Monk

A monk in a martial stance

### Subclasses

Way of the Open Hand, Way of the Shadow, Way of the Four Elements, Way of the Drunken Master, Way of the Kensei, Way of the Sun Soul, Way of the Long Death

## Overview

Monks are spiritual ascetics and practitioners of a mystical energy known as *ki*, the magical essence which flows through all living things. Monks utilize this energy to augment their own physical abilities, granting them extraordinary speed and strength. Monks can also use their own ki to alter the energy flow in other living creatures, for both defensive and offensive purposes. Monks can be devout, following a God and their dogma or simple follow an ideal by which they meditate such as Fairness, Justice or even "evil" ideals such a Death or Revenge.

The Monk's primary ability is *Dexterity*, followed by *Wisdom*.

## Class Stats

**Hit/Hp Dice:** d8

**Saving Throws:** Strength, Dexterity

### Proficiencies

**Armor:** None

**Weapons:** Simple Weapons and Shortswords

**Tools:** 1 Artisan tool or Musical Instruments

**Skills:** 2 from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion or Stealth

## Key Abilities

Monks are able to make use of the following skills that define their ability as Monks:

* *Martial Arts* and *Flurry of Blows*, trained in martial ability, Monks gain bonuses to fighting unarmed or with a monk weapon. Monk's can also unleash a number of strikes as their attack action when fighting unarmed.
* *Ki*, harnessing the forces of Ki energy Monks can inflict a number of effects on enemies or boost their own abilities.
* *Unarmoured Movement*, when unencumbered by armour Monk's gain extra movement speed.
* *Ki-Empowered Strikes,* turning Ki to a weapon, the Monk's strikes are considered magical
* *Evasion*, super powered agility allows the Monk to avoid major damage when dodging area effects
* *Diamond Soul*, infused with Ki to their very core, the Monk gains proficiency in all saving throws

## Monastic Traditions (Subclasses)

Monks come from various backgrounds and belief structures which have a large effect on their progression along the spiritual path they follow.

### Way of the Open Hand

Masters of the martial arts, monks of the Open Hand are the ultimate practitioners of unarmed combat. Monks belonging to the Way of the Open Hand could use ki to hinder opponents, heal their own bodies, or protect themselves from enemy attacks. In addition to unarmed combat, monks of the Open Hand were also skilled in the use of monk weapons like kamas or staves.
The most basic technique available to monks of the Open Hand was the so-called "open-hand technique," a variation of *flurry of blows* which allowed a monk to knock an enemy down or force them back a distance. More experienced Open Hand monks could use their ki to replicate the effects of the *sanctuary* spell, granting them magical protection from enemy attacks. Among the most advanced abilities known to practitioners of the Open Hand was the *quivering palm* technique, which allowed a monk to strike an enemy and send miniature vibrations coursing through the target for a period of up to two or more tendays or until the monk chose to end them. If the monk ended these vibrations by choice they could do so harmlessly or as a lethal attack which only the most lucky or durable could survive.

### Way of the Shadow

Monks who practiced the Way of Shadow were masters of stealth and trickery. Unlike most monks, Shadow monks were often part of a clan, rather than a traditional monastery, sharing techniques that were passed down from one family generation to the next. Others were more akin to thieves' guilds. Both variations often used their skills to earn a living as spies or hired killers and practitioners of the Shadow Way were expected to obey their superiors with unquestioning obedience.
To help them in their subterfuge, monks of Shadow could use their control of ki to replicate the effects of several spells such as *darkness* or *silence* as well as cantrips such as *minor illusion*. More experienced Shadow monks were also capable of a limited form of teleportation, darting from one shadow to another across moderate distances. A more advanced technique allowed Shadow monks to blend into such shadows, becoming invisible so long as they remained within the dark and refrained from interacting with other creatures or objects.

### Way of the Four Elements

Among the most deliberately magical of the monastic traditions, the Way of the Four Elements teaches monks to use their ki to manipulate the four fundamental building blocks of matter in the multiverse: air, earth, fire, and water. Four Elements monks could bend these elements to their will, manipulating them as though they were a part of their own body. Many of them celebrated their mastery of the elemental forces by embellishing their bodies with representative tattoos, such as dragons, fish, phoenixes, or mountains.
Whereas other monks focused on the mastery of specific martial arts techniques, Four Elements monks instead used their ki to master spells which utilized one or more of the four elements. Many monks chose to specialize in one element but others were multifaceted, using two, three, or all four elements together to create a diverse array of effects. Monks of the Four Elements also practiced a number of unique abilities, such as the *elemental attunement* technique, which allowed them to cause or create minor elemental effects.

### Way of the Drunken Master

These monks train to carefully imitate the jerky, fluid and unpredictable motions of a stumbling drunk. These movements disguise flanks, parries and retort strikes in a way that infuriate enemies, luring them in to mistaken movements. Drunken Masters have a way of making enemies miss and attack their own allies, disengage and move quickly even for a monk, and lash out at multiple targets at once. They can pull on uncanny luck to overcome disadvantages and even leap to their feet to avoid being prone almost instantly.

### Way of the Kensei

Kensei monks see their martial arts as a beautiful expression, not unlike a painter wielding a brush, and so they devote themselves to the mastery of their choice of weapon. Using them like artisan tools they craft powerful fighting styles infused with deadly Ki energy. Kensei monks can eventually learn to wield 5 weapon types in this way, and when using their Kensei weapons they can empower them with Ki force to make them more deadly, strike and recover in ways that strengthen their defenses as well as their attacks, and develop and accuracy that nearly never misses.

### Way of the Sun Soul

Sun Soul monks believe they can channel the power of the soul into searing bolts of light. The indomitable light inside everyone is a source of majestic powers. Their training allows them to hurl bolts of radiant energy at will, cover their hands in fire as they attack with their martial arts, cause explosions of light over a large area and after a long practice they can even engulf themselves in a luminous magic aura that burns any enemy that tries to touch them.

### Way of the Long Death

These monks are devotees of a particular sect, ones who are immensely fascinated with death itself. What lies beyond means little if anything to them, it 's the state of being and the process that they are intrigued by. They nether fear nor despise death. Their study of death have granted them the abilities of pulling the life out of dying creatures so they can bolster their own health, drive terror into foes using their very soul, keep themselves alive when on the brink of dying, and even use their Ki to kill with a single touch.

## Notable Monks

* Neesa Lanstrider, a monk from Eveningstar who upholds the ideal of Justice and is known by the people as "The Champion of Justice".
* Namia of the Ashes, a Tiefling monk turned world explorer.