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.
As a follower of this Monastic Tradition, you decide how you unlocked the power of dragons through your ki. The Ascendant Dragon Origin table offers some possibilities.
Ascendant Dragon Origin
| d6 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | You honed your abilities by observing a dragon and aligning your ki with their world |
| 2 | A dragon personally took an active role in shaping your inner energy. |
| 3 | You studied at a monastery that traces its teachings back centuries or more to a single dragon’s instruction. |
| 4 | You spent long stretches meditating in the region of influence of an ancient dragon’s lair, absorbing its ambient magic. |
| 5 | You found a scroll written in Draconic that contained inspiring new techniques. |
| 6 | After a dream that featured a five-handed dragonborn you awoke with altered ki, reflecting the breaths of dragons. |
Draconic Disciple
At 3rd level, you can channel draconic power to magnify your presence and imbue your unarmed strikes with the essence of a dragon’s breath. You gain the following benefits:
- Draconic Presence. Whenever you make an ability check that uses Charisma for the ability modifier, you gain a bonus to the roll equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of +1)
- Draconic Strike. When you damage a target with an unarmed strike, you can change the damage type to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. When you change the damage type in this way, you may add additional damage equal to your martial arts die of the respected type to your unarmed strike or monk weapon damage.
- Tongue of Dragons. You learn to speak, read, and write Draconic or one other language of your choice.
Breath of the Dragon
At 3rd level, you can channel destructive waves of energy, like those created by the dragons you emulate. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of the attacks with an exhalation of draconic energy in either a 20-foot cone or a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide (your choice). Choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC, taking damage of the chosen type equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die plus additional damage equal to two times your Wisdom modifier on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
At 11th level, the damage of this feature increases to three rolls of your Martial Arts die plus additional damage equal to three times your Wisdom modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. While you have no uses available, you can spend 1 ki points to use this feature again.
Ascendant Draconic Strikes
At 6th level, once per turn, when you hit using your draconic strike feature, you can apply an additional effect to your draconic strike based on the damage type chosen.
- Acid. Your target takes your normal draconic strike damage, they then take additional damage equal to your Wisdom modifier at the start of each of their turns for one minute unless they or an ally within 5ft of them uses an action to scrape it off which ends the effect.
- Cold. The creature’s movement speed is halved until the end of its next turn.
- Fire. Your target takes your normal draconic strike damage and any target of your choice within 5ft of that target including the attacked target takes additional fire damage equal to your wisdom modifier. A flammable object hit by this attack ignites if it isn’t being worn or carried.
- Lightning. The creature struck by you can’t take reactions until the start of its next turn.
- Poison. The creature struck by you must make a Constitution saving throw equal to your ki save dc or become poisoned for 1 minute; they may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.
Aspect of the Wyrm
At 11th level, your body has begun to take on features similar to that of a dragon; you gain the following benefits.
- Draconic Resistance. Choose one of the elements from your draconic strike feature; you gain resistance to that chosen element. During a short or long rest, you can meditate for 10 minutes to change the resistance type granted by this feature to a different type from your draconic strike feature.
- Frightful Presence. You exude an aura reminiscent of the dragons. As an action, each creature of your choice within 30ft of you must make a Wisdom saving throw using your Ki save DC; on a failure, the creature is frightened for 1 minute, and it can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. You can only utilize the effect of frightful presence once per long rest, or you can spend 3 ki points to use it again.
- Flurry of Draconic Strikes. When you use your flurry of blows feature you may apply a different effect from your ascendant draconic strike feature on both unarmed attacks instead of once, you must chose a different elements from the list of elements from your draconic strike feature.
Draconic Ascension
At 17th level, your draconic spirit reaches its peak. You gain the following benefits:
- Augment Breath and Strike. When you use your Breath of the Dragon, you can spend 1 ki point to augment its shape and power. The exhalation of draconic energy becomes either a 60-foot cone or a 90-foot line that is 5 feet wide (your choice), and each creature in that area takes damage equal to five rolls of your Martial Arts die plus additional damage equal to 5 times your wisdom modifier on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. When you augment your Breath of the Dragon in this way, you may add additional damage equal to your draconic strikes equal to your Wisdom modifier for the remainder of your turn.
- Draconic Flight. You gain the ability to create a pair of spectral dragon wings from your back, gaining a flying speed equal to your current walking speed. You choose the appearance of these wings, however their color is dependent on the current damage resistance chosen for your draconic resistance trait. You can create these wings as a bonus action on your turn. They last until you dismiss them as a bonus action on your turn.
- Dragonsight. You gain true sight out to a range of 30ft, which allows you to see in normal and magical darkness, see invisible creatures and objects, automatically detect visual illusions and succeed on saving throws against them, and perceive the original form of a shapechanger or a creature that is transformed by magic. Furthermore, you can see into the Ethereal Plane within the same range.