Way of Steel Breath

Harrowing, armor-clad warriors that often serve as mercenaries, these practitioners of the arts of war and discipline are at home on the battlefield. Monks of this tradition are known for their penchant to wield staves and spears, but have no such restrictions. While many prefer the layer of protection offered by armor, some opt for more traditional garb.

Way of the Placeholder Features

Monk Level	Feature
3rd	Armor-Clad, Warding Strikes
6th	Unhindered Mobility
11th	Blade Catch
17th	Steel Wind

 

Armor-Clad

3rd-level Way of the Long Rod feature

You gain proficiency in light and medium armor and in bladespears, glaives, halberds, long spears, pikes, and tridents. Long spear and swordstaff are found in Aronar’s Armory.

Wearing light and medium armor no longer prohibits you from benefiting from your Martial Arts or Unarmored Movement features, nor does any weapon you have proficiency in, even if it’s not a monk weapon.

Warding Strikes

3rd-level Way of the Long Rod feature

When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, you don’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn.

In addition, you can expend 1 ki point to unbalance the creature. The target has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.

Unhindered Mobility

6th-level Way of the Long Rod feature

You can enter a creature’s space without expending extra movement regardless of its size, but you can’t end your turn there.

Whenever you take the Dash action, you can move through difficult terrain created by natural or magical plants or physical obstacles, such as caltrops, without expending extra movement. If you are wearing medium armor, you don’t need to take the Dash action to gain this benefit.

Blade Catch

11th-level Way of the Long Rod feature

You can use your Strength or Wisdom modifier (your choice) instead of your Dexterity with your Deflect Missiles feature. You can also use your Deflect Missiles feature against melee weapon attacks, reducing damage in the same way you do a ranged weapon attack.

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can attempt to disarm your attacker if it is holding a weapon. It must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or it loses the weapon and you gain hold of it. If the weapon is held with two hands, the creature has advantage on its save.

Steel Wind

17th-level Way of the Long Rod feature

Once during your turn when you make an unarmed strike, you can replace it with an attack from a melee weapon and this attack can be used to attack your target and each creature you choose within 5 feet of the target and not more than 10 feet from you. Make a separate attack roll for each target.