Way of the Serpents (5e Subclass)

Way of the Serpents

Monk Subclass

Serpentine Stance

3rd level The basis of the Way of the Serpents, the egg from which practitioners hatch and grow from. At 3rd level, once per turn, you can enter a Stance, granting certain benefits depending on the Stance. You can only gain the benefits of a single Stance at a time, but you can switch between Stances once per turn. You can remain in a Stance until you are incapacitated, knocked unconscious, when 5 minutes have elapsed from the first time you went into a Stance, or when you decide to end it at will. The Stances you know are listed below:

Cobra- The Sturdiest of the Stances, radiating with an authoritative orange. When entering this Stance, you gain +5ft to your reach and advantage on all Intimidation rolls. You also gain resistance to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage.

Python- The Boldest of the Stances, gleaming with a foolhardy green. When entering this Stance, you gain advantage on all grappling checks and instead of using STR (Athletics) for the check, you can use DEX (Acrobatics) instead. You are considered one size larger when grappling.

Mamba- The Swiftest of the Stances, glowing with a sinister purple. When you enter this Stance, you gain +10ft to your movement speed and you can attack an additional time with you Flurry of Blows (3 times in Mamba). You also do not provoke opportunity attacks.

Viper- The Slyest of the Stances, shimmering with a calculative blue. When you enter this Stance, you gain advantage on all Stealth rolls and you can take the Hide action as a bonus action.

Winding Limbs

6th level The middle of the path for practitioners, embracing a more snakelike nature to grasp and train techniques of the Stances, as well as becoming more fluid in style. At 6th level, your Deflect Missiles feature can be used on melee attacks, where you make a melee attack against them instead of a ranged attack. Additionally, when using Deflect Missiles, the damage you reduce it by is 3d10 + your monk level + DEX mod+ Prof. bonus, and if you reduce the damage to 0, the range is tripled for the ranged attack you make. Also in addition, your Stances gain the following benefits:

Cobra- The Cobra's strikes demand respect and reverence. When you land an attack against a creature, you can spend 2 Ki points to make said creature roll a STR save (DC = 10 + DEX mod + WIS mod + Prof. bonus). If they fail the save, they are pushed away 15ft away.

 •Cobra's Tail: As a bonus action, you can spend 2 Ki points to double your reach for the next 2 turns.

Python- The Python's tenacity shows the utmost determination. When you grapple a creature, you can spend 2 Ki points to make that creature unable to attack on their next turn as an action.

 •Python's Grip: When a creature attempts to break out of the grapple, you can spend 3 Ki points to impose disadvantage on the attempt.

Mamba- The Mamba's malice intensifies in presence. You can take the Dash action as a bonus action and when you take the Attack action, you can spend 2 Ki points to attack 3 more times once that turn (5 times without Flurry of Blows).

 •Mamba's Strike: When you make an attack this turn, you can spend 3 Ki points to gain advantage on this attack.

Viper- The Viper's stealth becomes second to none. You can spend 2 Ki points to become invisible until you move or attack.

 •Viper's Reflex: When you make an attack against a creature that cannot see you, while being unobserved by other creatures, and reduce that creatures HP to 0, you can use your reaction to become invisible again until you move or attack for 2 Ki points.

Venomous Emulation

11th level Approaching the end of the road, the spirit of the snake lives and thrives in the souls of the practitioners, and is present in every moment. When you land an unarmed strike against a creature, you can spend a Ki points to deal an extra die of necrotic damage equal to you Martial Arts die. Additionally, your Stances gain the following benefits:

Cobra- The Cobra's mere presence commands fear into the hearts of all who gaze upon it. You can spend 3 Ki points to make everyone in a 30ft cone in front of you roll a WIS save (DC = 10 + DEX mod + WIS mod + Prof. mod). If they fail the the save, they are frightened of you for the next minute and must spend their turn running from you. They can reattempt the save at the beginning of their next turn.

 •Cobra's Might: If you were to be pushed away against your will, you can spend 3 Ki points to resist it and not move. Additionally, when you resist being moved by any means, you can spend 3 Ki points to either move 15ft or make an attack against the creature that failed to push you.

Python- The Python's drive is indomitable. You can spend 3 Ki points to cancel the disadvantage on all attacks made against the grappled creature until the start of your next turn.

 •Python's Vise: When you have a creature grappled, you can spend 3 Ki points to make the creature roll a STR save (DC = 10 + DEX mod + WIS mod + Prof. bonus). If they fail, they take bludgeoning damage equal to your Martial Arts die. If they fail by 4, one of their arms are broken and they drop what they were holding in that hand and cannot hold anything in that hand until healed. If they fail by 5 or more, one of their legs are broken, halving their movement speed and knocking them prone until healed.

Mamba- The Mamba's killing intent grows insatiably. You gain an additional +10ft to your movement speed (+20 total) and when you attack a creature, you can spend 3 Ki points to attack 2 more times with your Flurry of Blows.

 •Mamba's Pursuit: When you move on your turn, you can spend 3 ki points to double your speed for this turn. Additionally, when you use Mamba's pursuit, for every 10ft of movement you move, you deal an additional die of force damage equal to your Martial Arts die, however, when you land an melee attack with this feature, you have to roll a CON save (DC = number of feet move this turn / 10 rounded up). If you fail, the limb you used for the attack is broken and you take half of the damage you dealt.

Viper- The Viper's fangs sharpen greatly. When attacking from invisibility or heavy obscurement, you can spend 3 Ki points to double the necrotic damage dice.

 •Viper's Fangs: If you decide to make an attack from invisibility or heavy obscurement, you can spend 3 Ki points to have a -5 to the attack, but deal an extra +10 damage. If you miss the attack, all attacks made against you are made at advantage until the start of your next turn.

Serpent King

17th level The peak of the Way of the Serpents, truly becoming not just a master of the form, but the form itself as a whole, and have pushed this form to the limits. You are now immune to necrotic, radiant, and force damage. Once per turn, when you are in a Stance, you can spend 5 Ki points to gain the benefits of a second Stance until the start of your next turn. On the start of your next turn, you decide which Stance you wish to stay in and will lose the benefits of the other. Additionally, your Ki point maximum is increased by your WIS mod + your Prof. Bonus. In addition, your DEX and WIS mods increase by 4. The maximum for them is now 24. Your Stances gain the following benefits:

Cobra- Once the Cobra has stood its ground, it will never move. Your reach increases by an additional 5ft and if you have used your reaction this round, you can spend 4 Ki points to gain an additional number of reactions equal to your CON mod for this round. Additionally, when a creature enters your reach, you can spend a Ki point to make an unarmed strike against them. Allies in your reach gain a bonus equal to your DEX mod.

 •Cobra's Hood: At the start of your turn, you can spend 5 Ki points to create a sphere of orange Ki as large in radius as long as your reach by swinging your arms and the Cobra constructs sprouting from them at high speeds. When you choose to do this, creatures (including allies) in your reach must make a STR save (DC = 10 + DEX mod + WIS mod + CON mod). If they fail the save, they are pushed out your reach 15ft away, are knocked prone, and they take 5d12 force damage. If they succeed, they take half damage and they can only move 5ft through the sphere per turn and must make the save on the starts of their turns. Additionally, any form of ranged attack cannot target you. This lasts until you move or until the start of your next turn. On the start of your next turn, instead of ending it, you can instead spend 3 Ki points to extend the duration to the start of your next turn.

Python- Once the Python has its target, it will never release them. When you have a creature grappled, you can spend up to 5 Ki points to deal a number of die equal to your Martial Arts die of bludgeoning damage to the creature you have grappled. Additionally, when a creature attempts to break out of the grapple, you can spend 4 Ki points to make them automatically fail.

 •Python's Maw: When you deal damage to a creature you have grappled, you can use your reaction to gain a number of Ki points back equal to the amount of damage you have dealt / 10 rounded down this turn. In addition, when you first grapple a creature, you can spend 4 Ki points to treat the grappled condition as restrained instead, while still gaining the benefits of grappling.

Mamba- Once the Mamba locks on to its target, it never relents. You gain an additional 10ft to your movement (+30ft total). At the start of your turn, you can spend 5 Ki points to forgo a number of potential attacks that you are capable of to your choosing and for every potential attack you forgo, you gain +10ft to your movement and increase the damage of the next attack you make on this turn by a die of force damage equal to your Martial Arts die per potential attacks forgone until the end of your turn.

 •Mamba's Malevolence: When you use Mamba's Pursuit, you can spend 8 Ki points to give the creature being attacked vulnerability to the damage types in your attack. In addition, you can spend 4 Ki points so that when making this attack, for every 10ft of movement you move, you gain 1d4 fire damage to the attack. If you fail the save from Mamba's Pursuit after all of this, you also lose the limb you attacked with, unable to grow it back by any means.

Viper- They will never see the Viper coming. You can spend 4 Ki points to be able to stick to walls and ceilings. Additionally, if you land an unarmed strike, you can spend 4 Ki points to deal an extra number of necrotic damage equal to your Martial Arts die times your WIS mod.

 •Viper's Illusion: On your turn, you can spend 6 Ki points to enter the Ethereal Plane until the end of your turn. When you do this, you are unable to be detected by magical means until the start of your next turn.

The Serpent Awakens and Devours

Alternate 20th level Through rigorous development, you have ascended past the peak, giving this form a sentience of sorts, becoming what the form was meant to be. At 20th level, you gain 60ft of blindsight, 10ft of truesight, and the ability to tell when someone is lying. Additionally, for 10 Ki points, once every 3 long rests, you can perform one of the following abilities:

 •The Serpent's Charge: As an action, you can launch the Serpents that dwell within you in a 15ft by 15ft by 1 mile beam, dealing 3d12 force, 3d12 necrotic, and 3d12 radiant damage to anything caught in the beam that fails a CON save (DC= 10 + DEX mod + WIS mod + CON mod), taking half as much on a success.

 •The Serpent's Strike: As an action, as the Serpents gather around your strike, you can only attack once this turn, but your next attack will have advantage and a +5 to hit, dealing an additional 6d12 force, 6d12 necrotic, and 6d12 radiant damage on a hit. If you land this attack, you must make a DC 27 CON save. If you fail the save, the limb you used to strike with crumbles away to ash, unable to be brought back by any means.

 •The Serpent's Unity: As an action,as the Serpents wrap around your form, for the next 30 seconds, you can gain the benefits of all 4 Stances, an additional action, an additional bonus action, an increase to your speed by double, and 2 additional reactions. At the end of those 30 seconds, you must make a DC 27 CON save. If you fail the save, you will take an amount of force damage equal to the amount of damage you have dealt in those 30 seconds, ignoring resistance and immunity, and you fall unconscious. On a success, you instead take half of the result and you will not fall unconscious, unless this reduces you to 0 hit points, as normal. 

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