Revised Way of the Four Elements

A better more balanced 4 elements. With many more options. This is a rough first draft designed for a player I DM for and we are playtesting and editing version two right now.

Creators note for DMs: There is a class specific feat listed under Elemental Techniques that can be used with this subclass, however if a player approaches you asking for elemental adept for this class I would recommend letting them. It is a fun addition for the vibe of the class. If someone really doesn't enjoy their element you can give them a small quest or goal to change their element between level ups or let them whenever they level up.

Elemental Enhancement

At 3rd level you gain two of the following elements and the Channel ability. The elements are, Fire, Ice, Lighting, Air, Water and Earth.

Channel: As a bonus action you can spend a 1 ki point to channel a single element. At 11th level you may channel two instead for 2 ki points. You may only have a specific element active once at one time and only one of each type (Aura, Extended, Empowered or Defensive). These effects last for one minute then end. If you have one effect active you may use your bonus action and a ki point to add another set of elements. You save DC is equal to 8 + your Wis mod + your proficiency bonus. Whenever you take over 15 damage in a single instance you must make a Constitution save with DC(10 or half the damage taken). If you fail you end one of your channels.

For bonuses at 11th level the 11 levels must be in Monk.

Air

Aura: When you channel air as your aura the winds buffet your enemies around you and protects your allies. The area within 30ft of you becomes difficult terrain for your enemies. In addition you and your allies have +2AC against ranged attacks and resistance to fire damage. In addition as a bonus action you can move an ally within your aura up to 20ft to another point within your aura.

Extended: When you channel air as your Extended you gain can throw walls of air against your enemies. When you attack you may replace an attack to cause any number of enemies in a 15ft cone to make a Strength save or be pushed back 30ft and take damage equal to your martial arts die on a fail or be pushed 15ft and take no damage on a success.

Empowered: When you choose air as your empowered you condense the air around your strikes to empower their impact. Your attacks deal additional damage equal to one die size lower of your martial arts dice each hit within your normal reach. If you hit a creature 2 or more times with while you have channelled air as your empowered they must make a Strength save or be pushed back 15ft. Then you may spend a ki point you may follow up back into 5ft of the target.

Defensive: When you choose air as your defensive you condense the air around you into an almost solid dead zone. Ranged attacks at long range miss you automatically and all ranged attacks have disadvantage. You gain resistance to fire. In addition when you are hit with a melee attack you may use your reaction have the attacker make a Dexterity save, if they fail you push the target back 10ft possibly causing the attack to miss.

Earth

Aura: When you channel earth as your aura, the terrain around you shapes itself to your needs. As long as your feet are touching the ground you have tremor-sense out to 60ft and the ground within 30ft of you becomes difficult terrain for your enemies. In addition at the start of your turn each enemy of your choice fully within 30ft must make a Strength save or fall prone.

Extended: When you channel earth as your extended, you gain a ranged attack of 50/100ft that acts the same as your unarmed attacks that deal bludgeoning damage. It can be used as part of a flurry of blows and is a melee attack for the purposes of monk abilities.

Empowered: When you channel earth you conjure earthen fists over your real ones. You deal extra damage equal to one die size less of your martial arts dice of bludgeoning damage whenever you hit with an attack within 5ft. At 11th level if you hit a creature 2 or more times with while you have channelled earth as your empowered the target must make a Strength save or be knocked prone.

Defensive: When you channel earth as your defensive, earthen armour begins to form around your body. You gain a +2 to AC when you are hit with an attack you can spend a ki point and use your reaction to gain resistance to the damage you would take.

Fire

Fire has the following effects when channelled in different ways.

-Aura: When you channel fire as your aura, flames begin to flow around you within 15ft. At the start of your turn each creature of your choice within the aura must make a Dexterity save or take fire damage equal to of your martial arts dice + your wisdom modifier on a fail and half as much on a success. At 11th level this effect deals damage equal to two of your martial arts dice + your wisdom on a fail and half as much on a success instead.

-Extended: When you channel fire as your extended, you gain the ability to throw swathes of fire at your enemies. When you make an attack you expend a ki point to instead making your attack action attack against all creatures within a 15ft cone. Any damage dealt by this effect is fire.

-Empowered: When you channel fire as your empowered, you deal an extra martial arts dice of fire damage whenever you hit with an attack within your normal reach. From 5th level If you hit a creature 3 or more times with while you have channelled fire as your empowered it is set ablaze and takes 2d6 fire damage at the start of its turn until it takes an action to put the fire out.

-Defensive: When you channel fire as your defensive, a wreath of flame appears around you. When you get hit by a melee attack you can use your reaction to have the creature that hit you make a Dex save, deal two of your martial arts dice worth of fire damage on a fail and half on a success.

Ice

Aura: When you channel ice as your aura, the temperature drops to near zero around you within 15ft. At the start of your turn each creature of your choice within the aura must make a Con Save or take cold damage equal your Wisdom mod. All enemies within the aura have their speed reduced by 15ft. At 11th level this effect deals damage equal to of your martial arts die + your wisdom on a fail and half as much on a success instead.

Extended: When you channel ice as your extended, you extend your reach to 30ft. Any damage dealt outside of your normal reach is ice damage rather than anything else if you hit a target outside of your normal reach the target reduces their speed by 5ft.

Empowered: When you channel ice as your empowered, you form icy fists over your hands. When you hit a target within your normal reach you deal additional cold damage equal to one dice size lower than your martial arts dice. In addition once per turn when you take the dodge action you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier as ice forms up your forearm.

Defensive: When you channel ice as your defensive, a frosty armour forms over you. When you channel this element and the start of each of your turns you may gain temporary hit points equal to one martial arts dice + your Wisdom modifier. In addition when a creature removes some of these temporary hit points with a melee attack they take cold damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Lightning

Aura: When you channel lighting as your aura, electricity begins to crackle around you within 15ft.
At the start of your turn each creature of your choice within the aura must make a Dexterity save or
take lightning damage equal to of your martial arts dice + your wisdom modifier on a fail and half as
much on a success. At 11th level this effect deals damage equal to two of your martial arts dice +
your wisdom on a fail and half as much on a success instead.

Extended: When you channel lightning as your extended, you extend your melee reach to 40ft. Any
damage dealt outside of your normal reach you is lightning damage rather than anything else.

Empowered: When you channel lightning as your empowered, you deal an extra martial arts
dice of lightning damage whenever you hit with an attack within 5ft. After 11th level if you hit a
creature 2 or more times with while you have channelled lightning as your empowered the target
must make a constitution save or become stunned until the start of your next turn.

Defensive: When you channel Lightning as your defensive, you wrap a field of lighting close to your
body. When you are hit with a melee attack you may use your reaction to cause the creature to
make a Constitution save or have the creature lose the rest of its attacks that turn. At 11th level you
may expend a Ki point to impose a –5 to the creatures save this may only be done once per save.

Water

Aura: When you channel water as your aura it has an affect depending if you are underwater or on land.

-Land: At the start of your turn all enemies within 10ft you must make a Dexterity save or take piercing damage equal to a martial arts die on a fail and half as much on a success. At 11th level
this effect deals damage equal to two of your martial arts dice on a fail and half as much on a success instead.

-Underwater: All allies within 60ft of you gain a swimming speed equal to their movement speed. In addition enemies within the same range lose all benefits associated with having a swimming speed. Finally as a bonus action on your turn you may spend 2 Ki points to have one ally within your aura regain hit points equal to two martial arts dice + your wisdom modifier. If your terrain changes while this aura is up so does the affect.

Extended: When you channel water for your extended you increase your melee range by 15ft. In addition when you hit an enemy with an attack outside of your normal reach you may pull them closer by 5ft.

Empowered: When you choose air as your empowered you condense the air’s moisture around your strikes to empower their impact. Your attacks deal additional damage equal to one size lower than your martial arts dice of piercing damage when you hit a target within your normal reach.

Defensive: When you channel water for your defensive you wrap yourself in water to protect and heal yourself. You gain resistance to fire and acid damage. In addition you heal one martial arts die worth of damage at the start of each of your turns while you are in initiative.

Specialist Element

At 6th level you gain a third element. In addition you may swap out any of your previously chosen elements. Then select your specialist element. This element no long costs you Ki points to channel and does not count towards your total when seeing if you gain exhaustion. You may activate reactions and once per turns effects of your specialist element a second time during a round by expending 1 Ki point (This can give you a second reaction in a single combat round). You may not do this a third time during one turn. (Note: Waters defensive ability only regains hit points when directly in initiative. No you cannot turn water specialists into free healing on themselves.) You reselect your specialist element when ever you level up.

Air

Air Specialism.

Earth

Earth Specialism.

Fire

Fire Specialism.

Ice

Ice Specialism.

Lightning

Lightning Specialism.

Water

Water Specialism.

Adaptive Elementalism

At 11th level you gain your fourth element. In addition you may swap out any of your previously chosen elements. Finally as a free action at the start of each of your turns, you can change any number of your active elements’ channel type (E.g. change Fire aura to Fire Empowered). This does not allow you to have two active elements of the same type. (E.g. You cannot have both Fire and Ice on empowered.)

Elemental Explosion

At 17th level you may swap out one of your chosen elements. You may also re select your specialist element at every long rest.

Finally, as an action when you have one or more active elements you may spend 3 Ki points to end all your channelled elements in an explosive radius or beam. The radius is (10 x the number of elements you had channelled) ft centred on you and the beam is 15ft wide and (20 x the number of elements you had channelled) ft long. Each creature other than you within the area must make a Str, Dex or Con save (You choose for each) or take damage equal to 4 martial arts dice per element you had channelled on a fail and half as much on a success. (Roll each associated elements damage separately) For each target you may spend 1 Ki point to give it –5 to its save this may only be done once per target per save. (Note: When you end your channels in this way you do still gain the exhaustion associated with ending more than one channel.) Finally this effect cannot be activated on the same turn you channel elements.

Elements and damage types: Fire is fire damage, Ice is cold damage, Lightning is lightning damage, Earth is bludgeoning damage, Air is slashing damage, Water is piercing damage.