Goliath Warrior of Shadow Monk Build Guide
Sneaking through the shadows as a towering Goliath brings a thrilling contrast of hulking giant strength and silent, supernatural agility to the battlefield.
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Why Warrior of Shadow?
Combining the hulking frame of a Goliath with the stealthy, ninja-like abilities of the Warrior of Shadow creates a surprisingly deadly Striker. While Monks are usually seen as small and agile, your Goliath traits like Giant Ancestry (such as the Cloud Giant's teleportation or Stone Giant's ward) perfectly complement your supernatural ninja toolkit. You can use your high Dexterity (15) and Wisdom (14) to effortlessly slip past enemy lines, striking hard before vanishing back into the darkness.
At level 6, your mobility sky-rockets with Shadow Step. This feature lets you teleport from one patch of darkness to another as a bonus action, giving you advantage (two d20 rolls for a better chance to hit) on your next melee attack. This works beautifully with your Large Form feature at higher levels, allowing you to suddenly grow to Large size and dominate the battlefield, threatening a massive area with your unarmed strikes while maintaining your shadow-skipping agility.
When you aren't teleporting, your Shadow Arts feature at level 3 lets you manipulate darkness itself, blinding foes or creating perfect hiding spots. By combining the raw, physical resilience of a giant with the elusive, shadow-weaving magic of this subclass, you become a terrifying skirmisher who controls the battlefield from the dark.
Warrior of Shadow Features
Shadow Arts
Level 3When you finish a Short or Long Rest, you can pick one leveled spell from the Wizard spell list that has a casting time of an action and is of a rank you can cast (see the Monk Spellcasting table for the ranks of spells you can cast). You can cast this spell without expending Focus Points. You can cast this spell in this way until you finish a Short or Long Rest, at which point you choose a different spell. When you cast this spell, you can use Wisdom as your spellcasting ability instead of Intelligence. You can spend 1 Focus Point when you cast a spell in this way to increase the spell's rank by one rank (if the spell scales).
Shadow Step
Level 6When you take the Hide action in dim light or darkness, you can use a Bonus Action to take the Dash action as well. When you move at least 30 feet in one turn while in dim light or darkness, you gain the benefits of the Hide action for that turn.
Improved Shadow Step
Level 11You can move through nonmagical dim light and darkness without provoking opportunity attacks. When you end your turn in dim light or darkness, you can use a Bonus Action and spend 1 Focus Point to become Invisible until the start of your next turn.
Cloak of Shadows
Level 17When you are in dim light or darkness, you can use an action and spend 2 Focus Points to become Invisible. You remain Invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or until you are in bright light.
Recommended Ability Scores
Goliath Traits That Benefit Warrior of Shadow Monk
Giant Ancestry
Giant Ancestry grants a supernatural ability that enhances the Monk's combat or utility.
Powerful Build
Enhanced size and carrying capacity complement the Monk's physical combat style.
Large Form
Enhanced size and carrying capacity complement the Monk's physical combat style.
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 Shadow grants Shadow Arts at level 3
- ♦ Good armor class and initiative
- ♦ Flexible build with room for customization
Weaknesses
- ♦ Low Charisma limits social interactions
- ♦ Limited ranged and magical options without multiclassing
- ♦ No Darkvision — may need light sources in dungeons
Pro Tips
Use Shadow Arts to cast darkness on enemy spellcasters, shutting down their sight and making them easy targets for your strikes.
Activate your Giant Ancestry defenses when you teleport into dangerous crowds using Shadow Step to ensure you survive the counterattack.
Combine Large Form with Shadow Step to teleport behind enemy lines as a giant-sized threat, blocking escape routes and trapping squishy targets.
Remember that Shadow Step gives you advantage on your next attack; always target high-armor enemies to make that accurate strike count.
Other Monk Subclasses for Goliath
Other Races for Warrior of Shadow Monk
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Warrior of Shadow a good subclass for Goliath Monk?
What makes Warrior of Shadow different from other Monk subclasses?
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