Monk - Way of the Rift

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Monastic Tradition

Way of the Rift

Monks who follow the Way of the Rift meditate on the nature of space itself. Their early discipline may involve folding space around a small object, or teleporting pebbles between their hands. But by the time they master the way's teachings, they can connect points across great distances, hurling their bodies through the aether, even bringing others with them.

Way of the Rift monks may come from any background, with their only qualification being an interest in metaphysical pursuits. They tend towards lawful and neutral alignments, with their emphasis on dispassionate experimentation, but the power afforded them may tempt some to chaos.

Way of the Rift Features

Monk Level Feature
3rd Portal Scholar, Ki-Fueled Transposition
6th Rift Recovery
11th Leap of the Wind
17th Planar Attunement

Portal Scholar

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you understand the fundamentals of portals and teleportation. You can use Wisdom in place of Intelligence when making ability checks related to understanding portals and planar travel.

Psionic Powers

This document uses the psionics rules defined in KibblesTasty's Psion, available here. In general, casting psionic spells functions like general spellcasting, but with no verbal or material components, and imposing disadvantage on attempts to dispel magic or counterspell.

Ki-Fueled Transposition

Also at 3rd level, you learn the Transposition discipline of the psion class. You can use ki points as psi points, with a limit of 1 ki point per turn. This limit increases to 2 ki points at level 5, 3 ki points at level 9, 4 ki points at level 13, and 5 ki points at level 17. The DC for your psionic abilities is equal to your ki save DC.

If your character has both psi points and ki points, those are added together into one pool and can be used interchangeably. Your psi limit (and the limit you can use ki points as psi points) becomes your psi limit + one third of your monk levels rounded down.

When you use your action on a psionic power or to cast a spell using this feature, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or monk weapon as a bonus action before the end of your turn.

Transposition Discipline

Transposition is the ability to modify the properties of space and manipulate dimensional boundaries with your psionic powers.

Flicker Step

On your turn, you can replace your movement by teleporting 5 feet in any direction to a space you can see. You can pass through creatures but can’t pass through objects, buildings or terrain more than 4 inches thick. This distance increases by 5 feet at 5th level (to 10 feet), at 11th level (to 15 feet), and becomes equal to your speed at 17th level. This replaces all movement for your turn when used.

Phase Rift

Psionic Power

  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: S
  • Duration: 1 round

You step through space, traveling up to 10 feet in a straight line leaving a spatial tear behind. You can pass through creatures but can’t pass through objects, buildings or terrain more than 4 inches thick. Any creature in the path of this tear must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d8 force damage.

You can spend psi points to add the following modifiers (you can add multiple modifiers). The points must be spent when choosing the target of the power.

Blurring (1-3 psi points):* You gain an illusory duplicate, as per the mirror image spell. You gain 1 duplicate per psi point spent (up to a maximum of 3). One remaining image fades at the start of each of your turns.

Disruptive (1+ psi points): Each target that fails their saving throw takes an extra 1d8 force damage for each point spent.

Echoing (2 psi points): You immediately use Phase Rift again with the same action.

Ethereal (2 psi points): You can pass through solid objects, buildings, and terrain as long as you end your Phase Rift in a space you can occupy. If your Phase Rift would end inside a space you can’t occupy, the power fails.

Long (1–3 psi points): You can travel an additional 10 feet for each point spent.

Alternate Effects

Additionally, when you learn the Transposition psionic discipline you can cast the following spells as per the rules defined for Psionics.

Point Cost Alternate Effects
1 expeditious retreat, flickerK
2 misty step, blur, pass without trace
3 blink, nondetection, turbulent warpK
4 banishment, dimension cutterK, dimension door
5 flickering strikesK, spatial manipulationK

If a spell can be cast at a higher level, you can spend additional psi points to cast it at a level equal to the psi points spent.

Rift Recovery

At 6th level, you are able to gather some of the expended energy when you leap through a rift. When you do damage to a creature with your Phase Rift, you can use your reaction to recover any ki points spent. You can recover a number of ki points equal to your proficiency bonus in this way, resetting after a long rest.

Leap of the Wind

Also at 6th level, you can connect your spiritual power to your teleportation abilities. when you use your Step of the Wind ability, the base distance of your Phase Rift is doubled until the end of your turn.

Baleful Teleport

At 11th level, you can hurl an enemy through a rift against their will. Once per turn when you hit a Large or smaller enemy with an attack, you may force them to make a Strength saving throw against your ki save DC. On a failure, you may use your bonus action to cast Phase Rift in any horizontal direction on the attack's target. The target moves as if they had cast Phase Rift (with you choosing the direction) and takes damage as if they had already failed a save against the power. Any modifiers apply as normal.

Rift Strike

Also at 11th level, your strikes can carry residual energy from your Phase Rifts. when you use your bonus action to make an attack as described in your Ki-Fueled Transposition feature, you have advantage on the attack, and it deals additional force damage equal to one roll of your martial arts die.

Planar Attunement

At 17th level, you are fully attuned to the fabric of the planes. The ki cost for all your psionic abilities is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1.

Way of the Rift quirks

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

d4 Quirk
1 Visible distortions appear in the air around you while you fight.
2 Your eyes shimmer an unnatural silver-blue.
3 You make a hobby out of teleport-juggling small items.
4 You cannot resist quipping at your enemies when you jump through a rift.

Appendix 1: Spells

Dimension Cutter

4th-level conjuration

  • Classes: Ranger, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self (15-foot cone)
  • Components: : V, M (a melee weapon you are proficient with worth at least 1 cp)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You flourish a weapon you are proficient with used in the casting and sweep through the air, slashing apart the dimensional space. Each creature in a 15-foot cone takes 6d6 force damage. This passes through total cover and strikes creatures in the ethereal plane as well as the material plane

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th Level or higher, it deals an additional 1d6 damage to each target on hit for each slot level above 4th.

Flicker

1st-level psionics

  • Casting Time: 1 reaction, when you would take damage
  • Range: Self
  • Components: S
  • Duration: 1 round

You flicker between the material and ethereal planes. Until the start of your next turn, each time you would take damage, including the triggering attack, roll a d4. On a 2, you gain resistance to that instance of damage. On a 4, you don't take any damage.

Flickering Strikes

5th-level conjuration

  • Classes: Ranger, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self (30-foot radius)
  • Components: V, S, M (a melee weapon you are proficient with worth at least 1 sp)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You flourish a weapon you are proficient with used in the casting and then vanish, instantly teleporting to and striking up to 5 targets within range. Make a melee weapon attack against each target. On a hit, a target takes the weapon damage from the attack + 6d6 force damage.

You can then teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 5 feet of one of the targets you hit or missed.

Spatial Manipulation

5th-level psionics

  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self (120-foot radius)
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You can swap the position of two creatures you can see within range. An unwilling creature can make a Charisma saving throw, preventing the swap on success.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can swap an additional set of creatures of each level above 5th.

Turbulent Warp

5th-level psionics

  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 90 feet
  • Components: V
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You teleport yourself to an unoccupied space you can see within range, leaving behind a spatial distortion. Each creature within 10 feet of the space you left must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, they take 5d4 force damage and are teleported to an empty space of your choice within 5 feet of where they were. On success they take half as much damage and are not teleported.

You can also teleport one willing creature of your size or smaller who is carrying gear up to its carrying capacity. The creature must be within 5 feet of you when you cast this spell, and there must be an unoccupied space within 5 feet of your destination space for the creature to appear in; otherwise, the creature is left behind.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 2d4 for each slot level above 3rd.

Changelog

v0.3

  • Tweak to Planar Attunement

v0.2

  • Added quirks & spell appendix
  • Fixed Baleful Teleport straight up

v0.1

  • Roughest Draft
Credits & References:

Psionics

Spells

  • Dimension Cutter, Flicker, Flickering Strikes, Spatial Manipulation, and Turbulent Warp by KibblesTasty

Art

  • Portal of Sanctuary, by Randy Vargas © Wizards of the Coast LLC

Background Image Stains

Fan Content Policy
  • This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
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.