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MONASTIC TRADITION: IKIRYO MASTER (v2.0)

A new monastic tradition for the monk class that for my Oriental Adventures campaign. Inspired by Jojo.

I worked on multiple revisions of this. Initially I thought an Eidolon/Summoner type monk would work as thematically this would fit well – the stand user summons his stand and uses it in battle while he stays passive.  But this is like have a second character and then having to choose which one to use or running two characters at once.  Didn’t like this. I settled on having the ikiryo/Stand an extension of the class which give special features in addition to the standard monk class.  Essentially, when one of these abilities are used its the ikiryo making the attack not the monk – the monk stays passive. I think this works better as it fits both narratively and is simpler to run for the PC.


IKIRYO MASTER

An ikiryo is a visual manifestation of evil life energy, unique to each monk. The monks who follow this school recognise the potential of this evil spirit and harness it for combat. the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series.

Though it can look like anything the monk wishes, it generally presents itself as a figure hovering over or near the user and possesses abilities beyond that of an ordinary human, which, depending on the monk, and can be wielded for good or evil.

The World alignment is a villainous class option only.

MANIFESTATION OF WILL
3rd level Ikiryo Master feature

You master your ikiryo and can use it for combat. The ikiryo is invisible to everyone except other ikiryo masters or certain spell affects (like the shaman’s see spirit trait). It is considered a spirit and can be manifested as a bonus action. Though the ikiryo can look like anything you determine the manifestations appearance is fixed once you gain this class ability. The ikiryo grants abilities based on the alignment you pick

ALIGNMENT
3rd level Ikiryo Master feature

Your ikiryo has a mystical alignment once chosen it cannot be changed.  Subsequent class abilities are connected to this initial choice.  Pick one of the following alignments for your ikiryo:

  • Chariot is an agile, weapon-wielding warrior. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your AC and Dexterity and gain the following ikiryo features:
    • Martial Artist. You gain the martial arts feat for free.
    • Stand of a Warrior. You become proficient in a single martial weapon of your choice and your ikiryo attacks with this weapon. You may also equip your ikiryo with magical versions of the weapon as you discover them. This attack counts as an unarmed attack but you add the weapons damage to the unarmed attack (not per attack but once).
  • Diamond is a healer and regenerator. You may use your ki to cast any healing It costs 2 ki points per spell level. 
  • Experience controls the forces of life. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Constitution and Wisdom and gain the following ikiryo features:
    • Life Shot. You may spend 1 ki point when you land an unarmed strike against a target to speed up their consciousness separately from their bodies making it difficult for them to coordinate attacks. The target has disadvantage on their next attack, skill or ability check.
    • Life Giver. Once a day you can spend a key and touch and inanimate object and give it life. This acts as the animate object spell except the animated creature can look like any living creature you choose. At 11th level you can use this twice a day.
  • Hierophant manipulates the battlefield with traps and ranged attacks. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Dexterity and Wisdom and gain the following Ikiryo features. You may use your kito cast any enchantment It costs 2 ki points per spell level.
  • King can rewrite reality itself. King is gender locked to male characters only. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your Strength and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Herculean Strength. You may spend a ki to add your proficiency bonus as part of your unarmed attack.
    • No Escape. You gain grappler as a free feat. You may spend a ki as a reaction to a creature escaping your grapple and make an unarmed attack.
  • Queen is the mistress of explosions. Queen is gender locked to female characters only. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Dexterity and can spend 1 ki point to cast any cantrip that does damage. This damage is always delivered as bomb and is split between fire and force.
  • Star is a damage-dealing striker. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Strength and Dexterity and gain the following ikiryo features:
    • Martial Artist. You gain the martial arts feat for free.
    • Fists of Fury. You gain an additional unarmed attack by consuming your bonus action and spending a ki. At 11th level you gain two attacks each instead of 1.
    • You can spend a ki and use your reaction to make an unarmed attack against a creature that just hit you. If the attack lands the target needs to make a Strength ability check or be knocked prone.
  • Tusk/Pistols is a marksman with ranged attacks. The name of the ikiryo is dependent on the type of ranged weapon you use. Technological weapons are pistols, natural weapons (like nails) is tusk. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your Dexterity and gain the following ikiryo features:
    • You become proficient in a single martial ranged weapon. You have +2 to damage with this weapon but it otherwise gains all the benefits of your unarmed attack class ability.
    • Shot to the Heart. You may spend a ki to cast hunter’s mark.
  • World is the time manipulating superhuman. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Strength and Constitution and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Skin Changer. You can spend a ki to cast alter self.
    • You gain the rage class ability as if you were a barbarian of half your monk level.
    • While in Bloodlust you may spend a ki to manipulate time and use your reaction to force an attack to be made with disadvantage. This attack can be targeted against you or any ally you can see within 60 feet. If the attack is a projectile and it misses, you may redirect it back at the original attacker.

ALIGNMENT II
6th level Ikiryo Master feature

Your ikiryo improves and gains the following additional traits based on your level 3 choice:

  • Chariot:
    • You spend a ki and cast shield.
    • Melee Prowess. You may spend 1 ki and use your bonus action to make an additional unarmed attack with your ikiryo.
    • After Image. You may spend a ki to cast mirror image.
    • Armoured Chariot. You can spend a ki to increase your AC by 1 or gain an additional attack.
  • Diamond may choose a life domain feature of equal or lower level than this ikiryo feature. You expend ki instead of channel divinity usages.
  • Experience:
    • Transfer Suffering. By spending a ki and using your reaction you can inflict the same type and amount of damage dealt to your life giver creature back on the attacker.
    • You spend a ki as part of your last unarmed attack. If it hits you do maximum damage and push the target back 10 feet if it fails a Strength (Athletics) check.
  • Hierophant may choose a School of Enchantment feature of equal or lower level than this ikiryo feature.
  • King:
    • You gain the ability to see future projections, and these projections are mental images clearly viewed in your head. These images consist of anything and everything that will happen around you within 30 ft of you and you can see everything that will occur between the end of your current turn to the beginning of your next turn. This affect lasts 1 minute, while active you may spend ki to impose a boon or a bane on a target creature of your choice.
  • Star:
    • Star Finger. You spend a ki and make an unarmed attack against an opponent that is up to 20 feet away.
    • Yare Yare Daze (1/Day). By spending a ki you automatically score a critical hit with your next unarmed strike. If the target has 10% or less of their maximum hit points it must make a Constitution saving throw or become incapacitated.
  • Tower:
    • Tower II. Your tower I spells can also store items per secret chest.
  • Tusk/Pistols:
    • While using your ikiryo you have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.
    • You may spend a key and become resistant to all ranged attacks for 1 minute.
  • World:
    • You may spend a ki to cast blur. Your time manipulation makes you harder to hit. At level 17 you may spend 2 ki points to cast foresight.
    • The Monster Within. You can spend a ki to regenerate for 1 hour per ki spent. You regain 1d6 hit points every 10 minutes, provided that you have at least 1 hit point. If you lose a body part, the trait causes the missing part to regrow and return to full functionality after 1d6 + 1 days if you have at least 1 hit point the whole time.

ALIGNMENT III
11th level Ikiryo Master feature

Your ikiryo improves and gains the following additional traits based on your level 3 choice:

  • Chariot:
    • If you are hit by an elemental attack which misses due to your deflection for the next 1 minute your attacks are infused with an additional 1d6 damage of that energy type.
    • Your ikiryo can launch its weapon as a ranged attack up to 60 feet away. This attack has advantage and does an additional die of the weapons damage. However, once used your ikiryo cannot attack until the end of the encounter.
    • Dual Wielding. Your ikiryo wields two weapons of its preferred type and gains an additional attack that consumes your bonus action.
  • Diamond may choose or change a life domain or grave domain feature of equal or lower level than this ikiryo master feature. You expend ki instead of channel divinity usages.
  • Experience controls the forces of life. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Constitution and Wisdom and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Dream Healing. You may continue to take actions when at 0 hit points but also continue to make death saving throws. You may only ever accumulate 1 failed save per round.
  • Hierophant may choose or change a school of enchantment or nature domain feature of equal or lower level than this ikiryo feature. You expend ki instead of channel divinity usages.
  • King can rewrite reality itself. King is gender locked to male characters only. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your Strength and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Time Erasure. By spending a ki you gain the effects of both modify memory and foresight. Foresight only has a duration of 1 minute.
  • Star is a damage-dealing striker. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Strength and Dexterity and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Za Warudo (1/Day). You may cast time stop by spending a ki Unlike time stop your ikiryo can act normally and use any Star related ki power during the period of time being halted. Attack actions do not cancel this affect. If subjected to a time stop, you can instead use your reaction to activate this ki power and your ikiryo acts normally.
  • Tower can create an invincible prison. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your AC and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Conservation of Energy. When you are hit by an attack you may spend a ki while using your reaction and absorb the damage instead of taking damage. You may add this damage to your next attack.
  • Tusk/Pistols is a marksman with ranged attacks. The name of the ikiryo is dependent on the type of ranged weapon you use. Technological weapons is pistols, natural weapons (like nails) is tusk. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your Dexterity and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Emperor’s Gift. Your weapon no longer consumes ammunition. You may also upgrade the ikiryo’s weapon with any magical ranged weapon of a suitable type that you find.
  • World is the time manipulating superhuman. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Strength and Constitution and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Blood Drain. Your unarmed attacks now do necrotic damage. You can decide as part of the attack if it will be a necrotic attack, but this ends your attack as you need to spend your turn draining blood from your target. You heal for the same amount of necrotic damage you do.
    • Za Warudo (1/Day). You may cast time stop by spending a ki Unlike time stop your ikiryo can act normally and use any Star related ki power during the period of time being halted. Attack actions do not cancel this affect. If subjected to a time stop, you can instead use your reaction to activate this ki power and your ikiryo acts normally.

ALIGNMENT III
17th level Ikiryo Master feature

Your ikiryo improves and gains the following additional traits based on your level 3 choice:

  • Chariot is an agile, weapon-wielding warrior. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your AC and Dexterity and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Chariot Requiem. Your unarmed attacks now have a range of 20 feet, and you can cast teleport(associated object) by spending a ki point once per day.
  • Diamond may choose or change a life domain or grave domain feature of equal or lower level than this ikiryo master feature. You expend ki instead of channel divinity usages.
  • Experience controls the forces of life. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Constitution and Wisdom and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Golden Experience Requiem (1/Day). Your ikiryo turns into its final form for 1 minute. While in this form it gains an aura of 10 feet that allows allies to have advantage on all d20 rolls and to cancel enemy creatures’ reactions. Hostile creatures must make a Wisdom saving throw or lose any reaction they try and use while in the aura.
  • Hierophant may choose or change a school of enchantment or nature domain feature of equal or lower level than this ikiryo feature. You expend ki instead of channel divinity usages.
  • King can rewrite reality itself. King is gender locked to male characters only. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your Strength and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • The King’s Requiem (1/Day). Your time erasure ability gains the effect of time stop. This follows the normal rules of time stop accept time stops ends only at the end of your attack action and your attack cannot miss.
  • Queen You may spend 16 ki points to cast sunburst.
  • Star is a damage-dealing striker. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Strength and Dexterity and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • The Stars Over Heaven. You can cast the creation spell innately as an 8th level spell by spending a ki point with the additional effect of being able to recreate living creatures. When used to duplicate living creature it last only 1 minute and the duplicate must have a CR lower than your level, must be a creature known to you by name and when created it obeys you willingly.
  • Tower can create an invincible prison. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your AC and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • You gain damage threshold of 1 against all attacks.You can temporally increase this threshold by 1 per ki point spent for 1 minute.
  • Tusk/Pistols is a marksman with ranged attacks. The name of the ikiryo is dependent on the type of ranged weapon you use. Technological weapons is pistols, natural weapons (like nails) is tusk. When you choose this stand you gain +2 to your Dexterity and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • Pistol Requiem. You may spend a ki as a reaction to missing a target to instead hit.
  • World is the time manipulating superhuman. When you choose this stand you gain +1 to your Strength and Constitution and gain the following Ikiryo features:
    • The World Over Heaven. You can spend a ki point to cast the wish spell once per day.

 


Banner Credit: “Stardust Crusaders” anime.

Posted in 5e, Adventurer's Vault, Class, Dungeons & Dragons, Oriental Adventures

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