The Way of the Old Faith shares values and principles with the druidic circles and ranger conclaves.

However, instead of channeling the magics of land to impact the natural world as druids do, Monks of the Old Faith manipulate the residual spiritual and primal life forces within them as a part of the natural world themself and blending their own ki with the primal energies of the Old Faith.

Monks of the Old Faith can either learn these abilities from a monastery that teaches such ways of connecting their spiritual energies with those primal energies of nature, or, by individuals attuning to such energies through extended study, observations, or connection with natural forces, locations, animals, or creatures.

Monks of the Old Faith serve roles as varied as the ways they find the faith. Some serve as defenders of more wild areas living on the fringe of wilderness and civilization, others are healers or shamans within their communities, and some are at peace living a life of solitude within the natural areas of the world.

Old Faith Training

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the herbalism kit and your choice of one of the following skills: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, Perception, or Survival.

Additionally, you count as a druid or ranger when determining prerequisites, such as those for magic item attunement.

Animal Handling

Animal Handling

Medicine

Medicine

Nature

Nature

Perception

Perception

Survival

Survival

Spellcasting

Also at 3rd level, you tap into the spiritual forces of nature, allowing you to cast spells. See Chapter 10 in the Player’s Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting, and chapter 11 for the druid or ranger spell list.

Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. You learn another druid cantrip at 10th level.

Spell Slots. The Old Faith Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all of your expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the druid or ranger spell list. When you do so, choose a number of druid or ranger spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your monk level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Old Faith spells. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom when setting the saving throw DC for a druid or ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Natural Ki

Starting at 6th level, you can use your ki to strengthen your connection to the spiritual forces of nature. You gain the following benefits.

Spiritual Instincts. When you make an Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth, or Survival roll you can use your reaction to spend 1 ki, channeling natures spirits to enhance your own abilities, allowing you to add your Wisdom modifier to the roll. 

Ki Fed Spirits. You can spend 1 ki point as an action to feed your ki to a primal spirit, forming a bond and casting the find familiar spell with the following changes. The familiar creature type is either fey, elemental, or beast. Additionally, you can spend a ki point to change the form of the spirit to a new beast.

Spiritual Form. You can spend 1 ki point as an action to shift into an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel. This functions similarly to wild shape except in duration as the spiritual form lasts for 1 hour.

Primal Movement. When you use your Step of the Wind, you can temporarily flicker into a spirit form, gaining its movement modalities, gaining a fly, swim, or burrow speed

Spiritual Arts

At 11th level, you gain the ability to combine your magic with your martial skills, as your connection to the Old Faith is deepened. Casting a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action counts as taking the Attack action for the purpose of your Martial Arts’ bonus action attack and using your Flurry of Blows.

Additionally, your martial and spiritual capabilities are so entwined that whenever you would regain hitpoints you also regain 1 spent ki point, and when you regain a ki point you can spend a hit die. The two can not happen from the same trigger or more than once a turn.

Wall of Roses

Starting at 17th level, you can spend 8 ki points to cast the wall of thorns spell. When you do, colorful flowers sprout along the wall and you can choose any number of creatures that you can see. Chosen creatures do not take damage from the spell and ignore the difficult terrain it creates. Additionally, each chosen creature regains 1d8 hit points when it starts its turn within 5 feet of the wall.