Base Class: Monk
A tradition originating in the secluded Wu Shan Temple with a history stretching back centuries, the Way of the Western Tiger has produced numerous heroes. It has become known for its four core tenets: Purity, Integrity, Simplicity, Strength. The focus on these internal qualities, along with the grueling training of the tradition, gives a dynamic ferocity to the forms of the art.
A central part of the training is cultivating the "Eye of the Tiger"- that is, sensing and honing in on the weak spots of the target. These vulnerable areas are then targeted with punishing strikes, but mainly with dangerous joint locks, as the tradition has an emphasis on grappling; grappling training is used within the tradition to build up intuition and reaction speed.
While long-time monks of the Way are formidable, comparatively few seek out the way of adventure. It just so happens that these monks have cultivated the warrior heart of a tiger, which makes extraordinary things happen in times of need. While your journey may be unexpected, the Way of the Western Tiger will prepare you to wrestle with the evils of the world- and win.
The tradition was founded as the result of a coup targeting a royal family. Before her demise, the queen mother, Daiyu, sent her two young daughters, Xiaolu and Meihua, away with the martial arts instructor of the royal guard, Yufei- one of the few to not turn against the family. She sent them to a small monastery in the West far from the capital: Wu Shan Temple. Its monks practiced an "internal" style focused on reflection. Being too young to aid in the manual labor of the temple and having little else to do, the sisters and Yufei began to train in the style. As the sisters aged, they began to show a surprising amount of athleticism and potential, and Yufei decided to begin training them in the imperial court guard style, in hopes that it might one day help them find justice.
Yufei was a preeminently pragmatic and adaptable fighter, and he had seen many useful concepts in the native style of the temple: flowing redirection of force, breath control, and unexpected throws, among other things. He incorporated these elements into the court guard style, and by the time the sisters were grown, the art they knew was different from both the court guard style and the temple's style. Eventually, the new emperor sent a team of assassins to more firmly secure his reign. Meihua and Xiaolu handily defeated them. However, Xiaolu found she could no longer remain at Wu Shan Temple in peace, and began the quest that would take her back to the throne of her father. Meihua stayed, and a few years later became the new head trainer after the deaths of Yufei and the temple's own instructor. She did not have the same heart that her sister did, but supported her in her own way by refining the art they had learned and working to expand the temple.
Meihua and her students defended Wu Shan Temple against many vagabonds and rival monasteries. Meihua's values and support of her sister's reign led to her style becoming known as the Way of the Western Tiger. The fierce and honorable monks of the tradition became known across the empire, and in time the style began to spread to other monasteries. While Xiaolu's dynasty came to an end, the art she and her sister made famous lived on, and continued to play a part in defining the history of the empire.
Pressure Points
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can use your ki to exploit the pressure points and weak spots in your enemy's body and nervous system, whether striking with speed or grappling in close range. Doing this requires great precision, and it takes extensive training to spot and strike them reliably. Once on your turn, when you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows or a Martial Arts attack with advantage, you can deal additional damage, according to the table below. You can strike them up to proficiency times before a short rest. Your training also gives you the Grappler feat.
LEVEL||PRESSURE POINT DAMAGE
1----------------1d8
5----------------2d8
9----------------3d8
13--------------4d8
17--------------5d8
Tiger Claws
At 6th level, your relentless hand toughening and physical conditioning are starting to pay off. Your hands are now weapons that can strike with savage grace, and your grip strength has grown by leaps and bounds. When you hit a Pressure Point on a target, successfully grapple it or it fails to escape your grapple, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against you for one round. You also count as a size larger for determining your ability to grapple, and your push/drag/carry weight.
Stalking Stripes
Beginning at 11th level, your mastery of transitions between submissions and joint locks is now apparent: you are able to seamlessly flow from one position to another around your target, limiting your exposure to other attackers and your target's own reprisals. While Grappling a Small or Medium target, you have half cover from attacks by other creatures, or three-quarters cover if grappling a creature a size larger than you. Also, you have resistance to non-magical Bludgeoning, Slashing, and Piercing damage and natural weapons from your grapple target's attacks.
Eye of the Tiger
At 17th level, your immense focus and combat instincts allow you to deftly strike crippling blows, and wrench your opponent's limbs into disastrous positions. When you successfully hit a Pressure Point, grapple a creature or it fails an attempt at escaping your grapple, it takes Bludgeoning damage equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die. In addition, you can use your Dexterity for Athletics checks to grapple a creature or when one attempts to escape your grapple.
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