Way of the Sohei

Sohei usually served as guardians for monasteries. While they were clerics similar to shugenja, they focused more on their military training. They structured their lives around religious principles, but not as strictly as a shugenja. These principles included vegetarianism and discipline. Sohei were often dedicated to their duties to the point of fanaticism. An individual from any caste may train to be a sohei. Upon entering the service of a monastery, they shed all family or clan connections. A soheis status is based on the power and importance of their monastery, and honor is very important to a sohei, similar to ninjas. Most sohei are human or hengeyokai, although some monastaries have accepted korobokuru, nezumi and vanara into their orders.

To defend their monasteries or temples from attacks, Sohei trained extensively with weapons as well as martial arts. They also possessed limited magical powers. Sohei can access their ki abilities to go into a berserker-like frenzy. Sohei were able to cast some divine spells, but did not have access to as many divine spells that a shugenja had. A sohei who was dismissed from their order lost the ability to cast divine spells.

Path of the Kensei

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your special martial arts training leads you to master the use of certain weapons. This path also includes instruction in the deft strokes of calligraphy or painting. You gain the following benefits.

Kensei Weapons. Choose two types of weapons to be your kensei weapons: one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. Each of these weapons can be any simple or martial weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties. The longbow is also a valid choice. You gain proficiency with these weapons if you don’t already have it. Weapons of the chosen types are monk weapons for you. Many of this tradition’s features work only with your kensei weapons. When you reach 6th, 11th, and 17th level in this class, you can choose another type of weapon — either melee or ranged — to be a kensei weapon for you, following the criteria above.

Agile Parry. If you make an unarmed strike as part of the Attack action on your turn and are holding a kensei weapon, you can use it to defend yourself if it is a melee weapon. You gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, while the weapon is in your hand and you aren’t incapacitated.

Kensei’s Shot. You can use a bonus action on your turn to make your ranged attacks with a kensei weapon more deadly. When you do so, any target you hit with a ranged attack using a kensei weapon takes an extra 1d4 damage of the weapon’s type. You retain this benefit until the end of the current turn.

Way of the Brush. You gain proficiency with your choice of calligrapher’s supplies or painter’s supplies.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the cleric spell list.

Cantrips

You learn three cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. You learn another cleric cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots

The Sohei Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your cleric spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell charm person and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast charm person using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher

You know three 1st-level cleric spells of your choice.

The Spells Known column of the Sohei Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated and faith. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Sohei Spellcasting

MONK LEVEL	CANTRIPS KNOWN	SPELLS KNOWN	— SPELL SLOTS PER SPELL LEVEL —
			1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH
3rd	3	3	2	—	—	—
4th	3	4	3	—	—	—
5th	3	4	3	—	—	—
6th	3	4	3	—	—	—
7th	3	5	4	2	—	—
8th	3	6	4	2	—	—
9th	3	6	4	2	—	—
10th	4	7	4	3	—	—
11th	4	8	4	3	—	—
12th	4	8	4	3	—	—
13th	4	9	4	3	2	—
14th	4	10	4	3	2	—
15th	4	10	4	3	2	—
16th	4	11	4	3	3	—
17th	4	11	4	3	3	—
18th	4	11	4	3	3	—
19th	4	12	4	3	3	1
20th	4	13	4	3	3	1

Ki-Frenzy

Starting at 3rd level, a sohei gains the ability to focus her ki power into a frenzy of berserk energy.

On your turn, you can enter a ki fuelled frenzy as a bonus action.

While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing armor:

• You have advantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Dexterity , you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.

Your frenzy lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.

You may frenzy twice and you must finish a long rest before you can frenzy again.

 

One with the Blade

At 6th level, you extend your ki into your kensei weapons, granting you the following benefits.

Magic Kensei Weapons. Your attacks with your kensei weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Deft Strike. When you hit a target with a kensei weapon, you can spend 1 ki point to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target equal to your Martial Arts die. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.

Sharpen the Blade

At 11th level, you gain the ability to augment your weapons further with your ki. As a bonus action, you can expend up to 3 ki points to grant one kensei weapon you touch a bonus to attack and damage rolls when you attack with it. The bonus equals the number of ki points you spent. This bonus lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. This feature has no effect on a magic weapon that already has a bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Unerring Accuracy

At 17th level, your mastery of weapons grants you extraordinary accuracy. If you miss with an attack roll using a monk weapon on your turn, you can reroll it. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.

Kensei Weapon

When you reach 17th level in this class, you can choose another type of weapon — either melee or ranged — to be a kensei weapon for you, following the criteria above.