Way of the Seamwright
Behold, our finale to March of the Monks! We saved the most ambitious project for last, an archetype perfect for not just a master of combat, but for a master craftsman. Seamwrights can feel and interact with the impressions left on weapons and other items people interact with, giving them a unique insight into the history of those items and the creatures who owned them. Way of the Seamwright was a complex challenge to balance, but it's been a rewarding project to bring to fruition, and an excellent capstone to our month of Monk content.
We hope you've enjoyed this month long series, and that you stick with us as we move on to more and better projects soon! Jon's article about Seamwright will be out this Friday, after which we will be back to our usual bi-weekly release schedule. However, the end of one project means now we are planning more new projects to follow. Let us know what you thought of March of the Monks, and what kinds of projects you'd like to see from us next!
To see all of our more recent, premium content, join our Patreon, where all our spiciest new brews are at your disposal. We’re slowly remastering the highlights of our backlog, and if you’re a patron, you can vote on what gets updated next! And, if you want to ask us about our homebrew, new or old, our Discord is public and full of all kinds of brewers and internet goblins. If you’re either of those, we’d love to hear from you!
Way of the Seamwright
Monks that follow the Way of the Seamwright understand a special facet of ki— the way it not only touches all life in the multiverse, but flows from that life in a unique pattern that leaves marks, or seams, on the non-living things it touches. These seams are subtle, and while most monks cannot properly perceive them without training, seamwrights have learned to read them. They extract precious truths about the acts of crafting and slaying from their existence.
Way of the Seamwright Features
Monk Level Features
3rd Bonus Proficiencies, Extension of the Self, Seamwright Impressions
6th Masterful Inspection
11th Ki-Bonded Reading, Masterful Attunement
17th Greater Impression
Bonus Proficiencies
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with smith’s tools and woodcarver’s tools if you don't already have it. Otherwise, choose one artisan’s tool proficiency.
Additionally, at 6th level your proficiency is doubled with any ability check made with artisan's tools with which you are proficient.
Extension of the Self
At 3rd level, your training expands to tools of creation as well as destruction. When you finish a long rest, choose one weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties and one tool, musical instrument, or gaming set that you possess. You gain proficiency in the chosen items, and the weapon is considered a monk weapon for you.
While holding a weapon, tool, gaming set, or instrument, you can perform a 10 minute ritual in which you practice and attune your ki to it to learn about how it was previously used. At the completion of this ritual, you intuitively learn the following:
What the object was last used for, if anything, and the emotional state of the user before you acquired it.
The alignment and something about the personality of the last creature to have possession of this object for a year or more, if any.
The most recent significant moment in which the object was involved, if any. Significant moments usually involve historic events, great emotions, or the presence of powerful beings.
You can learn about an item in this way once before completing a short or long rest.
Seamwright Impressions
Also at 3rd level, you learn a technique that allows you to imprint weapons with your ki, augmenting them and those who use them. When you complete a short or long rest, you can touch a number of non-magical weapons and spend at least 1 ki point per weapon up to a total of 2 ki. The weapon becomes a magical weapon, gaining a bonus to attack and damage based on the ki invested and your monk level, and they each gain a Ki Impression of your choice. These empowerments remain until the next time you finish a rest. If you die, the magical effects last for 24 hours before your ki fades from them.
Each impression requires a creature to attune to it to use it’s special properties, and a creature can only attune to an imprinted weapon if they are proficient with it. A creature can only be attuned to one imprinted weapon at a time. As you imprint these weapons, you can attune each of them to yourself or to a willing creature within 5 feet of you.
You cannot imprint more than one weapon with the same impression at any one time. Once you reach 6th level in this class, you become able to invest more of your ki when you empower weapons at the end of a rest. As a result, you can create more potent impressions as well as imprint more weapons at once. The maximum number of ki points you can spend on impressions (both the total per weapon and the total ki across all the impressions you create) is determined by your monk level. The Seamwright Impressions table shows these limits, as well as the bonuses to attack and damage rolls gained by imprinted weapons.
Seamwright Impressions
Monk Level - Maximum Ki per Weapon - Maximum Total Ki - Attack/Damage Bonus
3rd 1 2 +1
6th 2 4 +1
11th 2 6 + ki invested
17th 3 9 + ki invested
Masterful Inspection
At 6th level a mixture of rigorous training, natural intuition, and deep understanding of your ki allows you to glean knowledge from contact with magical forces. You can cast the identify spell as a ritual, requiring no material components. Additionally, as an action, you can cast the identify spell by spending 1 ki point, requiring no material components.
Ki-Bonded Reading
At 11th level you have developed a technique to maintain a connection to the ki you have imparted onto objects. When you imprint an object, you can create a bond that affects all of the bearers of the empowered objects. Choose one of the effects below, which lasts until you imprint another object.
Diffusive Ki. Your imprinted objects and any creatures carrying one of your imprinted objects gain the effects of the nondetection spell.
Divining Ki. You can perform a 10 minute ritual to cast the clairvoyance spell without using a spell slot or material components. The sensor created by clairvoyance is centered on one of your imprinted objects and remains centered on it until the spell ends. While concentrating on this spell, you are deaf and blind with regard to your body’s senses.
Discerning Ki. As an action, you can cast the detect thoughts spell targeting a creature that is carrying one of your imprinted items without using a spell slot or material components. You ignore range and barrier restrictions of the detect thoughts spell when you cast it in this way. A creature that succeeds the Wisdom save or Intelligence check is immune to this feature for 24 hours.
Masterful Attunement
Also 11th level, your intuitive understanding of any item’s history and function makes it easier for you to master magical items of all kinds. You ignore all class, race, and level requirements on attuning to or using a magic item.
In addition, your imprinted weapons do not count against the limit of how many items you can attune to.
Finally, at 17th level, you can attune to a magical object that requires attunement as an action. If you are already attuned to your maximum number of magic items, you can unattune to another item you are attuned to as part of the same action. The old attunement ends before the new attunement begins. After you attune to a magic item in this way, you can’t do so again until after you complete a short or long rest.
Greater Impression
At 17th level, the impressions you create begin to take on a life of their own. When you imprint weapons at the end of a long rest, you can choose one of those weapons to imprint with a sliver of your ki and your own mind, imparting upon it a limited sense of self. The weapon becomes a sentient magic weapon, with an Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma of 10, and which is friendly to you and your allies. You determine the weapon’s personality and the sound of its voice, which can be heard telepathically by you and anyone attuned to it, so long as it is within 1 mile. It speaks and understands each language you know.
The weapon remains sentient until you take a long rest. If you awaken the same weapon more than once, the same sentience arises each time, and fully recalls its time spent while sentient. The weapon only has vague recollections of its existence when not sentient, and can only give inconsistent information about such times, especially time before it was first awakened using this feature. The weapon is always considered magical while it is sentient.
If you awaken the same weapon 30 days in a row, the weapon becomes awakened permanently. The weapon’s mental ability scores each increase by an amount equal to your Wisdom modifier, and it becomes able to talk telepathically with any creature holding it. Any other imprinted effects on the weapon still always end as normal.
Impressions
By imprinting a weapon with your ki, you can compound your own martial arts mastery, or share an echo of it with another. As a result, each impression’s special effects vary, depending on whether a monk or another kind of creature is attuned to the weapon. Regardless of the effect they might impart, all impressions require attunement to convey their benefits.
All imprinted weapons have a bonus to attack and damage rolls as shown on the Seamwright Imprints table, and the special effects of each increase as more ki is invested. In addition, some impressions require a minimum of more than 1 ki to create, and so can only be imprinted at later levels.
The impression descriptions below are all divided into a mastery and an echo. Mastery is the benefit a monk gains from attuning to that item, while an echo is the effect any other creature gains. A creature never gains both effects, only ever one or the other. For a monk to gain the mastery effect, the imprinted weapon must be a monk weapon for them.
The impressions are presented in alphabetical order.
Clarifying Impression. (2-3 ki)
Mastery: You can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be blinded or deafened. If 3 ki is invested into this impression, you can use your action to end one spell affecting only you. The level of the spell must be equal to or less than 1 + 1⁄4 of your monk level (rounded down), up to 5th level.
Echo: You can use your bonus action to repeat a saving throw against one effect causing you to be charmed or frightened, ending the effect immediately upon a success. If 3 ki is invested into this impression, you have advantage on the save.
Deflective Impression. (1-3 ki)
Mastery: When you use your Deflect Missiles feature, you can reroll the d10 and choose either value, and you gain a bonus to the damage reduction equal to the ki invested into this impression. In addition, when you catch and throw back a missile, the thrown missile deals extra damage equal to a roll of your Martial Arts die for each ki point invested into this impression.
Echo: When you are hit by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by 1d4 for each ki invested into this impression + the ki invested + the seamwright’s monk level.
Disruptive Impression. (2-3 ki)
Mastery: Once per turn, when you use your Stunning Strike feature, you can force the target to subtract 1d4 from their saving throw against the effect. If 3 ki is invested into this impression, they subtract 2d4 instead.
Echo: Once per turn, when you hit a creature within 5 feet of you with this weapon, you can force that creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it can use either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. Regardless of the creature’s abilities or magic items, it can’t make more than one melee or ranged attack during its turn. If 3 ki is invested into this impression, the target is incapacitated instead. These effects persist until the start of your next turn. If the target succeeds on the save, it is immune to this effect for 10 minutes.
Forceful Impression. (1-3 ki)
Mastery: You can use Wisdom instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons. In addition, the first unarmed strike you make on each of your turns gains a bonus to hit and damage equal to the ki invested into this impression.
Echo: After you take the Attack action with this weapon on your turn, you can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action. This attack deals 1 bludgeoning damage, uses the same ability score as this weapon for its attack and damage rolls, and has a bonus to hit and damage equal to the bonus of the weapon.
Masterful Impression. (3 ki)
Mastery: You can use a bonus action to toss this weapon into the air. When you do, the weapon begins to hover, flies up to your movement to a space you can see and attacks one creature of your choice within 5 feet of it. While the weapon is hovering, you can use a bonus action to cause it to fly up to your movement to another spot that you can see. As part of the same bonus action, you can cause the weapon to attack one creature within 5 feet of it. While hovering, the weapon uses your Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom (your choice) for attack and damage rolls and uses your Martial Arts die for damage. It ceases to hover if you grasp it or if it is more than 30 feet away from you at the end of your turn.
You can use your bonus action to call the weapon back to your hand so long as you can see it. When you do, it flies up to your movement and tries to return to your hand. If you have no hand free, it falls to the ground at your feet. If the weapon has no unobstructed path to you, it moves as close to you as it can and then falls to the ground.
When you make an unarmed strike while the weapon is hovering, you can have the weapon move up to your movement to a spot you can see and make a melee attack, no action required. You cannot use this feature more than once per turn.
Echo: The weapon uses your Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom (your choice) for attack rolls and modifiers to damage rolls and can use the seamwright’s Martial Arts die for damage.
When you take the Attack action with this weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action using Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom (your choice), and the unarmed strike gains +3 to attack and damage rolls. If it hits, the unarmed strike uses the seamwright’s Martial Arts die for damage.
Momentous Impression. (1-3 ki)
Mastery: Your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. If 2 or more ki is invested into this impression, when you Dash, creatures have disadvantage on opportunity attacks until the end of your turn. If 3 ki is invested into this impression, creatures have disadvantage to hit you during each of your turns.
Echo: Your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. If 2 or more ki is invested into this impression, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to 3 x the seamwright’s monk level. If 3 ki is invested into this impression, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.