Way of the Four Planes

As a long-time Dungeons & Dragons player and Dungeon Master and an avid fan of stories like Avatar: The Last Airbender, I instantly fell in love with the narrative flavor of the Way of Four Elements subclass option. As many of you may have experienced after playing the subclass, I noticed that this subclass option felt like it lacked some of the mechanical “punch” that I expected when imagining it in gameplay. This document is my attempt to modify the subclass to more closely align with my fantasy. Hopefully it accomplishes the same for you.

Presented below is an alternate version of the Monk’s Way of the Four Elements subclass, which you can select when you choose a monastic tradition.

Stance of the Four Planes

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn to manifest your connection with the raw energies of the elemental planes through certain martial stances. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki point and adopt a stance associated with one of the elemental planes: Flame, Rock, Tide, and Wind. You gain a benefit associated with the selected stance, listed below.  If an effect requires a saving throw, you use your Ki save DC.

Flame. You can choose to deal fire damage with your unarmed strikes. Additionally once per turn when you hit with an unarmed strike, you can deal additional fire damage equal to your Martial Arts die.

Rock. You are immune to effects that would move you, knock you prone, or both. When an attack misses you, you can roll your Martial Arts die + your Wisdom modifier and gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your roll.

Tide. When making an unarmed strike, you can increase the attack’s reach by 5 feet. Additionally once per turn when you hit with an unarmed strike, you can force the target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s movement speed is reduced by half, until the start of your next turn.

Wind. When making an unarmed strike, you can increase the attack’s reach by 5 feet. Additionally once per turn immediately after hitting with an unarmed strike, you can fly up to half your movement speed. This special movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Your stance lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated or if you use this feature again to adopt a new stance.

Planespeaker

At 3rd level,  you learn to speak, read, and write primordial. You also learn to tap into elemental energies for mundane tasks. You learn two of the following cantrips: control flames, gust, mold earth, or shape water. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your these spells.

You learn two additional cantrips from this list at 6th level.

Elemental Technique

At 6th level, your connection to the element planes deepens. Each stance from your Stance of the Four Planes feature provides an additional benefit, listed below.

Flame. Your unarmed strikes ignore resistance and immunity to fire damage. When using your Flurry of Blows feature, you can make an additional unarmed strike.

Rock. When you use your Patient Defense feature, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to your proficiency bonus until the start of your next turn.

Tide. You can use your Deflect Missiles feature to deflect ranged weapon attacks against creatures that you can see within 30 feet of you.

Wind. When you use your Step of the Wind feature, you gain the benefits of both the Disengage and Dash actions instead of choosing one option.

Planespeaker

At 6th level,  you learn to two of the following cantrips that you did not select at 3rd level: control flames, gust, mold earth, or shape water. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your these spells.

Plane Stride

At 11th level, you learn how to blend the distinct styles of different stances. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki points and adopt two stances from your Stance of the Four Planes feature, granting you the benefits of both. An unarmed strike cannot use more than one stance’s benefit at a time.

While using two stances in this way, you can use a bonus action to spend 1 ki point and replace one of your adopted stances with another stance of your choice. Replacing a stance in this way does not extend the duration of this feature. This feature ends early if you are incapacitated.

Additionally, each stance from your Stance of the Four Planes feature provides an additional benefit, listed below.

Flame. When a creature ends their turn within 5 feet of you, you can force the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes fire damage equal to three rolls of your Martial Arts die. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. This damage ignores resistance and immunity to fire damage.

Rock. You gain a burrow speed equal to half your movement speed. Additionally, you gain tremorsense out to a range of 30 feet.

Tide. You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed and can breathe air and water.

Wind. You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed and can hover.

This feature lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated, if you use your Stance of the Four Planes feature to adopt a new stance, or if you use this feature again to adopt two stances.

Master of the Elements

At 17th level, you have fully mastered your ability to tap into the powers of the elemental planes. As a bonus action, you can spend 5 ki points and adopt all the stances from your Stance of the Four Planes feature, granting you all of their benefits.

Additionally, each stance from your Stance of the Four Planes feature provides an additional benefit, listed below.

Flame. You can cast the fireball spell at 3rd level without needing material components.

Rock. You can cast the maximilian’s earthen grasp spell without needing material components. When casting the spell in this way, the spell’s range becomes 60 feet.

Tide. You can cast the tidal wave spell without needing material components.

Wind. You can cast the warding wind spell. When casting the spell in this way, the spell no longer requires concentration and has its duration reduced to 1 minute.

Once you cast a spell using a stance from this subclass, you cannot use a stance to cast that spell again until you finish a short or long rest.

This feature lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated, if you use your Stance of the Four Planes feature to adopt a new stance, or if you use your Plane Stride feature to adopt two stances.