Most monks in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition eschew all material possessions, training their bodies to become their weapon of choice. Not the Way of the Kensei. Monks that waꦉlk this path instead embrace weapons as part of their very being, regarding such tools as extensions of their body rather than sꦰeparate and apart.

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With a lifetime of training, the Way of the Kensei eventually becomes one with their chosen implements, unlocking fantastic abilities that allow them to excel on the field of battle. Thankfully, you don't need to spend an entire lifetime to become a master of this martial art. Read on to learn how to build a Way of the Kensei monk.

Way Of The Kensei Monk Features

D&D Way of the Kensei Monk
Way of the Kensei Monk via Wizards of the Coast

Like all monks, a Way of the Kensei monk first begins by learning martial arts and how to harness their ki. Starting at third level upon choosing the Way of the Kensei, monks of this path may choose two weapons to become their kensei weapons. One must be melee, the other ranged, and neither can have the heavy or special properties. You may choose additional weapons at sixth, 11th, and 17th level.

With these weapons, you gain access to the Agile Parry feature. This provides an additional +2 AC if you make an unarmed strike while holding your melee kensei weapon. Kensei's Shot allows you to use your bonus action to add 1d4 damage to any attack made with ♕a ranged kensei weapon.

Way of the Brush provides proficiency with either calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies.

At level six, One with the Blade turns your kensei weapons into magic weapons for the purposes of overcoming resistance or immunities, while Deft Strike allows you to spend 1 ki point to deal extra damage equal to yoꦫur Martial Arts die.

Sharpen the Blade at level 11 allows you to expend up to three ki points to provide a bonܫus to your attack and damage rolls equal to the number of ki points spen🐠t. This bonus lasts one minute and requires your bonus action to activate.

Finally, Unerring Accuracy at level 17 allows y♈ou to reroll one missed attack per turn with one of your kensei weapons.𒉰

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Best Species For A Way Of The Kensei Monk

Kappa Tech Wrecker by Jehan Choo
Kappa Tech Wrecker by Jehan Choo

Most species are adept at becoming a Way of the Kensei monk, however, some species lend themselves to a lifetime spent devoted to mastering the martial arts more than others. Here are a few species that make better Way of the Kensei monks.

Human

Monks need a lot of attribute points, and the standard human provides a lot of those. Or you can choose the variant human and start the game with a useful feat, such as Sharpshooter.

Bugbear

An extra five feet of reach is a huge boon for melee characters, and Surprise Attack pairs well with any high-♍Dex characters as they tend to go earlier in the 📖turn order.

Giff

Firearms can be kensei weapons, so giff make excellent Way of the Kensei monks. Astral Spark further enhances your damage, although the lack of Darkvision can be bothersome.

Goblin

You can't use a Longbow as a goblin due to your size, but Fury of the Small makes up for this. Darkvision and being able to hide🅰 as a bonus action🌌 are also nice to have.

Goliath

Monks often feel like they lack the hitpoints of fighters or barbarians, and Stone's Endurance can help make up the difference.

Half-Orc

You'll be making lots of attacks as a monk, and that means you're more likely to roll a crit. Savage Attacks will improve your damage, while Relentless Endurance will keep you fighting beyond your standard hitpoint to🍌tal.

Half-Elf

Like humans, half-elves provide more ability scores. They also provide Darkvision and a few crucial skill proficiencies.

Owlin

Your best flying option, owlin provide Darkvision, stealth proficiency, and a flying speed. You really don't need anything else.

Shifter

Stacking temporary hitpoints onto your monk can help close the hitpoint gap with other frontline fighters. Pretty much all beast-form options are good here. Darkvision and a skill proficiency are nice to have too.

Tabaxi

Feline Agility can make your monk supremely mobile, able to dive right into the thick of battle basically on turn one. Claws aren't as useful, but Darkvision and climbing are quite good.

Best Ability Scores For A Way Of The Kensei Monk

Isao, Enlightened Bushi by Christopher Moeller
Isao, Enlightened Bushi by Christopher Moeller

Monks need three things to be effective: Dexterity, Wisdom, and Constitution. Dexterity fuels your attacks a🐻nd damage, while Wisdom fuels your ki and abilities. Constitution keeps you in the fight by providing much-needed hit-points. Strength, Ch♌arisma, and Intelligence can all be safely ignored.

If you're playing with D&D's points-buy system, a good starting ability score spread might look something like this:

Strength

Dexterity

Constitution

Intelligence

Wisdom

Charisma

12(+1)

16(+3)

14(+2)

8(-1)

16(+3)

8(-1)

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Best Starting Equipment For A Way Of The Kensei Monk

Jukai Trainee by Francisco Miyara
Jukai Trainee by Francisco Miyara

Monks don't start with much. You have no need for armor, and you may pick a shortsword or any simple weapon as your starting weapon. A shortsword 🐷is probably ♛your best bed to start, but you should look to upgrade before reaching level three.

A dungeoneer's pack is generally more useful than an explorer's pack, and 10 darts provide you with limited ranged attacks early on.

Before reaching level three and becoming a Way of the Kensei Monk, you'll want to find more effective weapons to become your kensei weapons. A longbow is likely your best ranged weapon option, although you 𝔉can be fairly effective with crossbows so long as you take the Crossbow Expert feat to avoid reloading.

A longsword, battleaxe, flail, morningstar, warhammer, or war pick are your best options for your melee kensei weapon, so try to find one of these💫 before reaching leveꦺl three.

Best Feats For A Way Of The Kensei Monk

Descendant of Kiyomaro by Christopher Rush
Descendant of Kiyomaro by Christopher Rush 

Monks aren't likely to opt for feats due to their voracious hunger for ability score improvements. That said, if a feat lands in your lap during a campaign, these are your most useful feats as a Way of the Kensei monk.

Sharpshooter

Unlike most monks, a Way of the Kensei monk has no problem with dealing damage at range, and Sharpshooter helps improve that damage dramatically.

Crossbow Expert

The best way to use a crossbow as a monk as Crossbow Expert alleviates the rel🅷oading attribute.

Alert

Stay alert, stay safe. This feat pairs particularly well with the bugbear's Surprise Attack ability.

Elven Accuracy

This only works if you're an elf or a half-elf, but if you are, this is a great feat to improve your long-range attacks.

Lucky

Keeping track of luck points on top of your ki points can be a pain, but Lucky is such a great feat that it's hard to ignore.

Savage Attacker

With multiple attacks and multiple dice rolls, being able to re-roll the lower numbers can be a great way to ensu💎re consistently high damage.

Tough

More hitpoints are always go♔od, and 🐻especially useful for a monk.

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