The Way of the Bitter Hand was a secret technique that was created by a clan of mercenaries known as the Tarnished Blade who took an interest in alchemy, specifically crippling poisons. They sought a way to use toxins to defeat their enemies, but ran into the issue that poison was a double edged blade, often crippling the user even if care was taken. Their solution was to develop a ritual that infused themselves with certain poisons to develop immunities. This still was not enough. Eventually the alchemists of the Tarnished Blade turned to the life force known as Ki and found their answer. By mixing their alchemical rituals with the power of Ki, they could bend and channel poisons in astonishing ways. The Tarnished Blade was no more, the Bitter Hand had come.

Bitter Blows

You have undergone special rituals to internalize a variety of deadly toxins and bound them with your Ki. You spend a Ki point as a bonus action to call fourth these toxins to your unarmed attacks as well as any natural weapons you may possess. This lasts for 1 minute. When you strike a creature with an unarmed or natural attack, they must make a constitution saving throw. If they fail they are poisoned for a number of rounds equal to your wisdom modifier. If you strike a poisoned creature with Bitter Blows, they take an additional martial arts die of poison damage. You may only cause this bonus damage to a creature once per round.

In addition, you gain resistance to poison damage and make any saves against the poisoned condition with advantage.

You gain proficiency with a poisoner's kit.

 

Adaptable Toxins

By concentrating and manipulating the toxins in your body with Ki, you can cause them to rapidly adapt and overcome your foes defenses. When you strike a creature with resistance or immunity to poison damage with Bitter Blows you may spend 2 Ki points to force them to make a constitution save. If they fail, their own resistances turn against them and for a number of rounds equal to your wisdom modifier they lose any resistance or immunity to poison and additionally suffer 2 martial arts die of acid damage. If they succeed, they take half damage from the acid and suffer no additional effects.  

If you use Adaptable Toxins on a creature with no poison resistance or immunity the constitution save against Bitter Blows is made with disadvantage and they take 2 additional martial arts die of acid damage, half damage with a successful save.

If used against a creature who is already already poisoned, they take 3 martial arts die of acid damage.

In addition you are now immune to poison damage as well as to the poisoned condition, even from another practitioner of the Bitter Hand.

Toxic Accumulation

As you begin to amass larger concentrations of toxins within your victim, your poisons begin to have greater and more varied effects on them. Whenever you poison a creature with Bitter Blows you may spend 2 Ki point to inflict one of the following conditions on them. You may only inflict one of these conditions when poisoning a creature but may inflict a different one if the Poisoned is applied again.

- Optic Neuropathy: As long as the target is poisoned, they are also Blinded

- Ototoxin: As long as the target is poisoned, they are also Deafened

- Vertigo: As long as the target is poisoned, they also move at half speed and make any dexterity saves at disadvantage

- Myalgia: As long as the target is poisoned, they also deal half damage on all melee attacks and make any strength saves at disadvantage

 

 

Venomous Apotheosis

At level 17 you have reached the pinnacle of your ability to debilitate your foes. When you apply Toxic Accumulation you may instead spend 4 ki points to gain the following options:

Crippling Debilitation: As long as the victim is poisoned, on their turn they are may only choose to take one: an action, a move action, or a bonus action.

Immunosuppression: As long as the victim is poisoned, they also make any saving throws at disadvantage and cannot make any reactions. 

In addition if a creature strikes you with a unarmed strike, natural weapon, or melee touch attack you may use your reaction to force them to make a constitution save at disadvantage or suffer the poison effects of Bitter Blows. Any creatures poisoned this way may also suffer from Toxic Accumulation if you spend the requisite number Ki points. If a creature that is already poisoned strikes you and fails the constitution save, they instead are stunned until the end of your next turn as they go into shock. At the end the stunned condition their poisoned condition also ends.