Way of the Waterfist

You follow a monastic tradition that teaches you to harness the element of water in three martial forms. When you focus your ki, you can align yourself with the forces that created water and bend it to your will, using it as an extension of your own body.

Many monks of this tradition tattoo their bodies with representations of their ki powers, such as cresting waves, lines of poetry, or water-dwelling creatures such as dragon turtles.

Three-Form Fist

At 3rd level, you begin to learn three magical combat forms, known as fists, which channel elemental water in its various physical states. You can learn a fist of your choice from this list. You can learn an additional fist of your choice from this list at 6th and 11th level.

When you use Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, or Step of the Wind, you can begin using a fist that you have learned, gaining its listed benefits for 1 minute. If you begin using a fist while you are already using another fist, the previous fist immediately ends. You can also use your bonus action to end a fist early.

Boiling Fist

When you use Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, or Step of the Wind, you can cause clouds of blistering steam to emanate from your unarmed strikes. For 1 minute, if you make an unarmed strike against a creature within reach and it misses, the creature still receives half the damage of the strike as fire damage.

Frost Fist

When you use Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, or Step of the Wind, you can empower your unarmed strikes with numbing frost. For 1 minute, you can cause each creature you hit with an unarmed strike to have disadvantage on its next attack roll. This effect lasts for a creature until the end of its next turn.

Wave Fist

When you use Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, or Step of the Wind, you can cause waves of water to lash from your unarmed strikes. You can increase the reach of your unarmed strikes and grapple checks by 5 feet for 1 minute.

Waterfist Disciple

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you begin learning magical disciplines that develop your mastery of the element of water. 

You know two waterfist disciplines of your choice from this list. You learn one additional waterfist discipline of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Whenever you learn a new waterfist discipline, you can also replace one waterfist discipline that you already know with a different discipline.

If a discipline has a level requirement, you must be that level in this class to learn the discipline.

If the discipline has a fist requirement, you must have learned that fist to learn the discipline, and you must be using that fist when you use the discipline.

Casting Waterfist Spells. Some waterfist disciplines allow you to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting. To cast one of these spells, you use its casting time and other rules, but you don’t need to provide material components for it.

Once you reach 5th level in this class, you can spend additional ki points to increase the level of a waterfist discipline spell that you cast, provided that the spell has an enhanced effect at a higher level, as false life does. The spell’s level increases by 1 for each additional ki point you spend. For example, if you are a 5th-level monk and you use Frost Cloak to cast false life, you can spend 2 ki points to cast it as a 2nd-level spell (the discipline’s base cost of 1 ki point plus 1).

The maximum number of ki points you can spend to cast a spell in this way (including its base ki point cost and any additional ki points you spend to increase its level) is determined by your monk level, as shown in the table below.

Max Ki Points for Spellcasting at Each Monk Level.

Monk Levels	Max Ki Points for a Spell
5th - 8th	2
9th - 12th	3
13th - 16th	4
17th - 20th	5

Breath of Winter

If you are using Frost Fist, you can spend 5 ki points to cast cone of cold. (17th level required.)

Clench of Ice

If you are using Frost Fist, you can spend 2 ki points to cast hold person. (6th level required.)

Cloud Mind

If you are using Frost Fist, you can spend 3 ki points to cast gaseous form, targeting yourself. The spell's effects last for their normal duration, even if Frost Fist ends. (11th level required.)

Crashing Wave

If you are using Wave Fist, you can spend 3 ki points to cast tidal wave. (11th level required.)

Cup Stance

If you are using Wave Fist, you can spend 4 ki points to cast watery sphere. (17th level required.)

Fist of the Sea

You can create a blast that hits like a rolling wave. If you are using Wave Fist, you can spend 1 ki point as an action to choose a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 bludgeoning damage for each additional ki point you spend, and you can push the creature up to 20 feet away from you and knock it prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don’t push it or knock it prone.

Frost Cloak

If you are using Frost Fist, you can spend 1 ki point to cast false life as a thin layer of frost on the skin. The spell's effects last for their normal duration, even if Frost Fist ends.

Gong of the Storm

If you are using Wave Fist, you can spend 2 ki points to cast shatter. (6th level required.)

Heavenly Step

If you are using Boiling Fist, you can spend 3 ki points to cast fly, targeting yourself. The spell's effects last for their normal duration, even if Boiling Fist ends. (11th level required.)

Kettle Stance

If you are using Boiling Fist when you use the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to cause columns of steam to shoot out from your unarmed strikes. Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases by 10 feet for 1 minute. A hit with such an attack deals fire damage, and if you spend 1 ki point when the attack hits, it also deals an extra 1d10 fire damage.

Lash of the Tide

While you are using any fist, you can spend 1 ki point as an action to whip a lash of elemental water at a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 bludgeoning damage for each additional ki point you spend, and you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 25 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.

River of the Hot Spring

If you are using Boiling Fist, you can spend 4 ki points to cast wall of fire as a wall of boiling steam. (17th level required.)

Shape the Flowing River

As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to choose an area of ice or water no larger than 30 feet on a side within 120 feet of you. You can change water to ice within the area and vice versa, and you can reshape ice in the area in any manner you choose. You can raise or lower the ice's elevation, create or fill in a trench, erect or flatten a wall, or form a pillar. The extent of any such changes can't exceed half the area's largest dimension. For example, if you affect a 30-foot square, you can create a pillar up to 15 feet high, raise or lower the square by up to 15 feet, dig a trench up to 15 feet deep, and so on. You can't shape the ice to trap or damage a creature in the area.

Soul of Water

You can use your action to briefly control ambient water nearby, resulting in one of the following effects:

• Create a harmless, instantaneous sensory effect relating to water, such as a spray of light mist, a small bloom of frost, or a gentle rumbling of thunder.
• Chill or warm up to 1 pound of nonliving material.
• Dampen or dry up to 1 square foot of a surface.
• Cause water, ice, steam, or mist that can fit within a 1-foot cube to change its physical state or flow, or shape it into a crude form.

Step Into Mist

If you are using Boiling Fist, you can spend 2 ki points to cast misty step. (6th level required.)

Thundering Fist

While you are using any fist, you can spend 1 ki point to cast thunderwave.

Elemental Body

At 6th level, your body begins to adapt to your alignment with elemental water. When you use an ability that costs ki points, you manifest features that resemble a water elemental. You gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You can breathe underwater, even if you are incapacitated.
• You have darkvision.
• You can fit through spaces as if you were one size smaller.

Three-Form Strike

At 11th level, you have learned to use each of the three magical combat forms to disable your opponents. While using a fist, if you successfully grapple or make an unarmed strike against a creature, you can attempt a Three-Form Strike. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is subjected to the condition from the list below that matches the fist you are using.

Boiling Strike: the creature is blinded until the end of your next turn.

Frost Strike: the creature is restrained until the end of your next turn.

Wave Strike: the creature is incapacitated until the end of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier or by spending 1 ki point at each additional use. You regain all uses when you complete a short or long rest.

Waterfist Master

By the time you reach 17th level, you have mastered the Way of the Waterfist, and its teachings have infused your heart and soul. You can use your master's instinct to gain one use of a waterfist discipline that is not in the list of waterfist disciplines you know, and you can use that discipline without using a fist first. You must still spend the required ki points to use the discipline, and its effects will last for its full duration.

Once you have used this feature, you must take a short or long rest before you can use the feature again.