Way of Animal Forms

Monks who master The Way of the Animal Forms are disciplined in form and art. The monastic tradition seeks to emulate how animals move and strike in nature, and how to strike gracefully and savagely as an animal would pounce onto its prey. The Animal Forms have been studied, improved, and practiced upon for generations. Many martial artists have successfully adapted to fighting as animals and then sought to fight other animals in the wild to prove they have succeeded in their discipline. Those who have studied this tradition have moved throughout the world to prove they are one with primal savagery and peaceful serenity of the animals. 

Form Discipline

When you choose this tradition at the 3rd level, you are able to learn martial art disciplines that mimic how animals have fought in the wild. You can only hold one stance at a time and you can take the stance as a bonus action. The stance lasts for 1 minute at the start of taking the stance, and you can leave the stance as a bonus action on your turn. All stances end early if you become incapacitated or die. If a stance needs to use a save for spells or special effects, use your Ki Save DC.

First and Second Form

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you have become as fierce as a tiger, as quick as a snake, or as graceful as a crane. You can choose to learn two of the three stances listed below:

Crane Stance

The Crane Stance emphasizes rapidity and range, and does not rely on strength or doing a great deal of damage for blows.

• Crane Spreads Their Wings: While you are in this stance, Step of the Wind does not require a Ki point to activate and your unarmed attack range increases by 5 ft.
• Crane Balances Gracefully: As a bonus action (or used as the same bonus action as you enter Crane Style), you spend 1 Ki point to gain the following benefits for one minute: your movement speed increases by 5 ft, you cannot be pushed back, and become immune to the prone condition. These benefits end if you leave the Crane Style.
• Crane Dives for Fish: You spend 2 Ki points to gain an additional round of unarmed attacks, as with the Action Surge feature. Your damage die decreases as a result. At 3rd level, your unarmed strikes do a flat 1 + your dexterity modifier of damage. At 5th level, your damage die decreases to 1d4, and it decreases incrementally at 11th level (1d6), and 17th (1d8).
• Crane Kicks: As an action, you spend 3 Ki points to kick out a knock-back wave of pure force, in a line 5ft wide and 30ft long, forcing a Dexterity saving throw for 2d4 force damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. On a failed save, each affected creature is pushed back 15 ft and fall [condition]prone[/condition}. You end your stance and automatically switch to a different stance when you end your stance this way. The damage increases at 5th level (2d6), 11th (3d8), and 17th (4d10).

Snake Stance

The Snake Stance is based on evasion, precise strikes, and counterattacks. It is a defensive stance that fluid and cunning.

• Snake Moves Gracefully: While you are in this stance, Patient Defense does not require a Ki point to activate and your unarmed strikes now deal piercing damage.
• Snake Counterstrikes: When an enemy misses you with a melee attack, as a reaction, you can spend 1 Ki point to instantly counterstrike with an unarmed attack.
• Snake Strikes Precisely: When you hit the same creature with two unarmed attacks in a single round, you can spend 2 Ki points to prevent the target from taking reactions until the end of your next turn, and their AC is reduced by 1 for 1d4 rounds
• Snake’s Venom: For 3 Ki points, you can block the Ki pathways in your opponent to cause their body to fight itself. As an action, make an unarmed attack on a creature for an additional 2d4 poison damage. On a hit, the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target becomes poisoned for 1d4 rounds. You end your stance and automatically switch to a different stance when you end your stance this way. The damage increases at 5th level (2d6), 11th (2d8), and 17th (2d10).

Tiger Stance

The Tiger Stance focuses on attack. It is an aggressive stance that confers high damage.

• Claws Slashing Rapidly: While you are in this stance, Flurry of Blows does not need a Ki point to activate and unarmed strikes now deal slashing damage.
• Tiger's Hunt: For 1 Ki point, you can cast the hunter's mark spell as a 1st level spell, but you can only use unarmed attacks during the spells duration. The spell effect ends if you leave the Tiger Stance.
• Tiger Chasing Tail: As a bonus action, you can spend 2 Ki points to perform an additional unarmed attack: a backflip kick, which deals 2d4 + your dexterity modifier slashing damage. The target must then succeed on a Dexterity Saving throw or be knocked prone. This damage increases at 5th (2d6), 11th (2d8), and 17th (2d10).
• Tiger’s Roar: For 3 Ki points, you can use your action to expel a thundering roar. Creatures in a 20 ft. cone in front of you must make a Constitution Saving throw to take 4d4 thunder damage on a failed constitution save, or half as much on a successful save. This damage increases to 4d6 at 5th level, 5d8 at 11th, and 6d10 at 17th. You end your stance and automatically switch to a different stance when you end your stance this way.

Third Form

At 6th level, you have learned to become as agile as a monkey or as mighty as a bear in combat. You learn one of two new styles: Monkey Stance or Bear Stance.

Bear Stance

Bear Stance grapples opponents to incapacitate them.

• Bear’s Strength: While you are in this stance, your Strength score becomes equal to your Dexterity score, and you gain proficiency in Athletics. If you already have proficiency, you gain double proficiency. Any creature grappled by you also becomes restrained.
• Bear Crushes Prey: As part of your Attack action, when you strike a grappled creature you are grappling with an unarmed attack, you can spend 1 Ki point to deal an additional 2d6 bludgeoning damage to the creature.
• Bear Tosses Fish: As an action, you spend 2 Ki points to roll a contested Strength (Athletics) check against a creature you are grappling. If you win this contested check, you throw the grappled creature up to 40 ft in any direction you choose.
• Bear Mangles Bone: As an action, you can spend 3 Ki points to slam a currently grappled creature to the ground, it lands prone and becomes stunned until the end of your next turn. You end your stance and automatically switch to a different stance when you end your stance this way.

Monkey Stance

Monkey Stance emphasizes quick attacks and mobility against multiple opponents.

• Monkey Swings Effortlessly: While you are in this stance, you do not provoke opportunity attacks and your movement speed increases by 10ft. When attacking a creature with an unarmed attack, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls. When attacking a second creature different from the first, the bonus goes up to +2. When attacking a third creature different from the first and second, the bonus goes up to +3. The bonus remains at a +3 when targeting new creatures after the third creature. If the unarmed attacks already have a bonus outside this feature, the bonuses can stack but the total cannot exceed +3. The bonus resets when targeting any creature that had a bonus used to attack it beforehand.
• Monkey’s Swift Hands: Whenever you spend 1 Ki point for Flurry of Blows, you are granted an extra attack, provided you move to a target you were not currently previously in combat with this turn. 
• Monkey Tumbles: You can spend 2 Ki points to take the Dodge action as a free action.
• Monkey Leaps: As an action, you can spend 3 Ki points to make an unarmed attack with advantage. If this attack hits, you kick the target for an additional 2d6 damage and immediately launch yourself up to 30 ft. towards another creature. Make an additional unarmed attack against that creature with advantage for an additional 2d6 damage. You end your stance and automatically switch to a different stance when you end your stance this way.

Fourth Form

Beginning at 11th level, you have learned how to harness dual animal instincts such that you can now enter two stances simultaneously, gaining the benefits of both.

You also learn how to emulate the resilience of a dragon or the passion of a phoenix. You can learn one of two new stances: Dragon Stance or Phoenix Stance.

Dragon Stance

The Dragon Stance focuses on heartiness and resilience.

• Dragon’s Luck: Assuming this stance grants you +2 bonus to AC, and +1 bonus to saving throws.
• Scale of the Dragon: You can gain 10 temporary hit points at the end of each turn you spend in Dragon stance, replacing any temporary hit points you had before.
• Dragon’s Resilience: As a bonus action, you can spend 2 Ki points to gain resistance to one of the following: bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, along with one damage of your choice: fire, cold, lightning, acid, or poison, until this stance ends.
• Dragon Takes Vengeance: You spend 4 Ki points to cast a 4th-level Fireball, centered on yourself, and can choose which creatures will be affected within the spell's area of effect. Additionally, you can choose the type of damage the spell does: fire, cold, lightning, acid, or poison.You end your stance and automatically switch to a different stance when you end your stance this way.

Phoenix Stance

The Phoenix Stance focuses on self-sacrifice for explosive damage.

• Phoenix Ruffles Flaming Feathers: Entering this stance costs 5 hit points and you take on an aura of flame. You have flames race across your body, shedding bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet for the spell’s duration. The flames don’t harm you. Until the stance ends, you gain the following benefits: You are immune to fire damage and have resistance to cold damage. Any creature that moves within 5 feet of you for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there takes 1d10 fire damage. Your unarmed attacks do an additional 1d8 fire damage.
• Phoenix Fire Strike: As a bonus action, you spend 2 Ki points to add 1d6 fire damage to your unarmed attacks until the end of your next turn. You can spend an additional 10 hit points to increase this damage to 2d6. You can also choose to spend an additional 10 hit points to overcome fire resistance or treat fire immunity as fire resistance with these attacks.
• Phoenix Ignites Their Way: As an action, you can spend 4 Ki points to take on an aura of flame, moving 30 ft. in any direction you choose. Any creature in your path of movement takes 5d8 fire damage. You can spend an additional 20 hit points to increase this damage to 8d8. You end your stance and automatically switch to a different stance when you end your stance this way.

Form Mastery

At 17th level, you have discovered the true primal state of the animals. After a long rest, you can now change which stance you want within the same feature.

You can now perform a finishing move. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 8 Ki points to perform this finishing move. The move depends on your current stance(s).

Bear Stance Finisher

You force a grappled opponent to make a Strength saving throw: the DC is 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Strength modifier. On a failed save, you attempt to break the creature’s spine, dealing 12d10 bludgeoning damage and 2 levels of exhaustion. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and no levels of exhaustion. A creature reduced to 0 hit points by this finisher is instantly killed as you snap its spine. After performing this finisher, you instantly switch to another stance of your choice.

Crane Stance Finisher

You strike as swiftly and gracefully as a crane diving after its prey. You can target up to five creatures that is within 30 ft of each other and make a melee (Dexterity) attack on each target. On a hit, the target takes 6d10 force damage. You reappear from these blur of attacks in an unoccupied space within 5 ft. of the last target. After performing this finisher, you instantly switch to another stance of your choice.

Dragon Stance Finisher

You cast Fireball at 9th level centered on yourself. You can choose which creatures in range are affected, along with the damage type: fire, cold, poison, lightning, or acid. You can then move up to your movement speed and perform 2 additional unarmed attacks. After performing this finisher, you instantly switch to another stance of your choice.

Monkey Stance Finisher

You zip from opponent to opponent, making a melee attack against up to 10 creatures of your choice. You end your turn within 5 ft. of one creature that you attacked. These rapid attacks give you sudden insight into combat, and you gain the benefits of the Foresight spell for the next 8 hours. After performing this finisher, you instantly switch to another stance of your choice.

Phoenix Stance Finisher

You explode with energy at the additional cost of 25 hit points. Each creature of your choice within 30 ft. must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 10d6 fire damage and 10d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful save. You can choose to reduce yourself to 1 hit point (provided you are at or above half your maximum hit point total) to make this damage 20d6 fire damage and 20d6 bludgeoning damage. After performing this finisher, you instantly switch to another stance of your choice.

Snake Stance Finisher

You strike a creature with inhuman precision. The creature automatically fails the next saving throw of your choice and becomes poisoned for 1 minute, ignoring immunity to the poisoned condition. After performing this finisher, you instantly switch to another stance of your choice. 

Tiger Stance Finisher

You strike a creature with tremendous force. Your unarmed strike does an additional 8d10 force damage. You can increase this damage with additional ki points, dealing another 1d10 force damage per Ki point. After performing this finisher, you instantly switch to another stance of your choice.