Way of the Body
A Monk tradition of unarmed discipline: knockdowns and pushes on Flurry of Blows, self-healing, a sanctuary ward, Quivering Palm and an Empty Hand stance.
Identity
The Way of the Body is the oldest and plainest of the Monk traditions. It has no lineage secret and no element, only a form performed daily for decades, and its teachers hold that a body trained without shortcuts outlasts one that took them. It is taught in garrison halls and in single rooms above frontier workshops. The syllabus is the same in both: stand correctly, breathe correctly, strike once, and repeat the next day.
Features
- L3 Open Hand Technique
When you hit a creature with an attack from Flurry of Blows, you can choose one of the following effects: Sweep. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your Ki save DC or be knocked Prone. Push. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your Ki save DC or be pushed up to 15 feet away from you. Stillness. The target cannot take reactions until the end of your next turn. You can apply only one effect per hit, but each Flurry of Blows attack in the same turn can use a different one.
- L7 Wholeness of Body
Once per long rest, as an action, you regain hit points equal to three times your Monk level. You cannot use this feature while you have 0 Ki remaining.
- L11 Tranquility
At the end of a long rest, you gain a Sanctuary effect that lasts until your next long rest. A creature that attacks you must first make a Wisdom saving throw against your Ki save DC. On a failure, it must choose a new target or lose the attack. The effect ends the second time it blocks an attack. It also ends if you attack a creature, force a creature to make a saving throw with one of your features, or deal damage to a creature.
- L15 Quivering Palm
When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 Ki to set up vibrations of Ki within it. The vibrations last for a number of days equal to your Monk level. As an action at any time in that window, including immediately after the hit, you can release them. The target makes a Constitution saving throw against your Ki save DC. On a failure, it takes 10d10 + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage and is Stunned until the end of your next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and is not Stunned. The damage is force damage against constructs. Only one creature can be affected by Quivering Palm at a time, and setting it on a second target ends the first one's vibrations harmlessly.
- L18 Empty Hand Capstone
Once per long rest, when you would take damage, you can use your reaction and spend 4 Ki to enter the Empty Hand stance until the end of your next turn. While in the stance, you are immune to all damage except force, radiant and rift damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being moved, knocked Prone or Grappled. The first attack you make in the stance has advantage, and on a hit it deals an extra 4d10 damage of the strike's type. You can end the stance early as a free action.
