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MONASTIC TRADITION: IKIRYO MASTER (v1.0)

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

Summoning version.  This is the better version IMO so long as your PC is happy to effectively run two characters.


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.

MANIFESTATION OF WILL
3rd level Ikiryo Master feature

You master your ikiryo and can use it for combat. Your ikiryo can be manifested as a bonus action and never moves more than 5 feet away from you.

Choose any creature from the Monster Manual (with DM approval) to represent your ikiryo then use the DMG for “Creating a Monster” to increase or decrease its CR to 3. Thematically your ikiryo should have a mystical alignment.  This can be anything you and your DM agree to but should make sense.  It could be elemental, mystical (like a taro card) or a pantheon (Egyptian powers) for example. It gains the following additional traits:

  • The creatures alignment matches yours.
  • Its size is medium.
  • Its exact appearance is determined by you but it should thematically fit the creature you picked (or vice-a-versa).
  • It gains the spirit/yokai subtype.
  • It is invisible to everyone except other ikiryo masters and spell-effects that reveal spirits (like the Shaman’s spirit sight).
  • The ikiryo consumes your action when it is used.
  • The ikiryo has access to all your class abilities and can use them at your command.  However, you share the same resource limitation.  For example, your ikiryo can use stunning strike which both consumes your action and a ki.
  • An ikiryo can be broken if it takes too much damage. If it suffers a critical hit while bloodied you must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or the ikiryo is unsummoned and can not be used again until you take a long rest.
  • Ikiryo have no health point total. If they would take damage, you instead take the damage. Similarly, if your ikiryo would be subject to a condition, such as being strangled or grappled, the user is also affected by this condition.
  • Ikiryos may be summoned or unsummoned with a bonus action, and must remain within 5 feet of you.
  • An Ikiryo forced outside of its effective range is instantly unsummoned. Your ikiryo also moves with the same frame of reference as you. For instance, if you were on a train and summoned your ikiryo, it would stay standing next to you instead of standing in the same place relative to the ground.
  • A Ikiryo can move within its effective range completely unrestricted. Your ikiryo can hover up to 5 feet above the lowest point on your body, and it cannot fly or hover while carrying things. Your ikiryo is affected by the same forces of gravity as you are.
  • To have your Ikiryo take actions, quacks, or macks, you must expend your own. Macks have a special additional rule, wherein the Stand and User may move simultaneously as part of one special Mack called a Tether Mack.
  • If a Ikiryo Master is knocked unconscious their ikiryo is instantly unsummoned. Additionally, all of the effects from its ability are cancelled.

IKIRYO I
6th level Ikiryo Master feature

Your ikiryo improves and becomes a CR 6 creature.

IKIRYO II
11th level Ikiryo Master feature

Your ikiryo improves and becomes a CR 11 creature. It now consumes a bonus action to take its turn instead of an action.

IKIRYO III
17th level Ikiryo Master feature

Your ikiryo improves and becomes a CR 17 creature. Your ikiryo no longer consumes any of your actions and acts as you command it as a free action. This includes summoning it instantly for free. It also now shares its hit point total with you. For example, you add your hit points to the hit point total of your ikiryo for a combined pool.


EXAMPLE IKIRYO – MAGICIANS RED

Magicians Red is built on an efreeti. Its alignment from the tarot “The Magician”.

Appearance: Magician’s Red appears as a humanoid figure with a bird-like head. It has a heavily muscular upper body and its feathered legs are sometimes covered in burning flames. Its arms have claws instead of nails and it wears dark bracelets on both of its wrists.

MAGICIANS RED (CR 3 Version)

Medium elemental, your alignment
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points –
Speed 20 ft.
STR       DEX       CON      INT     WIS      CHA
17 (+3)  10 (+0) 20 (+5) 9 (-1) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)
Damage Resistance Fire
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Understands any language you know and has a telepathic bond with you but does not speak
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Innate Spellcasting.(1/Day). Magicians Red can innately cast heat metal (spell save DC 10), requiring no material components. Its innate spellcasting ability is Charisma.
ACTIONS

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage plus 2 (1d4) fire damage.

Fire Breath (Recharge 6). Magicians Red exhales a 15-foot cone of fire. Each creature in that area must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

MAGICIANS RED (CR 11 Version)

This is identical to the standard efreeti.

MAGICIANS RED (CR 17 Version)

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 200

Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR      DEX    CON      INT     WIS      CHA
22(+6) 12(+1) 24(+7) 16(+3) 15(+2) 16(+3)

Saving Throws Int +9, Wis +8, Cha +9

Damage Immunities fire

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages Understands any language you know and has a telepathic bond with you but does not speak

Challenge 17

Innate Spellcasting. Magicians Red’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

ACTIONS

Multiattack. Magicians Red makes two scimitar attacks or uses its Hurl Flame twice.

Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage.

Hurl Flame. Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (5d6) fire damage.


Banner Credit: “Stardust Crusaders” anime.

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

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