Monastic Tradition: Way of Balance

by SubjectiveSloth

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Monk: Way of Balance

The planes are many things: new frontiers, unique communities, and powerful challenges await travelers to these separate dimensions. However, beyond simply presenting the multiverse with different worlds, the planes represent ideologies that govern the multiverse as a whole. The planes balance the forces of Law and Chaos in the multiverse, keeping any one from becoming too powerful and dominating all of existence.

Monks of the Way of Balance have attuned their ki specifically to the forces of this balance, and trained in the techniques that allow their very actions to balance the scales at their most minute levels.

Balanced Spirit

At 3rd level when you choose this tradition, you learn to balance your spirit and steel yourself against attacks that would seek to sway you. You have advantage on saving throws made to resist charm effects.

Ki Imbalance

At 3rd level when you choose this tradition, you dedicate even your smallest actions to the balance of law and chaos, rectifying every imbalance in the shortest possible instant. Your unarmed strikes carry with them the powers of law and chaos, and when a creature is struck with one, its ki can become imbalanced.

At the end of your turn, if you made at least one successful unarmed strike on that turn, you can choose to spend 1 ki point to trigger an imbalance in the ki of one of the targets you struck. The effect of this imbalance is dependent upon how many successful unarmed strikes you made, and if that number was even or odd:


  • Even. Even numbers are considered lawful because each number balances with another in perfect orderly harmony. A lawful imbalance in a target causes it to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save the target cannot take bonus actions or reactions until the beginning of your next turn.
  • Odd. Odd numbers are considered chaotic as they are always imbalanced. A chaotic imbalance in a target causes it to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the target is compelled on its next turn to move up to its speed in a random direction. To determine the direction, roll a d8 and assign a direction to each die face. The effect ends at the beginning of your next turn.

Balanced Body

By 6th level, you have honed your physical balance to superhuman levels. You can never be knocked prone as the result of a nonmagical effect. Additionally you have advantage on acrobatics and athletics checks made to hold your balance.

Balanced Mind

Starting at 11th level, you learn to balance others near you, resetting their dispositions. As an action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to cause a creature you are touching to experience both of the effects of the calm emotions spell as if you had cast it at 2nd level. The DC to resist this effect is equal to your Ki save DC.

Ki Rearrangement

At 17th level, you learn that a creature's ki can be rearranged entirely, changing their worldview and alignment. When you would normally trigger a ki imbalance in a target, you can choose to rearrange its ki instead without spending Ki points. The creature immediately takes 5d6 psychic damage and must make a Charisma saving throw against your Ki save DC. On a failed save, the creature has its alignment shifted one step in the direction of law or chaos, which you choose. For example, a Lawful evil creature could only be shifted to be neutral evil, while a true neutral character could be shifted to lawful neutral or chaotic neutral.

The creature does not lose any memories during this change, but they may be re-contextualized thanks to its new alignment. This could lead to the creature becoming friendly, hostile, or indifferent to you depending on the changes made.

At the end of every 30 days the creature can repeat its saving throw against this effect. If the creature succeeds on this saving throw, the effect ends and the creature reverts to its original alignment.

If a creature is affected by this ability, you cannot use it again until that creature succeeds on its saving throw and ends the effect. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Way of Balance v0.5

This version of the Balance Monk is a work in progress and in need of review.

Art


All uncredited art is from DMsGuild Free Creators Resources.

Background

This subclass is one I'm working on for an upcoming compendium. The concept comes from themes of balance in the cosmology of DnD, as well as some inspiration from that bug girl with the emotion powers from guardians of the galaxy 2 (Mantis, according to google)

I wanted this subclass to focus on balance in all aspects, even in how many times an opponent was hit. The 3rd level mechanic was cool in concept but I'm still on the fence about it. I like the element of randomness to which imbalance you can get each turn, but I don't know how practical it would be.

I'm worried that 11th level is too weak. I also want to know what people think of the 3rd level mechanic, especially the lawful/even imbalance.

I hope you enjoy this Monk!

/u/SubjectiveSloth
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