Path of Rhythm (Shinobi World Supplement)

Path of Rhythm

The Hyōshigan is a unique Dōjutsu acquired through a profound connection to one's inner rhythm. It bestows its wielder with a heightened sense of timing, allowing them to navigate the ebb and flow of battle with unparalleled finesse, users usually manifest this dojutsu as a vibrant blue or green shimmering glow which pulsates rhythmically, the pulse increasing in frequency as they catch more rhythm. As the Hyōshigan activates, the world around the user transforms into a dance of glowing shadows and echoes, where every movement and action follows a rhythmic cadence.

Design Note: Jutsu from this path can only be cast while your Hyōshigan is active.

Rhythmic Insight

At 3rd level, you awaken your Hyōshigan, unlocking its rhythmic potential. As a bonus action, you can activate this dojutsu, which gives you a heightened perception of the ebb and flow of combat. While your Hyōshigan is active you gain a +1 bonus to AC, as well as advantage on Initiative rolls and Dexterity saving throws. Once per turn when you make a melee weapon attack and hit, you can make an additional unarmed strike. You may deactivate your Hyōshigan as a bonus action.

When you take the search action while your Hyōshigan is active, you may also attempt a DC 13 Perception check to locate living creatures and magical effects within 60 feet. You see a faint pulsing beat outline around the detected chakra source and what school of magic or chakra nature the magical effect was created from, or one that the creature can use if any, can be discerned by you. This effect can penetrate most barriers, but is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

At the end of each turn you have your Hyōshigan active, you must spend 1 chakra, or 2 if it was implanted.

At 10th level, you can activate and deactivate your Hyōshigan as a free action instead of a bonus action.

At 15th level, you have mastered maintaining your Hyōshigan. You must spend half as much chakra to keep your Hyōshigan active (rounded down).

Tempo Manipulation

At 7th level, your mastery over the Hyōshigan grants you the ability to find patterns and weave the threads of battle like a rhythmic dance. While your Hyōshigan is active, at the end of each turn you make a melee weapon attack that hits you gain a +1 to your AC or your attack and damage rolls up to a total amount of bonuses equal to your proficiency bonus; this bonus is reduced by 1 once every turn you take damage and completely lost at the end of a round where you don't deal damage.

Additionally, While your your Hyōshigan is active, you may spend 2 chakra when you hit with a melee weapon attack to initiate a 'Rhythm' when you initiate a Rhythm which lasts until the end of your next turn, you miss an attack roll, take damage, or end initiative, the attack used to initiate it has its damage halved, this halved damage is converted and stored in a 'Rhythm pool' a pool of points which you can use to use effects detailed in this class while your Hyōshigan and a Rhythm is active, you lose your Rhythm pool if your Hyōshigan or Rhythm ends:

• Harmonic Siphon: When you hit with a melee weapon attack, you may halve its damage and add the other half to the Rhythm pool

• Rhythmic Finale: When you hit with a melee weapon attack, you may double the amount of points in the rhythm pool and add all of it to your attack's damage.

Echoing Harmonics

At 10th level, your mastery of the Hyōshigan evolves allowing you to further understand the abilities of your Rhythm and partially manifest the echoes and pulses you see into the world, you gain two of the following features:

• Rhythmic Mirages: As a reaction when you take damage that is not psychic damage, you reduce the damage by 1 for every 2 points spent from your Rhythm pool, causing the effect to miss, or you to pass the save if the damage is reduced to 0, by spending 12 additional points and 2 chakra you may regain your reaction.

• Beat Extension: When Rhythm would end you can spend 10 points from your Rhythm pool and 2 chakra to extend its duration to the end of your next turn.

• Resonant Burst: When you hit with a melee weapon attack, you may spend 3 points from your Rhythm pool to deal an additional 1d4 radiant damage.

• Counterbeat Maneuver: As a reaction when a creature within your reach misses you with an attack, you may spend 5 points from your Rhythm pool to make a melee weapon attack against the creature.

• Rhythmic Momentum: When you make a melee weapon attack, you may grant yourself disadvantage for 2 points from your Rhythm pool, on a hit you may make an unarmed strike at the same target, you may spend 5 additional points from your Rhythm pool to lose the disadvantage on the initial attack, this may only be used a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus per round.

• Pulse Conversion: Whenever an effect, feature or jutsu from your Hyōshigan references a "melee attack," you can choose to apply it to a "ranged attack" instead.

Rhythmic Ascendance

At 15th level, your mastery over the Hyōshigan reaches its zenith, granting you unparalleled control over the rhythmic energies coursing through your body. You may initiate a Rhythm without spending chakra using your bonus action, additionally you gain two of the following or two features from Echoing Harmonics for each one of these you forgo:

• Rhythm Crescendo: When a melee weapon attack is effected by Harmonic Siphon or initiating a Rhythm, you may spend 1 chakra point to store the full damage of the attack rather than half of it into the Rhythm pool

• Harmonic Jutsu Fusion: Whenever an effect, feature or jutsu from your Hyōshigan references a "melee attack," you can choose to apply it to a melee jutsu (or ranged jutsu with Pulse Conversion) instead for 5 points from your Rhythm pool.

• Phase 2 Tempo: When you use Rhythmic Finale, you may choose how many points are effected instead of spending all of them.

• Perfect Rhythm: When you initiate a 'Rhythm,' you may spend 5 chakra increasing the bonus to your AC or attack and damage rolls granted by Tempo Manipulation by +2 until the Rhythm ends.

Rhythmic Apex

At 20th level, your mastery over the Hyōshigan reaches its apex, unlocking unparalleled control over the rhythmic energies. You gain two of the following or two from Rhythmic Ascendance or four from Echoing Harmonics for each one you forgo:

• Rhythmic Fusion: As an action for 10 chakra, you can merge your rhythmic energy with up to four willing allies. For the next minute while they are within 30 feet of you, the ally gains the benefits of your Tempo Manipulation feature, including the AC or attack and damage roll bonuses and Echoing Harmonics, both you and your ally add to and use points from the same pool.

• Rhythmic Overdrive: As an action for 20 chakra, you can enter a state of Rhythmic Overdrive. During this state, you gain the following benefits automatically initiating a Rhythm as part of this action:

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You shed bright light for 10 ft. and dim light for 10 ft. Any effect that costs points from your Rhythm pool costs half as much points for the duration, any effect that costs chakra can instead be paid with twice as much points from your Rhythm pool not affected by the halving from this state, the bonus to your AC or attack and damage rolls granted by Tempo Manipulation cannot be reduced below 3 (below 5 if you are using Perfect Rhythm) and you regain 6 Rhythm points at the end of each of your turns.

• Pulse of Existence: While your Hyōshigan is active, you are immune to being stunned, paralyzed, or incapacitated, and you gain advantage on saving throws against effects that would grant you any of these effects, knock you prone or move you against your will.

• Complete Rhythm Mastery: You master the basics of your Rhythm completely, granting you the following effects depending on how many points you have in your Rhythm pool:

10 points - +10 ft to movement, advantage on dexterity checks.

20 points - + d4 radiant damage to melee attacks, advantage on strength checks.

40 points - - 1 to all Rhythm pool point usage.

60 points - Your points may count as temporary hit points until you are below this limit.

80 points - You may use an additional bonus action.

100 points - You may use an additional reaction.

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