Xeviat
Hero
The Mystical Monk
The monk as presented in the Player’s Handbook is a fun class. In a way, it resembles the Paladin and Ranger, especially the Elemental Monk, possessing some mixture of weapon combat and spells (and spell-like abilities). But, it lacks the customization that comes with spell choices, and it weighs too much value on learning individual abilities when spellcasters learn new spells in addition to class abilities. With the Mystic class under development, the opportunity presented itself to broaden the Monk, to give them more flexibility in their build. If you assume 2 short rests per 1 long rest, a Monk’s ki points are very close to half a Mystic’s psi points, just like a Paladin and Ranger's spells are at 1/2 those of a cleric or druid. Between 4th Edition counting the Monk officially as a psionic class, to the Psion’s transformation to a Mystic, ki and psionics have become conceptually similar, and this helps to make Psionics more fantastic and less sci-fi. (Note: This was written a long time ago when I thought the Mystic was going to complete development. I still hope it does, I like the class idea a lot).
I’ve also taken this opportunity to rebalance the Monk at low levels by giving them their Disciplines at 1st level (to gain access to Psychic Focus abilities) and by expanding their class skill list and giving them an additional skill proficiency. This helps them to better compare against the Rogue and the Ranger. And even as I’m adding more magic to the Monk, since their supernatural abilities have been moved into psychic disciplines, it should now be possible to use the monk to build a more down to earth brawler, who sees ki as a non-magical thing, by choosing more mundane disciplines.
There's plenty of room to discuss tweaking for balance, for making more disciplines (I definitely want a Ki Projection discipline for DBZ inspired energy attacks) and adapting the existing subclasses to the new structure. I do also want to make a Kensei/Sword Saint fighter subclass that will act as the 1/3rd Mystic (I think that would be a cooler place to put it than having it be a monk subclass).
I hope you enjoy.
Class Features
As a Monk, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
___
Proficiencies
___
___
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
Unarmored Defense
Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
Martial Arts
At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:
Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons. For example, you might use a club that is two lengths of wood connected by a short chain (called a nunchaku) or a sickle with a shorter, straighter blade called a kama). Whatever name you use for a monk weapon, you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon in chapter 5, "Equipment", of the PHB.
The Monk
Ki
Your training allows you to harness the mystic energy known as ki, the energy of all living things. You begin play with access to your ki disciplines and ki focus abilities, but you do not unlock ki points until 2nd level, allowing you to power more effects.
Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Ki Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Ki attack modifier your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Disciplines
A discipline is a rigid set of mental exercises that allows a monk to manifest their ki. A monk masters only a few disciplines at a time.
At 1st level, you know one discipline of your choice. The Disciplines Known column of the Monk table shows the total number of disciplines you know at each level; when that number goes up for you, choose a new discipline. This discipline is drawn from the Monk Discipline list (see below).
In addition, whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one discipline you know with a different one of your choice.
Ki Focus
You can focus your ki on one of your disciplines to draw ongoing benefits from it. As a bonus action, you can choose one of your disciplines and gain its psychic focus benefit, which is detailed in that discipline’s description. The benefit lasts until you are incapacitated or until you use another bonus action to choose a different focus benefit.
You can have only one psychic focus benefit at a time, and using the psychic focus of one discipline doesn’t limit your ability to use other disciplines.
Ki Points
Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness your ki to power the effects of the disciplines you know. This energy is represented by a number of ki points. Each discipline describes effects you can create with it by spending a certain number of ki points. When using your disciplines, ki points count as psi points.
Your monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Monk table. The number shown for your level is your ki point maximum. Your ki point total returns to its maximum when you finish a short rest. The number of ki points you have can’t go below 0 or over your maximum.
Ki Limit
Though you have access to an amount of ki energy, it takes training and practice to channel that energy. There is a limit on the number of ki points you can spend to activate a discipline effect. The limit is based on your Monk level, as shown in the Ki Limit column of the Monk table. For example, as a 5th-level Monk, you can spend no more than 3 ki points on a discipline each time you use it, no matter how many ki points you have.
Flurry of Blows
Starting at 2nd level, you learn the most simple use for ki; to push your muscles to move faster than before. This gives you the ability to unleash a flurry of punches, kicks, elbows, and other strikes.
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action. At 5th level, you can spend 3 ki points to make three unarmed strikes as a bonus action. At 11th level, you can spend 5 ki points to make four unarmed strikes as a bonus action. At 17th level, you can spend 7 ki points to make five unarmed strikes as a bonus action. (The scaling is similar to paladin smites, but making that many attack rolls in a round is irritating. I'd love a different way to do this).
Monastic Tradition
When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 18th level.
Deflect Missiles
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack, which has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Slow Fall
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Ki-Empowered Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Evasion
At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Purity of Body
At 10th level, your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to disease and poison.
Diamond Soul
Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in all saving throws.
Timeless Body
At 15th level, your ki sustains you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can’t be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. (This ability definitely needs something. It takes up a whole level, and it's not even a level where the Ki Limit goes up (meaning "higher level" spells).
Perfect Self
At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points. (I definitely feel this could use a boost. It's not really a big ability, it will only really help on random encounters after big encounters before you get to rest).
Monastic Traditions
Three traditions of monastic pursuit are common in the monasteries scattered across the multiverse. Most monasteries practice one tradition exclusively, but a few honor the three traditions and instruct each monk according to their aptitude and interest. All three traditions rely on the same basic techniques, diverging as the student grows more adept. Thus, a monk need choose a tradition only upon reaching 3rd level.
Most Monastic Traditions should still work with the Mystical Monk, except that their 17th level features need to be moved to 18th level.
Way of the Elements
Your monastic tradition teaches that ki is not one type of energy. Instead, it is a manifestation of the elements within one’s living body, from the air of their breath, the earth of their bones, the fire of their warmth, and the water of their blood.
Elemental Disciplines
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn additional ki disciplines that wield the power of the elements. You may choose 1 elemental discipline from the list below, drawn from “Unearthed Arcana: The Mystic Class”.
Elemental Disciplines
Mastery of Air
Mastery of Fire
Mastery of Ice
Mastery of Water
Mastery of Weather
Mastery of Wood and Earth
You learn one additional elemental discipline of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 18th level. You also learn the elemental attunement discipline (PHB 81).
Elemental Cantrips
Starting at 3rd level, you learn to tap into a constant spring of elemental power within you. You learn two cantrips from the following list: create bonfire*, control flames*, fire bolt, frostbite*, gust*, mold earth*, ray of frost, shape water*, shocking grasp, or thunderclap*. *These cantrips are drawn from the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion
You learn an additional cantrip from this list at 6th, 11th, and 18th level.
Elemental Arts
Starting at 6th level, you learn to blend your elemental magic with your martial arts techniques. When you use your action to use a cantrip, you can make one unarmed attack as a bonus action.
Dance with the Elements
Starting at 11th level, your familiarity with wielding the elements has taught you how to reduce their harm. As a bonus action, you grant yourself resistance to one of the following damage types: cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. This resistance remains in effect until you take a bonus action to change it, or until you are incapacitated.
Improved Elemental Arts
Starting at 18th level, when you use your action to activate a discipline effect, you can make one unarmed attack as a bonus action.
Disciplines
The rules for utilizing disciplines can be found in “Unearthed Arcana: The Mystic Class”. Monks may only choose from the list of monk disciplines. A few of these disciplines are unique to the monk.
Monk Disciplines
Adaptive Body
Aura Sight
Brute Force
Celerity (new version here)
Ki Manipulation (new, included here)
Iron Durability
Precognition
Third Eye
Transcendence (new, included here)
Zen Meditation (new, included here)
Discipline Descriptions
The monk disciplines are presented here in alphabetical order.
Celerity (edited)
Immortal Discipline
You channel your ki back into your body, honing your reflexes and agility to an incredible degree. The world seems to slow down while you continue to move as normal.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
Rapid Step (1-7 psi). As a bonus action, you increase your walking speed by 10 feet per psi point spent until the end of your current turn. If you have a climbing or swimming speed, this increase applies to that speed as well. In addition, your jump distance is doubled for the turn.
Agile Defense (2 psi). As a bonus action, you take the Dodge Action.
Blur of Motion (2 psi). As an action, you cause yourself to be invisible during any of your movement during the current turn.
Surge of Speed (2 psi). As a bonus action, you gain two benefits until the end of the current turn: you don’t provoke opportunity attacks, and you can move along vertical surfaces and across liquids without falling.
Surge of Action (5 psi; conc., 1 min.). As a bonus action, until your concentration ends, your speed is doubled, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and you gain an additional action on each of your turns. This action can be used to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use Object action. When the power ends, you can’t move or take actions until after your next turn,a s a wave of lethargy sweeps over you.
Ki Manipulation
Monk Discipline
You reach out with your ki to affect the ki of another. You can use this to heal, or you can block someone’s ki to stun or paralyze.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, you can use a bonus action to touch a creature that has 0 hit points and stabilize it.
Healing Touch (1-7 psi). As an action, you can spend psi points to restore hit points to one creature you touch. The creature regains 1d8 hit points per psi point spent.
Cleanse Ki (3 psi). As an action, you touch one creature and remove one of the following conditions from it: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned. Alternatively, you remove one disease from the creature.
Disrupt Ki (3 psi; conc., 1 min.). You throw a series of attacks at a creature’s pressure points, cutting the flow of ki within its body. As an action, make an unarmed melee weapon attack against a humanoid target in your reach. This attack deals no damage, but if it hits the target is paralyzed until your concentration ends. At the end of each of its turns, it can attempt a saving throw against your save DC. For every 1 additional psi point you spend, you can target 1 additional creature within range. For 4 additional psi points, you can target any non-undead creature. You are still limited to your psi point maximum.
Stunning Strike (3-7 psi). As a bonus action, you focus your ki into your next melee weapon attack. The next time you hit with it before the end of your turn, your attack deals an extra 1d6 force damage per psi point spent, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Transcendence
Monk Discipline
Through intense control of your ki, you can push past the limits of the physical form.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, you don’t need to eat, breathe, or sleep. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you can spend 8 hours engaging in light activity, rather than sleeping during any of it.
Perfect Balance (2 psi). As a bonus action, you become as light as a feather, and exert minimal downward force. You suffer no falling damage and fall at a rate of 10 feet per second (60 feet per round). You may also stand or walk upon liquid surfaces, or upon frail or fragile solids like a slender tree branch without falling through. Acrobatics checks may be required for narrow surfaces, as usual. This effect lasts for 1 hour, until you are knocked unconscious, or until you end it as a bonus action.
Levitation (3 psi). As a bonus action, including the one to activate this effect, you can move up or down 20 feet vertically into the air. While levitating, you can move only by pushing or pulling against a fixed object or surface within reach (such as a wall or a ceiling), which allows you to move as if you were climbing. You can also jump off of surfaces, but you will continue in a straight line horizontally at your normal walking speed until you collide with an object. When the effect ends, you float gently to the ground at a rate of 10 feet per second if you are still aloft, and suffer no falling damage. This effect lasts for 1 hour, until you are knocked unconscious, or until you end it as a bonus action.
Flight (5 psi). As a bonus action, you gain a flying speed, with the ability to hover, equal to your land speed. When the effect ends, you float gently to the ground at a rate of 10 feet per second if you are still aloft, and suffer no falling damage. This effect lasts for 1 hour, until you are knocked unconscious, or until you end it as a bonus action.
Abundant Step (6 psi). As an action, you teleport yourself from your current location to any other spot within 500 feet. It can be a place you can see, one you can visualize, or one you can describe by stating distance and direction. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed what you can carry. You can also bring one willing creature of your size or smaller who is carrying gear up to its carrying capacity. The creature must be within 5 feet of you when you cast this spell. If you would arrive in a place already occupied by an object or a creature, you and any creature traveling with you each take 4d6 force damage, and the effect fails to teleport you.
Empty Body (6 psi; conc., 1 min.). As an action, you become invisible until your concentration ends. During that time, you have resistance to all damage but force damage.
Astral Projection (7 psi). As an action, you can cast the astral projection spell without needing material components. When you do so, you can’t take any other creatures with you.
Zen Meditation
Monk Discipline
You calm your mind to all outside distractions, acting with one purpose, allowing your mind to surpass limitations.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, you gain resistance to psychic damage.
Diamond Defense (1-7 psi). As a reaction when you make a saving throw, you gain a +1 bonus to that saving throw for each psi point you spend on this ability. You can use this ability after rolling the die but before suffering the results.
Perfect Focus (1-7 psi). As a reaction when you roll an ability check, you gain a +1 bonus to that ability check for each psi point you spend on this ability. You can use this ability after rolling the die but before suffering the results.
Envision the Strike (2 psi). As a reaction when you miss with a weapon attack, you can repeat the attack roll against the same target.
Tongue of the Sun and the Moon (2 psi). As an action, for 1 hour, you understand all spoken languages. Moreover, any creature that can understand a language can understand what you say.
Unnerving Calm (3 psi). If you are not surprised at the start of combat, before initiative is rolled, select a target you can see within 60 feet who can see you. You show no fear and appear ever ready, forcing your opponent to question themselves. That target must make a Wisdom save. If it fails the save, it suffers disadvantage on its initiative and it is frightened of you, and it may make a save at the end of each of its turns to end the frightened effect. If it succeeds its save, it is frightened of you until the end of its next turn. For every additional psi point you spend, you may target an additional creature within range who you can see and who can see you.
The monk as presented in the Player’s Handbook is a fun class. In a way, it resembles the Paladin and Ranger, especially the Elemental Monk, possessing some mixture of weapon combat and spells (and spell-like abilities). But, it lacks the customization that comes with spell choices, and it weighs too much value on learning individual abilities when spellcasters learn new spells in addition to class abilities. With the Mystic class under development, the opportunity presented itself to broaden the Monk, to give them more flexibility in their build. If you assume 2 short rests per 1 long rest, a Monk’s ki points are very close to half a Mystic’s psi points, just like a Paladin and Ranger's spells are at 1/2 those of a cleric or druid. Between 4th Edition counting the Monk officially as a psionic class, to the Psion’s transformation to a Mystic, ki and psionics have become conceptually similar, and this helps to make Psionics more fantastic and less sci-fi. (Note: This was written a long time ago when I thought the Mystic was going to complete development. I still hope it does, I like the class idea a lot).
I’ve also taken this opportunity to rebalance the Monk at low levels by giving them their Disciplines at 1st level (to gain access to Psychic Focus abilities) and by expanding their class skill list and giving them an additional skill proficiency. This helps them to better compare against the Rogue and the Ranger. And even as I’m adding more magic to the Monk, since their supernatural abilities have been moved into psychic disciplines, it should now be possible to use the monk to build a more down to earth brawler, who sees ki as a non-magical thing, by choosing more mundane disciplines.
There's plenty of room to discuss tweaking for balance, for making more disciplines (I definitely want a Ki Projection discipline for DBZ inspired energy attacks) and adapting the existing subclasses to the new structure. I do also want to make a Kensei/Sword Saint fighter subclass that will act as the 1/3rd Mystic (I think that would be a cooler place to put it than having it be a monk subclass).
I hope you enjoy.
Class Features
As a Monk, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
___
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per monk level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per monk level after 1st
Proficiencies
___
- Armor: None
- Weapons: Simple weapons, shortswords
- Tools: Choose one type of artisan's tools or one musical instrument
___
- Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
- Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Medicine, Perception, Religion, and Stealth
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a shortsword or (b) any simple weapon
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
- 10 darts
Unarmored Defense
Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
Martial Arts
At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:
- You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
- You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. At 5th level, this increases to a d6, at 11th level to a d8, and at 17th level to a d10.
- When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven’t already taken a bonus action this turn.
Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons. For example, you might use a club that is two lengths of wood connected by a short chain (called a nunchaku) or a sickle with a shorter, straighter blade called a kama). Whatever name you use for a monk weapon, you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon in chapter 5, "Equipment", of the PHB.
The Monk
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Discipline Known | Ki Points | Ki Limit |
| 1st | +2 | Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts (1d4), Ki | 1 | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Ki Points, Flurry of Blows | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 3rd | +2 | Monastic Tradition, Deflect Missiles | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Increase, Slow Fall | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack, Martial Arts (1d6) | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 6th | +3 | Monastic Tradition feature, Ki-Empowered Strikes | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| 7th | +3 | Evasion | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| 9th | +4 | — | 2 | 9 | 5 |
| 10th | +4 | Purity of Body | 2 | 10 | 5 |
| 11th | +4 | Monastic Tradition Feature, Martial Arts (1d8) | 3 | 11 | 5 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 12 | 5 |
| 13th | +5 | — | 3 | 13 | 6 |
| 14th | +5 | Diamond Soul | 3 | 14 | 6 |
| 15th | +5 | Timeless Body | 3 | 15 | 6 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 16 | 6 |
| 17th | +6 | Martial Arts (1d10) | 4 | 17 | 7 |
| 18th | +6 | Monastic Tradition feature | 4 | 18 | 7 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 19 | 7 |
| 20th | +6 | Perfect Self | 4 | 20 | 7 |
Ki
Your training allows you to harness the mystic energy known as ki, the energy of all living things. You begin play with access to your ki disciplines and ki focus abilities, but you do not unlock ki points until 2nd level, allowing you to power more effects.
Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Ki Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Ki attack modifier your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Disciplines
A discipline is a rigid set of mental exercises that allows a monk to manifest their ki. A monk masters only a few disciplines at a time.
At 1st level, you know one discipline of your choice. The Disciplines Known column of the Monk table shows the total number of disciplines you know at each level; when that number goes up for you, choose a new discipline. This discipline is drawn from the Monk Discipline list (see below).
In addition, whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one discipline you know with a different one of your choice.
Ki Focus
You can focus your ki on one of your disciplines to draw ongoing benefits from it. As a bonus action, you can choose one of your disciplines and gain its psychic focus benefit, which is detailed in that discipline’s description. The benefit lasts until you are incapacitated or until you use another bonus action to choose a different focus benefit.
You can have only one psychic focus benefit at a time, and using the psychic focus of one discipline doesn’t limit your ability to use other disciplines.
Ki Points
Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness your ki to power the effects of the disciplines you know. This energy is represented by a number of ki points. Each discipline describes effects you can create with it by spending a certain number of ki points. When using your disciplines, ki points count as psi points.
Your monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Monk table. The number shown for your level is your ki point maximum. Your ki point total returns to its maximum when you finish a short rest. The number of ki points you have can’t go below 0 or over your maximum.
Ki Limit
Though you have access to an amount of ki energy, it takes training and practice to channel that energy. There is a limit on the number of ki points you can spend to activate a discipline effect. The limit is based on your Monk level, as shown in the Ki Limit column of the Monk table. For example, as a 5th-level Monk, you can spend no more than 3 ki points on a discipline each time you use it, no matter how many ki points you have.
Flurry of Blows
Starting at 2nd level, you learn the most simple use for ki; to push your muscles to move faster than before. This gives you the ability to unleash a flurry of punches, kicks, elbows, and other strikes.
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action. At 5th level, you can spend 3 ki points to make three unarmed strikes as a bonus action. At 11th level, you can spend 5 ki points to make four unarmed strikes as a bonus action. At 17th level, you can spend 7 ki points to make five unarmed strikes as a bonus action. (The scaling is similar to paladin smites, but making that many attack rolls in a round is irritating. I'd love a different way to do this).
Monastic Tradition
When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 18th level.
Deflect Missiles
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack, which has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Slow Fall
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Ki-Empowered Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Evasion
At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Purity of Body
At 10th level, your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to disease and poison.
Diamond Soul
Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in all saving throws.
Timeless Body
At 15th level, your ki sustains you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can’t be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. (This ability definitely needs something. It takes up a whole level, and it's not even a level where the Ki Limit goes up (meaning "higher level" spells).
Perfect Self
At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points. (I definitely feel this could use a boost. It's not really a big ability, it will only really help on random encounters after big encounters before you get to rest).
Monastic Traditions
Three traditions of monastic pursuit are common in the monasteries scattered across the multiverse. Most monasteries practice one tradition exclusively, but a few honor the three traditions and instruct each monk according to their aptitude and interest. All three traditions rely on the same basic techniques, diverging as the student grows more adept. Thus, a monk need choose a tradition only upon reaching 3rd level.
Most Monastic Traditions should still work with the Mystical Monk, except that their 17th level features need to be moved to 18th level.
Way of the Elements
Your monastic tradition teaches that ki is not one type of energy. Instead, it is a manifestation of the elements within one’s living body, from the air of their breath, the earth of their bones, the fire of their warmth, and the water of their blood.
Elemental Disciplines
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn additional ki disciplines that wield the power of the elements. You may choose 1 elemental discipline from the list below, drawn from “Unearthed Arcana: The Mystic Class”.
Elemental Disciplines
Mastery of Air
Mastery of Fire
Mastery of Ice
Mastery of Water
Mastery of Weather
Mastery of Wood and Earth
You learn one additional elemental discipline of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 18th level. You also learn the elemental attunement discipline (PHB 81).
Elemental Cantrips
Starting at 3rd level, you learn to tap into a constant spring of elemental power within you. You learn two cantrips from the following list: create bonfire*, control flames*, fire bolt, frostbite*, gust*, mold earth*, ray of frost, shape water*, shocking grasp, or thunderclap*. *These cantrips are drawn from the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion
You learn an additional cantrip from this list at 6th, 11th, and 18th level.
Elemental Arts
Starting at 6th level, you learn to blend your elemental magic with your martial arts techniques. When you use your action to use a cantrip, you can make one unarmed attack as a bonus action.
Dance with the Elements
Starting at 11th level, your familiarity with wielding the elements has taught you how to reduce their harm. As a bonus action, you grant yourself resistance to one of the following damage types: cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. This resistance remains in effect until you take a bonus action to change it, or until you are incapacitated.
Improved Elemental Arts
Starting at 18th level, when you use your action to activate a discipline effect, you can make one unarmed attack as a bonus action.
Disciplines
The rules for utilizing disciplines can be found in “Unearthed Arcana: The Mystic Class”. Monks may only choose from the list of monk disciplines. A few of these disciplines are unique to the monk.
Monk Disciplines
Adaptive Body
Aura Sight
Brute Force
Celerity (new version here)
Ki Manipulation (new, included here)
Iron Durability
Precognition
Third Eye
Transcendence (new, included here)
Zen Meditation (new, included here)
Discipline Descriptions
The monk disciplines are presented here in alphabetical order.
Celerity (edited)
Immortal Discipline
You channel your ki back into your body, honing your reflexes and agility to an incredible degree. The world seems to slow down while you continue to move as normal.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
Rapid Step (1-7 psi). As a bonus action, you increase your walking speed by 10 feet per psi point spent until the end of your current turn. If you have a climbing or swimming speed, this increase applies to that speed as well. In addition, your jump distance is doubled for the turn.
Agile Defense (2 psi). As a bonus action, you take the Dodge Action.
Blur of Motion (2 psi). As an action, you cause yourself to be invisible during any of your movement during the current turn.
Surge of Speed (2 psi). As a bonus action, you gain two benefits until the end of the current turn: you don’t provoke opportunity attacks, and you can move along vertical surfaces and across liquids without falling.
Surge of Action (5 psi; conc., 1 min.). As a bonus action, until your concentration ends, your speed is doubled, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and you gain an additional action on each of your turns. This action can be used to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use Object action. When the power ends, you can’t move or take actions until after your next turn,a s a wave of lethargy sweeps over you.
Ki Manipulation
Monk Discipline
You reach out with your ki to affect the ki of another. You can use this to heal, or you can block someone’s ki to stun or paralyze.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, you can use a bonus action to touch a creature that has 0 hit points and stabilize it.
Healing Touch (1-7 psi). As an action, you can spend psi points to restore hit points to one creature you touch. The creature regains 1d8 hit points per psi point spent.
Cleanse Ki (3 psi). As an action, you touch one creature and remove one of the following conditions from it: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned. Alternatively, you remove one disease from the creature.
Disrupt Ki (3 psi; conc., 1 min.). You throw a series of attacks at a creature’s pressure points, cutting the flow of ki within its body. As an action, make an unarmed melee weapon attack against a humanoid target in your reach. This attack deals no damage, but if it hits the target is paralyzed until your concentration ends. At the end of each of its turns, it can attempt a saving throw against your save DC. For every 1 additional psi point you spend, you can target 1 additional creature within range. For 4 additional psi points, you can target any non-undead creature. You are still limited to your psi point maximum.
Stunning Strike (3-7 psi). As a bonus action, you focus your ki into your next melee weapon attack. The next time you hit with it before the end of your turn, your attack deals an extra 1d6 force damage per psi point spent, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Transcendence
Monk Discipline
Through intense control of your ki, you can push past the limits of the physical form.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, you don’t need to eat, breathe, or sleep. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you can spend 8 hours engaging in light activity, rather than sleeping during any of it.
Perfect Balance (2 psi). As a bonus action, you become as light as a feather, and exert minimal downward force. You suffer no falling damage and fall at a rate of 10 feet per second (60 feet per round). You may also stand or walk upon liquid surfaces, or upon frail or fragile solids like a slender tree branch without falling through. Acrobatics checks may be required for narrow surfaces, as usual. This effect lasts for 1 hour, until you are knocked unconscious, or until you end it as a bonus action.
Levitation (3 psi). As a bonus action, including the one to activate this effect, you can move up or down 20 feet vertically into the air. While levitating, you can move only by pushing or pulling against a fixed object or surface within reach (such as a wall or a ceiling), which allows you to move as if you were climbing. You can also jump off of surfaces, but you will continue in a straight line horizontally at your normal walking speed until you collide with an object. When the effect ends, you float gently to the ground at a rate of 10 feet per second if you are still aloft, and suffer no falling damage. This effect lasts for 1 hour, until you are knocked unconscious, or until you end it as a bonus action.
Flight (5 psi). As a bonus action, you gain a flying speed, with the ability to hover, equal to your land speed. When the effect ends, you float gently to the ground at a rate of 10 feet per second if you are still aloft, and suffer no falling damage. This effect lasts for 1 hour, until you are knocked unconscious, or until you end it as a bonus action.
Abundant Step (6 psi). As an action, you teleport yourself from your current location to any other spot within 500 feet. It can be a place you can see, one you can visualize, or one you can describe by stating distance and direction. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed what you can carry. You can also bring one willing creature of your size or smaller who is carrying gear up to its carrying capacity. The creature must be within 5 feet of you when you cast this spell. If you would arrive in a place already occupied by an object or a creature, you and any creature traveling with you each take 4d6 force damage, and the effect fails to teleport you.
Empty Body (6 psi; conc., 1 min.). As an action, you become invisible until your concentration ends. During that time, you have resistance to all damage but force damage.
Astral Projection (7 psi). As an action, you can cast the astral projection spell without needing material components. When you do so, you can’t take any other creatures with you.
Zen Meditation
Monk Discipline
You calm your mind to all outside distractions, acting with one purpose, allowing your mind to surpass limitations.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, you gain resistance to psychic damage.
Diamond Defense (1-7 psi). As a reaction when you make a saving throw, you gain a +1 bonus to that saving throw for each psi point you spend on this ability. You can use this ability after rolling the die but before suffering the results.
Perfect Focus (1-7 psi). As a reaction when you roll an ability check, you gain a +1 bonus to that ability check for each psi point you spend on this ability. You can use this ability after rolling the die but before suffering the results.
Envision the Strike (2 psi). As a reaction when you miss with a weapon attack, you can repeat the attack roll against the same target.
Tongue of the Sun and the Moon (2 psi). As an action, for 1 hour, you understand all spoken languages. Moreover, any creature that can understand a language can understand what you say.
Unnerving Calm (3 psi). If you are not surprised at the start of combat, before initiative is rolled, select a target you can see within 60 feet who can see you. You show no fear and appear ever ready, forcing your opponent to question themselves. That target must make a Wisdom save. If it fails the save, it suffers disadvantage on its initiative and it is frightened of you, and it may make a save at the end of each of its turns to end the frightened effect. If it succeeds its save, it is frightened of you until the end of its next turn. For every additional psi point you spend, you may target an additional creature within range who you can see and who can see you.
