Way of the Ethereal Vanguard

Monks of the Ethereal Vanguard are embodiments of the soul’s boundless power. They tap into the essence of their being, mastering the ethereal forces that flow through all life. Channeling their spiritual energy with precision and grace, these warriors transcend the physical realm, becoming conduits of force and will.

The Warrior of the Ethereal Vanguard is a sentinel of the soul, using their connection to the ethereal plane to shape their power into radiant strikes, unyielding defense, and overwhelming control. Their abilities are not of the body, but of the very essence that fuels their existence—drawing on the energies of their soul to protect allies, drain life from enemies, and disrupt the fabric of reality itself.

With every strike, the Warrior of the Ethereal Vanguard carves through the mundane, bringing forth an unstoppable force driven by the core of their being. Whether protecting their allies with radiant force or striking down enemies with the fury of their soul, they stand as the living embodiment of the ethereal.

Soul Blade

At 3rd level, you learn to manifest a weapon made of pure soul energy. As part of your attack, you can summon a Soul Blade to strike with. The blade lasts until you dismiss it (no action required) or are incapacitated. The Soul Blade is considered an unarmed strike for the purposes of your Martial Arts feature and deals psychic damage equal to your Martial Arts die. It has the following properties: • Finesse • Light • Thrown (20/60 feet)

Versatile Strike: When you wield the Soul Blade with two hands, the damage die increases to the next size larger (e.g., from 1d6 to 1d8 or 1d8 to 1d10).

Soul Surge

Starting at 6th level, you tap into your soul’s energy, maintaining a reservoir of Focused Soul. This energy is recovered when you roll initiative. During your turn, you can recover your Focused Soul by expending 2 ki points, or you can choose to recover your Focused Soul and reduce your speed to zero until the end of your turn. You cannot recover focus in this way when your speed is already zero, such as when paralyzed or restrained. Focused Soul fuels your special abilities and allows you to perform powerful soul-based actions.

• Soul Siphon (Debuff): As part of an attack with your Soul Blade, you can expend Focused Soul to drain the life force of a creature you hit. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw or take additional damage equal to your Martial Arts die and have disadvantage on their next attack roll or saving throw (your choice) before the start of your next turn. Additionally, you gain temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt by the Soul Siphon attack.

• Defensive Surge (Buff): Expend Focused Soul to surround yourself with a protective aura of soul energy. For minute, you gain a +2 bonus to your AC and have advantage on one saving throw of your choice.

• Shatterburst (Crowd Control AOE): When you throw your Soul Blade, you can expend Focused Soul to create a burst of soul energy in a 10-foot radius centered on the target that lasts until the beginning of your next turn. Creatures within the radius have their movement speed reduced by 10 feet. Additionally, any creature that starts their turn in or moves through the affected area takes force damage equal to one die size smaller than your Martial Arts die for every 5 feet of movement it makes through the area. (e.g., if your Soul Blade deals 1d6 damage, the creature would take 1d4 force damage for every 5 feet moved through the area).

Soul of Eternity

At 11th level, you can channel the timeless power of your soul, bending the flow of time around you. For a brief moment, the world seems to slow, allowing you to act with unparalleled swiftness. On your turn, you can spend 3 ki points to take an additional action, during which you can either make two unarmed strikes, or take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action. You can use this feature up to twice per turn.

Soul Ascendant

At 17th level, your connection to your soul reaches its peak. You can now channel the full power of your soul, becoming a living embodiment of pure soul energy. As an action, you can spend 4 ki points to gain the following benefits for 10 minute:
• You can make an additional unarmed strike on your turn.
• When you hit a creature with your Soul Blade, you can deal extra damage equal to your martial arts die.
• You have resistance to all damage types damage.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Ethereal Whisper

At 3rd level, your connection to the ethereal realm grants you subtle, otherworldly abilities. You can cast the Message and Mage Hand cantrips, requiring no verbal, somatic, or material components. When you cast Message, you do not need to speak or point at the target, and do noes not require concentration; your words flow directly into their mind. When you cast Mage Hand, the hand is invisible, and you can summon and direct it silently as a free action. These abilities reflect your soul’s ability to transcend the physical world and interact with it in unseen, profound ways.