As you progress through the levels, you will gain abilities that work while you stand in dirt, mud, sand, or small rocks

Pebble’s Flurry

As long as you are standing in small rocks, dirt, sand, or mud, your monk unarmed strike reach becomes 15 feet. In addition, you can spend one ki point to spend to cast a spell based on the material you are standing on.

  Small rocks/dirt: shield

  Sand: fog cloud (additional ki points for additional spell levels)

  Mud: grease

Earthslide Charge

You can spend three ki points to preform an earthslide charge. When you use this ability, you can move your speed, do not provoke opportunity attacks, and can then take the Attack action. All of your attacks deal extra damage equal to your Wisdom modifier plus you monk level while you preform the earthslide. You must start and end your movement in a square of rocks, dirt, sand, or mud. When you move during the charge, all the spaces you move through become difficult terrain, and count as squares of dirt, mud, sand, or small rocks.

Weapons of the Humble

Whenever you use a club, sling, dagger, spear, or dart, you can spend five ki points to attack all targets in the range of the weapon. If you are standing on rocks, dirt, mud, or sand, you can spend two additional ki points to attack all targets you can with your unarmed strike. In addition, you can move through earth-related difficult terrain without spending extra movement.

Seismic Strike

You can spend six ki points to cast Transmute Rock or Summon Elemental, summoning only an earth elemental. Along with that power, whenever you hit an enemy with a unarmed strike or a peasant weapon while standing in rocks, dirt, mud, or sand, you can spend 1 to 10 ki points to have the very earth underfoot rise against the target. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw against your ki DC or take 1d10 damage per ki point (2d4 damage for sand or mud), or half as much damage on a success. If the target takes 25 or more damage from this power, the target becomes restrained (they are suffocating if in sand or mud). The target can make a strength check against your DC to escape the restraint. You can spend a maximum of 10 ki points on this ability in between short rests.