Warrior of the Hermit

Warriors of The Hermit master the use of life energy within their bodies, referring to it with the older and more philosophical term of ki. This belies the mystic origins of the Hermit school, expressed clearly in many of its special techniques that focus more on the mystic arts as opposed to the martial. The way of the Hermit is this: work hard, study well, and eat and sleep plenty!

Special Techniques

Whether by conquering enemies, studying under a master, or mastering yourself alone, you've come to learn a number of distinct techniques in your time as a martial artist. At 3rd level, you learn 3 of these techniques. You learn 2 additional techniques at 6th, 11th, and 17th level. Each time you learn new techniques, you can replace one technique you know with a different one.

Ki Blast

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 force, and its damage die is the same as your martial arts die. This special attack can replace any or all of your attacks when you use your Extra Attack feature if you have it, and can also be used to replace any of the attacks you make as part of your Flurry of Blows or Martial Arts bonus actions.

You cannot use this feature if you do not have any focus points.

Ki Charge

Using your action you focus your mind and body, regaining a number of focus points equal to your WIS modifier (minimum of 1). You an use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses of this ability on a long rest.

Charged Ki Blast

You can use your action and 4 focus points to begin charging up a special attack. This attack is a 100 foot line which makes all creatures and objects within make a Dexterity saving throw against your Monk save DC, taking force damage equal to 6 of your martial arts dice on a failure. Creatures that succeed on the saving throw take half damage.

Instead of releasing the attack on the turn you take this action, you can instead choose to hold the attack, spending up to 3 focus points on the next turn to charge the attack up further, adding 3 additional damage dice per focus point. You cannot voluntarily move more than half of your movement speed or take any actions while holding the attack like this, and you must maintain concentration on it as if it were a spell. If you lose concentration on your Charged Ki Blast, the energy fizzles out and does nothing. You may continue charging the attack like this for as long as you have focus points, releasing the energy as a 100 foot line at the end of a turn on which you are charging. If you end your turn with 0 focus points, you must either unleash the attack or stop concentrating on it, letting it fizzle out and do nothing.

Ki-Empowered Flight

Using a bonus action and 1 focus point, you gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed that lasts for 1 minute. You lose this fly speed early if you end your turn with 0 focus points.

Potential Unleashed

Using your action and 9 focus points, you can enter a state in which your latent potential as a martial artist is maximized. For as long as you are in this state, your AC is increased by 2, you reduce all sources of incoming damage by an amount equal to your Wisdom modifier, and your movement speed is increased by 20 feet. Additionally, whenever you roll a martial arts die for any reason, you treat any result less than your WIS modifier as equal to you WIS modifier.

At the start of every turn while your potential is unleashed, you must either spend 2 focus points to remain in this state, end the unleashed state, or take 1 level of exhaustion. While in this state, any time you would spend one or more focus points, you can choose to spend one less focus point. 

Special Technique Options

The special techniques are presented here in alphabetical order.

Afterimage

When you take the dodge action or activate your Patient Defense feature, you can make a stealth check to hide and leave one illusory double of yourself in your place as if created by the minor illusion cantrip. When you hide in this way, you do not automatically fail the check in bright light or without being heavily obscured. A creature whose passive investigation is higher than your monk save DC instantly realizes the afterimage is an illusion and can see through it, although they do not know your location as a result of this. A creature whose passive perception is higher than your stealth check made to hide from them knows your location, although they do not necessarily realize your afterimage is an illusion as a consequence. 

A creature that knows either of the two things revealed above can make either an investigation check to determine which you is the real one, or a perception check to determine your location. Otherwise, your illusory double is assumed to be you. If an enemy attacks your afterimage, you can use your reaction to attack that creature if they are within range.

Charged Ki Blast Attack

Prerequisite: 6th Level

When you use your Charged Ki Blast feature and choose to release it at the end of your turn, you can choose to make a spell attack roll using your WIS modifier against one creature you can see within 100 feet. If the attack hits, you deal the full damage of your Charged Ki Blast to the creature. The creature is also moved 10 feet in a straight line away from you for each turn your spent charging up.

When you use this special technique to make this attack, you do not create the 100 foot line effect generated by your Charged Ki Blast.

Dragon Fist

Prerequisite: 17th Level

Using your action, expend any number of focus points equal to or greater than 4 and make one unarmed strike attack. This attack deals damage as normal, as well as an additional 2d8 damage for each focus point spent. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Evil Containment

Prerequisite: 17th Level

You can spend 10 focus points to cast the spell Imprisonment. To cast the spell in this way, you must have a small sealable jar or other water-tight container that is opened and then sealed shut as a port of casting the spell. Once the target is sealed within the container, the container becomes indestructible. However, the cap or seal can be removed, ending the spell on the target. Light does not pass through the object unless it is made of a see-through material.

Final Explosion

Prerequisite: 17th Level

Using your action, reduce yourself to 0 Hit points, simultaneously erupting in a final defiant explosion of ki, dealing twice your maximum HP in force damage to all creatures and objects within 60 feet of you that fail a Dexterity saving throw, or half as much damage to those that succeed. A creature does not benefit from cover when making this saving throw if the damage is sufficient to destroy the cover. When you use this ability, you can expend all of your focus points to increase the save DC by 1 for every 3 focus points spent.

After using this ability, you are petrified and cannot be stabilized, healed, or cured of petrification until you are finished making Constitution saving throws against your Monk save DC, which you make at disadvantage in place of death saving throws. If you die from failing these saves, you disintegrate instantly. If you live, you remain in this petrified state for 24 hours and cannot be cured until you return to normal.

Forceful Fist

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 focus point to cause your melee attacks and unarmed strikes to push the target 5 feet away from you.

Greater Mysticism

Prerequisites: 17th Level, Intermediate Mysticism

Using an action and 9 focus points, you can cast the spell Antimagic Field ignoring material components.

You also gain the ability to cast Astral Projection using 10 ki points. When you cast Astral Projection in this way, you can only target yourself and one other creature, and it requires no material components.

Honed Ki Sense

Prerequisites: 6th Level, Ki Sense

You know the location of any creature within 60 feet of you that is not incorporeal and undead.

Additionally using an action, you can focus your senses, calling on your mastery of ki to detect invisible or otherwise hidden creatures within 300 feet of you. All creatures within 300 feet must make a WIS save against your Monk save DC, having their exact locations revealed to you on a failure.

Improved Charged Ki Blast

Prerequisite: 6th Level

You can now use your Deflect Blows monk feature while charging your Charged Ki Blast without ending the charge. Additionally, while using your turns to charge your Charged Ki Blast you can spend 1 focus point and use your bonus action to teleport to an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. This bonus action does not cause you to stop charging your Charged Ki Blast.

Instant Transmission

Prerequisite: 11th Level

Using an action and 8 focus points, you cast the spell teleport. When you cast the spell in this way, you can only teleport other creatures that are touching you, or touching another creature that you are teleporting. Additionally, you can only target a location you can see or a creature you know as your destination, treating your association with them the same way you would treat association with a place. However, any result of your teleportation that is not On Target results in the spell failing instead of resulting in an unsuccessful teleportation.

Intermediate Mysticism

Prerequisites: 11th Level, Lesser Mysticism

Using an action and 6 focus points, you can cast the spell Telekinesis.

You also gain the ability to cast Globe of Invulnerability using 7 focus points. When you cast Globe of Invulnerability with this special technique, it does not require any material components.

Ki Barrier

When you would be hit by an attack or the magic missile spell, you can use your reaction and 2 focus points to cast the shield spell.

Ki Blast Sniper

The Ki Blast attack now has a range of 90 feet. Additionally, when you choose to attack with Ki Blast, you can choose to remove your proficiency bonus to the attack roll in exchange for a damage bonus equal to twice your proficiency bonus.

Ki Sense

You know the location of any creature within 10 feet of you that is not an undead, construct, or similarly lacks a life force.

Additionally using an action, you can focus your senses, calling on your mastery of ki to detect invisible or otherwise hidden creatures within 60 feet of you. All creatures within 60 feet that can be detected with Ki sense must make a WIS save against your Monk save DC, having their exact locations revealed to you on a failure.

Ki Wall

Prerequisite: 11th Level

You can spend 6 focus points to cast the spell Wall of Force.

Lesser Mysticism

Prerequisite: 6th Level 

Using an action and 3 focus points, you can cast the spell Detect Thoughts.

You also gain the ability to cast Tongues using 4 focus points, targeting only yourself.

Both spells require no material components when cast using this special technique.

Opportunity Escape

When a creature misses an attack against you, you can expend your reaction and a focus point to move up to half of your movement speed. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the creature whose attack triggered this reaction.

Solar Flare

As an action you can expend 3 ki points to suddenly surprise your enemies with bright light. All creatures within 10 feet of you must succeed on a CON saving throw against your Monk save DC or be blinded for one minute. Creatures who fail the initial saving throw can remake the save at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition early on a success.

World King Fist

Prerequisite: 11th Level

Using a Bonus Action and 5 focus points, you enter a dangerous empowered state. In this state, your movement speed is doubled. You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls for ki blasts and unarmed strikes, and your Monk save DC is increased by 3 as well. At the beginning of each of your turns, you can either chose to end this technique or spend 2 focus points to maintain it, retaining its benefits until the beginning of your next turn. If you begin your turn with 0 focus points, the technique immediately ends. 

Whenever the technique ends, you must succeed on a CON save (DC 10 + the number of turns the technique was active) or suffer a penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. This penalty is the same as the number of turns spent under the effects of World King Fist. Every time you finish a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears. While you have this penalty, you take 5 necrotic damage every time you spend a focus point, and you cannot use Ki Charge. This necrotic damage cannot be reduced by any means.

X100 Solar Flare

Prerequisite: 6th Level, Solar Flare

This improved version of Solar Flare has a radius of 30 feet, and creatures that fail the saving throw are stunned until the end of their next turn, and then they are blinded for a minute, remaking the saving throw at the end of each of their turns to regain their sight. In exchange, it costs 5 focus points.