Way of the River
Welcome to March of the Monks! It's all monks all month, and to begin with, our Floomph in residence has prepared an elegant, defensive archetype for your consideration. Way of the River is, in a lot of ways, the most 'classic' monk we have in store for you this month, and so we thought it would be the natural place to begin our exploration of the class. Don't let its simplicity fool you, though; this monk is a wily one, and stronger than it first appears. Let us know what you think of it, and be ready for another more monks very soon!
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Way of the River
To dictate the flow of combat, as a river’s banks dictate the flow of its water – this is the philosophy of monks who follow the Way of the River. Those who subscribe to this monastic tradition seek to manipulate the flow of ki through both themselves and their enemies, learning to direct this ever flowing current to the benefit of themselves and their allies.
Some monks who follow this path pursue pacifism where possible while others have taken a vow to dictate the flow of politics, morals, or history itself in a direction that they deem fitting. Whatever their cause, monks of this path are often taught to be reserved, patient, and above all else, adaptive.
Way of the River Features
Monk Level Features
3rd Bending Palms, Reactive Combatant
6th Reflexive Defense
11th Flow of Combat
17th Perpetual Motion
Bending Palms
Beginning when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, when you take the Dodge action on your turn, you can use your bonus action to do one of the following:
Make an unarmed strike.
Impose disadvantage to all attack rolls against one creature within 5 feet of you until the start of your next turn or until they are more than 5 feet away from you.
Spend 1 ki to impose disadvantage on all attack rolls against any creatures of your choice within 5 feet of you until the start of your next turn or until they are more than 5 feet of you.
Reactive Combatant
At 3rd level, you have centered your fighting style around redirecting the momentum of your opponent’s strikes. If a creature within 5 feet of you misses a melee attack against you or an ally, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against the attacking creature or force the attacking creature to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, they are pushed 15 feet away from you and their movement speed is reduced by half until the start of their next turn.
Reflexive Defense
At 6th level, your lightning reflexes and constant vigilance make you adept at intercepting incoming attacks. When an allied creature within 10 feet of you is hit by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to move to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the ally, become the new target of the attack, and use your Deflect Missiles ability.
In addition, when you use your reaction to make an unarmed strike, the unarmed strike deals additional damage equal to a roll on your Martial Arts die.
Flow of Combat
At 11th level, when you use your reaction to make an unarmed strike, you can also move up to half your movement without provoking opportunity attacks.
Perpetual Motion
At 17th level, you have trained your body and mind to direct the constant ebb and flow of battle. In combat, you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn except your own. You can only use this special reaction to use an effect from your Reactive Combatant or Reflexive Defense features, and you can't use it on the same turn that you take your normal reaction.