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Subclass Monk Way of the Open Hand
The Way of the Open Hand is the control Monk subclass. Flurry of Blows becomes a toolkit — knock prone, push away, or strip reactions — and everything else in the subclass builds on that foundation.
This rework gives the Open Hand three distinct Flurry variants at Level 3, a Wisdom-scaling heal at Level 6, and at Level 11 a passive that makes Step of the Wind free.
| LEVEL | FEATURE |
|---|---|
| 3 | Open Hand Technique |
| 6 | Wholeness of Body |
| 11 | Fleet Step |
When you use Flurry of Blows, each hit can apply one of three effects. You choose which variant to use before the Flurry:
Knock — OpenHandTechnique_Knock
The target must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Ki save DC. On failure: knocked Prone.
Prone targets are attacked with Advantage from melee — a strong setup for a Rogue's Sneak Attack, a Fighter's heavy weapon, or a Paladin's Smite.
Push — OpenHandTechnique_Push
The target must make a Strength saving throw against your Ki save DC. On failure: pushed back with Force(5, EntityForward, Neutral) — 5 meters directly away from you.
Push creates distance, breaks grapples, removes enemies from advantage positions, and can send targets off ledges.
No Reactions — OpenHandTechnique_NoReactions
The target is inflicted with OPEN_HAND_NO_REACTIONS — they cannot use reactions until the start of your next turn.
No Reactions removes opportunity attacks, Counterspell, Shield, and any other reaction the enemy was planning to use. In the right moment — before a critical spell or a flanking repositioning — this is worth more than the damage.
Once per Short Rest, as a Bonus Action, restore HP equal to:
Martial Arts die + Wisdom modifier
The heal scales with Wisdom — the same scaling pattern as Warding Flare charges and Preserve Life:
| WISDOM SCORE | HEAL AMOUNT (at Monk 6, d8 Martial Arts) |
|---|---|
| 14 | 1d8 + 2 |
| 16 | 1d8 + 3 |
| 18 | 1d8 + 4 |
| 20 | 1d8 + 5 |
Wholeness of Body is not a combat-changing heal. It is sustainability — the difference between entering the next fight at 40% HP and entering it at 70%. It refreshes on Short Rest, meaning you can use it every encounter.
At Level 11, Step of the Wind no longer costs a Bonus Action. You can Disengage or Dash as part of your movement without spending your Bonus Action — freeing it for Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, or class features.
Fleet Step removes the trade-off between movement and Flurry. From Level 11, both are available each turn.
The Way of the Open Hand is a battlefield controller that turns every Flurry of Blows into a positioning tool.
Your combat loop:
- Attack with your Action — land hits, apply Stunning Strike when Ki allows
- Flurry of Blows — choose your technique based on the fight: Knock for advantage setup, Push for terrain control, No Reactions before a critical play
- Wholeness of Body on Short Rest — sustain through multiple encounters
- Fleet Step at Level 11 — move freely, Disengage freely, Flurry freely