Improved Way of the Four Elements

This will be a direct improvement on the original way of the four elements monk.

Disciple of the Elements

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn magical disciplines that harness the power of the four elements. A discipline requires you to spend ki points each time you use it.

You know two elemental disciplines of your choice, which are detailed in the “Elemental Disciplines” section below. You learn two additional elemental disciplines of your choice at 6th, 11th and 17th level.

Whenever you learn gain a level in this class, you can also replace one elemental discipline that you already know with a different discipline.

Casting Elemental Spells

Some elemental disciplines allow you to cast spells. See the Spellcasting section for the general rules of spellcasting. To cast one of these spells, you use its casting time and other rules, but you don’t need to provide material components for it.

Once you reach 5th level in this class, you can spend additional ki points to increase the level of an elemental discipline spell that you cast, provided that the spell has an enhanced effect at a higher level, as burning hands does. The spell’s level increases by 1 for each additional ki point you spend. For example, if you are a 5th-level monk and use Sweeping Cinder Strike to cast burning hands, you can spend 3 ki points to cast it as a 2nd-level spell (the discipline’s base cost of 2 ki points plus 1).

The maximum number of ki points you can spend to cast a spell in this way (including its base ki point cost and any additional ki points you spend to increase its level) is determined by your monk level, as shown in the Spells and Ki Points table.

Spells and Ki Points

Monk Levels	Maximum Ki Points for a Spell
5th–8th	3
9th–12th	4
13th–16th	5
17th–20th	6

Elemental Disciplines

The elemental disciplines are presented in alphabetical order. If a discipline requires a level, you must be that level in this class to learn the discipline.

A Leaf on the Rising Wind

Your Slow Fall ability no longer requires a reaction to use, you instead you may use it automatically whenever you are conscious and not incapacitated, and it negates all falling damage regardless of distance. When you use the Slow Fall ability, you may also glide along the air to move 5 feet in any horizontal direction for every 5 feet that you fall. (6th Level Required)

Avatar of Elements

As an ultimate display of your mastery of the elements, you can spend 6 ki as an action to have the elements of earth, fire, air, and water form a protective sphere around your body, gaining multiple benefits for 1 minute. While this ability is active, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage.
You also gain a burrow, fly, and swim speed equal to your movement speed. Lastly, you can use any of the following abilities as a bonus action:
• You create a small earthquake on the ground in a 15-foot radius around you. Each creature in that area
must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone.
• You create a line of fire 15 feet long and 5 feet wide extending from you in a direction you choose. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
• You create a 15-foot cube of swirling wind centered on a point you can see within 60 feet of you. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 1d10 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If a Large or smaller creature fails the save, that creature is also pushed up to 10 feet away from the center of the cube.
• You create a 15-foot cone of ice shards extending from your outstretched hand in a direction you choose. Each creature in the cone must make a Constitution save throw. A creature takes 2d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails its save against this effect has its speed halved until the start of your next turn.

(17th Level Required)

Breath of Winter

You can spend 6 ki points to cast cone of cold. (17th Level Required)

Brush of the Horizon

You can spend 2 ki points to cast skywrite. (6th Level Required)

Clench of the North Wind

You can spend 3 ki points to cast hold person. (6th Level Required)

Control of the Everlasting Earth

You can spend 4 ki points to cast stone shape. You can spend 5 ki points to cast transmute rock. (17th Level Required)

Eternal Mountain Defense

You can spend 5 ki points to cast stoneskin, targeting yourself. (17th Level Required)

Fangs of the Fire Snake

When you use the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to cause tendrils of flame to stretch out from your fists and feet. Your reach with your unarmed strikes increases by 10 feet until the end of your next turn. A hit with such an attack deals fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage, and if you spend 1 ki point when the attack hits, it also deals an extra 1d10 fire damage.

Fangs of the Frost Wolf

You can spend 1 ki point to cast ice knife.

Fist of Four Thunders

You can spend 2 ki points to cast thunderwave.

Fist of Unbroken Air

You can create a blast of compressed air that strikes like a mighty fist. As an action, you can spend 2 ki points and choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 bludgeoning damage for each additional ki point you spend, and you can push the creature up to 20 feet away from you and knock it prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don’t push it or knock it prone.

Flames of the Phoenix

You can spend 4 ki points to cast fireball. (11th Level Required)

Frenzied Elements Defense

You can spend 5 ki points to cast fire shield. (17th Level Required)

Gong of the Summit

You can spend 3 ki points to cast shatter. (6th Level Required)

Grip of the Mountain

You can spend 3 ki points to cast maximilian's earthen grasp. (6th Level Required)

Imprisonment of the Depths

You can spend 5 ki points to cast watery sphere. (17th Level Required)

Leap of the Wind

You can spend 4 ki points to cast thunder step. (11th Level Required)

Mist Stance

You can spend 4 ki points to cast gaseous form, targeting yourself. (11th Level Required)

One with Earth

You can spend 4 ki points to cast meld into stone. (11th Level Required)

Onslaught of the Rolling Sea

You can spend 4 ki points to cast tidal wave. (11th Level Required)

Protection of the Northern Winds

You can spend 3 ki points to cast warding wind. (6th Level Required) 

Ride the Wind

You can spend 4 ki points to cast fly, targeting yourself. (11th Level Required)

River of Hungry Flame

You can spend 5 ki points to cast wall of fire. (17th Level Required)

Rush of the Gale Spirits

You can spend 1 ki point to cast [spell]zephyr strike[/spell].

Serpent's Inferno

You can spend 3 ki points to cast aganazzar's scorcher. (6th Level Required)

Shape the Flowing River

As an action, you can spend 1 ki point to choose an area of ice or water no larger than 30 feet on a side within 120 feet of you. You can change water to ice within the area and vice versa, and you can reshape ice in the area in any manner you choose. You can raise or lower the ice’s elevation, create or fill in a trench, erect or flatten a wall, or form a pillar. The extent of any such changes can’t exceed half the area’s largest dimension. For example, if you affect a 30-foot square, you can create a pillar up to 15 feet high, raise or lower the square’s elevation by up to 15 feet, dig a trench up to 15 feet deep, and so on. You can’t shape the ice to trap or damage a creature in the area.

Shape the Rain Cloud

You can spend 1 ki point to cast fog cloud or create or destroy water.

Swarming Snow Rabbit

You can spend 3 ki points to cast snilloc's snowball swarm. (6th Level Required)

Sweeping Cinder Strike

You can spend 2 ki points to cast burning hands.

Swirling Crab's Typhoon

You can spend 6 ki points to cast maelstrom. (17th Level Required)

Water Whip

You can spend 2 ki points as an action to create a whip of water that shoves and pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature that you can see that is within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 bludgeoning damage for each additional ki point you spend, and you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 25 feet closer to you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don’t pull it or knock it prone.

Wave of Rolling Earth

You can spend 6 ki points to cast wall of stone. (17th Level Required)

Elemental Attunement

You gain the ability to cast mold earth, shape water, control flames, and gust.You can use your action to briefly control elemental forces within 30 feet of you, causing one of the following effects of your choice:

• Create a harmless, instantaneous sensory effect related to air, earth, fire, or water, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, a spray of light mist, or a gentle rumbling of stone.
• Instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.
• Chill or warm up to 1 pound of nonliving material for up to 1 hour.
• Cause earth, fire, water, or mist that can fit within a 1-foot cube to shape itself into a crude form you designate for 1 minute.

Redirect Elements

You've learned to wield the elements that are against you and use their power for your own advantage.

When you take lightning, cold, thunder, or fire damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage taken from the attack by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level. Also the first time you hit with a melee attack on your next turn, the target takes an extra 1d6 damage of the triggering type.

Applied Elements

At 11th level you've learned how to use your elemental connection in tandem with your monk training.

Your core monk features are improved in the following ways.

• When you use your Step of the Wind, your long jump and high jump is quadrupled.
• When you use your Slow Fall and reduce the damage taken from the fall to zero, you can spend 1 ki point to slam the earth and distribute that energy into the ground. Each creature within 10 ft. of where you landed must make a strength saving throw. On a failed save,  a creature takes damage equal to two rolls of your martial arts die and is knocked prone. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not knocked prone.
• When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can channel the flow of a river to launch your foes back. When you hit with an attack granted to you by your flurry of blows, you can forgo the damage of the attack to push the creature up to 15 ft. away from you.
• When you use your Patient Defense and take damage from a melee attack, that creature takes fire damage equal to one roll of your martial arts die.

Elemental Traversal

You can control the elements around you to travel safely through them. You can use your action to gain a flying, swimming, and climbing speed equal to your walking speed and a burrowing speed equal to half your walking speed. Additionally, you gain immunity to fire damage while moving. These benefits last until the end of your next turn. At the end of your next turn, you must spend 1 ki if you wish to maintain this effect until the end of next turn. If you do not spend ki to extend the effects and are flying, you fall until you hit the ground. If you are burrowing and lose your burrowing speed, you are stuck in place and suffocating.