Human Warrior of the Open Hand Monk Build Guide

With an extra early feat and reliable inspiration, the versatile Human perfectly complements the martial mastery and crowd-controlling strikes of the Open Hand Monk.

3/10 Synergy Striker Role Hard Difficulty

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Why Warrior of the Open Hand?

As a Human Warrior of the Open Hand, you are the ultimate battlefield controller and agile striker. By combining your natural human adaptability with disciplined martial arts, you can dominate the front lines. The Human's Versatile trait lets you select a powerful Origin feat at level 1 to bolster your defenses or initiative, which is vital since you will be diving directly into melee combat with your optimal 15 Dexterity and 14 Wisdom.

Once you reach level 3, your Open Hand Technique transforms your rapid strikes. Whenever you unleash these blows, you can knock enemies prone, push them away, or stop them from taking reactions. This synergy is elevated by your Resourceful species trait, which grants you Heroic Inspiration after every long rest. You can use this free reroll to ensure your crucial attacks land when you absolutely need to trigger your crowd-control effects.

As you level up, features like Wholeness of Body keep you healthy in the fray without relying on a healer. By focusing on your high Dexterity for landing blows and Wisdom to raise your saving throw difficulty, this build ensures no enemy can escape your grasp.

Warrior of the Open Hand Features

Open Hand Technique

Level 3

You can manipulate your enemy's body using your Unarmed Strikes. Whenever you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 Focus Point to trigger one of the following effects on that creature: It must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be Knocked Prone. It must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 5 feet away from you. It can't take Reactions until the end of the next turn.

Wholeness of Body

Level 6

As an action, you can spend Focus Points to restore hit points to yourself. The number of hit points you restore equals 4 × the number of Focus Points spent. You can't use this feature if you don't have Focus Points remaining.

Fleet Step

Level 11

When you use your action to Dash, you gain the following benefits until the end of the turn: Your Speed increases by 10 feet, difficult terrain costs no extra movement, and you have Advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.

Quivering Palm

Level 17

You gain the ability to set vibrations in a creature's body. When you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you can spend 3 Focus Points to set the vibrations in that creature. The vibrations last for a number of days equal to your Monk level. At any point during that duration, you can use an action to end the vibrations and require that creature to make a Constitution saving throw. If the creature fails the save, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage. If it succeeds, it takes half as much damage.

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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Human Traits That Benefit Warrior of the Open Hand Monk

Versatile

A free Origin feat provides a meaningful boost to any Monk build right from level 1.

Resourceful

Free Heroic Inspiration each long rest gives a reliable reroll for critical moments.

Skillful

An extra skill proficiency expands the Monk's out-of-combat versatility.

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 Open Hand grants Open Hand Technique 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 your Versatile feat to take Tough, boosting your hit points to survive frontline combat alongside your Wholeness of Body healing.

Combine Open Hand Technique's push effect with environmental hazards or your high movement speed to isolate dangerous spellcasters.

Save your Resourceful Heroic Inspiration reroll for an attack roll that will trigger Open Hand Technique on a key boss.

Leverage Fleet Step at level 11 to freely dash across the battlefield, positioning yourself to push enemies into your allies' spell areas.

Other Monk Subclasses for Human

Human Warrior of Mercy Monk Support Human Warrior of Shadow Monk Striker Human Warrior of the Elements Monk Blaster

Other Races for Warrior of the Open Hand Monk

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Warrior of the Open Hand a good subclass for Human Monk?

Yes, it is an excellent combination. The Human's Versatile trait allows you to grab a crucial Origin feat early on, helping you offset the Monk's need for multiple high ability scores. Additionally, the Resourceful trait provides a safety net of Heroic Inspiration, ensuring you can land your defining Open Hand Technique strikes when the battle hangs in the balance.

What makes Warrior of the Open Hand different from other Monk subclasses?

The Warrior of the Open Hand specializes in pure physical manipulation and self-sustainability. Unlike other subclasses, it enhances your core unarmed attacks to trip, push, or disarm foes without spending extra resources. Later, you gain incredible survivability through Wholeness of Body and the legendary, high-damage Quivering Palm feature.

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