Bound by crimson sashes and an unshakeable belief in mutual aid, monks of the Way of the Comrade train not in lonely mountaintop cloisters but in bustling town squares and war-scarred streets. They sharpen body and spirit side by side, learning that strength hoarded is strength squandered. Every kata teaches two lessons: strike with precision, and stand ready to shoulder a comrade’s burden.

These monks travel where struggle brews—labor camps, occupied cities, front-line trenches—offering shelter, discipline, and the promise that no blow lands unanswered. Their focus flows like a communal heartbeat: when one fist hits, many are lifted; when one ally falters, the order rallies to catch them. Outsiders sometimes call them agitators or battlefield medics, but adherents know the truth: they are the living hinge between harm and hope, converting oppression into resolve with each breath.

Monastic Tradition Features

3rd Level: Heart of the Union

Beginning at 3rd level, you can call upon the collective will of your comrades to rise in solidarity. As a bonus action, you can spend Focus Points to unleash the Heart of the Union, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated or if you choose to dismiss it (no action required).

When you activate Heart of the Union, you create an emanation centered on yourself that moves with you. The effects depend on the tier you invoke.

Escalation. When you activate Heart of the Union, you can begin at any tier by paying that tier’s full Focus Point cost. While it is active, you can escalate it to a higher tier:
- Step-by-Step Escalation. You can escalate to the next tier by spending the additional Focus Point cost. This does not require an action, but you may only escalate once per turn.
- Leaping Escalation. If you escalate more than one tier at once (for example, from First Verse directly to Full Anthem), it requires a bonus action and the full Focus Point cost of the desired tier.

The effects of each tier are cumulative; when you escalate, you retain all the benefits of the previous tiers.

First Verse (3rd Level)

Cost: 2 Focus Points
Emanation Radius: 10 feet

• Solidarity Surge. Each friendly creature adds bonus damage equal to the number of other allies in the area (maximum equal to half your monk level) to the next damage roll it makes before the start of your next turn. This applies to any attack roll, including unarmed strikes, weapon attacks, and spell attacks.
• Spread the Health. Once on each of your turns when you deal damage with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can choose one friendly creature within the emanation (including yourself). That creature regains hit points equal to the damage dealt. The first time you use this feature during each activation of Heart of the Union, it costs no Focus Points. Further uses during the same activation each cost 1 Focus Point.
• Union’s Endurance. At the start of each of your turns while Heart of the Union is active, you gain temporary hit points equal to half your monk level (rounded down).

The first verse of solidarity—brief, fierce, like a strike starting at the factory gates.

Rising Chorus (6th Level)

Cost: 3 Focus Points (or +1 FP from First Verse)
Emanation Radius: 15 feet

• Solidarity Surge now applies to the first attack each turn.
• Collective Onus. When an ally within the emanation takes damage, you can use your reaction to distribute that damage among yourself and all allies in the area (minimum 1 damage each). If this damage would reduce a creature to 0 hit points, it instead drops to 1 hit point. The first time you use this feature during each activation of Heart of the Union, it costs no Focus Points. Further uses during the same activation each cost 2 Focus Points.

The chorus rises, steady and unyielding, a cadence for comrades to march to.

Crescendo (11th Level)

Cost: 4 Focus Points (or +1 FP from Rising Chorus)
Emanation Radius: 20 feet

• When a hostile creature starts its turn in the emanation or enters it for the first time on a turn, it must make a Constitution saving throw against your Focus save DC, taking force damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

The swell of voices peaks, shaking the battlefield with unstoppable unity.

Full Anthem (17th Level)

Cost: 5 Focus Points (or +1 FP from Crescendo)
Emanation Radius: 30 feet

• Solidarity Surge now applies to all attack rolls made by allies in the area.
• When a hostile creature starts its turn in the emanation or enters it for the first time on a turn, it must make a Constitution saving throw against your Focus save DC, taking force damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

The anthem of rebellion at full strength—the battlefield bends under the weight of collective power.

3rd Level: Hands of All Trades

When you take the Help action to assist with a tool check, you and your allies combine your skills. Any allied creature participating in the check that is proficient with the tool allows all involved creatures to double their proficiency bonus for that check. This feature replaces the normal benefits of the Help action for tool checks.

Hand in hand, every skilled craft strengthens the collective.

6th Level: Vanguard March

While you are not surprised, you and allies within 15 feet of you add your Wisdom modifier (minimum +1) to initiative rolls.

United vigilance lets no comrade be caught unready.

11th Level: Strike Action

When you damage a creature with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can spend 3 Focus Points (no action required) to mark it for coordinated assault for 1 minute. The next time each ally—other than you—hits the marked target with an attack, that ally deals extra damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). The effect ends if the creature dies, you mark a different creature with this feature, or you are incapacitated.

With every strike, you signal the target’s downfall, and your comrades answer in kind.

17th Level: Break the Tyrant

At 17th level, when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can attempt to shatter its defenses with the weight of the Union. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Focus save DC. On a failed save, the target’s AC is reduced by 5 and it loses all resistances and immunities until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the target instead takes 8d10 force damage.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Empowered Verdict. When you invoke Break the Tyrant, you can spend 4 Focus Points to extend the effect for 1 minute instead of 1 turn. The target repeats its Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Level 3: Heart of the Union

Beginning at 3rd level, you can call upon the collective will of your comrades to rise in solidarity. As a bonus action, you can spend Focus Points to unleash the Heart of the Union, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated or if you choose to dismiss it (no action required).

When you activate Heart of the Union, you create an emanation centered on yourself that moves with you. The effects depend on the tier you invoke.

Escalation. When you activate Heart of the Union, you can begin at any tier by paying that tier’s full Focus Point cost. While it is active, you can escalate it to a higher tier:
- Step-by-Step Escalation. You can escalate to the next tier by spending the additional Focus Point cost. This does not require an action, but you may only escalate once per turn.
- Leaping Escalation. If you escalate more than one tier at once (for example, from First Verse directly to Full Anthem), it requires a bonus action and the full Focus Point cost of the desired tier.

The effects of each tier are cumulative; when you escalate, you retain all the benefits of the previous tiers.

First Verse (3rd Level)

Cost: 2 Focus Points
Emanation Radius: 10 feet

• Solidarity Surge. Each friendly creature adds bonus damage equal to the number of other allies in the area (maximum equal to half your monk level) to the next damage roll it makes before the start of your next turn. This applies to any attack roll, including unarmed strikes, weapon attacks, and spell attacks.
• Spread the Health. Once on each of your turns when you deal damage with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can choose one friendly creature within the emanation (including yourself). That creature regains hit points equal to the damage dealt. The first time you use this feature during each activation of Heart of the Union, it costs no Focus Points. Further uses during the same activation each cost 1 Focus Point.
• Union’s Endurance. At the start of each of your turns while Heart of the Union is active, you gain temporary hit points equal to half your monk level (rounded down).

The first verse of solidarity—brief, fierce, like a strike starting at the factory gates.

Rising Chorus (6th Level)

Cost: 3 Focus Points (or +1 FP from First Verse)
Emanation Radius: 15 feet

• Solidarity Surge now applies to the first attack each turn.
• Collective Onus. When an ally within the emanation takes damage, you can use your reaction to distribute that damage among yourself and all allies in the area (minimum 1 damage each). If this damage would reduce a creature to 0 hit points, it instead drops to 1 hit point. The first time you use this feature during each activation of Heart of the Union, it costs no Focus Points. Further uses during the same activation each cost 2 Focus Points.

The chorus rises, steady and unyielding, a cadence for comrades to march to.

Crescendo (11th Level)

Cost: 4 Focus Points (or +1 FP from Rising Chorus)
Emanation Radius: 20 feet

• When a hostile creature starts its turn in the emanation or enters it for the first time on a turn, it must make a Constitution saving throw against your Focus save DC, taking force damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

The swell of voices peaks, shaking the battlefield with unstoppable unity.

Full Anthem (17th Level)

Cost: 5 Focus Points (or +1 FP from Crescendo)
Emanation Radius: 30 feet

• Solidarity Surge now applies to all attack rolls made by allies in the area.
• When a hostile creature starts its turn in the emanation or enters it for the first time on a turn, it must make a Constitution saving throw against your Focus save DC, taking force damage equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

 

Hands of All Trades

When you take the Help action to assist with a tool check, you and your allies combine your skills. Any allied creature participating in the check that is proficient with the tool allows all involved creatures to double their proficiency bonus for that check. This feature replaces the normal benefits of the Help action for tool checks.

Vanguard March

While you are not surprised, you and allies within 15 feet of you add your Wisdom modifier (minimum +1) to initiative rolls.

Level 11: Strike Action

When you damage a creature with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can spend 3 Focus Points (no action required) to mark it for coordinated assault for 1 minute. The next time each ally—other than you—hits the marked target with an attack, that ally deals extra damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). The effect ends if the creature dies, you mark a different creature with this feature, or you are incapacitated.

Level 17: Break the Tyrant

When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you can attempt to shatter its defenses with the weight of the Union. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Focus save DC. On a failed save, the target’s AC is reduced by 5 and it loses all resistances and immunities until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the target instead takes 8d10 force damage.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Empowered Verdict. When you invoke Break the Tyrant, you can spend 4 Focus Points to extend the effect for 1 minute instead of 1 turn. The target repeats its Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.