Imagine being able to channel the sun and then use finger guns to shoot it out. That’s a Way of the Sun Soul Monk. A living solar panel. This monk subclass offers sun and light-based powers as their offensive and defensive abilities.

It has elements of the humble Wizard, except with light-based powers. A couple of the Sun Soul abilities are ranged, which works nicely for this monk subclass. Shoot them with your laser fingers before running up and punching them. Seems legit, right?

In my opinion, it’s one of the more interesting monastic traditions. Let’s look at the bonuses and pitfalls of shooting sun lasers from your fists.

🧘 For other Monk subclasses, check out our exclusive and fact-filled guide here

How to Use This Guide

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

✅ — An absolutely crucial feature. Often forms the backbone of a class’ look and feel. Provides bonuses 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 your character sheet. A weakness you will have to accommodate for.

These rankings are meant to help you create an optimized Sun Soul build, but remember, DnD isn’t a game where you need to win to have fun. Flawed characters offer flavorful builds that can sometimes give you more satisfaction in roleplay.

How To Play A Sun Soul Monk

First introduced in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, the Way of Sun Soul Monk offers you a laser-firing, hard-hitting, acrobatic ninja. You offer ranged support to your party’s tanks and front fighters before running up and giving enemies the old one-two in the kisser.

Monks are a unique class and can take some time to get used to. I played a Way of the Open Hand Monk for a few levels before he got jumped by a gang of halflings. Beaten and kidnapped. This time, let’s try something else!

Sun Soul Subclass Features

Level One (Monk)

✅ Unarmoured Defense

Monks don’t need armor. They’re as tough as old boots. Your AC is 10 plus your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers.

✅ Martial Arts

This is what monks do. They use their fists, knees, legs, feet to fight.

The main points of martial arts are:

Use Dexterity for attack and damage rolls instead of Strength for your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
D4 damage for unarmed strikes increases as you rise through the levels.
When you use your action to make an attack, you can use your bonus action to make an extra unarmed attack. That’s two attacks at level one. Very nice.

Level Two (Monk)

✅ Ki

Ki is the energy force that gives the Monk their powers. It flows like a life force through their body and soul. As a Monk, you get a number of Ki points that equal your level. 2 at level 2, 3 at level 3, etc.

You can spend Ki points on Monk and Sun Soul abilities. A long or short rest replenishes all your Ki points.

A selection of Ki bonuses requires your foe to make a saving throw. That DC is eight plus your proficiency bonus plus your Wisdom modifier. You’ll notice Dexterity and Wisdom ability scores come up a lot. Take note.

You learn three skills when you first get Ki: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind.

🆗 Flurry of Blows

If you use a Ki point after your attack action (unarmed or Monk Weapon), you get to make two more unarmed strikes. Three attacks! Thump, thump, thump. At lower levels, it can eat up your Ki quickly. Use sparingly.

✅ Patient Defense

Spend a Ki, and you get the Dodge action as a bonus action. Get out of the way from flailing Hags!

🆗 Step of the Wind

Disengage or Dash as a bonus action if you use a Ki point. Your jump distance doubles for the turn. Similar to the good old Rogue’s Cunning Action ability.

🆗 Unarmored Movement

Monks are fast. Like seriously fast. At level 2, you get +10 feet to your speed. And at level 20? You get +30. From level 9, you can walk up walls and on liquids.

✅ Dedicated Weapon (Optional)

An optional monk feature brought to you by Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. After a short or long rest, you touch a weapon, do some monk magic, and that weapon becomes your Monk weapon.

Dedicated Weapon Rules:

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

There are a number of options to add different weapons. The one I keep coming back to for the Monk class is the Longbow. Alongside your Monk and Sun Soul combat abilities, you can be an effective ranged support character.

Level Three (Way of the Sun Soul Monk and Monk)

At level 3, you get to select the Sun Soul Monk archetype.

🆗 Radiant Sun Bolt

Finger laser guns. You can hurl searing bolts of radiant energy from your hands as an attack action. It has a range of 30 feet, you’re proficient in it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to the attack and damage rolls. Radiant damage is D4. Just like your unarmed attack, this increases as you go up in levels.

You can spend a Ki point to deliver this radiant attack twice as a bonus action. More lasers.

If you’re not careful, it can use up your Ki quickly, and the range is just too short. It should be 60 feet to be effective.

“Hello? Is that Wizards of the Coast? Can you have a look at this, please?”

Overall, it’s not a bad ability for the Sun Soul. It just needs a little polishing.

⚠️ Deflect Missiles

Catching or deflecting fired arrows or bolts is impressive. Throwing it back, well, that’s just crazy!

You use your reaction to reduce the damage of said missile. That’s worked out by 1D10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Monk level.

If it goes to 0 damage, then you get to throw it back at the bad guy who fired it. Ranged attack with a range of 20/60. Damage is whatever the weapon damage is. If it’s an arrow, it’s a D6, etc.

✅ Ki-Fueled Attack (Optional)

Another optional monk ability brought to you from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, which we love.

Spend a Ki point and make an unarmed or Monk Weapon attack as part of your bonus action. Similar 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 use your action to hide, and then fire radiant bolts at your attackers.

Level Four (Monk)

⚠️ Slow Fall

Monks shouldn’t fall, period. But if they do, this makes it less painful. Embarrassing, yes. Painful, no.

⚠️ Quickened Healing (Optional)

You can quickly burn through your Ki points with this. Use 2 Ki, and you get to roll your Martial Arts die. You get hit points to the number rolled plus proficiency.

This ability would be way more useful if it was only one Ki point.

Level Five (Monk)

✅ Extra Attack

Two attacks at level five. Radiant bolts everywhere! Also, you can add your bonus action attacks on top of Flurry of Blows, equaling three or four attacks! I mean, at level five, that’s fantastic!

✅ Stunning Strike

When you perform a melee attack, you can use a Ki point to deliver a Stunning Strike. Your target must make a Constitution save or be stunned till the end of your next turn.

Unfortunately, this only works with melee attacks, not with your Radiant Bolts. However, it is a fantastic Monk ability, leaving your target vulnerable for the rest of the party to bash..

Our monk Tan often does this. We did it fighting a Behir. Just kept stunning it so it couldn’t attack while the rest of the party kicked the crap out of it. Zarder, my Swashbuckler, made the killing blow with his Rapier.

🆗 Focused Aim (Optional)

Missing a hit can be sad for us DnD players. Focused Aim allows you to use up to 3 Ki points to get that attack roll over the AC. Each of the Ki is worth 2 points. A little Ki-heavy, but fantastic nonetheless.

Level Six (Way of the Sun Soul Monk and Monk)

⚠️ Searing Arc Strike

Close-quarter crowd control. The Searing Arc Strike delivers a wave of deadly fire from your hands. Straight after you’ve made an attack, you can spend 2 Ki points and cast the spell Burning Hands.

You can spend additional Ki points to cast the spell at higher levels. Each Ki raises the spell level by one. The maximum amount of Ki points you can use to increase the level (2 plus any additional points) is half your Monk level, rounded down.

Burning Hands lets you produce a 15-foot cone of fire. Each enemy within the cone zone must make a Dex save. A fail means you do 3D6 fire damage, a save is half damage.

There are a few issues with this Sun Soul ability. It’s a great spell, but it’s only a 1st level spell. The Way of Four Elements Monk has already been using Burning Hands for 3 levels. Also, Searing Sunburst makes it redundant when you get to level 11.

It needs a fix, and having a word with your Dungeon Master might just do the trick. For starters, you could get rid of the Ki cost, and maybe just advance the spell a bit. A 30-foot cone or 4D6 damage, for example.

Or even better, replace it with Aganazzar’s Scorcher, 30 ft long, 5 ft wide, 3D8 damage. Bingo!

✅ Ki-Empowered Strikes

Unarmed strikes are classed as magic weapons. Groovy.

Level Seven (Monk)

✅ Evasion

My Swashbuckler has evasion, and the DM hates it. You get the ability to dodge out of the way of a weapon or AOE spell like Dragon’s breath.

Succeed on a Dex save, and you gleefully jump out of the way. Fail, and you take half damage. A top ability.

🆗 Stillness of Mind

Stop the charmed or frightened effect on yourself by using an action. Strong.

Level Ten (Monk)

🆗 Purity of Body

Your Monk reaches nirvana, where they are immune to disease or poison.

Level Eleven (Way of the Sun Soul Monk)

🆗 Searing Sunburst

Here, we have the very sun-inspired Searing Sunburst ability.

Use your action to create an orb of pure light and hurl it at your enemies up to 150 feet. That’s more like it. It explodes in a dazzling sphere of radiant light. A 20-foot sphere of radiant light, to be exact. Anyone in the sphere needs to make a Constitution save or get dazzled, taking 2D6 radiant damage.

You can spend a Ki, up to 3, and each Ki gives you an extra 2D6 damage.

This is way better than Searing Arc Strike. It’s got a great range, doesn’t cost any initial Ki to use, and the damage can be leveled.

Shell the crap out of the enemy with your light balls until they’re tired or dead. I feel like the damage should be higher, but nobody is perfect.

Level Thirteen (Monk)

⚠️ Tongue of the Sun and Moon

Touch a person, and you can understand their language and speak to them. I’ve never found it useful, as someone from your party can probably speak the language already.

Level Fourteen (Monk)

✅ Diamond Soul

Full proficiency on every single saving throw, and you can spend a Ki to reroll if you don’t like the outcome. Top skill.

Level Fifteen (Monk)

⛔ Timeless Body

Boring! No, it really is. You can’t be aged magically, and you no longer need food or water. Most of my RP downtime involves my character making questionable choices when drunk.

Level Seventeen (Way of the Sun Soul Monk)

⚠️ Sun Shield

You become a torch. A giant ball of light that shines a bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can drop it and bring it back as a bonus action. If an enemy hits you with a melee attack while your light ball is up, you can use your reaction to do radiant damage to them. This radiant damage equals 5 + your Wisdom modifier.

At level 17, I would expect something a bit more spectacular. I hate to be savage, but it’s a bit trash.

Level Eighteen (Monk)

🆗 Empty Body

If you spend a total of 4 Ki points, you get to become invisible for a minute and can only receive force damage. Handy for sneaking.

Or if you spend 8 Ki points, you get the Astral Projection spell. Go on vacation to other planes.

Level Twenty (Monk)

✅ Perfect Self

If you enter combat with 0 Ki, roll initiative and gain 4 Ki instantly. Fire a couple of your laser fingers off, and get the hell out of there!

🧘 Want to try something else? Check out our Cobalt Soul Monk guide

The Perfect Sun Soul Monk Build

So, Sun worshippers, there are a few things to take note of when building your Way of Sun Soul Monk. You have a few ranged abilities; use them to your advantage. Do as much damage from a distance before running in and kicking the enemy’s ass with your Monk punches and kicks. Adding a decent background, race, and feats allows you to shine as a Sun Soul Monk.

Ability Scores

⚠️ Strength

Handy but not essential, although you do start with Strength saves as a Monk.

✅ Dexterity

Throw all points into Dexterity. It should be your highest stat. Monk skills and abilities are pretty much all Dex-based.

🆗 Constitution

Important for every class, especially Monks.

⛔ Intelligence

Leave it for the Wizards.

✅ Wisdom

After you’ve got your highest ability points in Dexterity, throw your next highest into Wisdom.

⛔ Charisma

You can be a Monk with a bad personality. It’s fine.

Racial Considerations

There are a few races that make good Sun Soul Monks, some for ability scores and some for pure flavor. I’ve opted for both here.

✅ Aarakocra

The Aarakocra race lands with a +2 bonus to Dexterity and +1 to Wisdom. Ideal for the Monk. They can also fly. Imagine swooping down on your enemy and then firing bolts of sun at them. Strafe the Dragon Cult!

🆗 Fire Genasi

If you roll high on your ability scores and don’t need the bonuses, then a Fire Genasi might be an interesting choice for a Sun Soul Monk. You get resistance to fire damage (naturally), and you know the Produce Flame cantrip. Fire Genasi do get Burning Hands at level 3. You might have to sweet-talk the DM into getting something similar since the Sun Soul’s Searing Arc Strike is basically the Burning Hand’s spell. Unless you want it twice?

More of a flavourful choice. We have a Fire Genasi Bard in our party that has similarities to Dolly Parton. If Dolly Parton was a red-haired, kick-ass bounty hunter that runs in high heels.

✅ Feral Tiefling

Another flavourful choice. The Feral Tiefling gets +2 to Dexterity and +1 Intelligence. Hellish resistance gives you fire resistance. You know the Thaumaturgy cantrip, and at 3rd level, you can cast the Hellish Rebuke spell once at 2nd-level, plus Darkness at level 5. These additional abilities will work well with your Sun Soul build.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds add flavor to the Monk build, but there is nothing really Sun Soul specific. If you don’t have a Rogue in your party, consider either the Criminal or Urchin Background, as they both come with thieves’ tools, if you know what I mean. Wink, wink.

Sun Soul Monk Skills

As a Monk, you get to choose two skills from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, and Stealth. Nothing Sun Soul specific.

However, think about how you want to play your Sun Soul Monk. Are they the studious type, then perhaps History and Religion? Or are they the climb-up walls and swing from the chandelier Monk? Then go Acrobatics and Athletics.

Best Feats for Way of the Sun Soul

🆗 Alert

I hate to be a DnD creature of habit, but I absolutely love the Alert feat! +5 to initiative, neither friend nor foe can surprise you if you’re awake, and a hidden creature doesn’t get advantage on their attack. That +5 to initiative though, it really is the bee’s knees. Getting that first move in combat can really make the difference!

My Gloomstalker Ranger has the Alert feat, giving him +12 initiative. That, plus Dread Ambusher and the added crossbow expert, means you’ll be dead before you can say, “Let me check the Player’s Guide.”

✅ Skill Expert

Monks don’t have a lot of skills to start with. One way to increase that and one of your ability scores is with Skill Expert. Dex, for example. You know Dexterity, the one the monk needs a lot of. Just saying. Anyway, you get +1 to any ability score, gain proficiency in a skill, and expertise in any skill you have proficiency in, which doubles it.

This feat really fleshes out your sun soul Monk.

✅ Telekinetic

I like this for the Sun Soul Monk archetype, as it gives a nice +1 bonus to Wisdom. Always welcome as a Monk.

You also get the Mage Hand cantrip, which is a nice little bonus.

Finally, as a bonus action, you can push or pull a target you see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Strength save (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier increased by this feat) or be sent five feet away or toward you.

Not getting on with a fellow PC? Straight into a pile of horse dung. And they’ll never know. Also, push enemies off cliffs, etc.

Weapons and Armor

Not only does the Sun Soul Monk have fists to kick the foe’s ass, but they also have laser finger guns to fire radiant bolts. However, a longbow is worth investing in case you run out of Ki. Support your fellow party members from a distance. All thanks to the optional Dedicated Weapon skill at level 2.

Multiclassing

For the Sun Soul Monk, I would stay as a pure Monk build. You’ll get the best out of it. If there is no Rogue in the party, grab the Urchin or Criminal background.

🧘 Discover our Monk multiclassing guide here

Magic Items

✅ Blood Fury Tattoo

Give your Sun Soul Monk that extra kick, or punch in this case. You get 10 charges that allow you to give 4d6 Necrotic damage on a successful hit. Plus you heal the amount of damage you give.

What’s more, if you get hit by an enemy, and it damages you, you can use a charge and your reaction to hit back with advantage! Brutal.

✅ Braces of Defense

An extra +2 to AC. Enough said.

✅ Gloves of Soul Catching

Boosts your Constitution to 20 while wearing them, and when you make an unarmed attack, you get to do 2d10 force damage. Not only that, you get the damage you did back in hit points. Talk about insult to injury!

Does the Sun Soul Monk Sunrise or Sunset?

Do we love the Way of the Sun Soul Monk archetype? Yes and no. I feel that those clever experts over at Wizards of the Coast need to update the abilities to balance them out a bit more. I love the idea of the Sun Soul Monk, but it needs refining. Sitting down with your DM before you play one can work wonders. As long as you don’t say things like, “I think Radiant Sun Bolt should do 10d20 damage.” Keep it balanced.

With a careful selection of race, skills, and feats, you can make the most of your Sun Soul Monk. And always remember that having flaws or under-powered characters can make roleplaying fun and thought-provoking. It’s not all about the win. Getting the quest done with flavor is 100% more satisfying.

We’d love to hear what you thought of the article and how you’ve experienced playing a Sun Soul Monk. Send us your thoughts!