Trained to manifest their ki in the forms of insects, monks of the Way of the Swarm are capable hunters. Swift acrobats in the battlefield, these monks mimic the insects behavior of flying from prey to prey feasting on their essence. Even though they're fierce hunters, they still value a deep connection with the beasts of nature, considering sacred every form of life, but understanding the worth of each sacrifice.

Pole Master

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with glaives, halberds, lances and pikes and they count as monk weapons for you. Instead of using their normal damage, you use your Martial Arts dice.

Insect Bond

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you may manifest an aspect of your soul in the form of an insect. You may spend 2 ki points, 10gp worth of incense to perform an hour long ritual to summon the Ki Insect monster. You can only summon one Ki Insect at a time.

The Ki Insect assumes a beetle-like appearance, but it's characteristics are a reflection of you. Aspects such as colors, wing patterns, horns and such are yours to choose, but should reflect who you are in some way.

When the Ki Insect drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you spend the required material and ki points again.

It's AC is 10 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. Whatever magical bonuses you may receive to your AC from attuned items and spells taking effect on you, your Ki Insect also benefits from it.

Whenever you summon it roll 1d4 + your Wisdom modifier for it's hit points.

As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your Ki Insect. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear on your person.

As a bonus action, you may command your Ki Insect to collect the essence of a target. It will move to a creature and you realize an attack using your Wisdom modifier to it, on a successful hit, you may spend a Ki Point for it to deal 1 force damage, collect the target's essence and return to you. While returning to you, it will shed dim light in a 5ft. radius in the color of the essence it's carrying. If it's able to return to you, you gain one of the following essences that you choose before it performs the attack:

• Red: +1 to attacks and damage rolls;
• White: 5ft. of additional movement;
• Orange: +1 to your AC;
• Green: you recover hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier.

The benefits lasts for one minute. If you manage to collect Red, White and Orange essences at the same time, it's benefits are doubled. The benefits granted by each essence do not stack. Even if your Ki Insect dies, all essences and benefits that you had on your person remain for the duration.

Airborne

At 6th level, you become an acrobatic expert. You gain proficiency in the Dexterity (Acrobatics) skill if you aren't proficient already. And you also gain the following benefits as long as you are wielding a weapon granted by the Pole Master feature: 

• Your leap and jump distance now uses your Dexterity score instead of your Strength score;
• You are able to leap over an enemy Medium or smaller and have advantage attacking that enemy while over it.

While in the air, you are able to attack as normal.

Quickened Beetle

Starting at 6th level, your Ki Insect gets the Flyby feature. Meaning that it doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach. Both of it's speeds , walking and flying, are increased by 15ft.

Beast Tamer

Starting at 11th level, you become able to understand beasts and tame then. You gain expertise in the Wisdom (Animal Handling), if you don't already have it.

Additionally, as a bonus action during your turn, you may perform a leap and land on top of a creature at least one size bigger than you. While mounted, you have advantage on all of your attacks. The creature might try to knock you down as a bonus action, if it do so you make a contested Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against it's Strength (Athletics) check.If you fail, you're knocked prone 5ft. away from the creature.

You may spend a Ki point to jump from a creature to another if you still have enough movement to do so.

Soul Partition Beetle

Starting at 11th level, you learn how to provide aid to those in need. When you command your Ki Insect to collect energy, it might return to an ally instead of you. It grants the same benefits as it would grant you. Each allied creature can only have one benefit at a time, the benefits do not stack and are not doubled when you collect the three different energies.

Monster Hunter

At level 17th, you are a specialized combatant of beasts and monsters. All of your attacks against non-humanoid monsters that are the same size as you or bigger have an additional +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls. All your saving throws against spells and abilities from such creatures also receive the same bonus. Attacks against you cannot benefit from advantage given by traits such as Pack Tactics. Additionally, all skill checks to stay mounted on top of a creature are made with advantage.

Swarm Master

Starting at 17th level, your connections to your Ki and to your insect become near perfect. As an action, you may expend 4 or more Ki points to cast the Insect Plague spell, requiring 1 extra Ki point for each level beyond 5th. Your spell casting ability is Wisdom, and it's spell save DC is the same as your Ki feature save DC.

Your Ki Insect can now carry up to 2 essences at the same time, and, when it collects the essence of a creature, you may expend 1 Ki point to use the Stunning Strike feature as though you hit the creature.