Quick Links
Playing a monk inDungeons & Dragons Fifth Editionmeans channeling your inner kung-fu movie. While there are plenty of martial arts masters who rely on mental and physical discipline to perform incredible feats of heroism, the drunken master knows how to truly let loose, go with the flow, and let the libations take them wherever they may.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Way Of The Four Elements Monk
Followers of the Way of the Drunken Master don’t necessarily have to be drunk to perform their best in combat, but true masters of this path always had a bottle by their side, ready to get tipsy at a moment’s notice. Read on to learn the Way of the Drunken Master.
Way Of The Drunken Master Features
It’s important to note that monks who follow the Way of the Drunken Master aren’t actually drunk all the time. They merely act drunk in order to fool their opponents. A Way of the Drunken Master monk learns thePerformanceskill at level three, as well asDrunken Technique. This allows drunken masters to move erratically, providing them with a free Disengage action as well as 10 additional feet of movement whenever they use Flurry of Blows.
But to keep up appearances, a Way of the Drunken Master monk also becomesproficient with brewer’s suppliesat level three, allowing them to create their own libations.
At level six,Tipsy Swayallows the monk to move in sudden, erratic sways. It also lets them get up from being prone by spending just five feet of movement rather than half their movement speed and also redirects enemy attacks whenever they miss by spending one ki point. This attack then strikes another creature within five feet.
Drunkard’s Luckat level 11 allows you to cancel the disadvantage on any attack roll or saving throw by spending two ki points. At level 17,Intoxicated Frenzylets the drunken master attack up to three additional times when using Flurry of Blows (for a total of five unarmed strikes) provided each attack targets a different creature.
Intoxicated Frenzy is great for a barroom brawl, but terrible when you want to deal damage to the final boss.
Best Species For A Way Of The Drunken Master Monk
Every species is capable of being an effective drunken master, so feel free to play your Way of the Drunken Master Monk as any species you like. However, there area few species that offer some unique advantagesto playing as a monk.
Here area few suggested speciesto follow the Way of the Drunken Master.
Bugbear
Having anextra five feet of reachfor each of your blows is perfect for Monks. Since you have a lot of Dexterity, monks also tend to go higher in the turn order, makingSurprise Attackmore effective.Darkvisionandcharm resistanceround out this excellent species.
Duergar
Monks eventually gain immunity to poison, which makesDwarven Resiliencesuperfluous, butadvantage against being charmed and stunnedare both useful. What really makes this class for monks is the freeEnlarge/Reducespell, which provides extra damage, as well as theInvisibilityspell at level five.
Goblin
Fury of the Smallmakes Flurry of Blows against larger targets a much more damaging proposition.Darkvision,charm resistance, andbonus action hideis also good, although you already get to disengage as a bonus action with your class.
Goliath
Stone’s Endurancecan help shore up the monk’s lackluster health pool.Athleticsis a useful skill, andcold resistanceis nice to have too.
Half-Orc
Since monks make a lot of attacks with Flurry of Blows, monks are more likely to make critical hits, which meansSavage Attackswill benefit monks more than most.Relentless Endurancealso keeps you fighting when your hitpoints reach zero, whileDarkvisionis always nice to have.
Half-Elf
Monks are stat-hungry. Half-elves providethree stat boosts. Other than that,Darkvision,some skills, andcharm resistanceare all tics in the plus column.
Human
Humans provideeven more ability score increasesthan Half-elves, which makes them great monks.
Owlin
Drunken master monks have trouble with flying creatures.Owlin can fly, so that trouble disappears. You also getstealth proficiencyandDarkvisiontoo.
Shifter
Shifters help with a monk’s poor HP pool by providinga bunch of temporary hitpointswhenever they go beast mode.Extra armorormovement speedalongside askill proficiencyandDarkvisionare also definite boons.
Tabaxi
Your claws won’t do much, butFeline Agilitywill get your monk into or out of combat easily. Aclimb speedalso helps with those pesky flying critters, andDarkvisionis always a plus.
Best Ability Scores For A Way Of The Drunken Master Monk
As with other monks, you’ll needDexterity,Wisdom, andConstitutionto be an effective follower of the Way of the Drunken Master. Dexterity powers your attacks and provides armor class, Wisdom provides even more armor class, and Constitution provides you with most important resource: hitpoints.
Strength,Charisma, andIntelligencecan all be safely ignored, although a little bit of Strength doesn’t hurt monks as they’re often a more physical class.
If you’re using D&D’s point buy system,a good starting ability score spreadmight look something like this:
12(+1)
16(+3)
14(+2)
8(-1)
Best Starting Equipment For A Way Of The Drunken Master Monk
Monks don’t start with much equipment, and theydon’t need much equipment over the course of a campaign. you may choose either ashortswordor asimple weaponbut expect to mostly be using your unarmed strikes before too long. Adungeoneer’s packis a little more useful than an explorer’s pack, and10 dartsprovide you with a ranged attack option.
Since your armor class is based on both your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers when you’re not wearing armor,you don’t start with armornor will you likely wear armor at any point in the campaign.
Best Feats For A Way Of The Drunken Master Monk
Most monks are going to opt for ability score increases rather than feats. That said, if you decide to play as a variant human or your campaign begins with a free feat, then here area few useful feats for a Way of the Drunken Master monk.
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 can combine this with the bugbear’s Surprise Attack, you’ve got a potent combo.
Lucky
Nobody likes to fail their rolls.Lucky provides you with extra d20sto spend on your most important moments. you’re able to also use Lucky d20s to prevent damage to your squishy monk.
Mobile
Monks are already very mobile, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t benefit from being even more mobile. Anextra 10 feet of movement,dash actions that ignore difficult terrain, andnot provoking opportunity attacksare all good things.
Skill Expert
Monks are often pretty light on skills. Skill Expert can help with that, as well as provide your character withexpertise in a particular skill.
Tough
Monks are squishy. Tough makes things less squishy by giving themtwo extra hitpoints per level.
