Astral Self monk notes

The hit die stays a d8

A monk's hit die is a d8. Astral Self does not change that die to a d10. At level 1 the maximum is 8 plus the Constitution modifier. On the fixed method, each later level adds 5 plus the Constitution modifier. A monk with Constitution +2 has 10 at level 1 and 7 at each later level. At level 5 that is 10 + 28 = 38 before Tough. Tough would add 10 more, for 48. You can confirm the lines on the hit point calculator by choosing monk, level 5, Constitution +2, and average.

Players sometimes add Wisdom to hit points because the subclass talks about Wisdom so often. The hit point formula does not. Wisdom can change attack rolls and damage for the astral arms. Constitution changes the pool those attacks are trying to protect. Both scores want to be high. Only one of them belongs in the hit point form.

The longer explanation of level 1, the floor of 1, and multiclass dice is how to calculate hit points. What the six scores mean outside this subclass is ability scores explained.

Where Wisdom actually goes

Monk features already care about Wisdom: the armor class option that uses Dexterity and Wisdom, the save DC of several monk features, and later subclass riders. Astral Self adds another job. When the arms are summoned, you can use Wisdom for the attack and damage of those unarmed strikes instead of Strength or Dexterity. A monk who dumped Wisdom to buy Dexterity and Constitution has a subclass that cannot use its main trick. A monk who dumped Dexterity still wants some Dexterity for initiative and for armor class if the Wisdom option is not always on.

Ki, or the 2024 focus points if your table converted the class, is the resource that turns the arms on and pays for flurry, patient defense, and step of the wind. This guide does not invent a new ki table. Use the progression in the book you own. The practical point is that a feature you cannot afford to turn on is not a build. If the arms cost a bonus action and a ki point, you have spent both the action economy and a resource before you have dealt damage.

The arms, in plain language

At 3rd level the subclass lets you summon the arms. They reach farther than a normal unarmed strike, they can use Wisdom, and their damage is force. Force damage matters when a creature resists bludgeoning. It does not ignore every resistance in the game, and it is not radiant. Read the stat block in front of you. The extra reach is the part that changes positioning: you can stand one square farther from something that punishes adjacent creatures, and you can sometimes hit over a friend. Reach is not extra hit points. It is fewer reasons to be adjacent.

The damage still uses the monk's martial arts die plus the chosen ability modifier, with the subclass adding its own Wisdom rider where the text says so. Do not add Wisdom twice because two sentences mention it. If the feature says the unarmed strike uses Wisdom instead of Strength or Dexterity, that is a replacement. If a separate sentence adds the Wisdom modifier again as bonus damage, that second addition is the only extra one. The book sentence is the authority. A summary on a website, including this one, is how people double the modifier.

Later features are not hit points

At 6th level the visage adds senses and a social or fear effect, depending on the printing you have. Those are scene tools. They do not raise the hit point maximum. At 11th level the body of the astral self can grant temporary hit points or a defensive option when you summon or sustain it. Temporary hit points are not added to the maximum, they do not stack with other temporary hit points in the usual way, and they are lost when you finish a rest if the feature says so. Record them on the session tracker in the temporary box, not in the maximum box of the character sheet.

The 17th-level capstone is a late-campaign feature. Most characters never play there. A build guide that sells the subclass on the capstone is selling a level you should not assume. Plan the 3rd-level arms and the 5th-level extra attack, which is a monk class feature rather than an Astral Self feature, and treat everything after 6th level as a bonus if the campaign lasts.

A point-buy shape

On a 27-point budget you cannot buy three 15s and also buy a 14. Three 15s cost 27 and force 8, 8, and 8. For this subclass a common purchase is Wisdom 15, Dexterity 15, Constitution 14, and then 10, 10, and 8 in the scores the character can afford to neglect. That array costs 9 + 9 + 7 + 2 + 2 + 0 = 29, which is over budget. Drop Constitution to 13 (5 points) and one 10 to 8: Wisdom 15, Dexterity 15, Constitution 13, Intelligence 10, Charisma 8, Strength 8 costs 9 + 9 + 5 + 2 + 0 + 0 = 25, leaving 2 points. Those 2 points can raise Constitution from 13 to 14, because 14 costs 7 and 13 costs 5. The finished buy is 15, 15, 14, 10, 8, 8. Background bonuses come after that and can push Wisdom or Dexterity to 17. Check the spend on the point buy calculator before you fall in love with the array.

Strength 8 is a real choice. Carrying capacity and Strength saves will hurt. If the campaign is about climbing and grappling, do not copy this array. The subclass does not refund a dumped score.

Playing beside the 2024 monk

The 2024 monk changed the base class: the armor formula, the resource name, and some bonus-action rules are not identical to the 2014 monk the subclass was printed for. If your table uses the 2024 monk and also allows Astral Self, ask the referee which sentences survive. This site will not publish a merged homebrew and call it official. Hit points for the class are still the d8 method on the calculator. Species traits and Tough are discussed on hit points after the 2024 books and the origin feat page.

Reviewed 20 October 2026. Bring the subclass page from your book to the table. If a sentence here and that page disagree, the book wins.