Base Class: Monk
The Law of Imitation
“To repeat another's movements is mimicry. To understand their meaning is mastery.”
A copied technique is called an Interpretation. It can resemble the original in appearance, purpose, or execution, but its mechanics are based on Monkey's own capabilities.
Three absolute rules govern Interpretations:
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No perfect copies. Monkey cannot replicate a technique's exact properties, damage, supernatural source, or special restrictions.
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No borrowed power. He supplies his own Ki, physical strength, and Chaos Flame. Observing a dragon's breath does not give him a dragon's lungs.
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No instant mastery. Observation creates knowledge. Understanding and practice make that knowledge usable.
The Three Stages of Understanding
Stage I — See No Evil
Observation • Recording • Analysis
Monkey observes a technique and records an Echo of its execution in his spiritual memory. This creates a permanent record of what he witnessed, but does not grant the technique's abilities.
Stage II — Hear No Evil
Comprehension • Adaptation • Countering
By studying an Echo, Monkey learns how its underlying principles work. He develops defenses against the technique and begins shaping an original interpretation of it.
Stage III — Speak No Evil
Expression • Creation • Refinement
Monkey brings his understanding into physical existence. A completed Interpretation becomes a technique he can prepare, practice, and gradually improve.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
I — See No Evil: Observation
When you witness a creature perform a technique, you can record it as an Echo in your spiritual memory.
You may retain an unlimited number of Echoes, even if you do not yet possess the ability to reproduce them.
Recording an Echo requires no Ki Points and does not grant the observed ability.
II — Hear No Evil: Comprehension
You can study an Echo through meditation, experimentation, combat, and training.
Once you understand its underlying principles, you can begin developing your own Interpretation.
The DM determines what observations, discoveries, or training are required to understand especially complicated techniques.
III — Speak No Evil: Creation
Once you successfully develop an Interpretation, it becomes a permanent part of your martial repertoire.
You never need to relearn it, and it cannot be replaced or forgotten through ordinary subclass mechanics.
Every Interpretation must use your own physical, spiritual, or Chaos Flame capabilities rather than duplicating its source.
Permanent Technique Rules
|
Property |
Rule |
|---|---|
|
Recorded Echoes |
Unlimited |
|
Learned Interpretations |
Unlimited |
|
Permanence |
Once mastered, permanently learned |
|
Prepared Interpretations |
No preparation required |
|
Execution |
Limited by action economy, Ki, and subclass features |
|
Exact duplication |
Impossible |
|
Technique improvement |
Permanent progression through practice |
The important change is removing prepared techniques entirely. If Monkey knows how to perform something, he can attempt it whenever he wants.
His limitations should come from what his body can accomplish, how much Ki he possesses, and how efficiently he can execute the technique, not artificial memory restrictions.
Technique Mastery
Each Interpretation progresses independently.
I
Echo
Recorded knowledge. Monkey has observed the technique but cannot perform his interpretation yet.
II
Formed
A functional original technique. Monkey can use it in combat.
III
Refined
Repeated practice improves its consistency, efficiency, or application.
IV
Mastered
Monkey has developed a mature martial technique that can be combined with other mastered principles.
How a technique advances
An Interpretation develops through meaningful achievements rather than arbitrary experience points.
For example, advancement might require Monkey to successfully execute it in combat, discover a weakness in its construction, overcome a particularly difficult opponent with it, or spend downtime refining its execution.
A technique shouldn't gain additional damage every time it advances. Refinement might instead improve its reliability, reduce its Ki cost, grant a situational application, or enable a new combination.
Stone Body and Chaos Flame Refinement
Stone Body Technique
“The stone does not resist the world. It endures until the world has passed.”
Through meditation and bodily conditioning, you develop the ability to manipulate muscular tension, skeletal alignment, and the flow of Ki throughout your body.
When you use Patient Defense or Step of the Wind, you may adopt one of the following Stone Body expressions until the start of your next turn.
Stone of Endurance
You gain temporary hit points equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).
Additionally, while those temporary hit points remain, you cannot be moved against your will by a creature no more than one size larger than you unless you are incapacitated.
Stone of Motion
Your movement speed increases by 10 feet, and moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no additional movement.
If you successfully evade an opportunity attack during this movement, your next Unarmed Strike before the end of your next turn deals additional damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Stone of Destruction
The first time you hit with an Unarmed Strike before the end of your next turn, you may add one Martial Arts die to its damage.
If the target is an object or structure, the strike deals twice its normal damage to that target.
Only one Stone Body expression can be active at a time. Its benefits do not stack with themselves.
Chaos Flame Refinement
Monkey learns to guide the Flame of Chaos into controlled manifestations without requiring a complete transformation.
Whenever he expresses an Interpretation through Speak No Evil, he can spend 1 additional Ki Point to apply one of the following refinements:
|
Refinement |
Effect |
|---|---|
|
Combustion |
The strike deals fire damage instead of its normal damage type and deals one additional Martial Arts die of fire damage. |
|
Lingering Flame |
On a hit, the target takes fire damage equal to your Wisdom modifier at the start of its next turn. This damage occurs only once. |
|
Flame Extension |
The strike's reach increases by 10 feet for that attack as Chaos Flame carries its force outward. |
|
Flame Conversion |
The strike may deal fire damage instead of its normal damage type without spending additional Ki. |
Only one refinement can affect a given Interpretation, and an Interpretation can only trigger one additional-damage effect from this feature on your turn.
Perfected Interpretation
Composite Interpretations
When two Formed or Mastered Interpretations share compatible underlying principles, Monkey can develop a Composite Interpretation that combines them into a completely original technique.
A Composite Interpretation is permanently learned and follows the same mastery progression as any other Interpretation.
A Composite can possess two different baseline expressions, but only one may grant extra damage.
Execution: Once on each of your turns, when using Flurry of Blows, you may spend 2 additional Ki Points to apply one Composite Interpretation to one strike instead of a normal Interpretation.
You cannot combine two Composites into one activation, apply more than two baseline expressions, or benefit from more than one source of additional damage granted by the Composite.
Threefold Harmony
“When the eyes understand what the ears have learned, the mouth need no longer hesitate.”
When you successfully use Hear No Evil against a recorded technique, you enter a state of heightened understanding until the end of your next turn.
During this period:
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You have advantage on the first Unarmed Strike you make against the creature whose technique you countered.
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If that strike expresses one of your Interpretations, it costs 1 fewer additional Ki Point to activate, to a minimum of 0.
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You may immediately update the corresponding Echo with any new information revealed by the technique, without additional observation or meditation.
You can benefit from the Ki reduction of Threefold Harmony only once per round.
Advanced Chaos Flame Control
At Level 11, Monkey may apply two different Chaos Flame refinements to a single Composite Interpretation, spending the normal 1 additional Ki Point for each refinement.
Only one of those refinements can add damage.
For example, Monkey might combine Flame Extension and Lingering Flame, creating a long-range burning strike without needing to make an additional attack.
The Fourth Monkey
The Fourth Monkey — Perfect Comprehension
At Level 17, you gain the following benefits:
Instinctive Observation. When a creature you can perceive uses an identifiable technique, you can record an Echo without using a reaction. This does not reveal properties you could not actually perceive.
Perfect Recall. You can recall and use any Interpretation you have permanently learned without preparing it or consulting your records.
Instant Adaptation. Once on each of your turns, when you apply a normal Interpretation through Speak No Evil, you may replace its chosen baseline expression with another compatible expression that reflects your understanding of that technique.
This does not permanently change the Interpretation.
Master's Efficiency. Once per turn, reduce the additional Ki cost of one Interpretation or Chaos Flame refinement by 1, to a minimum of 0. This benefit cannot reduce the Ki cost of Flurry of Blows itself or stack with Threefold Harmony on the same activation.
Avatar of Chaos
Once per long rest on a bonus action you can enter the Avatar of Chaos state for 1 minute.
During this state, your physical movements and spiritual expressions become harmonized, manifesting an appearance shaped by your personal understanding of Chaos.
The Avatar ends early if you are incapacitated or dismiss it as a bonus action.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before using it again, unless you spend 5 Ki Points to activate it again.
The Avatar does not automatically grant additional attacks, unlimited technique activation, or access to powers that Monkey has not personally developed.
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