Submortimer
2015-07-21, 01:32 AM
Way of the Relaxed fist
"The Art of Peace is the principal of nonresistance. Because it is non-resistant, it is victorious from the beginning. Those with evil intentions or contentious thoughts are instantly vanquished. The Art of Peace is invincible because it contends with nothing."
- Morihei Ueshiba
Lord Shen: How... how did you... how did you do it?
Po: I don't know. Elbows up; keep your shoulders loose...
Lord Shen: Not that. How did you find peace? I took away your parents. Everything. I scarred you for life.
Po: See, that's the thing, Shen. Scars heal.
Lord Shen: No, they don't, wounds heal.
Po: Oh yeah? What do scars do? They fade, I guess?
‐ Lord Shen and Po, Kung Fu Panda 2
“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless—like water.
If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.
If you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.
You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Now, water can flow or it can crash.
Be water, my friend.”
– Bruce Lee
Through full comprehension of the flow of ki, both in their own bodies and in those of their opponents, Monks of the Way of the Relaxed Fist fight with the belief that one should let their foe do all the work. All force, all energy, is ki, weather it is the fire breath of the dragon, the sword swing of the knight, or the arrow shot of the archer; all that must be done is to collect that spent energy and redirect it to a more noble purpose.
Though seemingly lazy and often viewed as sloppy, soft, or weak by other schools, Masters of the Relaxed Fist have been seen to best groups of opponents far too large for most to overcome, and best foes many times their own size: the stronger the opponent, the more likely it is that the Master will win.
Delay Damage
At 3rd level, a Relaxed Fist learns the basics of ki manipulation, and can re-direct damage dealt to them. When you are hit by a melee or ranged weapon attack which you can see that deals you damage, you may spend your reaction and a point of ki to ignore some of that damage, up to your level + your wisdom modifier. On a following turn, as an action, you may make a single melee attack against a creature or inanimate object, dealing additional force damage equal to the damage you ignored. You may store this damage for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier; if you do not discharge the damage in that amount of time, you take the full amount of damage. You may not delay the damage from another attack until you have discharged the damage from a previous attack.
At 11th level, you learn to swiftly redirect the damage you have taken into another (more than likely unwilling) target. When you use your Delay Damage ability, you may spend an additional point of Ki to immediately redirect that damage: If you are redirecting a Melee attack, you make an immediate melee attack against the target that hit you or another target within 5 feet of you; If you are redirecting a Ranged attack, you make an immediate ranged attack at any target within 100 ft./400ft. In each case, the attack deals your unarmed strike damage + the damage of the attack you redirected.
Naturally Resistant
At 6th level, your training grants you the ability to subconsciously redirect and slough off damage. You take 3 fewer points of all non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
At level 11, this ability becomes more powerful. You now take 5 fewer points of damage from all bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
This ability reduces your damage taken before you can choose to use Delay Damage.
Art of Peace
At 11th level, your mastery over your emotions and your calm state of mind are strong enough to even affect those around you. As an action, you may spend a point of Ki to cast Calm Emotions, with a saving throw DC of 8+your proficiency bonus + your wisdom modifier. In any situation you use this feature, targets affected by it have disadvantage on the saving throw is you have not attacked or acted aggressively towards anyone prior to using it.
Inhuman Reflexes
Your training has become so rote, so ingrained, that you can almost fight in your sleep; your body reacts to danger almost before you even know you're even IN danger. At 17th level, you no longer need to spend an additional point of Ki to redirect an attack (though you may choose not to do so), and Delay/Redirect Damage no longer uses your reaction. You may delay the damage from multiple attacks, provided you do not exceed your limit of Monk level + Wis mod.
Continuing my series of subclasses inspired by GitP regulars, here's one for Easy_Lee, who is very obviously a super chill version of Bruce Lee (or Rock Lee, take your pick).
The real goal here is a very passive, akido/taijiquan style of combat, where you turn the attackers energy back on them(or, more appropriately, into an object so no one gets hurt). A master of the Relaxed Fist should strive to stay out of combat as much as possible, and, when in combat, should strive to keep actual injury to a minimum.
A perfect example would be the fight scene in Kung Fu Hustle between the Landlord and the musicians, while the ranged version of this should look essentially like the cannonball scene from Kung Fu Panda 2.
"The Art of Peace is the principal of nonresistance. Because it is non-resistant, it is victorious from the beginning. Those with evil intentions or contentious thoughts are instantly vanquished. The Art of Peace is invincible because it contends with nothing."
- Morihei Ueshiba
Lord Shen: How... how did you... how did you do it?
Po: I don't know. Elbows up; keep your shoulders loose...
Lord Shen: Not that. How did you find peace? I took away your parents. Everything. I scarred you for life.
Po: See, that's the thing, Shen. Scars heal.
Lord Shen: No, they don't, wounds heal.
Po: Oh yeah? What do scars do? They fade, I guess?
‐ Lord Shen and Po, Kung Fu Panda 2
“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless—like water.
If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.
If you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.
You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Now, water can flow or it can crash.
Be water, my friend.”
– Bruce Lee
Through full comprehension of the flow of ki, both in their own bodies and in those of their opponents, Monks of the Way of the Relaxed Fist fight with the belief that one should let their foe do all the work. All force, all energy, is ki, weather it is the fire breath of the dragon, the sword swing of the knight, or the arrow shot of the archer; all that must be done is to collect that spent energy and redirect it to a more noble purpose.
Though seemingly lazy and often viewed as sloppy, soft, or weak by other schools, Masters of the Relaxed Fist have been seen to best groups of opponents far too large for most to overcome, and best foes many times their own size: the stronger the opponent, the more likely it is that the Master will win.
Delay Damage
At 3rd level, a Relaxed Fist learns the basics of ki manipulation, and can re-direct damage dealt to them. When you are hit by a melee or ranged weapon attack which you can see that deals you damage, you may spend your reaction and a point of ki to ignore some of that damage, up to your level + your wisdom modifier. On a following turn, as an action, you may make a single melee attack against a creature or inanimate object, dealing additional force damage equal to the damage you ignored. You may store this damage for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier; if you do not discharge the damage in that amount of time, you take the full amount of damage. You may not delay the damage from another attack until you have discharged the damage from a previous attack.
At 11th level, you learn to swiftly redirect the damage you have taken into another (more than likely unwilling) target. When you use your Delay Damage ability, you may spend an additional point of Ki to immediately redirect that damage: If you are redirecting a Melee attack, you make an immediate melee attack against the target that hit you or another target within 5 feet of you; If you are redirecting a Ranged attack, you make an immediate ranged attack at any target within 100 ft./400ft. In each case, the attack deals your unarmed strike damage + the damage of the attack you redirected.
Naturally Resistant
At 6th level, your training grants you the ability to subconsciously redirect and slough off damage. You take 3 fewer points of all non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
At level 11, this ability becomes more powerful. You now take 5 fewer points of damage from all bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
This ability reduces your damage taken before you can choose to use Delay Damage.
Art of Peace
At 11th level, your mastery over your emotions and your calm state of mind are strong enough to even affect those around you. As an action, you may spend a point of Ki to cast Calm Emotions, with a saving throw DC of 8+your proficiency bonus + your wisdom modifier. In any situation you use this feature, targets affected by it have disadvantage on the saving throw is you have not attacked or acted aggressively towards anyone prior to using it.
Inhuman Reflexes
Your training has become so rote, so ingrained, that you can almost fight in your sleep; your body reacts to danger almost before you even know you're even IN danger. At 17th level, you no longer need to spend an additional point of Ki to redirect an attack (though you may choose not to do so), and Delay/Redirect Damage no longer uses your reaction. You may delay the damage from multiple attacks, provided you do not exceed your limit of Monk level + Wis mod.
Continuing my series of subclasses inspired by GitP regulars, here's one for Easy_Lee, who is very obviously a super chill version of Bruce Lee (or Rock Lee, take your pick).
The real goal here is a very passive, akido/taijiquan style of combat, where you turn the attackers energy back on them(or, more appropriately, into an object so no one gets hurt). A master of the Relaxed Fist should strive to stay out of combat as much as possible, and, when in combat, should strive to keep actual injury to a minimum.
A perfect example would be the fight scene in Kung Fu Hustle between the Landlord and the musicians, while the ranged version of this should look essentially like the cannonball scene from Kung Fu Panda 2.