Way of the Perfect Blade (5e Subclass)
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Kyotoryu Perfect Blade[edit]
Monk Subclass
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| Shichika Yasuri, Head of the Kyotoryu School by Huy Tung |
Monk Subclass that uses hand-to-hand combat to destroy the opposition and their weapons. The original grandmasters were thus recruited by differing royals and kingdoms to fight in wars and inevitably against each other. Due to the conflict of masters forced to fight against themselves, or risk treason against their lords, the Kyotoryu style was forbidden and forced away into meditation, owing to its destructive nature. Without it, military, magic and weaponry were allowed to flourish and the old masters each created a variant to the style to teach on their own. The various monk styles of the world are descendants of this original style, and the monasteries of each of these old masters gradually became ancient and forgotten.
Monks of the Kyotoryu (Ghastly Nine Sword) are few and far between, masters of martial arts combat that wish to uncover the old ways. They spend their childhood and adolescence in solitude learning to push their bodies to the limits to form their bodies into the perfect blade, able to strike with their hands and feet to cut their foes and break even the toughest weapons. They hone themselves like a blacksmith hones a sword and are notoriously determined cold-hearted (lacking emotion, good or bad) and often don't understand the ways of the world.
The Kyo warrior flows through battle like leaves falling to the ground, and finds the perfect strikes effortlessly. This class is meant to more effectively replace the Way of the Open Hand and replace some of the base monk abilities. It takes its inspiration from the Shichika Yasuri style from the novel/anime Katanagatari.
- Pale Petal
Starting at 3rd level, you learn the Pale Petal strikes, modifying your flurry of blows to manipulate the battlefield. Your unarmed strikes made as part of a Flurry of Blows have a bonus of +1 on attacks and damage rolls, and score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.
In addition, whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can impose one of the following effects on that target:
- Rose. You deliver a sweeping kick, followed up with flying downward kick strike. You can spend 1 ki point to force the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw, or be knocked prone. You can then use your reaction to make an unarmed strike against the prone creature, causing additional damage equal to a roll of your martial arts die on a hit.
- Violet. - You can spend 1 ki point to force the target to make a Strength saving throw, or pushed up to 15 feet away. If you successfully push the target, you can then use your reaction to move up to 15 feet and make an unarmed strike against this target, if it is within range.
- Bellflower. You can spend 1 ki point make a extended hand strike, to cause the target to become unable to take reactions. If you do so, you can use your reaction to to attempt grapple this creature, crossing his arms behind its back.
- First Stance - Lily of the Valley
Starting at 3rd level, you take full advantage of the crippling effects of your blows. On a critical hit with an unarmed strike on your turn, you may impose the following effects on the target. You have the following options, depending on when you have scored the critical:
- On a critical hit on the first unarmed strike made as part of your Attack action, your next attack score a critical on a roll of 19-20 on the d20.
- On a critical hit on the second unarmed strike made as part of your Attack action, you can use Patient Defense or Step of the Wind without spending ki points, until the end of this turn.
- On a critical hit on your first unarmed strike made with your bonus action, you regain 1 ki point.
- On a critical hit on your second unarmed strike made with your bonus action, you can make another unarmed strike as part of this bonus action. Each critical hit your score afterwards grant you a new unarmed strike on that bonus action.
- Second Stance - Iris Feint
Starting at 6th level, tuck into a sprinter stance and dive around the battlefield, blinding your opponent with intense speed that creates distracting illusions. The afterimages left behind by your Iris Feint create openings for your strikes. You gain the following benefits
- Afterimage. When you take your Patient Defense or Step of the Wind feature, you gain the benefits of mirror image, lasting until the end of your next turn. You can also spend 1 additional ki point to extend its duration to 1 minute.
- Falling Blossom Whenever you are under the effects of Afterimage, Patient Defense or the Dodge action, and a creature within 5 feet misses you with an attack, you can make an opportunity attack with your unarmed strike against it.
- Third Stance - Chrysanthemum Bladebreaker
Starting at 11th level, your body is honed enough that it can destroy even the toughest of weapons. You learn three additional techniques:
- Pale Petal Mastery. Once per turn when you hit a creature with one of your unarmed strikes granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can use Rose, Violet or Bellflower without spending ki.
- Blade Breaking. Catching the blade of the attacker between the crooks of your elbows and your back, you crack the weapon across your backside. Once per turn when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can force it to make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC (his choice) or you can take one object that creature is holding. If the creature held this object in two-hands, the creature have Advantage on the save. When you succeed in disarming the target, you can spend up to 3 ki points to damage the object. A weapon damage in this manner have a penalty of -1 in attacks and damage rolls for each ki point spent, until it is repaired.
- Scattered Blossom You deliver a powerful overhead axe kick, disorientating and hurting your enemies. Whenever a creature fail a saving throw against your stunning strike, it takes additional 2d8 bludgeoning damage.
- Fourth Stance - Red Poppy
At 17th level, your nails have been sharpened and your bones naturally hardened through combat to pierce the enemies armor and body, striking straight for the heart. If you hit a creature at least four times with unarmed strikes in a single turn, you can spend 5 ki points to quickly strike into the heart of the target, creating a spray of blood and following up with a devastating series of strikes.
The creature makes a Constitution saving throw at disadvantage. On a successful saving throw, the creature takes 5d10 piercing damage. On a failure, the target takes 10d10 piercing damage, and if the creature is wearing armor, its AC is reduced by 2.
Optional Class Feature[edit]
- Zero Stance - Fated Tree (Replaces Perfect Self)
At 20th level, you learn the sacred and secret Zero Stance. The stance itself has no form at all, and is used to confuse and predict your opponent's next move. Take no stance and wait to predict opponent’s moves, reacting to their stance while being impossible to predict yourself. You gain one additional reaction in each of your rounds. You can also choose to forgo any number of unarmed strikes to, instead, gain one additional reaction that can be used until the start of your next turn.
In addition, you can use your reaction for two special uses. You can move up to half your movement speed using a reaction; and whenever you use your reaction to make opportunity attacks, you can attack twice, instead of once.
Finally, you also gain the Sacred Zero Stance. Without taking an action at the start of your turn, you can activate your zero stance, that absorbs the force of the enemy into your own. Stance lasts until the start of your next turn. When you activate this stance, you regain 1 ki point, and any attack made against you for the duration of the stance automatically misses. When the stance ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion.
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