Githzerai Monk making!

[FartHeartMaGart]

I'm making a githzerai monk character for an underdark campaign. Everyone is playing with custom monstrous races that are lightly down graded, so we are all above average strength characters.
Heres what I got so far

MONASTIC TRADITION
PSIONIC FIST
-Psionic Strike: deal 1d6 psychic damage + wis modifier for each unarmed attack. Increases by 1d6 damage at levels 8 and 13.

Nearly pulled straight out of the monster manual, just down graded a bit

-Innate Psionics: at 3rd level, can cast featherfall, jump, see invisible, and shield. at 6th level you can cast phantasmal killer and plane shift. to cast, expend ki points equal to its spell level

Again, pulled out of the monster manual, just shunted into the monk class for balance

-Psionic Fortress: starting at 11th level, you can gain the effects of mage armor by using your action to enhance your defenses. the effects do not require concentration and last 2 rounds. can use wis modifier times per day.

I'll be honest, this is not very great but I need something that isn't damage or spells from ki points to round this out, so this seemed like an "ok" idea

-Heightened Movements: starting at 17th level you can cast haste on yourself 1/day as a bonus action. For each round concentrated on maintaining this effect, you take 3d6 necrotic damage.

Doing more attacks or movements for a monk is a LOT, but having another ki burning thing I can do as I please is too powerful. So basically, I'm going into overdrive via mind powers and it burns out my body

Any advice regarding flavor, balance, or it being overpowered are welcome. But seriously, one of our players is an Orc Chieftain with most of the things the orc chieftain gets.

[BladeWing81]

I'm making a githzerai monk character for an underdark campaign. Everyone is playing with custom monstrous races that are lightly down graded, so we are all above average strength characters.
Heres what I got so far

MONASTIC TRADITION
PSIONIC FIST
-Psionic Strike: deal 1d6 psychic damage + wis modifier for each unarmed attack. Increases by 1d6 damage at levels 8 and 13.

Nearly pulled straight out of the monster manual, just down graded a bit

-Innate Psionics: at 3rd level, can cast featherfall, jump, see invisible, and shield. at 6th level you can cast phantasmal killer and plane shift. to cast, expend ki points equal to its spell level

Again, pulled out of the monster manual, just shunted into the monk class for balance

-Psionic Fortress: starting at 11th level, you can gain the effects of mage armor by using your action to enhance your defenses. the effects do not require concentration and last 2 rounds. can use wis modifier times per day.

I'll be honest, this is not very great but I need something that isn't damage or spells from ki points to round this out, so this seemed like an "ok" idea

-Heightened Movements: starting at 17th level you can cast haste on yourself 1/day as a bonus action. For each round concentrated on maintaining this effect, you take 3d6 necrotic damage.

Doing more attacks or movements for a monk is a LOT, but having another ki burning thing I can do as I please is too powerful. So basically, I'm going into overdrive via mind powers and it burns out my body

Any advice regarding flavor, balance, or it being overpowered are welcome. But seriously, one of our players is an Orc Chieftain with most of the things the orc chieftain gets.

There's a new unearthed arcana that has a new take on psionics so you could get some ideas from that, also on psionic fist, is it activated? or is it like in the Githzerai Monk that is an innate ability?
My take in the psionic subclass would be:

Durable Mind:
When you take this Monastic tradition at level 3, you gain the ability to maintain your focus despite injury, Your concentration o a psionic discipline cannot be ended as a result of taking Damage

PSIONIC FIST
At level 3 your attacks with a Monk weapon add an additional 1d4 psychic damage. this damage is increases alongside your Martial arts dice.
so at lvl 3 a two handed quarterstaff attack would be 1d8 (Bludgeoning) + dex Mod + 1d4 (psychic) at later lvls that damage would increase inmensly.

At lvl 6 and 11 you could add abilities from the psionic discipline of the immortal from UA

At lvl 6 you get:
Celerity:
You channel psionic power into you body, honing your reflexes and agility to an incredible degree. In your eyes, the world seems to slow down while you continue to move as normal.
Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline your speed increases by 5 feet and you have advantage on initiative Checks.
Rapid Reaction: If you are surprised, you can spend 1 ki point to no longer be surprised.
Seize the initiative: when you roll initiative, you can spend up to 5 ki points, gaining a +2 bonus to your initiative roll for each ki point spent.
Surge of speed: As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to increase your speed by 30 feet until the end of your turn, In addition, you do not provoke opportunity attacks this turn.
Surge of action: as a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points and gain an additional action this turn.

at lvl 11 you get:
Iron Durability
This discipline grants you unmatched toughness and resilience on the battlefield.
Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline you gain a +1 bonus to AC. As an action, you can spend one Hit Die. You roll the die and add your Constitution modifier to it, the regain hit points equal to the Total.
While under the effect of Iron Durability you gain these abilities"
Iron Hide: as a reaction when you are attacked, you may spend up to 3 ki points, gaining a +2 bonus to AC for each ki point you spend until the start of your next Turn. You spend these points after learning the attack's result but before applyimg its effects.
Iron Resistance:: As an action, you may spend 3 ki points to gain resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or Thunder damage. This Benefit Lasts for 1 hour or until you use this option again.

At lvl 17 you can go for a burst attack and my favorite one that can work here.
Searing psi-burst:
At lvl 17 you gain the ability to create an orb of energy that erupts into a devastating explosion. As an action, you create and orb and hurl it at a point you choose within 150 feet, where it erupts into a sphere of psionic energy for a brief but deadly instant
Each creature in that 20-foot-radious sphere must succeed on a dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 psychic damage. You can increase the sphere's damage by spending ki points. Each point you spend, up to a maximum of 3, increases the damage by 2d6.

[FartHeartMaGart]

There's a new unearthed arcana that has a new take on psionics so you could get some ideas from that, also on psionic fist, is it activated? or is it like in the Githzerai Monk that is an innate ability?
My take in the psionic subclass would be:

Durable Mind:
When you take this Monastic tradition at level 3, you gain the ability to maintain your focus despite injury, Your concentration o a psionic discipline cannot be ended as a result of taking Damage

PSIONIC FIST
At level 3 your attacks with a Monk weapon add an additional 1d4 psychic damage. this damage is increases alongside your Martial arts dice.
so at lvl 3 a two handed quarterstaff attack would be 1d8 (Bludgeoning) + dex Mod + 1d4 (psychic) at later lvls that damage would increase inmensly.

At lvl 6 and 11 you could add abilities from the psionic discipline of the immortal from UA

At lvl 6 you get:
Celerity:
You channel psionic power into you body, honing your reflexes and agility to an incredible degree. In your eyes, the world seems to slow down while you continue to move as normal.
Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline your speed increases by 5 feet and you have advantage on initiative Checks.
Rapid Reaction: If you are surprised, you can spend 1 ki point to no longer be surprised.
Seize the initiative: when you roll initiative, you can spend up to 5 ki points, gaining a +2 bonus to your initiative roll for each ki point spent.
Surge of speed: As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to increase your speed by 30 feet until the end of your turn, In addition, you do not provoke opportunity attacks this turn.
Surge of action: as a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points and gain an additional action this turn.

at lvl 11 you get:
Iron Durability
This discipline grants you unmatched toughness and resilience on the battlefield.
Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline you gain a +1 bonus to AC. As an action, you can spend one Hit Die. You roll the die and add your Constitution modifier to it, the regain hit points equal to the Total.
While under the effect of Iron Durability you gain these abilities"
Iron Hide: as a reaction when you are attacked, you may spend up to 3 ki points, gaining a +2 bonus to AC for each ki point you spend until the start of your next Turn. You spend these points after learning the attack's result but before applyimg its effects.
Iron Resistance:: As an action, you may spend 3 ki points to gain resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or Thunder damage. This Benefit Lasts for 1 hour or until you use this option again.

At lvl 17 you can go for a burst attack and my favorite one that can work here.
Searing psi-burst:
At lvl 17 you gain the ability to create an orb of energy that erupts into a devastating explosion. As an action, you create and orb and hurl it at a point you choose within 150 feet, where it erupts into a sphere of psionic energy for a brief but deadly instant
Each creature in that 20-foot-radious sphere must succeed on a dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 psychic damage. You can increase the sphere's damage by spending ki points. Each point you spend, up to a maximum of 3, increases the damage by 2d6.

Good ideas here, especially some of those 6th and 11th level abilities. And the damage is supposed to be comparable to the monster manual githzerai, just a wee bit less powerful because I can burn a ki to do another two strikes, which is punishing.
Thanks for the input!

[Falcon X]

We decided to have a Githyanki in our Out of the Abyss game and used what was presented here:
http://tribality.com/2015/03/02/richs-gameroom-the-infamous-gith-bonus-the-way-of-zerthimon/
and
http://tribality.com/2015/04/13/new-options-for-your-gith-pcs/

It has a nice, balanced Githzerai with a monastic tradition to match. They even have some great custom backgrounds, like the Reluctant Foreigner

[FartHeartMaGart]

Thanks for the input! Some of these abilities seem a little weak or too late in the game, considering a CR 6 creature has plane shift and adds 3d8 damage per melee strike, but this is totally usable with some adjustment to make it fit better into our super power campaign.

[FartHeartMaGart]

PSIONIC FIST
At level 3 your attacks with a Monk weapon add an additional 1d4 psychic damage. this damage is increases alongside your Martial arts dice.
so at lvl 3 a two handed quarterstaff attack would be 1d8 (Bludgeoning) + dex Mod + 1d4 (psychic) at later lvls that damage would increase inmensly.


Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline your speed increases by 5 feet and you have advantage on initiative Checks.
Surge of speed: As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to increase your speed by 30 feet until the end of your turn, In addition, you do not provoke opportunity attacks this turn.
Surge of action: as a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points and gain an additional action this turn.
Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline you gain a +1 bonus to AC. As an action, you can spend one Hit Die. You roll the die and add your Constitution modifier to it, the regain hit points equal to the Total.
Iron Resistance:: As an action, you may spend 3 ki points to gain resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or Thunder damage. This Benefit Lasts for 1 hour or until you use this option again.


I REALLY like the concentration mechanics that you thought up here, so I based it off of the idea of psionically augmenting speed, strength, and durability

Way of the Mind with Body
The Githzerai monks who made this style favored augmenting one's body with their natural psionic powers. Through immense concentration, they can stop blows, move incredibly fast, or strike hard and true.

3rd Level
Psionic Fist: Gain 1d4 psychic damage to unarmed strikes. The die increases in power as your unarmed strikes do.

6th Level
Focused Combatant: Begin concentrating as an action on one of the following effects

Psionic Defense: +1 AC, +1 to saves.
Psionic Offense: +2 to attack, +1 psychic damage on unarmed strikes
Psionic Movement: +10 ft to move, +2 initiative, and advantage on acrobatics checks


11th Level
Singular Combatant: When concentrating on Psionic Defense/Offense/Movement, you can use the corresponding ability.

Singular Defense: Use 2 ki to cast Shield as a reaction. Use 3 ki points to gain resistance to acid/cold/fire/lightning/thunder/psychic damage for 1 hour or until used again.
Singular Offense: Use 3 ki to attack with unarmed strike 2 times with advantage. Use 8 ki points to do 4 unarmed strikes
Singular Movement: Use 2 ki to move an additional 30 ft this round. additionally do not provoke attacks of opportunity this round.



17th Level
Flexible Combatant: Once per round as a free action, change your concentration. This can happen during any part of the round.

Thanks for the inspiration, just some fine tuning and balancing through play from here c:

[BladeWing81]

PSIONIC FIST
At level 3 your attacks with a Monk weapon add an additional 1d4 psychic damage. this damage is increases alongside your Martial arts dice.
so at lvl 3 a two handed quarterstaff attack would be 1d8 (Bludgeoning) + dex Mod + 1d4 (psychic) at later lvls that damage would increase inmensly.


Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline your speed increases by 5 feet and you have advantage on initiative Checks.
Surge of speed: As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to increase your speed by 30 feet until the end of your turn, In addition, you do not provoke opportunity attacks this turn.
Surge of action: as a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points and gain an additional action this turn.
Concentration: while concentrating on this discipline you gain a +1 bonus to AC. As an action, you can spend one Hit Die. You roll the die and add your Constitution modifier to it, the regain hit points equal to the Total.
Iron Resistance:: As an action, you may spend 3 ki points to gain resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or Thunder damage. This Benefit Lasts for 1 hour or until you use this option again.


I REALLY like the concentration mechanics that you thought up here, so I based it off of the idea of psionically augmenting speed, strength, and durability

Way of the Mind with Body
The Githzerai monks who made this style favored augmenting one's body with their natural psionic powers. Through immense concentration, they can stop blows, move incredibly fast, or strike hard and true.

3rd Level
Psionic Fist: Gain 1d4 psychic damage to unarmed strikes. The die increases in power as your unarmed strikes do.

6th Level
Focused Combatant: Begin concentrating as an action on one of the following effects

Psionic Defense: +1 AC, +1 to saves.
Psionic Offense: +2 to attack, +1 psychic damage on unarmed strikes
Psionic Movement: +10 ft to move, +2 initiative, and advantage on acrobatics checks


11th Level
Singular Combatant: When concentrating on Psionic Defense/Offense/Movement, you can use the corresponding ability.

Singular Defense: Use 2 ki to cast Shield as a reaction. Use 3 ki points to gain resistance to acid/cold/fire/lightning/thunder/psychic damage for 1 hour or until used again.
Singular Offense: Use 3 ki to attack with unarmed strike 2 times with advantage. Use 8 ki points to do 4 unarmed strikes
Singular Movement: Use 2 ki to move an additional 30 ft this round. additionally do not provoke attacks of opportunity this round.



17th Level
Flexible Combatant: Once per round as a free action, change your concentration. This can happen during any part of the round.

Thanks for the inspiration, just some fine tuning and balancing through play from here c:

Thanks, but it's not my mechanic, this comes from the Unearthed Arcana article about psionic. I just picked up two of the concentration abilities that came from one of the psionic subclass.

[FartHeartMaGart]

Thanks, but it's not my mechanic, this comes from the Unearthed Arcana article about psionic. I just picked up two of the concentration abilities that came from one of the psionic subclass.

well thanks for bringing it up anyways

[BladeWing81]

I like the last iteration to choose one of the benefits on a concentration maybe on the last level of monastic tradition, when you change the concentration on the bonus action, you should also get to choose 2 of the bonuses instead of one.

[FartHeartMaGart]

I like the last iteration to choose one of the benefits on a concentration maybe on the last level of monastic tradition, when you change the concentration on the bonus action, you should also get to choose 2 of the bonuses instead of one.

good idea, ill add it for sure