Way of the Radiant Fist

Monks of the Radiant Fist are very unlike monks of other orders; rather than relying on calming meditation, fancy flourishing moves & delicate ki usage, these monks rely on devastating blows, powerful ki blasts and sheer endurance via exceeding their physical limits. This high-risk-high-reward fighting style can be just as lethal to their users as their enemies, but those who can endure the incredible strain on their bodies can reach new heights of power rumoured to only exist in the legends of old.

Enhanced Body

Instead of relying on their ability to dodge enemy blows, through raw power & grit, monks of the Radiant Fist prefer to simply tank the hits they receive, shrug it off, then retaliate with greater force. Additionally, through the use of sheer willpower, these monks can use Ki without the need for traditional monk practices of meditation.

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you may choose to add your Strength Modifier and Constitution Modifier to your AC instead of your Dexterity Modifier and Wisdom Modifier.

AC = 10 + your Strength Modifier + your Constitution Modifier

Additionally, you may use your Constitution Modifier to calculate your Ki save DC and Ki attack bonus instead of your Wisdom Modifier & gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

Ki save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + your Constitution Modifier

Ki attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Constitution Modifier

Power Stance

Through your brutal training, your incredible endurance has allowed you to convert your own vitality into raw Ki power in the thick of battle as well as augment your already formidable monk arts.

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, as a bonus action, you may expend 5 hitpoints to gain 1 Ki point. This Ki point is added to your total Ki pool that can be utilised for your regular monk abilities and your advanced Ki techniques gained later in this tradition. You only do this once per round.

Additionally you gain enhancements to your basic monk abilities:

• Reckless Assault: You gain advantage on all your blows granted by Flurry of Blows, but enemies have advantage on attack rolls against you.
• Savage Counter: While in Patient Defense, you may make an unarmed strike against the first melee attacker that makes an attack roll against you.
• Fluid Strike: Before your disengage or after your dash provided by Step of the Wind, you may make an unarmed attack.

Ki Techniques

You have now learned to master the overflowing Ki you produce and mold it into powerful bursts of Ki that can augment your already potent strikes, fire blasts of force energy and even project a potent Ki field that reduces or even nullifies enemy melee and ranged attacks.

At 6th level, you can throw a Force Bolt instead of making a melee strike on your attack.

Force Bolt: Make a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it and add your Constitution Modifier to the attack roll. On hit, your bolt of energy deals 1 martial arts dice of force damage. You can also make this as part of your Flurry of Blows.

You also learn 3 Ki techniques of your choice from the Ki Techniques List. These techniques make use of the Ki save DC and Ki attack bonus from the monk's standard Ki feature.

You may learn 1 additional technique at  9th level, another at 12th level and another at 15th level.

Additionally, you may choose to charge your offensive Ki Techniques until the start of your next turn, doubling damage and range. If a creature makes a successful attack on you, you must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on charging the technique. On a failed save, you lose the Ki technique and make no attack.

Ki Techniques List

At 6th level, you choose any 2 Ki Techniques of your choice from this list. These techniques use the Ki save DC and Ki attack bonus calculated in the standard monk Ki feature or the Enhanced Body feature of this tradition. You learn another technique at 10th level and another at 15th level.

Blasts:

• Energy Barrage: As an attack action, you may spend 1 or more Ki points (up to a maximum of 5 Ki points) to cast the Magic Missile spell. Each additional Ki point spent increases the spell level by 1.
• Bang Blast: As an attack action, you may spend 1 Ki point to fire an incredibly powerful concussive blast as a ranged Ki attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it and add your Constitution Modifier to the attack roll. On hit, this blast deals 1 martial arts dice thunder damage and the opponent must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
• Searing Disc: As an attack action, you may spend 1 or more Ki points (up to a maximum of 3 points) to make a ranged spell attack by throwing a destructive disc up to 30 feet that can slice through solid metal. You are proficient with it and add your Constitution Modifier to the attack roll. On hit, this disc deals 1 martial arts dice per Ki point spent of radiant damage. The creature must then make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they take an additional 1 martial arts dice per Ki point spent of magical slashing damage. If the creature is reduced to 0 hitpoints, their body is cut in half.
• Radiant Sphere: As an attack action, you may channel your Ki into a ball of energy and fire it at a location within 150 feet. You may throw the ball immediately or charge it for a round before throwing it. Each creature within a 15 feet radius sphere must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2 martial arts die per Ki point spent of radiant damage, halved on a successful save.
• Piercing Cannon: As an attack action, you may spend 1 or more Ki points (up to a maximum of 3 points) to make a ranged spell attack by firing an hyper-focused force beam up to 60 feet. You are proficient with it and add your Constitution Modifier to the attack roll.
  
  • If you spend less than 3 Ki points, on hit, this beam deals 2 martial arts die per Ki point spent of force damage.
  • If you spend 3 Ki points, on hit, the beam deals 2 martial arts die of force damage per Ki point spent and travels through the creature. If there is another creature behind the creature, the beam deals half damage to that target.

Strikes:

• Empowered Blow: On hit with an unarmed attack, you may spend an additional Ki point to increase the potency of your strike. On hit, you deal an additional 1 martial arts dice of force damage. You may only use this technique once per round.
• Hypersonic Flurry: When you use your Flurry of Blows, you may spend an additional Ki point to increase the rate of your strikes. You make an additional unarmed attack as part of your Flurry of Blows.
• Crippling Strike: On hit with an unarmed attack, you may spend an additional Ki point to break an opponent's defenses. The effect depends on whether the creature is wearing heavy armour, medium/light armour or no armour:
  • If the creature is wearing heavy armour, the next attack on the creature is made with advantage.
  • If the creature is wearing medium or light armour, the creature loses their Dexterity armour bonus until next turn.
  • If the creature is not wearing any armour, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, until their next turn, the creature is blinded. If they are immune to the blinded condition, they are instead deafened. If they are immune to both the blinded and deafened conditions, they are instead incapacitated.

Others:

• Mystic Barrier: As a reaction, you may spend 2 Ki points to cast the Shield spell on yourself. You require no verbal components to cast it. Alternatively, you may spend 4 Ki points to cast the Shield spell on a target creature within 15 feet.
• Shimmering Duplicates: As an action, you may spend 6 Ki points to create 4 clones of yourself. These clones have 1/3 of your maximum hitpoints, 1/3 of your maximum Ki points and deal -2 damage regardless of the source. These clones last for 1 minute.
• Step of Light: As a bonus action, you may spend 2 Ki points to cast the Misty Step spell. You require verbal components to cast it.

Potential Unleashed

Your body has now trained to a point where it now acts as more of a limiter on your potent power. Whether in desperation or calculated risk taking, you are now able to break those limits temporarily to empower your physical and Ki abilities beyond their normal means. However, there are consequences to going past those limits.

At 11th level, you may spend 6 Ki points as a bonus action to enter the Potential Unleashed form. In this form, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain the benefits of casting the Haste spell, requiring no verbal or material components.
• You gain the benefits of casting the Fly spell, requiring no verbal or material components. Your fly speed is equal to your movement speed.
• You gain a bonus martial arts dice added to your attack and damage rolls.
• Your Strength and Dexterity scores increase by 2, up to a maximum of 22.

This form and its benefits last for 1 minute, until you lose concentration, or until you use this feature again (this will reset the duration of the form).

If your concentration is broken by an attack, you suffer the following:

• The next attack you take is an automatic critical hit.
• Your maximum hitpoints are reduced by an amount equal to half the damage it does. This is recovered on a long rest.

When the form ends, regardless of what caused it to end, you suffer the following until your next long rest:

• You suffer one level of exhaustion.
• You take damage equal to your Monk level - your Constitution Modifier.
• You have disadvantage on Athletics and Acrobatics ability checks.
• You suffer vulnerability to all damage types. If you have any damage resistances, they are negated.

If you use this form again, you are no longer vulnerable to all damage types, make Athletics and Acrobatics ability checks without disadvantage and ignore the effects of exhaustion. You may enter the form again, ignoring the effects of exhaustion and lose the vulnerabilities to damage, but each time on leaving the form, you suffer additional points of exhaustion and become vulnerable to all damage types again. Once you take a long rest, you are no longer vulnerable to damage, no longer make Athletics and Acrobatics ability checks at disadvantage and lose a point of exhaustion.

Unbreaking Form

Your incredible focus has allowed you to reach even further beyond your limits than ever before without inducing further damage and increasing your ability to maintain the form in spite of any damage received. This now radiates out as a visible aura of electricity and light, striking fear in the hearts of those who stand before you as well as instilling hope in your allies. Your ability of Ki manipulation has also improved your destructive capability.

At 17th level, some of your Potential Unleashed form benefits are improved as follows:

    Your bonus to any attack or damage roll is now 2 martial arts die.
    Your Strength and Dexterity scores now increase by 4, to a maximum of 24.
    You now have advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain the form.

Additionally, when you enter your Potential Unleashed form, you now manifest an aura with the following properties:

    You shed bright white light in a 5 foot radius and dim light for another 5 foot radius.
    Hostile creatures that can see your form must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Ki save DC. On a failed save, they are frightened. On a success, they become immune to being frightened through this feature for 24 hours.
    Friendly creatures that can see your form gain advantage on Wisdom saving throws against being frightened.

You can now re-roll 1s on your Ki technique damage rolls, but must take the new roll even if it is also a 1.

You also choose of your learned Ki Techniques to become your 'signature technique', doubling its damage if it is an offensive technique or reducing the Ki points needed by half for non-attack techniques such as Mystic Barrier or Step of Light.