Buddhist Priest Class

Buddhist Priest

Buddhist Priests are spiritual casters who draw upon the wisdom of ancient teachings and the power of karma to purify the world of suffering, protect their allies, and bring enlightenment to those around them. Through meditative practices, rituals, and sacred chants, they balance spiritual energies to heal, ward off evil, and dispense karmic justice. While their powers are rooted in tranquility, compassion, and balance, they can also summon great wrath when the scales of karma demand retribution. The path of a Buddhist Priest is one of contemplation, purity, and unwavering focus, striving to achieve enlightenment while uplifting others.
Wielding spiritual artifacts such as prayer beads, sutras, and sacred staves, Buddhist Priests embody both the peace of the lotus and the burning intensity of the sacred flame.

hit dice: 1d8 per level

hit points at 1st level: 8 + Constitution modifier

hit points at higher levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per level after 1st

armor proficiencies: Light armor

weapon proficiencies: Simple weapons

tools: Choose one artisan's tool or musical instrument

saving throws: Wisdom, Constitution

skills: Choose two from Insight, Religion, Medicine, Persuasion, History, and Perception

starting equipment:
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

(a) a quarterstaff or (b) a simple weapon of your choice

(a) a priest’s pack or (b) a scholar’s pack

Prayer beads (spellcasting focus)

Light armor

A set of common clothes and a sacred text or sutra scroll

spellcasting:
Spellcasting Focus: The Buddhist Priest uses a sacred object such as prayer beads, a lotus staff, a scroll of sutras, or a similar spiritual item as a focus for their spells.
Cantrips: You know two cantrips of your choice from the Buddhist Priest spell list. You learn additional cantrips as shown in the Buddhist Priest table.
Preparing and Casting Spells: The Buddhist Priest prepares spells from their spell list equal to Wisdom modifier + Buddhist Priest level (minimum one spell). You can change prepared spells after a long rest.
Spellcasting Ability: Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for Buddhist Priest spells.
You gain access to the Buddhist spells from the Spells List

class features:

Karma Points

Karma Points represent your accumulated spiritual energy and enlightenment. You start with 2 Karma Points and gain more as you level up, as shown in the Buddhist Priest table. You regain all expended Karma Points after completing a long rest.
Using Karma Points: You can spend Karma Points to empower spells, activate certain features, or channel special abilities.

Meditative Casting

At 1st level, you can enter a Meditative State as a bonus action for up to 1 minute. While in this state:

You gain advantage on concentration checks made to maintain spells.

You can spend 1 Karma Point to maximize the healing or protective effects of a spell you cast during this state (e.g., a healing spell restores the maximum number of hit points instead of rolling).

If you end this state early or if it is interrupted (e.g., you are incapacitated), you gain temporary hit points equal to your level.

Channel Karma

At 2nd level, you learn to channel karmic energy to influence fate.

Karmic Boon: As a bonus action, you can spend 1 Karma Point to grant an ally within 30 feet advantage on their next attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. The effect lasts until the start of your next turn.

Karmic Curse: As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet makes an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you can spend 1 Karma Point to impose disadvantage on that roll.

Path of Enlightenment

At 3rd level, you choose a Path of Enlightenment that shapes your spiritual focus and abilities. Your choice grants you features at 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement

At 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th levels, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Sutra Invocation

At 5th level, you gain the ability to perform powerful invocations of sacred sutras. You can cast a spell with the ritual tag as an action by spending 2 Karma Points, bypassing the normal casting time for rituals. Additionally, you learn one unique Sutra Invocation, a powerful ability determined by your Path of Enlightenment.

Subclass Feature

At 6th level, you gain a feature granted by your chosen Path of Enlightenment.

Spiritual Resilience

At 7th level, your spiritual training grants you resilience against certain effects:

You gain resistance to necrotic and psychic damage.

You can spend 2 Karma Points as a reaction to gain advantage on a Wisdom saving throw.

Karmic Echo

At 9th level, when you or an ally you can see within 30 feet is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction and spend 3 Karma Points to restore them to 1 hit point and grant them temporary hit points equal to twice your level.

Subclass Feature

At 10th level, you gain a feature granted by your chosen Path of Enlightenment.

Pure Land Ritual

At 11th level, you can perform a Pure Land Ritual once per long rest, creating a 30-foot-radius sanctified area centered on you that lasts for 1 minute. Allies within this area gain the following benefits:

Regeneration equal to 5 + your Wisdom modifier at the start of each of their turns.

Advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. The area is filled with calming light and spiritual energy.

Karma Mastery

At 13th level, you regain 1 Karma Point whenever you roll initiative. Additionally, you can spend 1 Karma Point to cast lesser restoration without using a spell slot.

Subclass Feature

At 14th level, you gain a feature granted by your chosen Path of Enlightenment.

Inner Peace

At 15th level, when you finish a short rest, you regain half of your maximum Karma Points (rounded up).

Transcendent Meditation

At 17th level, you can enter a heightened Meditative State for up to 10 minutes. During this state:

You gain immunity to psychic damage and cannot be charmed or frightened.

You can spend 3 Karma Points to cast any spell you know at maximum potency (maximum healing, damage, or duration, as applicable).

Enlightened Presence

At 18th level, you emit an aura of enlightenment in a 30-foot radius around you. Allies within the aura gain the following benefits:

Immunity to the frightened condition.

They can reroll one failed saving throw per long rest while within your aura.

True Enlightenment

At 20th level, you can enter a state of True Enlightenment once per long rest for 1 minute, gaining the following benefits:

Spell Empowerment: All spells you cast are empowered to their highest possible effects (e.g., maximum healing, damage, or duration).

Ultimate Karma: You can spend any number of Karma Points to instantly negate damage, reflect spells, or banish foes (as per banishment). Details can be found below in Ultimate Karma Abilities

Perfect Serenity: You take half damage from all sources and cannot be charmed, frightened, or incapacitated while this effect is active.

Ultimate Karma Abilities

Negate Damage: As a reaction, when you or an ally within 60 feet takes damage, you can spend 1 Karma Point per 10 points of damage to negate that damage entirely.

Reflect Spells: When you or an ally within 60 feet is targeted by a spell, you can use your reaction and spend Karma Points equal to the spell’s level to reflect the spell back at the caster or redirect it to a different target within the spell’s range.

Banish Foes: As an action, you can spend 5 Karma Points to attempt to banish a creature you can see within 60 feet. The target must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be banished to its native plane of existence or a harmless demiplane (similar to the banishment spell). Creatures that have committed significant karmic misdeeds (at the DM's discretion) have disadvantage on the save.

subclass options:
Way of the Lotus
Bishamonten's Wrath
Sutra keeper
Way of the Ascetic
Karmic Judge
Pure Land Pilgrim
Path of Zen Enlightenment
Nichiren's Devotion
Way of the Sohei Warrior
Path of the Shingon Mystic
Path of the Yamabushi Hermit
Jizo Guardian

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Karma Points	Features
1	+2	2	Spellcasting, Meditative Casting
2	+2	2	Channel Karma
3	+2	3	Path of Enlightenment
4	+2	3	Ability Score Improvement
5	+3	4	Sutra Invocation
6	+3	4	Subclass Feature
7	+3	5	Spiritual Resilience
8	+3	5	Ability Score Improvement
9	+4	6	Karmic Echo
10	+4	6	Subclass Feature
11	+4	7	Pure Land Ritual
12	+4	7	Ability Score Improvement
13	+5	8	Karma Mastery
14	+5	8	Subclass Feature
15	+5	9	Inner Peace
16	+5	9	Ability Score Improvement
17	+6	10	Transcendent Meditation
18	+6	10	Enlightened Presence
19	+6	11	Ability Score Improvement
20	+6	12	True Enlightenment