Way of Spirits

A monk who follows the Way of Spirits believes that death is inherently unnatural and otherworldy. They use their ki to get in touch with the other side of life, and become one not with death, but the dead. Their body can become incorporeal and ghostly, and they can harness the energies and powers from the various layers of hell. These monks do not treat death like a science, they treat it like a power for them to harness.

Ghostly Form

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can become ghostly and more spiritual. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point to enter a ghostly form. When you do so, each creature of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you.

For 1 minute, you become more ghostly and incorporeal. You determine how this ability manifests, and the state ends early if you are incapacitated or die. While in this form, you gain the following benefits:

• Your Unarmed damage type changes to Necrotic.
• Your attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover.
• You gain a fly (hover) speed equal to your walk speed. While hovering, you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.
• Your AC is increased an amount equal to the average damage of your Martial Arts die (rounded down).

Chains of Limbo

At 6th level, you gain the ability to summon the Chains of Limbo. As a bonus action, or as part of the bonus action you take to activate your Ghostly Form, you can spend 1 ki point to summon inky black chains connected to your wrists, which loop around your back and connect to your other wrist.

After making an unarmed strike, you can attempt to grapple a creature as part of the attack. Additionally, if you walked through the space of the target on your turn, the creature has disadvantage on the check against being grappled. A creature grappled in this way is also restrained, and becomes stuck in the chains. This halves your movement speed, on top of your speed being halved from dragging a creature. A creature stuck in your chains may use their action to attempt to break out, attempting to beat your Ki Save DC in an athletics or acrobatics check, breaking out on a success.

Only one creature can be grappled by your chains at a given time. These chains disappear after 1 minute, and any creatures currently stuck in them are let out as if they succeeded the saving throw.

Spiritual Aura

By 11th level, you have learned to pull from the circles of hell to aid you in battle. When you enter your Ghostly Form, choose one of two spiritual auras to emanate from you. The chosen effect lasts until your Ghostly Form is ended.

Fury of Phlegethos. Your hands engulf in the blazing heat from the fourth layer of hell, Phlegethos. Once on each of your turns when you hit a target, you can deal 1d6 extra fire damage. This damage becomes 2d6 at 17th level.

Winds of Cania. The icy winds from the eighth layer of hell, Cania, begin to move with you. You gain temporary hit points equal to your class level. Once per turn, when a creature hits you with a melee attack while you have these temporary hit points, they must succeed a Strength saving throw, or be pushed back 10 feet.

True Undeath Form

At 17th level, you learn to embody the layers of hell in combat, and can access a state of undeath far stronger than before. As a bonus action, you can spend five ki points to awaken your Ghostly Form, Chains of Limbo, Fury of Phlegethos, and Winds of Caria for 1 minute, after which they all disappear. Additionally, when you activate your abilities in this way, you may choose two additional effects which come from the layers of hell, apart from the final layer of Nessus.

Blood of Avernus. When you take the dash action, or use Step of the Wind, a 10 foot radius pool of blood emerges from where you ended your movement, creating difficult terrain. This disappears when your form ends.

Heat of Dis. You manipulate the sweltering heats of Dis. You can cast the heat metal spell at will, as a bonus action. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.

Smoke of Minauros. As an action, you can create a 15 foot cone of noxious gas, which pour in from the polluted world of Minauros. All creatures in this cone must make a constitution saving throw, taking poison damage equal to four rolls of your martial arts die, or half as much on a success.

Waters of Stygia. You can conjure the arctic sea from Stygia. You can cast the tidal wave spell at will, as a bonus action. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.

Shell of Malbolge. You gain a +1 bonus to your armor class, as an insect like exoskeleton appears around you.

Resident of Maladomini. A small sized creature appears in an open space next to you. This creature uses the Quasit stat block, and shares your initiative. This creature disappears when your form ends. This creature is slimy, and reeks, but you choose what form it takes exactly.