Way of the Kensei or ‘Monk with Weapons‘ is for those of you who love playing the punchy Monk archetype but can’t let go of using weapons. The emphasis for this particular D&D Monk subclass is weapons, a nudge in the direction of a fighter, but with more punch and kick.

This especially bodes well for those of you who love ranged weapons. It’s every Monk’s dream to fire off a load of arrows before running up, poking with a spear, and then punching away.

There are some pitfalls with this monastic tradition, and we’ll try to swerve them and give you the best guide for an optimum Way of the Kensei build. You can always check our Monk subclass guide to compare all the Monk monastic traditions.

How to Use This Guide

Everything in this guide has an emoji, ranking how useful a given ability or feature is to playing Monk 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 weaker than other alternatives.

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

These rankings are designed to help you build the most optimized Way of Kensei Monk. In DnD, it’s great to have a character with a few flaws. It gives each of us a challenge to roleplay them.

For example, my level 9 Swashbuckler had a few terrible ranged weapon ‘incidents’, which are now part of his character. Even to the point that I’ve included it in his backstory. My party protests if I even look at a bow. It gives a more rounded and fun playing experience.

How To Play A Kensei Monk

Buy lots of weapons and go! Well, there is a bit more to it than that. Focus is weapons, punching, and er, more weapons. With some well-chosen feats and skills, this class can be fun to play.

Dexterity and Wisdom ability scores should be the highest priority. For me personally, I would lean towards ranged support with a hard melee-hitter Monk. Let’s dive into the Way of the Kensei.

Kensei Monk Subclass Features

Level One (Monk)

✅ Unarmoured Defense

Your fluid body movement is your armor. Your AC is 10 plus your Dex modifier and Wisdom modifier.

✅ Martial Arts

The core of the Monk’s fighting ability. Using punches, strikes, kicks, headbutts, whatever, to beat the crap out of your enemy. Inviting Monk weapons to the party gives an extra layer of fighting.

Martial arts main points:

Use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls for both unarmed strikes and Monk weapons.
D4 damage on unarmed and Monk weapon attacks, which goes up to 1D6 level 5, 1D8 level 11, and 1D10 at level 17. Monk weapons always start on their normal damage. So, for example, a short sword will start on 1D6 damage and go up to 1D8 at level 11, etc.
If you attack with your action, you can use your bonus action to make an extra unarmed attack. Essentially, two attacks at level 1.

Level Two (Monk)

✅ Ki

You channel the mystical power of Ki at level 2. Woohoo! Ki is an energy force that your Monk uses to perform various actions or subclass skills. You get the amount of Ki points equal to your level. 2 at level 2, 3 at level 3, etc.

Regain all your Ki points with a long or short rest.

Some Ki actions require the target to make a saving throw. Your Ki DC is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Wisdom modifier. Wisdom is important, kids!

The three Ki skills at level two are:

🆗 Flurry of Blows

A fine ability. During combat, you can spend one of your Ki points to gain two more unarmed strikes as a bonus. Three attacks altogether! As a note, you cannot attack, do a bonus attack, and then spend a Ki to get two more unarmed attacks in one turn. No, no, no. One or the other.

✅ Patient Defense

You can use a Ki point to gain the Dodge action as a bonus action. Great if you’re getting punched in the face by Gary the Goblin.

🆗 Step of the Wind

You get the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action when you use a Ki point. Your jump distance is also doubled for the turn. Similar to a Rogue’s Cunning Action ability.

🆗 Unarmored Movement

The Monk’s speed increases at certain levels, starting off with a plus 10 foot at level 2. You also gain the ability to go full Jesus and walk on liquids and up walls at level 9.

🆗 Dedicated Weapon (Optional)

Great for other classes of Monks but not great for the Way of the Kensei. It dilutes the whole idea of the Kensei subclass because it allows non-Kensei Monks proficiency in more weapons. It is optional, so it’s up to your Dungeon Master whether it’s allowed.

After each short or long rest, you touch a weapon, focus your magical energy, and consider that weapon your Monk weapon until you use the ability again.

The rules:

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

The differences in dedicated weapon ability and Kensei Monk weapons will be introduced in the next section.

🧘 Not convinced? Check our Shadow Monk guide instead!

Level Three (Way of the Kensei Monk and Monk)

At level 3, we get our first Kensei Monk abilities, whoop!

Path of the Kensei

⚠️ Kensei Weapons

Choose two weapons, a melee and a ranged one. Both weapons must be simple or martial, lacking heavy and special properties. Many of the Kensei features only work with your chosen weapons. You gain a new weapon proficiency at levels 6, 11, and 17, either melee or ranged. Only a handful of really good options for weapon choice here. Which is a shame. One way to counteract this would be if your kind DM allows balanced homebrew weapons. Either your own or ones you’ve found elsewhere.

Of course, Dedicated Weapon at level 2 means you can gain proficiency in any weapon. The difference is that you keep the proficiencies of the Kensei weapons. And some of the Kensei skills will only work with your Kensei weapons. It’s not exactly the same, but it feels like the Kensei is losing something special from its subclass. Awwwww.

⚔ Possible Kensei Weapon Options ⚔

🆗 Battle Axe/Longsword/Warhammer – Getting great damage right from the start, one of these weapons should be your top choice. If you use it as a versatile weapon and get that lovely 1D10 damage.
✅ Whip – Indiana Jones eat your heart out! Landing with a 5-foot reach and gaining more damage as you level up, this potentially is one of the greatest Monk melee weapons available.
✅ Longbow – If you’re playing a punchy Monk that likes to do a bit of ranged attacking from time to time, get a longbow.
✅ Crossbow – I love the crossbow. Wolfgang, my Gloomstalker Ranger, has a heavy one, and he is ultra deadly with it. Taking the Crossbow feat allows you to use it close up without any disadvantages. You’ve got a superb ranged weapon with a ton of damage. Laika, the Goliath Fighter in the party, disagrees about the crossbow. She would say, “Crossbow is too easy.” But she’s not writing this article.

✅ Agile Parry

As a part of your action, you can use your melee Kensei weapon to defend yourself when you make an unarmed attack. You get a nice +2 to AC while you hold it or aren’t incapacitated. A solid Kensei ability.

🆗 Kensei’s Shot

Use your bonus action to get an extra 1D4 damage with your ranged weapon if it hits.

⛔ Way of the Brush

Get proficiency in calligrapher’s supplies or painter’s supplies. Useless. Pointless. Would have been nice to see a different more useful proficiency. Smith’s tools would be better for the Kensei.

⚠️ Deflect Missiles

Also at level 3 is the Deflect Missiles ability. Catch a thrown or fired weapon projectile and potentially throw it back. Use your reaction to reduce damage by using 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Monk level.

If you reduce it to 0, you get to make a ranged attack with a range of 20/60. Costs 1 Ki. I would have given this a better score if you could throw it back, whether it did damage or not. It’s a bit situational.

✅ Ki-Fueled Attack (Optional)

Spend a Ki and make an unarmed or Monk Weapon attack as part of a bonus action. Similar to the Martial arts bonus attack, but not quite.

The main differences:

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 dash or dodge AND attack unarmed or with your Monk Weapon.

Level Four (Monk)

⚠️ Slow Fall

Monks are balanced, so they shouldn’t fall off things, but if yours does, rest assured, slow fall will make it less hurty.

⚠️ Quickened Healing (Optional)

Spend a couple of Ki, roll your martial arts die, and you gain hit points to the number you rolled plus your proficiency. Ki heavy.

Level Five (Monk)

✅ Extra Attack

Not just one attack anymore, now you get two. Also, add your bonus action attacks on top of Flurry of Blows. Equals out to three or four attacks. If you’re using your Kensei weapon, there is a potential to do plenty of damage to your enemy here.

✅ Stunning Strike

Attack with a melee strike, unarmed or Monk weapon, spend a Ki, and deliver a stunning strike! The target must make a Constitution save or be stunned till the end of the turn. Attacks on the enemy have advantage till the end of your turn. This is great if all your party is piling into the enemy.

🆗 Focused Aim (Optional)

Go to hit, but you miss! Focused aim allows you to use up to 3 Ki points to push that attack roll over the AC. Each Ki is worth 2 points. Great for that final blow.

Level Six (Way of the Kensei Monk and Monk)

Your Ki gets channeled into your weapons.

One with the Blade

✅ Magic Kensei Weapons

Your Kensei weapons are now classed as magic weapons. Nice! Magic Whip, here I come!

🆗 Deft Strike

When you hit with one of your Kensei weapons, you can spend a Ki and do extra damage equal to your martial arts dice.

🆗 Ki-Empowered Strikes

Your strikes are classed as magic now. Magic Kensei weapons already do this to your Kensei weapons, so it only benefits unarmed strikes.

Level Seven (Monk)

Evasion

✅ Jump out the way of an AOE weapon or magic and roll a Dex save. A fail means you take half damage, and a success means you take none. My Swashbuckler has this, and it really annoys the DM when I remind them of it.

🆗 Stillness of Mind

Stop being charmed or frightened by using an action. Situational.

Level Ten (Monk)

🆗 Purity of Body

Immunity to disease or poison. You get poisoned more than you think in DnD. Or is that just my DM?

Level Eleven (Way of the Kensei Monk)

⚠️ Sharpen the Blade (Way of the Kensei)

At level 11, you get another Kensei monastic tradition feature. As a bonus action, you can touch one of your Monk weapons and spend up to 3 Ki points to get an attack and damage bonus equal to the amount of Ki you used. 3 Ki equals +3, for example.

Really Ki heavy, and you’re probably better spending the Ki on Flurry of Blows. Plus, it’s likely your Monk will have a magic weapon by level 11. Needs a bit of thought when using it.

⚔ Sharpen the Blade – Improvement Suggestion ⚔

A fix for this ability would be the ability to stack the bonus on the magic weapon. Which you currently can’t. So if you had a longsword +1, you could spend 3 Ki and make it into a longsword +4. This would balance the ability better—ne for Dm’s discretion.

Level Thirteen (Monk)

⚠️ Tongue of the Sun and Moon

Touch a target. You can then understand their language and speak to them. Situational.

Level Fourteen (Monk)

✅ Diamond Soul

Ultimate power! Proficiency on all saving throws, and you can spend a Ki to reroll if you fail. Top ability!

Level Fifteen (Monk)

⛔ Timeless Body

Magic will not age you, and there’s no need for food or water. Boring, plus drinking in Taverns, is part of the whole roleplaying experience!

Level Seventeen (Way of the Kensei)

🆗 Unerring Accuracy

Fully channel your energy through your Monk Weapon. If you miss an attack roll with your Monk Weapon, you get to reroll it. Simple. Nothing fancy but a pretty useful skill, nevertheless.

Level Eighteen (Monk)

✅ Empty Body

If you spend 4 Ki, you get to become invisible and only take force damage. Invisibility is always good. Sneak up on your target and kick the seven shades of stuff out of them before they even know it!

Spend 8 Ki grants you the Astral Projection spell. Hop to another plane.

Level Twenty (Monk)

✅ Perfect Self

If you’re a level 20 Monk and go into combat with no Ki points, you haven’t planned your Monk life well. However, with the Perfect Self ability, once you’ve rolled initiative, you gain 4 Ki back. Punch and run away, I suggest.

🧘 Discover more! Check our Cobalt Soul Monk guide instead!

The Perfect Kensei Monk Build

Choosing the right weapons and working out how to use them effectively in combat is the key to this build. It can be a bit of trial and error, working out how you want to play the Kensei Monk. Do you focus on the ranged with a full melee punching Monk? Or do you want to balance it with different weapons for different situations?

A little future thought on how you want your Monk to grow works wonders. I always think a few levels ahead when building a character.

Ability Scores

⚠️ Strength

Although Monks have Strength saves as proficiency, strength is way down the list.

✅ Dexterity

Focus your highest score on Dex. Important for a Monk build.

🆗 Constitution

Always important for all classes. Especially for melee Monks.

⛔ Intelligence

Leave Intelligence for Wizards.

✅ Wisdom

After Dexterity, Wisdom is your second top score.

⛔ Charisma

Monks don’t need to be charismatic.

Monk Races

A handful of some of the more optimal race choices for Kensei Monks. Most with either Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers, or both.

✅ Aarakocra

Adding +2 to Dex and +1 to Wisdom, the Aarakocra is a perfect Kensei choice. Flying is a great feature. Fly out of melee range and pummel your enemy with arrows.

🆗 Halfling – Ghostwise

Another +2 to Dexterity, a +1 to Wisdom, and the Lucky feat. The Ghostwise Halfling gets Silent Speech, which allows you to speak telepathically to a creature within 30 ft—as long as you share a language.

✅ Elf – Wood Elf

With a +2 to Dexterity and a +1 to Wisdom, you’re getting the right ability score increases. Darkvision is a massive bonus. The amount of times you need to see in the dark is a lot.

You have proficiency in the Perception skill, which you’ll use in DnD a lot. Advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

🆗 Human Variant

With a set of decent ability score rolls, the human variant is a great choice—two +1 increases on any ability score, one skill, and a feat. More skills are great for fleshing out your PC, and consider a feat such as Crossbow Expert or Sharpshooter if one of your Monk weapons is a Crossbow or Longbow.

✅ Kenku

Destined to be Monks, The Kenku arrives with the standard +2 to Dexterity and a +1 to Wisdom. They also get two extra skills to choose from Acrobatics, Deception, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand.

Notable Backgrounds

There are many backgrounds that are great for the Monk class. A lot of them add character flavors, useful extra skills, languages, sometimes tools, and basic equipment.

There are lots of fun and interesting backgrounds to choose from that add a variety of useful skills to a Monk. I’ve chosen one particular background that fits nicely with a Kensei build.

✅ Guild Artisan

As well as the extra Insight and Persuasion skills, you get an extra language and a set of Artisan tools. And a set of crafting tools of your choice. A Kensei Monk could choose the smith’s tools, which works perfectly for a Kensei archetype because you get to repair or craft weapons. With a DM’s discretion, you could be creating a lot of interesting and fitting Monk weapons suited to your character.

Kensei Monk Skills

With your background and race decision, you can end up with a set of useful skills.

As a Monk, your choices are two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth.

Nothing specifically Kensei oriented for skills. Think about how you want to play them as a character. Stealth and Acrobatics for ninja-style qualities, or Insight and History for more academic and investigative qualities. It’s up to you.

Best Feats for the Way of the Kensei Monk

🆗 Alert

There is nothing better than going first. Getting +5 to your Initiative helps you go first in combat, allowing you to launch yourself at your enemy. No one can surprise you. Boo! See? And no hidden creatures get advantage when they attack you.

✅ Crossbow Expert

If you choose a crossbow as one of your Monk weapons, getting the Crossbow Expert feat makes it a bit extra special. You get to ignore the load property, and being 5 feet from an enemy doesn’t give you disadvantage. When you attack with a Monk melee weapon or your fist, you can use your bonus action to make an attack with your crossbow.

✅ Fighting Initiate

Getting a fighting style as a Kensei Monk is ideal. Taking the Fighting Initiate feat allows just that. Archery fighting style gives you +2 to attacks with ranged weapons, or the Dueling fighting style which gives you a +2 to damage.

🆗 Elven Accuracy (Elfs only)

If your Way of the Kensei is an Elf, then you raise your Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by one point. And when you get advantage on an attack that is Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma-based, you get to reroll the dice once.

🆗 Sharpshooter

Perfect for the Longbow Kensei Monks out there. Sharpshooter means no disadvantage when using your longest range, and ignoring half and three-quarter cover. You can also choose to take a -5 to attack, but gain +10 to damage if it hits. Kensei Monk’s Sharpen the Blade would improve this to -2 using 3 Ki points.

Multiclassing

Monks always work best as single-class builds, but a few levels in Fighter wouldn’t do any harm. Even a level dip would give you a Fighting style and Secondwind. Just remember every level in another class slices off your Ki points.

Magic Items

✅ Amulet of Health

As a frontline attacker, getting your Con to 19 always helps.

🆗 Braces of Archery

+2 to damage on ranged attacks. Great for those Longbow Kensei Monks.

✅ Braces of Defense

+2 to AC. What’s not to love?

✅ Manual of Bodily Health

A book about exercise and nutrition. Also raises your Con by +2.

🧘 Discover what are the best Monk magic items

Is a Kensei Monk A Good Choice?

Flaws. There are a few mixed in with the Kensei Monk subclass. However, with some careful tweaking and a bit of imagination, you could have a pretty decent build. Utilizing feats that support the Kensei is the way forward with this build. Also, I think a ranged Kensei Monk would be the best option. A fantastic ranged attacker that can run up and punch you dead is perfect.

What did you like about the article? Anything we missed? How did you build your Way of the Kensei Monk? Comment and let us know below. We’d love to hear from you!

🧘 Check our expert Monk Guide for an overview of the ole’ Monk.