Monk: Way of the Astral Self

A monk who follows the Way of the Astral Self believes their body is an illusion. They see their ki as a representation of their true form, an astral self. This astral self has the capacity to be a force of order or disorder, with some monasteries training students to use their power to protect the weak and other instructing aspirants in how to manifest their true selves in service to the mighty.

Ferocious Fool

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill if you don't already have it. Your martial arts technique mixes combat training with the precision of a dancer and the antics of a jester. You also gain proficiency with brewer's supplies and improvised weapons, which count as monk weapons for you.

Additionally, you learn the vicous mockery cantrip. Your spellcasting ability for this cantrip is Wisdom, and it uses your martial arts die in place of the d4s normally used.

Drunken Technique

At 3rd level, you learn how to twist and turn quickly as part of your Flurry of Blows. Whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you gain the benefit of the Disengage action, your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the current turn and you have advantage on each unarmed strike made as part of that bonus action.

Tipsy Sway

Starting at 6th level, you can move in sudden, swaying ways. You gain the following benefits.

• Leap to Your Feet. When you're prone, you can stand up by spending 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
• Redirect Attack. When a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can spend 1 ki point as a reaction to cause that attack to hit one creature of your choice, other than the attacker, that you can see within 5 feet of you.
• Taunting Technique. Once per turn when you make an unarmed strike, you can replace it with a casting of vicous mockery.

Drunkard's Brew

Starting at 11th level, you combine your drunken stance with potent brewery to greatly increase your skill. Over the course of a long rest, you can use your brewer's supplies to make a number of monastic brews equal to your proficiency bonus. As a bonus action, a creature can consume a brew and become emboldened for 1 minute. While emboldened, a creature can add 1d4 to any attack roll, damage roll, ability check or saving throw it makes.

Intoxicated Frenzy

At 17th level, your unpredictable onslaught grows even stronger, along with your brews. You gain the followiung benefits:

• Bar-room Blitz. When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can make up to three additional attacks with it (up to a total of five Flurry of Blows attacks), provided that each Flurry of Blows attack targets a different creature this turn.
• Humiliating Redirection. When you use Redirect Attack, you can cause the attack to hit the original attacker.
• True Drunkard. The d4's used by Drunkard's Brew become d6's.

Elemental Attunement

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain a small mastery over all the elements. You learn the control flame, control water, gust and mold earth cantrips. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for these spells.

Stance of the Four

At 3rd level, you learn how channel the potent powers of the elements into various stances. Over the course of a short or long rest, you can as part of your meditation, attune to yourself to either air, fire, water or earth. While attuned to an element, you gain a passive bonus shown below, and the ability to cast various spells, based on the stance. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and they do not require material components. The level of spell you can cast is shown below.

You can cast a spell of each level this way once without expending a spell slot, and cannot do so again until you finish a long rest or spend ki points equal to the spells level to do so again.

Shifting Winds, Flames, Tides and Rocks

Starting at 6th level, you can change your stances to suit your needs. You gain the following benefits.

• Stance Change. As an action, you can change your elemental stance from one to another. Once you do this, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
• Elemental Infusion As a bonus action, you can infuse your attacks with elemental power for 1 minute, making all your attack deal an additional 1d4 damage dependent on you current stance. (thunder for air, fire for fire, cold for water and bludgeoning for earth.) Once you do this, you cannot do so again until you finish a short rest.

Elemental Flow

Starting at 11th level, you learn to use your techniques with more efficiency. When you take the attack action, you can cast one of your elemental spells as a bonus action.

Mastery of Elements

At 17th level, your control over the elements is of mythic proportions. At the start of your turn, you can choose to change your elemental stance to another. Additonally, as a bonus action, you can cast summon elemental as a 6th level spell, without expending a spell slot or requiring concentration or material components. The elemental summoned is dependent on your current elemental stance, and it's attack ignore any resistance and immunity a creature might have. Once you cast the spell with this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Air

Masters of air embody the free and immutable power of air, frequently wandering through the lands and helping those who need it. They are also masters of stealth, knowing that an unseen opponent can be even more dangerous.

Fire

Masters of fire embody the ferocity and passion of fire. Some focus their destructive efforts towards the bindings of others, burning away the oppressive monarchs of the world, while some rampage through the land like a wildfire, scorching all in their path.

Earth

Masters of earth embody the wisdom, resilience and strength of rock. They often settle down in secluded villages, either protecting them from harm or extorting them for wealth and comfort.

Water

Masters of water embody the tranquility and fluidity of water. These monks often have flexible and unknowable morals, helping and harming seemingly at a whim. But the wisest of sages know that their goals never change, even if their methods do.

Path of the Kensei

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your special martial arts training leads you to master the use of certain weapons. This path also includes instruction in the deft strokes of calligraphy or painting. You gain the following benefits:

• Kensei Weapons. Choose two types of weapons to be your kensei weapons: one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. Each of these weapons can be any simple or martial weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties. The longbow is also a valid choice. You gain proficiency with these weapons if you don't already have it. Weapons of the chosen types are monk weapons for you. Many of this tradition's features work only with your kensei weapons. When you reach 6th, 11th, and 17th level in this class, you can choose another type of weapon – either melee or ranged – to be a kensei weapon for you, following the criteria above.
• Agile Parry. You use your kensei weapon to defend yourself. You gain a +2 bonus to AC while a melee kensei weapon is in your hand and you aren’t incapacitated.
• Kensei's Focus. When you make an attack with a kensei weapon, you can make an addtional attack with it as a bonus action.
• Way of the Brush. You gain proficiency with your choice of calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies.

One with the Blade

At 6th level, you extend your ki into your kensei weapons, granting you the following benefits.

• Magic Kensei Weapons. Your attacks with your kensei weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
• Deft Strike. When you make an attack with a kensei weapon you are holding, you can forgo adding your ability modifier to the attack roll. If you do so, the attack deals additional damage equal to twice your ability modifier.
• Ki Blade. When you use stunning strike with a kensei weapon, you can use Dexterity, instead of Wisdom to calculate your save DC, and if the target fails they take additional damage equal to one roll of your martial arts die.

Sharpen the Blade

At 11th level, you gain the ability to augment your weapons further with your ki. As a bonus action, you can expend up to 3 ki points to grant one kensei weapon you touch a bonus to attack and damage rolls when you attack with it. The bonus equals the number of ki points you spent. This bonus lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. This bonus can't go above +3.

Master Stroke

At 17th level, your mastery of weaponry is without peer, striking when your enemies are most vulnerable. When a creature makes an attack roll against you, you can use a reaction to expend a ki point and make an attack with a kensei weapon. If this attack hits, the creature takes an additional 2d10 damage, and the attack against you misses.

Ward of Mortality

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your study of death allows you to extract vitality from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).

Touch of Death

Also starting at 3rd level, you learn to channel death's cold embrace. You can use your Constitution modifier, instead of Dexterity or Strength for unarmed strike and attack with monk weapons, and for calculating your unarmoured defense. Additionally, once per turn when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can deal additional necrotic or cold damage equal to one roll of your martial arts die if you have taken damage since the end of your last turn. At 11th level, this becomes two rolls of your martial arts die.

Hour of Reaping

At 6th level, you gain the ability to unsettle or terrify those around you as an action, for your soul has been touched by the shadow of death. When you take this action, each creature of your choice within 30 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. Alternatively, you can do this as a bonus action by spending 1 ki point.

Mastery of Death

Beginning at 11th level, you use your familiarity with death to escape its grasp. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can expend 1 ki point (no action required) to have 1 hit point instead.

Touch of the Long Death

Starting at 17th level, your touch can channel the energy of death into a creature. As an action, you touch one creature within 5 feet of you, and you expend 0 to 10 ki points. The target takes 3d10 necrotic damage, plus an additional 1d10 necrotic damage per ki point spent. If this reduces a creature to 0 hitpoints, it dies, and you can raise it's spirit, casting summon undead as a 4th level spell. When cast this way, the spell doesn't expend a spell slot and it doesn't require material components or concentration. You can only have one spirit summoned this way at a time, and if you summon another while one is already present, it fades away with a faint scream.

Open Hand Technique

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate your enemy's ki when you harness your own. 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:

• It is knocked prone.
• You can push it up to 15 feet away from you.
• It can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.

Brawling Master

Also starting at 3rd level, your incorporation of more practical and brutal strike changes your strikes. You can use your Strength modifier, instead of Dexterity, for calculating unarmored defense. You can also use Dexterity, instead of Strength for athletics checks.

Wholeness of Body

At 6th level, you gain the ability to heal yourself. As an action, you can regain hit points equal to four times your monk level. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Brutal Strike

Also at 6th level, you mastery of disabling techniques improves your stunning strikes. Whenever you use stunning strike, you can force the creature to make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw instead of a Constitution saving throw.

Tranquility

Beginning at 11th level, you can enter a special meditation that surrounds you with an aura of peace. At the end of a long rest, you gain the effect of a Sanctuary spell that lasts until the start of your next long rest (the spell can end early as normal). The saving throw DC for the spell equals 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Furious Flurry

Also beginning at 11th level, whenever you use Flurry of Blows, you can make an additional unarmed strike as part of the same bonus action.

Quivering Palm

At 17th level, you gain the ability to set up lethal vibrations in someone's body. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 ki points to start these imperceptible vibrations, which last for a number of days equal to your monk level. The vibrations are harmless unless you use your action to end them. To do so, you and the target must be on the same plane of existence. When you use this action, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, it is reduced to 0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage.

You can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a time. You can choose to end the vibrations harmlessly without using an action.

Shadow Arts

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can use your ki to duplicate the effects of certain spells. As an action, you can cast Darkness, Disguise Self, Pass without Trace, or Silence, by expending ki points equal to the level of the spell, without providing material components. You can cast each spell without expending ki once per long rest. Additionally, you gain the Minor Illusion cantrip if you don't already know it.

Disciple of Night

Also at 3rd level, you learn the ruthless techniques of those who fight in the dark. You gain darkvision out ot 60 feet, or and extra 30 feet of darkvision if you already had it. This darkvision can see through magical darkness.
Additionally, you become proficient in thieves tools if you are not already.

Shadow Step

At 6th level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn. Alternatively, you can spend 1 ki point to use this feature in place of an attack.

Cloak of Shadows

By 11th level, you have learned to become one with the shadows. When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible. You remain invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or are in an area of bright light.

Bleeding Flurry

Also at 11th level, you learn to incorporate wounding techniques and hidden blades into your flurry of blows. Whenever you hit a creature with flurry of blows, you can choose to wound it. At the start of it's next turn, it takes a martial arts die of necrotic damage for each time you hit it with a flurry of blows attack.

Master of the Unseen

At 17th level, you pass into the fearful whispers of myth. when using your cloak of shadows, you are no longer revealed after making an attack, casting a spell or by an area of bright light. Additionally, you gain vulnerability to radiant damage.

Radiant Sun Bolt

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can hurl searing bolts of magical radiance.

Whenever you make an unarmed strike, you can replace it with a radiant sun bolt. This special attack is a ranged weapon attack with a range of 60 feet and a long range of 150 feet. You are proficient with it and it counts a monk weapon. You add your Dexterity modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is radiant, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.

Disciple of the Sun

Also at 3rd level, your teaching allow you to bring the light wherever you go. You gain the following benefits:

• Radiant Knowledge. You gain proficiency in religion, and you gain a bonus to any religion check you make equal to your wisdom modifier.
• Sunbringer. You learn the light and dancing lights cantrips. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Searing Sunburst

At 6th level, you gain the ability to create an orb of light that erupts into a devastating explosion. As an action, you can magically create an orb and hurl it at a point you choose within 150 feet, where it erupts into a sphere of radiant light for a brief but deadly instant.

Each creature in that 10-foot-radius sphere must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take radiant damage equal to 3 rolls of your martial arts die. A creature doesn't need to make the save if the creature is behind total cover that is opaque.

The damage of this ability increases as you gain levels in this class, becoming 4 rolls of your martial arts die at 11th level, and 5 rolls of your martial arts die at 17th level.

If you spend a ki point while using this ability, you can deal an additional radiant damage equal to two rolls of your martial arts die.

Sun's Grace

By 11th level, your fervor allows you to mold your sunlight with your ki. You gain the following benefits:

• Gracious Sunburst. When you use Searing Sunburst, you can choose any creature of your choice in the area to not be affected.
• Blinding Grace. When you hit a creature with your radiant sun bolt, you can expend a ki point to deal additional radiant damage equal to two rolls of your martial arts die, and the creature must make a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of your next turn.

Sun Shield

At 17th level, you become wreathed in a luminous, magical aura. You shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. You can extinguish or restore the light as a bonus action. While the light shines, any creature that hits you with a melee attack takes radiant damage equal to your martial arts die. Additionally, you gain immunity to radiant damage.

As part of the same bonus action you use to restore the light of your aura, you can spend 5 ki points to empower it for 1 minute. While empowered, any hostile creature of your choice within the bright light of the aura is coated with light until it leaves the bright light. While coated, it take 1d10 radiant damage at the start of it's turns and any attack against it has advantage.

Way of the Ascendant Dragon

The fundamental teaching of this tradition holds that by emulating dragons, a monk becomes a more integrated part of the world and its magic. By altering their spirit to resonate with draconic might, monks who follow this tradition augment their prowess in battle, bolster their allies, and can even soar through the air on draconic wings. But all this power is in service of a greater goal: achieving a spiritual unity with the essence of the Material Plane.