Sicarius Victis
2016-10-19, 11:00 PM
Alright, third try at this thing. Let's see how this one goes.
Author comments in spoilers.
The Sublime Way
While there are many difference between separate traditions, most share a single common goal: Perfection. Some seek it through mastery of the physical body, some seek it through mastery of the elements, and some even seek it through mastery of death itself. Some monks, though, look outside themself for perfection. They seek it through mastery of their weapons, through the joining of body and blade that their training creates, through the deadly dance of flesh and steel that most simply refer to as "combat". Through extensive training, these monks have become masters of the Sublime Way, a collection of some of the deadliest fighting styles created.
Many monks embrace some form of art. For those of the Sublime Way, however, war is their art. And they are experts at their craft.
Also, a quick comment on this subclass: It's intended to be a bit more martial and a bit less magical than the standard Monastic Traditions.
Weapon Training
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you may spend an hour training with any one melee weapon to designate it as your Focus Weapon. This training may be done as part of a rest. After this training, you gain proficiency with that weapon, and may treat it as a monk weapon if you could not originally.
You may only have one Focus Weapon at a time. You may not designate a weapon with the Heavy property as a Focus Weapon. If you make a new weapon your Focus Weapon while you already have one, the older one is no longer considered a Focus Weapon.
This is intended to somewhat emulate the Kensei's style, as well as partially limit the character's combat ability. If they want to use every weapon perfectly, they should be playing a fighter. However, they gain a bit more versatility than the Kensei, to avoid stupid things happening when they lose the one weapon they're capable of wielding at all or something stupid like that.
I am currently debating the pros and cons of allowing them to choose ranged weapons as Kensei Weapons, for a Zen Archer feel. My main problem with that is the possibility of combining Flurry, Weapon Mastery, and Sharpshooter.
The Sublime Way
Starting at 3rd level, you also gain an amount of proficiency in the use of various techniques to enhance your combat abilities.
Maneuvers: You may spend five minutes meditating and exercising to prepare up to three Sublime Techniques, as detailed further on. You may spend five minutes exercising at any time to reselect your prepared Techniques. You learn to prepare one additional Technique of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
Many Techniques involve making attacks in some way. These attacks must be made using either your Kensei Weapon or an unarmed attack. Only one Technique may affect a single attack.
All Techniques have a level requirement for preparing them. This refers to your Monk level, not your character level.
Saving Throws. When one of your Techniques requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the Techniques effects, use your Ki save DC.
Level 3:
Burning Blade: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to add fire damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to all weapon attacks that hit on that turn.
Charging Minotaur: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may spend one Ki point to move up to your speed towards one opponent. This movement occurs before the attacks, and does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Counter Charge: When an opponent enters your reach, you may spend one Ki point as a reaction and choose either Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). You and that opponent then make opposed checks using the chosen skill. If you win, you may move the opponent up to 10 feet in any direction, and if they leave your reach because of this they cannot enter your reach again until the beginning of your next turn.
Flame's Blessing: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to gain resistance to one damage type of your choice until the beginning of your next turn. The chosen type can be fire, cold, acid, thunder, or electricity.
Hunter's Sense: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to instantly learn the position of all creatures within 30 feet of you, even if they are hidden or invisible. You continue to know the position of each creature until they leave the space they were in when you used this ability.
Island of Blades: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend one Ki points to grant all allies within 10 feet advantage on attack rolls against targets that you and at least one ally are adjacant to. This advantage lasts until the beginning of your next turn.
Sapphire Nightmare Blade: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may spend one Ki point and attempt a single Insight check. If the Insight check beats the AC of any creature within your reach, you gain advantage on all weapon attacks against that creature until the end of your turn.
Shadow Blade Technique: When you make a weapon attack and you have advantage on that attack, you may spend one Ki point before making the attack roll. If you do so, and both rolls would have hit your target, that target also takes cold damage equal to your Martial Arts die plus your WIS modifier.
Stance of Clarity: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend one Ki point and choose a target. For the next minute, that target gets disadvantage on all attack rolls against you, and all other opponents get advantage on attack rolls against you.
Stone Bones: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to get resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the beginning of your next turn.
Level 6:
Level 11:
Level 17:
More to come.
Weapon Mastery
Beginning at 6th level, your weapons become little more than an extension of your physical self. You may make a weapon attack with your Focus Weapon in place of any unarmed strike you make. When you do this your Focus Weapon's damage dice are replaced by your unarmed strike damage dice.
Thus, they can use the damage type and magical effects of a weapon they have for Martial Arts and Flurry, without the option of 2H-ing a longsword for four attacks at 1d10+X damage at level six. Honestly, this ability is more intended for flavour than anything else. I feel like a monk who specializes in the use of certain weapons should actually be able to make use of them for his extra attacks. And thank you, Gr7mm Bobb, for the improved wording.
This is still a work in progress, but hopefully it's still better than what I'd done before.
Author comments in spoilers.
The Sublime Way
While there are many difference between separate traditions, most share a single common goal: Perfection. Some seek it through mastery of the physical body, some seek it through mastery of the elements, and some even seek it through mastery of death itself. Some monks, though, look outside themself for perfection. They seek it through mastery of their weapons, through the joining of body and blade that their training creates, through the deadly dance of flesh and steel that most simply refer to as "combat". Through extensive training, these monks have become masters of the Sublime Way, a collection of some of the deadliest fighting styles created.
Many monks embrace some form of art. For those of the Sublime Way, however, war is their art. And they are experts at their craft.
Also, a quick comment on this subclass: It's intended to be a bit more martial and a bit less magical than the standard Monastic Traditions.
Weapon Training
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you may spend an hour training with any one melee weapon to designate it as your Focus Weapon. This training may be done as part of a rest. After this training, you gain proficiency with that weapon, and may treat it as a monk weapon if you could not originally.
You may only have one Focus Weapon at a time. You may not designate a weapon with the Heavy property as a Focus Weapon. If you make a new weapon your Focus Weapon while you already have one, the older one is no longer considered a Focus Weapon.
This is intended to somewhat emulate the Kensei's style, as well as partially limit the character's combat ability. If they want to use every weapon perfectly, they should be playing a fighter. However, they gain a bit more versatility than the Kensei, to avoid stupid things happening when they lose the one weapon they're capable of wielding at all or something stupid like that.
I am currently debating the pros and cons of allowing them to choose ranged weapons as Kensei Weapons, for a Zen Archer feel. My main problem with that is the possibility of combining Flurry, Weapon Mastery, and Sharpshooter.
The Sublime Way
Starting at 3rd level, you also gain an amount of proficiency in the use of various techniques to enhance your combat abilities.
Maneuvers: You may spend five minutes meditating and exercising to prepare up to three Sublime Techniques, as detailed further on. You may spend five minutes exercising at any time to reselect your prepared Techniques. You learn to prepare one additional Technique of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
Many Techniques involve making attacks in some way. These attacks must be made using either your Kensei Weapon or an unarmed attack. Only one Technique may affect a single attack.
All Techniques have a level requirement for preparing them. This refers to your Monk level, not your character level.
Saving Throws. When one of your Techniques requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the Techniques effects, use your Ki save DC.
Level 3:
Burning Blade: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to add fire damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to all weapon attacks that hit on that turn.
Charging Minotaur: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may spend one Ki point to move up to your speed towards one opponent. This movement occurs before the attacks, and does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Counter Charge: When an opponent enters your reach, you may spend one Ki point as a reaction and choose either Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). You and that opponent then make opposed checks using the chosen skill. If you win, you may move the opponent up to 10 feet in any direction, and if they leave your reach because of this they cannot enter your reach again until the beginning of your next turn.
Flame's Blessing: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to gain resistance to one damage type of your choice until the beginning of your next turn. The chosen type can be fire, cold, acid, thunder, or electricity.
Hunter's Sense: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to instantly learn the position of all creatures within 30 feet of you, even if they are hidden or invisible. You continue to know the position of each creature until they leave the space they were in when you used this ability.
Island of Blades: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend one Ki points to grant all allies within 10 feet advantage on attack rolls against targets that you and at least one ally are adjacant to. This advantage lasts until the beginning of your next turn.
Sapphire Nightmare Blade: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may spend one Ki point and attempt a single Insight check. If the Insight check beats the AC of any creature within your reach, you gain advantage on all weapon attacks against that creature until the end of your turn.
Shadow Blade Technique: When you make a weapon attack and you have advantage on that attack, you may spend one Ki point before making the attack roll. If you do so, and both rolls would have hit your target, that target also takes cold damage equal to your Martial Arts die plus your WIS modifier.
Stance of Clarity: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend one Ki point and choose a target. For the next minute, that target gets disadvantage on all attack rolls against you, and all other opponents get advantage on attack rolls against you.
Stone Bones: As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend two Ki points to get resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the beginning of your next turn.
Level 6:
Level 11:
Level 17:
More to come.
Weapon Mastery
Beginning at 6th level, your weapons become little more than an extension of your physical self. You may make a weapon attack with your Focus Weapon in place of any unarmed strike you make. When you do this your Focus Weapon's damage dice are replaced by your unarmed strike damage dice.
Thus, they can use the damage type and magical effects of a weapon they have for Martial Arts and Flurry, without the option of 2H-ing a longsword for four attacks at 1d10+X damage at level six. Honestly, this ability is more intended for flavour than anything else. I feel like a monk who specializes in the use of certain weapons should actually be able to make use of them for his extra attacks. And thank you, Gr7mm Bobb, for the improved wording.
This is still a work in progress, but hopefully it's still better than what I'd done before.