The 2024 Player’s Handbook brings the return of one of the most distinctive classes in Dungeons & Dragons. Almost every aspect of the Monk has seen improvements and refinements, from Martial Arts at level 1 to the new Body and Mind feature at level 20.
In this article, we’ll look at all the key improvements of the 2024 Monk that you’ll find within the new Player’s Handbook. While most of the Monk’s features saw some improvements or have been fully replaced, those that remain unchanged or changed very marginally may not appear in this article.
The 2024 Player’s Handbook is Now Available!
Buy the 2024 Player’s Handbook today and dive into revised rules, enhanced character options, and exciting gameplay innovations.
Get your copy on the D&D Beyond marketplace and seamlessly integrate your new content with D&D Beyond's library of digital tools built to make D&D easier, so you can focus on the fun!
Class Feature |
Level |
What's New |
---|---|---|
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
|
2 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
5 |
|
|
5 |
|
|
10 |
|
|
10 |
|
|
13 |
|
|
Perfect Focus |
15 |
|
18 |
|
|
19 |
|
|
20 |
|
2024 Monk Class Features Overview

Martial Arts — Level 1
Changes to the Monk come early with adjustments to Martial Arts. The biggest change is that the Monk’s Martial Arts die starts one size larger at 1d6 and now goes all the way to 1d12. Next up, Monk weapons have been simplified. Now any Martial Melee weapon with the Light property qualifies as a Monk weapon. All Simple Melee weapons are also considered Monk weapons. Finally, you can now use Dexterity instead of Strength when attempting to Grapple or Shove a creature.
Also, you can now make an Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action, even if you don't take the Attack action on your turn, which is an upgrade from the 2014 version of Martial Arts.
Monk's Focus — Level 2
Monk's Focus is a new name for a familiar level 2 feature where you’ll find Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind, the last two having seen some fun improvements.
Patient Defense now allows you to take the Disengage action as a Bonus Action without spending any Focus Points, but if you do spend a Focus Point, you can Disengage and Dodge as the same Bonus Action.
Likewise, Step of the Wind allows you to Dash as a Bonus Action, no Focus Point required, but spending one allows you to Disengage and Dash as part of the same Bonus Action. Using a Focus Point for Step of the Wind also doubles your jump distance for a turn, so go ahead, you can definitely clear that gap.
Finally, similar to Martial Art's Bonus Unarmed Strike, Flurry of Blows no longer requires the Monk to take the Attack action first.
Uncanny Metabolism — Level 2
This new level 2 feature allows a Monk character to regain all expended Focus Points when they roll Initiative once per Long Rest. Additionally, when you use this feature, you also regain Hit Points equal to your Monk level plus a roll of your Martial Arts die.
Deflect Attacks — Level 3
Formerly Deflect Missiles, as the name might suggest, Deflect Attacks now has much more usability. No longer limited to Ranged weapon attacks, Deflect Attacks allows you to reduce the damage of any attack that includes Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage. The damage is reduced by 1d10 plus your Dexterity modifier and Monk Level, and if you reduce that damage to 0, you can use a Focus Point to redirect the attack.
Depending on if the attack was a melee or ranged attack, you can target a creature within 5 feet or 60 feet, respectively, and force them to make a saving throw against damage based on your Martial Arts die and your Dexterity modifier.
Monk Subclass— Level 3

At level 3 the Monk class gets to pick its subclass, choosing from four options: Warrior of Mercy, Warrior of Shadow, Warrior of the Elements, or Warrior of the Open Hand.
- Warrior of Mercy: First appearing in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the 2024 Warrior of Mercy subclass has seen the fewest changes of all the Monk subclasses. The familiar features such as Hand of Harm and Implements of Mercy return, albeit with some minor tweaks. Hand of Healing, for example, is now classed as a Magic action, a new action classification to improve clarity of the rules. The most significant change is that Flurry of Healing and Harm can now be used a number of times per Long Rest equal to your Wisdom modifier. While there haven't been too many major tweaks, the updated Monk class features ripple into this subclass to improve its abilities. For example, now that Monks can use Flurry of Blows to make up to three Unarmed Strikes at level 10, Flurry of Healing and Harm can heal up to three times now instead of two.
- Warrior of Shadow: The Warrior of Shadow really shines in 2024, pun intended. Shadow Arts has been reworked, allowing you to cast Darkness and Minor Illusion, and you can move the field of Darkness you create. The feature also gives you Darkvision (or upgrades yours if you have it) and lets you see through the Darkness of your own Darkness spell. As you level up, your level 11 Improved Shadow Step allows you to spend a Focus Point to ignore the Dim Light or Darkness restriction of Shadow Step and make an Unarmed Strike immediately after you teleport as part of the same Bonus Action. Finally, Cloak of Shadow is a new level 17 feature that allows you to wreath yourself in shadows. This effect lasts for 1 minute, until you’re Incapacitated, or you end your turn in Bright Light. While it’s active, you have the Invisible condition, which persists even if you attack or cast a spell; you can move through occupied spaces as if they were Difficult Terrain; and you can use Flurry of Blows without needing to spend any Focus Points.
- Warrior of the Elements: The Warrior of the Elements has had the most number of changes and has received a lot of new and exciting changes. Elemental Attunement now gives you 10-foot reach of your Unarmed Strikes and deals your choice of Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder damage. You can also push or pull a target 10 feet on a failed save. On top of that, you learn the new Elementalism cantrip. As you level up, you'll get the ability to create AoE elemental bursts, fun ways to navigate the battlefield, and damage resistances to aid survivability.
- Warrior of the Open Hand: Open Hand Technique remains largely unchanged, with the exception of one of its options only blocking Opportunity Attacks rather than all Reactions. Wholeness of Body has been moved to a Bonus Action and now heals a number of Hit Points equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die plus your Wisdom Modifier, rather than three times your Monk level. However, you can now use it a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier per Long Rest rather than just once. The new Fleet Step feature allows you to use Step of the Wind as part of any Bonus Action that wasn’t already used to perform Step of the Wind, and Quivering Palm has been rebalanced. It now costs 4 Focus Points and does 10d12 Force damage on a failed save rather than reducing the target to 0 Hit Points, and half as much on a successful save. While it might not insta-kill any longer, you can end the vibrations by forgoing one attack granted by the Attack action rather than taking your entire action.
Stunning Strike — Level 5
Stunning Strike, a popular Monk feature, has received a rebalance in the 2024 version of the class. It now requires the use of a Monk weapon or Unarmed Strike. If successfully applied, the Stunned condition now ends at the start of your next turn rather than the end, and it can only be used once per turn. However, if the target succeeds on their saving throw against Stunning Strike, their Speed is halved until the start of your next turn, and the next attack made against them is done so with Advantage.
Empowered Strike — Level 5
With this new version of Ki-Empowered Strike, you can change the damage type of your Unarmed Strikes to Force damage. Handy for getting around those resistances.
Heightened Focus — Level 10
Heightened Focus is a new level 10 feature that improves several of your core Monk features. First, Flurry of Blows gains an additional attack, bringing the total to three per Bonus Action. Next up, Patient Defense now grants you Temporary Hit Points based on two rolls of your Martial Arts die. Finally, when you use Step of the Wind you can move one willing creature that’s Large or smaller along with you until the end of your turn, and they don’t provoke Opportunity Attacks as you do.
Self-Restoration — Level 10
Another new level 10 feature, Self-Restoration lets you avoid the levels of Exhaustion you would normally accumulate when going without food or water, and at the end of your turn, end the Charmed, Frightened, or Poisoned condition on yourself.
Deflect Energy — Level 13
An upgrade to Deflect Attacks, Deflect Energy allows you to reduce the damage of attacks of any damage type.
Perfect Focus — Level 15
If when you roll Initiative, you’re below 4 Focus Points and don’t use Uncanny Metabolism, you immediately regain enough Focus Points to bring you back up to 4, perfect for when you’re on your fifth or sixth encounter of the day!
Superior Defense — Level 18
At the start of your turn you can expend 3 Focus Points to gain Resistance to all damage types except Force for 1 minute, or until you’re Incapacitated. It’s ideal when you’re up against high-level enemies that are pummeling you with elemental damage, like the Ancient White Dragon’s Cold Breath, or a Fire Giant Dreadnought's Shield Charge
Epic Boon — Level 19
In the 2014 Dungeon Master’s Guide, Epic Boons were a special reward handed out at the Dungeon Master’s discretion. Now they’ve made their way over to the 2024 Player’s Handbook as a new type of feat with the prerequisite of being level 19+. While Monks can take any Epic Boon, the recommended pick is the Boon of Irresistible Offense, which we’ll look at here:
- Boon of Irresistible Offense: First, increase your Strength or Dexterity ability score by 1, up to a maximum of 30. Next, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage you deal always ignores resistance. Additionally, when you roll a 20 on an attack roll, you can deal additional damage equal to the ability score you increased with this feat.
Body and Mind — Level 20
As the level 20 feature of the Monk, Body and Mind increases your Dexterity and Wisdom scores by 4 each, up to a maximum of 25.
Putting the Art Into Martial Artist
The 2024 Player’s Handbook is now available on the D&D Beyond marketplace, which means it's time to set out on new adventures with fresh or familiar characters!
The 2024 Player’s Handbook brings with it probably the most changes for the Monk out of all of the classes, revitalizing the class and solving many of its weaknesses and pain points. The Warrior of the Elements probably showcases this most, a completely redesigned subclass that still captures the theme of its 2014 predecessor but delivers it much more effectively.
We’re delighted to share with you the changes to fifth edition D&D that appear in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Make sure to keep an eye out on D&D Beyond for more useful guides on using the wealth of new options, rules, and mechanics found in the 2024 Player's Handbook!

Davyd is a moderator for D&D Beyond. A Dungeon Master of over fifteen years, he enjoys Marvel movies, writing, and of course running D&D for his friends and family, including his daughter Willow (well, one day). The three of them live with their two cats Asker and Khatleesi in south of England.
This article was updated on August 13, 2024, to issue corrections or expand coverage for the following features and subclasses:
- Martial Arts: Added that you no longer have to take the Attack action before being able to use your Bonus Action Unarmed Strike.
- Monk’s Focus: Added that you no longer have to take the Attack action before being able to use Flurry of Blows.
- Monk Subclass (Warrior of Mercy): Expanded coverage to detail how the improved base Monk class impacts the subclass's features.
- Monk Subclass (Warrior of Shadow): Added a note that the subclass allows you to see through the Darkness spell that you cast.
- Monk Subclass (Warrior of the Open Hand): Clarified that Quivering Palm's vibrations can be ended by forgoing one of your attacks granted by the Attack action.
Not wrong because nothing I said is incongruent with how the Force Damage is defined. You said Force damage requires spells. Since Empowered Strikes is not a spell, it cannot be that Force damage requires the casting of a spell. Ki-Empowered Strike and Empowered Strike identified the ability as imparting a magical benefit. Neither have been described as casting of a spell. You are incorrect and I do not have to read between any lines, as interpreted by some random internet person.
See I would agree with you 100%. Until you look at the wording, see before monks empowered strike used to get around at resistances and immunities. Now all it does is get around resistances It no longer gets around immunities which if that's the case can someone be immune to force damage because also it states you can turn your unarmed strikes into force damage. Not that they're always this. That you can do it. So with that wording, does that mean there are times where you wouldn't want to do it?
I did not say it required spells. I said it is a spell damage type.
Just because you're not casting a spell doesn't make the ability non-magical or a magical sense. I said and just to clarify that force damage is from actual spells which it is. I never said that you had a cast a spell to do Force damage. Like paladins can do Force damage but wait they do Force damage because of their magical ability. You see the difference right?
Wrong again. Your exact words:
So again, I have no intention of adopting your interpretation of the rules and it seems like that is probably the best position for everyone to take until the rules are released.
I can't disagree, I'd use it almost all the time unless force damage resistance becomes much more common, and who knows, it might be. Would have to be able to survey/filter the 2024 Monster Manual to know for sure, which we can't do yet. If they're pulling resistance to nonmagical slash/bludgeon/pierce out of the game, who knows where all of that's going to wind up.
One place where I wouldn't do it is when fighting skeletons, which often have vulnerability to bludgeoning damage and no special treatment for Force. That's one that comes up often enough, so I hope I'd remember to just leave the glowy fists in the drawer for such combats.
Like I said, I'm not deeply opposed to this change but I'd have been fine sticking with magical vs. nonmagical physical damage the way it was. I'd be interested to hear their reasoning for it though - maybe it's somewhere but I haven't found it.
My only reasoning is they want everything lumped into being magic. Because like I said before the word "Focus" for DND has always been associated with Spellcasters. With that then you add that Empower Strike actually has a specific damage type "Force Damage." Then lastly the fact the Monks can basically turn off and on Empower Strike because of wording makes it like Paladin Casting Smite or some other Spell being cast.
So where did I say you "requires spells?" Because it both quotes it from me I never said it required spells.
You know Rio, I can tell this is important to you. So I'll tell you what... You win and I genuinely don't care if you have a problem with Monks maybe being magical. Don't play it if it bothers you.
Oh I have a problem with monks may be magical. I also have a problem with the Divine Smite being able to be counterspelled and stolen. Basically the new D&D there is no good
Anyway... I do really appreciate the Stunning Strike change. When I played a 2014 Monk a few years back, I often encountered people who would succeed on the Con save. This meant, because that was practically compelled to try again and again until I was tapped, that I would be fighting on fumes. Now, it only can be applied once a turn and even if the creature succeeds, they suffer half speed and the next attack has advantage. I think that solves both problems of it being generally easy to save against, and the over application of the ability.
I like it too. It also means that monks who, for whatever reason, can't prioritize both Dex and Wis still get something useful out of their Stunning Strike. This at least means that some monks can consider buffing Con instead, which they badly need to shore up their own saves and HP. While this was always a reasonable option, it still felt like you were sacrificing too much of your essential toolkit.
Again wrong Monks are a front line Fighter meaning the movement speed does nothing and advantage on the next attack 😲 because it is so hard to get advantage on an attack
The movement speed doesn't matter since the Monk is a front line Fighter. The creature is most likely going to Target the monk that's in melee range anyways without moving so the movement speed does nothing. And the whole next attack gets Advantage. Big whoopty deal. You know how easy it is to get advantage on an attack anyways
Your tables sound pretty boring if you find no value in reducing target speed, and whether advantage is hard to get is not really important. The fact that you have a guaranteed advantage on the next attack, irrespective of the outcome of Stunning Strike, is meaningful. It is a success or 'fail forward' binary, which, honestly, it seems you are entirely unfamiliar with.
Since you don't understand why Monk having the Ability to do Stunning Strike more then once a turn is the boring thing. Because before a Monk could move about the Battle field and could possibly stun multiple targets not just 1. Best proof of this is the Drunken Monk their whole thing was attacking multiple targets on a turn and not focusing on just 1. On top that if you fought a Creature with Legendary Resistances. The Monk could spend a turn knocking out 1-3 of the Legendary Resistances allowing rest of the party to not wasting Spell Slots to try and get rid of the Legendary Resistances. So again you are the one doesn't seem to fully understand how a Monk is supposed to work. Because the new Monk is getting Nerfed and becoming single target attacker with a even more limited roll a support. Which is the actual Boring thing. Also what good the lower movement Speed if the target has ability to do Ranged Attacks or Cast Spell or a bunch of other things where then don't need to move?
Since I 'don't understand why having the Ability to do Stunning Strike more then once a turn is the boring thing'? Okay, well, I am deeply confused but since it appears that I am the only one of the two of us who has experience with monsters that do more than march at the front line and then stand there trading blows like Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, there isn't much point in accusing me of not understanding how the Monk is supposed to work. It seems, based on my reading, that you haven't had the opportunity to experience a very dynamic game.
The UA surveys of the Monk were overwhelmingly positive, relative to the 2014 surveys, and this is because the Monk got buffed, not nerfed, and has functional, useful class features now. I recommend you read through this article again.
By the way it is now Stunning Strike is basically Touch Spell a Monk can Cast Once a Turn now sweet. this won't make the game Boring and single minded in combat at all
100%! Not only did monks get buffed they got buffed more than any other class did. They went from far and away the worst class in the game to one of the better ones.
The main reason they nerfed stunning strike was because it was so much better than every other use of the monks ki points that it was for many players the only thing they used them for. I will gladly take this version of the monk with it's "nerfed" stunning strike than the old version of the monk which was embarrassingly bad.
I do not deny that 1. The monks did receive a number of improvements, and 2. They received most likely the most improved status.
However, you fail to keep the context.
1. The monks were the most or second most mechanically weak class. The changes made do raise them, but they are still lacking overall. Both can be true.
2. The nerf to stunning strike might be boring for you...fine, no need to to do it that way. But that doesnt mean that others had to have that option removed, much like the Paladin smites. For my money, players will be able to use either the 2014 or 2024 version of Stunning Strike, Smite or Wild Shape. Since its all DnD, I have no issues with players be given the choice if they want to see their favorite features get the nerf bat or not. And yes, I'll let them make that choice on the sole feature they can keep the rest of the improvements.
Additionally, they didnt address some of the main complaints...HD still be d8, the Ki Points really should have been given a bonus based on Wisdom, and if they wanted to update Stunning Strike, have it do additonal damage AND attempt to stun, if the stun fails, they get the extra damage. It would be taking the better part of the UA but make it make sense.
We dont need WotC telling us how to have fun. If a player wants to burn all their Ki for Stuns or Spell Slots for Smites on that round, let em. They will burn through their resources and if the DM is being reasonable on the rests, they will learn to pick their moments, conserve resources.
They had some decent ideas, but kept some idiotic mechanics like needing to be out of X resource before being able to use a feature to restore that resource. Stupid and pointless restriction. Tossed. They had several classes and features that people enjoyed and while they said they didnt want to mess them up, opps they did. And then they put ZERO thought into the second terrible class that ALSO needed major help, ie Ranger, and totally lost it...whoever worked that class and had the bright idea to tell Jeremy to try selling it as a whole new class needs to be fired. If they thought their survey levels on that class were low before....and it could have fixed pretty easily.