Ascetic
A would-be monk, disillusioned with the callous treatment of her peers who were unable to complete the training, ventures off in search of a new master. After weeks of braving the high altitude and freezing winds of some remote mountain range she finally sees her new master. A human wearing a few thin simple robes, legs crossed, eyes closed, levitating 10ft above the peak of the mountaintop.
An elf, sensing danger encroaching in on her weary party, closes her eyes, steps forward and strikes a defensive stance while a warm alluring glow surrounds her body - daring anyone to attack her.
A Githyanki warrior is taunted by his Githzerai prey who steps through a portal only to reemerge behind the warrior, blasting him with a powerful burst of ki.
Ascetics are masters of meditation and ki manipulation. While monks harness the ki produced from their own bodies, through meditation and study ascetics have learned to pull ki energy from their surroundings. After channeling the ki through their bodies they can manipulate it to augment natural abilities or to alter reality around them. Because the source of their power is from their surroundings and not their own body, an ascetic can almost never be caught unprepared.
Studies and Meditations
Like monks, ascetics are typically found in monasteries. There they take on a variety of roles from record keeper to healer to spiritual leader. When not preforming chores for the monastery, an ascetic can usually be found in a lesson with a student or master, reading some ancient text, or meditating.
While every member of a monastery meditates to some extent, it can be said that the ascetics have perfected the art of meditation. A true ascetic will be able to calm their mind in an instant and remain focused as long as they desire. Some orders are even formed entirely around this purpose and have their students train in the layers of Pandemonium and Limbo.
The uninitiated might believe an ascetic's meditation to be relaxing; simply thumbing through prayer beads or muttering a mantra under their breath. In reality their mind is singly focused on understanding a particular lesson from their master, a passage from a text, or a technique they are trying to perfect. This type of meditation is more akin to practice for an ascetic than the sleep-like trance that elves are accustomed to.
Creating an Ascetic
As you create your ascetic think about the monastery where you trained and your relation to the other members of said monastery. Did you join the monastery willingly or was the life chosen for you? Why did you choose to dive deeper into your meditation rather than the more common route of training your body to become a monk? Where you not physically fit enough to complete the rigorous training? Or are you more of a cloistered scholar who prefers quiet contemplation of a monastery over the petty politics of academia?
Why did you leave your monastery? Are you traveling to find a new master in some secluded location? Were you forced out by the more brash monks, jealous of your wisdom and intellect? Do you have a desire to return or are you eager to explore the world that your masters seldom talk about?
Do to the structured nature of monastery life and the discipline required to manipulate ki, ascetics are almost always lawful.
Quick Build
You can make an ascetic quickly by following these suggestions. Make Intelligence your highest ability score followed by wisdom. Next pick the Sage background. Finally pick the Concentrate Energy, Helping Hand, Punishing Fist, and Surprising Fist cantrips.
The Ascetic
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | Ki Point Maximum | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | 4 | — | — | Unarmored Defense, Spellcasting, Restful Meditation |
| 2nd | +2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | Centering Ki |
| 3rd | +2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | Aspect Choice (Body or Soul) |
| 4th | +2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | Ability Score Improvement, Prudent Fist |
| 5th | +3 | 5 | 6 | 3 | Wider Hand Tighter Fist |
| 6th | +3 | 5 | 7 | 3 | Aspect Feature |
| 7th | +3 | 5 | 8 | 3 | Interrupting Fist |
| 8th | +3 | 5 | 9 | 4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | 5 | 10 | 5 | Instinctive Reaction |
| 10th | +4 | 5 | 10 | 5 | Aspect Feature (Improved Meditation) |
| 11th | +4 | 6 | 11 | 6 | Harmonious Being, Planar Attunement (level 6) |
| 12th | +4 | 6 | 11 | 6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | 6 | 12 | 7 | Forbearing Self, Aspect Feature, Aspect Specialty (level 7) |
| 14th | +5 | 6 | 12 | 7 | Ki Infused Body |
| 15th | +5 | 6 | 13 | 8 | Sense Power, (level 8) |
| 16th | +5 | 6 | 13 | 8 | Ability Score Improvement, Extraplanar Attunement |
| 17th | +6 | 7 | 14 | 9 | Ascetic Mastery (Level 9) |
| 18th | +6 | 7 | 14 | 9 | Aspect Feature |
| 19th | +6 | 7 | 15 | 10 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | 7 | 15 | 10 | Micro Meditations |
Class Features
As an Ascetic, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per ascetic level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 1d8 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 5 + your Constitution modifier per ascetic level after 1st.
Proficiencies
- Armor: none
- Weapons: daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, unarmed strikes
- Tools: any two types of artisan's tools or any one type of artisan tool and one type of musical instrument of your choice
- Saving Throws: WIS, INT
- Skills: Choose 3 from History, Insight, Religion, Nature, Medicine, Perception
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a dagger
- (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
- 10 darts
- A meditative focus
Unarmored Defense
Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a Shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
Spellcasting
Your practice of ki manipulation grants you abilities that are typically only achieved through traditional magic or intense physical training. You've circumvented these requirements by learning how ki flows through yourself, your opponents, your allies, and the world around you. Strictly speaking, ki does interact with The Weave and thus its manipulation is considered magic. Any cantrips or spells you cast will be affected by spells like Detect Magic and Antimagic Field.
Cantrips
You know four cantrips of your choice from the ascetic spell list. You learn additional ascetic Cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Ascetic table.
Spell Casting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your ascetic spells, so you use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an ascetic spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
- Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
- Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell Casting with Ki
Unlike most spell casters, you do not use the standard spell slots to cast spells. Instead you harness the mystic energy known as ki. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of Ki Points. Your ascetic level determines the maximum number of Ki Points you can have at any given time, as shown in the Ki Point Maximum column of the Ascetic table. The spells you cast will cost Ki Points and may lower your Ki Point Maximum. Your Ki Point Maximum will be restored when the duration of the spell ends naturally or when you use a bonus action to end it prematurely. You can never have more Ki Points than your Ki Point Maximum.
Spells Known costing 1 or more Ki Points
You learn 2 spells of your choice from the ascetic spell list at the 2nd level. The Spells Known column of the Ascetic table shows when you learn more ascetic spells of your choice which cost 1 or more Ki Points. A spell you choose must not cost more Ki Points than what's shown in the Ki Point Maximum column for your level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ascetic spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ascetic spell list, which you must also be able to cast.
Spell Casting Focus
You can use a Meditative Focus as a Spell Casting Focus. This can be a set of prayer beads, a signing bowl, or any object which can keep you focused and help you meditate. Many Ascetics have an Aum or some other symbol relating to their monastery on their meditative focus.
Restful Meditation
Starting at the first level you gain the ability to enter into a deeply restful meditation. You can enter this meditative state at will, regardless of how chaotic or uncomfortable your surroundings may be. The meditation calms your mind yet you remain fully conscious and aware of your surroundings. You may even participate in light conversation should you choose to (though taking any movement or actions will destroy this meditation).
Entering into a restful meditation rejuvenates the body much the same way sleep does. Starting at the first level, if you enter into a restful meditation for at least 2 hours during the day (1 hour for elves) then that night you will only require half as much sleep as a normal member of your race in order to gain the benefits of a Long Rest. If you meditate for at least an hour, this counts as a Short Rest for you.
For example, and Human Ascetic may wake up after only 4 hours of sleep, spend 1 hour in the morning meditating before breakfast and another hour meditating in the afternoon while the rest of her party is taking a Short Rest, then retire to sleep for another 4 hours.
Center Your Ki
While Monks rigorously prepare their bodies to harness the raw power of Ki, you study and meditate on the fluidity and ubiquity of this mystic energy. You prefer not to hold onto such power for great lengths of time, nor are you able to do so. Starting at the 2nd level, when the need does arise for greater ki manipulation, you can take an action and enter into a brief meditation called Centering your Ki. During this time your awareness of your own body and immediate surroundings are heightened. You gain the benefits of the Dodge action. When the meditation ends at the start of your next turn your current Ki Points are increased to match your current Ki Point Maximum.
If you gained any Ki Points in this way, you will lose an equal number of Ki Points after one minute unless you take the Centering action again. You can do this and indefinite number of times, however, at the DM's discretion, holding onto Ki Points for a prolonged period of time may cause physical deterioration.
Aspect Choice
When you reach the 3rd level, you commit yourself to meditating upon a certain aspect of Ki. These are the Aspect of Mind, Body, and Soul.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose a feat (see Chapter 6 for a list of feats).
Prudent Fist
At the 4th level you learn to conserve some of your own ki by pulling ki from your opponent. If you score a critical hit with an unarmed strike against an opponent, then on your next turn if you cast a spell or use any class ability which targets only this creature and does not decrease you ki point maximum, then the spell or ability costs 1 less ki point than it normally would. At the 10th the number of ki points you save increase to 2. At the 16th level it increases again to 3.
Wider Hand Tighter Fist
At the 5th level your ability to manipulate ki while making unarmed strikes improves. For any Ascetic cantrip which has an additional effect based on rolling a 4 on the first damage die, the effect now takes place if you roll a 4 on any of the d4 provided by this class. Moreover, Whenever you make an unarmed strike, you can now spend 1 ki point to increase the damage by 1d4.
Interrupting Strike
Starting at 7th level, if a creature within 5ft of you makes an attack roll against you, and you used your previous action to Center Your Ki, then you can use your reaction to immediately interrupt the attacker and make an unarmed attack against them or cast an Ascetic cantrip at them which requires an unarmed attack. After you make your attack, the attacker finishes their attack if they are still able to do so.
Instinctive Reaction
Starting at 9th level, whenever you take the Centering Ki action, you have a total number of reactions equal to your wisdom modifier for that round. You can use at most 1 reaction on each turn.
Harmonious Being
Beginning at 11th level, your mastery of Ki allows you to live in harmony with your surroundings. You suffer no ill effects from environments which have extreme heat or cold. Neither do you suffer from the extreme pressures at the bottom of the ocean, nor from altitudes above 20,000ft. You still require air to breath.
Planar Attunement
At the 11th level your ability to channel the ki from your surroundings can now sometimes extend to the entire plane on which you reside. Select one of the following spells presented below. You can cast this spell once without expending ki points. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
Find the Path*, Chanel Sages Past*, or Dream*
"*" indicated that the spell is original or has been modified (see end of document).
Aspect Specialty
Up until the 13th level your studies in your chosen Aspect of Ki have been well rounded - equally suited for helping allies as harming enemies. At the 13th level you learn a powerful technique which many ascetics believe defines the type of master they will become. Select one spell associated to your aspect. You may cast this spell without expending ki points. You can cast this spell again after you finish a Long Rest.
Body: Regenerate, Bestow Mortality*
Soul: Resurrection, Soul Cage*
"*" indicated that the spell is original or has been modified (see end of document).
Ki Infused Body
At level 14, the mystic energy of Ki has suffused itself into your very body. In much the same way that your manipulation of Ki allows for your unarmed strikes to be more forceful, it now also aids you in escaping from harm. Whenever you are forced to make a Dexterity, Strength, or Constitution Saving Throw you can use your reaction to spend a Ki Point and choose to make an Intelligence Saving Throw instead.
Forbearing Self
At the 15th level you reach the hight of asceticism; you no longer require food or water to survive.
Sense Power
Starting at 15th level, your understanding of Ki is so great that you can sense its presence in others. After spending 1 minute within 30ft of a creature, or by using an action to spend a Ki point and make physical contact with the creature, you learn if the creature has an ability to manipulate Ki and the number of Ki points it currently has.
You have also studied how Ki interacts with the world and other forces within it. Choose 2 of the following "power sources": Divine, Arcane, Primal, Martial and Psionic. In addition to learning about a creatures ability to manipulate Ki, you also learn if it has any connection to the power sources you studied. For example, Mind Flayers have Psionic powers. A Wood Elf Ranger gets their power from a Primal source as well as intense Martial training. Clerics and Wizards derive their power from the Divine and Arcane respectively.
For creatures who derive power from sources which are unclear, such as with fey magic or a pact with an archdevil or the shifting of the planes themselves, the DM may choose to give you the best approximation of these power sources in terms of the ones you studied, or may offer no explanation at all if such an attempt would be confusing.
Lastly, in your studies of the interaction between ki and other sources of power, you learned to reproduce some of their effects. Select one spell associated to one of your chosen "power sources". You may cast this spell once without expending ki points. You may cast this spell again after you complete a long rest.
Arcane: Antimagic Field, Demiplane
Divine: Holy Aura, Divine Word*
Primal: Control Weather, Earthquake,
Martial: Zerthimon's Fury*, Drizzt's Mystic Trance*
Psionic: Mind Blank, Telepathy
"*" indicated that the spell is original or has been modified (see end of document).
Extraplanar Attunement
Starting at the 16th level your practiced ability to channel the ki from your surroundings can sometimes extend beyond the plan you reside on. When you cast the spell given to you by the Planar Attunement feature, the spell can now affect things beyond your current plane of existence.
Ascetic Mastery
At the 17th level, you become a master of your disiplen, a true sage. Upon doing so you learn a technique which few people have ever been able to do succefully. Choose one of the following spells. You may cast this spell once without expending ki points. You may do this again after you complete a long rest.
Foresight, Astral Projection, Summon Sages Past*
"*" indicated that the spell is original or has been modified (see end of document).
Micro Meditations
At 20th level, you can Center your Ki as a Bonus Action.
Aspects
In furthering their studies, an ascetic will specialize in a particular aspect of ki. The most well studied by ascetics are the aspects of the Mind, Body and Soul. It is almost unheard of for a master of one of the three aspects to train a student in a different aspect than their own. However, since all three aspects use the same basic techniques a student may begin their training under one master and continue it under another once they choose a particular aspect. Thus an ascetic need not choose a particular aspect until the 3rd level.
Aspect of the Body
Ascetics who study the Aspect of the Body view ki as a life force that cab be moved between living creatures. They learn to help the body heal itself, overcome physical damage, and pull the life force away from other creatures.
Quickened Recovery
At 3rd level, this you gain the ability to move an allies' ki, causing their body to naturally heal at an accelerated rate. As an action, you can touch an ally allowing them to expend any number of hit die up to your intelligence modifier. They use these dice to heal as they would normally during a short or long rest. Any creature other than yourself can only be healed in this way once per long rest. You can heal yourself in this way once per short rest. Finally, when you do heal yourself in this way, you gain the benefits of the Centering Ki action.
Bonus Proficiency
At the third level you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill if you don't already have it. You also gain proficiency with Herbalism kits if you don't already have it.
Lend Vitality
At the 7th level you gain two additional d8's as hit die. In addition to healing yourself with your hit die, you can now heal your allies. As an action you can touch a willing creature, expend any number of hit die you have, roll them and sum the result. The target regains this number of hit points plus their constitution modifier times the number of dice you rolled. The target also gains temporary hit points equal to the number of hit dice spent plus your Intelligence modifier. These temporary hit points disappear after 1 minute. There is no limit to the amount of times you can heal someone using this method.
Improved Meditation
Starting at 10th level, your practice of meditation both in an out of combat have entered a new level. When you take the Center Ki action or you enter a Restful Meditation you can lower your center of balance, rooting yourself to the ground. When you do this, for the duration of your meditation (or until the start of your next turn) while you are not moving you become immune to the Prone condition and cannot be moved against your will by a force less than 500lbs.
In addition, each time you take damage from an environmental effect that does not require a saving throw (such as walking on hot coals or the Spike Growth spell), the damage is reduced by 5.
Lastly, when you have been in meditation for at 1 minute, or if you choose to spend 1 ki point while centering your Ki, you can choose to gain resistance to one of the following type combinations until the start of your next turn: Bludgeoning & Thunder, Piercing & Psychic, or Slashing & Force.
Unyielding Body
At the 13th level your mastery over the ki within your own body can prevent you from falling in battle. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright you can make a Constitution Saving Throw to keep yourself at 1 hit point. The DC for this saving throw starts at 15. Each time you use this feature the DC increases by 5. The DC resets after a Short or Long Rest.
Fluidity of Energy
At the 18th level, your mastery over ki allows you to pull vitality from a creature and use it to harm them or to aid you. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend any number of Ki Points and force the target to make a Constitution Saving Throw. If you are affecting a willing creature, you may instead use an action to touch them and they can choose to fail the saving throw. On a failure, they lose a number of Hit Die equal to the number of Ki Points you spent. On a success, they lose half as many. They cannot lose more than half their maximum number of hit die. For every hit die your target loses, you gain a d12 as a hit die. These disappear after a minute if unused.
You can spend these hit die as normal, including to heal yourself or your allies using your Quickened Recovery or Lend Vitality features. You can also use them deal extra damage. Whenever you hit with an unarmed strike, you can choose to spend any number of these d12's and add them to the damage roll. If you are attacking the target from which you stole these hit die, add additional necrotic damage equal to the number of d12's spent times the target's constitution modifier (min 1).
You can use this feature again after a short rest.
Aspect of the Soul
Ascetics who study the Aspect of the Soul view ki as the essence of a creature, connecting their mortal body to their immortal soul. They learn to empower strikes with radiant or necrotic energy, tug on a creatures soul, interact with and see into and eventually step into the ethereal and astral planes, and ultimately change the alignment of creatures.
Etherial Touch
At the 3rd level, your touch extends into both the Etherial and Astral planes. Likewise, when you are on the Etherial or Astral plane, your touch extends to the Material plane. Additionally, you can cause any unarmed strike attack you make to deal either Radiant or Necrotic damage instead of Bludgeoning.
Anchored Soul
At the 3rd level your understanding of the interaction between ki and your own soul allows you to overcome certain effects. Specifically you can cause any attempt to possess you made by an undead automatically fail. This effect extends up to a minute after you die as well, thwarting spells like Soul Cage spell as well as Danse Macabre and Animate Dead if they are preformed within 1 minute of death. You can also choose not to come back to life from a Revivify spell. Lastly, though you may not be religious, your knowledge the Soul grants you proficiency in the Religion skill if you don't already have it.
Empowering Aid
Starting at 6th level, you are able to bolster the strength of your allies' attacks. As a bonus action you can touch a one ally and empower the next attack they make that hits their target. Alternatively if an ally within reach of you hits an opponent with an attack, you can use your reaction to empower the attack. Attacks that are empowered are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity. At the time of empowering you can spend any number of Ki Points and cause the attack to deal an extra 1d6 Radiant or Necrotic damage for each Ki Point spent. If you use a bonus action to empower an attack, your ki point maximum is deacreased accordingly until the attack hits its target.
Awaken
At the 6th level you gain the ability to lightly tug on a your allies souls. Once per long rest you are able to cast the Sudden Awakening spell with the following changes: the range is increase to 30 ft, the spell has no Verbal component and instead has a Somatic component. You are able to cast this spell without expending any spell slots or ki points. The spell has no affect on Constructs or creatures that otherwise have no soul.
Improved Meditation
Starting at 10th level, your practice of meditation both in an out of combat have entered a new level. When you take the Center Ki action or you enter a Restful Meditation, you gain the ability to see into both the Ethereal and the Astral planes. It is also impossible for you to be surprised while you are meditating.
In addition, if you have been in a Restful Meditation for at least 1 minute, or if you choose to spend 1 ki point while you take the Center Ki action, you can close your eyes and sense the exact location of all living creatures within 60ft of you on on your current plane of existance, as well as the Etherial and Astral planes. When you do this, the Blinded condition does not confir advantage to your attacker, nor does it give dissadvantage on your attack rolls.
Astral Step
At the 13th level your understanding of how souls move through the astral plane has granted you a similar ability. As a bonus action, you can step into the Astral Plane. While on this plane your visibility is reduced to 60 ft and all sound originating from the Material plane is dampened. You only see or hear any material or creature that has a soul or some other "astral presence". All other things do not appear to you unless you use your Improved Meditation, in which case you can see all living things on the Material and Ethereal planes as well. On this plane you have a flying speed of 60 ft. Souls and anything else you can naturally see in the Astral Plane are solid for you. You can interact with it as you normally would on the Material Plane. At the end of your turn, you are returned to the plane from which you came from. If you land inside of a solid object, you and the object each take 1d10 Force damage and you are ejected from the object to the nearest unoccupied space.
Change Alignment
At the 18th level, you are able to see into the soul of a creature even when you are not on the Astral Plane. You know the alignment of every intelligent creature you can see within 60 ft of you.
You also gain the powerful ability to change a creature's alignment. You learn the following Ascetic spell which does not count against your total known spells.
Change Alignment
4 Ki Point, Necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet.
- Components: S, V
- Duration: Until Dispelled
Select one target you can see within 60 ft of you. Choose a New Alignment for the target and reduce your ki point maximum by 3 + 1 for each 'degree' the New Alignment differs from their original one. For example changing from True Neutral to Neutral Evil would be 4 Ki Points, while changing from Chaotic Evil to Lawful Good would be 10 ki points. On the target's turn, if they performed an action which is contrary to their New Alignment, they must make a Wisdom Saving throw. On a success they take 3d12 psychic damage. On a failure, they must select a new action which agrees with their New Alignment or lose their action. Keep track of the successes and failures. After 3 successes, the spell ends. After 3 failures, the target adopts their New Alignment (and acts accordingly). When the spell ends, your ki point maximum and their original alignment are restored. However, if you maintain the spell for 1 week, their New Alignment becomes permanent and the spell ends.
Consciousness after Death
When you are killed but your soul is free (not trapped with the Soul Cage spell or similar), you remain fully conscious on the shores of the astral sea as a specter of your former self. Though your interaction with the physically world is limited, you can communicate simple ideas or messages to the living through their dreams. When you are ready, you can navigate yourself to any of the afterlife's available in your world.