type of damage you deal with unarmed strikes, you can target an enemy's vulnerabilities and avoid losing damage to resistances and immunities. Plus, the ability to strike with an acidic left hook and follow it up with a fiery kick is just plain cool.

Emulate a dragon's presence

A flavor win for the subclass is the ability to cause the frightened condition. Getting to reroll Charisma (Intimidation) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks is also handy when you've been inspired by a silver dragon to be the party face for a scene.

Destroy mobs more easily

Where Way of the Mercy from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything increases the monk's damage potential against single targets, the Way of the Ascendant Dragon excels at area-of-effect attacks. Melt the boss' goons with a Breath of the Dragon and then charge in with a flurry of blows for some serious damage. Of course, if you need a ranged attack to just take down a monster threatening an ally across the battlefield, you can do that too.

Cons

There's a lot to love about this subclass, but it has its drawbacks, too.

Lacking in damage

Despite its strong focus on bringing the hurt to multiple enemies at a time, Breath of the Dragon offers little damage, particularly when your Martial Arts die is at a d4. As your Martial Arts die increases in size over time, however, you won't feel as pinched for damage, especially if you're able to hit three or more enemies at once.

Limited flight

At a level when spellcasters have fly, the Way of the Ascendant Dragon gains a limited-use feature that grants a flying speed until the end of their turn. Although Wings Unfurled is a handy trick to keep in your back pocket when you need to get across a deadly crevasse or Disengage, it would be nice if the flying speed lasted longer than a turn.

Blindsight is late to the party

At 17th level, the Way of the Ascendant Dragon gains blindsight out to 10 feet. This is great! But it's something other martial classes can get within their first few levels. The Blind Fighting style offers the same benefit if your DM permits the optional class features offered in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. 

Meet Reinikiki, Bahamut celebrant

The satyr Reinikiki frolicked to the gates of the bandit camp, beating her drum as she sang a cheery song to Bahamut, the dragon god.

"Forged in flames and forged in his name,

We dance to the king! In Bahamut's name!"

The spectacle drew the attention of the bandits, whose weapons fell to their sides as they jeered at the satyr. Unbeknowst to them, she was counting her targets as she performed. And when enough had gathered before her, she finished her song with a belch of fire that engulfed the bandits.

As their screams filled the air, Reinikiki tossed aside her drum and charged in, fists raised and crackling with lightning.

Reinikiki is a female satyr from a nomadic tribe in the High Forest. Her people came to worship Bahamut after unearthing an ancient temple to the dragon god. They held parties in his name, drinking merrily and singing songs about how Bahamut protects the needy. During one such occasion, Reinikiki discovered a hidden chamber where mosaics depicted a fighting dance. Learning from these mosaics, Reinikiki trained herself in the Way of the Ascendant Dragon.

As she grew older, Reinikiki ventured beyond the High Forest to spread Bahamut's name and to protect the defenseless. She is known to merrily sing and dance on her way to the lairs of evildoers before unleashing draconic fury upon them.

Satyr artwork from Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Playing Reinikiki

Reinikiki is a neutral good satyr with the Folk Hero background. Her highest ability score is Dexterity, and she has good Constitution and Wisdom scores. She has the following skill proficiencies:

She is also proficient with a couple of instruments, which she uses when worshipping Bahamut.

sample character sheet

Playing Reinikiki as an NPC

Reinikiki is a high-energy satyr that loudly and proudly worships Bahamut with songs and dances. She brews her own citrus ale and sprinkles it with ghost pepper flakes. As an adventurer, Reinikiki spends what little gold she has on hosting celebrations for Bahamut in the villages she visits. She puts all of her effort in each quest, no matter whether she's getting a cat out of a tree or burning down a bandit encampment. 

Will you fight for or against dragonkind?

Terrify your enemies and breathe fire (or acid or lightning or...) as the Way of the Ascendant Dragon monk! This subclass excels against multiple enemies and allows you to test their vulnerabilities, resistances, and immunities. What do you think of it?

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Michael Galvis (@michaelgalvis) is a tabletop content producer for D&D Beyond. He is a longtime Dungeon Master who enjoys horror films and all things fantasy and sci-fi. When he isn’t in the DM’s seat or rolling dice as his anxious halfling sorcerer, he’s playing League of Legends and Magic: The Gathering with his husband. They live together in Los Angeles with their adorable dog, Quentin.

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