Unleash Your Inner Monk: Top 5 Gear Picks

Summary

Monks in D&D can optimize survival and combat by carefully choosing accessories and gear.
The Manual of Bodily Health and Cloak of Invisibility are useful items for Monks in battles and stealth missions.
Monks can benefit from Winged Boots, Wraps of Unarmed Prowess, Blood Fury Tattoo, Lantern of Revealing, and Delver’s Claws.

Role-playing games feature perilous journeys where players need unique weapons and protective gear to stay alive and excel. Interestingly, Monks in this fictional world don’t rely on heavy armor like Wizards or Sorcerers; instead, they wear the least amount of armor. Yet, despite their minimal protection, Monks frequently find themselves involved in close-quarters combat. Consequently, they must be extra cautious when selecting additional items and magical equipment to ensure their survival.

In this context, it’s important to clarify that Monks don’t necessarily eschew all armor; some subclasses even have enhanced weapon and defense capabilities. Players can enhance their Armor Class (AC) with Feats or multiclassing, broadening the scope of weapon and armor options. However, there remains a question about accessories, jewelry, items like books or tattoos, which are still relevant for Monks. The following advice is based on a pure Monk build, taking into account the most recent D&D updates and guidelines.

7. Manual of Bodily Health

Permanent Constitution Increase

A buff to one of the Monk’s most important ability scores.

This exceptional, marvelous artifact is ideal for virtually every class emphasizing Constitution, as it’s scarcely found among them. Similar to combat classes that prioritize mobility over heavy armor, like Barbarians or Rogues, the Monk enhances their durability and maximum health pool in numerous ways.

As legend goes, this book functions as a guide to self-improvement, offering insights on nutrition and wellness, while also possessing magical properties. To permanently boost your Constitution by +2, a character must finish reading the book within six days, dedicating a minimum of 48 hours to it. Once utilized, the magic fades away, only to reappear again after a hundred years.

6. Cloak of Invisibility

Can’t Hit What Can’t Be Seen

Improve the Monk’s defense and mobility.

The Invisibility Cloak is a well-known artifact often featured in many thrilling tales. Typically donned by sorcerers, yet equally beneficial for a Monk, this cloak renders the wearer invisible to their adversaries. This proves advantageous even in hand-to-hand combat, as enemies cannot aim at what they can’t perceive. Furthermore, it benefits a stealthy Monk involved in burglaries or secretive assassinations by providing an added layer of concealment.

This artifact doesn’t grant the user magical spells like other enchanted items, but rather, when the hood is drawn down, it instantaneously conceals the wearer. Using an action is required to activate this feature. The invisibility lasts for about two hours, and then it needs to be left unused for a period of 12 hours to recharge its powers.

5. Winged Boots

Better Than A Flying Mount

Move quickly through the wilderness or the battlefield.

With these boots, the Monk can switch between walking pace and soaring through the air, and they grant the power to fly continuously for four hours. When a player dons the boots, they work for at least one minute unless the action is interrupted. However, prolonged use beyond four hours could lead to an unwanted ejection from high altitudes; the character would plummet 30 feet per round.

After the boots exhaust their energy for flight, they require 12 hours to recharge enough for 2 hours of flight time, and an additional 24 hours to fully replenish all four hours. Given its potential for overpowering effects, these magical boots may come with some limitations or restrictions when used by the Dungeon Master.

4. Wraps of Unarmed Prowess

Not Just Extra Armor

The attack buff is also nice, but it depends on the item’s rarity.

In this game, Wraps of Unarmed Mastery come in three tiers – Uncommon, Rare, and Very Rare. When a Monk wears these wraps, they receive a bonus to their unarmed strikes: +1 for an Uncommon version, +2 for a Rare one, and +3 for a Very Rare. The particular type found is determined by the Dungeon Master (DM), the specific adventure scenario, or the character’s level and abilities.

This enhancement not only boosts the Monk’s attack damage significantly, but it also classifies their unarmed strikes as magical, making them bypass resistance to ordinary attacks. Furthermore, the user may potentially gain an additional attack roll based on the rarity of the Wraps they are wearing.

3. Blood Fury Tattoo

Several Choices, But This Is The Best

There are several tattoos in the game, but this is the one every Monk should have.

As a dedicated gamer immersed in the expansive D&D universe, I’ve discovered a fascinating aspect that allows me to enhance my characters in unique ways – tattoos! For those with low Armor Class (AC), these tatts offer an additional layer of defensive abilities. One such tattoo that piques my interest is the Blood Fury Tattoo. This one is particularly beneficial for Monk characters who wield a weapon, as it grants them an extra punch with its Bloodthirsty Strikes skill. Each day, this skill boasts ten charges, and when deployed, it adds a potent 4d6 Necrotic damage to each successful hit from my weapon. It’s like having a secret power-up that gives me an edge in the heat of battle!

An extra perk is that attacks inflict Necrotic damage restore health points equivalent to the damage dealt, and the Monk can launch a counterattack with an advantage when confronting an adversary. However, before these abilities can be activated, the character must first be in harmony with the tattoo. This bonding process involves the Monk placing a magical needle onto their skin at the desired tattoo location.

2. Lantern of Revealing

A Way To Counter Invisibility

The Monk can disappear, but make sure their enemies cannot.

Essentially, as suggested by its name, the Lantern of Revealing offers a significant advantage: it leaves very little unseen within its vicinity when turned on. With the cover flipped open, it casts a soft yet distinct light that reaches up to thirty feet around, making visible any previously hidden creatures, items, or objects. This lantern is particularly useful for spotting not just concealed adversaries, but also valuable treasures, potential dangers like traps, and secret doors.

If the Monk desires to lessen the light’s intensity, they may choose to perform an Action to cover the lantern with their hood and decrease its range to 5 feet. After being ignited, the lantern continues to burn for a full six hours, consuming 1 pint of seed oil to operate. It is among the rare items that don’t need to rest but can endure for an extended duration as long as it has fuel available.

1. Delver’s Claws

Extra Offensive Power

Useful gear that’s also a deadly weapon.

This artifact features three claws attached to what appears like an ordinary leather glove, yet it’s exceptionally unique. Known as the Delver’s Claws, this item doesn’t just inflict 1d4 slashing damage on a Monk’s target, but also endows the Monk with useful abilities for excavation and exploration.

When a character wields this artifact, they gain the ability to burrow into or traverse the ground at their walking pace, along with the Blindsight skill. This means they can effectively “see” for up to 15 feet even in pitch-black conditions, which is particularly handy when excavating. The Delver’s Claws, however, truly shine through the Invoke Rune ability. This power allows the Monk to rejuvenate their health once a day by channeling the earth’s resilience within them. They can then roll dice to recover hit points equivalent to their Constitution modifier.

2025-04-07 05:34