Monastic Tradition: Way of the Cosmic Cycle
The Way of the Cosmic Cycle teaches adaptability; just as the moon’s light waxes and wanes, and its presence commands the tides, so the monks of this path learn to alter their fighting styles to suit their situation. Monasteries dedicated to this path tend to be observatories, teaching the sciences of astronomy and standardising the calendar, but many also secretly train to counter aberrations and other dangers from beyond the cosmos.
| Monk Level | Cosmic Cycle Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Walk the Lunar Path, Call the Lunar Fire |
| 6th | Wear the Many Phases, Channel the Lunar Will |
| 11th | Wield the Comet's Trail |
| 17th | Embody the Triple Faces, Comet's Trail improvement |
Walk the Lunar Path
3rd-level Cosmic Cycle feature
You attune yourself to the shifting phases of the moon. When you roll for initiative, choose one of the following Lunar Paths to align yourself with: full moon, half moon, or new moon. This choice grants you certain benefits while you are aligned with it, and you remain aligned in this way until you exit initiative.
- Full Moon. The full moon represents energy and clear action. While aligned with it, when you use Step of the Wind to take the Dash action, it does not cost a Ki point.
- Half Moon. The half moon represents balance and bargains to be struck. While aligned with it, your Patient Defence does not cost a Ki point.
- New Moon. The new moon represents secrecy and shadows. While aligned with it, when you use Step of the Wind to take the Disengage action, it does not cost a Ki point.
Call the Lunar Fire
3rd-level Cosmic Cycle feature
You learn the sacred flame cantrip; Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it. When you use your action to cast sacred flame, you may use your bonus action to make an unarmed strike attack or use Flurry of Blows as though you had attacked with a monk weapon.
Wear the Many Phases
6th-level Cosmic Cycle feature
You can shift your fighting style as inexorably as the moon moves from one phase to the next. At the start of each of your turns while you are aligned with a Lunar Path, you may spend a Ki point to immediately end your alignment to that path and align yourself with another one of your choice.
Channel the Lunar Will
6th-level Cosmic Cycle feature
You gain additional ways to spend your Ki while you are aligned to particular Lunar Paths.
- Full Moon. If a creature hits you with an attack while you are aligned with the full moon, you may spend a Ki point as a reaction and flare with bright light; the creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the start of your next turn.
- Half Moon. When you take the Attack action while aligned with the half moon, you may spend a Ki point to grant yourself advantage on all attack rolls you make until the end of your current turn; if you do so, all attacks against you are also made at advantage until the start of your next turn.
- New Moon. While you are aligned to the new moon, you may spend a Ki point to take the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn.
Wield the Comet's Trail
11th-level Cosmic Cycle feature
Your attacks with monk weapons deal an additional 1d4 damage on a hit. This damage is radiant if you are aligned with the full moon, and necrotic if you are aligned with the new moon; if you are aligned with the half moon, you may choose the damage type each time it is dealt. This damage is increased to a d6 at 17th level.
Embody the Triple Faces
17th-level Cosmic Cycle feature
You may spend 6 Ki points as an action to channel the undimmed power of the moon. For one minute, or until you are knocked unconscious or killed, you gain the following benefits:
- You gain resistance to radiant and necrotic damage.
- You gain all the benefits of being aligned with the full moon, half moon, and new moon simultaneously. For determining the damage type of your Comet’s Trail feature, you choose the damage type as per the half-moon’s blessing.