Way of the Elemental Bender (5e Subclass)
Elemental Bender[edit]
As you move swiftly across the battlefield you cause fire to leap from your fists searing your enemies, earth to rupture out of the ground and smash them, water to flow and drown them, or air to blast them across several feet. You are the warrior that controls the elements around you. You are a Bender.
Elemental Affinity
When you take this Monastic Tradition at 3rd level, you choose a single element from either Fire, Water, Earth, or Air. This will be used throughout the rest of the subclass. You also gain the ability to use a cantrip and gain an passive attribute.
Fire: Control flames | With your affinity over the element of fire, you become more aggressive in your fighting. At the start of your turn if you use your action to make an unarmed attack you may add +1 to the attack rolls of all subsequent unarmed attacks until the end of your turn.
Water: Shape Water | With your affinity over the element of water, you become more like a flowing stream, punishing those that try to force their way through you. Whenever you make an opportunity attack with an unarmed attack, you gain a +1 to the damage roll. Also, even if a creature disengages, they still provoke opportunity attacks from you.
Earth: Mold Earth | With your affinity over the element of earth, you gain the ability to cause an enemy to be put off balance. If a creature within 15 feet of you makes an attack against you or a creature you can see, you may use your reaction to cause the earth beneath their feet to shift, or other way of impeding their aim, causing disadvantage on that attack roll.
Air: Gust | With your affinity over the element of air, you become like a floating leaf. Whenever you take the dash action your jump distance and height is doubled and you are unaffected by difficult terrain.
Elemental Strike
Starting at 6th level you gain the ability to imbue your body movements with the power of your chosen element and attack with it.
Fire: Whenever you use the attack action to make an unarmed attack you may choose to gain +5 feet to your reach and deal fire damage instead of bludgeoning.
- Whenever you cast the cantrip Control flames you may make a ranged spell attack instead to cause the fire to strike a creature within range dealing 2d(monk weapon die) fire damage. You do not need any preexisting fire to make this attack, however you may choose to use a preexisting source of fire. This spell is unaffected by the prone condition if you do.
Water: Whenever you make an unarmed attack using the Ready action or an opportunity attack, you may choose to also drag/push it like a river. The creature must succeed on a strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet through your square, without your square costing additional feet, and away from you in a direction of your choice. You may also do this as a reaction if a creature misses with a melee attack against you, and the creature is within your reach.
- Whenever you cast the cantrip Shape Water you may make a ranged spell attack instead to cause the water to strike a creature within range dealing 2d(monk weapon die) cold damage. You do not need any preexisting water to make this attack, however you may choose to use a preexisting source of water. This spell is unaffected by the prone condition if you do.
Earth: Whenever you take the Dodge action, you gain advantage on all saving throws versus pushing, pulling, and knocking you prone. Also, if you take the dodge action and before the start of your next turn a creature makes an attack against you and misses, you may use your reaction to push them 15 feet away from you.
- Whenever you cast the cantrip Mold Earth you may make a ranged spell attack instead to cause the earth to strike a creature within range dealing 2d(one die size lower than monk weapon die) bludgeoning damage, and succeed on a strength saving throw or be knocked prone. You do not need any preexisting earth to make this attack, however you may choose to use a preexisting source of earth. This spell is unaffected by the prone condition if you do.
Air: You now gain the swiftness of the wind and may take the dash, disengage, or dodge action as a bonus action without costing any ki points.
- Whenever you cast the cantrip Gust you may make a ranged spell attack instead to cause the air to strike a creature within range dealing 2d(one die size lower than monk weapon die) bludgeoning damage, and cause the creature to be pushed 10 feet. You do not need any preexisting air to make this attack, however you may choose to use a preexisting source of air. This spell is unaffected by the prone condition if you do.
Elemental Blast
Starting at 11th level you gain the ability manipulate your element with ease.
Fire: As an action using 2 or more ki points you may cast the spell Scorching Ray. For every ki point extra point above 2 you cast it at one level higher of a spell slot. You may only use a maximum of 4 ki points. When you reach 17th level you may use a maximum of 6 ki points.
- Whenever you attack using the Control Flames cantrip you now deal 3d(monk weapon die) instead of 2. You also now can affect a 10 foot cube with your Control Flames cantrip rather than 5.
Water: As an action using 1 or more ki points you may cast the spell Ice Knife. You may spend 1 or more ki points to cast this spell at a level higher for each spell slot and/or may spend 2 extra ki points to cast a second Ice Knife as a first level spell slot. You may only use a maximum of 4 ki points. When you reach 17th level you may as a bonus action cast a third Ice Knife as a first level spell slot for 2 extra ki points, up to a maximum of 6 kit points.
- Whenever you attack using the Shape Water cantrip you now deal 3d(monk weapon die) instead of 2. You also now can affect a 10 foot cube with your Shape Water cantrip rather than 5.
Earth: As an action using 1 or more ki points you may cast the spell Catapult. You may spend 1 or more ki points to cast this spell at a level higher for each spell slot and/or may spend 2 extra ki points to cast a second Catapult as a first level spell slot. You may only use a maximum of 4 ki points. When you reach 17th level you may as a bonus action cast a third Catapult as a first level spell slot for 2 extra ki points, up to a maximum of 6 ki points.
- Whenever you attack using the Mold Earth cantrip you now deal 3d(one die size lower than monk weapon die) instead of 2. You also now can affect a 10 foot cube with your Mold Earth cantrip rather than 5.
Air: As an action using 2 or more ki points you may cast the spell Gust of Wind. For every ki point above 1 all creatures pushed by the spell are pushed an extra 15 feet, and/or spend 2 extra ki points to cast it as a bonus action instead, up to a maximum of 4 ki points. When you reach 17th level you may use a maximum of 6 ki points.
- Whenever you attack using the Gust cantrip you now deal 3d(one die size lower than monk weapon die) instead of 2. You also now can affect a 10 foot cube with your Gust cantrip rather than 5.
Elemental Variation
Starting at 17th level you gain the ability to bend a variation of your element.
Fire: You gain the ability to bend lightning. You may as an action spend 3 or more ki points to cast the spell Lightning Bolt or Call Lighting. For every ki point above 3 you cast it at one level higher of a spell slot. You may only use a maximum of 6 ki points. Also, if you are ever struck by the Lightning Bolt spell, Call Lighting, or a natural lightning bolt, you may spend 5 ki points and use your reaction if you succeed on the Save DC to redirect it, ending it's path and sending it in a different direction as if casting the spell Lightning Bolt as a third level spell slot.
- If you choose to make an attack with the cantrip you may have it hit one more creature that is within 15 feet of the target using the same attack roll dealing 2d(monk weapon die), or hit only one creature for 4d(monk weapon die).
Water: You gain the ability to bend blood. You may as an action spend 2 or more ki points to cast the spell Hold Person. Instead you may spend 5 or more ki points to cast the spell Hold Monster. For every ki point above the initial amount you cast at one level higher of a spell slot and you may only do so for a maximum of 6 ki points. Any creature that is affected by your Hold Person or Hold Monster spell in this way, you may as a bonus action move up to 10 feet in any chosen direction, or 20 feet as an action as long as they are still in range. Be it the same or different direction for each individual creature. If you try to use this ability on any creature without blood, it automatically succeeds the saving throw.
- If you choose to make an attack with the cantrip you may have it hit one more creature that is within 15 feet of the target using the same attack roll dealing 2d(monk weapon die), or hit only one creature for 4d(monk weapon die).
Earth: You gain the ability to bend metal and lava. You may as an action spend 4 or more ki points to cause the earth around to become condensed and fiery, causing a total of 60 square feet of terrain to become molten lava. All of the lava must be connected (You can't make multiple pools of lava), however may be in any shape or design as long as it is along a solid surface. All creatures hit by this must succeed on a dexterity saving throw or take 4d8 bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone, taking half as much damage and not knocked prone on a successful one. This lava counts as difficult terrain and at the start of a creatures turn that is standing in it or when a creature first enters the area, it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 5d6 fire damage or half as much on a successful one. The terrain affected this way lasts for a minute. For every ki point you spend above 4 you can create 10 square feet more of molten lava up to a maximum of 6 ki points. As an action you can cause up to 10 square feet of the lava to harden back to stone, or spend one or more ki points to harden up to 20 square feet of it, and for ever ki point you spend over 1 hardens an extra 10 square feet.
- If you choose to make an attack with the cantrip you may have it hit one more creature that is within 15 feet of the target using the same attack roll dealing 2d(one die size lower than monk weapon die), or hit only one creature for 4d(one die size lower than monk weapon die). You may now affect metal as you do with Mold Earth and attacking with it does monk weapon dice damage instead of one size lower, and is slashing damage. Using an action you can make a single creatures equipment fly out of their hands. They must succeed on a strength saving throw or have one metal object they are holding of your choice thrown 15 feet from them in any direction, if they collide with any object or creature it must succeed on a Dexterity Saving throw or take 2d4 slashing damage.
Air: You gain the ability to will the power of Air at your command. You may as an action spend 6 ki points to cast the spell Investiture of Wind.
- If you choose to make an attack with the cantrip you may have it hit one more creature that is within 15 feet of the target using the same attack roll dealing 2d(one die size lower than monk weapon die), or hit only one creature for 4d(one die size lower than monk weapon die).
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