Unarmored Tactics. While the monk is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier. The monk's speed increases by 20 feet while they are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. The monk can move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on their turn without falling during their move.
Purity of Body. The monk is immune to disease and poison.
Draconic Ki-Empowered Strikes. Their unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. When they damage a target with an unarmed strike, they can change the damage type to acid, cold, fire, lightning, slashing, poison, or the damage type associated with their scale type.
Evasion. If the monk is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the monk instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
Scale Type. Roll 2d8 - 1. The monk and its allies within 10 feet of the monk have resistance to the damage type associated with their scale type.
- Chromatic. Black - Acid.
- Chromatic. Blue - Lightning.
- Chromatic. Green - Poison.
- Chromatic. Red - Fire.
- Chromatic. White - Cold.
- Gem. Amethyst - Force.
- Gem. Crystal - Radiant.
- Gem. Emerald - Psychic.
- Gem. Sapphire - Thunder.
- Gem. Topaz - Necrotic.
- Metallic. Brass - Fire.
- Metallic. Bronze - Lightning.
- Metallic. Copper - Acid.
- Metallic. Gold - Fire.
- Metallic. Silver - Cold.
Gift of the Chromatic Dragon (Chromatic Only). The monk manifests some of the power of chromatic dragons, granting them the following benefits:
- Chromatic Infusion. The monk's weapon attacks are infused with one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. Weapon attacks deal an extra 1d4 damage of the chosen type when it hits.
- Shadow Dragon Magic (Green Only). 2/day each: disguise self, invisibility, pass without trace, shadow blade. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
Gift of the Gem Dragon (Gem Only). The monk manifests some of the power of gem dragons, granting them the following benefits:
- Psionic Spell. The monk knows the mage hand cantrip. They can cast it without verbal or somatic components, and they can make the spectral hand invisible. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
- Psionic Mind. The monk can send telepathic messages to any creature they can see within 30 feet of them. They don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand these messages, but it must be able to understand at least one language to comprehend them.
Gift of the Metallic Dragon (Metallic Only). The monk manifests some of the power of metallic dragons, granting them the following benefits:
- Draconic Healing. 3/day: cure wounds. The spell's spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
- Holy Rite. The monk may create holy water by performing a special ritual. The ritual takes 1 hour to perform, uses 25 gold pieces worth of powdered silver, and requires no spell slot to be expended.
Multiattack. The monk makes three weapon attacks. The monk can replace up to two of the attacks for a use of breath weapon, one use for each attack replaced.
Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the monk’s next turn.
Breath Weapon. The monk creates an exhalation of draconic energy in either a 20-foot cone or a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide (their choice). Whenever they use this trait, choose one:
- Dragon's Breath. Choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or the damage type associated with their scale type. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking damage of the chosen type equal 16 (3d10) on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- Dragon Fear. Instead of exhaling destructive energy the monk can roar, forcing each creature of their choice within 30 feet of them to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. A target automatically succeeds on the save if it can’t hear or see the monk. On a failed save, a target becomes frightened of them for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.
- Enervating Breath (Metallic Only; Recharge 6). Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become incapacitated until the start of the monk's next turn.
- Repulsion Breath (Metallic Only; Recharge 6). Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 20 feet away from the monk and be knocked prone.
Dart. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Chromatic Warding (Chromatic Only, except for Green; 1/day). The monk can channel their draconic energy to protect itself. For 1 minute, they become immune to the damage type associated with their scale type.
Draconic Stance (Recharge 5–6). The monk takes one of the following as a bonus action:
- Hydra Stance. The monk can make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action. The monk can also take one reaction on every turn in a combat until the start of their next turn.
- Dragon Turtle Stance. The monk can take the Dodge action as a bonus action. The monk also has Armor of Agathys cast when they take the Dodge; but the damage type is the one associated with their scale type.
- Wyvern Stance. The monk can take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action, and their jump distance is doubled for the turn. They can also unfurl spectral draconic wings from their back that vanish at the end of their turn. While the wings exist, they have a flying speed equal to their walking speed.
Telekinetically Shove (Gem Only). The monk can try to telekinetically shove one creature they can see within 30 feet of them. When they do so, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be moved 5 feet toward them or away from them. A creature can willingly fail this save.
Deflect Missile. In response to being hit by a ranged weapon attack, the monk deflects the missile. The damage it takes from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + 4. If the damage is reduced to 0, the monk catches the missile if it’s small enough to hold in one hand and the monk has a hand free.
Descending Dragon. The monk can use their reaction when they fall to reduce any falling damage they take by 55. At the end of a fall, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6. The creature lands prone, unless it avoids taking damage from the fall.
- Falling onto a creature. If a creature falls into the space of a second creature and neither of them is Tiny, the second creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be impacted by the falling creature, and any damage resulting from the fall is divided evenly between them. The impacted creature is also knocked prone, unless it is two or more sizes larger than the falling creature.
Reactive Resistance (Chromatic Only). When the monk takes acid, cold, fire, or lightning damage, they can use their reaction to give itself resistance to that instance of damage.
Telekinetic Reprisal (Gem Only). When the monk takes damage from a creature that is within 10 feet of it, they can use their reaction to emanate telekinetic energy. The creature that dealt damage to the monk must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 2d8 force damage and is pushed up to 10 feet away from the monk. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed.
Protective Wings (Metallic Only). The monk can manifest protective wings that can shield themselves or others. When the monk or another creature they can see within 5 feet of them is hit by an attack roll, they can use their reaction to manifest spectral wings from their back for a moment. The monk grants a plus 3 bonus to the target's AC against that attack roll, potentially causing it to miss.
Description
Dragonborn Champions. The connection between dragonborn and their draconic ancestors manifests in a variety of ways. Some dragonborn identify with a particular kind of dragon and attempt to emulate such dragons’ attitudes and behavior. Others consider their draconic heritage—chromatic, metallic, or gem—something like a large extended family. But for dragonborn champions, this bond is spiritual as much as biological, and they devote themselves to their divine ancestor. Dragonborn champions advance the cause of their dragon god among draconic creatures and other folk alike.
Half-Dragon Origin. When a dragon in polymorphed form mates with another creature, the union sometimes produces half-dragon offspring. A creature might also transform into a half-dragon as a result of a mad wizard’s spell or a ritual bath in dragon’s blood. In all these cases, the result is a creature that combines the essence of a dragon with the form of its original race. Regardless of their origins, all half-dragons have similar features and appearance, gaining special senses, resistance to destructive energy, and a breath weapon.
Draconic Nature. Half-dragons are incapable of having natural born offspring. Those that wish to propagate must find other ways to do so, almost always involving magic. By way of compensation, half-dragons are blessed with long life. Barring unforeseen misfortune, a typical half-dragon’s life expectancy is twice that of its nondraconic line, so that a half-dragon human might live more than a century and a half.
Half-dragons inherit personality traits common to their draconic heritage, so that half-gold dragons are often shy and secretive, while half-copper dragons are impish and playful. Half-green dragons are deceitful, while half-white dragons are often dim-witted brutes. These traits are tempered by a half-dragon’s other lineage, but greed, arrogance, and paranoia are qualities that even good-aligned half-dragons often possess.
Way of the Ascendant Dragon. The dragon god Bahamut is known to travel the Material Plane in the guise of a young monk, and legend says that he founded the first monastery of the Way of the Ascendant Dragon in this guise. The fundamental teaching of this tradition holds that by emulating dragons, a monk becomes a more integrated part of the world and its magic. By altering their spirit to resonate with draconic might, monks who follow this tradition augment their prowess in battle, bolster their allies, and can even soar through the air on draconic wings. But all this power is in service of a greater goal: achieving a spiritual unity with the essence of the Material Plane.
Way of the Eternal Breath. A half-dragon of the Way of the Ascendant Dragon monastery, made a sub monastery for other half-dragons and dragonborn called the Way of the Eternal Breath. A sect called the Celestial Dragon Turtle (typically metallic) was made for good, a sect called the Jade Wyvern (typically gem) for neutral, and a sect called the Dracohydra's Fury (typically chromatic) for evil. Green half-dragons and dragonborn spend some time training at a Way of Shadow monastery, during which they learn shadow magic and knowledge about shadow dragons. The monks have secret rites for changing scale color, and turning into a dragonborn or half-dragon. Martial arts adepts are disciplined monks with extensive training in hand-to-hand combat. Some protect monasteries; others travel the world seeking enlightenment or new forms of combat to master. A few become bodyguards, trading their combat prowess and loyalty for food and lodging.
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