Monks of the Way of the Cathayan are obsessed with the meaning and mechanics of dying and their hunger for Ki. They capture creatures and prepare elaborate experiments to capture, record, and understand the moments of their demise and how their Ki leaves their bodies. They then use this knowledge to guide their understanding of martial arts, yielding a deadly fighting style.

Touch of Death

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your study of death allows you to extract vitality from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).

Ki Drain

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your study of death allows you to extract Ki from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary Ki points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary Ki point).

Hour of Reaping

At 6th level, you gain the ability to unsettle or terrify those around you as an action, for your soul has been touched by the shadow of death. When you take this action, each creature within 30 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Eyes of the Spectre

Starting at 6th level, you have darkvision with a range of 120 feet.

Mastery of Death

Beginning at 11th level, you use your familiarity with death to escape its grasp. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can expend 1 ki point (no action required) to have 1 hit point instead.

Shadow Step

At 11th level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness.

Vampiric Mist

Starting at 17th level, you can spend 6 Ki points as a bonus action to magically transform yourself into a shadowy form. In this form, you have resistance to all damage except force and radiant damage, and you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 5 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.

You remain in this form for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated, if you die, or if you dismiss it as a bonus action.

Touch of the Long Death

Starting at 17th level, your touch can channel the energy of death into a creature. As an action, you touch one creature within 5 feet of you, and you expend 1 to 10 ki points. The target must make a Constitution saving throw, and it takes 2d10 necrotic damage per ki point spent on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.