Gnome Warrior of the Elements Monk Build Guide

Harness the power of the cosmos as a tiny, magic-resistant Gnome, using elemental strikes to blast foes from a safe distance.

4/10 Synergy Blaster Role Hard Difficulty

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Why Warrior of the Elements?

Choosing a Gnome for your Warrior of the Elements Monk creates a surprisingly resilient and versatile skirmisher. While Monks are traditionally melee fighters, this subclass turns you into a potent battlefield Blaster by channeling primal magic. With your level 3 Elemental Attunement, you can extend your reach and coat your strikes in elemental energy, allowing your small-statured hero to punch far above their weight class.

Being a Gnome gives you a major defensive edge on the battlefield. Your Gnomish Cunning trait grants you advantage on mental saving throws, protecting you from debilitating spells that usually target a Monk's mind. Additionally, your Darkvision ensures you can scout ahead and fight in pitch-black dungeons without needing a torch, letting you surprise enemies with explosive area-of-effect features like Elemental Burst.

Warrior of the Elements Features

Elemental Attunement

Level 3

When you finish a Short or Long Rest, you gain a benefit based on an element you choose. Until your next rest, you have Resistance against a damage type associated with that element: Air (Lightning), Earth (Acid), Fire (Fire), Water (Cold). In addition, when you start a turn in that element's associated terrain, you gain a temporary hit point if you don't already have one.

Manipulate Elements

Level 3

You can use an action and spend 1 Focus Point to cause nonmagical flames, nonmagical fog, nonmagical mist, or nonmagical wind to move in a 30-foot Emanation from you in a direction you choose. You can't use this ability to harm creatures. You can create effects such as snuffing out a torch, fogging up an area, or pushing a small loose object. Alternatively, you can spend 2 Focus Points and take an action to cast Meld into Stone, Water Breathing, or Wind Walk as if you had cast it using a 5th-rank spell slot.

Elemental Burst

Level 6

When you finish a Short or Long Rest, you gain a benefit based on an element you choose. Until your next rest, you gain a +2 bonus to one of the following options of your choice: AC, damage rolls, or saving throws.

Stride of the Elements

Level 11

When you take a Short or Long Rest, you can gain a benefit based on an element you choose. Until your next rest, you gain a Climbing or Swimming speed equal to your Speed. You can also stand on nonmagical difficult terrain created by the chosen element (such as nonmagical rain, snow, or sand) without spending extra movement.

Elemental Epitome

Level 17

When you finish a Short or Long Rest, you gain a benefit based on an element you choose. Until your next rest, you have Advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. In addition, when you land a hit on a creature using an Unarmed Strike or weapon attack, that creature takes extra damage of the element's type (the damage type is listed in the Elemental Attunement feature). The extra damage equals one roll of your Martial Arts die.

Recommended Ability Scores

Strength

12(+1)

Dexterity★

15(+2)

Constitution

13(+1)

Intelligence

10(+0)

Wisdom★

14(+2)

Charisma

8(-1)

HP (Lv1)

Initiative

Passive Per.

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Gnome Traits That Benefit Warrior of the Elements Monk

Darkvision

Gnome Darkvision helps Monks scout ahead and fight in darkness without needing a torch.

Gnomish Cunning

Extra saving throw advantages protect against debilitating spells and effects.

Combat Effectiveness

Level	HP	Melee DPR	Ranged DPR
Level 5	33	7.8	7.8
Level 11	69	7.15	7.15
Level 17	105	7.15	7.15

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Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

♦ Warrior of the Elements grants Elemental Attunement at level 3
♦ Darkvision for dungeon exploration
♦ Good armor class and initiative

Weaknesses

♦ Low Charisma limits social interactions
♦ Limited ranged and magical options without multiclassing
♦ Small size limits heavy weapon usage

Pro Tips

Use Elemental Attunement to strike enemies from 10 feet away, keeping your small Gnome safe from immediate melee retaliation.

Combine your Darkvision with Elemental Burst to target groups of enemies hiding in pitch-black rooms without needing a torch.

Leverage Gnomish Cunning to aggressively hunt enemy spellcasters, knowing you have advantage against their most dangerous mental spells.

Activate Stride of the Elements at level 11 to fly above hazards, allowing your Gnome to rain elemental strikes from complete safety.

Other Monk Subclasses for Gnome

Gnome Warrior of Mercy Monk Support Gnome Warrior of Shadow Monk Striker Gnome Warrior of the Open Hand Monk Striker

Other Races for Warrior of the Elements Monk

Aasimar Warrior of the Elements Monk 7/10 Dragonborn Warrior of the Elements Monk 7/10 Tiefling Warrior of the Elements Monk 6/10 Dwarf Warrior of the Elements Monk 5/10 Halfling Warrior of the Elements Monk 5/10 Orc Warrior of the Elements Monk 5/10

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Warrior of the Elements a good subclass for Gnome Monk?

Yes! Gnomish Cunning provides invaluable protection against mental saving throws, covering a Monk's typical vulnerabilities. When combined with the extended reach of Elemental Attunement, your Gnome can safely blast enemies from a distance, making you incredibly difficult for enemy spellcasters to hit, control, or pin down.

What makes Warrior of the Elements different from other Monk subclasses?

While most Monks focus on physical melee combat, the Warrior of the Elements specializes in area-of-effect damage and battlefield control. It transforms the Monk into a high-mobility Blaster, utilizing features like Elemental Burst to damage groups of foes and Stride of the Elements to fly effortlessly across the battlefield.

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