The Way of the Drunken Master has remarkable potential for powerful deception and fluid movement that looks like little more than stumbling but results in precise strikes, counters and parries. The Way of the Four Elements Provides Powerful Magic They can do this once per long rest, which definitely makes them valuable allies to the adventurers they travel with.
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As they grow more powerful, they even learn how to revive those who have fallen, expending their Ki to bring someone back from the dead within 24 hours of their death. These Monks use their Ki to grant hit points to those in need of them, but they can also direct their Ki into necrotic damage designed to eat away at enemies threatening their allies. One of the interesting things about these Monks is that when they come in contact with someone they cannot heal or save, they swiftly take their suffering away by ending their life in the ultimate act of mercy. Many consider them to be wandering physicians and healers who are often the only ones who bring solace and comfort to the poor. Much like Clerics and healers, Monks of the Way of Mercy learn how to manipulate others' life force to create healing energy. Way of the Sun Soul Monks Can Strike From a Distance RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Thaumaturgy Can Be More Useful Than You Think 8. The techniques they employ are specifically designed to further their pursuit of knowledge and information. This factors heavily into their fighting style, allowing them to strike at enemy pressure points to Extract Aspects that give the Monk and their party information to help them take the enemy out more efficiently. They spend years in study and training, granting them vast amounts of knowledge. Their pursuit of knowledge drives Monks of the Cobalt Soul those who follow this tradition spend the years of their lives seeking knowledge and guarding a massive repository of tomes, history and information. The fact that players without access to D&D Beyond or the sourcebooks would have to do some serious Internet digging to gather what they need to practice this tradition puts it in the lower half of the rankings.
Still, it offers many interesting features, even for players who don't have access to the Critical Role sourcebooks. Way of the Cobalt Soul Monks Are StudiousĬreated by Critical Role Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer, the Way of the Cobalt Soul isn't an official Monastic Tradition. To make one's body the ultimate weapon and sanctuary is no feat to be scoffed at, but the Way of the Open Hand falls lower on the list because there are definitely other Traditions that are far less traditional. These Monks spend years perfecting the art of meditation, becoming one with body, mind and soul in such a way that as they advance, their meditations grant them healing, protection and resolve. In the mastery of their own Ki, they learn how to manipulate the Ki of those around them, which gives them access to powerful advantages when they use Flurry of Blows in combat. RELATED: The Easiest D&D Traps to Add as DM - and How to Beat Them as a Player They are masters of the martial arts, quick to move and strike, push and recoil to avoid harm, and know exactly how to use their Ki to heal their bodies of damage sustained during combat.
The Way of the Open Hand teaches Monks to use their bodies and their Ki as both weapons and armor, in a sense.