It might seem unlikely to find an overlap between D&D and Dragon Ball Z, but it’s hard not to imagine Way of the Sun Soul Monks screaming “Kamehameha” as they launch blasts of pure ki energy at their foes!
Even if you’re not looking to build a character inspired by the show, the Way of the Sun Soul is a very interesting option worth exploring.
Today we’re doing just that with this guide to the Way of the Sun Soul Monk in D&D 5e!
What is the Sun Soul Monk in D&D 5e?
Discipline and meditation are the keys to unlocking the power within oneself. For students of the Way of the Sun Soul, this manifests as being able to produce bolts of radiant light with their ki.
These Monks understand that the sun’s energy flows through all living creatures. Properly harnessed, it can be a powerful tool to stand against even the mightiest foes and most terrifying darkness.
The Way of the Sun Soul Monk originally appeared alongside the Long Death Monk in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. It was later republished in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.
According to the lore in SCAG, there are three key pillars to the code by which all Sun Soul Monks conduct themselves (also known as the Precepts of Incandescence):
- Seek physical perfection. Fitness, cleanliness, and well-honed physicality keep the body beautiful so that the light can shine through.
- Seek spiritual virtue. Grant and take each new chance to be virtuous. Look for the light in others and not just in the darkness.
- Shine light into darkness. Use your presence to light dark places, banish shadow, and share the soul’s light with the world.
Role in the Party
The Sun Soul plays to the Monk’s typical role as a skirmisher but adds in something that Monks typically struggle with: ranged attacks.
You’re still able to drop beatdowns on your enemies’ heads, but the Sun Soul’s ability to fire bolts of light energy means you won’t have to stay right up on enemies to do it.
Sometimes this might open up some new tactical options for you. Other times it helps you overcome something that would otherwise be nearly impossible (like fighting a Harpy that is mid-flight.)
We’ll go over the features of the Way of the Sun Soul in more specific detail in the next section.
Also Read: Monk Weapons in D&D 5e Explained
Sun Soul Monk Features 5e
Like most of the Monk subclasses, the Way of the Sun Soul Monk has four features in total.
Three of these features are offensive in that they give you new ways to damage enemies or enhance your other offensive features. Your capstone feature at level 17 is more defensive in nature.
Radiant Sun Bolt (Level 3)
Starting at level 3, the Sun Soul Monk is able to launch bolts of radiant energy at their enemies.
This is your bread-and-butter ability as a Sun Soul Monk. There’s a lot to it, so let’s break it down bit by bit.
You gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action.
This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to its attack and damage rolls.
Monks typically struggle when it comes to taking on enemies at range. Combining the Monk’s mobility with a 30 ft ranged attack option means that you should have no problem attacking your target.
Your proficiency increases as you level up which will help you hit more often with your Sun Bolts. As with any Monk, make sure to prioritize getting your Dexterity to 20 as fast as possible.
Its damage is radiant and its damage die is a d4. This die changes you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
Radiant damage is pretty solid. You aren’t likely to be fighting many monsters that resist it. Make sure to pay attention to your Martial Arts die as you level. Your Sun Bolt uses your martial arts die to deal damage.
When you take the Attack action on your turn and use this special attack as part of it, you can spend 1 ki point to make the special attack twice as a bonus action.
Effectively this works like your Flurry of Blows feature from the Monk class. Spending one ki point gets you two extra attacks as a bonus action. Except now those attacks are freaking laser beams!
When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.
You gain the Extra Attack feature when you hit level 5. Both of those attacks can be Radiant Sun Bolts. Spend a ki point and you’re shooting four bolts a turn!
Related: Using Extra Attack in D&D 5e
Searing Arc Strike (Level 6)
Level 6 sees the Sun Soul Monk gaining a new way to use their bonus action. AoE features aren’t super common for Monks, so this is definitely interesting!
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 2 ki points to cast the burning hands spell as a bonus action.
You can spend additional ki points to cast burning hands as a higher-level spell. Each additional ki point you spend increases the spell’s level by 1. The maximum number of ki points (2 plus any additional points) that you can spend on the spell equals half your Monk level.
Not only is it useful to have an area of effect feature for a martial class like the Monk, but keep in mind that you’re able to do this as a bonus action.
Don’t underestimate the power of being able to weaken enemies with a couple of attacks (either melee or radiant sun bolts) then finish them all off with burning hands!
If you’re only going to catch a couple of enemies with this, it might be better to save your ki and use Flurry of Blows. If you can catch 3 or more, though it’s very powerful!
To really bring the pain, you might open with your Stunning Strike on an enemy that you NEED to focus down. Remember: if they’re stunned, they will automatically fail their Dexterity saving throw!
Just be sure to watch your positioning. Sun Soul Monks are typically blasting enemies at a range, so you’ll want to close the gap and catch as many enemies as possible in the 15-foot cone of burning hands’ effect!
As far as boosting this with your ki goes, it’s a bit of a tough call. If you’ve got several enemies in the cone and are pretty confident you’ll get a short rest in soon, it might be worth it.
Otherwise, you might want to play it safe. Ki points power your most important features and you don’t want to find yourself without any!
Searing Sunburst (Level 11)
At level 11, the Sun Soul Monk gains the Searing Sunburst feature. Especially for a level 11 feature, this one’s admittedly a bit weird.
As an action, you magically create an orb and hurl it at a point you choose within 150 feet where it erupts into a sphere of radiant light for a brief but deadly instant.
Each creature in that 20-foot radius sphere must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage. A creature doesn’t need to make the save if the creature is behind total cover that is opaque.
You can increase the sphere’s damage by spending ki points. Each point you spend, to a maximum of 3, increases the damage by 2d6.
So, 150 ft range is nothing to turn your nose up at.
Furthermore, you don’t need to spend any resources to use this. If you choose to spend 3 ki points, it’s basically a fireball with the same range and damage (though a Constitution save instead of Dexterity.)
In addition to being able to cover a huge area, this isn’t a spell which means you don’t have to worry about a pesky enemy caster using counterspell on it.
But we can’t ignore the downsides to this feature…
The biggest issue is that a creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes no damage.
Zero. Zip. Nada.
That’s fine for a cantrip, but this is a level 11 feature! I can’t say I wouldn’t be sour if I spent 3 ki points on an AoE feature only to have it deal no damage to the enemies.
A Monk using their action for something other than attacking is a pretty big thing. You’re giving up a ton of action economy, so you want to know that it’s going to count.
I’m not saying Searing Sunburst is a bad ability. Just know what you’re getting with it. Enemies like giants with high Constitutions likely won’t be taking any damage at all, so it’s best to figure something else out.
As far as spending ki to buff this goes, take it on a case-by-case basis. Generally speaking, losing your action to possibly deal no damage is pretty steep…
Sun Shield (Level 17)
At level 17, Sun Soul Monks gain their defensive capstone ability: Sun Shield.
You shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can extinguish or restore the light as a bonus action.
If a creature hits you with a melee attack while this light shines, you can use your reaction to deal radiant damage to the creature. The radiant damage equals 5 + your Wisdom modifier.
So you reach the pinnacle of what the Way of the Sun Soul teaches and…
You can be a torch. If you want to use your reaction after you get smacked by an enemy to deal 10 damage, you can do that too…
…cool…
I try to look at the good and bad of every feature, but this is just… underwhelming… It could be a reasonably decent feature at level 11 or even great at lower levels, but there’s really nothing particularly special about this as a capstone feature.
The damage that you can deal to an enemy that hits you is guaranteed, so that’s good, I guess. But 10 damage at these high levels is nothing.
Plus, you used your reaction which means attacks of opportunity or Deflect Missiles is right off the table until your next turn.
If it’s right before your turn, you might as well use this. Otherwise, ask a level 1 Wizard to cast the Light cantrip on you and call it a day.
Connections
Sun Soul Monks are particularly welcomed in temples to deities like Lathander, Sune, and Selune. The teachings of the Way of the Sun Soul have a strong overlap with the teachings of these deities.
Monks and Clerics of these respective orders will especially get along well.
As a Sun Soul Monk, you have trained intensely with the goal of being a beacon of light to the world around you. Just as surely as you stand against darkness and evil, you also bring comfort to those you encounter.
When considering your character’s backstory, ask yourself why these drives are so important to you. Did your monastery also serve as a type of defense against a region overrun with the undead or some other such horror?
Considering how difficult it is to separate the Sun Soul Monk from Dragon Ball Z inspiration, I really think of Goku when it comes to how a Sun Soul Monk might carry themselves.
He’s all cheery and happy until it’s time to protect his friends. When that switch flips, he’ll do whatever it takes and strike with all he’s got to defeat the bad guys.
Also Check Out: The Full Monk Class Guide for D&D 5e!
Is the Sun Soul Monk Good?
Things start out a little sluggish for the Sun Soul Monk, but they start to hit their stride in the mid-levels.
However, a rough early game, incredibly underwhelming capstone feature, and a heavy reliance on burning through ki to deal even passable damage make this subclass feel very “meh.”
In other words, the Sun Soul is hardly a good Monk subclass.
But I’ll try to look at things positively as well…
The Sun Soul Monk really benefits from the fact that radiant damage tends to go far in 5e. Unless you find yourself fighting Angels for some reason, you shouldn’t have to worry about enemies resisting your attacks.
The real draw to the Sun Soul Monk is their ability to still engage in ranged combat.
Monks tend to struggle at range so the Sun Soul addresses that. While you’ll need to be pumping ki into your attacks to deal decent damage, at least it’s not required. If you’re trying to blast weaklings with your Sun Bolts, that should be easy enough.
Monks can typically put out solid damage but have a harder time taking it which makes the frontlines a bit riskier. As a Sun Soul Monk, you’ll have an easier time adjusting to the positioning on the battlefield.
At times, you’ll want to move in close to keep up the pressure in melee combat. Other times, you can overwhelm your enemies with a barrage of bright energy blasts from a mid-range position.
You can see how the Sun Soul Monk compares to the other Monastic Traditions in my ranking of every Monk subclass in D&D 5e!
Conclusion – Guide to the Sun Soul Monk in D&D 5e
The Sun Soul Monk is one of the more interesting Monk subclasses in D&D 5e. When you think of blasters, Monks generally aren’t what comes to mind.
As we wrap up this guide to the Sun Soul Monk in D&D 5e, I can’t help but think I was maybe a bit hard on it. What are your thoughts on this subclass? Let’s chat in the comments!
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I think Sun Soul Monk is bad. None of the uses for Ki are better than Flurry of Blows, Magical (lvl 6) Bludgeoning damage is more reliable than Radiant, and Monks have proficiency in thrown weapons and shortbows, so they can already fight at range. (That’s ignoring the fact that they can’t use their best features like Stunning Strike from range). So… Sun Soul Monks get nothing worth using.
Hi Luke!
It’s an interesting class in concept, but I do agree that it just doesn’t hit the same notes as most of the other Monk subclasses.
Once I’m finished with the Monk subclass guides, I’ll be releasing an article ranking them all. I’m still not sure exactly where Sun Soul will fall on that ranking, but in an apples to apples comparison I don’t think it will be very high, to be honest.
I mean, I love having a way to go “Super Saiyan” in 5e but that comes at a heavy cost!
All of your points in the review are valid. I do think Sun Soul is i comparatively weak to the other subclass options, particularly when comparing the capstone abilities.
For me, however, this makes the Sun Soul a valid and interesting choice for players wanting to multi-class, since there is no investment to take 17 levels of Monk to get that feature.
Thoughts on that?
Hi Iari!
I definitely see what you’re saying and I somewhat agree.
Speaking personally, Monks are what I personally consider to be more of an “all or nothing class” in most cases.
With so much reliance on gaining Monk levels to increase the Martial Arts die (and the unarmed/unarmored requirements of the Martial Arts feature), I’m slow to multiclass anytime I play a Monk. But that’s also just me and I’m sure there are many arguments to be made in favor of Monk multiclassing haha.
In the case of the Sun Soul, I’d ask what you’re specifically looking to gain from the subclass.
The Sun Bolts are certainly cool, but what do they offer to your multiclass build that a bow doesn’t?
Perhaps once your Martial Arts die is up to 1d8 multiclassing can make more sense, but that still requires an investment of at least 11 levels.
If you’re looking to multiclass (especially as a Monk) it’s best to have a specific outcome in mind. With the Sun Soul Monk trying to be so many things at once, I think it makes it a tougher one to incorporate into a multiclass build effectively.
(Though D&D is also more than just number crunching. If you’ve got a specific character theme in mind that the Sun Soul is good for, I’d definitely say it’s worth exploring!)
Hope this helps! 🙂
You can RAW make your Sunbolt a monk weapon, its never stated the weapon cant be from a physical source. So if you touch like your hand or something since you have proficiency in it. Also a ‘special attack’ isn’t anything in DND, it means nothing. So it doesnt have the special ‘property’.
I know this doesnt fix the fact that they don’t get Stunning Strikes from range but Monks are still good at moving in, punching the people close to you and spreading damage to far targets is a valid strategy.
Ultimately fixing this ability requires stating the Sunbolt is a monk weapon without requiring any mental rules-lawyering-esque gymnastics. (like it does when you deflect a missile with the Deflect Missiles monk ability, which is already a thing)
I wanted to try playing a Sun Soul Monk with Unarmed fighting style & later take levels in Fighter with Blind fighting style; but when asked to build the character out as if leveled to 20, I faltered: Lvl 20 is already far above my experience level as a player (even to speculate upon), & ordinarily I’d hope to acquire some boons or items through adventuring which I’d at least partially build the character around.
Even as a generously attributed monk (among other PCs with generous attributes), I found it difficult to build ASI & Feat selections that really held up alongside the other classes (or even other Monks) available.
One respect in which I was surely making it difficult on myself, was in wanting to build a character that’s at full strength when stripped of all possessions… Going all 20 levels as Sun Soul looked unappealing just from the capstone, & trying to multi-class it to 20 respectably well is just more than I really know how to do yet.
Certainly, Sun Soul is not an *easy* DPR monster?
Hi ProphetZarquon!
Being able to be a strong fighter even without gear is one of the things that makes Monks really stand out. Back in the day (D&D 3.5), I started playing Monks because got tired of the group constantly ending up in prison with our belongings confiscated!
The thing is that Monks really don’t tend to Multiclass very well. They have to spread their ability scores across Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution, and Strength to the point that it can be very difficult to add more for them to have to juggle! Some Monk subclasses can multiclass a little easier, but it’s rarely ideal.
The Sun Soul tries to do a lot of things that sound really interesting but they ultimately don’t work very well. It’s definitely not an easy subclass to get a large DPR out of!
If you’re wanting to play a Monk but don’t like the Sun Soul, you should check out my ranking of the Monk subclasses! I think it will give you some more ideas for a character that will achieve what you have in mind!
https://tabletopjoab.com/ranking-every-monk-subclass-in-dd-5e/
I hope this helps! 🙂