Way of the Four Elements, Variant (5e Subclass)

Way of the Four Elements, Variant

Monk Subclass

It is commonly agreed that our of all of the base Traditions offered to the Monk class in the Player's Handbook, Way of the Four Elements is by far the weakest due to a number of things such as Ki use competition. This is an overhaul of the Way of the Four Elements, which is designed to allow the Monk more freedom to use his elemental disciplines without constantly having to struggle on Ki shortage and being unable to do anything else with their plethora of other Class features. Some Disciplines remain relatively the same, others are reworked or are new Disciplines created to maintain that 'Avatar'-like feeling the Tradition is meant to really emulate. Hopefully, this creates a subclass that feels a little more unique to play and manages to be able to hold its own against the other subclass options.

Tradition Features

Elemental Discipline

Beginning at 3rd-level, you embark on a spiritual journey and attune yourself to fundamental forces of fire, water, earth, and air. You learn each of the following Disciplines. The DC for these abilities is equal to your Ki DC (8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier).

Elemental Disciplines

Discipline	Effect
Elemental Attunement	You can use your action to briefly control elemental forces within 30 feet of you, causing one of the following effects of your choice: Create a harmless, instantaneous sensory effect related to air, earth, fire, or water such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, a spray of light mist, or a gentle rumbling of stone. Instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire. Chill or warm up to 1 pound of nonliving material for up to 1 hour. Cause earth, fire, water, or mist that can fit within a 1-foot cube to shape itself into a crude form you designate for 1 minute
Fangs of the Fire Snake	When you use the Attack action on your turn, you cause tendrils of flame to stretch out from your fists and feet. Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases by 10 feet for that action, as well as for any additional actions made during that turn. A successful hit with such an attack deals fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage, and if you spend 1 ki point when the attack hits, it also deals an extra 1d10 fire damage. You may only deal this additional fire damage once per turn.
Water Whip	You can, as an action, create a whip of water that shoves and pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature that you can see that is within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 25 feet closer to you; and if you spend 1 ki point, the target takes 1d10 bludgeoning damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage (if any), and you don't pull it or knock it prone.
Fist of Unbroken Air	You can create a blast of compressed air that strikes like a mighty fist. As an action, you can choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you can push the creature up to 20' away from you and knock it prone; and if you spend 1 ki point, the target takes 1d10 bludgeoning damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage (if any), and you don't push it or knock it prone.
Fists of Stone	When you use the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one or multiple of those attacks with a ranged unarmed attack at one target by sending small clumps of stone and earth at them from the ground around you, provided you are standing on or within 5 ft of such terrain. Your reach on this ranged attack is 30' and on a successful hit, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Martial Arts die. Additionally, when one of those attacks successfully hits a target, you may spend 1 ki point to cause the earthen clump to detonate and deal an additional 1d6 force damage to the target and all creatures within 5 ft of the blast. You may only detonate one attack in this manner per turn.

Improved Disciplines

At 6th-level, your Disciplines are improved with enhanced abilities. The table below lists the improvements to each Discipline. Additionally, you learn two more Disciplines of your choice from the Elemental Disciplines list (detailed at the end of this Tradition).

Discipline Improvements

Discipline	Improvement
Fangs of the Fire Snake	When you spend a Ki point for additional damage using this Discipline, you may spend an additional Ki point to also burn your target; causing them to take 1d8 fire damage at the start of each of their turns for the next minute. Targets may make a Constitution saving throw at after taking this damage, cleansing the burn on a success. Enemies already afflicted by this burn cannot be affected again while it is still active. Additionally, you may deal additional damage using this Discipline twice during your turn instead of only once.
Water Whip	When you spend a Ki point to deal damage using this Discipline, you may spend up to 5 additional Ki points. Each additional Ki Point spent increases the damage dealt by an additional 1d10. Additionally, if you pull a target to a space within 5 ft of you using the whip, you may immediately make a single unarmed attack against that target as part of this action.
Fist of Unbroken Air	The maximum distance you may push a target with the blast of air is increased to 25 ft. Additionally, when you spend a Ki point to deal damage using this Discipline, you may spend up to 5 additional Ki points. Each additional Ki Point spent increases the damage dealt by an additional 1d10.
Fists of Stone	When you spend a Ki point to detonate the earthen clumps, the damage die rolled is increased to 1d8 and it now affects the target and all other creatures within 10 ft of the blast. Additionally, you may detonate an attack using this Discipline twice during your turn instead of only once.

Additional Disciplines

At 11th-level, you learn an additional Discipline from the Elemental Disciplines list. You may also swap out any of the extra Disciplines you learned at 6th-level for another on the list.

At 17th-level, you learn yet another Discipline and can swap out your choices from 6th or 11th-level.

Elemental Disciplines

Elemental Discipline Options

Discipline	Effect
Breath of Winter	Prerequisite: 17th Level You can spend 6 ki points to cast Cone of Cold.
Clench of the Northwind	Prerequisite: 6th Level You can spend 3 ki points to cast Hold Person.
Eternal Mountain Defense	Prerequisite: 17th Level You can spend 5 ki points to cast Stoneskin, targeting yourself.
Fist of the Four Thunders	You can spend 2 ki points to cast Thunderwave.
Flames of the Phoenix	Prerequisite: 11th Level You can spend 4 ki points to cast Fireball.
Gong of the Summit	Prerequisite: 6th Level You can spend 3 ki points to cast Shatter.
Mist Stance	Prerequisite: 11th Level You can spend 4 ki points to cast Gaseous Form, targeting yourself.
Ride the Wind	Prerequisite: 11th Level You can spend 4 ki points to cast Fly, targeting yourself.
River of Hungry Flame	Prerequisite: 17th Level You can spend 5 ki points to cast Wall of Fire.
Rush of the Gale Spirits	You can spend 2 ki points to cast Gust of Wind.
Shape the River's Bed	As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to choose an area of ice or water OR an area of dirt and stone no larger than 30 feet on any side within 120 feet of you (max. 30 ft cube). You can change water to ice/dirt to stone within the area and vice versa, and you can reshape ice/stone in the area in any manner you choose. You can raise or lower the ice/stone's elevation, create or fill in a trench, erect or flatten a wall, or form a pillar. The extent of any such changes can't exceed half the area's largest dimension. For example, if you affect a 30-foot square, you can create a pillar up to 15 feet high, raise or lower the square's elevation by up to 15 feet, dig a trench up to 15 feet deep, and so on. Regardless of how much material you manipulate, you can't shape the ice/stone to trap or injure a creature located in the chosen area. Examples of such include: • freezing enemies inside a cube of selected water that you change to ice, • creating a box of stone walls and a ceiling around the creature on all sides, • removing a segment of bridge to make enemies plummet off the bridge. An example of an acceptable use would be: • selecting a 30x30 square of land and lowering its elevation to create a 15-foot deep crater, forcing enemies inside to have to climb their way out.
Sweeping Cinder Strike	You can spend 2 ki points to cast Burning Hands.
Wave of Rolling Earth	Prerequisite: 17th Level You can spend 6 ki points to cast Wall of Stone.

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