Way of the Serpent's Fang

One of the Five Animals of martial arts, the Serpent’s Fang style focuses on the utilisation of one’s own ki to manipulate another’s ki, usually to poison them and damage them from the inside out. While many martial practices focus on the physical strength and force, using their ki to enhance their abilities, those who study the Serpent’s Fang use their bodies as conduits for their ki. Taking a fluid stance, the sway that emulates a snake’s movement, the Serpent’s Fang easily dodges the attack and spins around for a savage strike. Not only do they train their bodies, a powerful monk must also train their mind. Serpent’s Fangs must have great knowledge of pressure points, of armor and its weaknesses, and how to take advantage of all of these facts. Most Serpent’s Fangs prefer to not use weapons, preferring their fierce and piercing hand techniques.

Way of the Serpent’s Fang features

Monk Level	Feature
3rd	Fang Strike, Serpentine Movement
6th	Piercing Fangs
11th	Toxic Strikes
17th	Serpent Sway

Fang Strike

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to imbue your strikes with your toxic ki. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 ki point to force the target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target takes additional poison damage equal to your Martial Arts die.

Serpentine Movement

From 3rd level, your body has become such that you can easily slip through grasps and even small areas. You can move through small passages as easily as if you were one size smaller. Additionally, as an action, if you are grappled or restrained, you can spend 2 ki points to immediately escape from the bindings.

Piercing Fangs

Starting at 6th level, your strikes are able to pierce into your targets, briefly immobilizing them and allowing you to follow up with greater efficacy. When you hit a target with an unarmed attack, your subsequent unarmed attacks against the same target gain +1 to hit. This bonus stacks with itself, up to your proficiency bonus, and resets at the end of your turn.

Toxic Strikes

From 11th level, your unarmed attacks deal additional poison damage equal to your wisdom modifier.

Additionally, when you deal poison damage to a creature, the creature has disadvantage on its next attack or saving throw.

Serpent Sway

Starting at 17th level, when you enter your dodge stance, you begin to sway in a way that allows you to quickly take advantage in any drop of your opponents guard. Until the start of your next turn after using the Dodge action, when a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to spend 1 ki point and immediately make an unarmed attack on the target.