Way of the Swirling Wind
The winds of the world are the least human of the elements. Where Fire is a raging inferno, and the passions of man can reach it easily, where Water can connect through the constant flow of change, where Earth, to the ironic contrary, enjoys the battle of stubbornness with practitioners of it's art, air is fickle and playful. Still, people have learned to master it, through artful movements which flow and whirl, almost reminding air of itself.
And, in that moment of confused curiosity, the air around it's monks feels truly alive.
Airborne Technique
When you begin your journey down this path at 3rd level, you learn the Gust and Mage Hand cantrips. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and ones you learn through later features in this subclass.
Additionally, you gain the two following abilities;
Updrafts
You gain a 10' Flight Speed. This increases as you gain more levels in this class, remaining equal to the Unarmored Movement bonus granted to your land movement speed. You cannot use this flight if you are wearing armor or incapacitated.
Downdrafts
You can use your action to cause a rush of air to blast forward in a 5' wide by 30' long line in front of you.
Each creature in this line must make a saving throw vs. your spell save DC or take Magical Bludgeoning Damage equal to your martial arts die + your Wisdom modifier.
You can spend a ki point after seeing which creatures succeed and fail this saving throw. Doing so allows you to move any creature that failed 5' to either side of the line, or 10' further along the line.
Windshaper
Beginning at 6th level, your stances and movements have grown so enticing to the fickle winds of the world that you can bring them to bear in far more situations.
You gain proficiency in the Performance skill, and the ability to spend 2 ki points to cast Zephyr Strike, Gust of Wind, or Warding Wind.
Heart of Air
When you reach 11th level, your bond with the winds of the world has grown to the level that a small portion is content to reside within you.
You can hold your breath indefinitely, and do not need to keep your mouth closed in order to do so. You can even speak in such situations, the air containing your words remaining intact as it travels to a single creature of your choice within 30'.
Additionally, you can unleash these winds to give yourself a boost of speed through the air.
When you use Step of the Wind, your Flight speed becomes equal to your total movement speed for the rest of that turn.
Avatar of Air
Starting at 17th level, your mastery of the winds has allowed you to call on far more of their power, the winds in turn reveling in the spectacles you reveal them;
- You can spend 6 Ki points to cast Wind Walk or Control Winds.
- You can spend 7 Ki points to cast Whirlwind once, and regain the ability to do so again when you finish a long rest.
- When you fly more than 20 feet towards a creature and hit it with an attack in that same turn, you can use your bonus action to add 2d10 damage to that attack.
- You can reduce your flight speed by 5' in order to allow another creature to benefit from that speed while both you and the other creature remain in contact with each other. You can't reduce your flight speed below 10' using this feature.
Way of the solid Earth
Often stoic, loyal and kind, Monks following this path use more grounded stances, and can seem even more solid and immovable as the earth and stone they can control. However, one would do well not to underestimate their mobility when the time calls for it.
Stable Technique
When you begin your journey down this path at 3rd level, you learn the Mold Earth and Mending cantrips. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and ones you learn through later features in this subclass.
Additionally, you gain the two following abilities;
Stone Stance
You can use your bonus action to switch between a sturdy Stone Stance and a more agile Sand Stance.
In Stone Stance, you lose the bonus to your movement speed bonus granted by this class. In exchange, this stance helps you be more durable.
While in Stone Stance, your AC is equal to 10 + Your Constitution Modifier + Your Wisdom Modifier.
While in Sand Stance, you function like a normal monk.
Shifting Earth
You learn to affect a ground made of earth or stone in the following ways;
- Instead of making an attack, you can cause a stone panel to rise from the ground. These panels, each 1' thick, and 5' by 5' wide, and you can make them appear anywhere within a 15' cube in front of you. Each panel has an AC of 10 and hit points equal to your wisdom Score. Creatures who would be underneath a wall when you create it can attempt a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC to remain on top of the wall, and choose which side to fall off towards if they fail.
- You can use your action to make a small earthquake in a 15' cube in front of you. Creatures in that area must make a dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC, or fall prone.
Earthen Fist
Beginning at 6th level, you can use cause earth and stone to mimic your hand's movements.
You can spend 2 ki points to cast Catapult or Maximilian's Earthen Grasp as 2nd level spells, and you can spend additional ki points to raise the level of these spells by 1 per ki point spent.
Stone Heart
When you reach 11th level, your training has helped you toughen your mind just as much as your body, granting you immunity to the Frightened Condition.
Additionally, you have mastered the stances you know, granting you additional abilities depending on which stance you're in.
Indestructible Bastion
In Stone Stance, at the start of each of your turns, choose one type from Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing. You gain resistance to that type of damage until the start of your next turn.
Additionally, you can spend 1 ki point as a bonus action to gain temporary hit points equal to your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom Modifier.
Shifting Sands
In Sand Stance, when you use Step of the Wind to take the disengage action, you gain a bonus to your movement speed equal to the sum of your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers.
Additionally, you can spend 1 ki point as a reaction when you are attacked to force sand into the eyes of the attacker, imposing disadvantage on the attack.
You can use this ability after you see the roll but before you know whether or not it hits.
Avatar of Earth
When you reach 17th level, your mastery of the earth has grown so fine-tuned, that you can encase yourself in a shell of solid rock, and still fight.
You can encase yourself in stone in this manner as a bonus action, which then lasts until you end it as a bonus action or until you are incapacitated.
You gain the following benefits and detriments while encased in stone:
- Your size becomes Large, unless you were larger.
- Any speed you have becomes 15 feet, unless the speed was lower.
- You have resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing damage.
- You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your wisdom modifier at the start of each of your turns.
- You can use your bonus action to extend your reach by 5'.
Way of the controlled blaze
An old man falls from the battlements, seeming to hang in the air for a moment, before flame begins to pour forth from his hands. Spinning, weaving, and falling, as he slams into the middle of the attacking soldiers, they are blown away by a searing wall of fire.
Monks of the path of flame balance the discipline of other monks with their own blazing passions, blending desire and focus into a deadly, blazing edge.
Blazing Technique
When you begin your journey down this path at 3rd level, you learn the Produce Flame and Control Flames cantrips. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and ones you learn through later features in this subclass.
Additionally, you gain the two following abilities;
Flame Lance
You gain a ranged spell attack you can use when you take the Attack action. The attack has a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to its attack. It deals a amount of fire damage equal to your Martial Arts die + your Dexterity Modifier.
This functions like any other weapon attack you have for the purposes of the Extra Attack feature.
Overflow
You gain the ability to spend 1 ki point as a bonus action at the start of each of your turns.
Until the start of your next turn, your attacks using Unarmed Strikes, Monk Weapons, or your Flame Lance ability, deal additional fire or lightning damage (your choice when you spend the ki point) equal to your martial arts dice plus your Wisdom modifier.
Graceful Redirection
Once you reach 6th level, your training helps you protect yourself against the fire of others.
Your basic techniques are always active, granting you resistance to fire damage.
Additionally, when you receive fire or lightning damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt to redirect the fire or lightning, as part of the same reaction. You make a ranged spell attack roll, adding your dexterity modifier to the attack roll, and the target takes damage of the type they attempted to deal to you equal to your Martial Arts dice + your Dexterity Modifier.
Blazing Heart
Fire is dangerous and hungry, but once you reach 11th level, you've learned how to use it's power to protect others.
As a reaction when a creature within 30' of you is about to be attacked by a creature you can see, you can spend 1 ki point to cast Hellish Rebuke targeting the attacking creature.
If the creature fails it's saving throw against the spell, it is also knocked backwards ten feet, beat down by the torrent of flame.
You can spend additional ki points to cast Hellish Rebuke at a higher level. Each additional ki point you spend increases the spell's level by 1.
Avatar of Flame
Starting at 17th level, your mastery of flame allows you access to several more powerful abilities, and the skill to focus your flame to such an extent that you could burn the hat off someone's head without singing a hair.
- At any time on your turn, you can spend up to 5 ki points to launch a jet of flame behind yourself, granting you a flight speed equal to 10 feet per ki point spent for that turn.
- You can spend 6 ki points to cast Investiture of Flame, Burning Hands or Lightning Bolt as 6th level spells.
- You can spend 3 ki points to cast Lesser Restoration, or 6 to cast Greater Restoration, as you carefully focus your flame to only burn away diseases and curses.
- When you cast a spell that deals fire or lightning damage, you can spend 1 ki point to designate a number of creatures up to your wisdom modifier to be immune to the effects of the spell.
Way of the Flowing Water
A villager in a frozen wasteland travels, guarded from the chill air with a veil of steam. Suddenly, they thrust their hand towards the ice, and it melts clean through.
The ragged man straightens up with a grin, a fat fish clutched in his hand.
A spear flies at a helpless child, only to be suddenly immersed in water, which freezes into ice the next instant.
The soldier who threw the weapon backs away, as the young girl slowly stalks towards him, falling into a strange stance which seems to shift from moment to moment.
Flowing Technique
When you begin your journey down this path at 3rd level, you learn the Shape Water cantrip, your choice of the Frostbite or Firebolt cantrips, the latter of which becomes a focused blast of steam for you. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and ones you learn through later features in this subclass.
Additionally, you gain the two following abilities;
Riptide
As an action, you make a single unarmed strike attack roll against a target within 30 feet of you, a long, thick tendril of water lashing out to fill the distance your own limbs can't reach. On a hit, the target takes an additional martial arts die of damage and it is pulled up to 30 feet closer to you, or pushed 10 feet further away. (your choice.)
This counts as taking the attack action for the purposes of your Martial Arts feature.
Frozen Barrier
As a reaction, when you or a creature within 30 feet of you is hit with an attack, you can use your reaction to interrupt the attack with a barrier of ice, increasing the AC of that creature by an amount equal to your wisdom modifier for that attack, possibly causing it to miss.
Liquid Heart
Beginning at 6th level, you have learned to become one with the water, and gain the ability to breathe underwater, and a swimming speed equal to your land movement speed.
Additionally, while immersed in water, you can use any monk weapon freely without incurring disadvantage, and instead, if you attack a creature which does not have a swim speed, you have advantage on one attack you make per turn.
Finally, you can spend 1 ki point to cast Create or Destroy Water using a second level spell slot, or 2 ki points to cast Healing Word or Hold Person at their standard levels as you begin to learn to harness both the purifying and healing abilities spiritually linked to water, and the darker abilities linked by the physical presence of water in one's blood.
You can spend additional ki points to raise the level of these spells by 1 per ki point spent.
Insulated Focus
Once you reach 11th level, you have mastered both the heating and cooling of water. You learn the cantrip you did not choose at 2nd level.
Additionally, as a bonus action, you can expend 1 ki point to form a cushioning barrier of water, granting yourself immunity to both extreme heat, and extreme cold, (DMG, pg.110), and a buffer of temporary hit points equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die, plus your wisdom modifier.
You can spend additional ki points to increase the number of temporary hit points by 1 Martial Arts dice per ki point spent.
The protection against extreme heat or cold dissipates if you lose all of these temporary hit points.
Avatar of Water
By reaching level 17, you've mastered the ebb and flow of water, and at the right moment, can call that tide forth in a raging torrent.
You can spend 6 ki points to cast Investiture of Ice, Hold Monster or Dominate Person.
Alternately, you can spend 8 ki points to cause the surrounding area to flood, water pouring forth from seemingly thin air, as you scatter your ki to the wind.
The water remains within a 50' radius cylinder, and the level rises to waist high (unless you choose to leave it lower). That area counts as difficult terrain for any creature that doesn't have a swimming speed, or are not otherwise elevated above the water.
You gain the full benefits of your Liquid Heart feature while fighting in this area, regardless of if the creature you're attacking is fully immersed or not.
You also gain a 30' flight speed while in this area, the water flowing behind you and carrying you aloft, although, you cannot use this to exit the area of effect or fly more than 50' in the air.
Finally, you can designate a number of creatures of your choice up to your Wisdom Modifier who are able to walk on the surface of the water created by this ability, and thus do not treat it as Difficult Terrain.
This use of your ki lasts up to ten minutes, at which point the water evaporates harmlessly.