Way of the Wild Soul

Not all monks train in monasteries. Those who follow the Way of the Wild Soul seek out the solace of mountain peaks, forest groves, costal caves, or any other place found in the natural world, where they learn the art of combat by observing nature and communing with Fey spirits.

Wilderness Disciplines

At 3rd level, you learn the secret ways of the wilderness. You gain the following benefits:

Animal Stances. Your fighting style imitates wild beasts. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a target with an Unarmed Strike, you can deal extra piercing or slashing damage to it equal to your proficiency bonus.

Natural Attunement. As an action, you can expend 1 ki point to cast either the Animal Friendship, Entangle, Fog Cloud, or Speak with Animals spells. Additionally, you learn the Druidcraft cantrip, if you didn't already know it. Each of these spells uses Wisdom as your Spellcasting Ability.

Wild Shape

At 6th level, you can use your action and expend 4 ki points to transform into a Beast you have seen before with a Challenge Rating of 1/2 or lower. While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced with the statistics of the chosen Beast, but you retain your Alignment, and your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores.
• You assume the Beast's hit dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had prior to transforming. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage caries over to your normal form.
• Your actions are limited by the nature of your new form, and you cannot cast spells. Your gear melds into your new form, and you cannot activate, wield, or otherwise benefit from any of your equipment.

You can remain in this form for a number of hours equal to half your Monk level (rounded down). You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

Once you expend 4 ki points to use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Force of Nature

At 11th level, your Wild Shape improves.

When you use your Wild Shape feature, you can transform into a Beast with a Challenge Rating as high as 2 by expending 2 additional ki points.

In addition, your spirit links to the land where you trained - choose one of the following benefits:

Coast

You can cast the Water Breathing spell by expending 3 ki points, or the Control Water spell by expending 4 ki points.

Forest

You can cast the Speak with Plants spell by expending 3 ki points, or the Commune with Nature spell for 4 ki points.

Mountain

You can cast the Meld into Stone spell by expending 3 ki points, or the Stone Shape spell by expending 4 ki points.

Indomitable Nature

By 17th level, life in the wild has hardened you against injury.

When you take damage, you can sue your reaction to reduce it by an amount equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier. You cannot use this feature if the damage would reduce you to 0 hit points or kill you outright, or if the damage is from a critical hit.