Way of the Four Elements Disciplines (5e Class Feature)

Additional Disciplines for Way of the Four Elements

Changes

When you choose the Way of the Four Elements tradition at 3rd level, you learn magical disciplines that harness the power of the four elements. Some, not all, of these disciplines require you to spend ki points when you use them.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for spells that reference your spellcasting ability. Whenever a spell you cast with one of these disciplines tells you to make a spell attack roll, use your Wisdom modifier and proficiency modifier.

Elemental Disciplines

Elemental Attunement

You can use your action to briefly control elemental forces nearby, 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.

Elemental Spellcasting

Monk Level	Casting Discipline	Spell Name	Ki Point Cost
3rd	Sweeping Cinder Strike	Burning Hands	1
3rd	Frosted Peak Defense	Armor of Agathys	1
3rd	Evoke the Elemental Spirit	Chromatic Orb	1
3rd	Shape the Raincloud	Create or Destroy Water	1
3rd	Mountain Demon's Fury	Earth Tremor	1
3rd	Feather of the Phoenix	Searing Smite	1
3rd	Gait of the Lowland Air	Longstrider	1
3rd	Fist of Four Thunders	Thunderwave	1
3rd	Test of Inner Light	Continual Flame	2
3rd	Rush of the Gale Spirits	Gust of Wind	2
3rd	Northern Wind's Condensation	Tenser's Floating Disk	2
6th	Gong of the Summit	Shatter	2
6th	Dragon Breath Stance	Aganazzar's Scorcher	2
6th	Clench of the North Wind	Hold Person	2
6th	Envelop the Southern Air	Invisibility	2
6th	Clutches of the Earth	Maximilian's Earthen Grasp	2
6th	Form of Many Kinds	Alter Self	2
6th	Mote of the Sun	Flaming Sphere	2
6th	Red Dragon's Claws	Scorching Ray	2
11th	Eternal Mountain Defense	Stoneskin	4
11th	Flames of the Phoenix	Fireball	3
11th	Embrace of the Slumbering Dragon	Meld into Stone	3
11th	Wrath of the Heavens	Call Lightning	4
11th	Tears of the Frigid Glacier	Sleet Storm	3
11th	River of Hungry Fire	Wall of Fire	4
11th	Shape of the Flowing River	Control Water	4
11th	Foundation of the Palace	Stone Shape	4
11th	Sweeping Crosswinds	Wind Wall	3
17th	Breath of Winter	Cone of Cold	5
17th	Wave of Rolling Earth	Wall of Stone	5
17th	White Serpent Stance	Seeming	5
17th	Incarnation of Elemental Will	Conjure Elemental	5
17th	Jade Mountain's Will	Move Earth	7
17th	Eight Pillars of the Sky	Bones of the Earth	7
17th	Steps of Many Blessings	Wind Walk	7

Elemental Magic

You learn one of the casting disciplines found on the Elemental Spellcasting list. If you are attuned to a magic item that lets you cast a spell that has a corresponding discipline on this list, you may spend a number of Ki points to cast it, instead of expending a charge/use of the magic item, even if you don't know that spell's corresponding discipline. When spending Ki points to cast a spell in this manner, you can only spend the number of Ki points required to cast the spell at its lowest level. You cannot cast a spell in this manner if the spell's minimum casting level is higher than the maximum number of Ki points you are allowed to spend on a discipline. If you cast a spell in this manner, you use your spell save DC, even if a spell save DC is provided by the magic item that the spell originates from. You may take this discipline multiple times, each time learning a new Casting Discipline. Each time you take this discipline, you may replace one or more of the Casting Disciplines you have learned with ones you have not yet learned, so long as your Monk level is of the level required to learn the discipline.

• Spellfist Stance*: You have learned how to effortlessly flow between elemental and martial assault. At 11th level, so long as you have taken the Elemental Magic discipline, you gain this discipline for free. When you use a casting discipline, you can use your bonus action on the same turn to make an unarmed strike or perform your Flurry of Blows.

Note

The casting disciplines and corresponding spells offered on the Elemental Spellcasting list are adjustable. Altering the number of spells and the kinds of spells on the list is encouraged, as it could make the list more fitting for your campaign setting (for DMs), or help flesh out the kind of character you want your Monk to be (for players).

3rd Level Elemental Disciplines

• Enduring Mountain Stance

When you use the Dodge action, you cannot be moved, pushed, grappled, frightened, or knocked prone against your will until the start of your next turn, even if magically compelled to do so. You must be standing on the ground to use this ability.

• Hurricane Throw

You can treat simple thrown weapons as monk weapons for the purposes of Martial Arts. You may make attacks with simple thrown weapons in place of unarmed strikes when you use your Flurry of Blows ability.

• Fangs of the Fire Snake

When you make an unarmed attack on your turn, you can choose to increase your melee attack range by 5 feet for that attack, and it deals fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage. If the attack hits, you can spend 1 ki point to deal an extra 1d10 fire damage. You may spend additional ki points, up to the maximum number allowed for your level, to increase the amount of fire damage dealt by this discipline by an extra 1d10 per ki point spent.

• Fist of Unbroken Air

When you make an unarmed attack on your turn, you can choose to increase your melee attack range by 10 feet for that attack. If the attack hits, you can spend 1 ki point to force the target to make a Strength saving throw or be pushed 10 feet and knocked prone.

• Golden Snake's Icy Path

Whenever you take the Dash action, until the end of your turn, for any movement you make along a surface you can leave a path of slippery ice. This ice is considered difficult terrain and lasts a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). Also, any creature other than you that enters a space covered in this ice must make a Dexterity saving throw, falling prone on a failed save. If this ice covers a space that would normally be hazardous (such as acid or lava), then that hazard is ignored by creatures standing on this ice, but the duration of this ice is reduced by half, rounded down (minimum 1).

• Water Whip

As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to create a whip of water. A creature that you can see that is within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier, and you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 25 feet closer to you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don't pull it or knock it prone. You may spend additional ki points, up to the maximum number allowed for your level, to increase the amount of bludgeoning damage dealt by this discipline by an extra 1d10 per ki point spent. You can't use this discipline the same turn you use a casting discipline.

• Exploding Cinder Strike**

Whenever you make an attack granted by your Flurry of Blows ability, you may replace it with an explosive strike. Your target and all enemies adjacent to it must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, an effected creature takes fire damage equal to your unarmed strike damage (including Strength or Dexterity modifier), or half as much on a successful save.

• Flowing Water Stance

Whenever you make an attack granted by your Flurry of Blows ability, you may immediately move an additional 5 feet, and you may also force your target to make a Dexterity saving throw (even if you do not succeed on the attack). On a failed save, your target is pushed 5 feet in any direction of your choice. Neither movement provokes an attack of opportunity.

6th Level Elemental Disciplines

• Leaf on the Wind

Your Slow Fall ability no longer requires a reaction to use, and may instead by used automatically so long as you are conscious and not incapacitated. When you use your Slow Fall ability, all falling damage is negated regardless of distance, and for every 5 feet you fall you may glide for 5 feet in a horizontal direction. Additionally, when you use your Step of the Wind feature, you gain advantage on all Strength (Athletics) checks made to jump or Shove until the end of your turn.

• Iron Tortoise Shield***

As a reaction, you can spend 2 ki points to use your Deflect Missiles ability against a ranged or melee attack you can see within 30 feet. Any damage not prevented by this ability is taken by the original target of the attack. If the attack's damage is reduced to 0 by this ability, you cannot spend 1 ki point to return the attack.

• Patient Badger Listens***

As a bonus action, you can spend 2 ki points to gain tremorsense with a range of 15 feet and a burrow speed equal to half your walking speed for 1 minute (with Concentration). Your movement leaves behind a tunnel that remains for as long as this ability is active, and then collapses.

• Eyes of Fire***

As a bonus action, you can spend 2 ki points to gain magical infravision with a range of 60 feet for 1 minute (with Concentration). This allows you to see any heat source in range, typically created by creatures or fire, revealing nothing else but the general size, location, and form of the heat source. Heat sources that would otherwise be invisible, hidden, obscured, or located on the other side of walls or barriers you could not normally see through are revealed with this vision. This vision cannot penetrate ice, snow, water, or magical darkness, nor can it detect creatures that do not produce heat, such as undead or constructs.

• One with the Tides***

As a bonus action, you can spend 2 ki points to gain underwater adaptations for 8 hours. While this ability is active and you are underwater, you can both breath and move normally, and you gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed, blindsight with a range of 60 feet, and resistance to Cold damage.

• Water Jet**

As an action, you can spend 2 ki points to unleash a jet of water that is 30 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a Strength saving throw, taking bludgeoning damage equal to your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. In addition, you can move each target that fails its saving throw to any unoccupied space touching the line.

11th Level Elemental Disciplines

• Ride the Wind

As a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points to gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed for 1 minute (with Concentration).

• Hungry Flames

Whenever you deal fire damage to a creature, that creature catches fire, if it has not already. A creature that has caught fire by this effect will continue to take fire damage equal to your Martial Arts die at the end of each of its turns for 1 minute. The fire can be extinguished through mundane means, such as water or a strong wind. A creature or an adjacent ally can also use an action to extinguish the flames affecting it, and creatures that were already on fire due to some other effect are immune to this effect.

• Mending River

As an action, you can spend 3 ki points to target a creature that you can see within 30 ft and restore a number of its hit points equal to 2d8 + your Wisdom modifier.

17th Level Elemental Disciplines

• Wind Cloak**

As an action, you can spend 5 ki points to create a cloak of wind around you for 1 minute. While this ability is active, your Deflect Missiles ability no longer requires a reaction, and instead occurs automatically. You also do not need to spend additional ki points to make a ranged attack with a ranged weapon or piece of ammunition that you catch, which also occurs automatically if a ranged attack's damage is reduced to 0 through the use of your Deflect Missiles ability. If this discipline is used in coordination with the Iron Tortoise Shell discipline, you can spend 2 ki points as a free action to use your Deflect Missiles ability against any ranged or melee attack you see within 30 feet, but if you reduce an attack's damage to 0 through this particular usage of your Deflect Missiles ability, you cannot make a followup, ranged attack.

• Freezing Stun Strike**

The duration of your Stunning Strike ability is increased to 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, it target makes another Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, the effect ends on the target. This ability does not increase the duration of your Stunning Strike ability when it is used against a creature that has either resistance or immunity to Cold damage.

• Changing the Tide**

If a creature you can see makes an attack against you and misses, you can spend 1 ki point and, as a reaction, have the missed attack's target change to another creature within range of the attacker's attack.

• Avatar of the Elements

As an action, you can spend 5 ki points to gain multiple benefits for 1 minute. While this ability is active, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage. You also gain a burrow, fly, and swim speed equal to your land speed. Lastly, you can use any of the following abilities as a bonus action:

• You create a small earthquake on the ground in a 15-foot radius around you. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not knock prone.
• You create a line of fire 15 feet long and 5 feet wide that extends from you in a direction of your choice. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 points of fire damage on a failed save, and halve as much on a successful one.
• You create a 15-foot cube of swirling wind centered on a point you can see within 60 feet. Each creature in that area must make a constitution saving throw. A creature takes 1d10 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, and half as much on a successful one. If a Large or smaller creature fails the save, that creature is also pushed up to 10 feet away from the center of the cube.
• You create a 15-foot cone of ice shards extending from you in a direction of your choice. Each creature in the cone must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d6 cold damage and has its speed halved until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and doesn't have its speed halved.

• Soul of the Iron Mountain

As an action, you can spend 5 ki points to gain multiple benefits for 1 minute. While this ability is active, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, you can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without spending extra movement, you gain a burrow speed equal to your land speed, and you have advantage on ability checks and saving throws to avoid being knocked prone. Lastly, you can use the following ability as an action:

• You create a localized earthquake on the ground in a 30-foot radius around you. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d8 bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not knocked prone.

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