Monastic Tradition
Way of the Element Bender
Monks that follow this tradition, focus on developing a more profound connection with the elements of fire, air, water, or earth. A monk normally chooses the element most aligned with their personality, for example an airbender tends to be lighthearted and carefree, while a firebender can be passionate and hotheaded, an earthbender may act stoic and rough, or a waterbender be calm and easygoing.
The different techniques needed to manipulate a certain element results in individual combat styles for each element. Firebending is offensive, attacking head on with exploding blazes of fire; airbending is evasive, finding the best position to then attack with powerful blasts of wind; waterbending is flexible, switching cbetween defense and offense; earthbending is defensive, making you as sturdy as the earth.
Way of the Element Bender Features
| Monk level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Bending Arts, Shape of the Elements |
| 6th | Wisdom of the Elements |
| 11th | Ki-Empowered Bending |
| 17th | Master Technique |
Bending Arts
At 3rd level, you spiritually connect with one of the four elements and learn to manipulate its form, using the energy within you as a part of your martial arts style.
After you complete a long rest, you perform a kata to attune to one of the elements of Fire, Air, Water or Earth. Your martial arts attacks now also count as a melee elemental bending strike, with a range of 10 feet greater than normal, using the damage type as described below.
Your choice between fire, air, water, or earth determines the abilities you can use in this subclass and each feature of the tradition as you level up.
- Firebending. Your bending strike can deal bludgeoning or fire damage. The first time you hit a creature on a turn with your bending strike as part of your bonus action, you deal additional fire damage equal to your martial arts die.
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Airbending. Your bending strike can deal bludgeoning or slashing damage. Each time you hit a ceature up to one size larger than you, it must suceed on a Strength saving throw or you push it 10 feet horizontally in a direction you choose. A creature that has succeeded this Strength saving throw cannot be pushed by this feature until the start of your next turn.
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Waterbending. Your bending strike can deal bludgeoning, slashing, piercing or cold damage. When you miss with a bending strike, your next bending strike this turn gains advantage.
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Earthbending. Your bending strike can deal bludgeoning or piercing damage. When a creature misses you with an attack roll, you can increase your AC by 1 (to a maximum of 3). This increase lasts till the start of your next turn or you take damage, whichever comes first.
At 6th level, the damage of your bending strikes counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Shape of the Elements
Also at 3rd level, as part of your bending, you can mold the elements in more subtle manners. As an Action you can manipulate your chosen element if it is within 15 feet of you in the following ways:
- Cause up to a 5-foot cube of your element to shape itself into a crude form you designate or move to a place within range. This movement does not involve enough force to cause damage.
- Transform the physical properties of up to a 5-foot cube of your element, such as carrying a small flame on your person to give off torchlight, freezing water, manipulate wind to blow or suck tiny objects to yourself that aren't being worn, or compressing sand into sandstone.
- Create a harmless, instantaneous sensory effect related to your element, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, a spray of light mist, or a gentle rumbling of stone.
Wisdom of the Elements
When you reach 6th level, you ascertain the less apparent attributes of your element and develop techniques that imitate them:
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Engulfing flames (Fire). You have resistance to cold damage, and you do not suffer the negative effects of extremely hot temperatures.
Also, when you spend a ki point to use flurry of blows, you can spend a use of this feature to make 3 unarmed strikes instead of 2. -
Circle walking (Air). You gain a bonus to to initiative rolls equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Also, when a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your Reaction to spend a use of this feature and move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks. -
Flowing paths (Water). You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
You can spend a use of this feature and use your Action in redirecting the ki pathways in the body of a creature to aid its natural healing. The creature can roll 1 of their own hit die and regain hp equal to the number rolled. You can spend ki points to boost this healing, for each ki point spent, the creature can roll two extra hit die and add them to the total. -
Grounded reflexes (Earth). You can use a Bonus Action to gain tremorsense up to a range of 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
Also, you can spend a use of this feature and use your Reaction when you or a creature within 10 feet of you is hit by an attack roll to create a temporary stone barrier. Until the start of your next turn, you grant half cover to the creature hit by the attack roll, including against the triggering attack.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier. Once you run out of uses for this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend 1 ki point to use it again.
Ki-Empowered Bending
Beginning at 11th level, you can instil ki in your chosen element to create more powerful bending moves. As an Action, you can spend 1 ki point to make one of the following techniques:
- Bending stream. Each creature in a line, 40 feet long and 5 feet wide, emanating from you in a direction you choose must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes damage of the same type as your bending strikes equal to 2 rolls of your Martial Arts die, or half as much damage on a success.
- Bending wave. Each creature within a 15-foot radius sphere of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes damage of the same type as your bending strikes equal to 1 roll of your Martial Arts die, or half as much damage on a success.
You can increase the damage of this technique by spending extra ki points. Each point you spend increases the damage of the attack by one roll of your Martial Arts die. The maximum number of ki points (1 plus any additional points) that you can spend equals your proficiency bonus.
Additionally, you can add an extra effect to the attack depending on your chosen element:
- Instantaneous Combustion (Fire). You can make your attack originate from a point you can see within 60 feet of you.
- Raging Gales (Air). Creatures of your choice within the area are unaffected.
- Glaciel Rivers (Water). Each creature that fails the saving throw has its movement reduced to 0 with ice until the end of their next turn.
- Exploding Tremors (Earth). Each medium sized or smaller creature that fails the saving throw is jettisoned into the air by 20 feet.
Master Technique
When you reach 17th level, you reach the peak of your bending abilities, becoming a master of your chosen element. You can use the relevant master technique from your element:
Mastery of Fire
You learn to harness the raging flames of combat. Your martial arts die increases to 1d12.
You are also able to separate the positive and negative energies of fire. When they collide again, lightning is generated. When you make a Ki-Empowered Bending attack, it can deal lightning damage instead of fire damage. Additionally, you can spend 1 ki point to stun a creature that fails the saving throw until the end of your next turn. You can spend ki in this way multiple times to stun multiple creatures that have failed the saving throw.
Mastery of Air
You perfect the art of airbending, learning a technique that pushes your speed to its limits.
When you use the step of the wind feature, you gain a bonus to the feature depending on the amount of ki you spend to activate it:
- 0 ki: You can activate step of the wind without spending ki.
- 1 ki: You can activate step of the wind as normal and your speed increased by 20 feet until the end of your turn. For that duration, a creature that is large or smaller of your choice, makes a Strength saving throw when you enter a space within 5 feet of it. If they fail, they fall prone or are pushed 10 feet in a direction you choose. A creature can fail this saving throw from Mastery of Air only once per turn.
- 2 ki: You gain the earlier benefits and it is improved upon. Your movement is unaffected by difficult terrain, and spells and other creatures can neither reduce your speed nor cause you to be grappled or restrained. This feature lasts till the end of your next turn.
Mastery of Water
You learn the ability of controlling the water inside a creature. You can use an Action to concentrate for 1 minute (as if you were concentrating on a spell) and try to seize control of a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You spend a number of ki points: 3 if the creature is Medium or smaller, 4 if it is Large, or 6 if it is Huge or larger. The creature must then succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated and you reduce its movement speed to 0. It is only incapacitated on turns other than yours while you maintain this effect. A creature that has no water or blood in its body automatically succeeds the saving throw.
At the start of each of its turns, the target can make another Constitution saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. The effect also ends if you lose your concentration or if you are ever further than 30 feet from the creature.
You can use your Action on your subsequent turns to maintain this effect. As part of the same Action, you can move the creature up to 15 feet and make it take its attack Action against a creature of your choice, provided it does not leave your range.
Once you use this feature to successfully control a creature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Mastery of Earth
You're now able to attune your senses to its limits and fully become one with the earth beneath your feet. You can use your Action to spend 3 ki points and for 1 minute the following benefits apply:
- When you use your Grounded Reflexes feature, at the start of your next turn the stone barrier can become a 15 feet wide by 10 feet tall stone wall permenantly. The wall has an AC of 15 and 30 HP.
- You have resistance to bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage from nonmagical attacks.
- As a Bonus Action, you can move through solid earth or stone as if it was air without destabilizing it until the end of your next turn. You can't end your movement in there or you are ejected to the nearest unoccupied space.
