The monk of the Way of Elements focus their energy on learning how to use the strength of the elements to their advantage in combat, shooting forth fire from their limbs and mouths, causing great air currents to redirect around them, creating torrents of water to wash away their opponents, and using the raw strength of the earth to hurl great boulders towards each other. Only true masters of the Way of Elements unlock the ability within themselves to commune perfectly with all four elements, and some have even been said to be able to use other more obscure elements to their advantage.

Elemental Connection

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn to manipulate the Ki in the world around you, harnessing it in the elements of nature. 

You learn one of the following Elemental Connections of your choice, each of which have special abilities that you may use. Note: Once you choose a connection, you only gain the benefits of that connection, even once you reach higher levels (i.e. You can't choose another connection at 6th level when you gain the Strengthened Connection class feature). You learn one additional connection at 11th level.

Earth

When you gain this elemental connection you learn to use your Ki to harness the power in the Earth itself. Using strong, heavy motions you manipulate the world around you to bend to your superior will. You gain access to the Mold Earth cantrip, which you may cast as an action. You may also expend 2 Ki points as a bonus action to activate your Earth Connection. Your connection remains active for 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated. You begin to move with strong, powerful movements as you manipulate the Earth to fight for you. While your Earth Connection is active you gain the following benefits:

• When you take the Attack action, you may replace any number of your attacks with a ranged Earth attack. You must use Strength for your attack and damage rolls with this attack. You stomp your foot down into the ground as a stone is torn from beneath you and tossed into the air, you then propel the stone towards a target you can see within 20ft of you at frightening speeds. If you hit the target you deal bludgeoning damage equal to your Martial Arts Die + your Strength score modifier; the target must then make a Constitution saving throw against your Ki save DC or be knocked prone.

Fire

When you gain this elemental connection you learn to harness your Ki to shoot fire forth from your limbs. You gain access to the Control Flames cantrip, which you may cast as an Action. As a bonus action you may expend 2 Ki points to activate your Fire Connection. Your connection remains active for 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated. Fire begins to burst for from your limbs with each of your attacks, exploding in large, sweeping motions, and dancing as a red hot wisp of raw power. As long as your Fire Connection is active you gain the following benefits:

• All your unarmed strikes deal additional fire damage equal to your Martial Arts Die, as fire spouts forth from your hands and feet, encircling your hand and feet and burning anyone they come in contact with.
• Any flammable object not worn or carried within your attack lights on fire.

Water

When you gain this elemental connection you learn to use your Ki to move water in a flourish of disabling and defensive motions. You gain access to the Shape Water cantrip, which you may cast as an Action. Additionally as a bonus action you may expend 2 Ki points to activate your Water Connection. Your connection remains active for 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated. While your Water Connection is active you gain the following benefits:

• Whenever you use your Flurry of Blows you may replace the two unarmed strikes with two ranged water attacks instead. You gather water from your own body (or from nearby) and shoot it towards a target within 30ft of you that you can see. On a hit, the target takes cold damage equal to your Martial Arts Die + your Dexterity modifier and must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Ki save DC or become grappled as the water hardens into ice around their feet, sticking them to the ground. A target grappled in this way may use their action to make a Strength (Athletics) check against your Ki save DC to escape.

Wind

When you gain this elemental connection you learn to harness your Ki in the very air around you, dancing to and fro in graceful, flowing movements, and causing the air to dance with you. You gain access to the Gust cantrip, which you may cast as an Action. As a bonus action you may expend 2 Ki points to activate your Wind Connection. Your connection remains active for 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated. While your Wind Connection is active you gain the following benefits:

• Your movement speed increases by 10ft.
• You may use your Patient Defense feature without spending any Ki points.

Strengthened Connection

 At 6th level your Elemental Connection grows even stronger as your connection with the world around you becomes more defined. You gain the following benefits based on which Connection you chose when you chose this Tradition.

Earth

As your connection to the Earth strengthens, so does your resolve, and your ability to protect yourself and others. While your Earth Connection is active you gain the following benefits in addition to those you gained with the Elemental Connection feature:

• You may use your reaction to shield yourself and others from harm. As a Reaction, when you or someone else within 15ft of you that you can see gets hit by an attack, you may spend any number of Ki points to create a temporary wall of Earth, negating an amount of damage dealt equal to your monk level x the amount of Ki spent.

Fire

As your connection to Fire strengthens, so does your ferocity. While your Fire Connection is active you gain the following benefits in addition to the benefits you gained from the Elemental Connection feature:

• You gain a reach of 10ft with your unarmed strikes, as fire bursts forward from your hands and feet with a bright and ferocious glow.

Water

As your connection to water strengthens, so does your gracefulness. You gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed. In addition while your Water Connection is active you gain the following benefits in addition to those you gained with the Elemental Connection feature:

• Whenever you take the Attack action, you may replace any number of your unarmed strikes with a mighty blast of water, forcing a target you can see within 10ft of you to make a Strength saving throw against your Ki save DC or be pushed back 15ft. 

Wind

As your connection with the wind strengthens, so does your agility. While your Wind Connection is active you gain the following benefits in addition to those you gained with the Elemental Connection feature:

• Your movement speed increases by an additional 5ft (making the total increase from this connection 15ft).
• Whenever you use Flurry of Blows you gain one additional unarmed strike, as your movements and reflexes begin responding with the speed and agility of the wind.

Elemental Adept

You have gained a connection to the elements that displays not only a level of power that surpasses most others, but also a level of understanding that allows for greater connection to the Ki in everything around you. Beginning at 11th level you may choose one additional element from the list in the Elemental Connection feature. You gain all benefits from this new connection up until this point. In addition to this, you also gain the following benefits:

Earth

As your understanding of the Earth becomes more evident, you begin to hear even the most subtle of changes within it. You gain Tremorsense within 30ft of you. In addition to this, while your Earth Connection is active you gain the following benefits:

• You surround yourself in armor fashioned from the Earth itself. Your AC increases by an amount equal to your Strength modifier. 
• You may also use a bonus action to make a single, strengthened jump up to a distance of 3 x your jump distance, using the earth to propel yourself upwards.
• Your ability to protect yourself and your friends is greatly increased. You may replace any of your unarmed strikes to attempt to restrain a prone enemy that you can see within 20ft of you. The target must succeed a Strength saving throw against your Ki save DC or become restrained until the end of your next turn, as coils of stone grab them and hold them to the ground. On their turn, they may use an action to make another Strength save, on a success they break free.

Fire

As your inner fire glows brighter, you learn to loose your inner flame with the ferocity of a Dragon. While your Fire Connection is active you gain the following benefits in addition to those you gained with the Elemental Connection feature:

• You gain a breath weapon. When you take the Attack action, you may replace any number of your unarmed strikes with your breath weapon by spending at least 2 Ki points. The flames erupt in a 20ft cone in front of you, forcing everyone in its wake to make a Dexterity saving throw against your Ki save DC. On a failed save, the creatures take an amount of fire damage equal to a number of rolls of your Martial Arts dice equal to the amount of Ki spend. Creatures that succeed the save take half damage.
• Your unarmed strikes now have a reach of 15ft.

Water

As your connection to water strengthens, so does your ability to control the battlefield. While your Water Connection is active you gain the following abilities:

• As an action, you may spend 2 Ki points to freeze the ground around you, creating a flat, ice field with a radius of 30ft centered on you. The area counts as difficult terrain for all creatures except for you, as you glide gracefully across it, using your ability to manipulate water to your advantage. Additionally, any creature that is forced to move while on this icy surface is instead moved double the distance that it would normally be moved.
• As a bonus action, you may spend 1 Ki point and coat your limbs in ice until the beginning of your next turn, giving any creature that you hit with Stunning Strike disadvantage on their Constitution saving throw to resist its effects.

Wind

As you become more attuned to the Wind itself, you begin to ebb and flow more like it. While your Wind Connection is active you gain the following benefits in addition to those you gained with the Elemental Connection feature:

• Your movement speed increases by another 5ft to a total increase of 20ft.
• Whenever you make an attack against an enemy using Flurry of Blows, whether you hit or miss, that enemy cannot use their reaction to make an attack of opportunity against you until the beginning of your next turn.
• Whenever an enemy comes within 5ft of you, you may spend 1 Ki point and use your reaction to glide a distance away from them equal to half of your movement speed using a strong air current.

Master of the Elements

You have become a true master of the elements, and there are very few who can stand against you. You gain access to all the elements. Additionally, you have become a true master of your first element. Choose the first element you chose when you took this tradition below, you will gain one master move for that element (Note: You ONLY get the element that you started with at the beginning of your journey):

Earth

Your connection with the Earth has grown to unprecedented lengths, and your abilities in combat have become almost impenetrable. Once per day, when you or another target within 30ft of you takes damage, you may use your reaction to create a cocoon out of the earth around up to 3 creatures that you can see, making them immune to all forms of damage except Psychic damage until the beginning of the next turn. If the creature chooses to, they may make a Dexterity saving throw against your Ki save DC to stay outside the cocoon.

Fire

The fire inside your spirit has grown to show power that should belong only to the sky. Whenever you take the Attack action, you may choose to replace one of your unarmed strikes to shoot lighting from your fingertips towards a single target of your choice that you can see within 90ft of you, forcing them to make a Dexterity saving throw against your Ki save DC or take 10 Martial Arts Dice of lightning damage, or half as much on a successful save. Once you use this ability you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.

Water

With your connection to the water having been mastered, you learn how to dominate the field of battle to protect yourself and others. As an action, you may expend 4 Ki points to force up to 2 large or smaller targets that you can see to make a Constitution saving throw against your Ki save DC. If they fail, they are petrified in place as you flood them with water then freeze it around them.

Wind

Your mastery of the wind has become well-known, and you have discovered an ability that very few others have gained. You gain a fly speed equal to double your movement speed.