The Way of the Sage (Monk)
PDF Link | D&D Beyond Links: Way of the Sage, Extending Magic Weapons
Artwork Credit: https://www.deviantart.com/robcv/art/Monkey-king-660187426
Our next preview from Legends of Prestige & Prowess is the Way of the Sage, a monk subclass modeled after the abilities of the mythical Monkey King, Sun Wukong. However, the Way of the Sage can also be used to build any kind of monk with spiritual and mystical abilities. It serves well for any kind of spiritual wanderer or wuxia mystic. If you want a monk that creates clones, becomes invisible, and can change their shape, you should try this one out!
When we originally created it, the Way of the Sage was designed as a "one-third caster" like the Eldritch Knight and the Arcane Trickster in the Player's Handbook, or the Battle Shaman and Divine Inquisitor (a rogue subclass we've yet to preview) that will appear in Legends of Prestige & Prowess. However, as we iterated and playtested the subclass, we decided that it worked better to build the subclass in the style of the Way of Shadow from the Player's Handbook, where the monk spends ki points to cast spells.
The Way of the Sage class features are all modeled directly off of the abilities of the Monkey King. For example, "Cloud Somersaulting" is represented with the wind walk spell, and "Seventy-Two Transformations" is represented by the polymorph spell. The Monkey King's classic ability to create clones of himself is handled by the mirror image spell, and the "Method of Bodily Concealment" is found in the invisibility and mislead spells. True seeing ("Fiery Eyes, Golden Pupils"), enlarge/reduce ("Method of Imitating Heaven and Earth"), and sanctuary ("Protective Circles") are also all techniques used by the Monkey King.
Finally, the Distant Strike class feature at 18th level is designed to replicate Sun Wukong's magically-lengthening staff, as is the new magic item, Extending Weapon. Since Distant Strike doesn't affect the attacks granted by a bonus action attack, it incentivizes the monk to use their bonus action for casting spells or spending ki points in other ways. This creates a playstyle that focuses on creativity, trickery, and clever use of spellcasting, which must be woven into the monk's fighting style to make the most of the subclass features.
PDF Link | D&D Beyond Links: Way of the Sage, Extending Magic Weapons
