Path of the Sohei (Warrior Monk)

Upon choosing the Path of the Sohei (Warrior Monk) at 1 level, the Barbarian Class is reskinned to reflect a different archetype but uses the same mechanics. The following Barbarian benefits are reflavored below.

Ki Focus (Rage)

In battle, you clear your mind of all distractions and enter a zen like meditation focused only on combat. On Your Turn, you can focus your Ki as a Bonus Action. While focused, you gain the following benefits if you aren't wearing heavy armor:

• You have advantage on Strength Checks and Strength Saving Throws.
• When you make a melee weapon Attack using Strength, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll. This bonus increases as you level.
• Your focus allows you to weave through the battlefield with heightened senses bordering on precognition. You deftly turn direct hits into glancing blows giving you Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

 

If you are able to cast Spells, you can't cast them or concentrate on them while focused on martial combat.

 

Your Ki Focus lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked Unconscious or if Your Turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then.

 

You can also end your Ki Focus on Your Turn as a Bonus Action.

 

Once you have used your Ki Focus the maximum number of times for your Sohei (Barbarian) level, you must finish a Long Rest before you can focus again.

 

You may focus 2 times at 1st level, 3 at 3rd, 4 at 6th, 5 at 12th, and 6 at 17th.

 

Unarmored Defense

A thick layer of armor is the best friend of most warriors. You prefer to trust in hard-won skill and speed, eschewing the use of heavy armor.

 

While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a Shield and still gain this benefit.

 

Danger Sense

At 2nd level, your meditative focus gives you an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren't as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and Spells.

 

To gain this benefit, you can't be Blinded, Deafened, or Incapacitated.

 

Deathseakers Strike (Reckless Attack)

"Those who cling to life die, and those who defy death live."

 

Starting at 2nd level, you do not let doubt or fear get in the way of the successful completion of an objective. You can sacrifice defense in order to increase your chance for a killing blow.

 

When you make your first Attack on Your Turn, you can decide to make a Deathseakers Strike.

 

Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon Attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but Attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

 

Path of the Sohei (Primal Path)

At 3rd level, you choose the Path of the Sohei, if Homebrew Paths are allowed. If you table only allows RAW subclasses, you can easily reflavor one of the other existing Paths. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

 

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two Ability Scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

 

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can Attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on Your Turn.

 

Fast Movement

Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing Heavy Armor.

 

Meditative Precognition

By 7th level, your meditative focus is so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.

 

Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of Combat and aren't Incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your Ki Focus before doing anything else on that turn.

 

Ki Disruption

Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee Attack.

 

This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

 

Ascetic endurance

Starting at 11th level, your Ki Focus can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 Hit Points while you're focused and don't die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.

 

Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or Long Rest, the DC resets to 10.

 

Persistent Focus

Beginning at 15th level, your Ki Focus is so attuned that it ends early only if you fall Unconscious or if you choose to end it.

 

Ki Empowerment

Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

 

Strength of Ki

At 20th level, you embody the power of the universal Ki. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.  

 

Blurred Blade

A true warrior knows that it's not just the strong that survive but also the quickest. When you choose this path at 3rd level you gain the following benefits while focused.

• You learn to use the terrain and the chaos of battle to your advantage. While focused you are considered to have ½ cover against ranged attacks.
• While you're focused and aren’t wearing heavy armor, other creatures have disadvantage on opportunity attack rolls against you

Strength of Mind

Starting at 6th level, while focused (raging) you have advantage on Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws. 

Meditative Ritual

At 10th level, you can use special hand positions (mudras) during your mediation to focus your Ki and restore your body.

When you use this meditative ritual you don’t need to sleep. While you are meditating you remain semiconscious. After meditating in this way, for 4 hours, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. 

Ki Synergy

At 14th level, you have mastered the synergy between your Ki Focus and your weapons. When you use your Deathseakers Strike (Reckless Attack) while Ki Focused (raging) you gain one of the following features of your choice,

• Shield of the Blade. If a creature hits you with an Attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn.
• Selfless Ferocity. When you make a Deathseakers Strike (Reckless Attack) you can make a single melee weapon Attack as a Bonus Action.