Warrior of Flowing Forms

Warriors of Flowing Forms take on aspects of other creatures by mimicking the flow of lifeforce within them,  using their great insight and understanding of those creatures to do so. This insight and understanding manifest as stances, a collection of movements and postures that evoke the idea of the particular creature. Warriors of Flowing Forms are heralds of the natural world, and seek to achieve physical and spiritual balance with it.

If you want to mimic the feeling of playing a fighting game, chaining combos of different moves. This subclass is for you!

Level 3: Shifting Stances

When you gain this subclass at level 3, you choose two stances from the list. You may learn more stances by finding a master of the specific stance to teach you. You learn one more stance option when you reach level 6, 11 and 17 in this subclass.

Take Stance. As an action, you take on a stance from your available options. You may make an unarmed strike or a melee weapon attack as part of this action.
Shift Stance. You may change the stance you are currently taking on with no action by spending a focus point. This cost increases by 1 for each use of this ability beyond the first time each turn.
Release Stance. As a bonus action you may end the stance by releasing it. If you do, you gain the paid benefit of Patient Defense.

Timing Restriction. You may only shift stances after making an unarmed strike or monk weapon attack.

Aspect of the Crane

You stand with one leg lifted into a delicate but balanced stance. Arms stretched out like wings.

Passive. You may jump up to 5 feet in any direction(no movement cost) everytime you hit a creature with an unarmed attack or a melee monk weapon attack. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. You may also make attacks while mid air. Additionally, you may use Slow Fall without expending your reaction.

Offense. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an unarmed attack or melee monk weapon, the target must make a strength saving throw against your Monk Save DC. On a failure, the target is knocked upwards and is lifted 10 ft off the ground. 

Defense. When you use Deflect Attack, you may jump up to half your movement speed in any direction. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. If you do, when you land on a creature's space, you may make an unarmed strike against them then land on an adjacent space safely.

Aspect of the Dragon

You move into a regal stance, standing tall and proud. Movements sturdy and precise.

Passive: Meditative State. Whenever you enter or shift out of this stance, You gain a focus point if you have less than half. While in this stance, whenever you roll a martial arts die, reroll it if it is a 1 or 2 and take the new result.

Offense: Draconic Presence. Once per turn, when you hit with an unarmed strike or a melee monk weapon, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Monk save DC. On a failure, they become frightened of you.

 Defense: Tyrant's Stand. You may use Deflect Attacks without paying focus points and it will always reduce the damage to zero if the attacker is frightened of you.

Aspect of the Mantis

You take on the aspect of a praying mantis, your arms move like snapping claws and hunch into a low stance ready to grab your opponent.

Passive: Agility and Strength. You may move through hostile creatures and difficult terrain without penalty. Carrying a creature does not impose penalty on your movement speed as long as the grappled creature is the same or smaller size of your push and drag capacity. 

(Special: Command Throw) Additionally while in this stance, you may choose to end a grapple (no action) and deal damage equal to two Martial Arts Die plus your Dexterity Modifier plus proficiency bonus to the grappled creature. The target is thrown 10 ft away from you and prone.

Offense: Probe Defenses. Once a turn, when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you gain advantage on your next attack roll.

Defense: Punishing Grip. When you use Deflect Attack, you may roll an additional Martial Arts die to reduce the damage. If you are Grappling a creature, you may have that creature take damage equal the damage you reduced. 

Aspect of the Monkey

Your movements become playful and you take on a mischievous posture.

Passive: Cross Up. While in this stance, you may freely move through the space of allies and hostile creatures without penalty. Whenever you attack a creature with an unarmed strike or melee monk weapon, you may move to an adjacent space of the target opposite the direction they are facing. 

Offense: Trickster's Guile.  Once per turn, when you hit an enemy with an unarmed strike or melee monk weapon attack, the target must make a Dexterity save against your Monk Save DC. On a failure, they fall prone.

(Special: Play Dirty) As long as you are in this stance, attacks against prone targets or from behind targets deal additional damage equal to your wisdom modifier.

Defense: Trickster's Luck. When you use Deflect Attacks and successfully reduce the attack's damage to 0, you may forego imposing the dexterity save towards a target to regain your Reaction.

Aspect of the Snake

Your movements becomes unnaturally flexible and fluid. Limbs strike to mimic lunging python heads.

Passive: Sleeper Hold. You may add your Wisdom Modifer when determining the save DC for Grapple. Additionally, at the start of your turn, if you are grappling a creature, it takes damage equal to your martial arts die.

Offense: Cobra's Coil. While in this stance, once per turn, you may attempt a Grapple (no action) when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or a melee weapon attack using a Monk weapon.

Defense: Retaliatory Grasp. When you use your Deflect Attacks feature against a melee attack, you may attempt a Grapple ( no action) on the attacker. The target automatically fails the save if you reduce the attack's damage to zero.

Aspect of the Stag

You take on a low stance, legs ready to spring into action. Your arms raised and solid, like a stag brandishing his antlers.

Passive: Anchored Existence. As long as you are in this stance, you are immune to displacement effects that force movement or push/drag you. You are immune to teleportation effects unless you choose to let it happen. Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against being grappled or prone.

Offense: Power Crush. Once per turn, when you make an unarmed strike or a monk weapon attack, you may choose to charge at the enemy up to 10 ft and add your strength modifier to the damage roll. This movement ignores difficult terrain. On a hit, the target must make a Strength saving throw or be shoved 10 ft away.

(Special: Wall Bounce).  While in this stance, whenever you shove a creature towards a wall/surface or another creature and collides with it, They take additional damage equal your Strength Modifier. The target and other creatures they collide with also become mid air and drop prone.

Defense: Enduring Stand. When you use Deflect Attacks agaianst a melee range effect, you can attempt to shove the target. You may add your strength modifier to the save DC. On a fail, you Shove them 10 ft in any direction. If you reduce the damage to 0, shove them 20 ft.

Aspect of the Tiger

Your posture shifts into an aggressive stance, solid and intimidating. Hands poised as claws.

Passive: Rush Down. While in this stance whenever you spend focus points, you may immediately move up to 10ft and make a free unarmed attack towards a creature within range after the movement. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks and you do not add your proficiency bonus to the attack and damage roll of the free attack.

Offense: Overhead Smash. Once per turn, you may add your Wisdom modifier to damage rolls to an unarmed strike or Monk weapon attack. If you do the target must make a dexterity saving throw against your Monk Save DC, on a failure they become unable to use reactions until the start of your next turn.

(Special: Anti-Air) If you use Overhead Smash while hitting a creature mid air, slam them to the ground. The target has disadvantage on the save. Also they immediately recieve falling damage and becomes prone.

Defense: Vengeance. When you use your Deflect Attack feature, you may choose to redirect the attack without needing to reduce the damage to 0. If you do successfully reduce the damage to 0, you may impose disadvantage on the dexterity saving throw the target makes when you deflect the attack.

Level 6: Rhythm of Body and Spirit

Whenever you shift stances, you gain a bonus on attack and damage rolls for each stance you have shifted to this turn. This does not stack, and the higher bonus replaces the lower one. Shifting stances two or more times in one turn starts a combo chain. Whenever you end a combo chain, you gain 1 focus point. You gain 2 focus points instead if you did not miss any attack during the combo chain. You can gain focus points this way up to a number of times equal your proficiency bonus per long rest.

The bonuses you gain from this feature reset at the end the turn.

Level 11: Culmination of Insight

Whenever you roll your Martial arts die for damage, mark the result and add it to your Insight. Whenever you hit with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon, you may expend all your insight and choose on of the following options:

• If the target's Hit points is equal or lower than the insight expended, they become stunned.
• Gain Temporary Hit points equal the amount of Insight expended.
• Add that much to your next damage roll, this additional damage is force.

You can only choose each option once during combat. It's uses reset each time you roll initiative or when you rest.

Your insight resets after rolling a new initiative roll or when you rest.

Level 17: Malleable Soul

Once per long rest, you may choose to enter an empowered state for one turn. While you are in that empowered state, you may shift stances for free.
Additionally, whenever you shift stances, your next attack gains the properties of both stances you left and enter into.