Way of the Tainted Way (5e Subclass)

Way of the Tainted Way

Monk Subclass

Disease and misery inhabit almost every part of the world, and many either steer clear of it, some try to help alleviate the suffering, but then here are those that embrace it. The Tainted Way teaches a monk to accept disease and corruption, and even befriend it. Monks of the Tainted Way always congregate in large outbreaks, usually in the slums of city. Their intimate understanding of disease and poison make them ideal assassins, buy very few would tolerate hiring one. Good-oriented monk of this order try end outbreaks and limit casualties, on the other hand, black-hearted members are usually at the center of one, fueling and rejoicing in the filth.

Host of Taint

Upon taking this path at 3rd level, constant exposure to diseases make you resistant to the debilitating effects, but the physical symptoms manifest openly. When infected with a new disease, you have advantage on the saving throw to stop the infection. Nevertheless, if your roll to resist the DC succeeds by more than 5 points, you can spend a ki point to become host to this disease. You then become immune to that specific disease, and any other different disease you acquire after the first inhabits your body the same way along with any other diseases you are host to. There is no limit to the number of diseases you can host. Each disease you host shows its symptoms on your body, and are very much evident. You could be denied entry to cities and towns, and rural folk might try to kill you. Disguising the symptoms becomes harder the more diseases you host. The first disease you host gives a disadvantage on any ability check to disguise the symptoms, every disease you host afterwards imposes a -1 penalty to any ability checks to disguise the symptom along with the disadvantage of the first disease you host. Thus, hosting 5 diseases gives you a -4 penalty and disadvantage to any ability checks to conceal the symptoms. You may expend 1 ki point per point to eliminate the penalty, but as long as you host at least one disease, the disadvantage remains. The symptoms still show even after you have acquired Purity of Body at 10th level, but you can still host diseases and acquire them in the same manner.

The corruption in your body allows you to produce toxic concoctions that give you an edge. You are resistant to poison damage and also gain advantage on rolls for ability checks related to poison or to become poisoned. You also gain the poison spray cantrip, your Wisdom is your spellcasting ability.

Sneak Attack

You gain the ability to inflict damage in the most surprising way. This ability is identical to the rogue's ability but you can apply it to your unarmed strikes and any monk weapons you wield. You gain 1d6 damage at 3rd level, it increases to 2d6 at 6th level, 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

The Taint Provides

At 6th level, you exude so much taint, insect are drawn to you. They crawl and slither their way all over your body, feeding on your taint. The number of insects covering your body act like small chitinous scales that absorb damage. These insects will absorb five times your monk level, and fall off afterwards. You cannot reform this ward until after you take a long rest. If the damage you receive exceeds the vermin's capacity and reduces you to 0 hit points, the insects will begin to consume your body and you automatically fail your first 2 death saving throws.

At 11th level, when the insects have absorbed all of their damage, they explode into a 20-foot radius similar to the insect plague spell, but the duration is instantaneous, the DC for this ability is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier + the number of diseases you are hosting.

Tainted One

At 11th level, you are taint personified. You can expend 5 ki points to infect a target you touch or melee attack similar to the contagion spell, but only by a disease, you are hosting. The DC is the same as your vermin shield improvement. Any target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that disease for the next 24 hours, but you are free to infect them with any other disease you are hosting. This ability does not work if you are not a host to disease.

Minion of Taint

At 17th level, you are able to grant sentience to a disease you are hosting. Sacrificing 3 points of your Wisdom score you give a sense of being to the taint, this is permanent until the minion dies. No magic or rest can recover these points, they exist invested in your minion. This disease has a telepathic link with you as long as you host its disease type. When used to infect a target, the target has disadvantage on the saving throw to resist the disease. If it is able to infect the target, the creature is automatically controlled by your minion similar to a dominate person spell, but the duration is as long as the disease is infecting the target. Any effect or magic to remove the dominate person is useless since this is an effect of the disease, and must either resist the disease as normal or be cured by mundane or magical means. If the target successfully resists or is cured of the disease, your minion dies. After it dies you can recover your 3 Wisdom points after a long rest. You can create as many Tainted Minions as you are willing to give up Wisdom score.

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