When one trains their mind, body and soul to reach its physical peak, it becomes necessary to look without as well as within. Monks that follow the way of the Twisting Serpent take their teachings from observing the ways of snakes, embodying the fluid-like motions and vicious, corrupting strikes. Many Twisted Serpent monks are able to alter their bodies to fit through seemingly impossible spaces and escape the strictest confinements, and use their ki to make their attacks as venomous as a serpent's fangs.

Fanged Strikes

3rd-level Way of the Twisting Serpent feature

When mimicking the deadly strike of the serpent, you learn to begin with their natural weapon, their fangs. You can choose to do piercing damage instead of bludgeoning damage when you make an unarmed attack.

In addition, when you hit with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you deal an additional 1d6 poison damage, which improved to 2d6 at 17th level.

Twisting Form

3rd-level Way of the Twisting Serpent feature

You learn to adjust your physical form to breach even the tightest spaces. Through contortionism, you count as one size smaller when squeezing through passages and openings.

Master of Escape

6th-level Way of the Twisting Serpent feature

You have mastered the flexible nature of your body to such a degree that it is nigh impossible to be held down. When you make a check or save to remove or avoid the grappled, restrained or paralyzed conditions, you have advantage.

Potent Venom

11th-level Way of the Twisting Serpent feature

You learn to channel your ki in such a way that your venomous strikes will corrupt the ki of other creatures. A creature that is immune to poison damage only has resistance against the damage of poison damage from your Fanged Strike feature, and creatures that have resistance to poison have no resistance from poison damage from your Fanged Strike feature.

In addition, when you hit with an attack that would inflict poison damage from the Fanged Strike feature, you can spend a ki point to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw against your Monk save DC. If they fail, they become poisoned for 1 minute, and can repeat the save at the end of their turn to end the condition early. Creatures that are immune to the poisoned condition are not immune to this effect.

Crippling Venom

17th-level Way of the Twisting Serpent feature

You have harnessed your ki into a terrifying weapon that will leave your targets unable to move. When you use your Potent Venom feature to force a creature to make a Constitution saving throw, if they fail by 5 or more the creature is paralyzed as long as they are poisoned.