Monks of the Way of the Stardust Crusader have developed the ability to physically manifest their fighting spirit as a humanoid figure who stands with them in battle, referred to as a stand. Upon the stand's first emergence, the individual becomes a stand user. They must choose the name and appearance of their stand, which are permanent thereafter aside from colors, which can change at any time at the user's request. There are no restrictions to its appearance other than it must be of the same size as the user. The stand may also manifest with a monk weapon, which cannot be removed from its hand. The stand can only attack with this weapon or with unarmed strikes. If the user changes in size, the stand mirrors the change.

The stand can levitate above the ground and phase through the user as if it were incorporeal but may choose whatever part of its body to solidify for the purposes of completing a task, such as positioning itself through the user's torso to protect them. Aside from interacting with the user, it is corporeal. The user can issue commands to their stand, which follows them exactly how the user wants to the best of its ability. These commands do not have to be verbally spoken and can be given telepathically. As the user dies, the stand dies with them.

Awakened Stand

At 3rd level, your stand has now awakened. The nature of obtaining a stand varies. You may have obtained it after a traumatic event in your life or you were born to have this ability but only now has it become usable. 

It shares the same alignment, hit points, ability scores, proficiencies, proficiency bonus, and monk class features as you at all times. It is treated as a separate creature from you and only obeys your commands. It cannot speak but knows the languages you know. It shares the same movement speed and armor class as you but are affected separately from any effects which alter them. It can move though you as if it were incorporeal but not through anything else. Your stand's range matches your Unarmored Speed speed bonus. At 6th level, the range doubles.

Your stand can't be blinded, invisible, petrified, poisoned, or unconscious. Whenever it takes damage, you magically take that damage, instead of your stand taking it. In cases where both you and your stand are in the same area of a spell or magical effect, only you are damaged once. However, should either it or you suffer from any other condition or magical effect, the other is also affected the same way for the duration.

As you gain monk levels, the stand will eventually become undetectable by certain creatures. If your monk level divided by five exceeds a creature's CR or level, your stand is invisible and cannot be heard by that creature in any way.

Stand Power

At 3rd level, you gain the mage hand cantrip if you don't already know it and can only be cast if your stand is currently not summoned. It has the appearance of the hand of your stand and can carry up to 75 pounds. You have the following ways to control your stand:

Summon Stand

As a bonus action, you can summon your stand at your exact location.

Retrieve Stand

You can use your reaction to make your stand instantly disappear and teleport to your body. This automatically happens when you fall unconscious or die. Any magical effect applied to it or condition it has, such as stunned, ends.

Command Stand

As an action, if you can see your stand and it is within range, you can command it to perform one action of your choice, including any monk class features you have. This extends to any bonus action or reaction, which uses your own, provided they haven't been used yet. You can also command it to move within range, which does not contribute to your own movement.

Developmental Potential

At 6th level, using your stand continually has enhanced its abilities. If your stand is within 5 feet of you, you can force an attack targeted at you to target your stand instead. You also gain the following benefits:

• Destructive Power: Your stand gains a bonus to damage rolls made with melee weapons equal to your monk level divided by 5, rounded down.
• Durability: Your stand gains a +2 bonus to AC.
• Speed: Your stand's movement speed equals your own plus 1 foot per monk level.
• Precision: While your stand is not summoned, you have advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
• Range: Your stand's range becomes double your Unarmored Speed speed bonus.

Stand Proud

At 11th level, you are able to use your stand in a variety of new ways. Your stand gains new ki features: Fastball Special, Play Dead, and Self-Preservation. Additionally, it gains the gust cantrip. Lastly, while your stand is not summoned, you can cast jump on yourself at will, without providing material components. The spell ends if you summon your stand.

Fastball Special

You can spend 1 ki point to cast catapult as an action, which can increase in spell level by spending additional ki points. The spell level increases by 2 for each additional ki point you spend. The object used can be a willing or unaware Tiny creature.

Play Dead

You can spend 2 ki points to cast feign death on yourself as an action, without providing material components.

Self-Preservation

When your stand or a creature within 5 feet of it is hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell, you can spend 1 ki point to cast shield.

The World

At 17th level, your stand has reached the pinnacle of its abilities. At the start of your turn, you can spend up to 5 ki points to halt the flow of time for everything but yourself and your stand. The number of turns you may take in a row equals the number of ki points you spend, during which you can use actions and move as normal. Time resumes once the last of these turns ends.

Any effect that you or your stand creates during this period which affects a creature other than you or an object being worn or carried by someone other than you only occurs once time resumes, at which they all happen instantaneously at the same time. In addition, the effect ends if you move to a place more than 1,000 feet from the location where you were when time stopped.

If another creature has this Monastic Tradition Feature and is aware of you using it, they may use their reaction to spend the same number of ki points as you have. If they do, as time has stopped, rounds now continue as normal but only for you, your stand, the other creature, and its stand. Time instead resumes once the last of the other creature's turns ends.