Mantis Conclave

While other rangers hone their skills in the untamed wilds, rangers of the Mantis Conclave learn their skills in isolated monasteries. Learning the ways of ki alongside their monk brethren, rangers of the mantis forgo the mastery of ki within themselves and instead focus on the flow of ki within others. When combined with considerable prowess and weapons training, rangers of the mantis become experts at targeting the passageways through which ki travels within their opponents, striking with debilitating effects. Mantids learn early to weaponize needles, which are placed upon a foe to paralyze them, blind them, sever them from the weave, or any host of other effects. Few are more masterful in the art of subverting defenses, and even fewer walk away from an encounter with a mantis unscathed. 

Pressure Point Mastery

When you chose this conclave at 3rd level, you can use blowgun needles as tools to obstruct your foe’s life forces-whether they be natural or unnatural. 

Blowgun Needles are considered a melee weapon when you wield them, and they gain the following properties:

• They deal 1d4 Piercing damage
• They and gain the Finesse and Thrown (20/60) properties
• They may be retreived or stowed without the use of an Object Interaction

Mantis Strikes

At 3rd level, you learn how to debilitate foes by targeting their Ki passage ways.

Mantis Strikes: You learn three Mantis Strike options, which are detailed below. If a Mantis Strike requires a saving throw, utilize your Ranger spell save DC.

If a creature is immune to the Exhaustion condition, it can not be affected by a Mantis Strike.

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack from a blowgun or blowgun needle, you may impose one of the following options:

 

Hamper the Body

When you hit a creature with this feature, they must succeed a Strength or Wisdom saving throw (your choice). On a failure, regardless of the creature's Abilities or Magic Items, it can't make more than 1 melee or ranged attack during its turn, and it can’t take reactions until the end of your next turn. If a creature only has the ability to make 1 attack, that attack is instead made at Disadvantage. 

Occlude the Mind

When you hit a creature with this feature, they must succeed a Dexterity or Intelligence saving throw (your choice). On a failure, that creature loses the ability to benefit from special senses (such as blindsense and darkvision) and it’s maximum range of vision is reduced to 15 feet until the end of your next turn. 

Stunt the Weave

When you hit a creature with this feature, they must succeed a Charisma or Constituion saving throw (your choice). On a failure, that creature may not cast spells other than Cantrips until the end of your next turn. Additionally, that creature has disadvantage on saving throws to maintain concentration during this time. 

Precise Placement

At 7th level, if you would make an attack roll with a blowgun or blowgun needle at advantage, you may forgo the advantage and attack normally. If your attack still hits, the target of your attack makes their saving throw to resist your Mantis Strikes at disadvantage until the start of your next turn.

Additionally, all attacks made with blowguns and blowgun needles are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances and immunities.

Mantis Mastery

At 11th level, you gain additional Mantis Strike features. 

Mantis Strike options learned at this level can be used a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all uses following a Long Rest.

Contain the Spirit

When you hit a creature with this feature, they must succeed a Charisma or Wisdom saving throw (your choice). On a failure, that creature can not use abilities with the Recharge feature until the end of your next turn. Additionally, if that creature succesfully rolls to recharge one or more abilities, they must reroll the recharge dice and take the second result.

Lock the Body

When you hit a Large or smaller creature with this feature, they must succeed a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, that creature becomes Paralyzed until the start of your next turn. 

Expose the Nerves

At 15th level, when a creature fails a saving throw to resist one of your Mantis Strikes, they take 2d4 additional piercing damage. If they succeed, they take an assitional 1d4.

Additionally, when a creatue afflicted by one of your Mantis Strikes is hit with a weapon attack, they take an additional 1d4 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon.