I just published Monastic Traditions, a set of subclasses for Monks in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, on the Dungeon Masters Guild. It offers three options for Monk characters:

Mechanically, the first two classes fill a gap in that they give Monks crowd control and battlefield control capabilities. Similar capabilities are already available in the subclasses from the Player Handbook – e.g., the Way Way of the Four Elements’ Water Whip Discipline or the Way of the Open Hand’s Open Hand Technique. However, unlike the subclasses from the Player Handbook, these two new subclasses focus exclusively on crowd and battlefield control.

And so the Monks following the Way of the Animals get to knock, push, grapple, impede and otherwise disrupt opponents. And the Monks following the Way of the Fengshui can literally shape the battlefield to their liking.

Both of these subclasses are loosely inspired by Chinese martial arts and tradition: the first from animal style kung fu the second from the practice of Fengshui. Note that “loosely” is an important word here.

The third subclass, the Way of the Ink Artistry, is oriented towards combat. It is for the Monk that wants to get into the fray, take down an opponent quickly and make it out alive. The flavour for this subclass is opposite to the traditional, hard-studying, wise and patient Monk. Instead, Ink Artists magically enchant their bodies to gain martial benefits.

You can get Monastic Traditions from the Dungeon Masters Guild – it is available on a “pay what you want” basis – or download a sample. Don’t hesitate to leave comments and reviews, and you can also send me feedback to .