Best Feats for Kensei Monk 5e
by Ben Johnson
The world of Wuxia is a very romantic and exiting genre. If you like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Once Upon a Time in China, or Master of the Flying Guillotine, the Kensei might just be the class for you.
The monk is one of my favourite classes however the subclasses are all a bit hit and miss (no pun intended), the Kensei is one of the better ones. On the surface there is a bit of a dichotomy as the monk predominantly is an unarmed class and has a play style that works with that in mind. The key is not to try and compare the Kensei to an equivalent fighter; you will be a strong damage dealer however your role is more subtle. The standard monk buzzes around the battle field stunning monsters, the Kensei can do that but the real trick is considering the you are a weapon master and you should choose feats to reflect that. Before we look at the best feats I’d also like to point out that as the monk’s AC is improved through Wis and Dex, we should always consider how to improve those stats as well as adding feats.
You may be tempted to focus on a melee weapon build and that’s a valid choice however as heavy weapons can’t be chosen as kensei weapons you won’t be able to get use Great Weapon Master feat or use a Glaive to take advantage of sentinel/polearm master combo, for me the best option to use is the longbow and focus on the ‘Zen archer’ build.
Best Feats for Kensei Monk 5e
Sharpshooter: This is generally considered one of the best feats in the game and in the hands of the Kensei it really take you to the next level. I also feel it’s quite thematic which is a nice bonus. You are allowed to chose the longbow as a Kensei weapon and I highly recommend that you do even if you don’t take this feat.
To overcome the below par feel of the monk I’d ask your DM if you can play with the additional class features to allow Focused aim,& Ki-Fuelled Attack. This offers two benefits, firstly it can be used to overcome some of the -5 from sharp shooter and you can then make 3 attacks with your long bow after level 5 if you spend a point of Ki
Fighting Initiate (Archer): A pretty straight forward bonus to hit with range, you will want this to offset the sharpshooter penalty.
Mobile: This is not technically necessary with the monk however extra movement is always nice and saving your ki points to stun rather than disengage helps with power management. I should also say at this point that one of the best weapon choices for a Kensei is the whip, it provides a 10ft range to stun and can avoid the attacks of opportunity which could save you investing in this feat. Thematically the whip always feels wrong, so I call it a flying guillotine or a Yklwa.
Alert: Not a high priority however you’re going to have a high dex and combining with alert means you’ve got a good chance of getting the first move which can be very useful if you’re going to fly around and shut the battlefield down with stun’s
Polearm Master: Again, this isn’t a must have however if you’re using a quarterstaff/spear you can make an attack of opportunity if someone comes within range and as a monk you can also choose to stun at this point too
Telekinesis (Wis): I include this mainly for thematic purposes. I’ve always felt there is a kind of Jedi feel about a Kensei and telekinetic fits into that nicely. Additionally, you can increase your wisdom by one which can help with stun DC’s and AC.
Lucky: Always a good feat but specifically good for a monk to get opponents to reroll their stun checks.
Piercer (Dex): If you’re building the Zen archer then this can be a nice addition to damage. It does have the advantage of being a half feat so you get the stat improvement too. I feel it also represents the Kensei being a super archer as well.
Crossbow Expert: If the longbow isn’t you’re weapon of choice then hand crossbow is a valid option. This feat essentially removes the reload issue and allows you to get an extra bonus attack. For the Kensei I’d always go Long bow but if you want to use crossbows then this is a must.
Crusher (con): The monk will be using ‘bludgeoning’ attacks more than anyone. The crusher feat adds the ability to push back 5 ft without a save which can be very useful if a monster happens to be foolish enough to stand next to a drop. Then you have the chance to crit and give advantage on attacks until the start of your next turn, I feel this could be considered an ‘eagle claw’ attack and finally with this being a half feat you gain a point of constitution which can be very useful to a monk who can be a little squishy. Each of these bonuses are nice but when combined It makes this a very useful feat for a monk.
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