Way of the Sun Soul (redux)

Monks of the Way of the Sun Soul learn to channel their life energy into searing bolts of light. They teach that meditation can unlock the ability to unleash the indomitable light shed by the soul of every living creature.

Way of the Sun Soul Features

Radiant Sun Bolt

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can hurl searing bolts of magical radiance.

You gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Wisdom modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is radiant, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes with additional monk levels into a d6 at 5th level, a d8 at 11th level, and a d10 at 17th level. When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.

After you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make this special attack once as a bonus action, or you can spend 1 ki point to make this special attack twice as a bonus action.

Design Note: The ranged spell attack of this feature now uses Wisdom instead of Dexterity for consistency with ki-based abilities. Also, a bonus action attack, similar to what the Martial Arts feature grants for unarmed strikes, has been added.

Searing Arc Strike

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to channel your ki into searing waves of energy.

After you take the Attack action, you can spend 1 ki point to cast the burning hands spell as a bonus action.

You can spend additional ki points to cast burning hands as a higher-level spell. Each additional ki point you spend increases the spell’s level by 1. The maximum number of ki points (1 plus any additional points) that you can spend on the spell equals half your monk level rounded down.

Design Note: This feature has been moved from 6th level to 3rd level since burning hands is a 1st level spell. The initial ki cost for casting burning hands has been reduced from 2 to 1 to keep this ability relevant for a bit longer.

Resurgent Radiance

At 6th level, you gain the ability to rejuvenate the light of your soul in times of great need.

As an action, you can regain a number of ki points equal to half your monk level rounded down. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Design Note: This is a new feature aimed to help alleviate the base monk's consistent issue of running out of ki points in a pinch.

Luminous Visige

At 6th level, you become wreathed in a luminous, magical aura.

You emit bright light in a 20-foot radius sphere and dim light for an additional 20 feet. You can extinguish or restore this light as a bonus action.

As an action while you are emitting light with this feature, you can spend 2 ki points to turn this light into daylight for 1 minute. If any of the daylight you emit overlaps with an area of darkness created by a spell level equal to half your monk level rounded down or lower, the spell that created the darkness is dispelled.

Design Note: This new feature, inspired by the old Sun Shield feature, is to fulfill the character fantasy that this subclass is intended to. Full spellcasters gain access to the daylight at 5th level which this feature gives a limited version of. This feature also acts as a base to be built upon by later features.

Unbound Radiance

At 11th Level, you gain the ability of mystical flight through the power of your inner light.

As an action while you are emitting light with the Luminous Visage feature, you can spend 1 ki point to give yourself a flying speed equal to your walking speed for 1 minute.

Design Note: This new feature adds to the Luminous Visage feature by giving the monk an extra movement option. The fly spell is already accessible to full spellcasters by 5th level.

Searing Beam Strike

At 11th level, you gain the ability to channel your ki into a searing beam of energy.

As an action, you can spend 3 ki points to cast the sunbeam spell for a duration of 1 action without material components.

Design Note: Full spellcaster classes gain access to the sunbeam spell at this same level. The duration is normally for 1 minute allowing the spellcaster to reapply the spell's effect 10 times for the cost of one 6th-level spell slot. Limiting the spell's duration for this feature to 1 action means that the monk with all available ki points can only apply this spell's effects 3 times at this level.

Radiant Deflection

At 17th level, your magical radiance can deflect harmful spells away.

When another creature hits you with a ranged spell attack while you are emitting light with the Luminous Visage feature, you can use your reaction to add your Wisdom Modifier to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.

Design Note: This new feature adds to the Luminous Visage feature and is inspired by the Deflect Missiles feature, the shield spell, and the Defensive Duelist feat.

Searing Burst Strike

At 17th level, you gain the ability to create an orb of light that erupts into a devastating explosion.

As an action, you can spend 5 ki points to cast the sunburst spell without material components.

Design Note: This new feature is inspired by the old Searing Sunburst feature. Full spellcasters will usually gain access to the sunburst spell by 15th level.