Monk, Lightfoot (5e Subclass)
note on balance/spelling and grammar
Some of us are old, and some are VERY old...older than you can get your head around, hence our secrecy. Some of us were taught old English when we were in school and the words have long since changed and lost their meaning or potency. Words now are often wrong or watered down. Misused or misquoted. Younger generations have no idea what the phrase really means when they use it, they have no context of its original history. Some of us here, simply cant spell anymore.
If you want to add in your revision under the original, and we review it and we like it, we will keep it. If not that's ok too.
Monk, Lightfoot
Monastic Traditions
The Way of The Light is not as easy as one thinks young grasshopper. First you must learn like all others and then learn how water is life. How it holds up when things are gentle. When it divides when times are hard. You must know how it errodes the strongest of foes. Learn wind that moves the waters and learn the life behind it all. Life and creation in all these are one, young one. Learn these you must.
This class has also been called the Way Finder, and such.
Monk, Lightfoot (simplified)
As quoted from Master Lau Pan Chi "If you can not understand the branches of this tree, then you are lost in the small woods around this temple. If you are lost in the small woods around this temple, then the forest beyond will surly devour you. So stay in the temple until you know the branches of your own life before venturing further."
Take the basic monk and add in the light modified cantrip, add in more movement speed to eventual speed of the fastest messenger creatures, add in better to hit ratios, add in multi/more attacks...and there you have it. Not that hard.
A lot of us here like more of the challenge and it helps us improve our daily lives and we learn to succeed more and be more prosperous at what we do.
Class Features
As a you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: Water 12HD, Wind 10HD, Light 8HD per level
Hit Points at 1st Level: Water 12HD, Wind 10HD, Light 8HD + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: Water 12HD, Wind 10HD, Light 8HD (or Expression error: Unrecognized word "w".) + Constitution modifier per level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Water (heavy), Wind (light), Light (none)
Weapons: The monk can only focus on as many weapons that can be help effectivly at once by their race. The type limitations are eliminated and wide open for this moment only.
Tools: Strange tool are found by the monk that enhances crafting to things that have to do with light, water, wind and life.
Saving Throws: Constitution also becomes a valid save now
Skills: 1d4 extra of you choosing.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Miraculous Medicinal Kit (Helps with healer feats/skills) or (b) Miraculous Ingredients Kit (Has places for certian ingredients 1d20 w/divine compass that points to the nearest missing ingredient.)
- (a) Miraculous Basket Weavers Kit ( An advanced book on making all sorts of things out of grasses and divine tools to do it). or (b) Miraculous Sailors Kit (Divine tools that assist in Mending, and using the wind.)
- (a) Miraculous Candlers Kit (Divine tools that enhance making candles and torches and other such light sources.) or (b) Miraculous Inspectors Kit (Divine tools for investigation and Analyzing)
- (a) Miraculous Messengers Kit (Divine tools and rations to help a speedy messenger.) or (b) Miraculous Gardeners Kit (Divine tools and seeds for a Garden Divine.)
Changes and Replacements
Listed below are some changes to the general monk abilities. Some are temporary some are permanent. Only one Way can be learned per level. The following chart is to help you understand in case its difficult for you. This can be an archtype or a type of monk at the dms discretion.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |||
| 1st | +2 | Matrial Arts Modified. Cantrip; Light, Modified. Way of the Earth Movement, Way of THE ONE | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Divine Spell Casting, Modified. Way of Friendship | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Way Of Water, Life. Way of Community. | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Way of Wind/Water, Movement, Way of Earth- Humility | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Way of Light, The Vision. Way of Grace | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Way Of Water, The Mud. Way of Man | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Way Of Light, Movement, Way of Perfection | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Way of the First Circle, Blessed Challenge. | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Way Of Darkness, Way of Silence, Challenge | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Way of Steel | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Way of Lost | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Way of Discipleship | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | Way of the Curse | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Way of Family, Way of the Second Circle | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | Way of Ascension | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
- Martial Arts, Modified
At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and weapons, which is limited to what your race can hold at one time. Thus a human can hold a two handed weapon, and thus that is his weapon forever, or he may choose two weapons, one in each hand. These weapons are his specialty forever. These weapons depends on how many working and grasping appendages they have when they first take the Ceremony of Fineness.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only your weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield unless the shield is your other 'weapon': You can use Dexterity and Wisdom for the attack rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons. You do not gain damage bonus's with this, unless you forever choose Way of the Water in which case this ability is unchanged and you can continue to use your Heavy armor with out the normal noted restriction.
You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or Choosen weapons. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or your choosen weapons on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike 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.
- Cantrip; Light, Modified.
They can at will cast light on themselves or objects with in 10' foot radius per level at will. This light if cast on themselves can like a glowing residue of they so choose, thus leaving lighted messages for 1 hour per level or a trail or whatever they can create. They can also trigger this as a blast of light when making contact with an enemy or enemy makes contact with them while leaving the glowing residue on the enemy. If the enemy tries to wipe it off, it only smears like oil. They can add one color to their palette per level. They can dismiss the light at will.
- Way of The Earth, Movement
Way of the Earth grants them the inability to be moved or knocked down. They take and advantage roll against these maneuvers. They also gain a natural +1 to armor class when wearing no armor.
- Way of THE ONE
Way of THE ONE, is a clerical way where the monk focuses on Divinity, religion and devotion. In all ways he must discipline himself in a priestly order. No other behavior from the monk taking this way can be tolerated. At the end of the level, the monk may take advantage of improved devotion, once per long rest (if dm makes player take a religion/devotion check, the player rolls 2d20 and takes the better). (For those who lack understanding, in 5thED according to what I was taught, it means roll d20 when making devotion checks. This may be house rules, keep this in mind for certain DMs. LOL)
- Divine Spell Casting, Modified
The monks gain spell slots considerd divine that are based on elemental, creation, movement, life and light, only. They can choose from any school/list. This acts like The KI abilities and works in tandom with the key abilites.
- Way of Friendship
Way of Friendship is to understand what it is to have one good friend. This friend can be a party member or a npc, however this ritual requires the two players to understand the hate for one another and after the ritual concludes, great animosity for one another ensues, the monk must make wisdom checks for himself AND the other player, throughout the hostility phase. If enough checks are passed, then the negotiations can begin, toward friendship and understanding one another completely. Toward the next level, if both have become good friends, and the monk is able to make a grand gesture, even up to giving away one experience level, then the two are joined as good friends and share a permanent link, sharing experience, and great distances, sharing health or some other grand sharing. From this point forward nothing besides themselves can separate the two toward further hostility. The monk must endeavor his fellow never falls to the darkside.
- Way of Water, Life.
At level 3 If a monk chooses the Way of the Water, they gain the addition d12 HD that day. However they loose the the current bonus to mobility till the next full rest. These temporary hit points can be infused to another creature and regain their mobility at level 5. If they want to gain 12HD instead of the standard d8 per level, then they loose the wall climbing and slow falling ability. This is the way of the water.
- Way of Community
Way of Community commits the monk to understand his community, and his general local history and culture or if you will the details of his party. This is similar to the Way of Friendship without the hostility and without the grand boons. The rewards should reveal themselves in time. Or even granting Charisma advantage or other notable boons.
- Way of Wind, Movement
If the way of the wind is choosen, HD per level is increased from 8hd to 10 and speed is improved by a +5 bonus per each increase increment as mentioned on the monk table. +10 becomes +15. The +15 becomes a plus 20. For this, they must loose any weapon or objects that will burden them, or have the medium or heavy descriptor. Areobatics/Acrobatics become the same for them as their movement become wind like. Way of the Water movements when used in combat can be used to trip or move enemies accordingly to your side or lesser. These movements can be instead of taking the unarmed action attack, you can use the momentum to attempt to trip, shove back, pull forward, etc your enemy. Your movements become fluid at all times. Instead of the perminant bonus, you can choose the Way of the Wind daily bonus of movement, OR Way of the Water combat manovers.
- Way of Earth Humility
This is a reflective and combat trait, respectively. Way of Earth, this is a humble way and non combative way, for the entire level. They refuse all items and gold except to give it to less fortunate than the entire party. They eat humble meals and drink humble drinks. Nothing magical and nothing fancy. They focus on aiding the wounded, and deep mediations on nature and natural order of the cycles of nature. After completing this level, they can gain life sense, detecting life in a 10’ radius per level here after. Feeling layers of life force deep inside every flora and fauna. At level 6 detecting the good or evil within. And level 8 chaos and law.
- Way of Light, The Vision
If the way of the Light is choosen, they gain the perminant advantages to perception checks, investigations, as well as gaining darkvision 30' 10' per level after. If they already have darvision, this is added to what they already have. They also can use any perception based spell equal to their monk level as a spell like ability once a day. If the way of lightis not choosen, they can gain dark vision 30' once a day/rest that last 1hour per monk level.
- Way of Grace
Way of Grace is that of most forgiving, resisting anger and purposeful hostility. This must be done for the entire level. After which, they gain advantage to mind altering effects. As well as having an uncanny luck at finding emeralds and grace and favor.
- Way of Water, The Mud
If the Way of Water has Already been chosen, then the monk can erode 1' spherical diameter of sediment or medium hardness of stone per monk level here after. If doing damage to stone creature it does d6+1d6 per monk level in damage to the creature. This can be done once per short rest. The Way of Water monks now have advantage on water covered surfaces. If the Way of Wind has been taken, the opposite is true, as they can dry out that much mud to a medium hardness, per their level. If the way of light has been chosen, then glowing bioluminescent microbes are infused by the same amount of mud. If none has yet been chosen, then the monk can simply suffer less difficulty when crossing mud/silt terrain.
- Way of Man
Way of Man, six is the number of man, here the monk must make strong efforts to make the local area a better place to live, by understanding and find those most depraved and even the demon possessed, and doing right by them by either bringing them to justice or healing their afflictions, as applicable. By the end of this level, the monk has learned how to have advantage over those who are evil.
- Way of Light, Movement.
If any of the Ways has been taken, then the Way of light now transforms the monk to a translucent visage while moving, watery or windy, if he so chooses, granting stealth advantage while moving. Lights simply look translucent without the windy or watery features. If Water uses their light abilities, then the light is magnified double their level, blinding in some cases. If Wind uses light, bits of reflected light flickers with in causing a hypnotic pattern. Way of Light monks gains double movement if in even a dim light source. Otherwise no Way takers get a blurred image effect giving them an advantage to armor class, sometimes giving enemies a head ache trying to figure it out. These are not treated as illusions as they are what they are.
- Way of Perfection
Way of Perfection, in this way the monk must balance all his abilities and time efficiently for the entire level, not leaning too much one way or another. It this can be suitably done, the player gets one or more ability points to place where the monk wishes since he surly has worked hard for it, however the points must go to the lowest stat.
- Way of the First Circle, Blessed Challenge
Regardless of what Ways the monk has. A divine blessed challenge is loaded onto the monk. This is no easy task, however it will seem the monk is blessed for this challenge. There are no out right kills to the player or tragic epic fails. However the quest must be started within 8 hours of attaining this new level and must be completed within 8 game hours. If the player fails, he loses one level in experience (Not the level itself) per 8 hours, until it is completed. This quest should be able to be completed, just barely in time before the first 8 hours pass. This quest may strip the character of every item to complete. It is the test of the monk’s devotion and determination. Upon Completion if done in time, the monk gets a major divine boon as if like unto a paladin. It is suggested the boon be several levels CR higher than the monk so the point is well made. Boons can be a mount, weapon or some other great treasure as well as some permanent blessing based on whatever Way they chose with a hint on speed or Light.
- Way Of Darkness, Way of Silence,Challenge
When the monk gains this 8th level, some dark rouge-ish type is drawn to harass this monk. This monk finds that this rouge was hired by the Order of His monastery and the rouge, was a known criminal, set up to finally get justice. However the note reads on to challenge the monk to understand what darkness and silence is. And thus an enchanted semi-cursed blindfold is given to him that makes the monk deaf, dumb and blind. If the monk can make it to his next level in this state, he gains a rouge ability of his choosing, equal to the monk’s level. The Monk may attain a form of Tremor Sense, that may help, to keep him from being totally useless. And eventually blind fighting can be learned during the level.
- Way of Steel
Way of Steel focuses on fighting and industry. The player can choose combat or craft. If combat is chosen then they must forfeit for this level, all sorts of magic and KI, and be the first to defend his fellows. He must in most aspects act like a soldier and fighter, understanding the concepts of strategy, siege and other militant systems. Once the Way of Steel is completed in this way, the monk can take advantages of combat situations, gaining one extra attack or action every other round. If crafting, the monk must focus on crafting things from iron and steel the entire level. After which the monk gains advantage on his crafting level and inspection to machinery. This is a reflective comabat
- Way of Lost
Way of Lost, this is possibly the hardest Way there is for this monk. He is utterly alone, as if alone in his own reality. Nothing is shared with the monk and the monk is mysteriously stripped of everything he owns, temporarily. He may find himself in suddenly in prison, betrayed by someone earlier in his travels for 30 silver. All the battles he must fight himself, as if completely invisible to the party, and the party cant perceive the monk for the entire level. The only ones who can see him are the ones that are evil or would do him harm. Therefore no aid can come to him no prayers will be answered and no friend can see him. This trial must be taken or no other trials can be taken here after. Therefore no bonus’s, including any bonus HD from Way of Water, etc. The only short way out is by using what the monk should have already learned to peacefully redeem the betrayer in time. Upon completion to the next level, the original items are restored. True Invisibility is granted and can be used once per long rest for 1 hour per monk level. The monk can neither harm or be harmed, nor in any wise be perceived for the duration which the monk can dismiss at any time.
- Way of Discipleship
Way of Discipleship is where monk takes another under his wing unto training. The number of disciples may vary. The rewards are self evident.
- Way of the Curse
The way of the Curse is one of the most annoying and chaotic trials a monk must go through. Every morning he awakens to either find a new curse upon him or the old curse replaced by something else. This he endures for one entire level at which time , curses can be removed by his touch or modified to give some degree of benefit. The number of curses the monk can have on himself is 13 max. None should directly kill.
- way of The Family
Way of Family the Way of the Family is quite simple. He is able to gain a family quite easily and their habitation is nearly perfect and if the monk so chooses he can retire peacefully.
- Way of the second Circle
Way of the Second Circle is a bit more, interesting. Some grand creature visits him in his dreams and offers the blessing of rebirth…and soon in reality this same creature does just that…this creature will be large enough to swallow him whole. After the swallowing, the monk will be returned to level 1 effectively and be allowed to choose the other ways he forfeited the first time. The monk may keep his attributes and for every save he makes here after he can keep one extra feature he already learned starting with the first level and going up to his now previous level. Once he fails he can choose death, and then must make a save to return to life and continue making saves to maintain a feature or be permanently consumed after failing all three death saves. So it’s a huge gamble, however the rewards, can be enlightening.
- Way of Ascension
This way is near perfectly divine, as the monk takes on attributes of a celestial. However focusing on pure light/creation/ or other Ways they have learned also in combination. Soon to fade and go else ware in the grand cosmos.
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