Monk Point Buy: Two 15s and What They Cost
Dexterity and Wisdom both want the 15, and that pair costs 18 of the 27 points before anything else is bought. Unarmored Defense adds both modifiers to Armour Class and the ki save DC reads Wisdom, so neither score can be traded away without a measurable loss somewhere.
Four legal Monk allocations, and what each one costs
Dexterity 15 and Wisdom 15 cost nine points each, so 18 of the 27 are committed before Constitution is looked at. Every row below still spends the full budget; what moves between them is whether the remaining nine points become Armour Class, hit points, or neither.
| Allocation | Array | AC | Save DC (WIS) | HP lvl 1 | HP lvl 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended | STR 10 · DEX 15 · CON 13 · INT 10 · WIS 15 · CHA 8 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 33 |
| Way of Shadow | STR 8 · DEX 15 · CON 14 · INT 10 · WIS 14 · CHA 10 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 38 |
| Way of the Four Elements | STR 10 · DEX 15 · CON 14 · INT 8 · WIS 15 · CHA 8 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 38 |
| Way of the Astral Self | STR 8 · DEX 14 · CON 14 · INT 10 · WIS 15 · CHA 10 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 38 |
Why this spread is expensive
Dexterity 15 costs 9 points and Wisdom 15 costs 9, so the pair alone takes 18 of the 27 and leaves 9 for the remaining four abilities. On the recommended array that comes out at Armour Class 14 , a save DC of 12 from Wisdom, and 9 hit points at level 1.
Unarmored Defense adds both modifiers together, which makes the Monk the one class where a second 15 is also a defensive purchase. It still leaves Constitution at 13 and nine hit points at level 1, on a body that has to stand in melee range to use any of it.
The recommended spread in full
| Ability | Score | Point cost |
|---|---|---|
| STR | 10 | 2 |
| DEX | 15 | 9 |
| CON | 13 | 5 |
| INT | 10 | 2 |
| WIS | 15 | 9 |
| CHA | 8 | 0 |
| Total spent | 27 | |
Scores worth reaching exactly
- Dexterity 15
- Every unarmed strike and every Martial Arts die rides Dexterity, and it is half of Unarmored Defense.
- Wisdom 15
- Stunning Strike lands at DC 13 from level 5 instead of DC 12 — the single most decisive number on the sheet.
- Constitution 14
- A d8 with no armour and no shield: Constitution is the only thing standing between the Monk and a death save.
Subclasses that change the array
- Way of Shadow — STR 8 · DEX 15 · CON 14 · INT 10 · WIS 14 · CHA 10
- Shadow Arts spends ki rather than forcing saves, so Wisdom 14 is enough and the point buys Constitution.
- Way of the Four Elements — STR 10 · DEX 15 · CON 14 · INT 8 · WIS 15 · CHA 8
- Every elemental discipline sets its save DC from Wisdom, so 15 is not optional the way it is for an Open Hand Monk.
- Way of the Astral Self — STR 8 · DEX 14 · CON 14 · INT 10 · WIS 15 · CHA 10
- Arms of the Astral Self attacks with Wisdom instead of Dexterity, which is the one subclass where DEX 14 is genuinely fine.
Races that pay part of the tax
| Race | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elf (Wood) | 10 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 8 |
| Halfling (Stout) | 10 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 8 |
| Kalashtar | 10 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 17 | 9 |
- Elf (Wood). Dexterity and Wisdom in one race, plus 35-foot speed before the Monk adds its own.
- Halfling (Stout). Dexterity and Constitution, which pays the MAD tax on the defensive side instead of the offensive one.
- Kalashtar. Wisdom +2 with advantage on Wisdom saves, on a class whose whole subclass DC is Wisdom.
The mistake this array is built to avoid
Splitting the budget evenly and landing on Dexterity 14 and Wisdom 14. That is AC 14 and a ki DC of 12 — one point short of both breakpoints the class is actually built around.
Stunning Strike reads Wisdom and forces a Constitution save, so a Monk that drops Wisdom to fund a third physical score keeps all of its ki and loses the reason to spend any of it.
Monk ability score questions
Why is the Monk so expensive in point buy?
Two 15s cost 18 of the 27 points, leaving 9 for the other four abilities. Unarmored Defense needs Dexterity and Wisdom together, and Stunning Strike needs Wisdom specifically, so neither can drop without lowering AC or the save DC.
Should a Monk take Dexterity 15 and Wisdom 14, or 14 and 15?
Dexterity 15 with Wisdom 14 is usually better at level 1: Dexterity governs attack and damage on every unarmed strike as well as half of AC, while Wisdom 14 only costs the ki DC one point until Stunning Strike arrives at level 5.
How much Constitution does a Monk need?
Constitution 13 costs 5 points and gives 9 hit points at level 1 on a d8. Constitution 14 costs 2 more and is worth it for any Monk expecting melee: there is no armour and no shield to fall back on.
Which Monk subclass changes the array most?
Way of the Astral Self. Arms of the Astral Self attacks with Wisdom instead of Dexterity, so Dexterity 14 becomes acceptable and the freed points go to Constitution 14 and Charisma 10 instead.
Where to go next
- Ranger — The other Dexterity-and-Wisdom build, but with armour available to absorb some of the cost.
- Rogue — Also Dexterity-first, and the comparison shows what a single-score class saves.
- Every array on this page is a plain 27-point spread, so you can compare allocations side by side and see each step priced as you go.