Back to the different archetypes- now the way of four elements!
Master of the Elements
prerequisite: way of the four elements monastic tradition
The elements are a teacher and and tool. Gain the following benefits:
Thoughts?
We’ve finished toys for each fighter, so now we do toys for each monk. Let’s start with the way of the open hand.
Open Way
prerequisite: way of the open hand monastic tradition
You are an open book, and that should scare those who attempt to harm you. Gain the following benefits:
Thoughts?
How about an idea for a monk? Always fun to learn new folklore!
Monks that follow Ōya no Tarō Mitsukuni follow this samurai due to his battle prowess and ability to overcome the impossible. Having heard tales of this man kill the unkillable giant skeletons sent against him by a practitioner of black magic, you now learn at the feat of the master as he reveals his secrets to you. He is a warrior first and an honorable competent second, but you find it hard to belittle the man for his results. You now learn to combine his techniques with your monastic training to survive the unsurvivable.
Path of the Sword
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn how to use a longsword/katana. This weapon counts as a monk weapon for your flurry of blows. When you increase your unarmed damage, increase your longsword damage as well.
| Level | Damage |
| 3 | 1d8 |
| 5 | 1d10 |
| 11 | 1d12 |
| 17 | 2d8 |
At 6th level you learn how the masters sneak into the enemy’s home and even their very bed to learn the secrets of its attack. You gain proficiency in Deception and Stealth skills. If you are already proficient in either of these skills, gain a +2 bonus to that skill instead.
Beginning at 11th level, the master reveals the magics of life and death to you and how to survive the magic assaults on your life. When you are attacked by a magic attack or effect, you can spend a ki point to gain advantage on the saving throw.
At 17th level you no longer need the master to teach you how to do what must be done, you have learned to master the impossible. When you would be reduced to zero hit points, you can spend 3 or all your remaining ki points (whichever is less) to avoid the attack and gain hit points up to your maximum. You can only do this once and then you must complete a long rest before you can use this feature again.
Thoughts?
I’ve been known to fly into a crazy rage and I’ve got a black belt. Let’s get some peanut butter into the chocolate!
Not all monks practice the art of silent meditation and delicate self-discipline. Some monks fuel their abilities on the anger that burns in their soul. These monks learn to harness that anger and release it at their enemies when the time arises.
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn to harness your anger to move faster and hit harder. You enter a fugue state where only combat matters as a bonus action on your turn akin to a barbarian’s rage. You gain the following benefits
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while in this state.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
You can do this a number of times per day equal to your level /3 + 1, minimum 2 per day. Once you have raged this number of times, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.
Any effect, ability, or feat that would affect a barbarians rage also affect this ability as well.
At 6th level, your training in focusing for combat bleeds into your ferocity during your rage. If you declare one target as the soul person you will attack this round at the start of your turn, you gain two ki points that you must spend this round in attacks against this target or in advancing on the target. If the target dies or is incapacitated during your round, you may not attack another target but may continue to attack the target’s body or remains.
Beginning at 11th level, you now enter a state where you no longer experience the outside world during your rage state. During your rage, you gain resistance to psychic damage and have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
At 17th level, you gain the ability to literally let rage keep you alive. If you would be knocked out or killed while in a rage, you are allowed to stay conscious while making death saving throws. Increase the number of death saving throws you are allowed to make before dying by 3 while in a rage. Each round you automatically fail your death saving throw if you stay conscious in a rage. Critical hits on you increase the number of failed death saving throws you have failed by 2. While using this ability, you can not be healed or regain hit points. Each round you gain a number of ki points equal to your number of death saving throws you have currently failed. These addition ki point occur after abilities like perfect self have increased your ki pool. As a free action, you can voluntarily end your rage at the start of your turn and fall unconscious and stabilized at 2 death saving throws failed.
Thoughts?
Back to killing demons and devils in DnD!
You follow a warrior of renown, know for protecting the innocent and leading his clan. You have studied at the feet of masters of his clan and emerged as a top student. You are now learning techniques and receiving gifts that only the most prestigious of demon and evil slayers are granted.
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you are gifted a flask of the purest ale from heaven. You can drink from the flask or throw a dose at a fiend within 30 feet by spending a ki point. If you drink from the flask, you gain the effects of haste for one turn. If you throw a dose at a fiend, that creature must make a constitution saving throw. On a failure, the fiend is stunned and loses it immunity to non-magic weapons and elemental damage till the end of your next turn. It is a bonus action to throw a dose at a creature but a free action to drink from the flask yourself.
At 6th level, you gain the helm of your master. From now on you gain immunity to critical hits unless the creature has advantage on the attack and scores two critical hits.
Beginning at 11th level, you are gifted Spider Slayer, a +2 fiend slaying katana. This counts as a monk weapon and makes all your attacks, including unarmed ones, count as +2 fiend slaying attacks. When you hit a fiend with any attack while wield the weapon, the fiend takes an extra 3d6 damage unless it succeeds a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or fall prone.
At 17th level, you gain the favor of heaven itself and are gifted champions from heaven. As an action, you may spend up to four ki points. For each ki point spent, you may cast guardian of faith summoning one guardian. These guardians last as normal per the spell.
Thoughts?
I was thinking of making a monk feat, but let’s build on what we got going on with the Way of the Open Hand.
Monks of the Way of the Cracked Turtle have learned from the simple turtles around them While slow, their steady path leads to victory. They toughen their bodies to be the bulwark necessary to bear the brunt of the world on their shoulders. They also learn the way to crack false armor while others bend under the weight. It is truly turtles all the way down, for these men and women are tireless companions and will carry those around them to victory.
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn how to harm those who bare false shells. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can impose one of the following effects on that target:
At 6th level, you training truly begins to take off as you gain a permanent bonus to AC equal to half your proficiency bonus.
Beginning at 11th level, you can enter a special state of determination. As a free action or reaction, you can choose to not fall unconscious. This state will end when you die from exhaustion, failing three death saving throws if you are at zero hit points, or you end this state as a free action. If you are magically healed while in this state, all your failed death saving throws are reset to zero.
At 17th level, you truly become the turtle. Gain a swim speed equal to your land movement speed or vice versa. You also gain an additional bonus to AC equal to half your Constitution modifier. Furthermore, when you make an attack with your flurry of blows, you may make one more additional attack using a bite.
Thoughts?
As a kid, I always loved Kaiju and the superheroes who changed size to fight them. Let’s make a monk who does that.
Be careful when you fight monsters, lest you become one. As a kaiju slayer, you have been trained to harness power in yourself and use it to attack the monsters who threaten your people.
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate yourself using ki. You can spend a ki point to increase your size, spending one ki point per size increased as a bonus action. All objects you hold, wear, and wield increase in size as well. Your unarmed damage increases as well, with each size increase modifying your damage by one step along this track. 1d4->1d6->1d8->1d10->2d6->2d8->2d10->2d12. This size may be maintained for up to one hour, but you may end it at any time as a reaction.
At 6th level, you learn how to fight those smaller than yourself. For each size category that you are larger than an enemy gain a +1 bonus to damage against that target.
Beginning at 11th level, you learn to harness the abilities of the monsters you fight. For each size category you increase your size, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC.
At 17th level, you gain the ability to fully harness your kaiju power. For each size category you increase yourself, increase your proficiency bonus for all weapon and unarmed attacks by +1.
Thoughts?
Ninjas are masters of disguise, subterfuge, and stealth. The operate in broad daylight or under the cover of darkness with the goals of observation, infiltration, and assassination.
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain the expertise ability as a rogue. You apply the expertise ability to your Dexterity(stealth), Dexterity(acrobatics), and Charisma(deception) checks.
At 6th level, you gain the rogue’s sneak attack ability as a rogue two levels lower than yourself. You may only use this with weapons a monk is proficient with.
Beginning at 11th level, you can move from shadow the shadow undetected or unseen in a crowd, but must choose one. If you are One with the Shadows, if you start your turn hidden and in an area of lowed viability, you are invisible until the start of your next turn allowing you to freely move from dark location to dark location undetected. You are only invisible to creatures you started your turn hidden from. Also, modes of seeing such as blindsight and truesight will still detect you. If you are One with the Crowd, you gain advantage on all Charisma(deception) checks and advantage on all Dexterity(stealth) checks made while among a group of non-combatants to become hidden.
At 17th level, you gain the ability to make more then one sneak attack per round. For each sneak attack you perform in a round, you may pay 4 ki points to perform an additional sneak attack that round.
Thoughts?
Throat Punch Games 