The monastic tradition of the Dance, is a tradition of control and skill, weaving martial arts and performance together into one special set of abilities, used for combat, traditional rituals as well as entertainment. Followers of the Way of the Dance see combat as a way to express their artistic creativity, showing fluidity in their moves, power in their strikes and control of their art.

Weapon Of Art

When choosing the Way of Dance as your monastic tradition at 3rd Level, you gain great knowledge in the usage of certain objects or weapons, vital to your dance performances: You choose a object or weapon to become your artist weapon. Your artist weapon is considered a monk weapon, it retains its statistics and abilities if it has any, otherwise it has a range of 5 ft. and deals either bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage. Whenever an ability refers to your unarmed strikes, you can use you artist weapon instead. Switching your artist weapon requires you to spend one long rest, training your performances and dances with the new object.

Leaf In The Wind

Starting at 3rd Level, you gain proficiency in the performance skill. Instead of Charisma, you can use your Wisdom modifier when determining your bonus in this skill. Your character can enter two different combat stances, called Dances. Each Dance has different benefits and disadvantages and resembles a different style of performance. You can spend one ki point to enter a Dance for one minute as a bonus action. You can also choose to end your performance as an action

 The Dances effects are as follows:

-The Dance of the flowing River is a slow, controlled, and methodical approach to combat. When entering this stance, you gain temporary hit points equal to your performance skill. Additionally, when damage reduces these temporary hit points to 0, while you are performing this dance, the source of that damage is considered vulnerable against any damage of the next attack that it receives. Drawback: While performing this Dance your speed is halved.

-The Dance of the roaring Veins is a aggressive and wild form, using force and fury to express powerful combat moves and exploit weak points of your enemies, not caring much for defense. While in this stance, your attacks with your artist weapon deal additional force damage equal to your performance skill, and critically hit when rolling a 19 or 20 on an attack roll. Drawback: While in this Dance, you suffer additional damage equal to your martial arts die, when suffering damage for the first time in a round.

Fluidity

At 6th level, you gain the ability to switch Dances on the fly, fluidly leaving one stance and entering another. While performing a Dance, as a reaction before your turn, you can spend one ki point to change from one form into another. If you are performing Dance of the flowing River you can choose to enter Dance of the roaring Veins, and vice versa. You can also decide to end a Dance this way, by expending one ki point.

Rythm Of Life

When reaching Level 11, you have perfected your form, and you are able to enter advanced forms of your Dances. Whenever you enter or switch Dances, you now enter one of the following forms and gain benefits in addition to the effects of the basic form:

-The Dance of the breathing Ocean is the advanced form of the Dance of the flowing River. It perfects its defensive combat abilities, making you more resilient and able to withstand harder blows, while maintaining control over your body. You gain the effects of the Dance of the flowing River. Also while performing this advanced form you gain resistance against any damage that you take.

-The Dance of the beating Heart is the advanced form of the Dance of the roaring Veins, perfecting your aggressive form doubeling down on speed and having even less care for your own body's limits. While in this stance, you gain the effects of the Dance of the roaring Veins. Additionally the first time when you hit an attack on your turn, you can make an additional attack against that target with your artist weapon.

 

Harmony

By Level 17, you have reached your maximum potential. Having perfected your abilities over hours of study and care, it is now time to combine your craft into one final, ultimate dance performance, that requires the skills, concentration and control of a legend. 

When switching or entering a Dance, you can now instead choose to enter the following Dance once per day, regaining your ability to do so after finishing a long rest:

-The Ocean of Life. While performing this Dance you reached the apex of your performance, combining the advantages of both the Dance of the breathing Ocean and the Dance of the beating Heart. You gain the effects of both advanced forms without their drawbacks