Harness your energy and ride the wind.
“A serene look swept over the Monk’s face. In the next moment, she was gone.”
What is Step of the Wind 5e?
Step of the Wind 5e is a 2nd level Monk class feature that lets Monks spend a ki point to Dash or Disengage as a bonus action. It also doubles the Monk’s jumping distance for a turn. Usually Dashing or Disengage is a main action, so Step of the Wind offers some flexibility to the Monk’s battle options.
Per the Player’s Handbook, with Step of the Wind you can: spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage or Dash Action as a bonus Action on Your Turn, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.
How does Step of the Wind 5e work?
Before doing a bonus action, spend a ki point to harness your body’s magical energy and gain Step of the Wind: now you can Disengage, Dash, or do a double jump as a bonus action.
Step of the Wind 5e and Disengage
Disengage usually consumes a main action, and is used to get away from an enemy safely. Disengage as a bonus action lets a Monk move in for some Melee attacks, and then get some healthy distance. Fleeing an opponent from close range normally provokes an Opportunity Attack—but not if you Disengage first.
Step of the Wind 5e and Dash
Dash usually consumes a main action too. Dash as a bonus action lets a Monk change positions to stay in the flow of changing battle conditions.
With Unarmored Movement, a Monk can add up to 30 feet of movement to their base speed. Combined with using Dash as a main action to double movement, and then Step of the Wind to triple it, it all adds up to you being an absolute speed demon.
Let’s say your character is level 2 with a base speed of 30. At level 2, Unarmored Movement grants +10 movement:
Movement (40 feet) + Dash (main action, 40 feet) + Bonus action (Step of the Wind: Dash, 40 feet) = a breezy 120 feet!
Some races can reach up to 200 feet per turn. With its racial features, a Tabaxi Monk can reach over 400 feet!
How does Step of the Wind and Jumping work?
Doing death-defying leaps like in a ridiculous kung-fu movie is one of the most fun things to dream about. Step of the Wind lets you live the dream!
5e Jump lets you Long Jump your total strength score if you get a running start, as long as you have the available movement. That means using Dash as a main action and then Step of the Wind to Jump lets you potentially leap up to 40 feet in a single bound (if your STR is 20) to really put the Monk in monk-ey!
Does Step of the Wind increase jump height?
Yes. “Jump distance” in the wording for Step of the Wind includes vertical distance, or jump height. Using Step of the Wind, you can jump vertically for twice your STR modifier +6.
Step of the Wind plus Jump spell
Step of the Wind lets you double your jumping distance (horizontal or vertical). The Jump spell triples your jumping distance. Surely that doesn’t mean you can double your jump distance, then triple it again for a 6X jump… does it?!?
Yes. Yes, it does. You can jump absolutely massive distances with this trick! It’s one of the monkiest things you can do in DnD.
GameCows Tip: When doing high jumps, remember you need enough movement speed to land safely too. If you jump 40 feet straight up…you’ll run out of movement mid-air and turn into Wile E. Coyote! Fall damage is 1d6 bludgeoning damage per 10 feet of fall.
Step of the Wind 5e FAQ
Does Step of the Wind stack?
Yes, Step of the Wind stacks both Dashes and Jumps obtained in other ways.
Can you double jump with Step of the Wind without using a bonus action?
No. Spending a ki point is your bonus action, which infuses you with Step of the Wind to allow double jumping for a turn.
Do Monks ignore difficult terrain in 5e with Step of the Wind?
Yes, but only if you take the Mobile feat. The Mobile feat states “when you use the Dash action, difficult terrain doesn’t cost you extra movement on that turn.” This applies to activating Dash with Step of the Wind too.
Now go and be one with the wind! But read about Fly Spell 5e, Expertise 5e, and Flanking 5e first.
Kendra has always been a hardcore fantasy nerd. Growing up in the worlds of Tolkien, Sanderson, Jordan, and Abercrombie, DnD & board games just came naturally. She and her husband, Bryan, started GameCows.com in 2018 as a fun passion project that just took over their lives. An avid board gamer since childhood and chronic DnD chronicler for more than two decades, she loves to play, write, travel, and learn dead languages.