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JMAP94
2018-12-26, 10:04 AM
Way of Storms - Monastic Tradition

Each of the five branches of the Zenkai brotherhood pursues enlightenment through meditation on a specific element, believing that greater truths and worldviews can be gained from how that element interacts with the world around it.

The teachings of Master Kord reject ideas of tranquil living in a cruel and random world. The only true peace is temporary, and can be achieved through striking hard and fast, making sure that your enemies are either dead or broken, and can no longer take arms against you or your family. It also teaches that one must learn to tame the "storm within," and wield anger and bloodlust as honed weapons of war.

Followers of Kord's Path become masters of speed, thunder, and lightning. They now often serve the Ryujin Empire in prominent positions in the military.

(Spells in italics are homebrew, and are explained in the first spoiler at the end).

Fists of the Raging Storm

Starting when you choose this tradition Lightning Lure and Thunderclap (https://dnd5e.fandom.com/wiki/Thunderclap)cantrips if you didn’t already know them.

You have learned how to use your ki to duplicate the effects of certain spells. Starting when you choose this monastic tradition at 3rd level, as an action, you may spend 1 ki point to cast thunderwave (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Thunderwave#content), Compelled Duel (https://dnd5e.fandom.com/wiki/Compelled_Duel), or Lightning Claw (burning hands but with lightning damage.

Alternatively, after making a successful melee attack with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can cast any spell you could cast with this feature as an immediate action by spending an extra ki point. If you do so, you must include the target of the melee attack in the spells range if you have a choice.

Ki Blast

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this monastic tradition, you can channel your ki to fling an unruly tangled web of electricity as a ranged spell attack.This attack has a range of 10/20 feet. Its damage die is equal to your Martial Arts damage die, and improves as you gain levels. You are proficient with it, and you add your Wisdom modifier to its attack and damage rolls. When you use the Attack action with an Unarmed Strike, a monk weapon, or a Ki Blast on Your Turn, you can make one Unarmed Strike or Ki Blast as a Bonus Action. For example, if you take the Attack action and Attack with a Quarterstaff, you can also make an Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action, assuming you haven't already taken a Bonus Action this turn.


Lightning and Thunder Resistance

Starting at 6th level, you gain resistance to Lightning and Thunder damage.

Storm Guide

At 6th level, you gain the ability to subtly control the weather around you.

If it is raining, you can use an action to cause the rain to stop falling in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on you. You can end this effect as a bonus action.

You can use a bonus action each round to choose the direction that the wind blows in a 100-foot-radius sphere centered on you. The wind blows in that direction until the end of your next turn. This feature doesn't alter the speed of the wind.


Wield the Lightning

Through rigorous training of mind and body, you have learned to harness the power of lightning, even in its natural form. Starting at 11th level, as an action, you can spend 4 ki points to cast Call Lightning, Lightning Bolt, or Lightning Arrow without spending material components. In addition, you may also spend 4 ki points to cast Elemental Weapon, but you may only choose Lightning Damage, and you may target your fists with this spell as if they were weapons.

Vibrating Molecules

Starting at 13th level, you’ve learned how to harness the kinetic energy of lightning to vibrate your molecules at a high frequency, obscuring your physical form. As an action, you can spend 2 ki points to cast blur (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Blur#content).

Lightning and Thunder Immunity

Starting at 17th level, you gain immunity from Lightning and Thunder damage.

Storm of Kord

You have reached the end of the Path of Lightning, and now have taken a complete understanding of the element, and its associated emotions within yourself. You have mastered the raging storm without, as well as the one within. Starting at 17th level, as an action, you may spend 5 ki points to cast Storm of Kord.

Lightning Absorption

Starting at 20th level, you gain Lightning Absorption.

Homebrew Spells



Lightning Claw

1st level evocation

You lift your hand, as you focus and move some of your tumultous ki in your body to move toward your finger tips. Then, you quickly thrust your hand forward, curling your fingers towards your palm. This forces the ki out of your fingertips, forming strands of lightning that eminate from each of your finger tips. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Storm of Kord

4th level evocation/4th level enchantment
Casting Time- 1 action
Duration- 1 minute


You focus on hateful memories, and your own bloodlust, providing ki to give that anger into an elemental form. Your eyes begin to grow dark.. You turn your head up unto the sky, as you can hold onto the anger no more, and you bellow out black clouds and harsh winds, along with the sounds of thunder and crackle with sparks that jump within the thick black sheet . The winds pick up, as the storm begins to expand, eventually forming a 10 foot radius dome centered on you. Manipulated by your own darkness, those within the dome start to feel their anger and hatred come forth.

All creatures that are completely inside the dome (and all creatures who enter it thereafter) must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, creatures can only move towards another creature that is hostile to them within the dome. In addition, they can only take the attack action against or cast a spell that deals damage on another creature that is hostile to them within the dome. All creatures effected this way can repeat this saving throw at the start of each turn. On a success, the creature is not compelled by this spell for the rest of their turn. Any creature that willingly exits the dome is no longer effected by the spell, but takes 2d6 lightning damage upon exiting. The black clouds heavily obscure creatures inside the dome, imposing disadvantage on all ranged attacks.

Design Philosophy/"Behind the Scenes"

I made this monastic tradition specifically for a campaign I am running, and specificially for a player in that campaign. I balanced it using Way of Shadows and Way of the Four Elements as a guide. This archetype is designed to be on par with Way of Shadows, and stronger than Way of The Four Elements, but most people agree that WotFE is underpowered, given that essentially all of its class features require ki. I was also considering giving him an outdoors only teleport called "Ride the Lightning" at level 6 (want to thank user sandmote for ideas for what to do at level 6, he was also the one that came up with just giving him "Storm Guide".) In the previous version of this monk, the ki blast had a much larger range, but i felt that it discouraged any reason for the monk to get into melee range (which is the point of monks). The short range forces the monk to get in close