Monk - Way of the Mora, Way of the Dusk Order

Monk

You possess a perfect blend of martial prowess and an uncanny ability to tap into, and manipulate, the unseen life force of your opponent. When your monk chooses a monastic path at 3rd level, the Way of the Mora and the Way of the Dusk Order are two new options available in an Avaleen campaign.

Way of the Mora

The Way of the Mora is an ancient, secretive monastic order originating from the Akati Empire, a powerful empire in part inhabited by a race of genetically enhanced fey elves in the form of the Mora tribe. Different from other akati, the Mora consider their enhancements a blessing of the gods and therefore it is their duty to protect the Empire. Mora monks are born with the rare combination of fey magic and elven grace, making them deadly warriors who strike with precision and mysterious strength. Their training combines unparalleled martial skill with an innate connection to the fey, allowing them to bend both magic and physicality to their will.

Mora monks are often tasked with missions of espionage, secrecy, and the defense of ancient, forbidden knowledge. Known for their brutal efficiency, these monks are the hidden hand of the Akatian Empire, ensuring its survival and secrecy in a world that knows little of its true existence.

Master Rithion, The Silent Blade
High Akati Mora Monk Elf While no one is as well-known as General Mijinn, Master Rithion gives her a run for her money. A highly-ranked Mora Monk, Rithion enjoyed the shadows cast by their once-student. It allowed them to be a key figure in the Akatian Empire's covert operations and protect the realms as they saw fit, away from prying eyes. Known for their deadly efficiency and their ability to strike without leaving a trace, Rithion is a legend in the empire, feared and respected by all who know their name. Few have ever seen them without their mask. A symbol of a silent oath and commitment to the Mora. However, they are deeply conflicted by the darker forces at work within the empire, and whispers suggest that Rithion may soon make a choice that could change the fate of the empire forever.

Unlocking Potential

At 3rd level, the training of the Way of the Mora enhances your physical strength and quick reflexes, giving you the ability to strike with brute force and react with fey-enhanced speed.

• Fey Resilience: You have resistance to necrotic damage, as well as advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened. Your fey bloodline makes you resilient to external forces seeking to corrupt or control you.
• Elven Accuracy: You are a master of precision. You gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws, and when you make an attack roll with advantage, you can roll one additional d20 (for a total of 3d20) and choose the highest result. This precision allows you more chances to land critical strikes with uncanny accuracy.

• Fey Strength: You gain proficiency in Strength saving throws. Additionally, you can add your Wisdom modifier to your unarmed strike damage, representing the combination of both physical and magical strength.
• Mystical Reflexes: Your akati nature grants you advantage on initiative rolls. You can also use your Wisdom modifier instead of Dexterity for Initiative and AC.

Mora's Grace

At 6th level, the energies coursing through you allows for enhanced mobility and fluidity in combat. Mora's Grace allows you to temporarily become an ethereal blur of agility and magic. When activating this feature as a bonus action, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

• Fey Step: You can use a bonus action and spend 1 Ki point to teleport a distance half of your movement to an unoccupied space you can see. When you do so, you leave behind a faint shimmer of magical energy that lingers for 1 round, giving enemies disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the start of your next turn.
• Enhanced Evasion: When targeted by an attack or an effect requiring a Dexterity saving throw, you may add your Wisdom modifier to your AC or saving throw. This can be used even after the attack roll is made but before the result is declared.
• Graceful Strike: When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike during this effect, you can expend 1 ki point to impose disadvantage on the creature's next attack roll or to force it to make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier). On a failed save, the target is charmed or frightened (your choice) until the end of your next turn.

You can use Mora's Grace once per short or long rest.

Hidden Predator

Mora monks are known for their ability to blend into their surroundings and strike from the shadows. At 6th level, you can spend 2 Ki points to use Shadow Cloak to become invisible for 1 minute or until you make an attack, cast a spell, or take damage. This invisibility cannot be dispelled by traditional means, but it ends if you are in direct sunlight. You can also use Camouflage as a bonus action to hide in areas of natural cover, gaining advantage on Stealth checks made in natural areas or with enough natural environment to count (GM's discretion)

Unseen Presence

By 11th level, you can manipulate the world around you with your presence and command the will of lesser beings.

• Fey Dominance: You can use your action to force a creature within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Ki save DC. On a failed save, the target is charmed by you for 1 minute, or until it takes damage. The target is unaware of the charm. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Unseen Presence: As a bonus action, you can spend 3 Ki points to exude an aura of supernatural energy, causing creatures within 30 feet to feel an overwhelming sense of fear. Each creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your Ki save DC or become frightened for 1 minute. Creatures can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success.

Mercurial Fury

At level 17th you have learned the ways of manipulating your own ki to embody the destructive power of your lineage.

• As an action you can use Mora Wrath by spending 3 Ki points to enter a state of fury for 1 minute. During this time, your unarmed strikes deal an additional 2d6 force damage, and you gain the ability to make one additional unarmed strike as part of your Attack action. Additionally, your movement speed increases by 30 feet, and you can teleport up to 60 feet as a bonus action on each of your turns.
• Primal Fury: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you may choose to deal an additional 4d6 force damage. If the target is a creature, it must make a Strength saving throw against your Ki save DC or be knocked prone. This attack bypasses resistance to damage.

Way of the Dusk Order

Monks of the Way of the Dusk Order are known as "Ithe’s silent hand," working in secret to prevent necromancers, dark gods, and unnatural forces from twisting life and death. But an organization as successful as The Dusk Order cannot remain hidden for long. So during the Age of Arcane they built temples, archives, and massive libraries across Avaleen, charged with guarding sacred knowledge, ensuring that dangerous or forbidden knowledge is kept safe and hidden from those who would misuse it. It is an open secret that the archivists, working alongside the clergy of Ithe, dedicate themselves to the preservation of knowledge, the unmasking of lies, and the eradication of corruption in all its forms. Particularly that which distorts or perverts the natural balance of life and death.
Their martial discipline is combined with knowledge and wisdom, as they are not only warriors but also keepers of forbidden lore and spies, entrusted with maintaining sacred texts and identifying those who would corrupt life or tamper with death. Ithe's will is paramount, and those who follow the Way of the Dusk Order will go to any lengths to carry it out, even if it means sacrificing themselves or others for the greater good.

Hunter Alaetha Clay
Halfling Grave Cleric/Way of the Dusk Order Monk
Born in the ancient, secluded sanctuary of the Ashgrove, where her family dutifully tended a small temple of Ithe, young Ali set forth into a world far beyond her imagining. All she knew was that the Order required this pilgrimage which was supposed to unveil her destined role - a venture she both dismissed as folly and approached with enthusiasm. Her path was clear! She would be an archivist, a master scholar of life and death. But during a harrowing encounter with a vengeful legion of the undead, Ali's innocence was shattered. In the chaos, she crossed paths with the enigmatic Krune, a wandering fighter on his own path. Together they turned the tide of the battle and Ali found herself inexorably drawn to a new calling. Trading ink and quill for moonlit strikes and prayers of final rest, she vowed to become a Hunter of the Dusk Order, a guardian of balance between life and the inevitable. Alaetha now walks the twilight, her small frame hiding a resolve as vast as the planes, an embodiment of fated purpose woven in the shadows of life and death.

Eyes of the Dusk

At 3rd level, you gain a heightened sense of awareness and the ability to perceive hidden truths. You gain proficiency in the Investigation skill. If you already have proficiency in Investigation, you may become an expert. Additionally, you can use your Ki to enhance your senses. As a bonus action, spend 1 Ki point to gain Truesight for 1 minute. During this time, you can see through magical darkness, see invisible creatures and objects, and automatically detect illusions. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Path of Knowledge

Monks of the Way of the Dusk Order dedicate themselves to the study and preservation of sacred knowledge, particularly related to the cycle of life, death, and the forbidden. Also at 3rd level, you can use your Wisdom modifier instead of Intelligence for Intelligence-based skill checks (such as History, Arcana, or Investigation), and you gain proficiency in one additional Intelligence-based skill of your choice. As part of your monastic training, you have access to sacred rituals to preserve the balance between life and death. Choose one of the following ritual spells, which you can cast once per long rest without expending a spell slot:

• Comprehend Languages
• Identify
• Detect Magic

These spells do not count against your total spells known. Additionally, you gain the ability to sense death. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 Ki point to detect the presence of creatures who have died within the last 24 hours within a 30-foot radius. You can also sense the presence of undead creatures within the same range.

Unravel the Threads

At 6th level, you gain the ability to unravel corruption and disturbance in the natural order. The divine influence of Ithe empowers you to see through the perversions of death and life and erase their traces from existence.

• Eradicate Corruption: As an action, you can spend 2 Ki points to touch a creature or object, cleansing it of magical disease, curses, or persistent effects that stem from dark or perverse magic (such as poison, disease, or necrotic influence). You can also use this to remove a curse or a condition caused by necromantic magic. This doesn’t work on conditions like paralysis or charm, but it is highly effective against unnatural forces that twist life and death.
• Corruption Sense: As a bonus action, you can spend 1 Ki point to sense the presence of corruption within 30 feet of you. This sense is akin to Detect Evil and Good, allowing you to detect the presence of fiends, undead, and creatures from places like the Shadowfell, the Far Realm, or those who seek to manipulate life and death.

Veil of the Dusk

At 11th level, your devotion to your cause and your understanding of the mysteries of life and death manifest in a protective shroud. You can cloak yourself in shadows, protecting your body and mind from intrusion.

• Dusk Shroud: As a reaction, when you are targeted by a ranged weapon attack, you can spend 1 Ki point to cause your form to blur and shift, granting you a +2 bonus to AC against that attack. If the attack misses, you can immediately teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.
• Mindshield: Your dedication strengthens your mind. You gain advantage on saving throws against being charmed, frightened, or possessed, and any psychic damage you take is reduced by an amount equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). Additionally, you cannot be frightened by undead creatures.

Final Judgment

At 17th level, your mastery of life, death, and the balance between them reaches its zenith. You become an agent of Ithe’s divine judgment, capable of passing judgment on those who disrupt the natural order of life and death.

• Divine Strike of Death: As an action, you can spend 4 Ki points to unleash a Divine Judgment strike. This strike is empowered by Ithe’s will and is a lethal blow to those who threaten the natural cycle. On a successful hit, the attack deals an additional 4d10 radiant damage (or necrotic damage if the target is undead). You can also choose to deal an additional 2d10 damage if the target is corrupted in some way (such as a fiend or a creature tied to necromantic forces).
• Judgment of Death: If the target is an undead creature or a creature that is corrupting the natural cycle of life, you can choose to destroy the creature outright if it has fewer than 100 hit points. If the target is a creature that has died or been resurrected unnaturally, you can use your action to sever its soul from the material plane, preventing it from returning. This feature can only be used once per long rest.

The following should only be seen as guidelines and tips, not hard truths. Your campaign, your character, and your game are yours to approach as you please!

Way of the Mora - Mechanics

I have designed Mora monks to utilize a balance between fey and elven abilities. Combining elven traits of agility, perception, and magic with the fey's connection to nature and the otherworldly. Out of all akati, the Mora connected most with the fey. Their inherent abilities to resist certain types of magic and their enhanced physical prowess (thanks to their fey bloodline) make them formidable opponents both in combat and in more subtle operations, like espionage or sabotage.

Lore of the Mora

The Way of the Mora is steeped in secrecy, known only to a few outside of the Akati Empire. The Mora monks serve as guardians, assassins, and spies, trained from birth to maintain the delicate balance of power within the empire. Their bloodline grants them unnatural strength, heightened agility, and a profound connection to the mystical forces of the world. While most elves are known for their grace and intelligence, Mora monks are feared for their brutality and cunning, as well as their ability to manipulate the very nature of reality around them. The Mora monks are not simply soldiers—they are the soul of the empire, enforcing its will and protecting its hidden knowledge. They are often tasked with gathering information, protecting sacred secrets, and eliminating those who would seek to unravel the mysteries of the Akatian people. Their leader, General Maesia Mijinn sits on the Council of Agartha and commands all akati forces.

Role in Campaigns

Secretive Protectors: Mora monks might serve as enigmatic allies who aid the party from the shadows, providing guidance in exchange for services that serve the Akatian Empire’s interests.

Mentors or Patrons: If the players need to uncover forbidden knowledge or face a dangerous supernatural force, a Mora monk could train them or offer their aid for a price.

Villains or Antagonists: A rogue Mora monk, having turned against their orders or empire, could serve as a formidable antagonist, striking from the shadows with deadly precision and relentless force.

Way of the Dusk Order

The Dusk Order is an organization that began as a simple clergy of Ithe's, but grew beyond even their own imagining. Still, at its core it working in the shadows to keep the dead at rest, protect the sanctity of life, and ensure that no force, whether mortal or divine, upsets the eternal balance.

Role in Campaigns

Allies or Quest Givers: The Dusk Order can be mysterious benefactors, guiding the party with cryptic wisdom or sending them on quests to retrieve lost knowledge or stop a powerful necromancer who threatens the balance of life and death.

Divine Servants: A monk of the Dusk Order may serve as a devoted champion of Ithe, tasked with rooting out corruption or dealing with ancient forces that disrupt the cycle of life. Their quests might involve seeking out long-forgotten ruins, defeating undead hordes, or uncovering knowledge that could tip the balance toward chaos.

Villains: A monk who has become too obsessed with their mission could fall to extremism, seeing all those who manipulate life or death as worthy of annihilation. Such a monk may view the party’s own actions as a threat to the natural order and take steps to remove them and might even consider the party's action as a perversion or threat to the balance.

Mentor or Guide: If the players seek knowledge of death, the afterlife, or forbidden magic, a Dusk Order monk could serve as a guide or mentor, teaching them the secrets of life and death. However, those lessons would be steeped in the belief that all knowledge must be guarded and kept from those who would misuse it.

Quest Giver: A Dusk Order monk may send the party on missions to recover lost artifacts, protect sacred tombs, or eliminate necromancers and undead creatures that threaten the balance. They may even task them with investigating strange phenomena that hint at a disturbance in the natural order.