Way of the Spectoral Manoeuvre (LSoT)

Monks of the Way of the Spectoral Manoeuvre follow a monastic tradition that teaches them to harness and collect the spirits of the creatures they fight, and to call on them to assist them in moments of need.

When they focus their ki, they can align themselves with the spiritual essence that lives inside all creatures and focus that essence into devastating attacks. Some members of this tradition travel across the land, searching far and wide, seeking to gain the essences of as many creatures as possible, while others content themselves with only a handful of their favourites.

Spiritual Collection

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Animal Handling, or if you already have proficiency, you can instead choose to double your proficiency bonus for any Animal Handling check.

Additionally, when fighting a creature, once you have successfully attacked with a number of attacks not fuelled by ki (such as flurry of blows) equal to half or more of the creatures CR, on any successive hit, you may expend a ki point to attempt to divine a facsimile of the creature's spiritual essence. This is done by succeeding on an Animal Handling check (DC = 8 + the creatures CR), at which point the creature's spirit is stored within you. On a failed check, nothing happens, and you must expend another ki point on a successive hit to try again.

At the end of a long rest, you may prepare a number of spirits you have collected equal to your level in this class, and when you make an attack, you may expend a ki point to summon a creature's spectral form from your fist to make the attack.

This attack is made using the creature's melee attack and modifiers as listed in its stat block, and may also be used from a distance up to the creature's movement speed. After making the attack, the spectral form dissipates and you may not summon that creature's spirit again until you taken a short rest.

Spectral Support

At 6th level, you gain the ability to receive a passive bonus from a collected spirit. After a long rest, when you are preparing your spirits for the day, you may designate one to be your Spectral Support. This spirit cannot be used to make an attack, but instead grants you a passive bonus from its stat block until the next long rest.

This bonus may be any one of the following:

• A movement speed, both the type and speed (such as a flying speed of 60ft)
• A sense (such as darkvision, blindsight, or truesight)
• A damage resistance or condition immunity
• A language
• A skill or saving throw
• or a racial feature (not legendary resistance)

You may change which benefit you receive on a short rest, but not the creature providing it.

This benefit manifests as a spectral part of the creature's body in the relevant part of your body, and you can choose for this to be invisible to all those without truesight. If you choose for it to be visible at any time, you gain advantage on any Charisma (Intimidation) checks, and disadvantage on any Charisma (Persuasion) checks.

Essence Shield

Beginning at 11th level, you learn to use your spiritual attack to protect your allies. When a creature you can see makes a successful attack, you may use your reaction and expend 1 ki point to attempt to send one of your spirits to act as a shield. Roll a martial die and add the result to the AC of the creature being attacked until the start of your next turn. This can be done from a distance, as long as the spirit you are summoning has enough movement speed to reach the target.

Additionally, from 11th level, you may change your Spectral Support creature on a short rest, provided you are changing it to another spirit you have prepared, and you may also gain a damage immunity as your passive bonus.

Spirit Walker Possession

At 17th level, you gain the ability to focus your ki on summoning the entire essence of a spirit. As a bonus action, you may expend 7 ki points to cover your entire self with a spectral essence of a creature you have prepared that is not your Spectral Support, gaining the full extent of its power for 1 minute.

During that minute, you gain each of the following bonuses from the creature's stat block, although you still maintain your own ability scores, and use your Dexterity modifier for all attacks.

• All movement speeds
• All senses
• All damage resistances/immunities and condition immunities
• All languages
• All racial features (not legendary resistance)
• and one of the creature's melee attacks, although you do not gain any multi-attack features

You still maintain your own sense of self, class features (such as extra attack), and may expend ki points as usual during this time, and you will appear to all who see you as yourself, inside a giant spectral form of the creature. These bonuses do not stack with your Spectral Support, which will not be active for this minute.

You cannot use this feature again until you have completed a long rest, or two short rests.