Way of the Swamp Guardians (5e Subclass)
Way of the Swamp Guardians
Monk Subclass
Some monks chose a life of peace found within the nature of dense forests and jungles, and meditate on the principles of life and the connections between all that exists within. Those monks often find practices that reflect this lifestyle, with Ki that uses these principles against the living foe. They study the venom of the snake and spider and the poison of the frog and worm and can apply them to their strikes while making themselves more resilient against those same threats.
- Poison Darts
Starting when you choose this tradition at level 3, you can manifest a floating ring of green, goopy spheres that orbit around you (Counting as an object you wear) as an action for 3 ki points. You can manifest an amount of spheres equal to your level + your Wisdom modifier. You can replace any number of unarmed strikes on your turn with launching a sphere at a creature within 30 feet of you. When you do so, make a ranged spell attack with the sphere (adding your Wisdom modifier and proficiency bonus to the attack roll), dealing 1d4 poison damage on a hit. This damage changes as you gain Monk levels, as shown on the Martial Arts column of the Monk table. If you hit a creature with multiple spheres on the same turn, each sphere gains a +1 damage bonus for each sphere that previously hit the target on the same turn, up to a maximum damage bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). Hit or miss, the sphere is expended. You can choose to make the damage of your spheres nonlethal. Once you have manifested these spheres once, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
- Venomous Strike
At level 6, you've grown more proficient at using your spheres in close combat. When you use your Stunning Strike while you have at least 1 sphere available from the Poison Darts feature, you can spend 1 ki point and 1 sphere to attempt to poison the target of the Stunning Strike. If the target fails their Constitution saving throw against the Stunning Strike, they are also poisoned for 1 minute and are hit by the sphere, taking its damage. You can spend additional spheres to increase the DC for this Constitution saving throw by 1 for each additional sphere, up to a maximum bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). A poisoned target can repeat this save at the end of each of its turns while it is not stunned by your Stunning Strike, ending the effect on a success. If the creature succeeds on its Constitution saving throw against the Venomous Strike or the poison effect ends it cannot be affected by your Venomous Strike again for 24 hours. You cannot affect a creature with a Venomous Strike that is already being affected by a Venomous Strike.
- Varied Fluids
Beginning at 11th level, the spheres of your Poison Darts feature can deal acid, necrotic, or poison damage. You choose this damage type when you manifest the spheres. Additionally, your spheres coat you in a thin film of slime that gives you resistance to the chosen damage type as long as you have at least 1 sphere. Finally, you can now manifest your spheres again after taking a short or long rest.
- Viscous Grapple
At level 17, you've mastered the use of your spheres. When you launch a sphere with your Poison Darts feature, you can spend 1 ki point to launch 3 instead. Additionally, if you hit a creature 4 times with your spheres in a single turn, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt to wrap them in a sickening bubble of ooze. The creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be covered in a thick bubble of the same material as the spheres. A creature covered in a bubble this way is blinded, deafened, grappled, restrained, can't take bonus actions or reactions, and can only use its action on each of its turns to attempt to break free from the grapple with an athletics check against your ki save DC, popping the bubble on a success. The creature can still be hit with attacks and affected by effects while within the bubble from creatures outside of it, without damaging the bubble.
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