Looking for input on the utility and balance. Let me know you think.
For context, I tried imagining the 4 Elements Monk, not as a Monk with tacked on spell-caster abilities so much as a Monk that integrated the dynamic flow of the seasons into their repertoire. This is a battlefield control character that starts off with a range of abilities and specializes somewhat the higher she goes. From a level progression perspective, the elemental abilities should feel more like an Eldritch Knight than a Hunter Ranger. That's my intention, anyway.
You follow a monastic tradition that teaches you to heighten the elemental forces around you in the natural world. Your training starts with a wide palette of abilities drawn from all 4 elements and gradually narrows as the powers you practice with develop and you choose your specialties. Central to the 4 Elements tradition is the Cycle of Transformation that one sees in the changing of the seasons as well as in the relationships between the different foundational energies of creation.
Water drives the movement of Air. Air feeds Fire. Fire consumes things, turning them to Earth (as ashes). Earth is softened or eroded by Water.
Water --> Air --> Fire --> Earth --> Water
[There was a nice MS Word formated set of pictures, but I do not know how to insert multiple pictures into this text box.]
Cycle of Transformation. Whenever your character uses a certain elemental ability, your next elemental power invocation would optimally be of the same element or the next element in the cycle. For example, after using an Earth ability, your next ability can be an Earth or Water ability at no extra expenditure of energy. Using an element one step earlier in the cycle - going from a Fire to an Air ability, for example, costs 1 additional Ki point. You cannot move more than 1 step up or down the cycle at any time. Thus you would be unable to use a Fire ability and then a Water ability immediately afterwards; you would need to cycle through an Earth ability first.
Progression of Abilities
3rd level - You can use the disciplines of any of the 4 Elements below provided that you follow the Cycle of Transformation.
6th level - You can use the disciplines of any of the 4 Elements below provided that you follow the Cycle of Transformation.
11th level - While you can continue to use lower level Elemental abilities from all four elements, from this point you can choose only disciplines belonging to two of the elements from the list. The two elements have to be adjacent in the Cycle of Transformation. For example: Earth and Water. You cannot choose Earth and Air because they are on opposite sides of the Cycle of Transformation.
17th level - While you can continue to use lower level Elemental abilities from the other elements, from this point you can choose only one discipline from one of the two of the elements that you selected from 11 level.
You learn one of the following cantrips at 3rd level and then one more at 11thlevel. These count as Monk cantrips for you. Choose from:
Elemental Attunement (see Monk section in PHB)
Air - Message (however, at least a small gap or crack between you and the receiver is necessary for this version) or Gust
Fire - Produce Flame or Control Flame
Earth - Mold Earth
Water - Frostbite or Shape Water.
You cannot have a Monk cantrip from more than one element active at a time until you reach 11th Level, when you can have two elements active at a time if they are adjacent to each other in the Cycle of Transformation.
Air Disciplines
3rd L. - Feet of Feather’s Grace. You can use Step of the Wind Monk feature without expending any Ki points a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level (rounded down) per short rest.
You may also use Feather Fall ability (as per the spell) as a reaction by spending 1 Ki point (no materials required). This affects you plus any number of creatures within 30 feet of you with a combined weight of no more than 500 lb.
6th L. - Gale Tunnel. You spend 2 Ki points and an action to create a vortex of air. Choose one of the following when you do so:
Vertical - Concentration, up to 1 minute - see Levitate spell. The creature being levitated can weigh up to 250 lb. Unlike the Wizard’s version of the spell, though, the creature levitated has disadvantage with attack rolls while being levitated due to the nature of the updraft created. From 11 level onwards, while levitating yourself or another 4 Elements monk who can access this ability, you can negate disadvantage to attack caused by levitation.
Horizontal - Instantaneous - You can hurl a object or creature away from you at rapid speed. The object or creature can weigh up to 10 lb. A stone or similarly dense object thrown this way deals 4d6 bludgeoning damage to itself and to whatever it impacts. If it would hit a creature, the creature must make a DEX saving throw to avoid being struck. An object or creature of lesser density than stone deals 2d4+1 damage to itself and to whatever it impacts. A creature or object heavier than 10 lb. but weighing less than 250 lb. is pushed back 15 feet if it fails a STR saving throw. Anything over 250 lb. Is not affected by this push ability. .
11th L. - Ride the Wind. Concentration, up to 10 min. Spend 3 Ki points and 1 action to have effect of a Fly spell on yourself. As per the spell in the PHB. No material components required.
17th L. - Storm Mantle. 3 Ki and an action to invoke. As per the Wind Wall spell in the PHB except that small projectiles blocked by this discipline may be redirected in any one direction of your choice. No concentration is required and it lasts up to 1 minute or until dismissed by you. If you move through the Wind Wall in the direction the wind blows, you take no damage and your speed is increased by 15 feet until the beginning of your next turn.
Earth Disciplines
3rd L. - Stance of the Mountain. You can augment your Patient Defense feature while remaining on the ground: you cannot be knocked prone, forced to move, or stunned by magical or non-magical means until the beginning of your next turn. You also gain resistance to non-magical piercing damage until the beginning of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level (rounded down) per short rest without spending additional Ki or spend an additional 1 Ki point to do so on top of the normal cost of Patient Defense..
6th L. - Endurant Badger Invocation. You can use your action to grant yourself Tremorsense to 20’ radius for up to 1 minute. You can sense the location and size of any creature moving on or beneath the ground for that period of time. This ability requires concentration and can be disrupted the same way that a spell can. You can use this feature once per short rest.
This feature also grants you a digging speed up to 1/3 your movement speed per round, or 2/3 your movement speed if you take the dash action. Tunnels you dig remain for 1 minute or until you use an action to collapse them, whichever is sooner. Starting at 14 level, you can use this ability twice per short rest.
11th L. - Watchful Stone Defense. Range: 60’. You can use 1 Ki point to raise a defensive barrier from earthen materials in reaction to a melee or ranged attack made against you or an ally within range. The amount of damage prevented is the same as the Deflect Missiles core Monk ability. .
17th L. - Disquietude of the Earth. Costs 3 Ki points and an action. See the Transmute Rock spell in EEPC, though range is only up to 90 feet and area of effect is a 25-foot cube. You can also reverse the effects of this spell by spending 1 Ki point and an action if you do so within 1 minute.
Water Disciplines
3rd L. - Slippery Step. You can augment your Patient Defense ability by also becoming impossible to grapple or restrain - by magical or non-magical means - until the beginning of your next turn. You can bypass the normal Ki cost of Patient Defense with this discipline a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level per short rest. You may also spend 1 Ki to invoke this ability.
6th L. - Water Whip- Range: 30 feet. You can spend 1 Ki point as an attack action to create a whip of water the shoves or pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature whose location you can clearly detect within 30 feet of you must make a DEX save. On a failed save, the creature takes 2d8+1 bludgeoning damage and if it is Large or smaller size, you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 15 feet closer to you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and you don’t pull it or knock it prone.
11th L. - Grip ofFreezing Fog. Concentration. Range: 90 feet. You can spend Ki and an action to condense water into an icy mist that causes heavy obscurement to all within. It takes 3 Ki and a drop of water to form 20 cubic feet of fog. At time of invocation, you can spend additional Ki to increase the area covered. Each additional 20 foot cube requires 2 Ki points. All creatures who start or end their turn in the mist receive 4d6 cold damage and a 1/2 reduction to their movement speed until the end of their next turn if they fail a CON save. Those who make a successful CON save take 1/2 damage and retain normal move speed.
17th L. - Embrace of the Undine. Concentration. Costs 4 Ki points, 1 action and requires at least 1 cup of water to be available. Otherwise same as Watery Sphere spell in EEPC.
Fire Discipline
3rd L. Tendril of Tartarus . You can augment your Flurry of Blows. This feature lets you increase the range of your unarmed strikes by 10’ and deal fire damage with your unarmed strikes instead of bludgeoning damage for 1 round. See Martial Arts column in the Monk level advancement table for amount of damage. In addition, one creature within 5’ of a creature you hit with your unarmed strike must make a DEX saving throw or suffer 1d6 fire damage unless that creature is already subject to fire damage from this ability. (You cannot hit the same creature with a fire tendril twice in a round.) You can use this augmentation a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level per short rest without spending Ki. You may also spend 1 Ki point to activate it.
6th L. - Infiltrator’s Ally. - Costs 2 Ki points. See Pyrotechnics spell in EEPC, but without a Verbal component.
11th L. Leap of the Crashing Comet - Costs 4 Ki points and a bonus action to turn yourself into a living fireball until the beginning of your next turn. You may use Step of the Wind at no additional Ki cost and your jump range increases by 10 feet until the beginning of your next turn. When you land from a jump, you deal 6d6 fire damage to creatures within 15’ radius of where you land unless they succeed on a DEX saving throw (taking 1/2 damage instead). The draft created by your landing causes all Large or smaller creatures within 5’ of your landing site to be knocked prone if they fail a STR saving throw. Until the beginning of your next turn, you are engulfed in flames: all your unarmed strikes do an addition 2d8 fire damage, any creature touching you suffers 1d8 fire damage, you are resistant to all fire and you are immune to your own fire. The flames from your impact with the ground spread around corners and ignite flammable materials that are not worn or carried. You shed bright light in a 30 foot radius and dim light another 30 feet.
While in this form, being immersed or doused with at least 10 cubic feet of water immediately ends this ability and you must succeed on a DC 15 CON check. Failing the check, your character attacks and saves at disadvantage until the end of the your next turn.
17th L. - Infernal’s Trail. Costs 4 Ki points and bonus action to activate. For up to 10 minutes, every square that you move past is engulfed in flames and you become immune to normal - and resistant to magical - fire damage. You may also take the Disengage action for free.
The flames produced are 20 feet high and 1 foot thick. They last until the end of your next turn. The wall that they form is opaque. Creatures beginning or ending their turn within 10’ of it suffer 4d8 fire damage. Those who cross the wall take 6d8 points of fire damage. This fire does not harm you. You may choose one side of the wall where damage inflicted is reduced to 1d8 fire damage.
For up to one minute, as long as you move at least 40 feet per round, the heat produced by your movement creates a wavering effect around you that imposes disadvantage on any creature that relies on sight to make an attack roll against you.
I'm a little confused about the design of the class. Some of the disciplines look more like permanent abilities, not like ones you cycle through.
For example, Feet of Feather's Grace is written like a normal ability, I'm confused about how you cycle through it. After you use Step of Wind, do you need to use Tendril of Tartarus?
When I first read the 11th level ability I wasn't exactly sure what it meant. Does it mean that you have access to all 3rd level and 6th level disciplines but you get the 11th and 17th disciplines of only two elements adjacent to each other in the cycle?
I'm also not sure how I feel about the cycle. I like the concept but I can also see a lot of player chaffing at it, finding it more annoying than fun.
I think the monk should be able to get a new cantrip at 6th and 17th level. That's only 4 cantrips and the majority of the time, they may opt to use their fists or special abilities before cantrips.
There are some language changes necessary.
Feet of Feather's Grace. "You can cast feather fall by spending 1 ki point. Instead of targeting 5 creatures, you target yourself plus any number of creatures within 30 feet of you with a combined weight of no more than 500 lb."
Gale Tunnel. Vertical. "You can cast levitate, but only on a target that weighs less than 250 pounds. In addition, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls. Starting at 11th level, if you are subject to this ability, you do not have disadvantage on attack rolls." Horizontal. Is this just catapult?
Ride the Wind. You can cast fly on yourself by expending 3 ki points. No material components are required.
Storm Mantle. What do you mean by "Redirected in any one direction of your choice"?
Endurant Badger Invocation. "You can use your action to grant yourself tremorsense to 20 ft radius for up to 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). You can sense the location and size of any creature moving on or beneath the ground for that period of time.
In addition, you gain a burrowing speed of one third your walking speed. Tunnels you dig remain for 1 minute or until you use an action to collapse them. You can use this ability once per short rest. Starting at 14th level, you can use this ability twice per short rest."
Watchful Stone Defense. You can expend 1 ki point to raise a defensive barrier from earthen materials as a reaction to a melee or ranged attack made against you or an ally within 60 feet. You reduce the damage by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.
Disquietude of the Earth. You can cast transmute rock by expending 3 ki points with a range of 90 feet and area of effect of a 25-foot cube. You can also reverse the effects of this spell by spending 1 Ki point and an action if you do so within 1 minute of casting the spell.
Water Whip. When you take the attack action, in replace of an attack, you can expend 1 ki point to create a whip of water that shoves or pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity save. Is the damage supposed to be "2d8+1"?
Grip of Freezing Fog is a little bit more than I can handle at this moment, I will revisit it later.
Embrace of the Undine. You can cast watery sphere by expending 4 ki points. A material component of at least 1 cup of water is required.
Tendril of Tartarus. "You can augment your Flurry of Blows. Your unarmed attacks' range increases by 10 ft and you deal fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage for one round. In addition, one creature who has not been hit with a tendril of Tartarus this round, within 5 feet of a creature you hit with your unarmed strike must make a Detxerity saving throw or take 1d6 fire damage. You can use this augmentation a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level per short rest without spending Ki. You may also spend 1 ki point to activate it."
Infiltrator’s Ally. You can cast pyrotechnics by expending 2 ki points. No verbal component is required.
Leap of the Crashing Comet "As a bonus action, you can expend 4 ki points and turn yourself into a living fireball until the beginning of your next turn. You may use Step of the Wind at no additional Ki cost and your jump range increases by 10 feet. When you land from a jump, creatures within a 15ft radius of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d6 fire damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one. Additionally, Large or smaller creatures within 5 feet of you must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone In addition, you are engulfed in flames: all your unarmed strikes do an addition 2d8 fire damage, any creature touching you suffers 1d8 fire damage, you are resistant to fire damage. The flames from your impact with the ground spread around corners and ignite flammable materials that are not worn or carried. You shed bright light in a 30 foot radius and dim light another 30 feet. This form ends early if you are immersed or doused with at least 10 cubic feet of water and you must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution check or have disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of your next turn." A question about this, Step of the wind requires your bonus action, but you've already used your bonus action, should it be "you gain the benefits of step of the wind"?
Infernal’s Trail. "As a bonus action, you can spend 4 ki points to create a trail of fire. For up to 10 minutes, every 5 foot square that you move through is engulfed in flames. The flames produced are 20 feet high and 1 foot thick. They last until the end of your next turn. The wall that they form is opaque. Creatures beginning or ending their turn within 10 feet of it suffer 4d8 fire damage. Those who cross the wall take 6d8 fire damage. This fire does not harm you. You may choose one side of the wall where the damage is only 1d8 fire damage. For the first minute, as long as you move at least 40 feet per round, creatures without blindsight or tremorsense have disadvantage on attack rolls against you. In addition, you are immune to fire damage and your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks." I think this should only be for a minute, this is incredibly powerful as is.
For Infernal's Trail and Leap of the Crashing Comet, you should add that it ends early if you are knocked unconscious.
I know this was a very long post, thank you for reading it all. I think you have a good start to a subclass! There's a number game we have to work out but we'll figure it out.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Gale Tunnel. Vertical. "You can cast levitate, but only on a target that weighs less than 250 pounds. In addition, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls. Starting at 11th level, if you are subject to this ability, you do not have disadvantage on attack rolls." Horizontal. Is this just catapult?
Its not Catapult, if you're using catapult even at 9th level the max weight the spell will move is is 40lbs. It would have to be the Telekinesis otherwise no legitimate method of forward or reverse movement.
" The Shadow Monarch is the ultimate expression of a "One Man Army" even in a team Setting his minions would act as meat shields for the allies while going on the Offensive, maybe in future version I will develop tactics and formations for the minions so the minions and party won't easily be decimated by random monsters or even the character's current enemies."
When I first read the 11th level ability I wasn't exactly sure what it meant. Does it mean that you have access to all 3rd level and 6th level disciplines but you get the 11th and 17th disciplines of only two elements adjacent to each other in the cycle?
I'm also not sure how I feel about the cycle. I like the concept but I can also see a lot of player chaffing at it, finding it more annoying than fun.
I think the monk should be able to get a new cantrip at 6th and 17th level. That's only 4 cantrips and the majority of the time, they may opt to use their fists or special abilities before cantrips.
There are some language changes necessary.
Feet of Feather's Grace. "You can cast feather fall by spending 1 ki point. Instead of targeting 5 creatures, you target yourself plus any number of creatures within 30 feet of you with a combined weight of no more than 500 lb."
Gale Tunnel. Vertical. "You can cast levitate, but only on a target that weighs less than 250 pounds. In addition, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls. Starting at 11th level, if you are subject to this ability, you do not have disadvantage on attack rolls." Horizontal. Is this just catapult?
Thanks for looking this over, Astromancer,
Since I'm running on decreasing energy myself right now, I'll just respond to your questions a chunk at a time.
I think the cycling is likely to be the most complex part for most people. It's a little difficult to process without a graphic. See this Link. In the original East Asian philosophy that inspired Avatar: the Last Airbender, which in turn helped inspire this subclass for the WotC dev team, there were 5 elements. Since the D&D lore universe only has 4, I eliminated one and simplied a few of the relationships.
So yes, cycling encourages a playstyle that emphasizes careful resource management so that the Monk's elemental abilities can be both effective and resource-mindful (the same skillset it takes to play any Monk subclass, though maybe moreso). Therefore it would be best to use abilities - whether cantrips, free augmentations of Monk base abilities, or Qi-use ones - of the same element several times until one finds it necessary to switch to that of a different element. This is part of why every element has at least 1 ability that the Monk can use without expending Qi a few times per short rest. This allows for much greater variety at lower levels while narrowing down to the more powerful ones at higher levels. Any 4 Elemnts Monk of level 6 or higher can use any of the Air, Fire, Earth or Water abilities minus certain cantrips that are designated for 3rd or 6th level. By 11th level, specialized training forces the Monk to choose between higher level abilities that align with 2 out of the 4 elements. This gets more narrow at 17th level. This is is supposed to mirror how spell casters have only one 9th level spell slot. So, yes, you managed to make sense of my writing!
Maybe you are right about the cantrips. I restricted it to only two to minimize direct comparisons to 1/3 caster sub-classes like the ATrickster and the EKnight.
No, the horizontal Gale Tunnel ability for the Air Element is more complex than Catapult in that it also allows for the Monk to push creatures away, not just injure them. This might be a case of me wanting an ability to imitate the animated series a bit much, but to my mind, if you can manipulate the winds to blow someone away, you should also be able to fling a 10 lb. object at them with great force.
I think the cycling is likely to be the most complex part for most people. It's a little difficult to process without a graphic. See this Link. In the original East Asian philosophy that inspired Avatar: the Last Airbender, which in turn helped inspire this subclass for the WotC dev team, there were 5 elements. Since the D&D lore universe only has 4, I eliminated one and simplified a few of the relationships.
So yes, cycling encourages a play style that emphasizes careful resource management so that the Monk's elemental abilities can be both effective and resource-mindful (the same skill set it takes to play any Monk subclass, though maybe more so).
I understand the concept behind it. I don't think player will like it. I can see them wanting to use Slippery Step and then Tendrils of Tartarus and being really frustrated they instead have to spend their bonus action using Feet of Feather's Grace.
I'm curious what you imagine combat looks like for a Way of the Four Elements monk. For example: I'm playing a 6th level WotFE monk and I begin with using Endurant Badger Invocation (Could I use other abilities while the minute is still going?). For now, lets say I can. I then Use Stance of the Mountain, then I spend a ki point to go back through the cycle and use Tendrils of Tartarus and then Stance of the Mountain again (we're fighting a group of archers). I then use Slippery Step and I move through the cycle to Earth. But I have no Earth Disciplines left! Do I have to spend a ki point on it? What if I have none left? Do I have to waste my action casting mold earth? What if I don't have that cantrip? Am I stuck? Is this what you mean by "careful resource management"? It seems more like a moment of realization on the player's part as they look at their DM and their DM shrugs, saying "That's what the rules say."
This is slightly tangential and would likely cause more problems than solve it but the original Way of the Four Elements supported all types of Avatar benders, even ones that were limited to one element. Can this subclass support that play style?
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Sorry for not yet getting to the rest of your first post. However, to answer your immediate question and probably what would be the most puzzle-like part of this version of the 4 Elements Monk, it's actually fairly easy if you choose to stick to just one element. As a 4 Elements Monk, you can just keep using Earth abilities over and over again to your heart's content as long as you have Ki points left. It would also not cost any Ki to utilize Earth cantrips.
Now, in the situation you laid out, where you are part of a group fighting some enemy archers, how does one best use this sub-class's abilities? Let's say you start by invoking Stance of the Mountain on yourself to get resistance to piercing damage. If the archers are targeting the squishier party members, you can use Endurant Badger Invocation for 1 Ki point. It probably would not be wise to use Tendrils of Tartarus due to the additional Ki cost. Probably, the easiest solution is to run up the archers and bop them with your base class monk unarmed strikes. However, if you are dealing with terrain problems or the archers are behind a wall, you can utilize Water Whip for 1 Ki point to shove them back them, improvise a solution by using Mold Earth (no Ki cost) to dig a trench for your allies to hide behind, or, at high enough level, use Grip of Freezing Fog at 3 Ki points to both hurt those enemy archers and disrupt their visibility.
While I agree with your idea of tactics, my main concern I was bringing up was what happens after you run out of disciplines. Must you spend ki to keep it moving? Ask yourself: would players find it fun if they have to spend additional ki? Or as in the example above, would players be angry and frustrated with the subclass?
Also, in my example, regardless of its quality tactically speaking, is this how the cycle works?
I think you’re missing the point with this concern. A Way of the 4 elements monk who is using only one element gets exactly one use of their 3rd level ability while a –for lack of a better word– Avatar gets 4 uses. Sure, it’s one use of 4 abilities but that’s still three more things they can do that a single element monk can’t.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
I am confused by "run out of disciplines". All Monks in D&D are quite dependent on Ki points to fuel the majority of their combat abilities, from Stunning Strike to Flurry of Blows. This 4 Elements Monk version is no different in that regard. She/he/they can use their 3rd level ability as many times as they have Ki to spend on it between short rests. In fact, I wrote that they would get free uses of most 3rd level abilities a # of times equal to 1/3 their Monk level, which significantly cuts down on Ki usage compared to the PHB version of this sub-class.
In a way, you’ve answered my questions without understanding them. What I meant by running out of disciplines was running out of uses that didn't expend ki.
I love the idea of layering abilities on top of preexisting ki and I think you do a good job of that, giving options that don’t tax ki. But, it’s worth pointing out that for Tendrils of Tartarus, Stance of the Mountain, and Slippery Step all layer on top of ki. So a third level monk can only complete the cycle once before needing to take a short rest.
Our single element monk would only be able to use their ability twice unless they were an air monk and they would only get a free dash or disengage and safety if they find themselves falling and if they haven’t already spent ki on flurry of blows.
Edit: It occurs to me that I've been criticizing the design the cycle without proposing an alternative, which I know to be very frustrating. I think doing away with the cycle is the right move. I think you can still talk about the cycle in the lore, maybe even offer an optional feature where you gain some bonus or regain a ki point if you follow the cycle. The 3rd level disciplines could be combined into one "Elemental Ki" feature, with uses equal to your monk level + 1. So a single element monk still can participate, I would add some spells from the original Way of the Four Elements in at 11th level.
I really like this subclass, don't get me wrong, I just worry about how much people will enjoy it.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Right. Well, low level monks are quite short on Ki. It's one of the reasons they have less survivability than Rogues. I guess I had not considered completely resource/worry-free version of most abilities b/c that seems to go against the design philosophy of the Sun Soul, 4 Elements, and Shadow subclasses.
I think that recharging Ki by following the Elemental cycle would be overpowered unless I were to increase the cost of abilities.
I suppose it would still fit the theme if the monk could go back one step in the cycle without spending more Ki, and only instill a penalty for using the opposite element, like trying to use an Air ability after using an Earth ability.
Water Whip. When you take the attack action, in replace of an attack, you can expend 1 ki point to create a whip of water that shoves or pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity save. Is the damage supposed to be "2d8+1"?
Grip of Freezing Fog is a little bit more than I can handle at this moment, I will revisit it later.
Leap of the Crashing Comet "As a bonus action, you can expend 4 ki points and turn yourself into a living fireball until the beginning of your next turn. You may use Step of the Wind at no additional Ki cost and your jump range increases by 10 feet. When you land from a jump, creatures within a 15ft radius of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d6 fire damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one. Additionally, Large or smaller creatures within 5 feet of you must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone In addition, you are engulfed in flames: all your unarmed strikes do an addition 2d8 fire damage, any creature touching you suffers 1d8 fire damage, you are resistant to fire damage. The flames from your impact with the ground spread around corners and ignite flammable materials that are not worn or carried. You shed bright light in a 30 foot radius and dim light another 30 feet. This form ends early if you are immersed or doused with at least 10 cubic feet of water and you must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution check or have disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of your next turn." A question about this, Step of the wind requires your bonus action, but you've already used your bonus action, should it be "you gain the benefits of step of the wind"?
Infernal’s Trail. "As a bonus action, you can spend 4 ki points to create a trail of fire. For up to 10 minutes, every 5 foot square that you move through is engulfed in flames. The flames produced are 20 feet high and 1 foot thick. They last until the end of your next turn. The wall that they form is opaque. Creatures beginning or ending their turn within 10 feet of it suffer 4d8 fire damage. Those who cross the wall take 6d8 fire damage. This fire does not harm you. You may choose one side of the wall where the damage is only 1d8 fire damage. For the first minute, as long as you move at least 40 feet per round, creatures without blindsight or tremorsense have disadvantage on attack rolls against you. In addition, you are immune to fire damage and your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks." I think this should only be for a minute, this is incredibly powerful as is.
For Infernal's Trail and Leap of the Crashing Comet, you should add that it ends early if you are knocked unconscious.
I know this was a very long post, thank you for reading it all. I think you have a good start to a subclass! There's a number game we have to work out but we'll figure it out.
Yes, I will add that Infernal's Trail and Leap of the Crashing Comet cancel when Monk is made unconscious.
Right, I think one minute for the Infernal's Trail makes sense. I tried to balance it by basing it on the Monk's own movement, therefore, restraining or paralyzing the Monk will also end the ability.
Yes, I put 2d8+1 bludgeon damage for the Water Whip on purpose. Is that too powerful?
I was also thinking of making that ability and the Tendrils of Tartarus scale by level, though at a somewhat slower pace than cantrips. Would that be too much?
In a way, you’ve answered my questions without understanding them. What I meant by running out of disciplines was running out of uses that didn't expend ki.
I love the idea of layering abilities on top of preexisting ki and I think you do a good job of that, giving options that don’t tax ki. But, it’s worth pointing out that for Tendrils of Tartarus, Stance of the Mountain, and Slippery Step all layer on top of ki. So a third level monk can only complete the cycle once before needing to take a short rest.
Our single element monk would only be able to use their ability twice unless they were an air monk and they would only get a free dash or disengage and safety if they find themselves falling and if they haven’t already spent ki on flurry of blows.
@Astromancer
After giving it some more thought, I think that the way to both encourage creative use of elemental powers and to make the this version of the subclass more sustainable than the version in the PHB is to:
A) follow your suggestion of allowing some Ki point recharge after completing the cycle - perhaps 2 Ki points for successfully using 5 different elements in a row, at least 4 of which must be while in high adrenalin situation (usually combat). This would prevent the player from spamming cantrips between combat soley to recover all of their Ki points.
B) create more ability options that cost only 1 Ki point or nothing at all. This might mean decreasing the power of some the abilities or modding 1st level spells into elemental-related Monk abilities.
Anyway, thank you for the input. I feel that retaining the cycle in some form is still the way to go in terms of allowing for elemental variety while also limiting options so that the Monk does not feel like a Sorcerer.
Looking for input on the utility and balance. Let me know you think.
For context, I tried imagining the 4 Elements Monk, not as a Monk with tacked on spell-caster abilities so much as a Monk that integrated the dynamic flow of the seasons into their repertoire. This is a battlefield control character that starts off with a range of abilities and specializes somewhat the higher she goes. From a level progression perspective, the elemental abilities should feel more like an Eldritch Knight than a Hunter Ranger. That's my intention, anyway.
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Way of the 4 Elements Monk
You follow a monastic tradition that teaches you to heighten the elemental forces around you in the natural world. Your training starts with a wide palette of abilities drawn from all 4 elements and gradually narrows as the powers you practice with develop and you choose your specialties. Central to the 4 Elements tradition is the Cycle of Transformation that one sees in the changing of the seasons as well as in the relationships between the different foundational energies of creation.
Water drives the movement of Air. Air feeds Fire. Fire consumes things, turning them to Earth (as ashes). Earth is softened or eroded by Water.
Water --> Air --> Fire --> Earth --> Water
[There was a nice MS Word formated set of pictures, but I do not know how to insert multiple pictures into this text box.]
Cycle of Transformation. Whenever your character uses a certain elemental ability, your next elemental power invocation would optimally be of the same element or the next element in the cycle. For example, after using an Earth ability, your next ability can be an Earth or Water ability at no extra expenditure of energy. Using an element one step earlier in the cycle - going from a Fire to an Air ability, for example, costs 1 additional Ki point. You cannot move more than 1 step up or down the cycle at any time. Thus you would be unable to use a Fire ability and then a Water ability immediately afterwards; you would need to cycle through an Earth ability first.
Progression of Abilities
3rd level - You can use the disciplines of any of the 4 Elements below provided that you follow the Cycle of Transformation.
6th level - You can use the disciplines of any of the 4 Elements below provided that you follow the Cycle of Transformation.
11th level - While you can continue to use lower level Elemental abilities from all four elements, from this point you can choose only disciplines belonging to two of the elements from the list. The two elements have to be adjacent in the Cycle of Transformation. For example: Earth and Water. You cannot choose Earth and Air because they are on opposite sides of the Cycle of Transformation.
17th level - While you can continue to use lower level Elemental abilities from the other elements, from this point you can choose only one discipline from one of the two of the elements that you selected from 11 level.
You learn one of the following cantrips at 3rd level and then one more at 11thlevel. These count as Monk cantrips for you. Choose from:
Elemental Attunement (see Monk section in PHB)
Air - Message (however, at least a small gap or crack between you and the receiver is necessary for this version) or Gust
Fire - Produce Flame or Control Flame
Earth - Mold Earth
Water - Frostbite or Shape Water.
You cannot have a Monk cantrip from more than one element active at a time until you reach 11th Level, when you can have two elements active at a time if they are adjacent to each other in the Cycle of Transformation.
Air Disciplines
3rd L. - Feet of Feather’s Grace. You can use Step of the Wind Monk feature without expending any Ki points a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level (rounded down) per short rest.
You may also use Feather Fall ability (as per the spell) as a reaction by spending 1 Ki point (no materials required). This affects you plus any number of creatures within 30 feet of you with a combined weight of no more than 500 lb.
6th L. - Gale Tunnel. You spend 2 Ki points and an action to create a vortex of air. Choose one of the following when you do so:
Vertical - Concentration, up to 1 minute - see Levitate spell. The creature being levitated can weigh up to 250 lb. Unlike the Wizard’s version of the spell, though, the creature levitated has disadvantage with attack rolls while being levitated due to the nature of the updraft created. From 11 level onwards, while levitating yourself or another 4 Elements monk who can access this ability, you can negate disadvantage to attack caused by levitation.
Horizontal - Instantaneous - You can hurl a object or creature away from you at rapid speed. The object or creature can weigh up to 10 lb. A stone or similarly dense object thrown this way deals 4d6 bludgeoning damage to itself and to whatever it impacts. If it would hit a creature, the creature must make a DEX saving throw to avoid being struck. An object or creature of lesser density than stone deals 2d4+1 damage to itself and to whatever it impacts. A creature or object heavier than 10 lb. but weighing less than 250 lb. is pushed back 15 feet if it fails a STR saving throw. Anything over 250 lb. Is not affected by this push ability. .
11th L. - Ride the Wind. Concentration, up to 10 min. Spend 3 Ki points and 1 action to have effect of a Fly spell on yourself. As per the spell in the PHB. No material components required.
17th L. - Storm Mantle. 3 Ki and an action to invoke. As per the Wind Wall spell in the PHB except that small projectiles blocked by this discipline may be redirected in any one direction of your choice. No concentration is required and it lasts up to 1 minute or until dismissed by you. If you move through the Wind Wall in the direction the wind blows, you take no damage and your speed is increased by 15 feet until the beginning of your next turn.
Earth Disciplines
3rd L. - Stance of the Mountain. You can augment your Patient Defense feature while remaining on the ground: you cannot be knocked prone, forced to move, or stunned by magical or non-magical means until the beginning of your next turn. You also gain resistance to non-magical piercing damage until the beginning of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level (rounded down) per short rest without spending additional Ki or spend an additional 1 Ki point to do so on top of the normal cost of Patient Defense..
6th L. - Endurant Badger Invocation. You can use your action to grant yourself Tremorsense to 20’ radius for up to 1 minute. You can sense the location and size of any creature moving on or beneath the ground for that period of time. This ability requires concentration and can be disrupted the same way that a spell can. You can use this feature once per short rest.
This feature also grants you a digging speed up to 1/3 your movement speed per round, or 2/3 your movement speed if you take the dash action. Tunnels you dig remain for 1 minute or until you use an action to collapse them, whichever is sooner. Starting at 14 level, you can use this ability twice per short rest.
11th L. - Watchful Stone Defense. Range: 60’. You can use 1 Ki point to raise a defensive barrier from earthen materials in reaction to a melee or ranged attack made against you or an ally within range. The amount of damage prevented is the same as the Deflect Missiles core Monk ability. .
17th L. - Disquietude of the Earth. Costs 3 Ki points and an action. See the Transmute Rock spell in EEPC, though range is only up to 90 feet and area of effect is a 25-foot cube. You can also reverse the effects of this spell by spending 1 Ki point and an action if you do so within 1 minute.
Water Disciplines
3rd L. - Slippery Step. You can augment your Patient Defense ability by also becoming impossible to grapple or restrain - by magical or non-magical means - until the beginning of your next turn. You can bypass the normal Ki cost of Patient Defense with this discipline a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level per short rest. You may also spend 1 Ki to invoke this ability.
6th L. - Water Whip- Range: 30 feet. You can spend 1 Ki point as an attack action to create a whip of water the shoves or pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature whose location you can clearly detect within 30 feet of you must make a DEX save. On a failed save, the creature takes 2d8+1 bludgeoning damage and if it is Large or smaller size, you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 15 feet closer to you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and you don’t pull it or knock it prone.
11th L. - Grip of Freezing Fog. Concentration. Range: 90 feet. You can spend Ki and an action to condense water into an icy mist that causes heavy obscurement to all within. It takes 3 Ki and a drop of water to form 20 cubic feet of fog. At time of invocation, you can spend additional Ki to increase the area covered. Each additional 20 foot cube requires 2 Ki points. All creatures who start or end their turn in the mist receive 4d6 cold damage and a 1/2 reduction to their movement speed until the end of their next turn if they fail a CON save. Those who make a successful CON save take 1/2 damage and retain normal move speed.
17th L. - Embrace of the Undine. Concentration. Costs 4 Ki points, 1 action and requires at least 1 cup of water to be available. Otherwise same as Watery Sphere spell in EEPC.
Fire Discipline
3rd L. Tendril of Tartarus . You can augment your Flurry of Blows. This feature lets you increase the range of your unarmed strikes by 10’ and deal fire damage with your unarmed strikes instead of bludgeoning damage for 1 round. See Martial Arts column in the Monk level advancement table for amount of damage. In addition, one creature within 5’ of a creature you hit with your unarmed strike must make a DEX saving throw or suffer 1d6 fire damage unless that creature is already subject to fire damage from this ability. (You cannot hit the same creature with a fire tendril twice in a round.) You can use this augmentation a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level per short rest without spending Ki. You may also spend 1 Ki point to activate it.
6th L. - Infiltrator’s Ally. - Costs 2 Ki points. See Pyrotechnics spell in EEPC, but without a Verbal component.
11th L. Leap of the Crashing Comet - Costs 4 Ki points and a bonus action to turn yourself into a living fireball until the beginning of your next turn. You may use Step of the Wind at no additional Ki cost and your jump range increases by 10 feet until the beginning of your next turn. When you land from a jump, you deal 6d6 fire damage to creatures within 15’ radius of where you land unless they succeed on a DEX saving throw (taking 1/2 damage instead). The draft created by your landing causes all Large or smaller creatures within 5’ of your landing site to be knocked prone if they fail a STR saving throw. Until the beginning of your next turn, you are engulfed in flames: all your unarmed strikes do an addition 2d8 fire damage, any creature touching you suffers 1d8 fire damage, you are resistant to all fire and you are immune to your own fire. The flames from your impact with the ground spread around corners and ignite flammable materials that are not worn or carried. You shed bright light in a 30 foot radius and dim light another 30 feet.
While in this form, being immersed or doused with at least 10 cubic feet of water immediately ends this ability and you must succeed on a DC 15 CON check. Failing the check, your character attacks and saves at disadvantage until the end of the your next turn.
17th L. - Infernal’s Trail. Costs 4 Ki points and bonus action to activate. For up to 10 minutes, every square that you move past is engulfed in flames and you become immune to normal - and resistant to magical - fire damage. You may also take the Disengage action for free.
The flames produced are 20 feet high and 1 foot thick. They last until the end of your next turn. The wall that they form is opaque. Creatures beginning or ending their turn within 10’ of it suffer 4d8 fire damage. Those who cross the wall take 6d8 points of fire damage. This fire does not harm you. You may choose one side of the wall where damage inflicted is reduced to 1d8 fire damage.
For up to one minute, as long as you move at least 40 feet per round, the heat produced by your movement creates a wavering effect around you that imposes disadvantage on any creature that relies on sight to make an attack roll against you.
I'm a little confused about the design of the class. Some of the disciplines look more like permanent abilities, not like ones you cycle through.
For example, Feet of Feather's Grace is written like a normal ability, I'm confused about how you cycle through it. After you use Step of Wind, do you need to use Tendril of Tartarus?
When I first read the 11th level ability I wasn't exactly sure what it meant. Does it mean that you have access to all 3rd level and 6th level disciplines but you get the 11th and 17th disciplines of only two elements adjacent to each other in the cycle?
I'm also not sure how I feel about the cycle. I like the concept but I can also see a lot of player chaffing at it, finding it more annoying than fun.
I think the monk should be able to get a new cantrip at 6th and 17th level. That's only 4 cantrips and the majority of the time, they may opt to use their fists or special abilities before cantrips.
There are some language changes necessary.
Feet of Feather's Grace. "You can cast feather fall by spending 1 ki point. Instead of targeting 5 creatures, you target yourself plus any number of creatures within 30 feet of you with a combined weight of no more than 500 lb."
Gale Tunnel. Vertical. "You can cast levitate, but only on a target that weighs less than 250 pounds. In addition, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls. Starting at 11th level, if you are subject to this ability, you do not have disadvantage on attack rolls."
Horizontal. Is this just catapult?
Ride the Wind. You can cast fly on yourself by expending 3 ki points. No material components are required.
Storm Mantle. What do you mean by "Redirected in any one direction of your choice"?
Endurant Badger Invocation. "You can use your action to grant yourself tremorsense to 20 ft radius for up to 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). You can sense the location and size of any creature moving on or beneath the ground for that period of time.
In addition, you gain a burrowing speed of one third your walking speed. Tunnels you dig remain for 1 minute or until you use an action to collapse them. You can use this ability once per short rest. Starting at 14th level, you can use this ability twice per short rest."
Watchful Stone Defense. You can expend 1 ki point to raise a defensive barrier from earthen materials as a reaction to a melee or ranged attack made against you or an ally within 60 feet. You reduce the damage by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.
Disquietude of the Earth. You can cast transmute rock by expending 3 ki points with a range of 90 feet and area of effect of a 25-foot cube. You can also reverse the effects of this spell by spending 1 Ki point and an action if you do so within 1 minute of casting the spell.
Water Whip. When you take the attack action, in replace of an attack, you can expend 1 ki point to create a whip of water that shoves or pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity save. Is the damage supposed to be "2d8+1"?
Grip of Freezing Fog is a little bit more than I can handle at this moment, I will revisit it later.
Embrace of the Undine. You can cast watery sphere by expending 4 ki points. A material component of at least 1 cup of water is required.
Tendril of Tartarus. "You can augment your Flurry of Blows. Your unarmed attacks' range increases by 10 ft and you deal fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage for one round.
In addition, one creature who has not been hit with a tendril of Tartarus this round, within 5 feet of a creature you hit with your unarmed strike must make a Detxerity saving throw or take 1d6 fire damage. You can use this augmentation a number of times equal to 1/3 your monk level per short rest without spending Ki. You may also spend 1 ki point to activate it."
Infiltrator’s Ally. You can cast pyrotechnics by expending 2 ki points. No verbal component is required.
Leap of the Crashing Comet "As a bonus action, you can expend 4 ki points and turn yourself into a living fireball until the beginning of your next turn. You may use Step of the Wind at no additional Ki cost and your jump range increases by 10 feet. When you land from a jump, creatures within a 15ft radius of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d6 fire damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one. Additionally, Large or smaller creatures within 5 feet of you must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone
In addition, you are engulfed in flames: all your unarmed strikes do an addition 2d8 fire damage, any creature touching you suffers 1d8 fire damage, you are resistant to fire damage. The flames from your impact with the ground spread around corners and ignite flammable materials that are not worn or carried. You shed bright light in a 30 foot radius and dim light another 30 feet.
This form ends early if you are immersed or doused with at least 10 cubic feet of water and you must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution check or have disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of your next turn."
A question about this, Step of the wind requires your bonus action, but you've already used your bonus action, should it be "you gain the benefits of step of the wind"?
Infernal’s Trail. "As a bonus action, you can spend 4 ki points to create a trail of fire. For up to 10 minutes, every 5 foot square that you move through is engulfed in flames. The flames produced are 20 feet high and 1 foot thick. They last until the end of your next turn. The wall that they form is opaque. Creatures beginning or ending their turn within 10 feet of it suffer 4d8 fire damage. Those who cross the wall take 6d8 fire damage. This fire does not harm you. You may choose one side of the wall where the damage is only 1d8 fire damage.
For the first minute, as long as you move at least 40 feet per round, creatures without blindsight or tremorsense have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
In addition, you are immune to fire damage and your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks."
I think this should only be for a minute, this is incredibly powerful as is.
For Infernal's Trail and Leap of the Crashing Comet, you should add that it ends early if you are knocked unconscious.
I know this was a very long post, thank you for reading it all. I think you have a good start to a subclass! There's a number game we have to work out but we'll figure it out.
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Its not Catapult, if you're using catapult even at 9th level the max weight the spell will move is is 40lbs. It would have to be the Telekinesis otherwise no legitimate method of forward or reverse movement.
Thanks for looking this over, Astromancer,
Since I'm running on decreasing energy myself right now, I'll just respond to your questions a chunk at a time.
I think the cycling is likely to be the most complex part for most people. It's a little difficult to process without a graphic. See this Link. In the original East Asian philosophy that inspired Avatar: the Last Airbender, which in turn helped inspire this subclass for the WotC dev team, there were 5 elements. Since the D&D lore universe only has 4, I eliminated one and simplied a few of the relationships.
So yes, cycling encourages a playstyle that emphasizes careful resource management so that the Monk's elemental abilities can be both effective and resource-mindful (the same skillset it takes to play any Monk subclass, though maybe moreso). Therefore it would be best to use abilities - whether cantrips, free augmentations of Monk base abilities, or Qi-use ones - of the same element several times until one finds it necessary to switch to that of a different element. This is part of why every element has at least 1 ability that the Monk can use without expending Qi a few times per short rest. This allows for much greater variety at lower levels while narrowing down to the more powerful ones at higher levels. Any 4 Elemnts Monk of level 6 or higher can use any of the Air, Fire, Earth or Water abilities minus certain cantrips that are designated for 3rd or 6th level. By 11th level, specialized training forces the Monk to choose between higher level abilities that align with 2 out of the 4 elements. This gets more narrow at 17th level. This is is supposed to mirror how spell casters have only one 9th level spell slot. So, yes, you managed to make sense of my writing!
Maybe you are right about the cantrips. I restricted it to only two to minimize direct comparisons to 1/3 caster sub-classes like the ATrickster and the EKnight.
No, the horizontal Gale Tunnel ability for the Air Element is more complex than Catapult in that it also allows for the Monk to push creatures away, not just injure them. This might be a case of me wanting an ability to imitate the animated series a bit much, but to my mind, if you can manipulate the winds to blow someone away, you should also be able to fling a 10 lb. object at them with great force.
I understand the concept behind it. I don't think player will like it. I can see them wanting to use Slippery Step and then Tendrils of Tartarus and being really frustrated they instead have to spend their bonus action using Feet of Feather's Grace.
I'm curious what you imagine combat looks like for a Way of the Four Elements monk. For example: I'm playing a 6th level WotFE monk and I begin with using Endurant Badger Invocation (Could I use other abilities while the minute is still going?). For now, lets say I can. I then Use Stance of the Mountain, then I spend a ki point to go back through the cycle and use Tendrils of Tartarus and then Stance of the Mountain again (we're fighting a group of archers). I then use Slippery Step and I move through the cycle to Earth. But I have no Earth Disciplines left! Do I have to spend a ki point on it? What if I have none left? Do I have to waste my action casting mold earth? What if I don't have that cantrip? Am I stuck?
Is this what you mean by "careful resource management"? It seems more like a moment of realization on the player's part as they look at their DM and their DM shrugs, saying "That's what the rules say."
This is slightly tangential and would likely cause more problems than solve it but the original Way of the Four Elements supported all types of Avatar benders, even ones that were limited to one element. Can this subclass support that play style?
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Hello again,
Sorry for not yet getting to the rest of your first post. However, to answer your immediate question and probably what would be the most puzzle-like part of this version of the 4 Elements Monk, it's actually fairly easy if you choose to stick to just one element. As a 4 Elements Monk, you can just keep using Earth abilities over and over again to your heart's content as long as you have Ki points left. It would also not cost any Ki to utilize Earth cantrips.
Now, in the situation you laid out, where you are part of a group fighting some enemy archers, how does one best use this sub-class's abilities? Let's say you start by invoking Stance of the Mountain on yourself to get resistance to piercing damage. If the archers are targeting the squishier party members, you can use Endurant Badger Invocation for 1 Ki point. It probably would not be wise to use Tendrils of Tartarus due to the additional Ki cost. Probably, the easiest solution is to run up the archers and bop them with your base class monk unarmed strikes. However, if you are dealing with terrain problems or the archers are behind a wall, you can utilize Water Whip for 1 Ki point to shove them back them, improvise a solution by using Mold Earth (no Ki cost) to dig a trench for your allies to hide behind, or, at high enough level, use Grip of Freezing Fog at 3 Ki points to both hurt those enemy archers and disrupt their visibility.
While I agree with your idea of tactics, my main concern I was bringing up was what happens after you run out of disciplines. Must you spend ki to keep it moving? Ask yourself: would players find it fun if they have to spend additional ki? Or as in the example above, would players be angry and frustrated with the subclass?
Also, in my example, regardless of its quality tactically speaking, is this how the cycle works?
I think you’re missing the point with this concern. A Way of the 4 elements monk who is using only one element gets exactly one use of their 3rd level ability while a –for lack of a better word– Avatar gets 4 uses. Sure, it’s one use of 4 abilities but that’s still three more things they can do that a single element monk can’t.
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
I am confused by "run out of disciplines". All Monks in D&D are quite dependent on Ki points to fuel the majority of their combat abilities, from Stunning Strike to Flurry of Blows. This 4 Elements Monk version is no different in that regard. She/he/they can use their 3rd level ability as many times as they have Ki to spend on it between short rests. In fact, I wrote that they would get free uses of most 3rd level abilities a # of times equal to 1/3 their Monk level, which significantly cuts down on Ki usage compared to the PHB version of this sub-class.
In a way, you’ve answered my questions without understanding them. What I meant by running out of disciplines was running out of uses that didn't expend ki.
I love the idea of layering abilities on top of preexisting ki and I think you do a good job of that, giving options that don’t tax ki. But, it’s worth pointing out that for Tendrils of Tartarus, Stance of the Mountain, and Slippery Step all layer on top of ki. So a third level monk can only complete the cycle once before needing to take a short rest.
Our single element monk would only be able to use their ability twice unless they were an air monk and they would only get a free dash or disengage and safety if they find themselves falling and if they haven’t already spent ki on flurry of blows.
Edit: It occurs to me that I've been criticizing the design the cycle without proposing an alternative, which I know to be very frustrating. I think doing away with the cycle is the right move. I think you can still talk about the cycle in the lore, maybe even offer an optional feature where you gain some bonus or regain a ki point if you follow the cycle. The 3rd level disciplines could be combined into one "Elemental Ki" feature, with uses equal to your monk level + 1. So a single element monk still can participate, I would add some spells from the original Way of the Four Elements in at 11th level.
I really like this subclass, don't get me wrong, I just worry about how much people will enjoy it.
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Right. Well, low level monks are quite short on Ki. It's one of the reasons they have less survivability than Rogues. I guess I had not considered completely resource/worry-free version of most abilities b/c that seems to go against the design philosophy of the Sun Soul, 4 Elements, and Shadow subclasses.
I think that recharging Ki by following the Elemental cycle would be overpowered unless I were to increase the cost of abilities.
I suppose it would still fit the theme if the monk could go back one step in the cycle without spending more Ki, and only instill a penalty for using the opposite element, like trying to use an Air ability after using an Earth ability.
Yes, I will add that Infernal's Trail and Leap of the Crashing Comet cancel when Monk is made unconscious.
Right, I think one minute for the Infernal's Trail makes sense. I tried to balance it by basing it on the Monk's own movement, therefore, restraining or paralyzing the Monk will also end the ability.
Yes, I put 2d8+1 bludgeon damage for the Water Whip on purpose. Is that too powerful?
I was also thinking of making that ability and the Tendrils of Tartarus scale by level, though at a somewhat slower pace than cantrips. Would that be too much?
@Astromancer
After giving it some more thought, I think that the way to both encourage creative use of elemental powers and to make the this version of the subclass more sustainable than the version in the PHB is to:
A) follow your suggestion of allowing some Ki point recharge after completing the cycle - perhaps 2 Ki points for successfully using 5 different elements in a row, at least 4 of which must be while in high adrenalin situation (usually combat). This would prevent the player from spamming cantrips between combat soley to recover all of their Ki points.
B) create more ability options that cost only 1 Ki point or nothing at all. This might mean decreasing the power of some the abilities or modding 1st level spells into elemental-related Monk abilities.
Anyway, thank you for the input. I feel that retaining the cycle in some form is still the way to go in terms of allowing for elemental variety while also limiting options so that the Monk does not feel like a Sorcerer.
Commenting here to save this for future use, because I really enjoy the disciplines that you laid out and the concept of a cycle.
Thank you.