Way of the Temporal

Fist
A time-bending subclass option for the 5th edition
monk
- The Subclassery, Part 1 –
Way of the Temporal Fist
A
stern-faced goliath stands head-down in the
centre of a ring of jeering bandits, his markings
glowing with energy as he takes a steady breath
in. The dark markings on his face glow - not
with light, but with a definite energy, and
motion erupts. The bandits witness a flicker of
blurred chaos, and then their leader collapses
onto his knees and spits out a mouthful of warm blood.
Stunned and fearful, the bandits scatter into the dark
alleyways around them. The goliath is gone.
feature once, and then you must take a short or long rest
Through intense meditation, monks of the Way of the
Temporal Fist have managed to attune their ki to the
frequency of the energy that underpins everything that is,
ever has been, and ever will be: time.
Subclass Features
Level Feature
3rd Temporal Awareness, Convergent Realities
6th Alternate Time Flows
11th Time Lock
17th Aeons' Aegis
Temporal Awareness
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your
attunement to the flow of time grants you brief flashes of the
future and can provide warning of looming threats.
You may add your Wisdom modifier to your initiative
checks, and when you start combat surprised, you can spend
1 ki point as a reaction to end the surprised condition on
yourself.
Convergent Realities
At 3rd level, in addition to Temporal Awareness, you gain the
ability to look ahead into the potential realities of the near
future and manipulate them to encourage a certain outcome.
When a creature withing 60 feet of you that you can see
rolls and attack roll, ability check or saving throw, you can use
your reaction to give the creature advantage on the roll or
force it to roll with disadvantage.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you
finish a long rest.
Alternate Time Flows
Starting at 6th level, you have developed the ability to divert
the flow of time around creatures, for their benefit or
detriment, using your ki to replicate the effects of certain
spells.
As an action, you can spend 3 ki points to cast haste or
slow at 3rd level. When you cast haste in this way, the target
does not receive the exhaustion effect normally given when
the spell ends.
Time Lock
Starting at 11th level, when you hit a creature or an object
which is not being worn or carried with an unarmed strike,
you can force it to make a Charisma saving throw against
your ki save DC. A creature can choose to fail this save and
objects are considered to fail it automatically. On a failed
save, you can either freeze the target in time or force it
forwards through time, as described below. You can use this
before you can use it again.
If you choose to freeze the target in time, it is incapacitated
for one minute, until it takes damage or is moved, or until you
end this effect (no action required). While it is incapacitated
in this way, it becomes unaware of the passage of time and of
its surroundings. It is also not affected by gravity, and any
curse, disease or poison affecting it is suspended until the
effect ends. Any ongoing effects originating from the target,
such as spells (including spells in the process of being cast),
auras, and abilities, are suspended in this way as well.
If you choose to send the target forward in time, the DM
makes a roll of 1d6 + your proficiency bonus and notes the
result. Although it is intended that this roll is not shared with
players, at the DM's discretion, doing so may better fit your
group's playstyle. The target disappears, shunted forward in
time. You can pull the creature back at any time you choose,
provided you are not incapacitated, with no action required.
After you do this, or after an amount of rounds have passed
equal to the roll made beforehand, whichever is sooner, the
effect ends. At this point, the target reappears in the space it
left, or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is
occupied, with no time having passed for it.
Aeons' Aegis
At 17th level, your familiarity with the flow of time grants you
the following benefits:
You gain control of your age and aging. As an action, you
can change your physical age, either forwards or
backwards, but to a minimum age of 13 years old.
Changing your physical age still leaves you with your
normal statistics, unless it would kill you, in which case
you die. You can also choose to stop your natural aging.
You can take one reaction per turn, instead of one reaction
per round.
Once per long rest, you can touch a creature and grant
them the benefits of a short rest.
When you give a roll advantage or disadvantage using
Convergent Realities, you can also increase or decrease
the total by an amount up to your Wisdom modifier.
Credits
The cover art was created using WOMBO.art and
this document was organised using GMBinder and
The Homebrewery.
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