Way of Enlightenment (5e Monastic Tradition)

Author: Max7238 (talk) Date Created: October 31, 2019 Status: Completed, awaiting review Editing: Clarity edits only please

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

Way of Enlightenment

You have been trained in one of the few temples of the world dedicated to The Mana and Her teachings. In your quest for virtue, you are drawn to this path of enlightenment, and learn to manifest the energy of your body into ancestral magics of the ages past.

Abundant Ki

Starting at 3rd level, you have twice as much ki, but features outside those used in this subclass cost twice as much. For example, your current ki goes from 3 to 6, but your Flurry of Blows now costs 2 ki.

Summoned Raiment

Also starting at 3rd level, you gain access to a spectral set of armor you can summon as a bonus action. Your Raiment does not weigh anything, does not count as wearing armor, and cannot be worn by or applied to anyone else. You must dispel your Raiment in order to benefit from a short or a long rest.

• When you finish a long rest, you can choose a Raiment to manifest for free. You can summon your chosen Raiment freely once, and regain the ability to do so when you finish your next long rest. Each time you summon any other Raiment, it costs you 5 ki points.
• Any weapon listed uses your Martial Arts damage die, as listed in the Monk table, and you are considered proficient with it, but it is a manifestation of ki, not the real weapon. As such, for example, a greatsword cannot gain the benefits of the Great Weapon Fighting style.
• You can only wear one Raiment at a time, and it glows with dim light in 10 feet in a color you choose. Unless you so choose, you are not visible to those outside the Raiment; a hood is too shadowed to see you, and a helmet's visor shows only glowing eyes behind its shadow. These Raiments contain your body, and their glow is not diminished by features or spells such as Empty Body or Greater Invisibility as a result. You cannot be invisible while wearing one.

Choose from those listed below. You gain one form now, and one additional form at 11th level and 17th level.

Raiment Options

Aspect	Path	Ability
Death	The Mana	You don a full, hooded robe. You gain the ability to cast the Spare the Dying cantrip, regaining 2 ki once while the Raiment is active on a successful use. At 6th level, you can cast Speak with Dead once each time you use this Raiment.
Water	The Ascended	You don a set of half plate armor and a helm. You wield a heavy crossbow as your Monk weapon which functions the same as the real thing with the same range, but it does not consume ammo or require loading. Dim light and darkness also do not affect your perception while this Raiment is active. If you have Darkvision, its range is extended indefinitely. At 6th level, you ignore half and three-quarters cover within 30 feet.
Wind	The Celestial	You don a flowing garb and your face is hidden behind a humanoid statue's. You can replace unarmed strikes with a ranged spell attack that can reach up to 30 feet away, using waves of ki. At 6th level, you can also spend 2 ki on a bonus action to attempt to pull your target if you land a hit on a creature no larger than yourself, pulling your target into a space adjacent to you if they fail a Strength or Dexterity save (target chooses). Successfully pulling your target also knocks them prone.
Light	The Mortal	You don full plate armor, helm included, and you wield a longsword as your Monk weapon. When you use your Deflect Missiles feature, you can spend 1 ki point to cleave the projectile. The damage is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level. If you reduce the damage to 0, your total becomes the damage of a ranged spell attack against the creature that triggered the reaction. At 6th level, you can freely use this projectile as a ranged spell attack you are proficient with, which does 1d10 force damage + your Dexterity modifier. It can travel 120 feet before it dissipates.
Earth	The Hollow	You don a flowing garb and your face is hidden behind a humanoid statue's. You grow four additional arms and your Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind cost is halved (1 ki). At 6th level, you can choose to use Flurry of Blows twice in the same turn, spending 2 ki points to make four unarmed strikes. If you do so, you cannot use your Stunning Strike the same turn.
Life	The Animal	You are encased in rounded, stone armor, and you wield a stone shield and greatsword as your Monk weapon. If you spend 1 ki, your attacks can effect two additional creatures within 5 feet of you and your original target as you sweep, but must beat each target's AC from the result of a single roll. If you do so, you cannot use your Stunning Strike the same turn. At 6th level, you can cast Prayer of Healing once each time you use this Raiment.
Dark	The Wraith	You don a tattered, worn robe. You project force out an additional 5 feet, extending your attack range. At 6th level, your unarmed strikes add half your proficiency bonus to damage rolls.
Fire	The Demon	You don a set of full plate armor, larger and more imposing than Light's. Your unarmed attacks count as siege weapons while in this form, and you can attempt to push a target creature on a hit with your Flurry of Blows. They must succeed a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you. At 6th level, creatures you choose within 5 feet of you take 3 fire damage at the start of each of your turns.

Beyond Pain

Beginning at 6th level, your ki affords you new abilities, listed below.

Endure

By spending additional ki as a reaction, you can resist specific effects. Spending 6 ki will give you advantage on any Constitution saving throw. Later, spending 18 ki points can negate the spell Power Word Stun on yourself as a reaction.

Partial Manifestation

At the cost of 3 ki points, you summon only part of a Raiment you can use, as long as you are not currently wearing one, as a reaction. If your Raiment specifies a weapon, you summon it to your hand until the end of your next turn. If it's a ranged weapon, you can fire it once. If your Raiment simply augments your unarmed strikes, you gain those augments without wearing the Raiment itself until the end of your next turn.

Raiment Autonomy

Starting at 11th level, spend 10 ki points as an action to summon a Raiment you can use independent of your body. Its ability scores are identical to you, and it has the features you would gain from wearing it, but it has no ki and follows your initiative. It has temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier multiplied by your proficiency modifier, but only 1 hit point of its own. The Raiment uses your ability modifiers to attack, including your proficiency, and has an AC equal to what you would have if you wore it. The Raiment remains up to an hour. If you are reduced to 0 hit points but have not failed all your death saves, a Raiment summoned in this way will now act under your direct control after you roll your death save at the start of your turn as long as it has temporary hit points remaining; it can attack twice, move your speed, and use your class features provided they do not cost ki. If you fail all three death saves, it vanishes with your life force. If you recover, it returns to its original state. When it is reduced to 0 hit points, it vanishes.

Enlightened Raiment

Starting at 17th level, you gain one final form for your Summoned Raiment, chosen from the table below. Each corresponds to a legendary figure in the teachings of The Mana. Using one of these, whether wearing it or using Raiment Autonomy, costs 15 ki points.

Enlightened Raiment Options

Legacy	Aspect	Ability
Sei'koh	Death	You don full plate armor, helm included. Your AC increases by 2, and you wield a katana as your Monk weapon, which deals 2d6 force damage in place of your Martial Arts dice. You may hurl a ball of flame at an enemy in 120 feet as a bonus action spell attack once for free, dealing 2d10 fire damage to the target on a hit. The bonus to your attack roll is 6 + your Wisdom modifier. You may spend 2 ki points to repeat this bonus action as long as this Raiment persists.
Ensou Doku'qi	Water	You assume the form of a naked, genderless humanoid with static ant-antennae extending from the forehead. You may cast Cloudkill once for free as an action, and spend 10 ki points to cast it again. You may spend 20 ki points to cast Incendiary Cloud. Creatures you choose automatically succeed on the saves of these spells and take no damage.
Thousand Moons Rikka	Wind	You assume the form of a humanoid with short devil horns extending from the top of the head, wearing a monk's uniform. Once for free, you may make a ranged spell attack against an enemy. The bonus to your attack roll is 6 + your Dexterity modifier. On a hit, you fire a chain of ki that strikes the target and fuses with its ki. The target is unable to cast spells or concentrate on them until it succeeds on a Constitution saving throw at the end of its next turn, or subsequent turns if it fails. On a success, the chain shatters. The chain can last up to one minute. You can repeat this ranged attack by spending 10 ki.
Thousand Moons Keizon	Light	You assume the form of a humanoid with impala horns twisting from the forehead and a featureless face, wearing a monk's uniform. You may cast Counterspell once for free, and may spend 5 ki points to repeat this casting as long as the Raiment persists. After a success, you may cast the spell you just thwarted for free on your next turn, but the magic leaves you when your turn ends. With 20 ki points, you can also cast Teleport.
Xinon Toshi'ba	Earth	You assume the form of a naked, genderless humanoid with digitigrade feet and a fleshy tail. You wield two cruelly curved daggers as your Monk weapons which land critical attacks on a roll of 18-20 on a d20, and you may replace your movement with a teleport that does not provoke opportunity attacks. With 6 ki points, you can cast Dimension Door, but you must start and end in an area of dim light or darkness. The light of the moon is ignored in this consideration.
Qyuuka Shin'toku	Life	You assume the form of a skeleton with large horns curving up from the sides of your head, shrouded in a robe. You have advantage on Strength and Dexterity checks, and can call down a bolt of lightning as a ranged spell attack on an enemy you can see as an action, dealing 6d10 lightning damage on a hit, once for free. The bonus to your attack roll is equal to 6 + your Wisdom modifier. You may spend 3 ki points to repeat this action as long as this Raiment persists.
Sa'qu Ka'en	Darkness	You assume the form of a naked, genderless humanoid with knife-edge horns jutting from the forehead. Another, identical Raiment appears next to you as if you had used Raiment Autonomy. You and your Raiment have resistance to fire damage from attacks and spells and immunity to fire damage caused by existing flames or lava. If you summon this Raiment using Raiment Autonomy, only one appears; with 30 ki points total, you would have two autonomous Raiments of Sa'qu Ka'en.
Ryozen Shin'toku-Kon'sa	Fire	You take the form of a humanoid lizard with a stout nose, strong tail and thick scales. You gain temporary hit points equal to twice your monk level, your size becomes Large, and your unarmed strikes deal +6 damage. In this new form, you also have a swim speed equal to your walking speed. With 15 additional ki points, spent on your next turn as a bonus action, your size becomes Huge and your unarmed strikes deal +12 damage. In this even larger form, you cannot use Flurry of Blows.

---

Back to Main Page → 5x → 5e → Classes → Subclasses