Way of Arcane Chaos (5e Subclass)

What if your wisdom, focus and control over energies around you allowed you to tap into a wellspring of arcana? Magical energy invisible to the naked eye weaves throughout the world like a web. Some people can access these threads of Arcane Chaos through shear focus and meditation, and grab hold of them to unleash the magic around them.

This subclass is intended for those who want to bring magic versatility to the monk class without multiclassing. Though you gain arcane abilities at a similar pace to the Arcane Trickster Rogue, you also gain the ability to cast random spells. Though this may be appealing at first glance, a word of caution that casting random spells takes patience at your gaming table. You may not cast a spell that is useful in any way, still burning your spell slot and turn. This subclass is best suited for those looking to spice up their ttrpg with the vibes of wild magic and tap into your creativity and flexibility.

Way of Arcane Chaos

Monk Subclass

Those who join the monastic tradition of Arcane Chaos learn to tap into the threads of Arcane Chaos around them. Their training allows them to bend and focus this chaos over time. Though they have the potential to access many types of magic and spells, you never know if the thread you pull will be what you need in the moment.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to tap into Arcane Chaos and cast spells.

Arcane Chaos Spellcasting

Monk Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
3rd	3	3	2	-	-	-
4th	3	4	3	-	-	-
5th	3	4	3	-	-	-
6th	3	4	3	-	-	-
7th	3	5	4	2	-	-
8th	3	6	4	2	-	-
9th	3	6	4	2	-	-
10th	4	7	4	3	-	-
11th	4	8	4	3	-	-
12th	4	8	4	3	-	-
13th	4	9	4	3	2	-
14th	4	10	4	3	2	-
15th	4	10	4	3	2	-
16th	4	11	4	3	3	-
17th	4	11	4	3	3	-
18th	4	11	4	3	3	-
19th	4	12	4	3	3	1
20th	4	13	4	3	3	1

Cantrips

You learn three cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer spell list, as you tap into a wellspring of pure arcana around you. You learn another sorcerer cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots

The Arcane Chaos spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your sorcerer spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st level spell charm person and have a 1st level and a 2nd level spell slot available, you can cast charm person using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know three 1st level sorcerer spells of your choice.

The spells known column of the Arcane Chaos Spellcasting table shows when you learn more sorcerer spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your spells. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. in addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Arcane Focus

Additionally, you may choose a monk weapon to act as an arcane focus through which you cast your spells.

Tap into Chaos

Beginning at 3rd level, you learn to focus into the threads of Arcane Chaos around you, opening up infinite magical possibilities. As an action, you may expend a spell slot and attempt to cast a random spell from the Chaos Casting table. Roll 2d8 and choose one result, consulting the table associated with the level of spell slot you expended. Spells you cast in this way must be cast at the given table level, and therefore cannot benefit from higher level casting.

Chaos Casting spell level tables

d12	Cantrip (level 0)	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
1	create bonfire	hideous laughter	hold person	haste	confusion	wall of force
2	produce flame	command	mirror image	thunder step	fire shield	Bigby's hand
3	resistance	faerie fire	vortex warp	slow	banishment	telekinesis
4	lightning lure	cure wounds	wither and bloom	life transference	dimension door	mass cure wounds
5	guidance	silent image	levitate	blink	polymorph	mislead
6	gust	grease	aid	dispel magic	freedom of movement	seeming
7	friends	detect evil and good	darkness	major image	greater invisibility	animate objects
8	minor illusion	armor of Agathys	see invisibility	daylight	death ward	telepathic bond

You can sense the spell you are summoning and choose its target. You can use your movement after determining the spell and its target but before casting the spell, as if you move while the magic is being summoned.

Bend the Thread

At 6th level, you learn to Bend the Thread of chaos when you Tap into Chaos to cast a spell. After rolling 2d8, you may choose to spend 1 ki point to increment or decrement one of the dice by 1, changing the spell you cast.

Arcane Blast

At 11th level, whenever you Tap into Chaos to cast a spell and you roll doubles, you may spend 1 ki point to create an Arcane Blast. When you do so, you cast the given-numbered spell at the next level higher. For example, if you spend a 1st level spell slot and roll two 4s, you can spend 1 ki point to cast wither and bloom at 2nd level instead of cure wounds at 1st level, even though you only spent one 1st level spell slot.

Energy Surge

At 17th level, whenever you Tap into Chaos to cast a spell, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier x the spell slot level. Temporary hit points gained in this way do not stack, and last until you complete a long rest.

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