The Way of the Cobalt Soul monk subclass was devised by Critical Role’s Matt Mercer for his D&D world, Exandria. Made famous by Marisha Ray’s monk character, Beauregard “Beau” Lionett. The Way of the Cobalt Soul monk subclass uses the study and knowledge of their enemy’s physical and mental abilities against them in combat. After the fight is won (or lost), they record their findings for future Cobalt Soul monks to study and learn.

Knowledge about your enemy is invaluable, especially if it’s a creature or character class you’re not familiar with. And, of course, you get the usual thump, thump, kick skills that a monk class has to offer.

For a fuller overview of the monk class, you can check out our guide on playing a Monk in 5e D&D.

How to Use This Guide

Everything in this guide has an emoji, ranking how useful a given ability or feature is to playing this class effectively.

✅ — An absolutely crucial feature. Often forms the backbone of a class’ look and feel. Will provide some bonus that can’t be found through other means.

🆗 — A solid feature that does its job well. Not game-breaking, and certainly replaceable, but a strong choice that shores up some weakness.

⚠️ — A debatable choice. Could work for a specific build, but otherwise is either a wasted opportunity or is just weaker than other alternatives.

⛔ — Outright bad and detrimental. This weighs down the class and just takes up space on the character sheet. A weakness you will have to accommodate for.

This emoji guide is designed to build the best Cobalt Soul monk that works for you. Remember that low ability scores and weaker characters can also make for fulfilling characters.

These rankings are specifically for the Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk build. For all other Monk Monastic subclasses, you can check them out in our guide on the best Monk subclasses.

How To Play A Cobalt Soul Monk

Originally a Matt Mercer homebrew class. The Cobalt Soul Monk is now canon featuring in the Tal’Dorei Reborn campaign sourcebook. Still, an amazing hand-to-hand punch master, the monk follows the path of the Cobalt Soul, which adds a layer of knowledge to the build, drawing on skills that allow you to punch your way around your enemy through knowledge and studying. Stay in school, kids!

As a monk, you tend to be at the front of combat. Running in and striking your enemy with your Flurry of Blows and stunning Strike. And learning a little bit on the way.

🧘 Looking for a cool character name? Check our monk name ideas

Way of the Cobalt Soul Subclass Features

Level One (Monk)

✅ Unarmoured Defense

Monks don’t need armor. Your AC is 10 plus your Dex modifier and Wisdom modifier. Put your highest dice rolls into these two ability scores.

✅ Martial Arts

Unarmed is better for most of the Way of the Cobalt skills. So keep that in mind when you’re building your monk.

The main points of martial arts are:

Dexterity modifier instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls for your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
Unarmed attacks start with D4 damage and increase as you rise through the monk levels.
When you use your action to make an attack, use your bonus action to make a second attack.

Level Two (Monk)

✅ Ki

Ki. Magic energy that flows through all monks. They harness this energy to perform special unarmed strikes and unique abilities. You receive the amount of Ki points equal to your monk level. At Level 2 you get 2 Ki points etc. These Ki points are spent as you perform one of these strikes or skills.

The Ki rules are:

Once spent, you need a long or short rest to regain all your Ki points back.
Your Ki DC is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Wisdom modifier.

🆗 Flurry of Blows

Spend a Ki point and receive two more unarmed attacks on your bonus action. Three attacks at level 2! Your move fighter.

✅ Patient Defense

Dodgy as hell. Spend a Ki and get the Dodge action as a bonus action.

🆗 Step of the Wind

Step of the Wind allows you to spend a Ki and use Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action. Similar to the Rogue’s cunning action.

🆗 Unarmored Movement

Monks get faster as they rise through the levels. And at level 9 your Cobalt Soul Monk can run along vertical surfaces and across liquids.

✅ Dedicated Weapon (Optional)

I love this feature. After a long or short rest, use your Ki and touch a weapon. That weapon is your monk weapon till you touch another.

This is great if you need to use a specific weapon, like a magic weapon or one that’s tied in with your campaign.

The Dedicated Weapon rules:

The weapon must be a simple or martial weapon
You must be proficient with it
It must lack the heavy and special properties

Recommend you get a longbow. Giving your Cobalt Soul Monk ranged options is a perfect addition to your party.

Level Three (Way of the Cobalt Soul and Monk)

This is where you get your first Cobalt Soul abilities.

✅ Extract Aspects

Strike pressure points on your target to extract vital information from your foe. When you land a successful hit with one of your Flurry of Blows, you get to analyze the creature’s weaknesses and strengths. Whenever an analyzed foe misses an attack, you can immediately use your reaction to make an unarmed attack. Plus, you get to learn about this creature’s damage vulnerabilities, resistances, immunities, and resistances. The benefit lasts until you finish a short or long rest.

Usually, you’re fighting a handful of the same creature, so these extra attacks on the creatures could give you that edge in combat. Plus, gaining knowledge of your enemy’s vulnerabilities can turn the tide in battle. Weakness to fire? Burn them down!

⚠️ Deflect Missiles

Catch or deflect a fired or thrown projectile. Arrows, bolts, hand axes, etc. And throw it back. Maybe.

Use your reaction to reduce damage by rolling a 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level. Costs one Ki.

Also, if you reduce it to 0 damage, you can throw it back as an attack.

✅ Ki-Fueled Attack (Optional)

Like the Martial Arts bonus action attack at level 1 with some differences. Spend a Ki point on your bonus action to make an attack.

The differences are:

Martial arts – If you use your action to make an attack, you can use your bonus action to make an extra unarmed attack.

Ki-Fueled Attack – Your first action doesn’t need to be an attack. You could use Wholeness of Body AND attack unarmed OR with your Monk Weapon.

For example, you could drink a healing potion as an action and make an attack with your bonus action. Monks are great, right?

Level Four (Monk)

⚠️ Slow Fall

If you’re falling as a Monk, you’ve failed in your Monk life. Go back to the Cobalt Soul library and study ‘falling’.

However, if you do, this very situational ability reduces falling damage by an amount equal to five times your monk level.

⚠️ Quickened Healing (Optional)

At level four, you only have 4 Ki. So spending 2 Ki to heal yourself is heavy. You gain hit points to the number of your martial arts dice rolled plus your proficiency.

Level Five (Monk)

✅ Extra Attack

Extra attack at level 5. That plus your Bonus Action attack or Flurry of Blows on top. That’s equal to 3 or 4 attacks at level 5!

✅ Stunning Strike

Stunning Strike is a monk ability staple. A fantastic ability! When you hit an enemy with an attack, you can spend a Ki to perform a stunning strike.

The enemy or creature must make a Con save or be stunned till the end of your next turn. Stun the enemy and get everyone to kick the crap out of the target with an advantage. It’s worked in my combat situations.

🆗 Focused Aim (Optional)

Frustration happens if you miss a crucial strike. With focused aim, you can push your attack roll up till it hits. Use up to three Ki points worth 2 points each to push it up and over the enemy’s AC.

Great! If a little Ki heavy.

Level Six (Way of the Cobalt Soul and Monk)

🆗 Extort Truth

A solid Cobalt Soul skill. Great for interrogating enemies to extract information. At level 6, during an unarmed attack, the Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk can spend a Ki and hit its neural pressure points. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw. A fail means the enemy is unable to speak a deliberate lie, and all Charisma-based checks are with advantage. It lasts for 10 minutes. You can also make the attack and do no damage.

Perfect for gaining vital quest information from enemies or NPCs. Especially if you have a party member with high bonus Charisma skills such as persuasion or intimidation.

🆗 Mystical Erudition

Additionally, at level 6, your Cobalt Soul Monk gains another language of your choice. Plus, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion. If you already have proficiency in any of these skills, you can double it. Rogue-like

An excellent extra ability that allows you to gain proficiency in intelligent-based skills. It’s likely you don’t have a great modifier in Intelligence, so having some support in that skill set is awesome.

✅ Ki-Empowered Strikes

Your unarmed strikes are now magic weapons. Move over Longsword +1!

Level Seven (Monk)

✅ Evasion

Evasion allows you to skip out of the way of any AOE aimed at you. For example, a fireball spell. Make a Dexterity save. With a fail, you only take half damage, and if you

With a pass, you take zero damage. It’s a great ability that can get you out of many scrapes!

🆗 Stillness of Mind

Stop charmed or frightened effects. Situational but useful.

Level Ten (Monk)

🆗 Purity of Body

Immunity to disease or poison. You get poisoned more times than you think in D&D.

Level Eleven (Way of the Cobalt Soul)

🆗 Mind of Mercury

You’ve sharpened your perception of the enemy’s combat moves. Once per turn, you can spend a Ki and take an additional reaction. It could possibly eat through your Ki quickly, but great for finishing combat quickly if you need to.

Level Thirteen (Monk)

⚠️ Tongue of the Sun and Moon

Touch a person, and you can understand their language and speak to them. Most people speak common.

Level Fourteen (Monk)

✅ Diamond Soul

Proficiency in all saving throws. And you can spend a Ki to reroll if you fail.

Level Fifteen (Monk)

⛔ Timeless Body

You don’t need food or water and you can’t be aged magically. Unless your DM is hardcore or you’re in a situation where food and water are scarce. A bit useless.

Level Seventeen (Way of the Cobalt Soul)

🆗 Debilitating Barrage

When you strike an enemy with an unarmed attack, you can spend 3 Ki points and make it vulnerable to one damage type (fire, acid, necrotic, etc) of your choice for 1 minute. Or until the end of a turn where it has taken that damage type.

If it has resistance in the chosen damage type, the resistance is suppressed for 1 minute instead.

A creature that has been affected by this ability can’t be affected by it again for 24 hours.

I feel at level 17 the Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk ability should be a bit more spectacular. It feels more level 6 or 11. Still useful, though.

Level Eighteen (Monk)

🆗 Empty Body

You spend 4 Ki, and you get to become invisible for a minute, taking only force damage.

Spend eight Ki points granting you the Astral Projection spell. You can go and visit the other planes.

Not sure about plane visiting but invisibility is always a bonus.

Level Twenty (Monk)

✅ Perfect Self

If you start combat with no Ki points, you get four Ki points when initiative is rolled. This could easily give you an advantage in combat or to get away from combat.

The Ideal Way of the Cobalt Soul Build

The Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk class is like turning your Monk into a Kyusho Jitsu (Pressure point martial art) style character. Combined with a studious nature, it’s an interesting Monk build to go for that doesn’t have as much flavor as, say, Way of the Shadow Monk.

Ability Scores

⚠️ Strength

Although they do have Strength saves, it’s not massively important for Monks.

✅ Dexterity

Get this as high as you can. Most Monk skills are Dex-based.

🆗 Constitution

As melee fighters, Monks need some constitution.

⚠️ Intelligence

Normally, this is a dump stat. However, with some of the abilities Intelligence based in the Cobalt Soul subclass, it might be useful to put a few points here.

✅ Wisdom

Like Dex, Wisdom is the second ability score where you should put your points.

⛔ Charisma

Not essential at all.

Racial Considerations

It’s always difficult considering a class for any build. The rule, I’d say, is to go with what you want. After all, it’s your character. However, Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers are important for Monks, so any with those pluses should be looked at.

✅ Lotusden Halfling

Looking firstly at one of Matt Mercer’s race variations. One with the woods, the Lotusden Halfling lands with +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom. In addition, you get the Druidcraft cantrip, Entangle, once per long rest, and at level 5, they get Spike Growth, again once per long rest. These all use their Wisdom modifier. Lastly, you obtain Timberwalk, which gives anyone trying to track them with disadvantage.

✅ Pallid Elf

Another of Matt Mercer’s creations. The Pallid Elf lands with +2 for Dexterity and +1 for Wisdom. Perfect. Darkvision can’t be charmed or put to sleep, and you know the cantrip light. All useful for character flavors.

✅ Variant Human

A bit vanilla, but you get some great bonuses. Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1 point, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice, and you gain one feat of your choice. Feats can add extra points to abilities also.

Cobalt Soul Backgrounds

Backgrounds give your Monk character extra flavor. You can choose any background, but we’ll give you suggestions that work in conjunction with the Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk build.

✅ (Cobalt Scholar) Sage

A background designed for the Cobalt Soul Monk build based on the Sage background. You gain the Arcana and History skills plus two extra languages. The Researcher skill allows you the knowledge of where and from whom you can find a particular piece of information.

🆗 Courtier

Simply because you gain the Persuasion and Insight skills. Persuasion works perfectly with the Extort Truth ability. You also gain knowledge of how the local government or noble bureaucracies work.

Any background that features persuasion, deception, intimidation, or performance is useful for a Cobalt Soul build.

🧘 Not convinced? What about trying the Way of the Sun Soul Monk instead?

Cobalt Soul Skills

As a Monk, you get to choose two skills from: Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth. For a Cobalt Soul build, I’d definitely combine it with a background that gives you persuasion, deception, intimidation, or performance to work in conjunction with your Extort Truth ability.

Best Feats for Way of the Cobalt Soul

At several points during your rise through the levels, you get the chance to add ability score increases and feats to your Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk build.

Ability score increases to get both your Dex and Wisdom to the maximum should be considered instead of feats.

Feats add different skills and abilities that sometimes in incorporate ability score increases. There are lots of feats that work for all Monk classes. Check out our article, Guide to Monk Feats in 5e DnD, which gives you a rundown on the best feats for all Monk subclasses.

These feats listed are designed to enhance your Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk.

✅ Actor

An unusual one for monks. However, with the Cobalt Soul’s Extort Truth ability, having the deception and performance skills can help you get that vital information from a captured enemy. Plus, the +1 Charisma mod will help you with those advantage Charisma checks.

✅ Alert

Due to your ability to study your enemy during combat. Getting in there first is a major advantage for Cobalt Soul Monks. Alert gives you a +5 to initiative. Also, you can’t be surprised, and enemies you don’t see don’t gain an advantage on the attack roll against you.

✅ Linguist

One if you love the studious Cobalt Soul Monk type of build. Linguist gives you three extra languages and +1 to Intelligence. This +1 is good because some of the Cobalt Soul abilities are intelligence-based, and you’ve probably put your best ability rolls into Dexterity and Wisdom.

Weapons and Armor

If you want weapons, become a fighter. Monks are perfect with their fists and feet. However, get a longbow for that extra ranged layer.

Armor? No.

Multiclassing Cobalt Soul

Cobalt Soul Monks work better as single classes. However, no one would ever stop you from multiclassing. If you have a decent Intelligence score, then maybe a Warlock or Sorcerer. Spells are great, but more for the ‘studying in the library’ vibe.

Magic Items

You can check our Best Monk Magic Items in the 5e DnD guide here. I’ve selected a few that will work exceptionally well with your Cobalt Hand Monk build. These are for the defense and combat part of your build.

✅ Blood Fury Tattoo (Legendary, Requires attunement)

When you hit a creature, you can choose to do an extra 4D6 necrotic damage. Plus, you gain hit points back equal to the damage given. This works exceptionally well with your Cobalt Soul Mind of Mercury ability. With that extra reaction attack, you can do explosive damage right at the beginning of combat. If you have the Alert feat, then even better.

Also, when an enemy that you can see damages you, you can expend a charge and use your reaction to attack back. With advantage. You get ten charges per day that you regain fully at dawn.

✅ Bracers of Defense (Rare, Requires attunement)

+2 to AC. Perfect for monks.

✅ Gloves of Soul Catching (Legendary, Requires attunement)

When in combat, these gloves are fantastic for the Way of the Cobalt Soul Monk. While wearing, your constitution jumps to 20. With a successful unarmed attack, you gain an extra 2d10 force damage to your target and regain the number of hit points equal to the force damage dealt. Or, instead of hit points, you can choose to gain advantage on one attack roll, ability check or saving throw you make before the end of your next turn.

Is the Cobalt Soul Monk for You?

For those of you who love a monk who emphasizes studying martial arts and gaining knowledge on enemies, the Cobalt Soul is the ideal monk subclass for you. This combination of fighting and reading allows for a very interesting roleplaying aspect. Are they calm and collective? Or quiet and deadly? During your campaign, are they more likely to be found in a library than a tavern?

However you want to play them, Matt Mercer has managed to get a perfect balance of melee combat with bookworm. More in line with a traditional monk build and built right, the Way of the Cobalt Soul is truly deadly in battle. Have you built a Cobalt Soul monk? How did you find them during combat? Would love to hear your ideas and suggestions in the comments below.