Lv20 Monk Magic Items

[leogobsin]

I'm going to be in a short campaign that's Lost Mines of Phandelver, but scaled up for level 20 characters. (it's probably gonna be at least a little goofy). As part of this, every character can start with 1 very rare, 2 rare, and 3 uncommon magic items. I'm planning to play a monk (probably Open Hand, but possibly Kensei?) and what I'm planning currently is:

Manual of Quickness of Action
Quarterstaff +2 (use a whip instead if I go Kensei)
Bracers of Defense
Winged Boots
Bag of Holding
Immovable Rod

But it's pretty likely there are better choices, what are people's thoughts?

(Side question: I'm thinking it may actually be a good idea to do a 1-level dip in something, since Perfect Self isn't that great. This could probably be up to a 3rd level dip, since 4 ASIs is enough to get my dex and wis to 20 and I should be able to get by without Empty Body. My though is 1 or 2 levels in Rogue, anyone have something they think would fit better?)

[Tectorman]

I'm going to be in a short campaign that's Lost Mines of Phandelver, but scaled up for level 20 characters. (it's probably gonna be at least a little goofy). As part of this, every character can start with 1 very rare, 2 rare, and 3 uncommon magic items. I'm planning to play a monk (probably Open Hand, but possibly Kensei?) and what I'm planning currently is:

Manual of Quickness of Action
Quarterstaff +2 (use a whip instead if I go Kensei)
Bracers of Defense
Winged Boots
Bag of Holding
Immovable Rod

But it's pretty likely there are better choices, what are people's thoughts?

(Side question: I'm thinking it may actually be a good idea to do a 1-level dip in something, since Perfect Self isn't that great. This could probably be up to a 3rd level dip, since 4 ASIs is enough to get my dex and wis to 20 and I should be able to get by without Empty Body. My though is 1 or 2 levels in Rogue, anyone have something they think would fit better?)

You've got two attunement items in there, so you have room for a third. You could trade out the +2 Quarterstaff for a Staff of the Woodlands (same rarity), and lose your last level of Monk for one level of Druid to be able to use it. It'll still be a +2 Staff, you get a bunch of nature themed spells that cost charges (Awaken and Wall of Thorns are nice), and you get at-will Pass Without Trace. All your clanky party members will thank you.

[leogobsin]

You've got two attunement items in there, so you have room for a third. You could trade out the +2 Quarterstaff for a Staff of the Woodlands (same rarity), and lose your last level of Monk for one level of Druid to be able to use it. It'll still be a +2 Staff, you get a bunch of nature themed spells that cost charges (Awaken and Wall of Thorns are nice), and you get at-will Pass Without Trace. All your clanky party members will thank you.

Ooooh, that's a good thought. What would you say about spells for the Druid dip? I'm thinking Guidance and Thorn Whip for cantrips, then for spells basically prepare any rituals that aren't covered by Staff of the Woodlands, along with Healing Word, Entangle, maybe Charm Person?

[Foxhound438]

there's a magic item in HotDQ that gives +1 to unarmed strikes- insignia of claws if I remember correctly- that might be better than a junk uncommon.

for the weapon I would probably personally go for a flametongue shortsword but that's maybe my personal taste. With the manual you still get an effective +1 (as opposed to what would be a +3), so you aren't lacking in accuracy, and if the fire damage ever lands it's way better than +2.

Finally, for your MC, definitely get empty body. Resistance and also free advantage for your attacks is super good. But for 1-2 levels, rogue is good, as is war cleric for +1d4 to each of 4 attacks with divine favor. If I were to build a 20th level character with the intention to be a monk, I'd probably go for both of those and be monk 18/rogue 1/cleric 1.

[CTurbo]

1-3 levels of Cleric would be great. I like Tempest and Light because you get to do fun things with your reaction. The rest of the Cleric stuff is just great.

1-3 levels of Rogue would be great. Cunning Action lets you use your key for other stuff, Expertise is great, Assassin gets you an awesome first round, Scout pairs extremely well with Monks, an extra 2d6 damage is not a lot for level 20 but it's still something.

1-3 levels of Fighter would be great. Second Wind, Action Surge, Fighting Style, Expanded crit range or Battle Maneuvers.

1-3 levels of Ranger would be great *IF* you can use the UA Revised. I actually really like a few Ranger levels for a Monk. Natural Explorer is great, always advantage on Initiative, ignore difficult terrain, Fighting Style, Favored enemy adds +2 damage to every single attack and Monks get a lot of attacks. Hunter gets you Colossus Slayer, or my favorite, Horde Breaker which is basically a free extra attack. 5 attacks in a Flurry of Blows round. Gloom Stalker gets you better darkvision, and an extra awesome first turn every combat. You also get a few good useful spells.

Oh and I would go Long Death Monk all the way....

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

I'm going to be in a short campaign that's Lost Mines of Phandelver, but scaled up for level 20 characters. (it's probably gonna be at least a little goofy). As part of this, every character can start with 1 very rare, 2 rare, and 3 uncommon magic items. I'm planning to play a monk (probably Open Hand, but possibly Kensei?) and what I'm planning currently is:

Manual of Quickness of Action
Quarterstaff +2 (use a whip instead if I go Kensei)
Bracers of Defense
Winged Boots
Bag of Holding
Immovable Rod

But it's pretty likely there are better choices, what are people's thoughts?

(Side question: I'm thinking it may actually be a good idea to do a 1-level dip in something, since Perfect Self isn't that great. This could probably be up to a 3rd level dip, since 4 ASIs is enough to get my dex and wis to 20 and I should be able to get by without Empty Body. My though is 1 or 2 levels in Rogue, anyone have something they think would fit better?)

Personally I'd drop the manual for something more fun. My idea is Super MAD but only actually requires 13 chr.

Monk 18/Warlock 2 Mask of many faces, Devil's sight

Staff of Power: This gives +2 attack rolls, AC and Saving throws as well as giving you some spell casting ability.
Bracers of defense +2
Ring of free action could be switched out for a different attunement item but this one is solid.
Bag of holding
Boots of elvenkind
???

AC=24
Dex and Wisdom Saving throws are at +13 the rest have at least a +6 (assuming you don't have any stat that's 5 or below)
Your to hit is a +13 instead of the +14-15 you could get otherwise.

[leogobsin]

Ok so I've been thinking about it some more and for multiclassing: either a level in Druid to qualify for Staff of the Woodlands, or a level in Rogue (in which case swap out the +2 quarterstaff for a flame tongue shortsword).

What about feats? The best thing I can really do with my 5th ASI is bump up CON, are there are feats that could be more useful to me than that? Off the top of my head: Mobile would get me up to a pretty bonkers 75 ft walk speed, Lucky is always useful, if I don't do a Druid dip getting Guidance from Wood Elf Magic would be nice (and Longstrider/Pass Without Trace are a neat bonus too).

[Fire Tarrasque]

If your going to go for mobile, you should certainly drop two in rogue. Cunning action for dash to double your speed or disengage to let you just sprint through the middle of the enemy would be very useful with a ludicrous speed. Maybe a:
Monk 17/Druid 1/Rogue 2
Staff of the Woodlands
Immovable Rod

Take thorn whip/entanglement and see what you can do with immovable rods. Creativity is the greatest weapon.

[LordNibbler]

I’d drop the winged boots for either an Amulet of Health or Mantle of Spell Resistance. As a monk, your mobility is already superior, including going up and down walls, cliffs, etc. Amulet of Health with give you lots of hp (assuming point buy and ASIs spent on Dex and Wis) and great Con saves. Mantle of Spell Resistance, stacked with Evasion and Diamond Soul, will make you nigh-impervious to spells.
Regarding feats, go with Mobile. The free disengage on anything you attack allows you to use your bonus action to make extra attacks instead of having to use it for Step of the Wind (which burns the ki you want to save for Stunning Fist) or Cunning Action (requires 2 levels of rogue).

[Scarytincan]

I'd go sunblade over a staff. Radiant damage, still plus 2...

[Mortis_Elrod]

I recommend Sword of Wounding(Short sword), Robe of Stars, bag of holding, and then whatever else.

Sword of wounding is useful at all levels of play, simply for negating regeneration effects. The cons save effect probably won’t happen, but it’s great if it does. Kensei benifiet a little more with sharpen the blade ability making it a +3 weapon.

Robe of stars is a great robe, gives +1 to all saved (including death saves) 6 uses of 5th level magic missle with a rechard of 1d6 Dailey, and you can hop into the astral plain along with all your gear any time you want. That’s value.

Bag of holding is just nice and welcomed.

[leogobsin]

I'd go sunblade over a staff. Radiant damage, still plus 2...

Sunblade is a longsword, so unless I go Kensei it isn't a monk weapon. (and if I do go Kensei I might rather have a whip for the reach). It's definitely a thought for Kensei though

[Mortis_Elrod]

Sunblade is a longsword, so unless I go Kensei it isn't a monk weapon. (and if I do go Kensei I might rather have a whip for the reach). It's definitely a thought for Kensei though

Staff of Striking is the best staff for martial damage if you;'re looking for that.

[Angelalex242]

Funny thing about sun swords...

This item appears to be a longsword hilt. While grasping the hilt, you can use a bonus action to cause a blade of pure radiance to spring into existence, or make the blade disappear. While the blade exists, this magic longsword has the finesse property. If you are proficient with shortswords or longswords, you are proficient with the sun blade. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon, which deals radiant damage instead of slashing damage. When you hit an undead with it, that target takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage. The sword’s luminous blade emits bright light in a 15-*‐‑foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet. The light is sunlight. While the blade persists, you can use an action to expand or reduce its radius of bright and dim light by 5 feet each, to a maximum of 30 feet each or a minimum of 10 feet each.

A Sunsword can be used as a monk weapon.

[CTurbo]

I like my Monks to use staffs.


Staff of Power
Staff, very rare (requires attunement)

This staff can be wielded as a magic quarterstaff that grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. While holding it, you gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class, saving throws, and spell attack rolls.

The staff has 20 charges for the following properties. The staff regains 2d8 + 4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff retains its +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls but loses all other properties. On a 20, the staff regains 1d8 + 2 charges.

Power Strike: When you hit with a melee attack using the staff, you can expend 1 charge to deal an extra 1d6 force damage to the target.

Spells: While holding this staff, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC and spell attack bonus: cone of cold (5 charges), fireball (5th-level version, 5 charges), globe of invulnerability (6 charges), hold monster (5 charges), levitate (2 charges), lightning bolt (5th-level version, 5 charges), magic missile (1 charge), ray of enfeeblement (1 charge), or wall of force (5 charges).

Retributive Strike: You can use an action to break the staff over your knee or against a solid surface, performing a retributive strike. The staff is destroyed and releases its remaining magic in an explosion that expands to fill a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on it.

You have a 50 percent chance to instantly travel to a random plane of existence, avoiding the explosion. If you fail to avoid the effect, you take force damage equal to 16 × the number of charges in the staff.

Every other creature in the area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes an amount of damage based on how far away it is from the point of origin, as shown in the following table. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage.


Staff of Striking
Staff, very rare (requires attunement)

This staff can be wielded as a magic quarterstaff that grants a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it.

The staff has 10 charges. When you hit with a melee attack using it, you can expend up to 3 of its charges. For each charge you expend, the target takes an extra 1d6 force damage. The staff regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff becomes a nonmagical quarterstaff.


Staff of Thunder and Lightning
Staff, very rare (requires attunement)

This staff can be wielded as a magic quarterstaff that grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. It also has the following additional properties. When one of these properties is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn.

Lightning: When you hit with a melee attack using the staff, you can cause the target to take an extra 2d6 lightning damage.

Thunder: When you hit with a melee attack using the staff, you can cause the staff to emit a crack of thunder, audible out to 300 feet. The target you hit must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or become stunned until the end of your next turn.

Lightning Strike: You can use an action to cause a bolt of lightning to leap from the staff’s tip in a line that is 5 feet wide and 120 feet long. Each creature in that line must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 9d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Thunderclap: You can use an action to cause the staff to issue a deafening thunderclap, audible out to 600 feet. Each creature within 60 feet of you (not including you) must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d6 thunder damage and becomes deafened for 1 minute. On a successful save, a creature takes half damage and isn’t deafened.

Thunder and Lightning: You can use an action to use the Lightning Strike and Thunderclap properties at the same time. Doing so doesn’t expend the daily use of those properties, only the use of this one.


Staff of Fire
Staff, very rare, (requires attunement)

You have resistance to fire damage while you hold this staff.

The staff has 10 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC: burning hands (1 charge), fireball (3 charges), or wall of fire (4 charges).

The staff regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff blackens, crumbles into cinders, and is destroyed.


Staff of Frost
Staff, very rare, (requires attunement)

You have resistance to cold damage while you hold this staff.

The staff has 10 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC: cone of cold (5 charges), fog cloud (1 charge), ice storm (4 charges), or wall of ice (4 charges).

The staff regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff turns to water and is destroyed


Staff of Healing
Staff, rare (requires attunement)

This staff has 10 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC and spellcasting ability modifier: cure wounds (1 charge per spell level, up to 4th), lesser restoration (2 charges), or mass cure wounds (5 charges).

The staff regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff vanishes in a flash of light, lost forever.

[leogobsin]

Funny thing about sun swords...

This item appears to be a longsword hilt. While grasping the hilt, you can use a bonus action to cause a blade of pure radiance to spring into existence, or make the blade disappear. While the blade exists, this magic longsword has the finesse property. If you are proficient with shortswords or longswords, you are proficient with the sun blade. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon, which deals radiant damage instead of slashing damage. When you hit an undead with it, that target takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage. The sword’s luminous blade emits bright light in a 15-*‐‑foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet. The light is sunlight. While the blade persists, you can use an action to expand or reduce its radius of bright and dim light by 5 feet each, to a maximum of 30 feet each or a minimum of 10 feet each.

A Sunsword can be used as a monk weapon.

Ehhhh, not the way I'm reading things. At the very top of its description:
Weapon (longsword), rare (requires attunement)

Having shortsword proficiency makes you proficient with it, but the weapon itself is still a longsword, and so not a monk weapon.

[Angelalex242]

Ehhhh, not the way I'm reading things. At the very top of its description:
Weapon (longsword), rare (requires attunement)

Having shortsword proficiency makes you proficient with it, but the weapon itself is still a longsword, and so not a monk weapon.

If it were a physical blade, you might have a point. In fact, it's D&D's answer to a lightsaber. A lightsaber by definition is a monk weapon. :P

Note the description is 'a sword hilt.' The blade is weightless.

[leogobsin]

If it were a physical blade, you might have a point. In fact, it's D&D's answer to a lightsaber. A lightsaber by definition is a monk weapon. :P

Note the description is 'a sword hilt.' The blade is weightless.

I'm not saying it doesn't make sense that Sun Blade could be used as a monk weapon, I'm saying that nothing in it's description actually lets it be used as a monk weapon. Relevant Sage Advice:
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/10/19/can-a-sunblade-be-used-as-a-monk-weapon/

In this case, the game is a pbp where I don't know the DM and so I don't know if they'd actually allow it to be used as a monk weapon. (Also, it's Very Rare, and if I want my 1 very rare item to be a weapon I'd be better off with a Staff of Striking).

[Angelalex242]

I'm not saying it doesn't make sense that Sun Blade could be used as a monk weapon, I'm saying that nothing in it's description actually lets it be used as a monk weapon. Relevant Sage Advice:
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/10/19/can-a-sunblade-be-used-as-a-monk-weapon/

In this case, the game is a pbp where I don't know the DM and so I don't know if they'd actually allow it to be used as a monk weapon. (Also, it's Very Rare, and if I want my 1 very rare item to be a weapon I'd be better off with a Staff of Striking).

Ah, I see.

'By RAW, no, but I'd probably allow a monk to use it as one.'

[KorvinStarmast]

Manual of Quickness of Action Good call
Quarterstaff +2 (use a whip instead if I go Kensei) I'd recommend cloak of displacement- you can already use monk attacks as "magic weapon" since sixth level. Having all attacks against you have disadvantage is a huge boost in AC, and seriously prevents being hit with a crit.

At level 17-20, Your martial arts attacks/hands each to 1d10 and hit as a magic weapon in re resistances to whatever.
Bracers of Defense Good call
Winged Boots
Bag of Holding
Immovable Rod


Trade in the Rod or Bag for the HotDQ Insignia of the Claw: It is magical, gives +1 to unarmed strikes. Since you already start at level 20, do you need the bag? Maybe. If you simply love the Rod (it has a lot of uses) then keep that.

All three attunement slots covered, and your monk will be able to hit and run without being hit all that often.
Presume 22 Dex and 20 wis.
Armor Class is 10 + 5 = 21 + 2 bracers = 23 and then with cloak, they all have disadvantage when attacking you.

(Side question: I'm thinking it may actually be a good idea to do a 1-level dip in something, since Perfect Self isn't that great. This could probably be up to a 3rd level dip, since 4 ASIs is enough to get my dex and wis to 20 and I should be able to get by without Empty Body. My though is 1 or 2 levels in Rogue, anyone have something they think would fit better?)[/QUOTE]

Either go Monk 18, Moon Druid 2 (hey, why not, fun with wild shape and a few cantrips), Monk 18 Rogue 2, maybe Monk 18 Ranger 2 (hunter's Mark can be handy). Monk 17 ... Quivering Palm from Open Hand is a great ability.

That said, Monk 20, pure, is fine. Getting extra ki points never hurts.

[KeilFX]

You've got two attunement items in there, so you have room for a third. You could trade out the +2 Quarterstaff for a Staff of the Woodlands (same rarity), and lose your last level of Monk for one level of Druid to be able to use it. It'll still be a +2 Staff, you get a bunch of nature themed spells that cost charges (Awaken and Wall of Thorns are nice), and you get at-will Pass Without Trace. All your clanky party members will thank you.

I second this choice, and would recommend that if you dip more than 1 level, you choose Circle of Spores as your subclass. +1d6 on each of your attacks (it stacks with Flurry Blows) is not nothing.