Way of the Dragon (HB)

The dragon is pure power, distilled into a body capable of reducing a village to ash. Such a creature is no model for a normal monastary, but sometimes in the streets of the roughest cities, something resembling the nature of a monstary emerges.

From this comes those who practice the way of the dragon, becoming more brutal and savage than any other tradition would ever dare to be. Most followers of the other ways even refuse to call them monks due to this, but their dedication and unflinching nature makes it incredibly clear where these individuals lay. Either on the streets for their particular gang or on their own after being expelled, there is none more fearsome than a dragon in humanoid form.

Essence of the Dragon

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your rough training in the most dangerous environment of the streets manifests fully. You gain the following features:

Fists of the Dragon. While using nothing but your bare fists, your Martial Arts die increases by one step. Your fists may be targeted by spells as if they were weapons when you allow them to be. You also gain proficiency with improvised weapons, and may use them as if they were monk weapons.

Iron Gut. When you benefit from your Unarmored Defense feature, you may calculate your AC as 10 + your Strength modifier + your Wisdom modifier. You may also use Strength instead of Dexterity for your Deflect Missiles feature.

Demand Respect. You gain proficiency in Intimidation if you didn’t have it already. Whenever you roll an ability check using Intimidation, your proficiency bonus is doubled. In addition, you may use Strength instead of Charisma for any Intimidation check. Whenever you hit an enemy with an attack from your flurry of blows, they must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Ki save DC. On a failure, they are frightened of you for 1 minute.

Awaken the Dragon

Starting at 6th level, you may enter a heightened state of power. You may spend any number of ki points. You gain each of the following benefits depending on the number of ki points spent, and each last for 10 minutes.

 3 ki points. Increase your martial arts die’s size by 1 step. A d12 becomes 2d6.

6 ki points. Whenever an enemy attacks you, you may expend your reaction to make an attack against them. On a hit, the enemy is stunned until the end of your next turn, interrupting their attack.

9 ki points. You may use your flurry of blows, patient defense, and step of the wind features without expending ki points.

12 ki points. You have advantage on all d20 rolls you make.

15 ki points. Whenever you deal damage with an unarmed attack, you roll double the amount of dice.

18 ki points. When you target a single creature with four attacks on the same turn and hit with all four, that creature is knocked prone and is paralyzed until the end of your next turn.

This power visibly flows out from you, growing in intensity with the amount of points you spend.

Power of the Dragon

Starting at 11th level, your command over the dragon within has grown incredibly. You gain the following features.

Roar of the Dragon. As an action, you may expend 2 ki points and let out a fearsome roar,. Each enemy who can hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they take thunder damage equal to 5 rolls of your martial arts die, and become frightened until the end of your next turn. On a success, they talk half damage and are not frightened. If they were already frightened, they become stunned until the end of your next turn instead.

Dragon’s Heat. Whenever you get a critical hit on an enemy, you recover 4 ki points.

Beastly Grapple. If a creature you’re grappling with is your size or smaller, you may use them to bludgeon another creature within reach. Treat this as if you’re making an unarmed attack, and whenever you hit with a grappled creature, both the creature you hit and the creature you’re grappling take the damage.

Dragon’s Finisher

At 17th level, you have ceased to give your enemies quarter, and decided an example must be made of those who stand in your way. Whenever you roll a critical hit against a frightened enemy, treat the damage as if you rolled the highest possible result. If the creature was stunned, you instead reduce that creature to 0 hit points, and they are considered unconscious, and each enemy within 30 feet of you becomes frightened until the end of your next turn.