Monk

There are four main monasteries in western Noefra, but most monks learn their art from an unaffiliated master or on their own. Tysh, located near Fuar Uulan, and Quietus, located in Wyrmhold, teach the traditional martial arts associated with monks as a class. Tysh-trained monks focus on the more mystical side and often take vows of silence; the graduates often travel on obscure quests for enlightenment. Quietus, founded by Kalesin of the Catalysts, teaches the common folk the unarmed martial arts and focus. Unlike the other monasteries, it is much closer to a normal school and its graduates don’t take any form of vow other than to not use their skills for evil. Tyom, located near Asai’ka, trains spies, dancers, and assassins in shadowy mystical arts. Associated with the Dancers of the Church of the Queen Ascendant, its graduates often join the clergy or dancer corps. Those that don’t often dance professionally…or use their skills in the many criminal endeavors across the Jungle. Alone of the schools, the Home of the Elements in the Byssian Highlands, is officially part of the government and includes arcane and primal components. It teaches not only monks but other elementalists to hear and manipulate the elements in many ways. Its martial graduates act as patrolling judges, peace keepers, and messengers throughout Byssia, most often simply resolving disputes through discussion. They wear traditional, simple, colored robes denoting their focused element (amber for air, grey-blue for water, crimson for fire, and green for earth) and carry walking sticks that double as instruments of discipline.

The ki used by monks is aether like the rest of Quartus, just focused inward. As such, monk abilities in Quartus are not subject to anti-magic fields, which only suppress external aetheric resonances.

Presented here are two specialized Ways; a more focused elementalist. As the Plane of Flame is most associated with the duality of destruction and rebirth, symbolized by the phoenix, so the Way is both destructive and protective.

Way of Living Flame

Some monks, whether by nature or by training, have attuned their souls with the Plane of Flame and elemental fire. Some of them have developed this attunement into a Way, incorporating fire into their martial arts.

Lambent Aura

Starting at 3rd level, you can make your ki resonate with elemental fire. When you make an unarmed attack on your turn, you can ignite the ki around body part you strike with. An unarmed strike made this way deals fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage.

When you hit with this strike, you can deal 1d10 additional fire damage. You can add this extra damage a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining expended uses when you finish a long rest. While you have no uses available, you can spend 1 ki point to activate the extra damage again.

Shedding Sparks

Starting at 3rd level, instead of making an unarmed strike as part of the Attack action or your Martial Arts/Flurry of Blows attacks, you can instead make ranged weapon attacks with flaming ki with a range of 30/120. These ranged attacks deal fire damage as if you had hit with an unarmed strike. You can expend uses of Lambent Aura to deal the same extra damage.

Ignition Control

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the control flames cantrip without needing components. Additionally, you can generate light from your body as if it was a torch, turning it on or off as an action.

From the Ashes

Starting at 6th level, you draw on an aspect of eternal renewal. When you use your Step of the Wind, you can choose to heal yourself an amount of hit points equal to two rolls of your martial arts die plus your Wisdom modifier. You can heal in this fashion a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

You also gain resistance to fire damage.

Lightning Dance

Starting at 11th level, your connection with flame has added an aspect of lightning. This has several effects:

Avatar of Living Flame

At 17th level, your tie to the Fountain at the heart of Elemental Flame reaches its peak. As a bonus action you can transform into a burning elemental avatar for one minutes You gain the following benefits.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Way of the Serpent Dance

Monks of the Serpent Dance choose to emphasize subtlety and grace in both combat and social situations, concealing within the paralyzing toxicity of their namesake. The name is from the Jungle of Fangs, where this style took root in modern times.

Serpent’s Grace

Starting when you pick this subclass at level 3, you have learned to move through the world with nary a ripple. When you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the result. In addition, when you take the Step of the Wind bonus action, the first attack against you on any turn has disadvantage until the start of your next turn.

Serpent’s Charm

When you pick this subclass at level 3, you gain proficiency in Deception. If you already had proficiency, you gain expertise instead. In addition, you learn the feint skill trick. If you spend ki on a different bonus action granted by this class, you can use feint as part of the same bonus action.

Serpent’s Venom

At 6th level, you’ve learned to infuse your personal aether with toxic aspects, coating your unarmed strikes with venom. Once per turn when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can change the damage type to poison. If you do, you deal extra damage equal to your Wisdom modifier, and you can spend 2 or more ki points to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw against your stunning strike DC. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d10 poison damage per ki spent and is poisoned for one minutes On a success, they take half as much damage and are not poisoned. Poisoned creatures can attempt the saving throw again at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success.

Scale Dance

At 11th level, you embody the bewitching aspect of a cobra as you dance. As an action, you can spend 3 ki and begin to dance, forcing all creatures of your choice that can see you within 30 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they become charmed by you. While charmed, they must use their movement to sway in time with you and cannot cast spells; if they attack, they do so at disadvantage. This effect ends at the start of your next turn unless you use your action again to continue the effect. If you do so, you do not need to pay the cost an additional time, but targets get to re-attempt their saving throw.

Necrotic Venom

Starting at 11th level, the poison damage dealt by your Serpent’s Venom ability becomes necrotic in addition to poison. This means that a creature must be resistant or immune to both necrotic and poison to be resistant or immune to the damage. In addition, creatures immune to the poisoned condition cannot take reactions instead for the same duration as they would have been poisoned for (subject to repeated saves as normal).

Legendary Transformation

At 17th level, you learn the spell animal shapes and can use it once per long rest without needing components. You can only choose serpentine forms, but affected creatures gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.