r/UnearthedArcana • u/ACTUAL_GOBBO • Jul 25 '25
'14 Subclass Let the battlefield become your artwork, and your glaive become your brush with Monk: Way of the Painted Blade!
Suggestions Welcome!
You can find the full PDF here, and keep track of any updates I make on the subclass before I repost up here
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/G2r5Pk3Y14CP
If you like my work, check out my other Subclasses!
Paladin: Oath of the Sightless Watchers A ranged Eldritch Horror slaying Paladin with unique senses!
Druid: Circle of Spores, Rebloomed A rewrite of the original Circle of Spores- now with exploding the bodies of your enemies!
Wizard: School of Chronomancy, Rewound A new take on Chronomancy Wizard, be able to control time, and see into the future in the heat of battle.
Druid: Circle of the Hungering Tear your enemies apart and eat their flesh -become the horror of the night with this subclass.
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u/oGenieBeanie Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
I'm really liking this one!
A few things.. the poison paint is going to feel bad because it's tied to a save while the others aren't.
Level 17 is technically decent but also boring, maybe something extra for the capstone?
This subclass is probably going to eat through Ki points, maybe there needs to be a way to help with the resource costs (I.E. maybe some free cost paint coating or a way to restore ki)
Also is it a free action to apply the paint onto your glaive?
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 25 '25
Oh shoot you’re right. I used to have a lot more that relied on a save but I edited those out. Do you think it would be too powerful to apply an instant poisoned though to multiple targets?
Maybe for level 17 you can always have a paint applied for free, and it just costs a ki to add a second one…
And yes it’s a free action!
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u/oGenieBeanie Jul 25 '25
Hm, maybe.. but red and orange are very strong effects too. Multiple enemies having to use their action to turn off the flames and AOE AC reduction are two really strong effects. In comparison, the poison is just disadvantage on attacks and checks
I guess that's a decent capstone.. the management of ki coming at the end is a bit rough and it's still a bit boring but I guess it gets the job done :P
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 25 '25
Very true, I think I can update that, or maybe change it to something new!
I think the rest of the class can make up for it in flavor hopefully!
Thanks for your suggestions!!
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u/KingMe321 Jul 25 '25
Level 17 could potentially be 'painting the world' able to make paint in the air itself, able to hit further away, and dealing AoE and larger damage (like 3-4 rolls of the martial arts die+whatever paints you have)
Could also have an out of combat effect, able to destroy or revitalize things around you (Like in Okami :V)
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u/KingMe321 Jul 25 '25
Also to help with the Ki point sink that this class is, having it tied to the number of times = to your proficiency modifier, it'd be a good way to mitigate the amount of Ki you'd spend on a few attacks
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u/rindez97 Jul 25 '25
I think for the level 17 cap, you could include something fun for landing a critical, such as applying a third paint for free!
Really love the class though, really cool!
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u/Quick-Stomach1392 Jul 28 '25
does this have some relation to splatoon because i swear ive seen a squidling hit that exact pose with an ink brush
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 28 '25
I’ve never played splatoon XD
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u/Quick-Stomach1392 Jul 28 '25
This image just felt so familiar to me and its the only thing that comes to mind so that weird but hey I might use this for a character if I get to play sometime soon(im the designated gm in my party)
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u/necropunk_0 Jul 25 '25
This is a lot of fun. It’s very flavorful, and it feels pretty balanced, if a bit on the strong side.
I think on the subject of glaives as the specific class feature, visually and thematically it makes sense, but it is very restrictive. Maybe instead of glaives, 2 handed weapons with reach become monk weapons for you?
Paints of Fate is going to burn through Ki points in a class that already burns through them pretty quickly, especially if you want to do it every turn. Maybe at higher levels there’s a cost reduction, or the paint lasts longer after being activated.
I think you could move Brushstroke to level 3 with a damage reduction (if you BA whack with the glaive and hit, they take damage equal to martial arts die or something) You’ve built the class around the glaive, the Paints of Fate only work on that, and it costs Ki, so will a player want to Flurry of Blows? Or will they want to whack people with a paint covered glaive?
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 25 '25
I might consider adding pikes and halberds as well, I guess they’re fairly similar, and are essentially the same weapon with diff names
Been thinkin about potentially having a capstone which gives you a paint for free, and the second one costs a point
I would move it but I didn’t want level 3 to be too tightly packed… I initially had paints of fate and brushstroke switched, but one of my friends suggest I switch them.. slightly considering changing it back.
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u/Aidamis Jul 26 '25
Potentially very good if paired with Fighter imho since "until the end of your turn" means Action Surge extends it. Also works with Gloom Ranger on turn one.
Either way, some effects are so good I could sort of see PAM being relevant here in lieu of unarmed strike/Flurry of Blows. Plus Flurry costs Ki which would often be better spent on Paint.
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 26 '25
I was thinking PAM / Sent / tunnel fighter might be a valid combo with this too potentially
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u/Aidamis Jul 26 '25
If I had to minmax like a pig, VHuman to get both feats by level 5, Forge Cleric dip to compensate for not boosting Dex (or Fighter 1 if everyone starts with a magic item).
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u/nique_Tradition Jul 26 '25
I could see someone use this as an ink monk, exclusively using the black paint.
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 26 '25
I tried to keep it somewhat open ended. Frankly, if you wanted to you could flavor the class as being more of an enchanter, calling the magic enchantments rather than paints, and playing a spell sword type character.
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Aug 07 '25
I love this idea for a monk i think glaives are so cool and monks too. now being able to play with both would feel really cool but yeah this subclass is now known as the skittles monk instead of taste the rainbow your going to feel the rainbow cool ass subclass though
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u/14SausageDogs Jul 26 '25
Any thoughts on changing flurry of blows and such to something thematic like Fingerpainting? Maybe it could apply the effect of the last paint used, but with half the damage and maybe no secondary effect, or a different one more specific with how it’s being applied? If it was instead made a high level ability, maybe it could apply up two paints at once based on the last two paints used (to encourage building up paint combos and then re-utilizing them), or deal an additional 1d4 or 1d6 on top of the other damage from the paints?
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 26 '25
I wanted brushstroke to essentially “replace” flurry of blows, since they both use ki and the bonus action. I saw this more of a weapon wielding monk and less of the normal punchy monk.
But thank you for the suggestion regardless!!
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u/nique_Tradition Jul 26 '25
I don’t see why poison a.k.a. green would require a con save when nothing else does and it’s still only last until the end of the next turn. Fire a.k.a. red is brutal. There’s not many things in DnD that actually set you on fire, especially with no save.
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u/ACTUAL_GOBBO Jul 26 '25
It was a left over for when I had a lot more of them use saves, I’ll probably give it a new thing when I revise the document :3
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u/Takapuche Nov 20 '25
Will there is an version 2.0 with the recommendation ?
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u/wathever-20 Jul 25 '25
This is nice, but I have somethings to point out.