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InDungeons & Dragons Fifth Editions, monks aren’t usually the smart ones in the party. A lifetime of honing their bodies and minds to become living weapons usually means a lack of book-fed education. Not the Way of the Cobalt Soul. Followers of this path lead lives that investigate the history and lore of the world, providing them with useful insights into both themselves and their enemies.
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If you’re looking for a monk that lets you be the brains of the party, follow the Way of the Cobalt Soul. Read on to find out how to do just that.
Way Of The Cobalt Soul Monk Features
Following the Way of the Cobalt Soul means understanding the connection between all things, and using that connection to glean valuable insights. Upon starting the Way at level three,Extract Aspectsallows you to analyze a creature whenever you strike it with your Flurry of Blows ability.
You learn all damage vulnerabilities, resistances, and immunitiesfor that creature. You also gain the ability touse your reaction to make an unarmed strikeagainst that creaturewhenever it misses youwith an attack.
At level six, you learn toExtort Truthfrom unwilling creatures. When you touch a creature, you may spend a ki point and have it make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature can’t tell a lie, and you gain advantage on all Charisma checks directed at the creature for 10 minutes. You also know if it succeeds or fails its saving throws.
Mystical Erudition, also at level six, provides you with proficiency in either Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion. If you already have proficiency in the chosen skill, you double your proficiency bonus. You also add another skill proficiency from the above list at level 11 and level 17.
Mind of Mercuryat level 11 lets you spend a ki point to take an additional reaction if you’ve already used yours that turn, and at level 17,Debilitating Barragelets you spend three ki points to impose vulnerability to a damage type against an enemy you’ve hit with an unarmed strike.
Best Species For A Way Of The Cobalt Soul Monk
Followers of the Way of the Cobalt Soul are generally the same as most other monks, so any species that works as a monk will do great here. Below are a few species that make excellent monks.
Bugbear
Bugbears make great monks.Five extra feet of reachfor your melee attacks provides significant flexibility. High Dexterity means you’re more likely to go earlier in the turn order, makingSurprise Attackmore effective.Stealth proficiency,charm resistance, andDarkvisionare all great perks.
Duergar
The poison resistance isn’t too useful since monks eventually gain immunity, butadvantage against being charmed and stunnedare still good.Enlarge/Reduceis a great spell for a monk to know as it can increase your damage, andInvisibilityprovides interesting sneaking options.
Goblin
Fury of the Smallcan really help your damage output.Darkvision,charm resistance, andhiding as a bonus actionare also nice to have.
Goliath
Monks don’t get nearly as many hit points as their melee-focused combat requires.Stone’s Endurancehelps with that.Cold resistanceandAthleticsproficiency are also good perks.
Half-Orc
Monks make a lot of attacks, and that means they’re making critical hits more often than most classes.Savage Attacksmakes those crits deal more damage, whileRelentless Endurancekeeps a monk fighting when their hit points hit zero.Darkvisionis also nice too.
Half-Elf
Monks in general–but especially Way of the Cobalt Soul monks–want a lot of stats to be effective. Half-elves getthree stat boosts,Darkvision, and evenmore skillsto add to your burgeoning repertoire.
Human
If it’s stats you want, humans got it. You can alsogo variant human to get a featoff the jump.
Owlin
Monks struggle against flying things.Owlin can fly, making it easy to hit other flying things. Neither monks nor owlin like wearing armor, which also works in this species' favor.Darkvisionand stealth proficiency are nice to have.
Shifter
Shifters help with a monk’s poor HP pool by providinga bunch of temporary hitpointswhenever they shift.Extra armor,movement speed,askill proficiency,andDarkvisionare all good to have.
Tabaxi
Monks don’t use claws, butFeline Agilitymeans you never have to worry about being too far away to get into combat.Climbing speedhelps with those pesky flying critters a bit, andDarkvisionis always a boon.
Feel free to play as any species you like. Although the above species synergize well with the capabilities of a monk, any species can become a follower of the Way and still be reasonably effective.
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Best Ability Scores For A Way Of The Cobalt Soul Monk
Like other monks, followers of the Way of the Cobalt Soul wantDexterity,Wisdom, andConstitution to be effective. Dexterity empowers your strikes, both Dexterity and Wisdom provide armor class, and Constitution provides much-needed hit points.
Strength,Intelligence, andCharisma can largely be ignored, although having a few points in any of them will help improve you skill checks.
If you’re using D&D’s point buy system,a good starting ability score spreadmight look something like this:
10(0)
16(+3)
14(+2)
8(-1)
Best Starting Equipment For A Way Of The Cobalt Soul Monk
A monk’s body is their weapon, which means you’re not likely to require much in terms of equipment. You can choose either ashortswordor anothersimple weapon, but most of your abilities require unarmed strikes to use, so don’t expect to use either weapon much.
Adungeoneer’s packis a little more useful than an explorer’s pack, and10 dartscan help you engage flying targets.
Sinceyour armor class is based on both your Dexterity and Wisdom modifierswhile you’re not wearing armor, you don’t get any armor to start, and you’re not likely to ever need it.
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Best Feats For A Way Of The Cobalt Soul Monk
Followers of the Way of the Cobalt Soul aren’t likely to take a feat as they’re so stat-hungry thatyou’re probably going to opt for two ability score increaseswhenever the option arises.
That said,if you somehow stumble across a free featover the course of your campaign,here are a few good onesto consider.
Alert
Never get ambushed again. Alertprevents you from being surprised,can’t gain advantage against you if they attack while hidden, and youget an additional five to your initiative score. If you’re able to combine this with the bugbear’s Surprise Attack, you’ve got a potent combo.
Athlete
Climbing speedequal to your movement speed can be very helpful if you don’t already fly or are a tabaxi.Getting up from pronewithout using half your movement can also be good too. Take theDexterity score increasehere.
Lucky
Nobody likes to fail their rolls.Lucky provides you with extra d20sto spend on your most important moments. You can also use Lucky d20s to prevent damage to your squishy monk.
Mobile
Mobility matters for melee classes. Anextra 10 feet of movementhelps get you into combat faster, whiledash actions that ignore difficult terrainkeep you free of crowd control effects.Avoiding attacks of opportunityis also nice.
Skill Expert
Complement your skillsby having more of them. You can alsogain expertisein a skill you already have.
Tough
Monks are squishy. Tough makes things less squishy by giving themtwo extra hitpoints per level.
