Way of the Tempest
Beings of Lightning
Monks that follow the way of the Tempest are known to be wild and tempestuous in battle, while hiding a deep inner clarity. Whether they derive their command over lightning from innate ability, a supernatural gift, or personal mastery, who is to say? Acolytes of the way of the arcstrider can be found as pious servants of storm gods, as vicious warriors, and have even been reported as patrons of the esoteric “traveller”.
Tempest Strike
At level 3, you have mastered lightning to a point where you can siphon your own kinetic energy with ki. Once on each of your turns, when you move more than 10 feet, you can spend 1 ki point to empower your next melee attack before the end of your turn. This attack has a range of 10ft and deals additional lightning damage equal to your martial arts die and all creatures in a 10ft line behind that creature must make a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC or take the same bonus lightning damage. Additionally, after you spend at least one ki point during your turn, you may use your step of the wind or patient defense features without spending a ki point.
Lightning Rod
At level 6, you have learned to manifest your kinetic energy in physical form. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points to conjure a weapon of pure lightning taking the form of any weapon you are proficient with that lacks the heavy or two handed property. It is considered a monk weapon for you and lasts for 1 miniute. In addition to the weapon's normal damage, it deals bonus lightning damage equal to the weapon’s damage die. This weapon counts as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances. When you use the monk’s deflect missiles feature and are holding one of these weapons, you do not need a free hand.
Ride the Lightning
By level 11, your strikes leave behind a trace of your destructive power, bursting to be released. When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you leave behind a mote of residual energy, which fades at the start of your next turn. At the end of your turn, you may use your reaction to release this energy within a creature. You may do this once for each creature you have hit with a melee attack that turn, expending 1 ki point to target each additional creature. Each of these creatures must make a constitution saving throw against your ki save DC or take lightning damage equal to twice your martial arts die.
High voltage
At 11th level your lightning technique is honed to near perfection. Lightning damage you deal with monk features ignores resistance to lightning damage and treats immunity to lightning damage as resistance. In addition, you gain resistance to lightning damage.
Storm Surge
By 17th level, you are an avatar of the tempest. As an action, you can spend 4 ki points to enter a state of pure energy. For 1 minute, you gain the following features:
- Your unarmed strikes and the weapon created by your lightning rod feature deal an additional die of lightning damage
- You have immunity to lightning damage
- The first enemy to hit you with a melee attack each round must make a constitution saving throw against your ki save DC or take lightning damage equal to twice your wisdom modifier
