Monk - Way of Progress

by somanyrobots

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Monastic Tradition

Way of Progress

Way of Progress monks find their discipline in technology - they meditate not to silence, but to the whirr of clockwork and the clink of brass. They harness their inner power, yes, but without ignoring outside aid; in fact, their order has developed techniques for extending one's ki to encompass and empower machines.

Way of Progress monks may come from many walks of life. Some were born tinkerers, forgoing a life as a king's blacksmith or a clan crafter to focus on this more spiritual form of craft. Others may have been miserable nobles or desperate runaways, finding a path to peace and power among the tick-tock monks. Most members of the order are good or neutral, intent on using machinery to advance society, but offshots that focus on harnessing power for their own ends certainly exist.

Way of Progress Features

Monk Level Feature
3rd Spiritual Machinist, Ki-Fueled Gadgets
6th Spiritual Specialist
11th Zen Artificer
17th Ki-Fueled Marvels

Spiritual Machinist

At 3rd level when you adopt this tradition, you incorporate your tools into your regular meditation practice. You gain proficiency with two choices out of tinker's tools, blacksmith's tools, woodcarver's tools, and alchemist's tools.

Ki-Fueled Gadgets

Also at 3rd level, you learn a set of techniques for pouring your ki into small gadgets. You can construct these over the course of a long rest, and you master the use of one gadget out of those listed below. When you gain a level in this class, you may replace one gadget you know with any other option. You master an additional gadget at 6th level. If any gadgets call for a saving throw, they use your ki save DC. All your gadgets are limited to one use per turn.

Climbing Claws

You create a pair of climbing claws, which attach to your arms and enable you to scale sheer surfaces. While wearing these claws, you have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. The claws also serve as simple weapons with the light and finesse properties, dealing 2d4 slashing damage on a hit.

Flash Grenade

You create a small explosive which explodes with a blinding light when thrown. As a bonus action, you can spend 2 ki to throw a flash grenade at a point within 30 feet. All creatures within 10 feet of the explosion must make a Dexterity saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn; creatures with darkvision have disadvantage on this saving throw.

Mechanical Arm

You create a mechanical arm, which functions as an extra hand. Only you can wear and operate this arm, and it can serve any function a normal hand can, including holding things, wielding weapons, and interacting with the environment. It does not grant extra actions.

As a bonus action, you can channel 1 ki through your extra arm to make a grapple attempt with it, using your Wisdom modifier in place of Strength. A grappled creature takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Wisdom modifier at the beginning of each of its turns. If you grapple a creature with your extra arm, you must spend 1 ki at the beginning of each of your turns to maintain the grapple.

Mirror Pulse

You build a complex magical device which can project images of you. As a bonus action, you can spend 2 ki to cast mirror image.

Smoke Bomb

You convert monastic incense into smoke grenades. As a bonus action, you can throw a smoke bomb at a point within 30 feet, creating a 10-foot radius cloud when it explodes. The cloud's area is heavily obscured. This cloud lasts until the end of your next turn. When it would end, you may spend 1 ki to extend its duration for an additional turn, but only one smoke cloud may exist at a time.

Voltaic Wire

You develop a charged wire that can convert your ki into electricity. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki to whip this wire out at an enemy within 5 feet. They must make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer lightning damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die and lose their reaction until the start of their next turn.

Spiritual Specialist

At 6th level, your ability to project your ki into machines grows. You gain the following benefits:

  • When you use your Flurry of Blows feature, you may replace one of the additional unarmed strikes with any of your gadget uses which requires a bonus action.
  • Whenever you deal damage to a construct, you deal bonus lightning damage equal to one additional roll of your Martial Arts Die.
  • You gain 3 extra ki points which may only be used to empower gadgets. You regain these after a long rest.

Zen Artificer

At 11th level, all your gadgets are upgraded and gain an additional feature.

Pneumatic Claws

The springs that activate your climbing claws now slam with brutal force. You may spend 1 ki anytime you deal damage with them to slam the opponent. If you do so, you deal bonus slashing damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts Die, and the target must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Dazzling Grenade

Your flash grenades now deafen creatures as well as blind them, and you may spend 1 additional ki to disorient creatures that fail the saving throw, reducing their movement speed by half.

Mechanical Strike

Your mechanical arm can now be used to make unarmed strikes, and when you use your Flurry of Blows, you may spend 1 extra ki to make one additional attack with your mechanical arm.

Instant Pulse

Your mirror pulse generator is now fast enough to respond in emergencies. As a reaction before you would be hit by a melee attack, you may activate your Mirror Pulse. When activated in this way, it only generates a single image. If the attack misses, you may move 5 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Stinging Smoke Bomb

Creatures enveloped by your smoke bomb must now make a Constitution saving throw at the start of their turns or suffer 1d8 poison damage. You are immune to this poison.

Lashing Wire

Your voltaic wire now has a 15-foot reach, and when you use it, you may spend 1 additional ki to attack a second creature within range.

Ki-Fueled Marvels

At 17th level, your crafting skill and your bond with your inventions is nothing short of miraculous. You construct one Ki-Fueled Marvel, selecting one option out of the list below. You may change your selection after completing a long rest.

Scatterbombs

You hurl out a chain of small explosives. As an action, you may spend between 3 and 6 ki to throw out one bomb per ki spent. Each bomb must target a different point within 30 feet, and damages all creatures within a 5-foot radius when it explodes. Creatures in a bomb's radius must make a Dexterity saving throw, suffering 6d6 fire damage on a failure or half as much on a success. A creature can only be affected by one bomb.

Soaring Wings

You unfold a pair of mechanical wings. You can spend 2 ki to activate the wings for 10 minutes, gaining a fly speed with hover equal to your movement speed.

Voltaic Skin

You line your entire body with electrified wires. You gain resistance to lightning damage, and may choose to deal lightning damage in place of bludgeoning anytime you make an unarmed strike. You may supercharge the wires for 10 minutes by spending 4 ki. While they are charged, you gain the following benefits:

  • Once per turn, you may deal 3d6 bonus lightning damage when you hit with a melee attack.
  • Anytime a creature is grappling you or grappled by you, they take lightning damage at the start of their turns equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die.

Way of Progress quirks

The following are some optional quirks for a player of this subclass to choose from.

d6 Quirk
1 You embellish your robes with cogs, flywheels, and other clockwork accents.
2 Owing to a tragic accident, one of your eyes was replaced with an intricate clockwork replica.
3 You have a fondness for top hats.
4 When your meditations are interrupted, your gadgets tend to grind and glitch.
5 Your daily prayers include a recitation of history's greatest inventions.
6 When you expend ki, your skin takes on a metallic sheen.
Credits & References:

Art

Background Image Stains

License
5E SRD Content

  • This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available here.

  • The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available here.

Changelog

v1.0

  • Updated art and relicensed

v0.41

  • Cut gadget count down to 3.

v0.4

  • Reformatted & alphabetized
  • Added free ki to level 6

v0.3

  • Fixed the feature table

v0.2

  • Buffed Soaring Wings & Voltaic Skin
  • Nerfed Flash Grenade
  • Made Ki-Fueled Marvel a long rest swap (just because it's not like you'll play this at 17th twice)

v0.1

  • Rough Draft