Fury-fu Monk

Unlike other monks that dedicate their lives to mastering their bodies and minds, you received the bulk of your abilities in a strange accident. In a great time of stress, you were visited by a magical fury-fu spirit and struck by a bolt of pure magical ether. In an instant, you received a lifetime of martial arts training and mutated into a being of refined fury-fu. You became no mere monk; you became Master of Fury-Fu.

Fury-Fu Spirit

The type of fury-fu spirit that has bonded you is important to your character’s physical and metaphysical abilities. The fury-fu spirit may guide you through dreams and visions. It may ask you to complete certain tasks, threatening to take away its magical boons if you disobey. It may even choose not to interfere at all, simply granting you its power and watching the action from afar. Work with your GM to determine the full extent of your fury-fu spirit’s involvement in your life.

Not Alone

Though you may be a martial arts master, that does not stop people from trying to reach your level. The problem with being at the top is all the others that wish to take your place. Many will simply never reach your prowess, but there is no rule saying you are the only fury-fu master.

New Knowledge

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, there is a wealth of knowledge imparted on you. You gain proficiency with Animal Handling and Land Vehicles. Additionally, you gain proficiency with one martial or simple ranged weapon of your choice; this weapon can count as a monk weapon if you choose.

Fury-fu Spirit Boons

When you were visited by your fury-fu spirit at 3rd level, you became intertwined with its power. Choose from the fury-fu spirit below. Each spirit gives you a passive boon and an active boon. Active boons cost ki points to use while passive boons can be used with no cost or are constantly active. This is just a few of the fury-fu spirits that could exist, work with your GM to determine if there are more available.

Beam Raptor

This dinosaur is a brutal scavenger that does well by working in a group. It balances its offensive capabilities with cunning tactics..

Passive Boon: Using your reaction, you can grant an ally within 5 feet of you advantage on a single ranged attack roll they are making..

Active Boon: You can blast laser bolts from your kicks and punches using 1 ki point. Anytime you would be able to make an unarmed strike, you can instead attack with this bolt. This is a ranged attack with a range of 30/120 and deals radiant damage. The bolt’s damage is equal to your unarmed strikes and you are proficient with the attack.

Bee

A creature of resourcefulness and community. It represents honor in helping those around you.

Passive Boon: If an ally within 5 feet of you attacks an ally you attacked on the same round; you can use your reaction to grant them advantage on the attack roll. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once) before finishing a long rest.

Active Boon: When a creature hits you with an attack, you can use 3 ki points to burst into a swarm of bees and move up to 15 feet in any direction as a reaction, reforming in the nearest unoccupied space. The opponent’s attack deals half damage to you and any creature’s space you move through must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Ki save DC, taking 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier piercing and 1d6 poison damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one.

B-ugz

The embodiment of aberrant energy. A b-ug fury-fu spirit may just as quickly kill you as give you powers, both options being equal to their incomprehensible logic. Your fighting style mimics this chaos..

Passive Boon: You are vulnerable to corruption, having disadvantage on Corruption Saving Throws but +1 to per level of corruption you have to any saving throw you are proficient with.

Active Boon: If you have a layer of corruption, when you make an attack roll, you can spend 1 ki point to add +2 to the damage roll. You can spend as many ki points as you have layers of corruption, adding +2 per ki point spent.

Cobra

This beast represents the brash power of the individual. Its strength comes from a mix of precise strikes and quick thinking.

Passive Boon: You gain advantage on Initiative rolls.

Active Boon: When you take the attack action on your turn, you can bolster an attack with poison energy. For each 3 ki points spent, you can add poison damage equal to an unarmed strike damage dice to each attack you make.

Demon

Destruction, consumption, death, and myriad other evil ideals describe these fury-fu Spirits. Winning at any cost and brutality are their priorities in combat.

Passive Boon: If attacking a creature that is grappled by an ally, incapacitated, prone, or restrained, attacks made with your monk weapon and unarmed strikes are considered critical hits on a 18 – 20.

Active Boon: If a creature hits you with a melee attack, you can spend 2 ki points and use your reaction to make a single unarmed strike against them. The attack deals an additional 1d6 fire damage.

Dragon

A scaled being of powerful magic, and they know it. Representing sophistication and honor in combat, but not above using a sneaky trick or two to get the upper hand..

Passive Boon: Draconic power grants you advantage on saving throws to resist either acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage. You can choose a different damage type each time you finish a long rest.

Active Boon: By spending 2 ki points, claws extend from your hands, changing your unarmed strike damage to slashing until the start of your next turn. These strikes deal an additional +2 of the damage type of your passive boon and +4 damage to reptiles.

Eagle

This bird represents the freedom the sky provides. Seeing the battlefield from a higher perspective grants unique opportunities for attacking from afar.

Passive Boon: You can use a bonus action to wreath yourself in spiritual energy. For 1 minute, you gain a flying speed equal to your base speed. You must finish a long rest before you can use this ability again.

Active Boon: When you attack with a ranged monk weapon or natural weapon (such as laser vision), you can use 1 ki point and a bonus action to make an additional attack with the same weapon. This cannot be used with a weapon that has the loading property or no energy.

Slime

This creature is nothing but flow and ease. They don’t represent much, and they intend to keep it that way.

Passive Boon: You have advantage on saving throw against being forced prone or restrained.

Active Boon: When making an unarmed strike, you can spend 1 ki point to stretch your limbs, extending the attack by 5 feet. If the attack is a critical hit, you can choose to grapple medium sized or smaller creatures, dragging them to you as part of the same attack.

Glass Shadow

Reaching from inside a mirrored reality, the glass shadow represents the hunger for freedom and identity. Living as someone’s shadow will never be enough.

Passive Boon: You can spend 1 minute concentrating on a mirror to briefly link it to another mirror you have touched before. You can see through the linked mirror as if it were a window and creatures on the other side see the same. The effect lasts for 1 minute. You can use this feature once before finishing a short or long rest.

Active Boon: You can use a ki point to travel between reflective surfaces within 60 feet of each other, that you can see, instantly as your movement, appearing in the nearest unoccupied space next to the surface. You can use this boon a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once) before finishing a long rest. The surfaces do not need to be highly reflective or able to give accurate reflections, just enough to distinguish yourself in them. You can increase the range by 30 feet for each additional ki point you use.

You can use 10 ki points to combine this with your passive ability and step through a linked mirror anywhere on your current plane.

Goblin

Tricky scavengers and resourceful survivors, a fury-fu goblin spirit represents clever perseverance among overwhelming odds. If you can’t overwhelm your opponent, you can outthink them.

Passive Boon: You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.

Active Boon: If a creature makes a melee attack roll against you, you can use 2 ki points and your reaction to attempt to redirect the attack to a different creature within 5 feet of you. The attacking creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC or use their attack roll against the new target.

Shark

Representing the love of the hunt, it seeks out conflict and bloodshed simply for the thrill of it. This style have survived far longer than others, a testament to its reliability and strength.

Passive Boon: You gain a swim speed equal to your base speed and can breathe underwater. You can smell spilled blood up to 500 feet away on dried land or up to 1 mile underwater.

Active Boon: When you hit an enemy with a melee attack, you can use a bonus action and 1 ki point to taste the blood or magical essence of the creature and become empowered by it. For 1 minute you have +1 to attack and damage rolls made against that target. You can use this on a number of targets equal to your Wisdom modifier (minim of one) before finishing a short or long rest.

Triceratops

This dinosaur represents slow patience and wisdom. Its physical strength is only bolstered by an inner strength that stands as a force of its own..

Passive Boon: You gain proficiency with the Persuasion skill or double your proficiency bonus with it if you are already proficient. When you make an unarmed strike against a creature, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple them.

Active Boon: When making a ranged attack with your monk weapon, you can spend 1 ki point to turn the attack into a critical hit on a 19 or 20. If you use this ability and the attack is a critical hit, the opponent must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your Ki save DC or become stunned until the start of their next turn.

Turtle

Stubborn tenacity, protecting the innocent, pizza, there is little else to the turtle way of being. They use their naturally protective bodies to outlast most opponents.

Passive Boon: You can use two-weapon fighting with a monk weapon, adding the relevant modifier for damage of both weapons..

Active Boon: When targeted with a melee or ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction and ki points to add +1 to your AC per the number of ki points used (to a maximum of +3).

Celestial

Beings of light that push towards peace and tranquility, even if it is enforced at the end of a sword. Their holy power is might but that doesn’t make them always right.

Passive Boon: You are resistant to radiant damage.

Active Boon: When you are hit with an attack, you can use your reaction and 2 ki points to call for angelic retribution. Roll a hit dice, it is expended as you are healed that amount and the creature that attacked you is dealt radiant damage equal to the roll. The distance between the attacker and you is irrelevant unless they are on another plane, in which case the damage is negated.

Undead

The slow, creeping force of death and pestilence that eventually conquers everything. Undeath is patient but unyielding, pressing forward with insatiable, relentless hunger.

Passive Boon: You have +1 on Death Saving Throws and can change a single failed save into a success. You must finish a short or long rest before you can change another save.

Active Boon: When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can use 2 ki points to recover hit points equal to half the damage dealt to the creature (rounded down). Alternatively, when attacking undead, you can recover a single ki point for each successful attack you make against them, to a total number of ki points recovered equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one) before finishing a long rest.

The Code

Not so much a spirit as much as it is an inevitable truth of the universe. It is most often represented by the ideal version of yourself, guiding with advice that is always true but rarely kind.

Passive Boon: You have found a way to cheat the system, granting you the ability to use two bonus actions on a single turn. You can use this cheat once before finishing a short or long rest.

Active Boon: When making an attack with your monk weapon or an unarmed strike, you can use 1 ki point to shift the way you deal damage. The target simply loses hit points equal to the damage, bypassing all resistances, vulnerabilities, immunities, boons, spells, and effects that alter the damage. This move also negates any boons you may have to your damage, reducing it to the base damage of the weapon plus your relevant modifier.

The Beat

Often represented by a faceless minstrel, the Beat is not a direct spirit, it is more of a feeling, though it is much more than that as well. The Beat directs through general vibes, which you are highly tuned too, instead of discernable directions.

Passive Boon: When making attacks with your monk weapon or unarmed strikes, you can choose to change the damage type to thunder.

Active Boon: When you hit a target with an unarmed strike you can use that percussion to boost your next attack against the same target. If you make another attack against the same target immediately on your turn, you can use 1 ki point to increase the attack and damage roll by +1. You can continue to use this ability to a cumulative maximum of +3 to attack and damage rolls against a single target. This bonus is reset at the start of your next turn.

Hold Your Ground

By 6th level you have become used so used to fighting multiple opponents at once that you prefer it that way. If there are 2 or more enemies (or a single swarm) within 5 feet of you, you can choose to gain advantage on a melee attack against those targets. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once) before finishing a long rest.

Cellulinesis

At 6th level, you’ve magically adapted some ideas from the advanced technology around you. By touching and concentrating on a willing creature for 1 minute, you can memorize their brainwave pattern and create a telekinetic link between both your minds. You can then spend 2 ki points to speak telepathically with them for up to 1 minute. If they are on another plane of existence or in another time, the cost is an additional 2 ki points. If they cannot be reached, by too few ki points being spent or otherwise, you simply hear a dull tone for 3 seconds. You can have up to 5 creature imprints memorized at a time. Multiple creatures can be in a single telepathic conversation this way, so long as you have used the required ki for connecting each one.

Tank You

By 11th level, you’ve broken past the boundaries of what your body if physically capable of. You count as one size larger when determining the weight you can carry, lift, and move. Additionally, if using a large sized improvised weapon, it gains the versatile property and deals 1d10 (1d12) damage. The damage type is determined by the type of object being used as a weapon.

Hacked Health

By 11th level, you can shrug off death like it was a minor nuisance. When you fall to 0 hit points, but are not killed outright, you can burst back to action and heal 1 hit dice for every 2 ki points you spend on this action, so long as you have hit dice to spend. You must finish a long rest before using this feature again.

Impossible Resistance

At 17th level your body has adjusted to the extreme environments you often find yourself in. By using a bonus action and 12 ki points, you can deflect all harm, becoming invincible and indestructible until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature twice before finishing a long rest.

In addition, when you reach this level, you no longer need to breathe air.

Blinding Fury

By 17th level, you’ve become a master of combat and can put yourself in a trancelike pose, allowing you to attack faster than the eye can see. When you take the attack action, you can spend 3 ki points and a bonus action to activate this ability and make a hyper speed melee attack against a target within 15 feet of you. You can then spend another 3 ki points to make an additional melee attack against a different target within the same range. You can continue to make these attacks as long as you have the required ki points and do not attack the same target twice on your turn. The targets all must be within 15 feet of the location you were when you started this ability. There is no limit to the number of attacks you can make in a turn using this feature, so long as each attack follows the other rules for this ability, but once the feature ends, you can make no more attacks on that turn, even as a reaction. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Lasers & Liches: Tales from the Retroverse - Test Wave 3 Player's MTX Creator(s) Chris Lock, Lluis Abadias Copyright 2021

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