Way of the Claw and Stinger

**This homebrew was inspired by Kobold Press's Southlands campaign setting.**

Deep in the Sarklan Desert, a lost sect devoted to the ways of the Scorpion Goddess, Selket train in the Way of the Scorpion and focus on three main principles.

The first principle is Potency. The worth of a person or a people is determined by their potency. The power of one's drive or conviction is refined through hardship and broken down to its core essence when the contaminants and impurities have been removed.  The true testament of one's worth the changes they enact on the world to eliminate corruption and strengthen that which remains.

The second principle is Fortitude. Those who do not survive cannot enact further change upon their world, so their worth is known. Those who cower from death have failed in their journey and are deemed unworthy by the Scorpion Goddess. The followers of Selket strengthen their essence by removing comforts and enduring hardship to strengthen their minds and bodies. Those who walk the Way of the Scorpion take pride in walking the dangerous path and honor in perseverance.

The last principle is Mirage. The world is a mirage showing each person only what they wish to see. The true world is cruel and merciless. To fall victim to the luxuries of life is to be destroyed by the mirage. Only in the desert does this facade fall away, revealing the harsh ways of the world and the cruel hearts of men. Comfort is the enemy of survival and it is the calling of the few to cull that mirage from the world so they may suffer the hardships necessary to persist.

In return for their devotion to these principles, the Animal Queen of Scorpions taught these sects techniques designed to subdue opponents through grapples, deception and deadly toxins.

Tools of the Trade

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Poisoner's Kit, nature skill, and sleight of hand skill. 

You also gain proficiency with the grappling hook and the grappling hook is treated as a monk weapon for you.

You may use a grappling hook to grapple any target 20 feet of you. If the target fails a DEX saving throw equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your DEX modifier, the target takes 2d4 piercing damage, is grappled. Additionally, if the target is no larger than one size larger than you, you may choose to either move the target 20 feet toward you. Otherwise, you move 20 feet toward the target. In either case, this movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity and does not use any movement. 

Scorpion Strike

Beginning at 3rd level, once on each of your turns, you may perform the Scorpion Strike attack in place of an unarmed strike. When you perform the Scorpion Strike attack, you may apply one dose of a poison you possess and make an unarmed strike that applies that poison. Any creature struck by your Scorpion Strike is poisoned for 1 minute. The creature makes a CON saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end poisoned condition. The DC for this save is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your wisdom modifier. 

The Scorpion Strike attack is made at advantage against a target you are grappling. 

Poison Research: At levels 3, 6, 10, 15, and 17, you may select a poison from the list available to the Way of the Scorpion. You may use your poisoner's kit to craft 1d4 doses per long rest or short rest and these poisons may be applied to your Scorpion Strike.

Aconite Poison

Add aconite poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 12 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they are incapacitated. 

Banshee's Call Poison

Add banshee's call poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 12 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they are frightened. 

Bloodroot Poison

Add bloodroot poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 13 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they have disadvantage on DEX saves. 

Catscratch Poison

Add catscratch poison to your unarmed strike.  If the target fails a DC 12 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they are blinded. 

Catstep Poison

Add catstep poison to your unarmed strike.  If the target fails a DC 12 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they are deafened. 

Caustis Poison

Add caustis poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 14 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they take 1d4 acid damage at the start of their turn. 

Ghoulclaw Poison

Add ghoulclaw poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 10 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they are paralyzed. 

Hag Spittle Poison

Add hag spittle poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 13 CON save, they are poisoned for 1 minute. As long as they are poisoned in this way, they have disadvantage on WIS saving throws. 

Hemlock Poison

Add hemlock poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 14 CON save they are poisoned for 1 minute. Any creature poisoned in this way falls prone at the end of its turn.

Magebane Poison

Add magebane poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 14 CON save they are poisoned for 1 minute. For as long as they are poisoned in this way, the creature has disadvantage on concentration checks and takes 1d4 poison damage per level for any spells they cast. 

Wolfsbane Poison

Add wolfsbane poison to your unarmed strike. If the target fails a DC 14 CON save they are poisoned for 1 minute. Any shapeshifter poisoned in this way takes 2d8 poison damage at the end of its turn and reverts to its original form. 

Systemic Poisoning

Starting at level 3, you learn how to refine your poisons to attack the vital organs of the bodies they have infiltrated. When a creature fails a saving throw against a poison from your Scorpion Strike or fails the saving throw at the end of their turn to end the poisoned condition, they take 1d4 poison damage. At level 6, this increases to 1d8 poison damage. At level 11, the damage increases to 2d6 poison damage. At Level 17, this damage increases to 4d10 poison damage. 

Defensive Sting

At level 6, when you use your patient defense ability, and you are attacked by someone within 5ft of you, you may use your scorpion strike as a reaction. If the attack misses you or you have the attacker grappled, this ability does not use your reaction.

Additionally, when you use your Deflect Missiles ability, you may apply a poison you possess to the ammunition before redirecting it at a target.

Desert Fortitude

At 6th level, your toxicology training has reached a point that few poisons can affect you in the debilitating ways you inflict. You now have resistance to poison and advantage on all saving throws against effects that cause the poisoned condition.

Additionally, through your mastery of toxicology and biology, you've developed airborne toxins that render all in close quarters with you more susceptible to your poisons. You now produce an aura that reduces the CON saves against poison and the poisoned condition by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus for all other creatures within 10 ft of you.

Fury of the Mirage

Beginning at level 11, When you use your step of the wind ability, you may spend 1 additional ki to create a 20 ft radius sand cloud. The cloud lasts 1 minute (or until dispersed) and the area of the cloud is heavily obscured.

You also gain tremorsense out to 20 feet.

Stinging Swarm Technique

At level 17, you have honed your craft and technique to be able to rapidly apply and deliver toxic strikes in rapid succession. When you use your flurry of blows ability, you may spend 1 additional ki to empower your attacks with deadly poison. Until the end of turn, you may replace each unarmed strike attack you make with the Scorpion Strike.