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In Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, most monks stay well away from civilization, living cloistered lives dedicated to personal contemplation and rigorous training. Not so the way of the shadow. Monks following this path are trained assass🥂ins, deadly in their craft, and capable of slipping past even the most dogged defense to eliminate their assigned target.
Following the path of shadows is dangerous and shouldn’t be taken lightly by newcomers to D&D. However, if you insist on learning these forbidden ways, read on to discoveꦇr the best path to creating a way of shadow monk.
Way Of Shadow Monk Features
A monk trained in the way of shadow begins no different from any other monk with extensive training in martial arts. Once a monk adopts the way of shadow at level three, you can use two ki points to cast the Darkness, Darkvision, Pass Without Trace, or Silence spells. You also learn the Minor Illusion cantrip.
At sixth level, you gain the Shadow Step ability. This lets you teleport between areas of dim light or darkness up to 60 feet, addဣitionally providing advantage on your first melee attack made until end of turn.
Cloak of Shadows at level 11 allows you to become invisible while in dim light or darkness. ꧒You remain invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or step into bright light.
And finally, at level 17, you learn the Opportunist feature. This allows you to strike a creature with a melee attack using your reaction so long as they've been hit by another creature already this turn.
Best Species For A Way Of Shadow Monk
You can be effective as almost any species when following the way of shadows. But there are a few species that are just a little bit more effective as a monk.
Here are some suggested species to play as a way of shadow monk.
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Astral Elf |
Advantage against being charmed is always a plus, and perception proficiency helps with a much-needed skill. Sacred Flame makes for a decent ranged attack option, while Starlight Step provides a teleport that doesn't require a shadow to work. |
|
Bugbear |
An extra five feet of reach is always great for melee characters, and Surprise Attack is an excellent damage bonus for an already sneaky subclass. Powerful Build is꧂ also nice for monks to have as🍨 it lets you shove opponents prone a little bit easier. |
|
Fairy |
Flying enemies are usually a problem for Monks, so being able to fly is a big benefit. Faerie Fire and Enlarge/Reduce are two useful spells🍒, although Druidcraft is more of a fun party trick. |
|
Giff |
You'll need to use a simple weapon as your monk weapon to get any benefit out of Astral Spark, but nobody complains over extra damage. Hippo Build can be useful when making push attacks. Firearms can't be Monk weapons, but it's funny to imagine a martial artist suddenly taking out a blunderbuss to blow some monster away, plus it's a useful ranged option for a class that typically doesn't get those. |
|
Goblin |
Monks can already disengage as a bonus action, so Nimble Escape is only providing you with a hide action. As always, Fury of the Small 🐎is excellent and makes for some truly poten▨t Flurry of Blows attacks. |
|
Half-Elf |
Monks need three attribute stats, which the standard Half-Elf provides. Two skill proficiencies are also nice to have for a class that doesn't typically get a lot of skills. |
|
Owlin |
Another flying class, Owlins are generally better than Arakokra as those talons are strength-based and can't be considered monk weapons. Stealth proficiency and Darkvision are also nice to have. |
|
Plasmoid |
Monks don't need any equipment to be effective, so a Plasmoid monk can easily go all gooey to get through locked doors. You also have advantage on grapple checks, which is perfect for a monk. |
|
Tabaxi |
Feline Agility gets a monk into combat range pretty much immediately, which is a huge bonus for any melee character. Cat's Claws are less effective for monks, but perception and stealth proficiencies help to make up for it. |
Best Ability Scores For A Way Of Shadow Monk
Monks need a lot of attribute score bonuses to be effective. Dexterity helps boost your armor class and empowers your attacks. Wisdom also boosts your armor class and empowers your ki-based abilities. And finally, Constitution is necessary for any front-line 🐭fighter to ensure a large pool of hitpoints.
Strength can be situationally useful for certain combat actions, but it's not nearly as important as Dexterity. Charisma and Intelligence are 🌺both entirely unnecessary and can be safel🌠y ignored.
If you're using the points-buy system in D&D, a good starting attribute spread for a way of shadow monk might look something li♋ke this:
|
Strength |
Dexterity |
Constitution |
Intelligence |
Wisdom |
Charisma |
|
12(+1) |
16(+3) |
14(+2) |
8(-1) |
16(+3) |
8(-1) |
Best Starting Equipment For A Way Of Shadow Monk
Monks don't really start with much in terms of equipment. You can choose either a simple weapon or a shortsword, a dungeoneer's pack or an explorer's pack, and you always start with 10 darts.
It's entirely personal preference whether you decide to use a shortsword or simple weapon as your starting weapon. A dungeoneer's pack might have slightly more useful items than an explorer's pack, but again, it's basically up to personal preference.